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

Trollheart · 02-05-2018, 01:00 PM

Album title: 199X
Artist: Triple H
Genre: K-pop
Nationality: Korean
Release date: May 1
Position in Discography: Debut
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Yeah
Average RYM Score: 2.67
Another month begins and another K-pop album is foisted upon the world. This is the first K-pop band I've come across on this list where it's neither a girl nor a boy group, but a mixture of both – what they call a co-ed group, apparently. It doesn't make any difference. It's still garbage. At least it's short: five tracks, one of which is an instrumental of the title track. Thank god for EPs, huh?

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

Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 02-05-2018, 03:15 PM

Album title: Violet Blaze
Artist: Nana Kitade
Genre: Pop/Dance
Nationality: Japanese
Release date: May 3
Position in Discography: Fourth solo
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.50
Not much to talk about really; fairly basic pop till it gets to “One Night Story”, which has something about it, and then it begins to take off a little, so I'll keep listening and see where it goes from here. Yeah, it's picking up now. “Borrowed Time” was a cool little track, and “Canary” allows her to show the softer side of her singing, which is pretty angelic really. Yeah, yeah, it's really got a whole lot better. “Nasty Radio” is I guess what you young'uns would call a boomer, or a banger, or something: it's catchy is what I'm saying, and more than that, it's infectious.

“Shed One Tear” is another fine ballad, and the closer, an uptempo poppy song, has hooks all over it. I'm quite a bit more impressed than I had expected to be, I'll tell you that. Japanese pop is not something I'm very well versed in, but I've heard one or two, and this album stands pretty much head and shoulders above any of them. A nice surprise.

Check out more from this artist? You know, I think I might
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 02-05-2018, 04:07 PM

Album title: In Spades
Artist: The Afghan Whigs
Genre: Alt-Rock
Nationality: American
Release date: May 5
Position in Discography: Eighth
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.28
Kind of an odd little start, but now that it's got under way this is pretty decent. Not about to become a fan at this moment, but it's not bad. “Demon in Profile” is an interesting song with a hint of Bowie and Queen about it, and “Copernicus” is great too. All damn fine stuff really. “I Got Lost” is a sweet little piano ballad with an oddly hollow and distant vocal for the first minute or so of the song; kind of makes it sound a little psych rock or something, with a tinge of country in it. Hmm. I see this is some guy called Scott Bennett doing the vocals, the only time he does so on the album. Anyone know who he is? Cos I sure don't. The closer is killer, too. Hell of an album. Hell of an album. Did I mention this is a hell of an album? It's a hell of an album.

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

Actual Rating:

rubber soul · 02-05-2018, 04:35 PM

Sounds pretty good. I'm not really an Afghan Whigs person so this video anyway is a pleasant surprise

GD · 02-05-2018, 04:53 PM

Um, you takin' recs for April already, TH?

Trollheart · 02-05-2018, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gigantic Debaser

Um, you takin' recs for April already, TH?

Yeah, throw them this way.

Trollheart · 02-05-2018, 06:27 PM

Album title: Moments
Artist: Andrew Rayel
Genre: Progressive Trance
Nationality: Moldovan
Release date: May 5
Position in Discography: Second
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist?No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre?No
Average RYM Score: N/A
K-pop aside, it's been a decent start for the month. Let's see if we can keep that going, though progressive trance (or any trance) has not been my thing, I have to say. This is the very first artist I've heard from Moldova, here or anywhere, so there's certainly a novelty interest in it for me. First track is really impressive, very cinematic and dramatic, instrumental. Most of it is pretty okay really, and some of it very good. I see that ATB chappie I reviewed last month helps out on the fourth track, “Connected”, but I don't know anything about him to recognise any contribution he may or may not be making. It's another instrumental, by the way.

This still isn't my thing, but it's nowhere near as bad as I had expected it to be. Some of the tracks are, as I said above, instrumental, mostly on piano or keyboards with thumping drumbeats, and some have vocals. In the latter case, it seems guests take the mike, people I don't know, though I have mentioned ATB (he doesn't sing though). There are names like Kristina Antuna, Jonathan Mendelsohn, Emma Hewitt – names, as I say, that mean nothing to me, but if you're a trance fan I guess you'll know who they are. Yeah, I could listen to this. I wouldn't be killing others to get in the door, but I wouldn't be killing others to get out either.

Check out more from this artist? Maybe
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Maybe

Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 02-06-2018, 06:26 AM

Album title: Where I Am
Artist: Anja
Genre: Pop
Nationality: Danish
Release date: May 5
Position in Discography: Debut
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? A little
Average RYM Score: 3.17
If you happened to catch, or are a fan of Eurovision, you would have seen this woman represent her country last year. MicShaz may know of her, as she's Danish and also apparently won their version of The Voice. I would have to say I don't hear anything amazingly new here; decent voice but she could be any pop singer and the songs are very generic. But then again, this is pop, so as Batty would say, what the **** do you expect? There's dance, trance and of course the odd shot of romance, and I guess given that it's only a six-track EP that's a fairly good spread. Not necessarily something I find myself hungry for though. Hey, at least she writes her own stuff, which is always a plus with me, and she's only twenty-three, so impressive for such a relatively young age. Just again, not my thing.

Check out more from this artist? I might keep an eye on her
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Actual Rating:

GD · 02-06-2018, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Yeah, throw them this way.

Oh cool. My only rec for april is Born Wrong Love by Weed.

Trollheart · 02-06-2018, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gigantic Debaser

Oh cool. My only rec for april is Born Wrong Love by Weed.

Okey dokey. Your last one didn't exactly go over well, but we'll see how this one does.

02-05-2018, 01:00 PM	#1761 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: 199X Artist: Triple H Genre: K-pop Nationality: Korean Release date: May 1 Position in Discography: Debut Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Yeah Average RYM Score: 2.67 Another month begins and another K-pop album is foisted upon the world. This is the first K-pop band I've come across on this list where it's neither a girl nor a boy group, but a mixture of both – what they call a co-ed group, apparently. It doesn't make any difference. It's still garbage. At least it's short: five tracks, one of which is an instrumental of the title track. Thank god for EPs, huh? Check out more from this artist?No Check out more from this genre or subgenre?No Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

02-05-2018, 03:15 PM	#1762 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: Violet Blaze Artist: Nana Kitade Genre: Pop/Dance Nationality: Japanese Release date: May 3 Position in Discography: Fourth solo Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.50 Not much to talk about really; fairly basic pop till it gets to “One Night Story”, which has something about it, and then it begins to take off a little, so I'll keep listening and see where it goes from here. Yeah, it's picking up now. “Borrowed Time” was a cool little track, and “Canary” allows her to show the softer side of her singing, which is pretty angelic really. Yeah, yeah, it's really got a whole lot better. “Nasty Radio” is I guess what you young'uns would call a boomer, or a banger, or something: it's catchy is what I'm saying, and more than that, it's infectious. “Shed One Tear” is another fine ballad, and the closer, an uptempo poppy song, has hooks all over it. I'm quite a bit more impressed than I had expected to be, I'll tell you that. Japanese pop is not something I'm very well versed in, but I've heard one or two, and this album stands pretty much head and shoulders above any of them. A nice surprise. Check out more from this artist? You know, I think I might Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

02-05-2018, 04:07 PM	#1763 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: In Spades Artist: The Afghan Whigs Genre: Alt-Rock Nationality: American Release date: May 5 Position in Discography: Eighth Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.28 Kind of an odd little start, but now that it's got under way this is pretty decent. Not about to become a fan at this moment, but it's not bad. “Demon in Profile” is an interesting song with a hint of Bowie and Queen about it, and “Copernicus” is great too. All damn fine stuff really. “I Got Lost” is a sweet little piano ballad with an oddly hollow and distant vocal for the first minute or so of the song; kind of makes it sound a little psych rock or something, with a tinge of country in it. Hmm. I see this is some guy called Scott Bennett doing the vocals, the only time he does so on the album. Anyone know who he is? Cos I sure don't. The closer is killer, too. Hell of an album. Hell of an album. Did I mention this is a hell of an album? It's a hell of an album. Check out more from this artist? Oh yeah Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

02-05-2018, 04:53 PM	#1765 (permalink)
GD ???pp? ??snW Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: NO Posts: 686	Um, you takin' recs for April already, TH? __________________ lasty\|rate-y music-y

02-05-2018, 06:27 PM	#1767 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: Moments Artist: Andrew Rayel Genre: Progressive Trance Nationality: Moldovan Release date: May 5 Position in Discography: Second Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist?No Familiar with the genre or subgenre?No Average RYM Score: N/A K-pop aside, it's been a decent start for the month. Let's see if we can keep that going, though progressive trance (or any trance) has not been my thing, I have to say. This is the very first artist I've heard from Moldova, here or anywhere, so there's certainly a novelty interest in it for me. First track is really impressive, very cinematic and dramatic, instrumental. Most of it is pretty okay really, and some of it very good. I see that ATB chappie I reviewed last month helps out on the fourth track, “Connected”, but I don't know anything about him to recognise any contribution he may or may not be making. It's another instrumental, by the way. This still isn't my thing, but it's nowhere near as bad as I had expected it to be. Some of the tracks are, as I said above, instrumental, mostly on piano or keyboards with thumping drumbeats, and some have vocals. In the latter case, it seems guests take the mike, people I don't know, though I have mentioned ATB (he doesn't sing though). There are names like Kristina Antuna, Jonathan Mendelsohn, Emma Hewitt – names, as I say, that mean nothing to me, but if you're a trance fan I guess you'll know who they are. Yeah, I could listen to this. I wouldn't be killing others to get in the door, but I wouldn't be killing others to get out either. Check out more from this artist? Maybe Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Maybe Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 02-07-2018 at 03:56 PM.

02-06-2018, 06:26 AM	#1768 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Album title: Where I Am Artist: Anja Genre: Pop Nationality: Danish Release date: May 5 Position in Discography: Debut Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? A little Average RYM Score: 3.17 If you happened to catch, or are a fan of Eurovision, you would have seen this woman represent her country last year. MicShaz may know of her, as she's Danish and also apparently won their version of The Voice. I would have to say I don't hear anything amazingly new here; decent voice but she could be any pop singer and the songs are very generic. But then again, this is pop, so as Batty would say, what the ** do you expect? There's dance, trance and of course the odd shot of romance, and I guess given that it's only a six-track EP that's a fairly good spread. Not necessarily something I find myself hungry for though. Hey, at least she writes her own stuff, which is always a plus with me, and she's only twenty-three, so impressive for such a relatively young age. Just again, not my thing. Check out more from this artist? I might keep an eye on her Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Actual Rating:** __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018