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Thread is not titled "Neapolitan Listens to Every Album on Wiki's List for 2017" so score remains as is. As Occulthawk would say, hot garbage. Sorry man: maybe if that guy took singing lessons, but even then it wasn't much to talk about. BLNT.
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Album title: Dopamine
Artist: Mila J Genre: R&B Nationality: American Release date: April 7 Position in Discography: Fourth EP Estimated Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/speed5.jpg Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 2.17 Can anyone explain to me how something with thirteen tracks gets called an EP and not an album? That, and the fact that I can't find a picture for this album that works, aside, there's a beautiful and dirty ballad to open, and “No Fux” has me interested already. Like the next one too. Sure, she's using Autotune, but I'm gradually (very gradually) getting over my hatred of that, and so far this is pretty damn sweet. Still, I have to say the reverse of the title of the fourth track is true and “I do (not) Love You” - hate this song, just terrible. Hopefully it's just a blip, and given that it features vocals from someone called I. Rich (seriously?) I'm going to temporarily blame its crappiness on him. Yeah, next one is much better (without the Rich one) although the warped stuff at the end is very annoying, but at least it comes right at the end and doesn't ruin the track. Odd though: this started off really well and I thought I'd be raving about it, but now I'm losing interest as it devolves into a fairly basic pop/r&b effort. Hopefully it'll pick up again but at the moment I'm certainly swinging towards the opposite opinion to the one I had expected to be espousing. Yeah, I'm just waiting for it to end now. What a turnaround! It's like the first two tracks were from a totally different album, and it just went downhill at a gallop after that. Check out more from this artist? No Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/speed4.jpg |
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Album title: Sight of Day Artist: Mostly Autumn Genre: Progressive Rock Nationality: English Release date: April 7 Position in Discography: Twelfth Estimated Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/speed10.jpg Familiar with this artist? Oh yes; intimately Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Very much so Average RYM Score: 3.44 How, you ask, can I estimate a rating so high before even hearing the album? I've never even attempted that before. Well, this is not only in my wheelhouse, it's my wheel. I've been a fan of Mostly Autumn for about fifteen years now; in fact, there was a time when I would literally listen to nothing else. I made a playlist of all their songs and had to actually force myself to stop listening to them, as I had so much else to listen to. I've loved every album they've put out, though I have lost touch a little with them. The last one I listened to properly was 2008's Glass Shadows, and if that date seems significant, you'll note that that is when I joined MB, after which I ended up being far more involved in reviews, journals and listening to so much music that I didn't really have the time any more to devote to one of my favourite bands. But unless this is a major paradigm shift for them, I can already predict that I'm going to love this. If nothing else, it's an album I am, for once, totally looking forward to listening to and reviewing, and that I have really high hopes of being on my AOTY list. After the poor crop of the last few albums I've had to listen to, this is going to be a welcome respite. I'm sure the rest of you will hate it. So be it. I don't care. This is one brief moment in this whole thread where I can revert to who I used to be, and relax and just listen to a favourite band without worrying that they'll disappoint me. I am, when all is said and done, and always will be, first and foremost a prog head. I make no apologies for this. Let me warn you, though, if you don't like prog rock you won't like the first track, running as it does for over fourteen minutes and going through many changes over the course of its run. I, of course, love it. As usual, there's a mixture of prog, folk and some good old rock here, with some fine ballads, such as “The Man Without a Name”, which allows Olivia Sparnenn-Josh to take vocal duties from normal frontman Bryan Josh, her husband. “Changing Lives” and “Only the Brave” are good examples of where the band rock out, kicking up the tempo nicely. They're not going to impress any metalheads, but it's a nice change. Another epic in “Native Spirit”, which runs for just over ten minutes, with some powerful orchestration, and I'd go so far as to say “Raindown” is one of the best ballads they've done since “Carpe Diem” off 2005's Storms Over Still Water, with added pathos as it comes in the wake of, and may be a tribute to, the passing of longtime member Liam Davison, who died last year. As expected, a superb album and a fine addition to their discography. Now all I need is to catch up on the last few albums! Check out more from this artist? You know it Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Always Actual Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/speed10.jpg http://www.trollheart.com/aotyth.jpg |
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Album title: Whiteout Conditions Artist: The New Pornographers Genre: Power Pop/Indie Pop Nationality: Canadian Release date: April 7 Position in Discography: Seventh Estimated Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/speed5.jpg Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.22 Is this, then, a pun? Whiteout Conditions/Without Conditions? Or are they referring to a snowstorm, also know colloquially as a whiteout? Do I care? Well the opener is very catchy; gives me a sense of early Cars. Ooh! Second track is excellent too! Really like this so far. Also a poppier Prefab Sprout. No problems so far. There's a great energy to this music without making it sound derivative and ... you know what? I don't know why in particular I like it. I just do. “Second Sleep” is great and “Colosseums” bops along like a good thing, really pleasant. “We've Been Here Before” may be my favourite on the album, and honestly, that's saying something, cos this is far better than I had expected. I love the sort of dreamy nature of the music on this track, and the double vocal works really well. Really impressed with this, big surprise. Check out more from this artist? Yep Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/speed9.jpg |
Hah, we might convert you yet. New Pornos are a modern favorite of mine too. This will probably end up in my top ten of 2017 when I finally get to that year.
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Album title: PTX, Vol IV- Classics Artist: Pentatonix Genre: Acapella Pop Nationality: American Release date: April 7 Position in Discography: Fifth EP; eighth overall Estimated Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/speed4.jpg Familiar with this artist? Have heard of them yes Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.47 Look, it's very clever but the problem is that this has been done so many times it's no longer original. I think The Flying Pickets were the first to do this back in the early eighties, and yes there's skill involved without question, but do I really want to listen to a full album of these guys recreating rock classics without the aid of any music? Oh, just an EP, not an album? Well, the question stands. You sort of know beforehand what you're going to get, and to be honest, hearing them wail “Wah-wah-wah-wah” for the guitar solo on “Bohemian Rhapsody” doesn't come across as being clever or talented (though I'm sure it is) but annoying. It's hard not to pre-review this entire album and say “Yes very nice. Now go learn to play some real musical instruments.” I don't mean to put down whai they do, but how long can you listen to this sort of thing before it gets on your nerves? Speaking of getting on my nerves: “The Boogie-Woogie ****ing Bugle Boy”? Kill me now. Actually, scratch that: kill yourselves, Pentatonix. You don't deserve to live after that. Me? I'm just hanging out to see what they do with a-ha's “Take On Me”, and I've been reading a lot about their version of Dolly's “Jolene”, and as she guests herself on vox, I think I'd like to hear what all the fuss has been about. I'm not mad about the former, let's say; how are they going to do the long keyboard solo I wonder? Or will they just ignore it? They just ignored it. I don't think the world needs another version of “Can't Help Falling in Love With You”, even an acapella one, and now we're on the last track. Is it worth all the hype and the gushing praise the press have been giving it? Meh. “Jolene” has always come across to me as a whiny wimpy song that doesn't suit Dolly Parton at all – can you imagine her a) begging her rival not to take her man or b) kicking her rival in the head and warning her off? Anyway I hate this song and this new version neither makes me like it nor this band. Pass. Check out more from this artist? Nah Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Probably not Actual Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/speed3.jpg |
I hate those smarmy ****s. You're 100% right that people like them offer nothing to music and insult it by taking such an empty approach to it. The worst part is that they're basically the face of a capella music in the modern day when genre can be so excellent and impactful.
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Pentatonix gets extra hate for being cover-based too. You really have to do something exemplary and new to justify releasing a collection of covers. **** Pentatonix, **** Weird Al, **** your buddy's Beatles cover band. |
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