I recently discovered Amoeba Music’s “What’s In My Bag?” YouTube series, in which musicians, actors, and other celebrities explore the record store’s massive collection and report back with their favorite findings. Over the course of many years, the series has featured the likes of Neko Case, Xzibit, Tony Hawk, Bill Hader, Camera Obscura, Mark Mothersbaugh, Norah Jones, Jon Batiste, Seal, Matt Berry, and Rick Astley (to name but a few).
Back in 2022, Denver’s Blood Incantation — one of the most acclaimed metal groups in recent history — revealed the contents of their bags, and it’s my favorite “What’s In My Bag?” video so far.
Not surprisingly, their picks include several metal releases (e.g., Fates Warning, Abigor), but also The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Tears For Fears, XTC, and the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack. It’s abundantly clear that Blood Incantation are consummate music nerds, especially when they start reveling in their fondness for new age and electronic music, including Osamu Kitajima, Steve Hillage, Pauline Anna Strom, Yukihiro Takahashi, Michael Stearns, and Klaus Schulze.
Those picks might seem odd for a death metal band. (If you haven’t listened to 2022’s Timewave Zero, that is.) But it’s clear that Blood Incantation are passionate about all manner of strange and otherworldly music, and their enthusiasm makes me want to check out every single album they mention. (Indeed, their video is how I discovered Schulze’s Deus Arrakis, which I wrote about last month.)
