Greer's Ears

Music is a universal language; it's the most powerful tool human beings have to communicate emotion. It's easy to slip into the habit of only listening to artists who speak our native tongue—but there is so much more  to be discovered. If you're looking to broaden your horizons, this is a great place to start. I've compiled a list of eight incredible foreign artists/bands that I've been listening to recently. This list is not in any particular order. # 1 - Sigur Rós I'll just go ahead and get this one out of the way. If you're a big fan of indie music, you've likely already heard of Sigur Rós. The critically acclaimed Icelandic post-rock group released their debut album Von in 1997; while this album went relatively unnoticed, it laid the groundwork for future releases like Ágætis Byrjun  and () which launched the group into superstardom. To this day,  Ágætis Byrjun is one of my favorite albums of all time. This band's music isn't just ...

Today, we finally finish the 2018 Albumpalooza with the Top 50 Albums of 2018. If you haven't checked out Parts 1 & 2, here are the links! Part One - Top 5 Albums by Genre Part Two - 2018 Report Card For those of you who saw my Top 50 Projects of 2018 (So Far) list back in November, this list is very similar—but I've made around 10 adjustments. Hopefully, this draws your attention to some great projects you might have overlooked. I've also included a few EPs on here because they're just that good. Enjoy! 50. Szun Waves - New Hymn to Freedom New Hymn to Freedom is an excellent collection of tracks from the talented UK jazz trio. Using nothing but synths, drums, and saxophone, the group breaks new ground. This experimental and psychedelic record feel so meticulously arranged, you'll be surprised to learn it's made up entirely of unedited improvisations. This is certainly worthwhile for anyone interested in contemporary jazz. 49. Ashley Mon...

Before releasing Part 3 of my 2018 Albumpalooza, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate what I thought were the best SONGS of 2018. There were SO many factors to consider as I curated this list. Some songs were chosen because of their relevance and cultural significance.  Some songs were chosen because of their potent lyricism and/or story-telling.  Some songs were chosen because of their ingenious production and instrumentation. But many were chosen because they had  all of those things.  I'm going to breeze through most of these—but once I get to the Top 10, I'll expound a bit on my choices. I've created a Spotify playlist featuring all of the songs on this list. Feel free to follow it and give them a listen!  Without further ado, here are my Top 50 Songs of 2018: 50. Hookworms - Negative Space Album: Microshift Genre: Psychedelic Indie Rock 49. Hop Along- How Simple Album: Bark Your Head Off, Dog Genre: Ind...

Today, we continue our 2018 Albumpalooza with Part Two: The 2018 Report Card. If you missed Part One (2018's Top 5 Albums by Genre), you can check it out here ! For this next segment, I've divided 175+ albums from 2018 into four different categories: Great (I love these; Score of 80+) Good (I like these; Score of 65-79) Meh (These aren't bad... but they aren't good; Score of 50-64) Bad (These are trash; Score of 49 or lower) The albums in each category are listed in alphabetic order by artist name. Please don't be offended if your opinions on an album differ from mine. That just means that your taste in music sucks. That was a joke. Like whatever you want to like! Music taste is subjective. But if you want to know why I feel a certain way about an album, feel free to ask me in the comment section below or on social media! I'd be happy to answer any of your questions. Unfortunately, time just does not permit me to elaborate on all ~175 albums ...