So, for the past few years, I had started to do this thing where I listen to an album in its entirety every day, but in years past I would lose interest and not make it. So this year to keep myself interested I started looking into random albums not only to keep me on my feet, but to keep my music taste expansive. I let theshfl.com pick a random album for me to listen to, it is a cool website as it gives you the option to go random in a certain genre, which maybe I’ll explore later but I’ve kept it au naturel for now. No skipping, no choosing—just pure musical roulette. Some days, I stumble upon hidden gems. Other days, I question my life choices and get days upon days of instrumentals. But no matter what, at the end of the day I can safely say that I’m getting a wider appreciation for music, and that’s the goal.
So… here’s what I listened to this past week, and at the bottom, you’ll maybe find a link to my running list of 2025 albums so far for the time I had missed (sorry) or you won’t if I forgot to add it.
Sunday, Feb 9 – Post by Björk (2.6/5)
This was my first time listening to Björk, and I’m not gonna lie—it was a tough one for me. I get why she’s so beloved, and why some Uruguayan man stalked her and tried to kill her, kinda like John Lennon? But to me it just wasn’t it, the experimental production, quirky vocals, and general unpredictability just didn’t click in my head. Now I’m sure that if I was someone with, let’s say a bad music taste, this would probably slap. That said, if I did have to find some appreciation for a song it would have to be “Enjoy.” If I ever revisit her discography, I’ll probably try Homogenic instead, since I’ve read a few Reddit threads in my post-listening google searches and they all mention that album.
Monday, Feb 10 – Romance by Fontaines D.C. (3.9/5)
Now we’re talking. Fontaines D.C. is a band I was already familiar with, and Romance keeps up their streak of some solid post-punk, make you want to throw a guitar but hope that it doesn’t break, releases. It’s a moodier, slightly more atmospheric album than some of their past work, specifically Skinta Fia, which was their album I had the most prior knowledge of. Back to my guitar comment, on this album I really liked the balance between aggression and restraint, having each song offer a little of both in a perfect blend that made the listening experience enjoyable, fun and when “Good Luck Babe” by Chappell Roan came on after the album was queued I was naturally caught off guard. But not because I was dreading the album as I have with some albums in the past. Their song “Bug” stood out the most for me, being a song of great energy, lyrics that for sure say some words that are not wastes of space, and one that makes you want to speed up whatever you’re doing and move.
Tuesday, Feb 11 – Everything is Going Grey by Wolf & Bear (4.7/5)
This was a complete surprise in the best way possible. I had never even heard of Wolf & Bear before this, besides the animals of course, but by the time I was halfway through the album, I was fully on board and found myself audibly saying “Hell Yea.” It’s this blend of post-hardcore, math rock, and dare I say west coast emo? It took me a few songs to settle into what the bear and the wolf’s message is and figuring out their style, but once it clicked, it clicked. On the bum (that is not a good abbreviation for album), my favorite song was “War Paint.” I don’t throw around high ratings often, in fact I have actually never thrown out ratings before this, but given my recency bias I would say that this 2017 album is flirting with AOTY status already. All I can say is give it a listen, gonna keep this entry short and sweet (Hi Sabrina <3).
Wednesday, Feb 12 – The Cars by The Cars (4.3/5)
This album was basically a time capsule I didn’t know I had buried in my backyard, except this one wasn’t full of stickers and mildly racist material that was acceptable at the time of the burial, or whatever time capsules actually have in them. I’ve never done one and what little I know of them is based on probably TikTok and some TV shows from my preteen years. Back to the album, even though it came out 20 years before I was born, I was shocked at how many songs I already knew. The first four tracks (Good Times Roll, My Best Friend’s Girl, Just What I Needed, and I’m in Touch with Your World) are all classics and upon hearing them they instantly come back to my memory and make me feel like I was born in the wrong age. While at its core, the songs are basic rock songs, the kiund you are probably thinking of right now, full of nonsense lyrics and a synthesizer oft attributed to the age. “My Best Friend’s Girl” takes the top spot for me as my favorite song on the bum.
Thursday, Feb 13 – Almost Famous by Slutever (3.1/5)
No, you are not reading this wrong… or you might be I don’t know. But yes this says Slutever. This was easily the most random album of the week, and honestly, I didn’t expect much. Turns out, it was a short and fun little punk/grunge-inspired record that had just the right amount of girl-boss attitude. I had never heard of Slutever before, and apparently, they’ve been defunct for a decade as I found out when I stumbled upon their Wikipedia page, but I enjoyed the ride. And as the feminist in me always strives to be, the album or is it maybe considered an EP?, but it was quick, punchy, and perfect for a drive to work.
Friday, Feb 14 – The Dude by Quincy Jones (3.7/5)
Happy Valentines Day! I hit play on this expecting smooth jazz, maybe something sensual, now that may be because I thought I was familiar with the artist and confidently exclaimed to my audience of nobody as I was stuck in traffic, “Oh its the Jazz guy.” Instead, I got a chunky, funky, genre-blending experience that I was totally not prepared for. The production is top-tier (as expected from Quincy Jones, or whoever I had mistaken his name for), and I felt like I was simultaneously grooving at a dance party and gearing up for battle, if swerving into the cars next to you was not illegal, I would have opted to give a little swerve. The opening track, “Ai No Corrida,” set the tone perfectly for my drive, an infectious rhythm, great instrumentation, and just the right amount of flair that had me upbeat and positive as I was stuck in traffic. What I find most fascinating is the album’s artwork, I mean I feel like the figure on the cover is something I would have seen at the MET and posted an Instagram story of, because I was so enamored by it.Definitely a fun surprise today and made me feel better and un poco crazy.
Saturday, Feb 15 – Blackout in the Red Room by Love/Hate (4.4/5)
This album is just wallowed in sleaze, and low-key, I kind of loved it. From the moment I read the description on the shuffle website about Jizzy Pearl (still can’t believe that’s his name), I knew this would be a ride. Love/Hate brings a heavier, grimier take on hair metal, with some seriously aggressive song titles and a vocalist that reminded me of Axl Rose in the best way? Not sure who I was hearing but then seeing that Mr. Pearl is currently in Quiet Riot,, that seemed to click things in my head and I guess swayed me toward liking the album more subconciously? And then I read the song titles, which WOW, that’s a lot not what I thought, perhaps teetering on aggressive but then again I’m 26 I’ll grow up. But the music chefs kiss, it was just pure hair metal bliss. “Slutsy/Tipsy” was my favorite track, not just because of the ridiculous name, but it was a genuinely great song. This one delivered exactly what I wanted from a late ’80s/early ’90s rock album, which I will not fact check, it is what is it, surely the timetable is right.
Final Thoughts/TLDR
This was a killer week for music I think, minus Björk, sorry. I found a new potential AOTY contender (Everything is Going Grey), got a nostalgia trip with The Cars, and had some absolute chaos with Love/Hate. I have no idea what’s coming next, but I’m excited to keep this going.
Now that I finally got my WordPress password back, I’ll (hopefully) be keeping this up every week.
SebastianMParente.com 
Leave a comment