Because I am forgetful and can’t really keep track of anything consistently, I’ve started an are.na channel to save all the albums I love. I’ve realised that if I listen to more demanding, denser albums, they get pushed back in my library by music that is easier to digest. This happens especially with music I like to listen to when I am at work or walk Josi. It naturally gets more listening time. I would like to see what albums I have liked. By the way, this is not a case against pop in any way; I would say it is the opposite (I find opinions against pop music generally contrarian—if you think your taste is elitist because it's in opposition to pop, you’re just wrong).

You might ask, what about my music library, isn’t that sufficient overview? Well, the issue is I save a lot of music, some of it I love, some I like, but mostly it is not really things I would listen to again. I don’t have the habit to delete them and I don’t like doing it. Who knows, I could revisit an album! So it becomes an endless scroll of titles.

Then, why not last.fm or  Music Replay? Both of them are stats-focused, which pushes back albums I wouldn’t revisit as often but still adore. For example, Boards of Canada just announced their first album in 13 years. So naturally I revisited their debut, Music Has the Right to Children, an absolute favourite of mine. But they have an uncanny sound, so they never really show up high on Replay or last.fm. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, on the other hand, would be a top listen! I love both equally, but the headspace required to listen to them is very different.

All this to say, I have created a channel on are.na called ★ Music Blocks ★, and I’ll be dropping in the artwork of every album I come across and like. I’ll try to separate the sub-channels in some meaningful way. 2026 will have its own spot, maybe some genre-focused ones—I am not sure yet. But I’d be happy to see you follow it if you’re interested. I might make a collaborative channel at some point so we can do some insider trading!