Monthly Picks | November 2025
Sining Shelter
KIM'S PICKS
Eleven Storey Soul Departure
ALBUM | Cobolt
binalikan ko ngayong buwan ang slowcore dahil sa rec na ito ni joshua minsoo kim. napapagtanto ko ring hindi nakaangkla sa ingay o bigat ang kagustuhan ko sa slowcore. nakasalalay ito sa dinamiko ng bilis. sa tingin ko, ang pagsasama ng pop elements ng cobolt sa dapat medyo slowcore album na ito ay isang malaking bagay kaya nababalik-balikan ko ito.
Anything Could Be A Hammer
ALBUM | bloodsports
hindi natatakot ang album na itong ipakita na hindi palaging tahimik ang pagiging mabagal. ang presko pakinggan ng medyo angular na riffs sa isang slowcore na kanta tulad ng Rot. binabalik-balikan ko ito ngayong buwan dahil naisasapanahon ng bloodsports ngayon ang pakiramdam ko na hindi palaging dapat mabilis ang pagdamdam ng suya. ipukpok mo na lang sa isip mo ang pakiramdam.
Man Made Evil
ALBUM | Man Made Evil
napakarami ko sanang masasabi ukol sa album na ito. halos buong araw ko tong pinag-isipan noong lumabas to sa streaming platforms. mula simula hanggang dulo, nasa isip ko lang ang katagang "simple lang pero rock". isang testamento ang album na ito na kadalasang kailangan lang ang púrong karanasan upang maipahayag ang kalagayan ng isa. wala eh, gawa man ng tao ang lahat ng rason kung bakit ito nagdurusa/naghihirap, nasa tao din ang paglaya ng isa't isa. kailan mo ako makikita nang mata sa mata?
AJ'S PICKS
Astral Weeks
ALBUM | Van Morrison
Commuting on a pleasantly sunny say to work with this album blasting through my headphones just felt so pleasant and serene despite the chaos of the main road. It almost felt like such a sweet sobering release and every burden was lifted off my shoulders. For a small flittering moment, I felt like I could transcend through all the walls and cages I've built around myself.
Another Reason to Fast
ALBUM | Smoke
An intensely dismal, arresting, and lyrically dense album that's an absolute heartbreak to sit through. Benjamin's smooth yet gritty vocals painfully gnash out his desolate lyricism, set against trashy drums, dirty guitars, and atmospheric cellos complemented by (at times) off-key cornets keeping you on edge. I'm still processing what I fully feel about this album but it honestly surprises me that this album isn't talked about as much (if at all).
SOF'S PICKS
The Art of Loving
ALBUM | Olivia Dean
sometimes an album finds you at exactly the right time in your life, and when it does, you just let it take over. as someone who spends a lot of time curating playlists, there's still this special feeling you get from really listening to an album from start to finish, just sitting with how it makes you feel. the art of loving is an album warm and perfectly unambiguous in what it's trying to say. i love that it's filled with so much tender affirmations, even in the face of uneasiness and angst from what's left unresolved. i don't enjoy listening to love songs. olivia dean writes about it in a way that's so personal to her, but still so raw that it opens up parts of me that i, myself, have trouble reaching. and olivia dean's voice is just beautiful and so full of charisma, truly a gem. my favorite track is 'man i need' c:
Chemtrails Over the Country Club
ALBUM | Lana Del Rey
i only ever listen to chemtrails over the country club when i remember this tiktok slideshow of kim and kanye every now and then that had 400k people relapsing about them. but also this album is just good. not a single bad track. the critics didn't like this one but i never saw lana del rey as a woman who wanted to make history with her music. i think this album is one of her best works because she strips everything back and just sticks to what she's good at. truly remarkable vocal performances.
In The Blue Light
ALBUM | Kelela
in this unplugged album, kelela ventures into this timeless jazz and neo-soul sound, highlighted by a stunning joni mitchell cover and a few inspired remarks to the audience. i love that she gives a shout out to her dad in the crowd, thanking him for deliberately planting the jazz seed into her, and as always, her singing is electrifying. not only is kelela a visionary and a sensation when it comes to producing, she is an phenomenal vocalist and, if you can believe it, sounds even better live compared to her recordings. she's the embodiment of everything i want to be as an artist. i don't know who i was before i discovered her music. i deep-dived into her discography in 2018 and never looked back. i think what makes kelela so exceptional is that she truly takes her time. she really trusts herself and her sound, everything she does is so natural to who she is. sometimes trusting yourself is the most daring thing you can do.