Trollheart Listens to Every Album on Wiki's List for 2017

Trollheart · 01-31-2018, 10:32 AM

Album title: Gargoyle
Artist: Mark Lanegan Band
Genre: Indie Rock/Alt-Rock/Blues Rock
Nationality: American
Release date: April 28
Position in Discography: Third (but there seem to be a lot of live albums in between)
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? No but I have heard of him
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.29
Now where have I heard of this guy before? Oh yeah: he was a member of Queens of the Stone Age. Okay, well the first song that makes me take notice here is the third track: “Blue Blue Sea” has a nice eighties synthpop/new-wave sound with warbling keyboards and screaming synthesisers, kind of sounds like something Tubeway Army might put out. “Sister” is another good one; dolorous, dark, melancholy and slow with a hint of Cave in it somewhere, and a lot of Iggy in “Emperor”, a more upbeat number. Some of it is very good, some of it doesn't speak to me as much as perhaps it should, but overall a pretty decent album certainly.

Check out more from this artist? Probably not
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 01-31-2018, 11:32 AM

Album title: Strength of a Woman
Artist: Mary J Blige
Genre: R&B
Nationality: American
Release date: April 28
Position in Discography: Thirteenth
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? Think I've heard the odd song
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 2.72
Kanye gets involved in the first track, appropriately enough entitled “Love Yourself”; don't think he adds much to it really. The whole album so far is making very little impression on me as it goes. There's just something about it that ain't speaking to me. Soul and R&B is not normally my thing, though I have enjoyed some albums, but this one is just going in one ear and out the other. I really don't see what the point is asking other singers/rappers to guest on your album and then have them do nothing but speak your name, as in “Glow Up”, though “U+Me” is a lot better, a nice soul half-ballad, and “Thank You” has a really good blues vibe to it. Maybe this is picking up after all. “Smile” is nice too, very simple piano ballad which gives her a chance to show off her vocal prowess, almost a jazzy feel to it. Not a bad album, in the end, but nothing particularly great.

Check out more from this artist? No
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 01-31-2018, 02:52 PM

Album title: Visuals
Artist: Mew
Genre: Alt-Rock/Indie Rock/Progressive Rock
Nationality: Danish
Release date: April 28
Position in Discography: Seventh
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.12
I've been recommended this band by some of the guys who know I like Genesis, so maybe this will be something I'll enjoy, or maybe not. Nice bright beginning anyway, like it. Yeah, it's very pleasant. Couldn't say I'd call it prog rock though. Some nice stuff - “Shoulders” is catchy and “85 Videos” has a nice hook in it – but overall I wouldn't say I've been totally impressed. I mean, it's good and all: I would listen to more. But I wouldn't be rushing to do so on the strength of this album. One for the future, perhaps.

Check out more from this artist? Probably will
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Actual Rating:

Mindy · 01-31-2018, 03:13 PM

I liked that Marie Miller song, the others too but the Marie Miller song was really nice

Trollheart · 02-01-2018, 04:16 PM

Album title: Makes Me Sick
Artist: New Found Glory
Genre: Pop Punk/Alt-Rock
Nationality: American
Release date: April 28
Position in Discography: Ninth
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 2.34
Bright and breezy pop punk, but nothing I haven't heard before really. “Call Me Anti-Social” is a pretty catchy tune, as is “Blurred Vision”, but there's not really much to write about here. Dccent album, worth listening to, but not reinventing the wheel or anything. Yeah, that's kind of about it really. Nothing more to say.

Check out more from this artist? Nah
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Note: what the living ****? People put up “lyric videos” with NO MUSIC?

What is the point of that??
Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 02-01-2018, 06:02 PM

Album title: What Now
Artist: Sylvan Esso
Genre: Electronic Pop/Synthpop
Nationality: American
Release date: April 28
Position in Discography: Second
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.17
Sounds like someone's playing a kazoo when this starts! Bit of a low-key beginning, but it soon kicks up on the second track, which has a nice rhythm and melody to it. Again though, it's good but is it more than that? Kind of no really. It's almost over and it hasn't really made any sort of impression on me. Also, why are they called Sylvan Esso, huh? Enquiring minds want to know. But that's about it.

Check out more from this artist? No
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 02-01-2018, 06:22 PM

Album title: The Walls Will Fall
Artist: Terror
Genre: Hardcore Punk
Nationality: American
Release date: April 28
Position in Discography: Twelfth EP; twenty-first overall
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist?No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.16
Only an EP, and a punk EP at that, so nothing here over two minutes, other than one track. Only five tracks in all so a total running time of – wait for it – nine minutes and fourteen seconds. For an EP, that has to be the worst value for money ever, but I guess the fans of punk are used to short, short songs. So what's it like? ZOOM! There it goes. What was that? That was your EP, mate. Oh, nice: do I get another one? Sorry mate, that's all you get. Pity: it was ****ing great! I'm starting to see there's a real blurred line between hardcore punk and metal – this could be either, and it's better than some metal I've heard in my time. Hard to judge of course on the basis of less than ten minutes listening (one of the songs is a cover, too) so I may have to look into their albums. But I like what I hear. I like a lot.

Check out more from this artist? Oh yeah
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yeah

Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 02-02-2018, 10:25 AM

Album title: Shine
Artist: Wale
Genre: Hip-hop
Nationality: American
Release date: April 28
Position in Discography: Fifth
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 1.70
I like the second track, which apparently features Lil Wayne; has a nice bounce-along rhythm to it, and “My Love” has a bright and breezy sort of Caribbean feel to it while the gentle and relaxing “Columbia Heights” contrasts with the trap of “Mathematics”. His version of Jackson's “PTY” is, well, okay I guess but I do not like “DNA”. Overall, not bad but I wouldn't be gushing about this guy.

Check out more from this artist? No
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 02-02-2018, 10:34 AM

Album title: God's Problem Child
Artist: Willie Nelson
Genre: Country
Nationality: American
Release date: April 28
Position in Discography: Seventy-second
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? Uh, duh!
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? A little
Average RYM Score: 3.29
If you talk of the legends of country music you have to include this man. He's right up there with Cash, Williams, Haggard and the rest. Two hundred and forty years in the business and still going strong. And though he may have used text messaging to swap lyric ideas with his producer, Nelson doesn't seem to be the kind of guy to embrace new technology and change his sound with it. This could have been recorded in the fifties or sixties, with the bouncy acoustic “Little House on the Hill” that opens the album, the soft piano ballad “Old Timer” and although the title of “Delete and Fast Forward” certainly shows that he's not stuck in the twentieth century, musically it's still the purest country you'll come across.

“Love of a Woman” is one of the most simple and beautiful country ballads I've heard in quite a while, and the vaguely Mexican-tinged “Butterfly” is really nice too, though I do know that melody. Might be an Elton John song. There's a great sense of humour and gentle poking at his own mortality here with songs like “Old Timer,” “Still Not Dead” (with its clever line “Woke up to find the Internet said I had passed away”) and the title track. Ah, the old master still has it, and he don't need your fancy electronic doohickeys and computers and a million producers and guest stars to make a country album that effortlessly blows all the competition out of the sky easy as a champion skeet shooter. To borrow a phrase from the Member of the Year 2017: unassailable.

Check out more from this artist? Yup
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 02-02-2018, 10:51 AM

Album title: III
Artist: Foster the People
Genre: Indie Pop/Indietronica/Synthpop
Nationality: American
Release date: April 30
Position in Discography: Third EP; sixth overall
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? Heard of them
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 2.56
Normally I wouldn't even bother with an EP with three tracks: to me, that's a single, and I don't review singles here. But hell, it's the last on the list for this month, so why not? It certainly won't take long, being only a minute longer than the five-track Terror EP from last night. I guess it's okay. Hard to tell from three tracks, but at least I don't think I hate it.

Check out more from this artist? May do
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Actual Rating:

01-31-2018, 10:32 AM	#1721 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: Gargoyle Artist: Mark Lanegan Band Genre: Indie Rock/Alt-Rock/Blues Rock Nationality: American Release date: April 28 Position in Discography: Third (but there seem to be a lot of live albums in between) Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? No but I have heard of him Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.29 Now where have I heard of this guy before? Oh yeah: he was a member of Queens of the Stone Age. Okay, well the first song that makes me take notice here is the third track: “Blue Blue Sea” has a nice eighties synthpop/new-wave sound with warbling keyboards and screaming synthesisers, kind of sounds like something Tubeway Army might put out. “Sister” is another good one; dolorous, dark, melancholy and slow with a hint of Cave in it somewhere, and a lot of Iggy in “Emperor”, a more upbeat number. Some of it is very good, some of it doesn't speak to me as much as perhaps it should, but overall a pretty decent album certainly. Check out more from this artist? Probably not Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

01-31-2018, 11:32 AM	#1722 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: Strength of a Woman Artist: Mary J Blige Genre: R&B Nationality: American Release date: April 28 Position in Discography: Thirteenth Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? Think I've heard the odd song Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 2.72 Kanye gets involved in the first track, appropriately enough entitled “Love Yourself”; don't think he adds much to it really. The whole album so far is making very little impression on me as it goes. There's just something about it that ain't speaking to me. Soul and R&B is not normally my thing, though I have enjoyed some albums, but this one is just going in one ear and out the other. I really don't see what the point is asking other singers/rappers to guest on your album and then have them do nothing but speak your name, as in “Glow Up”, though “U+Me” is a lot better, a nice soul half-ballad, and “Thank You” has a really good blues vibe to it. Maybe this is picking up after all. “Smile” is nice too, very simple piano ballad which gives her a chance to show off her vocal prowess, almost a jazzy feel to it. Not a bad album, in the end, but nothing particularly great. Check out more from this artist? No Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

01-31-2018, 02:52 PM	#1723 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: Visuals Artist: Mew Genre: Alt-Rock/Indie Rock/Progressive Rock Nationality: Danish Release date: April 28 Position in Discography: Seventh Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.12 I've been recommended this band by some of the guys who know I like Genesis, so maybe this will be something I'll enjoy, or maybe not. Nice bright beginning anyway, like it. Yeah, it's very pleasant. Couldn't say I'd call it prog rock though. Some nice stuff - “Shoulders” is catchy and “85 Videos” has a nice hook in it – but overall I wouldn't say I've been totally impressed. I mean, it's good and all: I would listen to more. But I wouldn't be rushing to do so on the strength of this album. One for the future, perhaps. Check out more from this artist? Probably will Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

01-31-2018, 03:13 PM	#1724 (permalink)
Mindy ask me about cosmology Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Milky Way Galaxy Posts: 8,994	I liked that Marie Miller song, the others too but the Marie Miller song was really nice __________________ https://www.instagram.com/shhons_meme_agency

02-01-2018, 04:16 PM	#1725 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: Makes Me Sick Artist: New Found Glory Genre: Pop Punk/Alt-Rock Nationality: American Release date: April 28 Position in Discography: Ninth Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 2.34 Bright and breezy pop punk, but nothing I haven't heard before really. “Call Me Anti-Social” is a pretty catchy tune, as is “Blurred Vision”, but there's not really much to write about here. Dccent album, worth listening to, but not reinventing the wheel or anything. Yeah, that's kind of about it really. Nothing more to say. Check out more from this artist? Nah Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Note: what the living **? People put up “lyric videos” with NO MUSIC? What is the point of that?? Actual Rating:** __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

02-01-2018, 06:02 PM	#1726 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: What Now Artist: Sylvan Esso Genre: Electronic Pop/Synthpop Nationality: American Release date: April 28 Position in Discography: Second Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.17 Sounds like someone's playing a kazoo when this starts! Bit of a low-key beginning, but it soon kicks up on the second track, which has a nice rhythm and melody to it. Again though, it's good but is it more than that? Kind of no really. It's almost over and it hasn't really made any sort of impression on me. Also, why are they called Sylvan Esso, huh? Enquiring minds want to know. But that's about it. Check out more from this artist? No Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

02-01-2018, 06:22 PM	#1727 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: The Walls Will Fall Artist: Terror Genre: Hardcore Punk Nationality: American Release date: April 28 Position in Discography: Twelfth EP; twenty-first overall Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist?No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.16 Only an EP, and a punk EP at that, so nothing here over two minutes, other than one track. Only five tracks in all so a total running time of – wait for it – nine minutes and fourteen seconds. For an EP, that has to be the worst value for money ever, but I guess the fans of punk are used to short, short songs. So what's it like? ZOOM! There it goes. What was that? That was your EP, mate. Oh, nice: do I get another one? Sorry mate, that's all you get. Pity: it was **ing great! I'm starting to see there's a real blurred line between hardcore punk and metal – this could be either, and it's better than some metal I've heard in my time. Hard to judge of course on the basis of less than ten minutes listening (one of the songs is a cover, too) so I may have to look into their albums. But I like what I hear. I like a lot. Check out more from this artist? Oh yeah Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yeah Actual Rating:** __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

02-02-2018, 10:25 AM	#1728 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: Shine Artist: Wale Genre: Hip-hop Nationality: American Release date: April 28 Position in Discography: Fifth Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 1.70 I like the second track, which apparently features Lil Wayne; has a nice bounce-along rhythm to it, and “My Love” has a bright and breezy sort of Caribbean feel to it while the gentle and relaxing “Columbia Heights” contrasts with the trap of “Mathematics”. His version of Jackson's “PTY” is, well, okay I guess but I do not like “DNA”. Overall, not bad but I wouldn't be gushing about this guy. Check out more from this artist? No Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

02-02-2018, 10:34 AM	#1729 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: God's Problem Child Artist: Willie Nelson Genre: Country Nationality: American Release date: April 28 Position in Discography: Seventy-second Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? Uh, duh! Familiar with the genre or subgenre? A little Average RYM Score: 3.29 If you talk of the legends of country music you have to include this man. He's right up there with Cash, Williams, Haggard and the rest. Two hundred and forty years in the business and still going strong. And though he may have used text messaging to swap lyric ideas with his producer, Nelson doesn't seem to be the kind of guy to embrace new technology and change his sound with it. This could have been recorded in the fifties or sixties, with the bouncy acoustic “Little House on the Hill” that opens the album, the soft piano ballad “Old Timer” and although the title of “Delete and Fast Forward” certainly shows that he's not stuck in the twentieth century, musically it's still the purest country you'll come across. “Love of a Woman” is one of the most simple and beautiful country ballads I've heard in quite a while, and the vaguely Mexican-tinged “Butterfly” is really nice too, though I do know that melody. Might be an Elton John song. There's a great sense of humour and gentle poking at his own mortality here with songs like “Old Timer,” “Still Not Dead” (with its clever line “Woke up to find the Internet said I had passed away”) and the title track. Ah, the old master still has it, and he don't need your fancy electronic doohickeys and computers and a million producers and guest stars to make a country album that effortlessly blows all the competition out of the sky easy as a champion skeet shooter. To borrow a phrase from the Member of the Year 2017: unassailable. Check out more from this artist? Yup Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

02-02-2018, 10:51 AM	#1730 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: III Artist: Foster the People Genre: Indie Pop/Indietronica/Synthpop Nationality: American Release date: April 30 Position in Discography: Third EP; sixth overall Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? Heard of them Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 2.56 Normally I wouldn't even bother with an EP with three tracks: to me, that's a single, and I don't review singles here. But hell, it's the last on the list for this month, so why not? It certainly won't take long, being only a minute longer than the five-track Terror EP from last night. I guess it's okay. Hard to tell from three tracks, but at least I don't think I hate it. Check out more from this artist? May do Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018