I've been here for 3 years, yet I still feel somewhat of a stranger. This my attempt to share a bit more of myself. I spend a large amount of time searching for new music, so this is basically my own personal "Share Some Music You've Been Into Lately." But with more of a focus on sharing new finds, rather than just general listening habits. I hope it doesn't step on any toes. And I hope anyone reading find's something they like.

Western Skies Motel

This Danish guitarist has absolutely been one of my favourite finds of the last few weeks. An enthralling composer of experimental folk instrumentals, often said to capture the "lonely, barren landscape of the American West." Intriguing, considering the aforementioned fact that he's from Denmark. Mix that up in an intoxicating concoction of strong elements of British folk and ambient tendencies and you'll be some way to imagining René Gonzàlez Schelbeck's sound.

He has two parallel albums coming out in April entitled 'Settlers' and 'Generations' which I can't wait for. These two tracks are ones that have been shared so far. Things that especially draw me in on these two are the arpeggios that flutter like the namesake on 'Falling Leaves' and the gradually layered wall of melodies on 'Myriads.'

Animals as Leaders

This is a complete switch up from the previous artist. I used to be an avid metalhead as a teenagre so I have a bit of soft spot for chugging riffs that drag you down to depths. However, it's only recently that I've begun indulging this side of my tastes again. Most likely due to a friend who I met in the last year or two who is big into his metal.

Anyway, this band are something else. They go beyond metal and are a true fusion of sounds and styles. I guess 'Prog Metal' would probably be the most apt classification for them. The band started off as the solo project of 'prodigious' 8 string guitarist Tosin Abasi and has now grown into a trio. The musicality of all the members is insane and Tosin himself is one of those rare breeds who can use advance guitar techniques with actual purpose instead of just sounding masturbatory and/or pretentious. Compositionally, these tracks are an awe to me too. Another interesting dynamic about this band is that they don't have a bass guitarist, instead pairing two 8 string guitar players.

That's enough chatter, here's some of their music.

The groove at 1:29 in that second track is particularly special. Probably one of the best I've ever heard. Don't skip to it though, let it come to you.

Nonkeen

Some of you may know one of the members of this trio (Nils Frahm) from his solo electronic work. For this release he's grouped up with childhood friends Frederic Gmeiner and Sepp Singwald. This band have a fascinating history. I recommend reading it if you're interested..

The TL;DR of it is that they were experimenters with sound recording from an early age. However, during one of their teenage performances at a local fair, a ride broke causing member of public to be flung on to the stage and injured on their instruments. At that point they disbanded and swore off music. Their debut album 'The Gamble' was born out of a drunken reunion and are adaptions of the early tape recordings from those childhood days. Often recording over and sampling them.

Lofi, electronic, post-rock, jam tracks. These are all terms you might pair with this music. For now, I'll leave you with my favourite track.