cd collection

Around six months ago I swore off streaming services and started moving to a personal, curated music collection. This is mostly a digital library, but also involves collecting CDs.

CDs are a great medium to build a collection of: cheaper than vinyls, more tangible than FLACs. Acquiring the CD for an album is a level of commitment that builds a real relationship to the collection. I couldn't name every album I've purchased digitally but I bet I could tell you every CD.

I'm going to start documenting new pickups here with a little background on each as an easy discussion topic. I'd love to hear if any readers have a relationship to the music I talk about here.

The focus will be more on my connection and the story around the CD rather than the content of the music itself. I think those stories are part of the magic of a physical music collection.

Karnivool - In Verses

Karnivool are a Perth-based prog metal band, probably best known for featuring the same lead singer as Birds of Tokyo: Ian Kenny. This is their first new album in over a decade so it comes highly anticipated.

I've been a Karnivool fan since at least 2011, introduced to them by my mum blasting it on the kitchen speakers at breakfast. My favourite album is definitely Sound Awake, their latest at the time. I've seen them live on three separate occasions, all of which were planned by Mum. This adds an extra emotional attachment to their music that might not otherwise be there.

When the new album was up for pre-release I jumped at the opportunity to get in early. What I found was pretty annoying but incredibly typical: I had to pay exortbitant shipping to get it from the eastern states of Australia to Perth, the city the album was recorded in!

This put me off picking it up until I was buying the next album of dicussion and saw the same store had In Verses in stock, in a real jewel case and everything!

Tomora - Come Closer

Tomora is a new collaboration between Norwegian singer Aurora and Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers.

I've never listened too closely to very much Chemical Brothers, although I'm sure I've been exposed to their more popular and radio-friendly tracks.

Aurora I have a closer connection with, I have a close friend who absolutely adores her work. I got the oppurtunity to go see Aurora live with this friend, so I figured I'd better brush up since I'd only heard her music in passing.

Listening to Aurora's work at home through some headphones is cool, she has a particular style and it's unique and compelling in a very accessible way. I liked her work okay, I'm not the target audience but that's okay.

Listening to Aurora live though! She absolutely blew me away. I'd never experienced the sheer power of a single voice like that, it was a brand new, almost religious experience. I've gone back and listened to her albums recently and it just doesn't compare. If she ever comes to Perth again, you can be sure I'll be in the crowd.

So, understandably, I was interested in this new project. I'm definitely an electronic music guy, and particularly into experimental and strange electronic music. After listening to the intro and first track on Spotify (I never said it wasn't useful to keep around sometimes) it absoutely hooked me with the eerie and beautiful blend of powerful vocals and primitive electronic sounds. I sought out the CD on the spot and waited for it to arrive to listen to the rest.

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