I have nothing else to say today, so I thought I should subject you to what I’ve been listening to lately.

Alcest - Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde

Shoegaze Black Metal is the description, I think. I’m not sure why I love this album so much, but it’s just really damn good.

*Shels - Sea of the Dying Dhow

Yes, there really is an asterisk in their name. No, I don’t get it either. It doesn’t matter. They’re another post-hardcore, post-metal, “bands that sound like Isis,” or whatever it’s supposed to be called group. The first song on his album, The Conference of the Birds, illustrates as well as any other song exactly why I love this genre of music. The dynamics, the melodies, the guitar riffs, the added touch of the trumpet/trombone, everything is just fantastic. The rest of the album doesn’t live up to that song, but it’s still excellent.

Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs

I really like this 2005 album and my latest listening spurt was brought on by seeing him in Chicago last weekend. He has to be good if I travel 1,300 miles on a weekend, right? Well, his show was really only half the reason (at best) for the trip, but it’s still something of a testament. The music is a lot lighter than what I typically listen to, which is a good thing on occasion. I’m a sucker for finger-picked violin. The whistling is an interesting element as well.

This probably doesn’t really count, but I’ve been listening to Brave clips on MySpace. I need more metal with violin.