Playlists

Music that soundtracks my life.

1. Haken
   I enjoy vocals in most of the music I listen to, possibly because of the subcontinent I grew up in where most music is vocal-led. I enjoy modern progressive rock without vocals, which is why absolutely love Animals as Leaders. Haken fits a similar picture for me, it doesn't feel robotic, the vocals have a wide range of expression to them, and the drums always surprise me.
2. Gojira
   
3. Peach Pit
   stare at your socks, move a little, disappear into this feeling of pins and needles in your head
4. Ben Howard
   
5. Katatonia
   
6. Agalloch
   In my first year of college, I unplugged the earphones on my old Samsung laptop that had Linux Mint and lots of bugs instinctively, and the whole class ended up listening to Agalloch, screaming, shouting, and wailing. I hope my Electronics professor liked it.
7. Avicii
   Back when I was in school, I found dance music interesting and Avicii was one of the very few artists amongst the ones I heard who consistently surprised me with new sounds.
8. Alif
   
9. Myrath
   
10. The Fray
    
11. The F16s
    
12. Metallica
    
13. Megadeth
    
14. Parvaaz
    I discovered Parvaaz during my college years while exploring new artists on Bandcamp and Saavn. Their then-recent album Baran was a revelation, blending blues and psychedelic elements with Urdu lyrics, and even featuring some Kashmiri, which caught me completely off guard.
15. The Algorithm
    
16. Iron Maiden
    My Fear of the Dark tshirt has gotten me in trouble enough times.
17. that 2006 rock sound
    
18. سرحد پار والا ہہِپ ہاپ
    گآنوں میں دِل چسپ لِکہائی ہے پر عورتون کی عزت نہی
19. Tigran Hamasyan
    
20. Peter Cat Recording Co.
    
21. Daft Punk
    
22. The Strokes
    
23. Good Kid
    I like how they play guitar in a synth-like fashion, similar to the Strokes. This upbeat, hopeful music is rare in my library. I'm not at IndieWebClub today and Tanvi thinks Good Kid is too basic for her taste.
24. sudan
    
25. Advaita
    
26. Alfa Mist
    
27. Novembre
    After listening to Opeth's Blackwater Park on repeat for about a month, I sought to find similar music and that is where I stumbled upon Novembre. They've gone through several stylistic changes over the years but remain one of the artists from my childhood that I look up to.
28. Yussef Dayes
    
29. جل
    Jal was synonymous with Urdu rock throughout my youth. Looking back, the lyrics feel melodramatic, yet there's no denying the brilliance of their vocal work that seamlessly blends rock and traditional elements.
30. Snail Mail
    This is what I imagine angst sounds like.
31. Damien Rice
    
32. Coldplay
    
33. Leprous
    Leprous captures my perfect metal aesthetic. Long atmospheric build-ups, thoughtful dynamics where silence and volume serve the song rather than genre expectations, and drum patterns that groove while remaining completely unheadbangable.
34. Arooj Aftab
    Arooj's music feels like having my feet consumed by sea waves, little by little, piece by piece.
35. Joe Satriani
    I found Joe through a curious coincidence. During Android 4.0+'s rise, someone ported Sony/Ericsson's excellent music player to all Android phones and posted it on XDA Forums. The demo screenshots featured The Extremist's cover art with "Cryin'" playing. Joe's guitar work caught my attention, though I didn't explore much of his music.
36. Animals as Leaders
    'The Joy of Motion' introduced me to the band and to instrumental metal itself. The experience was revelatory, like discovering what classical music could become in the modern era.
37. Thank You Scientist
    An old bassist friend of mine introduced me to Thank You Scientist through live recordings of FXMLDR and Mr. Invisible. The unpredictability had blown my circuits. What was next? Saxophone solos? Lithophones? Goats?
38. Porcupine Tree
    
39. Buckethead
    Buckethead performs wearing a KFC bucket on his head.
40. Opeth
    
41. long way away from home
    This music takes me back to a particular drive home. We were 12 hours out and chose to push through the night without any coffee or cigarettes to help us stay awake.
42. Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
    
43. Adrianne Lenker
    It's all so simple, yet you carry such sadness, Adrianne, and somehow you make me feel it too. She writes with unflinching honesty and crafts dissonant soundscapes with technical guitar parts.
44. Sleep Token
    Growing older, I've grown less focused on lyrics in music. Sleep Token's lyricism doesn't resonate with me, but their unparalleled fusion of metal, rap, dance, and hip-hop sets them apart from any band I know.