What I’m Listening To – October 2023

It’s time again for the monthly round-up of a few album selections I’ve been listening to non-stop this month. Let’s jump right in.

First up is the new release from Polyrhythmics. Filter System is another great instrumental funk release from the Seattle based band. Their sense of groove and funk just grows every time. They hit that sweet spot, a few times, on this one, of great 70s funk, the sort of thing you could imagine being a main title theme in a movie.

Next is the return of a synthwave standard, Gunship, with Unicorn. They’ve come back after a while with an album reminding listeners why they’re so highly regarded in the genre. Lyrically they blend seamlessly into a sense of the 80s while their musicality, headlined by synths of course, keep the beat moving wonderfully. This album is also overstuffed with guests including John Carpenter, Gavin Rossdale, and Lights. If you’ve been thinking about trying synthwave this would be a great starting point (You could also check out my Digging Deeper – Synthwave post, of course), and if you’re an old hand, you’ll already know to run and grab this.

Finally this month I’m going to introduce you to sungazer. Adam Neely and Shawn Crowder come together to make insanely wonderful, complex, and fascinating experimental electrojazz. Neely, you may know from his YouTube channel where he discusses in depth theories about music in ways that allow non-musicians to understand it. With sungazer’s first full album Perihelion, you can see everything Neely has talked about come to life in ways that, frankly will not work for everyone. Look, I realize “Experimental electrojazz” is going to be a harder sell than most things I might suggest but give it a listen and let the experience move you. There’s emotion here, and purpose, as well as a sense of play and depth of knowledge. It’s truly stunning work.
That’s it for this month. Normally I’d say next month we’ll do this again but next month won’t have a post like this. Instead it’ll be time for the Best of the Year here. The biggest, longest, music post of the year. So brace yourselves. Will all top ten (and however many Honorable Mentions I allow myself this year) come from these posts? Some will. Some are things I haven’t mentioned. Get ready for it.