Aster Tracks

When I first started posting regularly on this blog it was the 2020 year end list that started it all. Last year, I wrote to you about five EPs and ten albums that I felt were special and I knew this year, having talked about more that I thought I would be able to, I wanted to go even bigger. That’s why I stretched the posting in 2021 to an entire month. On AsterTracks, I started by wanting to give my year end list, then I figured I could do some reviews, then I thought “well, I give a weekly list in a group chat anyway, why not make it public?” I didn’t think I’d be able to review music that wasn’t even released. I didn’t think I’d be so on the ball with new music that it was more surprising to me when an entire record went past my radar. I didn’t think I’d learn organization skills, become a better writer and be able to plan not only one special month but an entire second one in the month of January. It’s had its ups and some downs that I’ve kept off the record but this running this ...

Last year I only made a top twenty EP list splicing in remix and demo EPs to fill the space because I found I just wasn’t into that many. This week just like with the singles we have a list of fifty at the bottom of this post to shout out. These ten especially, however caught my attention this year and if you haven’t heard any of them I hope I inspire you to look their way. #10: Kero Kero Bonito - Civilisation II (Polyvinyl) One thing that always impresses me about KKB is their progression from album to album and how they change genres while set on a clear concise path. If you tried to imagine the sound of Civilisation just by going off of Bonito Generation I think the only sensible line you’d see is the electronic undertones. Going from album to album all the way through, however is a different story. On this newly completed record whose first half is now two years old, the band takes the dance and electronic elements of their first record, combines them with the seriousness and indie...

Singles might be the most important releases in the industry yet for years I more or less just ignored them. This year I really tried to be on the ball listening to upwards of sixty new tracks a week to really get a feel for the whole year. By the end of the year I had collected hundreds of tracks on a playlist but I managed to narrow it down to fifty. The only rules being I could not repeat artists (barring features) and I had to eliminate all singles that were on an EP or album present in my lists of those categories. Below you’ll find my presentation of the top ten and if you’d like to check out the other forty there’s a link for that as well; #10: Between You & Me - Supervillain  (Hopeless) For a record I was very much looking forward to, Armageddon didn’t really make an impact on me. I don’t really mean that in an insulting way it just didn’t quite check the boxes I needed it to and the wait for it was a little longer than what it was worth. All that being said, it’s lead ...

  Hello, and welcome to AsterTracks’ Best of Month! The first real post of this very blog was my top EPs and Albums of 2020 which was a look into the music I liked the most in that year with some quick thoughts attached to the top ten. This year I decided to dedicate the entire month of December to looking back at 2021… but! We’re going to start by looking at the future. Every year people make their top lists in November to December but the thing is there’s still releases left in those last few weeks. So if you want to know my favorite records this year you’re going to have to wait until the very end of the month. This month I want to talk about five albums that I’m looking forward to, as well as shout out some music that didn’t quite make my top ten in these past months. Honorary Mentions Nickelback & The Lottery Winners - Rockstar Sea Shanty Before you judge me, I know, but hear me out. I, like most people, feel very strongly about not liking Nickelback. For some reason thoug...