Trollheart against the world!

rubber soul · 06-25-2022, 06:56 AM

You should have a chance with me then. Astral Weeks is considered to be Van Morrison's greatest album, certainly a lot better than Veedon Fleece (remember that one? Even I hated one of the tracks).

Trollheart · 06-25-2022, 08:45 AM

Yeah I think that will be a breeze, to be honest.

Here are my predictions, such as I can make them, made without the slightest reference to Wiki or any research. We'll see how they turn out.

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks (Rubber Soul)
I see this as being an easy victory for me. I don't like Morrison at all but not to the extent that he sets my teeth on edge. There are quite a few of his songs I like, or can tolerate - "Brown-eyed Girl", "Bright Side of the Road", the beautiful "Have I Told You Lately" and so on. He plays a mixture, I believe, of folk, soft rock and traditional music, none of which gives me a problem, and I expect getting through this album and finding three nuggets will be a walk in the park. Unless that's Central Park. In which case, it will be a piece of cake. Unless that's carrot cake, which I hate. In which case ... you get the idea.

Koenjihyaekki - Viva Koenji! (Grindy)
Two things scare me about this. Grindy's music choices are known to be, shall we say, eclectic? No, let's say barking ****ing mad.

He can probably tear me apart with this. The other thing is in general Asian music worries me, as I (obviously) can't read the language so have no idea what to expect, and don't know anything about the artist. I don't even know if this is man, woman or wooden idol come to life through the power of black magic. Of course, it could also be a band, but I think we all agree the more likely answer is that it's a wooden idol come to life through the power of black magic.

This could be ninety minutes or more of someone screaming at me in Japanese/Chinese/Korean/take your pick, while banging dustbin lids over their head and running the hoover. Oh no wait: that's Frownland's album, isn't it?

Well, what I'm saying is this one leaves me with a sense of dread and trepidation, and I would imagine I'll lose on this one.

Aksak Maboul - Un Peu de l'Âme des Bandits (Guybrush)

It's kind of the same for this one. I don't know who this is, or are, or were, and I have no idea how I'll react to it. I'm going to pencil this in as a cautious loss for me, but we'll see.

The Germs - (GI) (Batty)

If one person knows how to push my buttons, knows what I can take and what I can't, it's Batty. It was, after all, him who tried to reduce me to a blubbering mess during Metal Month III when he took on the task in "The Torture Chamber". I vaguely recognise the name, and will assume this a very loud, fast, raucous punk band or something else which will be totally inaccessible to me - no-wave, vaporwave, grindcore, powerviolence or, worst of all, a boyband. Think I'm a cert to lose on this one too.

Mirt - Random Soundtrack (Norg)

Norg is Norg. What ya gonna do? I have no idea. His confessed ignorance as to my musical tastes may have caused him to choose one that he thinks I'll hate but I won't. Who knows? I'll take a chance and say I may surprise myself and get through this one. Maybe.

Pere Ubu - Modern Dance (GD)
I've heard of him/her/them but have no idea what sort of music we're talking about here. I think it may have something to do with jazz? Shut up and stop laughing; I told you this was being done without any research at all, so I can only guess. I'm going to again tentatively predict this may not be as bad as I think it might be, and I may win this one.

Wolves in Sheepskin - They Don't Know Though (Frownland)
The other one who knows how to get under my (sheep)skin is Frownland. I have heard one of WISK's albums before, and it was, well, let's just say I wasn't impressed. But I've (apparently) grown and matured since then, so I may surprise myself. BOO! See? Anyway, I will be bold and say I think I can take him on this one. Is that the sound of him pissing himself laughing? How rude!

Albert Ayler - Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe (Ribbons)
With a title like that you would think it would be a nice easy relaxing listen, but I fear my girl has claws and is not afraid to use them when necessary, so this could be a dark horse. Bagpipes were mentioned. Bag. Pipes. I love uileann pipes, but their evil Scottish cousin, the bagpipes, put my teeth on edge, so I feel I may have to submit (ooer!) to her on this one. Another likely defeat.

On the current list then, my predictions - whether they turn out to be right or wrong - show this final result:

Trollheart 1 - Rubber Soul 0
Trollheart 0 - Grindy 1
Trollheart 0 - Guybrush 1
Trollheart 0 - Batty 1
Trollheart 1 - Norg 0
Trollheart 1 - GD 0
Trollheart 1 - Frownland 0
Trollheart 0 - Ribbons 1

Leaving us with a final, predicted score (including my first victory) of
Trollheart 5 - The World 4

**Frownland** · 06-25-2022, 09:29 AM

I'll probably lose tbh, it's one of our more grounded releases (I'm sure the synth will drive you nuts though).

Norg · 06-25-2022, 05:12 PM

i just listened to mirt and its hella boring u can skip me and save yourself the trouble sorry i failed U TH

SGR · 06-25-2022, 06:49 PM

Lovely review Trolls! Hilarious too - the thing that made me laugh the most was how you kept referring to Silkk as "Slikk" - don't know if it was intentional or not, but it had me in fits how you kept doing it.

I'm glad you found some things to like about it and I congratulate you on your victory. If I knew raps about women being "bitches and hoes" set you off, I probably would've picked a much different album

Trollheart · 06-25-2022, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norg

i just listened to mirt and its hella boring u can skip me and save yourself the trouble sorry i failed U TH

Nah I'll still do it. I'm intrigued now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGR

Lovely review Trolls! Hilarious too - the thing that made me laugh the most was how you kept referring to Silkk as "Slikk" - don't know if it was intentional or not, but it had me in fits how you kept doing it.

I'm glad you found some things to like about it and I congratulate you on your victory. If I knew raps about women being "bitches and hoes" set you off, I probably would've picked a much different album

That wasn't intentional. I though it was Slikk, which sounds better - slikk the shocker vs silk the shocker? Anyway glad you enjoyed it. I think I'm slowly acclimatising to a small amount of hip-hop; I found portions of this quite hilarious. But yeah, the misogyny, real or not, was a little hard to take.

You are gracious and noble in defeat. Better luck next time.

And in the spirit of the album, may I just say
YO BITCH! I ****ED YOU UP!

SGR · 06-25-2022, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

That wasn't intentional. I though it was Slikk, which sounds better - slikk the shocker vs silk the shocker? Anyway glad you enjoyed it. I think I'm slowly acclimatising to a small amount of hip-hop; I found portions of this quite hilarious. But yeah, the misogyny, real or not, was a little hard to take.

You are gracious and noble in defeat. Better luck next time.

And in the spirit of the album, may I just say
YO BITCH! I ****ED YOU UP!

I figured you thought it was Slikk - seemed too subtle to be intentional - but it just made me laugh more.

Yeah man, hip hop is an incredibly rich genre. Don't take this album as being even close to representative of it. It's not a good album. It's from No Limit, who put out an album basically every week in the late '90s. Some of them were pretty great actually, but this was not one of them. They had a lot of trash.

Hip hop isn't always violent or misogynistic. With much of rap, there's an undercurrent of hostility and trying to get yours, and more often than not, it's due to how the artist grew up. Most of these people didn't grow up with a silver spoon. They had to fight and scrape and compete to get where they are. Rap's focus on lyricism provides the capability for incredible storytelling - it's not always steeped in violence and anger and it can be reflective too - here's just one example.

I know you're not exactly a spring chicken, but don't give up on the genre. There's gold there if youre willing to explore.

Guybrush · 06-26-2022, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

.Aksak Maboul - Un Peu de l'Âme des Bandits (Guybrush)

It's kind of the same for this one. I don't know who this is, or are, or were, and I have no idea how I'll react to it. I'm going to pencil this in as a cautious loss for me, but we'll see.

Yeah, I also chalk this up to a cautious win for me, but I am by no means confident in that. It's not known for being particularly challenging for its genre, but to most people, all Rock In Opposition would be difficult. The album shows a good range for the band and I think you'll probably find something you like, if not much.

They're active still with some new members and they have a much more accessible sound these days.

rubber soul · 06-26-2022, 07:01 AM

When rap came out in the eighties, it was actually quite political. It's safe to say most of the rap artists of the day weren't fans of Reagan, It became a different genre after artists like Run DMC and Will Smith when he was just starting out turned it into a much more commercial form.

Trollheart · 06-26-2022, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGR

I figured you thought it was Slikk - seemed too subtle to be intentional - but it just made me laugh more.

Yeah man, hip hop is an incredibly rich genre. Don't take this album as being even close to representative of it. It's not a good album. It's from No Limit, who put out an album basically every week in the late '90s. Some of them were pretty great actually, but this was not one of them. They had a lot of trash.

Hip hop isn't always violent or misogynistic. With much of rap, there's an undercurrent of hostility and trying to get yours, and more often than not, it's due to how the artist grew up. Most of these people didn't grow up with a silver spoon. They had to fight and scrape and compete to get where they are. Rap's focus on lyricism provides the capability for incredible storytelling - it's not always steeped in violence and anger and it can be reflective too - here's just one example.

I know you're not exactly a spring chicken, but don't give up on the genre. There's gold there if youre willing to explore.

Oh I never say never. I have heard and liked a few:
I Decided by Big Sean
Grey Blood by Swifty McVay
DROGAS Light by Lupe Fiasco
Everyone We Know by Thundamentals
Rap Album Two by Jonwayne
The Iceberg by Oddisee
Gang Signs and Prayer by Stormzy
Luv is Rage 1.5 by Lil Uzi Vert
Packs by Your Old Droog
Rather You Than Me by Rick Ross
Mansionz by Mansionz
Bloodlust by Bodycount
Veins by Homeboy Sandman
All Nite Grind by Mr. Envi'
Bulletproof by Young Dolph
Live Love Nut by YFN Lucci
All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ by Joey Bada$$
My Moment by Tee Grizzley
Back to the Basics by Rich Homie Quan
The Seven by Talib Kweli and Styles P
All the Beauty in This Whole Life by Brother Ali
Everybody by Logic
Bloom by Machine Gun Kelly
Neva Left by Snoop Dogg
Droptopwop by Gucci Mane

06-25-2022, 08:45 AM	#42 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	Yeah I think that will be a breeze, to be honest. Here are my predictions, such as I can make them, made without the slightest reference to Wiki or any research. We'll see how they turn out. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks (Rubber Soul) I see this as being an easy victory for me. I don't like Morrison at all but not to the extent that he sets my teeth on edge. There are quite a few of his songs I like, or can tolerate - "Brown-eyed Girl", "Bright Side of the Road", the beautiful "Have I Told You Lately" and so on. He plays a mixture, I believe, of folk, soft rock and traditional music, none of which gives me a problem, and I expect getting through this album and finding three nuggets will be a walk in the park. Unless that's Central Park. In which case, it will be a piece of cake. Unless that's carrot cake, which I hate. In which case ... you get the idea. Koenjihyaekki - Viva Koenji! (Grindy) Two things scare me about this. Grindy's music choices are known to be, shall we say, eclectic? No, let's say barking ***ing mad. He can probably tear me apart with this. The other thing is in general Asian music worries me, as I (obviously) can't read the language so have no idea what to expect, and don't know anything about the artist. I don't even know if this is man, woman or wooden idol come to life through the power of black magic. Of course, it could also be a band, but I think we all agree the more likely answer is that it's a wooden idol come to life through the power of black magic. This could be ninety minutes or more of someone screaming at me in Japanese/Chinese/Korean/take your pick, while banging dustbin lids over their head and running the hoover. Oh no wait: that's Frownland's album, isn't it? Well, what I'm saying is this one leaves me with a sense of dread and trepidation, and I would imagine I'll lose on this one. Aksak Maboul - Un Peu de l'Âme des Bandits* (Guybrush) It's kind of the same for this one. I don't know who this is, or are, or were, and I have no idea how I'll react to it. I'm going to pencil this in as a cautious loss for me, but we'll see. The Germs - (GI) (Batty) If one person knows how to push my buttons, knows what I can take and what I can't, it's Batty. It was, after all, him who tried to reduce me to a blubbering mess during Metal Month III when he took on the task in "The Torture Chamber". I vaguely recognise the name, and will assume this a very loud, fast, raucous punk band or something else which will be totally inaccessible to me - no-wave, vaporwave, grindcore, powerviolence or, worst of all, a boyband. Think I'm a cert to lose on this one too. Mirt - Random Soundtrack (Norg) Norg is Norg. What ya gonna do? I have no idea. His confessed ignorance as to my musical tastes may have caused him to choose one that he thinks I'll hate but I won't. Who knows? I'll take a chance and say I may surprise myself and get through this one. Maybe. Pere Ubu - Modern Dance (GD) I've heard of him/her/them but have no idea what sort of music we're talking about here. I think it may have something to do with jazz? Shut up and stop laughing; I told you this was being done without any research at all, so I can only guess. I'm going to again tentatively predict this may not be as bad as I think it might be, and I may win this one. Wolves in Sheepskin - They Don't Know Though (Frownland) The other one who knows how to get under my (sheep)skin is Frownland. I have heard one of WISK's albums before, and it was, well, let's just say I wasn't impressed. But I've (apparently) grown and matured since then, so I may surprise myself. BOO! See? Anyway, I will be bold and say I think I can take him on this one. Is that the sound of him pissing himself laughing? How rude! Albert Ayler - Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe (Ribbons) With a title like that you would think it would be a nice easy relaxing listen, but I fear my girl has claws and is not afraid to use them when necessary, so this could be a dark horse. Bagpipes were mentioned. Bag. Pipes. I love uileann pipes, but their evil Scottish cousin, the bagpipes, put my teeth on edge, so I feel I may have to submit (ooer!) to her on this one. Another likely defeat. On the current list then, my predictions - whether they turn out to be right or wrong - show this final result: Trollheart 1 - Rubber Soul 0 Trollheart 0 - Grindy 1 Trollheart 0 - Guybrush 1 Trollheart 0 - Batty 1 Trollheart 1 - Norg 0 Trollheart 1 - GD 0 Trollheart 1 - Frownland 0 Trollheart 0 - Ribbons 1 Leaving us with a final, predicted score (including my first victory) of Trollheart 5 - The World 4 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-25-2022, 09:29 AM	#43 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	I'll probably lose tbh, it's one of our more grounded releases (I'm sure the synth will drive you nuts though). __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

06-25-2022, 05:12 PM	#44 (permalink)
Norg Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 2,358	i just listened to mirt and its hella boring u can skip me and save yourself the trouble sorry i failed U TH

06-25-2022, 06:49 PM	#45 (permalink)
SGR No Ice In My Bourbon Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: /dev/null Posts: 4,327	Lovely review Trolls! Hilarious too - the thing that made me laugh the most was how you kept referring to Silkk as "Slikk" - don't know if it was intentional or not, but it had me in fits how you kept doing it. I'm glad you found some things to like about it and I congratulate you on your victory. If I knew raps about women being "bitches and hoes" set you off, I probably would've picked a much different album