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chromaticsol.bsky.social
ChromaticSo(u)l
@chromaticsol.bsky.social
82 followers 740 following 230 posts
⭐Vi - she/her - ⚢ + 🏳️‍🌈 - twenty-something⭐
✨Musician/composer, BSc (astro)physics, teacher, TTRPG nerd, creative✨
🌟"One can’t stay sad very long in such an interesting world!" -Anne Shirley🌟
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chromaticsol.bsky.social
I'm used to talking about albums that can generously be described as "bubbling under the mainstream". Not this time, though. Through happenstance, I discovered "Hey Yo I'm Calling You" and I fell in love. I had to find out more about Sho Kamijo, and found his only album "Nobody like you".
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Cover art for Sho Kamijo's album "Nobody Like You". It's a top-down, angled photograph of the singer in between a bunch of empty seats for an audience. He's holding a guitar, and looking at the camera. The dramatic shadows on the ground give the impression of either sunrise or sunset. The photograph has been edited to consist only of greys, with hints of sepia. The album's name is written along the bottom in a tangerine colour, with the artist's name below it in white. It gives an "artist before their big show" vibe, the type of photo you'd see with an interview or magazine, but the gospel stylings of the music point to this photo potentially being taken in a church instead.
November 30, 2025 at 4:33 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
I've always associated the first few albums by Last Dinosaurs, the indie band from Australia, with specific parts of a summer's day. Their 1st scores the morning, their 4th the late afternoon, their 3rd the evening, et cetera. "Wellness", to me, falls squarely in the early afternoon;
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Cover art for Last Dinosaurs' album "Wellness". It looks to be a manipulated photograph of a field, with a forest on a hill a little further in the distance. The colours are somewhat strange, though, there's a blurriness as though multiple photographs were overlayed, and the entire composition looks washed-out as though it's many decades old. White streaks of paint are splattered over this, as though spilled on a sacrificial desk mat. The band's name and album title are to the top left and right, respectively. The overall feeling is of a not unpleasant dream; familiar elements now estranged and painted over, but in a warm and quaint manner.
November 24, 2025 at 10:36 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
I like to think there's two ways to title your album. Number one is artistic; some words or sentence that reinforce a theme or message you want to convey. The other is descriptive, and I can think of few better examples of this kind than Mariya Takeuchi's "Variety", which I can only read as-
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Cover art for Mariya Takeuchi's album "Variety". It is a black-and-white photograph of the singer, dressed in what looks to be a sailor uniform. She is looking off to the right of the camera, and has her hair down on the same side. The album's title is featured in a red box on the top left, and the singer' name in a green one to the top right. While it doesn't seem intent to convey some strong theme or message, this somewhat straightforward portrait of the singer does, to me, say something akin to "these songs are my work, and I am proud of them".
November 16, 2025 at 8:25 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
A blazing-fast album deserves a blazing-fast post. Bad Nerves' self-titled debut is the catchiest proverbial slap-in-the-face I've ever seen live. "Radio Punk" is perpetually stuck in my head, "Palace" has great lines and riffs, and "New Shapes" goes faster than a jet plane. Do give it a listen!
Cover art for Bad Nerves' self-titled debut album, "Bad Nerves". It features a black-and white photograph of the band's vocalist, who appears to be lying on a stage or in a studio. He has a microphone in his hands, held to his mouth, and is surrounded by cables. The band's (and thus also the album's) name frames the photograph in lilac-coloured lettering.
November 9, 2025 at 10:03 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
While I have expressed my love and admiration for vocaloid music before, I must say both are somewhat recent; Only last year did it finally *click* for me. Still, I have yet to find another who does it like producer Jamie Paige! "Constant Companions" is unique, to the point it's hard to fit-
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Cover art for Jamie Paige's album "Constant Companions". It's an artwork roughly split into two sides along the centre line. The left features a representation of the artist, laying on a bright-red, cloth-looking material (presumably a blanket) with a pillow under her head. She is surrounded by clutter like a game controller, gummy worms, and a cassette tape. The right features white outline in the shape of a cat-person, surrounded by white outlines of small animals. The background is a collage of greens and yellows, giving the impression of a leafy canopy. The two figures are holding hands, and both are smiling with their eyes closed. The artwork seems to me to reinforce the album's theme of companionship, and reminds me of the warmth I've felt from friendships, even over long distances (via the internet).
November 2, 2025 at 5:40 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
I don't want to pretend I'm _old_, but if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's how enjoyable it is to take things a little more slowly.

Why rush to catch a train when you can calmly wait for the next one?
October 30, 2025 at 12:48 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
For week 29 we've got "Sawayama" by, you'll never guess, British-Japanese singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama! This (self-titled?) pop album was introduced to me by a good friend, and I was immediately hooked when I heard "Fuck This World". It might be listed as an 'interlude', but I think that-
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Cover art for Rina Sawayama's album "Sawayama". It's a photograph of the singer, adorned with body art, jewelry, and a very elaborate hairstyle. Sawayama is looking directly at the viewer with a hard-to-read, somewhat distant expression. The jewelry on her earrings glitters in a way reminiscent of older works of film and photography. The colour palette is mostly champagne and gold colours, with the dark colours of her eyes and hair standing out especially. It evokes an air of opulence to me; It highlights the untraversable gap between her world of glamour and our own. This is in stark contrast to the themes on the music, which are very personal and somewhat vulnerable.
October 27, 2025 at 5:00 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
Continuing on from last week's post; Owl City had another big hit after his first, one with Canadian pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen. Neither have been in the spotlight much since then, as far as the general public is concerned, but in 2022 she released an album that gained some notice on-
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October 19, 2025 at 11:07 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
Okay hear me out. Many might be sick of the one big song from this record, no doubt in part to its ubiquity in supermarket playlists, but Owl City's "Ocean Eyes" is worthy of your attention! This album by American singer-songwriter Adam Young was formative for me in many ways, being one of-
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Cover art for Owl City's album "Ocean Eyes". It features a wide shot of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, overlooking the Persian Gulf. The stark white of the building blends somewhat into the clouds, which in turn blend into a deep blue sky. This is bordered in a speckled white, giving the impression of being a painting on a canvas. The album and artists name are placed near the top right in white lettering. The photograph looks hyper real; edited to sell a feeling of adventure and open ocean, not unlike what a marketing still would do.
October 12, 2025 at 9:30 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
For week 26, I'd like to introduce an album who's opening track, "Movie Light", brought me to tears. Singer-songwriter Satoko Shibata's "Your Favorite Things" is a lot of things. Discogs lists it as 'indie pop', but that does not, to me, capture what this album sounds like. When the strings-
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October 5, 2025 at 10:12 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
There was a time I became somewhat obsessed with a track by SIRUP some years back. It was called "MAIGO", and had some featured artist I'd never heard of; Joe Hertz. When I later went digging, it turned out this UK-based producer had an album out; Lucky me! That album was "Current Blues",
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Cover art for Joe Hertz's album "Current Blues" by illustrator Liam Cobb. It depicts an overgrown city over a bright orange sky, seemingly after rainfall. Mountain peaks can be seen in the distance. All this is rendered in a (roughly) two-tone palette of orange/red and turquoise. The album name is placed on the top left, and the artist's name vertically alone the bottom left. Abandoned buildings are often found in post-apocalyptic settings, but the piece seems to focus on the calm, even serenity, of the scene; something that ties together well with the music and album title.
September 28, 2025 at 5:06 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
Also happy 21st night of september to all who celebrate!
September 21, 2025 at 10:23 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
One of my friends from middle school got married recently, and I distinctly remember when he introduced me to "As Blue As Indigo" by UK alt-rockers Tigercub. We listened to the entire album, front-to-back, while on our way to... I think a band rehearsal? This was in his somewhat shitty car,
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Cover art for Tigercub's album "As Blue As Indigo". It's a busy, abstract piece, heavily featuring deep indigo blues and dusty licorice blacks. There's a somewhat-chaotic intermingling of thick, wavy lines and straight, thin ones. The middle features some pops of scarlet and white, but it's not apparent what, if anything, is represented here. The band's name is printed in a darkened circle on the top left, and the album's name in a row of colourful circles in the bottom right. To me, it evokes the feeling of optical illusions or shock camouflage; the cover is striking, and seems to want to draw your attention as much as it wants to disorient you.
September 21, 2025 at 10:11 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
Listening back through Friends At The Table's "COUNTER/weight" after listening to "PARTIZAN" and I have to mention; the opening excerpt of episode 16 is incredible. I knew Austin could write, but every line of that minute or so is brilliant
September 16, 2025 at 11:04 AM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
Switching it up for week 23, we have an album that's gone viral in some niche circles, but is very obscure outside those; "Flying Beagle", by jazz pianist Himiko Kikuchi! It's no secret I love the sounds of the 80's, and this album has that in spades. "Baby Talk" has wonderfully retro-
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Cover art for Himiko Kikuchi's album "Flying Beagle". It's a photograph of a beagle, as per the album title. It is not, however, flying. Said beagle is captured at an angle, and it's looking at the camera. The photo seems to be taken at twilight, with a prominent camera flash illuminating the dog. The artist's name and album title are given at the top left and right, respectively, in yellow and in white. The beagle almost seems to be flashing the camera a mischievous smile.
September 14, 2025 at 9:05 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
Week 22 brings me down memory lane, to the first band I ever called myself a fan of; UK alt-rockers Area 11. Getting their start playing for a YouTube channel doing minecraft let's plays, it was on their second album, "Modern Synthesis", that I feel they proved themselves as a 'real band'.
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Cover art for Area 11's album "Modern Synthesis". It prominently features a white circle, with branches like one finds on the 'tree of life' in the field of biology. The middle features the band's then-logo, a stylized eye with rays radiating in all directions and circuit-like wire pointing to the right which, in this case, happens to be the band's and album's names. The background is a swirl of dark greys to contrast this circle. This cover to me evokes themes of life in the digital information age and the idea of the singularity, where the division between human and machine would vanish.
September 7, 2025 at 5:27 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
Week 21! I'm not going to pretend this isn't a somewhat basic pick, but it's hard to beat the satin-soft jazz singing of Chet Baker. "Chet Baker Sings" is from a different era of albums, when trivial concerns such as 'theme', 'sequencing', and 'cohesion' were not yet on the minds of artists.
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Cover art for Chet Baker's album "Chet Baker Sings". It's a photograph (or maybe two photographs stitched together) of the titular singer and trumpet player, Chet Baker, in the studio. He's singing into a microphone. The photograph is monocolour, tinted a turquoise. The left side of the cover features pianist Russ Freeman. This side is tinted green. The album title and record label are featured in an orange-red colour, and some of the personnel in white.
August 30, 2025 at 10:23 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
It should come as no surprise, given my (neo-)disco brainrot, but "Baby Be Mine" by Michael Jackson is one of the best songs ever to me
August 29, 2025 at 11:25 AM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
I've been building too much IKEA furniture these past few days...
August 27, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by ChromaticSo(u)l
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August 26, 2025 at 3:40 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
We've made it to week 20, and I'd like to cover the delightful "Annihilation" by Japanese singer-songwriter AAAMYYY. I remember listening to the first single off this album, "Utopia", back in 2020. It felt to me like I was swimming in those synthesizers; The song's ethereal sounds were like
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Cover art for AAAMYYY's album "Annihilation". It's an abstract piece which depicts a disk or orb floating above a surface of bright reds and yellows. It gives the impression of an orb floating out of some strange liquid, reflecting the pool below it, which seems to be rising to meet it. The artist name and album title are written at the bottom over this 'pool'. It conveys to me an ominous feeling; a dark artifact that will be the vehicle of the album's titular annihilation.
August 23, 2025 at 10:32 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
Week 19*, and we're back to my personal nostalgia! When asked what the artwork represented, De Staat's frontman Torre Florim replied 'It could be a lot of things; The letter "o", a zero, or just a little circle'. Most fans have taken to calling this alternative banger "Oh". While I could-
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Cover art for De Staat's album "O". It depicts a simple white circle on a textured, bright blue background. The band's name/logo adorns the top-left corner. The band is vague as to whether the circle is just a circle, a letter, a number, an ouroboros, or any combination thereof, but the stark simplicity of the cover does bring this ambiguity to the forefront; effective minimalism for artistic ends.
August 19, 2025 at 9:55 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
Huh, seems something broke the images in my last album post, making the alt-text mismatched. I'll repost once I find a fix. Apologies for the attack on your timeline!!
August 19, 2025 at 9:47 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
Oops
August 19, 2025 at 9:25 PM
chromaticsol.bsky.social
The weather's been nice again, so for week 18 I'm in a city pop mood! Anri's "Timely!!" is a true classic of the genre, maybe even _the_ defining album to me. So much so, in fact, it is somewhat challenging to write about; How would you describe 'oxygen', 'the sky', or the concept of a 'day'-
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Cover art for Anri's album "Timely!!". It depicts a framed photo of the singer herself in front of a stone wall. She is leaning over slightly, appearing to peer through some viewfinder, but her eyes are turned to the camera. Behind the wall, palm trees and a sunny sky with some clouds can be seen. Dramatic shadows are cast by a low sun, seeming to be either rising or setting. The artist's and album's name are written to either side of the photo. The cover evokes a sunny, perhaps even sub-tropical feeling; One of beach days in Florida, walks along the southern shores of Japan, or a date on Hawai'i.
August 10, 2025 at 10:25 PM