Fushigi
Akina Nakamori
1986 / album
Akina Nakamori
1986 / album
Here's what's currently on my iPod.
I've lost enthusiasm for keeping this page updated. Partially, it's because life is busy and while music remains a daily constant companion, I don't feel the need to write about it. Another reason is because I've run the course with this exercise. I've slowed down my music consumption and have found a level of moderation that works. So, I'm starting a new music project, one I've entertained for months. I'm going to formulate my personal canon: identifying (and perhaps ranking?) the albums that matter most to me. The idea is to (a) engage music more critically (versus merely cataloguing, as this page had done); (b) keep my HTML + CSS skills in shape; and (c) practice defining my tastes for myself.
Pardon the mess while things get rearranged on this site in the next while!
My last update was over two weeks ago. Part of it was being content with what I had: there were a string of days in the last week when I listened to Loveless daily, and New Order and Thomas Bergersen continue to receive play. (Alas, I think I can finally admit: David Bowie's Berlin Trilogy doesn't do it for me. I like "Heroes" (the song), and a track or two from each album, but I think my expectations were too high.)
The other part was due to increasing my focus on the things I need to get done, like scholarly writing. Good music and progress on projects are a great combination!
Additions this time include: Andy Bell (a prince of shoegaze) and his electronic alter ego, GLOK; Slowdive's Souvlaki (to determine if/where I place it in my personal canon of shoegaze); Rage Against the Machine's self-titled debut (I can't tell if it's a good thing or not that I missed this entirely throughout my teenage years); Trombone Shorty (dipping my toes slowly into jazz); Renaissance's magnum opus (which might just be all the prog rock I ever need); the Beyblade anime's soundtrack (because it somehow motivates me to write—my childhood was enamoured by animes of card games and spinning tops and battling creatures; somehow current me treats academia like some tournament...?).
The work I'm most eager to explore is Teresa Teng's: one compilation and one critically acclaimed album to start. Look, Neocities shows me basic stats on my dashboard and I'm thrilled to see I get a few dozen visits a week (even when I don't update). So, to the nice folks reading this update, please treat yourself to this: The Moon Represents My Heart. You don't need to know any Mandarin. Just enjoy one of the classics by an artist who left this world too soon.
Taking a back-to-basics approach this week. I removed 16 albums and added five. Removals were based on recognizing that I might like the idea of some works more than the works themselves (e.g., I'm fond of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, but am not as enthusiastic about their other works). Consequently, what remains is what I find quite enjoyable (e.g., New Order just gets better and better to my ears). The additions this week: David Bowie with his Berlin Trilogy; Marquee Moon by Television; and E2-E4 by Manuel Göttsching. I want to give Bowie's discography a fair shake. Meanwhile I suspect the other two albums are contenders for constant rotation—I missed them after I reset my music collection last month.
This week I removed the soundtracks for Halo 3 and Halo 4. There was a time when I enjoyed listening to music from video games, but my tastes have changed. At the least, my taste has expanded since my teenaged years. (I retain the soundtrack for Halo 2, however, as it makes an hour go by quick in a good way.) Likewise, the score for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith has been removed, for although the film is one of my all-time favourites, the music works best with the visual medium.
Three removed, and three take their place. The first is Lost Weekend by Phoebe Bridgers. Toska brought it up in one of our pen pal exchanges and I'd seen it popping up in other places (Bandcamp, Rate Your Music). It's my first Bridgers album, and I'm digging it so far (as it's playing in the background while I make this update). "The Outside" has to be a callback to Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" (which is featured in one of my favourite SNL skits).
So, the second album added this week is Speak for Yourself by Imogen Heap. I learned that "the album was written, produced, arranged, and funded by Heap, without the backing of a record label" which I admire. This self-directed and self-reliant approach to music reminded me of the third album—I've been playing New Order a lot this past week and haven't grown tired of 1980s UK music; I really am fond of that era, and so this one isn't new to me, but one I want to enjoy more—Hounds of Love by Kate Bush. (It was released 41 years ago this week!)
Another week, another update. I'm starting to think that a weekly update is a good enough cadence; it's something to look forward to, and it beats being consumed by music on a daily basis.
This week I made simple adjustments. I swapped the Cocteau Twins' Stars and Topsoil compilation for Treasure. It's a reduction in the number of songs, but there's something about this album that keeps me coming back. It was my introduction to CT last fall, and "Lorelei" exists on both albums (it being my favourite song by the band). I also quite enjoy listening to "Domino" when the weather gets chillier.
I removed Phobia by Breaking Benjamin, Tunes 2011 to 2019 by Burial, The La's self-titled (and only studio) album, and Loose by Nelly Furtado. I can verify that I only enjoy "There She Goes Again" by The La's, and I wasn't as compelled to listen to the other three as I thought I would be. Again, there was a time when I really dug those albums by BB and Nelly Furtado, but I think my life is lacking the prerequisite angst or passionate crush to really enjoy them!
In their place I've added Colour Trip by Ringo Deathstarr; Despondent Transponder by Fleeting Joys; Gala by Lush; and Pubic Fruit by Curve. The first two are based on how similar they are to MBV's Loveless. I'm not opposed to music that sounds derivative or clone-y if they sound good, and I love listening to Loveless for how it helps me to dissociate from my surroundings. It doesn't hurt to have more options in my book. The remaining two are compilations of each band's early work. (Continuing my apparent fixation with 1990s shoegaze from the UK, both bands are from London, England.) I encountered them before and they left me curious. Lush, in particular, warrants a closer listen.
Since these commentaries are meant to be conducted weekly, I'm situating them after the list of albums moving forward. While I previously mentioned how tedious finding and uploading album art covers can be, if it's ~5/week, I can manage.
I had plans to game last night after a decent week, but they fell through. Since I was going to be spending time on a hobby anyways (see how I rationalize?), I made a couple adjustments while fighting to maintain constraints.
Basically, I realized I didn't need Substance by New Order given that most tracks are found across the five other albums (mainly in the bonus CDs). The 1987 version of "Temptation" is great, but I still prefer the original 12" version. I can also do without "The Kiss of Death". (This is a really cool development in that I love the compilation, but I'm earnestly exploring the band's deep cuts which I've been missing out on.) In its place I have the Halo 4 soundtrack for nostalgic continuity.
I also removed Box by Gas, replacing it with his last album Der Lange Marsch. The latter is what originally got me interested in his work. I know it makes callbacks to his earlier albums, and it was my intention to get into Box to develop an appreciation, but I haven't been eager to listen to the compilation. So I'm just focusing on the finale, with its Wagnerian overtones! This is another interesting development because I'm dispelling the idea that I have to "get" an artist in a certain way. I'm curbing my obsessive tendencies.
I've edited the list below to account for these changes, to remind myself that it's a bit tedious finding and then converting album covers. I'm glad that this update takes place more than a week after the initial premise: I know there's a balanced approach to appreciating and exploring music, but I have to keep working on boundaries.
On August 30, 2025, I developed an appreciation for music and stepped outside my comfort zone to explore different genres. It's been an enjoyable year: I've developed a rich inner life through music. But I've come to realize that (a) music will be a lifelong companion, so there's no rush to "get to it all"; and (b) there are some things that require my attention and exploring music takes time and energy away from those priorities. So, I synced my iPod with a set of albums that I think will last me for a while so that I curb my desire to explore new music. Many are highlights from my exploration in the past year, while some are classics in my personal canon. Some are still new to me, and are included because I'd like to get better acquainted with them.
In making this list (which entailed enough effort that I wish to avoid revising it), I made some interesting observations. First, most of the music that I discovered in the last year are rooted in the United Kingdom in the 1980s and 1990s. I was already familiar with England's New Order, but Scotland's Cocteau Twins and The Jesus and Mary Chain were precursors to what's become one of my favourite genres, shoegaze. Bands from the original scene include England's Chapterhouse, Ride, and Slowdive. (This cohort led me to revisit contemporary English bands: The La's and The Stone Roses have self-titled albums I desire to appreciate more now that I have a better sense of the music scene.)
On the topic of shoegaze, one of my favourite discoveries is My Bloody Valentine. I didn't get them at first, but when they clicked, they clicked. Loveless is within my Top 5 favourite albums, even if I don't readily recognize the other four. (The band is from Dublin, Ireland, which is not a part of Northern Ireland and therefore not a part of the UK. Music has also taught me some geography.)
Rounding out my selection are some picks from a narrow timespan: 2004–2007. Breaking Benjamin; the soundtracks for Halo 2, Halo 3, and Revenge of the Sith; and Nelly Furtado were constant companions back when I had an iPod in high school. Nostalgia warrants that I include these bangers.
I also deemed it prudent to include ambient works, for when the mood strikes. Burial, Gas, and Steve Reich are discoveries from the past year that left an impression on me.
The works by Akina Nakamori, Faye Wong, and Lorde represent strong moments in each artist's career. I don't get tired of them.
For fun, I included Joy Division as a prequel/contrast to New Order, and Crayon Case as a sequel/contrast to first-wave shoegaze.
Last but most definitely not least, I included ten albums by Thomas Bergersen—the artist I listened to the most from 2011–2025. His music makes facing trials and tribulations less daunting—and even enjoyable.
ᵃ Joy Division. Substance was released in 1988, but I have the 2015 remastered edition with bonus tracks.
* Manuel Göttsching. I've the 25th anniversary edition.
ᵇ My Bloody Valentine. Domino reissued this in 2021, which is the best edition of Loveless to my ears.
ᶜ New Order. I have the Collector's Editions of the band's studio albums from the 1980s. The initial 2008 batch had problems fixed in 2009.
ᵉ Steve Reich and Musicians. The original work and recording (ECM Records) is from the 1970s, but I am fond of the performance recorded for Nonesuch Records.