things i like

These are some things that I enjoy and I hope you might like them too :-)

Music

This list is in order of most accessible to least accessible. Most things here are either pop, electronic (DnB specifically) or some derivative of hardcore (post-hardcore, metalcore, mathcore, etc.).

If you want a list of everything I listen to in excruciating detail, here's my last.fm page: https://www.last.fm/user/DigitalForrest

• Paramore - One of my all time favorite bands based off a single album. I haven't really gotten into their older albums, but their self-titled is beyond excellent. It has a mix of pop, soft rock, and a little bit of their pop punk roots and I love it so much
• Carly Rae Jepsen - Really fun pop music. If all you know her for is "Call Me Maybe" please give more of her stuff a shot. All of it is good but her album "Emotion" is particularly great.
• Wintergatan - Best known as the maker of the Marble Machine. This band the definition of whimsy for me. They have a very unique blend of folk, electronic, and even a bit of rock. Unusual or DIY instruments are common, including things like theramins, accordions, music boxes, and almost anything else you can think of. They only have released one album so far (self titled), but it is one of my all time favorites. If you like it, consider checking out Detektivbyrån as well.
• Pendulum - Arguably the most successful DnB act of all time. My favorite stuff from them has a unique blend of DnB and rock/metal that I can't really find replicated anywhere else. My favorite album of theirs is "Immersion". Despite having some tracks I'm really not a fan of it also has some of my all time favorite songs across any genre (particularly "The Fountain" and "Self vs Self").
• The Warning - Three Mexican sisters making really fun rock music. I normally don't listen to straight rock that much but there's just something I really like about their music. I recommend starting with their 2018 concept album "Queen of the Murder Scene" and going from there.
• Spiritbox - My current favorite band, a mix of metalcore, djent, and some other genres I don't know the names of. Beautifully melodic and heavy at the same time, they set a mood that no other artist or band does. I highly recommend watching the entirety of their live performance of "The Mara Effect" (probably my single all-time favorite piece of music, along with the rest of their self-titled EP): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JreCi4pQtII
• Xanadu - Extremely underrated drum and bass artist. Signed to Dom & Roland's label (who I would also highly recommend). Give their album "Through the Oort Clouds" a listen.
• Thornhill - More metalcore, made the best album of 2019 in my opinion. Beautiful vocals and really nice guitar work as well. I would recommend starting with "All the Light We Don't See" followed by "Lilly & the Moon".
• Rolo Tomassi - Rolo Tomassi is pretty hard to describe. They started out as a chaotic hardcore/nintendocore but have matured a lot over the years. They do a beautiful job of blending the really loud crushing parts with shoegaze-y passages. Their last 3 albums are all amazing, listen to them in order
• The Chariot - Extremely passionate chaotic hardcore. They apparently put on some of the craziest shows and I am sad that I never got to see them in person. My current favorite album of theirs is "One Wing".
• Frontierer - Easily the least accessible band on this list. Unbelievably aggressive, glitchy, and almost never lets up. I would recommend any of their albums.

Games

Some of these games are very popular and you might have heard of them before. Still, hopefully I can introduce you to at least one thing you might like. This list is in no particular order.

• Mario Kart Wii - This might seem like a bit of a strange recommendation, but if you take the time to get CTGP up and running I promise it is worth the effort. There are 150+ new custom tracks, new game modes, a new community hosted multiplayer system, and many other playability tweaks and configuration options. Plus, soft modding your Wii is really fun (and if you don't have one they're dirt cheap nowadays).
• Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 - These are all time classic Nintendo games in my eyes and area must buy if you own a Wii. The music is excellent and the gameplay is the best out of all of the 3D Mario games I've played.
• Hollow Knight - An extremely charming metroidvania that I would consider to be a modern classic. Very challenging but nothing that you can't overcome with a bit of time and practice. Absolutely gorgeous artwork and music as well. I'm very excited for Silksong :-)
• All games by Daniel Mullins Games - All of this developer's games are the type you really should play knowing as little as possible about them. Extremely well executed games with very cool narratives. I would recommend playing "Pony Island" first, then "The Hex" and finally "Inscryption".
• Any game by Zachtronics - Zachtronics has basically invented their own genre of puzzle game and I don't think there's really anything else like it. All of their games involve programming or automation of one sort or another which is great if you're a nerd like me. They get very difficult as you progress through them, but in my opinion, the satisfaction of figuring it out makes it totally worth it. My favorite from them right now is "Exapunks" but I would check out their whole library and see if there's anything that interests you specifically. NOTE: I was very sad to hear that they will be closing their doors, hopefully that won't affect the availability/playability of their games.
• Shovel Knight - Just an excellent retro platformer with very cute writing. On top of that, you essentially get 4 whole games for the price of one and that's not even including the card game the Smash Bros style co-op fighting game. Highly recommended.

Books

I have read quite a few books but unfortunately I'm very bad about remembering them. I don't really have enough to say for a full list like the other categories, but here's a few of the ones I remember really liking just for good measure:

• Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy
• A Tale of Two Cities
• The original Mistborn trilogy
• The Lord of the Rings