"What We're Loving Right Now," is an ongoing series in which Sara Schneider asks KMFA staff members about favorite recordings from their personal music libraries.

In this installment, KMFA's host and production manager Jeffrey Blair tells us about the music that's inspiring him at the moment.

"When I listen to music I usually listen to stuff without lyrics: classical music, jazz, the jams from the Grateful Dead and Phish, things like that. I find the lyrics to be distracting since I want to pay attention to what the singer is trying to say.  

What I’m listening to right now is the catalog from a British band called Blueneck. They are part of a group of artists that tend to shy away from vocals and use traditional rock music instruments to create textures and evoke emotions that aren’t generally associated with rock music. The most famous of these types of groups is probably the Icelandic band Sigur Ros.

Others that I’m listening to include:
The Calm Blue Sea
Collapse Under The Empire
The Evpatoria Report
Explosions in the Sky (local band)
Industries of the Blind
This Is Your Captain Speaking

I would never have known about most of the groups I’m listening to now if it weren’t for the discovery services on streaming sites like Spotify and SoundCloud. Those services fill a niche that traditional Radio Announcers and friends fill. 'If you like that then you might like this' except they have access to music from all over the world. Terrific."