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Witty Titles Are For People With Journals Worth Reading
And mine is definitely not one, but it'll be a fun little exercise for me.
I absolutely love MusicBanter. Really. It's a great forum with a great community, and I've gotten turned on to so much great music since I've started hanging around here. But the thought that started to sink in approximately two minutes after I made my account was, "Wow... these people know so much more than I do." (You all have much broader taste, too.) I don't love being comparatively less nerdy, but (1) it's really great to see so many people talk about albums I wouldn't hear about otherwise but turn out loving - I listened to Snowman today because bob. mentioned them, and they are incredible, but I wouldn't have heard about them otherwise; (2) I'm fourteen, so I have an excuse for not knowing quite as much; (3) it's a nice change of atmosphere from my school, where there's nobody with taste like mine (not to sound snobby or to attack the taste of my classmates - we just don't have a ton in common musically). So I guess here is where I'll post random stuff. I'll post about albums I've just been listening to, albums I'm revisiting, music I've loved for a while, any concept that's interesting to me. Maybe some top ten lists by year or something? Those are fun. Anyway, the thing that'll be sort of interesting about this is that I'm still at an age where my music taste still has room to, and probably will, grow and evolve, so this'll hopefully be a really cool document of that. I'll start out, I guess, but talking about some albums I've been getting into recently, with mini-reviews: http://importantrecords.com/sites/de...s_mother_0.jpghttp://importantrecords.com/sites/de...ls_loved_0.jpg Angels of Light: New Mother (1999) and How I Loved You (2001): I'd never listened to Angels of Light before, because I've never been able to get into Swans and I figured they probably wouldn't be of much interest to me because of that. But here's the thing: I really like dark country-folk. New Mother sounds a little like Wovenhand, and I love Wovenhand. How I Loved You is more singular - it's really a monolithic work of darkness (Jesus that sounded pretentious). I like it better also because I think New Mother falls off a little after "The Man With the Silver Tongue", but I'll definitely be listening to both a lot. 3.5/5, 4/5 http://good-evil.net/wp-content/uplo...otsaratedr.pnghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...r_the_Deaf.png Queens of the Stone Age: Rated R (2000) and Songs for the Deaf (2002): I'm against guilty pleasures. I think the concept implies that music taste is in any way objective, instead of being all about subjectivity - projecting your own onto others, projecting others' onto yourself, whatever - and I think we should like what we like and not be ashamed, unless the lyrics are offensive or something. But if I had guilty pleasures, QOTSA would be one. They're a commercial mainstream rock band. I'm a hipster snob, or so say my friends (haha, friends). I'm not supposed to like them, am I? But you know what? These are both really great albums, and these guys definitely have more range than I was giving them credit for. Dave Grohl is a more than capable drummer, and even if I'm not a Mark Lanegan or Screaming Trees fan, he's got a great voice. But I really think the beginning of Songs for the Deaf shows off what's great about the band - we get Oliveri's screaming "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire" transitioning seamlessly into the taut Homme riffing of "No One Knows". I haven't listened to any of the post-Oliveri albums, and even if I do it won't be with very high expectations, because I think it's how they play off each other that makes these two albums so awesome. Will be great pump-up music for debate tournaments also. 3.5/5, 4/5 http://dtvep25tfu0n1.cloudfront.net/...cc3cd56fc.jpeg The Mountain Goats: All Hail West Texas (2002): I'm not going to pretend that you don't know what the Mountain Goats sound like, but I somehow slipped over this one and it's really good, one of their/his best. Gotta love singer-songwriter bedroom folk about hailing Satan, right? But seriously, we live in a time when there are more earnest white guys with acoustic guitars than ever before, and John Darnielle keeps us from forgetting the important lesson that people in that style can actually be good. 3.5/5 http://themuseinmusic.com/wp-content...t-rubdown1.jpghttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...EL._SY300_.jpg Sunset Rubdown: Shut Up I Am Dreaming (2006) and Random Spirit Lover (2007): Spencer Krug stops sounding like Isaac Brock and starts sounding like David Bowie!... is how I would put this if I were being stupid and reductive. The trouble with Bowie comparisons is that those who invite them - James Murphy, Jarvis Cocker, Krug's Swan Lake collaborator Dan Bejar - are, like the great man himself, too unique too be put in a box like that. You know Krug as the better, less conventional half of Wolf Parade even if you haven't heard his Sunset Rubdown stuff. But seriously, listen to his Sunset Rubdown stuff. It's got a sort of glammy chamber-pop feel to it, and it fits him even better than the rock-band-with-occasional-theremin Wolf Parade stuff. I think I like the first one a little better, but the second one grew on me as I listened. I'm going to say 3.5/5, 4/5. http://cdn4.pitchfork.com/albums/121...e.b23de9e2.jpg Snowman: The Horse, the Rat, and the Swan (2008): When I listen to, say, the Pop Group's Y, or Nick Cave's From Her to Eternity, I know the historical context. And when I listen to Snowman, I also know the historical context. This album is great, but what I really have to credit it with is showing me that this kind of sort of funky post-punk is cutting-edge and challenging even now. The album is well-paced, opening with frenzied tribalistic drumming and shouty vocals, but increasing the frequency of quieter, just-as-hypnotic songs. If you're into more out-there post-punk like the stuff I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, this album really should be a must. Definitely check it out (and once again thanks to bob. for mentioning another one of their albums in the 1001 albums thread - that one is on my list, and I have high hopes based on its predecessor). 4.5/5 http://www.soundstagedirect.com/medi...ral_market.jpg Tyondai Braxton: Central Market (2009): So Braxton's pedigree, obviously, is impeccable - Anthony Braxton's son, member of Battles, general Cool Person - but I'd never heard any of his solo stuff before. I'm glad I changed that. This is a sort of neoclassical album, another well-paced one. In this case, it's sort of a progression from the more conventional stuff into more envelope-pushing material. While this seems like a tough trick, Central Market completely pulls it off. If I have to pick one song that exemplifies that transition, it's the centerpiece, "Platinum Rows", where the most epic string swells on the album alternate with kazoo solos - and this seems totally natural. The album has to be listened to as a whole, and it's really cool hearing how we get from the cheerful horns of "Opening Bell" to the Krautrock chug of "J. City" and the ragged ending of "Dead Strings". It's just a really excellent album. 4/5 Starting tomorrow (maybe - I'll be more active on weekends because school), you'll see a lot more range in my ratings, because I'll be talking about a lot of what I listen to, not just what I really like. I really hope this gets approved, and (if it does) thanks for reading! |
Wow, this was approved fast. Thank you based mods.
(Kill me.) |
I'm an excellent mod. What can I say.
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Looking forward to reading this!
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I like what I see so far (hadn't heard that Snowman album, excellent stuff). I'll be keeping an eye on this journal.
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Hey, you don't need to be old or anything to be a good writer! Just look at Pet_Sounds and... *ahem* me. :rolleyes:
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Holy crap! You're fourteen? You write like a professional! Such insight and great usage of the language, and I don't see any spelling mistakes (not that I'm implying those younger than me ---- everyone's younger than me! --- have automatically bad spelling, but you know, texting and Facebook etc has not exactly made this the golden age of spelling or grammar, so you're carrying the standard very well) What an incredible start, and such an honest intro too. Be watching this; should be one of the journals of the year maybe. Very well done, and welcome!
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Alright, just one album today. http://www.thecultureclash.com/wp-co...45-300x300.jpg Oneida: Rated O (2009): This is an ambitious triple album from Oneida, a band whom I vaguely feel like I enjoy despite not being able to name any songs of theirs. I don't know that I've ever listened to a full album of theirs before. Anyway, we get some glitchy, hypnotic electronic grooves on what was released as the first LP (tracks 1-5), with "Story of O" taking a more guitar-based approach and "The Human Factor" building up from just a drum kit to the most experimental track yet. It's sort of jarring to hear these two, especially the latter, ramp up the intensity with more abrasive sounds and (in the case of "The Human Factor") screamed vocals. The second disk pushes them into straighter Krauty psych-rock territory, but luckily, they're a good band and can handle it. At times (like "The Life You Preferred") they sound sort of like a less dancy Les Savy Fav, which is to say that there are some really great angular guitars going on but the focus is on the rhythm (given that I described them as "Krautrocky", what did you expect?), which anchors the whole thing. The third LP is quieter but using more rock instrumentation, sort of splitting the difference between the two preceding it. It only has three songs, two of which are over ten minutes. This is the quieter trippy side, but it does some unpredictable cool stuff - gotta love the sitar on "O", which they manage to sell as not just a gimmick. I've heard that some criticize this album for being too long, but I think that misses the point. It's a demanding listen, sure, but it's a really solid, consistent album (although the second disk wears a little during "Saturday" and "It Was a Wall"), and it's interesting to hear how the band make what are essentially three distinct albums fit together naturally. It's not really a "rock" album - the instrumentation is there, and some songs even have verse-chorus-verse structures and so on, but I'm not going to put this on to sing along to. If I listen, I'm going to do it in one of two ways - to pay my undivided attention to, or to have on in the background, especially if the part of the album I'm listening to is the first three tracks, with their subtly morphing soundscapes. This album lets you choose whether you want it to be an ambient album or an intensely complicated hands-on listening experience, and I think that's really cool. But, although I can see myself loving a couple of these songs, and I like most of them, the middle third in particular is inconsistent despite having a couple of the most immediately appealing songs on the entire thing, and a lot of the album is only pretty good, so I'll go with 7.5. For whatever it's worth, if I were rating each of the thirds individually, I'd say 7.5/6.5/7, and it gets the extra .5 for how unexpectedly cohesive it is. |
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I'll be keeping an eye on this, you're a good writer. |
http://www.heyreverb.com/files/2009/08/pissed-jeans.jpg Pissed Jeans: King of Jeans (2009): This is a pretty fantastic album. I didn't love their first one - as much as I liked the gimmick of lyrics about ice cream and scrapbooking over almost comically aggressive music, it was sort of too messy for me and was a little uneven in places. King of Jeans doesn't have that problem. The lyrics are still about everyday concerns, but frontman Matt Korvette switches from absurdity to average-middle-aged-guy problems, and does it pretty well. But it's a hardcore punk album - it's easy to ignore exactly what Korvette is saying. So rest assured that musically, this also kills. I think the best reference point is Black Flag circa My War, especially on the sludgier tracks ("Spent", the first half of "Request for Masseuse"), but the band are able to call up the memories of other great bands: Black Sabbath, the Jesus Lizard, the Birthday Party (especially on "Half Idiot"), and the Germs. But overall, you don't have to buy all these influences - what matters is that it's a vital, fantastic heavy punk album. If you haven't before, do check it out. 4/5 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UPiF2vB06q...agonslayer.jpg Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer (2009): Yep, more Sunset Rubdown. This album was their third great one in a row, sporting a more streamlined sound, with only eight songs. It takes the chamber pop leanings of Random Spirit Lover and scales them back, making an album that's just as instrumentally extravagant but that sounds more controlled. I came into the Sunset Rubdown discography looking for Wolf Parade, basically, and Spencer Krug hasn't written another "Grounds for Divorce" or "I'll Believe in Anything", but that's fine. If anything, it's more useful to see Wolf Parade as his straightforward-indie-rock side project. Both these bands speak to Krug's versatility and his greatness at songwriting - and on this album, the songs take front-and-center more than any overarching narrative. We've got the smooth "Silver Moons" to start us out, and then the less smooth "Idiot Heart" and "Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!", which trips over itself in the way Krug's best songs do, to tide us over until one of the highlights, "Black Swan". Feedback-filled, unhinged, and almost klezmer-like in parts (Jew pride!), it's definitely one of the best songs he's ever written. Honestly though, even naming "highlights" seems redundant. They're all highlights. This is a lean, composed masterpiece, and much as I love the two before it, Dragonslayer is the culmination of Krug's career. 9.5/10 (11/30 edit: I would give this a much lower score now - 3.5/5 or so. I like it but I think Random Spirit Lover is his best.) |
So here are some top lists by year
Because I was bored and decided to shamelessly ape those with better journals than mine.
1961 5. John Coltrane: My Favorite Things 4. Sun Ra: The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra 3. Eric Dolphy: At the Five Spot 2. John Coltrane: Africa/Brass 1. Ornette Coleman: Free Jazz The first year where there are five albums I really like, all jazz. 1964 5. The Beatles: A Hard Day’s Night 4. Andrew Hill: Point of Departure 3. Eric Dolphy: Out to Lunch! 2. Albert Ayler: Spiritual Unity 1. Albert Ayler: New York Eye and Ear Control Ayler is pretty much a god. 1965 10. The Sonics: Here are the Sonics 9. Bob Dylan: Bringing it All Back Home 8. Albert Ayler: Spirits Rejoice 7. John Coltrane: Meditations 6. The Beatles: Rubber Soul 5. Don Cherry: Complete Communion 4. Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited 3. John Coltrane: Ascension 2. The Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man 1. John Coltrane: A Love Supreme First top ten - keeping in mind what I said above, Coltrane is the best, and I love the Byrds. 1966 10. Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde 9. The Animals: Animalism 8. Cecil Taylor: Conquistador 7. The Rolling Stones: Aftermath 6. The Beatles: Revolver 5. Tim Buckley: Tim Buckley 4. Don Cherry: Symphony for Improvisers 3. The Kinks: Face to Face 2. Otis Redding: Otis Blue 1. The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds I feel like this year is overrated. The top six are all excellent, but I think Pet Sounds is the only one I listen to regularly. 1967 10. John Coltrane: Interstellar Space 9. Cream: Disraeli Gears 8. The Rolling Stones: Between the Buttons 7. Peter Brotzmann: For Adolphe Sax 6. Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow 5. Love: Forever Changes 4. Moby Grape: Moby Grape 3. The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground and Nico 2. The Kinks: Something Else 1. Albert Ayler: In Greenwich Village This is the first year that I think is really good for both jazz and pop/rock. All of the top 6-8 are great IMO. 1968 5. The Kinks: The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society 4. Otis Redding: The Dock of the Bay 3. The Band: Music from Big Pink 2. The Zombies: Odessey and Oracle 1. Peter Brotzmann: Machine Gun I couldn't come up with much for '68, but what I could is all stuff that I totally love. All of these are totally essential. It was a really close race for #1, but I went with Brotzmann because I think the last two tracks on Odessey and Oracle are weak and out of place, respectively. 1969 10. Fairport Convention: Liege and Lief 9. The Who: Tommy 8. Sonny Sharrock: Black Woman 7. King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King 6. Peter Brotzmann: Nipples 5. Charlie Haden: Liberation Music Orchestra 4. The Beatles: Abbey Road 3. Pharoah Sanders: Karma 2. The Rolling Stones: Let it Bleed 1. The Band: The Band This, now, is a fantastic year. The highs might be a little less high than the one before, but all of these albums are awesome. Definitely my favorite Beatles album, also. 1970 10. Stark Reality: The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop 9. Neil Young: After the Gold Rush 8. The Velvet Underground: Loaded 7. Funkadelic: Free Your Mind… And Your Ass Will Follow 6. George Harrison: All Things Must Pass 5. Pink Floyd: Atom Heart Mother 4. The Band: Stage Fright 3. Simon & Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water 2. David Bowie: The Man Who Sold the World 1. Curtis Mayfield: Curtis! I hope Pet_Sounds is happy with my #3, which I do love. This is another really good year and all these albums are highly recommended - although with the exception of #10, they're all quite well-known, obviously. I might continue this. When I do more, I'll hopefully be getting into some comparatively obscure stuff. |
Excellent lists overall. And yes, I am happy with your placement of Bridge Over Troubled Water, and Pet Sounds as well, for obvious reasons. ;) Have you heard Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends? It would beef up that 1968 list very nicely. I'm also pleased to see you like Coltrane - he and Dave Brubeck are my favourite jazz musicians.
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Have some more lists while I put off getting debate blocks together.
1971: 10. Leonard Cohen: Songs of Love and Hate 9. The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers 8. Jethro Tull: Aqualung 7. Pink Floyd: Meddle 6. Joni Mitchell: Blue 5. Sly and the Family Stone: There’s a Riot Goin’ On 4. The Who: Who’s Next 3. Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On 2. David Bowie: Hunky Dory 1. Funkadelic: Maggot Brain A really good year with a really incredible top four. I don't imagine this list will be too controversial - all very well-known and acclaimed albums here. 1972: 10. Nick Drake: Pink Moon 9. War: The World is a Ghetto 8. Jethro Tull: Thick as a Brick 7. Todd Rundgren: Something/Anything? 6. Charles Mingus: Let My Children Hear Music 5. Neu!: Neu! 4. David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars 3. The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street 2. Big Star: #1 Record 1. Miles Davis: On the Corner Three of my favorite albums of all time here, and even if Ziggy Stardust is a little overrated, it's still pretty great. 1973: 10. Genesis: Selling England by the Pound 9. New York Dolls: New York Dolls 8. Faust: Faust IV 7. Fela Kuti: Gentleman 6. James Brown: The Payback 5. Bruce Springsteen: The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle 4. Bruce Springsteen: Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ 3. David Bowie: Aladdin Sane 2. Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon 1. The Who: Quadrophenia And now begins the part of the list-making where I acknowledge that everyone else here hates Springsteen. In fact, both of these two are deeply flawed albums, especially Asbury Park, but I love them both. We now enter the Boss's unimpeachable period. 1974: 10. Sparks: Propaganda 9. Leonard Cohen: New Skin for the Old Ceremony 8. Van Morrison: Veedon Fleece 7. Brian Eno: Here Come the Warm Jets 6. David Bowie: Diamond Dogs 5. Sparks: Kimono My House 4. Kraftwerk: Autobahn 3. Brian Eno: Taking Tiger Mountain 2. The Band and Bob Dylan: Before the Flood 1. Big Star: Radio City Am I cheating a little by putting a live album at #2? Well, yes, but is said live album totally awesome? Also yes. 1975: 10. Patti Smith: Horses 9. David Bowie: Young Americans 8. Miles Davis: Agharta 7. Brian Eno: Another Green World 6. Fela Kuti: Confusion 5. Neil Young: Tonight’s the Night 4. Kraftwerk: Radio-Activity 3. Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks 2. Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here 1. Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run Let's be honest: this is kind of a weak year. But we still get that great top three - my favorite Floyd album and one of my favorite Dylan albums. 1976: 5. Todd Rundgren: Faithful 4. Cecil Taylor: Dark to Themselves 3. The Modern Lovers: The Modern Lovers 2. Tom Waits: Small Change 1. David Bowie: Station to Station It pains me to say that I couldn't even get to ten here. The year before punk blew up, and it's easy to see why. I basically never listen to 3-5, though I love the top two. |
I'll have a real, lengthy post coming Sunday. In the meantime, lemme knock off a couple more lists.
1977: 10. The Clash: The Clash 9. Dennis Wilson: Pacific Ocean Blue 8. David Bowie: Low 7. Television: Marquee Moon 6. Talking Heads: Talking Heads ‘77 5. Fela Kuti: Zombie 4. Pink Floyd: Animals 3. Suicide: Suicide 2. Kraftwerk: Trans-Europe Express 1. Elvis Costello: My Aim is True From here on out, there are albums I really love in every year. My Aim is True is not my favorite Costello album (see below), but it's his first and it's home to some of his rawest, best songwriting. Let's put it this way: the same song is on the album three times under different names and he completely sells it. Suicide are great, my favorites from Kraftwerk and Fela, and the most underrated Floyd album. 1978: 10. The Adverts: Crossing the Red Sea With 9. The Saints: Eternally Yours 8. Wire: Chairs Missing 7. Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings and Food 6. The Clash: Give ‘Em Enough Rope 5. The Jam: All Mod Cons 4. X-Ray Spex: Germ Free Adolescents 3. Elvis Costello: This Year’s Model 2. Big Star: Third/Sister Lovers 1. Bruce Springsteen: Darkness on the Edge of Town This year is great because the list is all about punk until you get to the top three (some would say too). My favorite Springsteen album (back-and-forth with Nebraska, anyway), Big Star's brilliant posthumous release, great albums from Costello, the Jam, the Clash, Wire, Talking Heads (who are ranked that high just for "Found a Job"), and so on, plus one of my favorite punk albums in X-Ray Spex's only LP, which adds some dissonant free-jazz skronk to the formula. 1979: 10. Neil Young: Rust Never Sleeps 9. Public Image Ltd.: Second Edition 8. The Jam: Setting Sons 7. Talking Heads: Fear of Music 6. Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures 5. James Chance and the Contortions: Buy 4. The Clash: London Calling 3. Gang of Four: Entertainment! 2. The Fall: Live at the Witch Trials 1. The Pop Group: Y I'll be honest: A Trip to Marineville is probably a better album than my #10 pick, although I love both. But I had to keep Young on the list because if I'd taken that off, this list would have been made up entirely of punk/post-punk/I guess new wave because of the Jam. This is a great year and it had more variation than you get from my list. 1980: 10. Joy Division: Closer 9. The Jam: Sound Affects 8. Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth 7. XTC: Black Sea 6. Talking Heads: Remain in Light 5. The Feelies: Crazy Rhythms 4. The Fall: Grotesque 3. Bruce Springsteen: The River 2. X: Los Angeles 1. Elvis Costello: Get Happy!! Another absurdly good year where I feel awful about leaving off an album - in this case, Underwater Moonlight. Two of my favorite albums of all time up top, plus my favorite XTC album. Good stuff. |
I'm happy to see Pacific Ocean Blue in there. Brian said that Dennis was was a superior songwriter, and while I wouldn't go that far, I'd say that album proves that he was certainly not just a drummer.
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1981: 10. The Church: Of Skins and Hearts 9. The Cure: Faith 8. Echo and the Bunnymen: Heaven Up Here 7. Glenn Branca: The Ascension 6. The Clash: Sandinista! 5. David Byrne/Brian Eno: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts 4. The Replacements: Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash 3. The Birthday Party: Prayers on Fire 2. Black Flag: Damaged 1. The dB’s: Stands for Decibels http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG...er=allrovi.com A slightly weaker year, I guess? I don't know - none of these are bad albums, but I don't think it reaches the heights of especially the last two. 1982: 10. The Cure: Pornography 9. Tav Falco’s Panther Burns: Behind the Magnolia Curtain 8. Marshall Crenshaw: Marshall Crenshaw 7. Mission of Burma: Vs. 6. Bad Brains: Bad Brains 5. X: Under the Big Black Sun 4. The Dream Syndicate: The Days of Wine and Roses 3. XTC: English Settlement 2. The Fall: Hex Enduction Hour 1. Bruce Springsteen: Nebraska http://beatopolis.files.wordpress.co...braska_alb.jpg It pains me to not put the Fall first on this list, but Nebraska is my unquestionable #1 here. You've also all gotten through my Springsteen period. Congrats. 1983: 10. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Dazzle Ships 9. The Go-Betweens: Before Hollywood 8. Violent Femmes: Violent Femmes 7. X: More Fun in the New World 6. Minor Threat: Out of Step 5. Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones 4. The Fall: Perverted by Language 3. Billy Bragg: Life’s a Riot with Spy Vs Spy 2. Aztec Camera: High Land, Hard Rain 1. REM: Murmur http://cbswxrt2.files.wordpress.com/...rmur.jpg?w=444 I'm cheating again because #3 is an EP, but it's really fantastic. Good year, with great debuts making up my top three, along with others from the Go-Betweens and Violent Femmes. Plus my second-favorite X album, another great Fall album, and Waits being Waits. 1984: 10. Billy Bragg: Brewing Up With 9. Violent Femmes: Hallowed Ground 8. Minutemen: Double Nickels on the Dime 7. Black Flag: My War 6. Husker Du: Zen Arcade 5. REM: Reckoning 4. Echo and the Bunnymen: Ocean Rain 3. The Smiths: The Smiths 2. Nick Cave: From Her to Eternity 1. The Replacements: Let it Be http://www.chartattack.com/wp-conten...xe-Edition.jpg Good follow-ups from Bragg and the Femmes, plus Black Flag going metal, one of my favorite REM albums, the Bunnymen's best, debuts from the Smiths and Nick Cave, and of course my #1 which is pretty much my favorite thing (didjageddit?). 1985: 10. The Waterboys: This is the Sea 9. The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy 8. The Style Council: Our Favourite Shop 7. The Replacements: Tim 6. The Mekons: Fear and Whiskey 5. The Smiths: Meat is Murder 4. The Pogues: Rum Sodomy & the Lash 3. The Fall: This Nation’s Saving Grace 2. REM: Fables of the Reconstruction 1. Tom Waits: Rain Dogs http://www.drawuslines.com/wp-conten...8906753638.jpg I'm super mad at myself for putting five Fall albums in the top five and not giving any of them #1, but that's how it goes I guess. Good year. Love the top six. Meat is Murder dropped at least a place because the title track is my least favorite Smiths song. |
Gonna model this after Goofle's listening log format-wise, though I don't listen to nearly as much music as he does.
MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday (1999) Can't believe I hadn't heard this before. Possibly even better than Madvillainy. 4/5 ---------------------------------------- Isis - Celestial (2000) I listened to all of their albums, but this ended up my favorite. Not a big metal guy so I don't have anything intelligent to say, but good stuff. 3.5/5 ---------------------------------------- Menomena - I Am the Fun Blame Monster (2003) This one is right down the middle for me - quirky indie rock, even from Portland. But hey, what's not to like? Just a lot of really solid songs. 3.5/5 ---------------------------------------- Grizzly Bear - Yellow House (2006) I decided to look back into them and although the "look how pretty our harmonies are!" wears on me, this is a solid album. 3/5 ---------------------------------------- Menomena - Friend and Foe (2007) I probably like this a little more than the debut. The first song, "Muscle'n Flo" is just so good. 4/5 ---------------------------------------- Sloan: The Double Cross (2011) The only Sloan album I hadn't heard before, and it might be my favorite. Really good, and it's crazy how consistent they are. 4/5 ---------------------------------------- Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres (2011) I'd heard this one before, but it had been too long. Guess what? It's still incredible. 4.5/5 ---------------------------------------- Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (2011) I was sort of curious because I heard this was more intense than their debut EP and album, neither of which I'm a fan of, so I figured "Why not listen to it?" I like it, I like "The Shrine / An Argument" a lot, and maybe it would be a grower, but I doubt I'm going to end up listening to it much. Good stuff though, and probably my Pet_Sounds Pick (TM) for this entry. 2.5/5 ---------------------------------------- B L A C K I E - True Spirit and Not Giving a **** (2011) Good noise-punk-rap. Very worth a listen. 3/5 ---------------------------------------- Joyce Manor - Joyce Manor (2011) Serviceable poppy punk. I like what I've heard of their latest better. 2.5/5 |
What are your thoughts on Coin Coin Chapter 2?
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Great avatar by the way! |
Yellow House is possibly my favourite album of the '00s. And that Fleet Foxes album is indeed good stuff.
Yeah, I'm a sucker for harmony. |
YOB - Atma (2011)
Already one of my favorite metal albums. "Adrift in the Ocean" kills so hard. 4/5 ---------------------------------------- The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts (2011) I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Their first album is great, but the second was sort of a disappointment. This is a return to form, if not quite as good as Thunder, Lightning, Strike, and I hope there's more from them in the future. Sort of exhausting in the same way New Pornos albums are exhausting, but still, good stuff. 3.5/5 ---------------------------------------- WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (2011) Perfectly okay indie rock. Just go listen to the first two Arcade Fire albums. 2/5 ---------------------------------------- Iceage - You're Nothing (2011) Finally listening to this, and it doesn't disappoint. Good punk stuff. Not one of my favorite albums, but should be good for debate tournaments, where I only listen to loud, fast music. 3/5 ---------------------------------------- Ty Segall - Singles (2011) Good hooky lo-fi garage stuff. What's not to like? Another sort of taxing listen - 25 songs in 54 minutes - but for the most part the songs are pretty good. I doubt I'll be listening to it a ton more though, except for "Skin", which is a really good song, and maybe a couple others. 2.5/5 ---------------------------------------- Shabazz Palces - Black Up (2011) I'm sort of underwhelmed by this, to be honest. Decent enough, but not as awesome as I was led to believe. 2/5 |
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I'm starting this up again probably Monday or Tuesday, when I start to go through a massive list of albums I've made. In the meantime, anyone have any recommendations for me? Open to pretty much any genre or style, and I'd be especially interested in getting into more electronic and metal stuff.
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Electronic… maybe give Moby a shot? Play is a decent album.
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What kind of metal are you into exploring?
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Electronic: The Haxan Cloak - The Haxan Cloak, Morton Subotnick - Touch/Jabob's Room |
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Not sure if you've ever heard of Kyuss?
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Some mini-reviews... before I begin, here's my rating scheme, copied from Pink_Rolling_Zeppelin on RYM:
Perfect - ★★★★★ Nearly perfect - ★★★★½ Exceptional - ★★★★ Very good - ★★★½ Good - ★★★ Decent - ★★½ Mediocre - ★★ Bad - ★½ Quite bad - ★ Utter **** - ½ ---------------------------------------- Captain Beefheart - Safe as Milk (1967) I dig this. I don't love it and it gets sort of old by the end, but it's some really solid stuff. Track pick: "Sure 'Nuff 'N' Yes, I Do" 3/5 ---------------------------------------- Nico - Chelsea Girl (1967) Apparently Nico hated the production on this album, and it's easy to see why. Her voice, awkward and unsubtle (probably because of the accent), kind of grates against the strings and flutes - this reminds me of nothing so much as early Belle & Sebastian with a female vocalist and a smoother string section. If anything, though, that makes it a more interesting listen in terms of the way the vocals interact with the instrumentation. The songs get a little samey by the end - although, this may be my dad's influence talking, but I do think Jackson Browne is a great songwriter. Also, I appreciate the more avant-garde stuff ("It Was a Pleasure Then") more in theory than in practice and I think it could benefit from some percussion. Track pick: "I'll Keep It With Mine" 2.5/5 I'll have more later today, probably. |
Sly and the Family Stone - Life (1968)
So this is pretty fantastic. Track pick: "Plastic Jim", "M'Lady" 4/5 ---------------------------------------- Townes Van Zandt - For the Sake of the Song (1968) Pretty good. Not as good as Our Mother the Mountain though, and "Talkin' Karate Blues" makes me cringe. Track pick: "Tecumseh Valley" 2.5/5 ---------------------------------------- Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul (1969) Let's see... "Walk On By" is awesome, "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" does nothing for me, "One Woman" is pretty good but inconsequential, and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" has one of the best builds I've ever heard. Overall, excellent stuff. Track pick: "Walk On By", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" 3.5/5 |
The Kinks - Arthur
This is without a doubt my favorite Kinks album. Completely essential, even if I prefer the Fall's version of "Victoria". Pretty much flawless after the first two tracks. If you haven't heard this (along with Something Else, Village Green Preservation Society, and Muswell Hillbillies), what are you waiting for? Track pick: "Some Mother's Son", "Australia", "Shangri-La", "Arthur", just listen to the damn thing. 5/5 ---------------------------------------- Nico - The Marble Index (1969) The issue with Chelsea Girls was that the vocals and the instrumentals both struck me as pretty boring, so all my interest came from the tension between the two. Musically, this one is much more my speed. It's dark, much more consciously avant-garde, and it sounds a lot like more modern stuff I like (although I'm drawing a blank right now). Nico's vocals - hypnotic now that they're freed from the constraint of trying to sound "pretty" - are a little spooky, as I listen to the album in the dark in my room, but that works to its advantage. Really good stuff. Track pick: "Frozen Warnings", "Evening of Light" 3.5/5 ---------------------------------------- Can - Monster Movie (1969) My first exposure to pre-Damo Suzuki Can is a good one, though it isn't going to displace Neu! as my favorite Krautrock album or anything. The album starts with "Father Cannot Yell". I know the obvious reference for it is the Velvet Underground, but it sorta reminds me of the Fall in a weird way. It's a little headachey, but when I haven't been listening to music all day it doesn't have that effect, so I end up feeling pretty good about the song. Next is "Mary, Mary So Contrary", which I was prepared to hate because, y'know, it's based on a nursery rhyme, but which ends up being a clear highlight for me - the guitar playing throughout is excellent, but the solo is immediately one of my favorites ever, and I really enjoy Mooney's vocal performance. "Outside My Door", which closes out the first side, is more conventional in a sort of ranting, garage-y way. It dawns on me that this is a very different beast from Suzuki's Can - a lot less subtle, a lot more aggressive, but maybe just as good. "Yoo Doo Right", then, is the closest to later Can that this album gets, a hypnotic (yeah, I've used that word twice now - deal with it) 20-minute jam anchored by a rolling drumbeat. Even if it were terrible, the album would still be quite good because of that awesome first side, but luckily it's a pretty fantastic song, and a pretty fantastic album. 4/5 |
Arthur is awesome, but I still prefer Village Green. It's just a time travel album.
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Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt (1969)
This has some nice rerecordings of stuff on his first album. It doesn't beat Our Mother the Mountain, but it's better than the debut. Track pick: "Lungs", "Quicksilver Daydreams of Maria" 3/5 ---------------------------------------- Sly and the Family Stone - Stand! (1969) I was prepared to give this a lower score than Life, but "Sex Machine" is a really good song - in fact, the whole back half is pretty much flawless - so I think they're about even. Track pick: "I Want to Take You Higher", "Sex Machine" 4/5 ---------------------------------------- Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica (1969) I came in with really high expectations because this is an album with a massive following. My opinion of it ends up falling somewhere between Trollheart's and Frownland's (no surprise there). I really like what I hear - it's a mess, but I enjoy the mix of blues and free jazz and spoken word and god knows what else. The sprawl (it's also 80 minutes long) is both a great strength and its biggest flaw. It's a very adventurous album and it's almost defined by its refusal to stay in any one place for very long, but I can't help thinking that a whole album like "Hair Pie" would be really good. Whatever, I like the other songs and all, but it's exhausting to take all 80 minutes and 28 tracks in in one sitting, and I feel like the only way to appreciate it fully is as a whole album, although I like a lot of the individual songs - actually, almost all of them. So a lot of the appeal ends up being a little lost on me - I'll listen to it again, but I don't really feel it right now as much as I hoped to. Track pick: "Hair Pie: Bake", "Hair Pie: Bake 2", "Pena" 3.5/5 ---------------------------------------- For every one of these little posts, I'll do one review of a randomly-selected album that I already know and like. So to begin: Uncle Tupelo - March 16-20, 1992 (1992) Uncle Tupelo are the band that got me into country. I thoroughly enjoyed the punk energy of No Depression, which seemed to me a logical extension of bands I was already into, like X, and I appreciated Still Feel Gone's range - my favorite two tracks on it were "Gun", the best song the Replacements never wrote, and "Watch Me Fall", and it's hard to imagine either one of those on the debut. My favorite Uncle Tupelo album remains Anodyne, but the one in between is special. Recorded over the span of five days (no prizes for guessing which), March is basically a sincere tribute to American folk music (seven of the fifteen songs are covers, and the originals stay close to their spirit), the result of Uncle Tupelo ditching the punk side entirely, with great production by Peter Buck. The covers are uniformly great (well... see below), especially "Lilli Schull" and "Atomic Power", keeping the album strong through what could be a boring middle stretch. The originals are some of the band's best, especially Jeff Tweedy's songs - come on, "Wait Up" and "Fatal Wound"? - but Jay Farrar's are excellent as well ("Grindstone" especially) and the album also has some of their most collaborative moments ("Sandusky"). It's not a perfect album - it's hard to take Farrar seriously during "Coalminers", for example, and as much as I like the song, it sort of rubs me the wrong way - but it's a really good one and it's one that's basically required listening for any self-proclaimed alt-country fan. |
Dude, Our Mother the Mountain is amazing. I'm sorry if I'm stu[pid cause I'm drank, but Townes is amazing. "Our Mother the Mountain" is pretty much the coolest country song every. Seriously. Those lyrics are out of this world and if I could write one song as amazing as that then I wouldn't care about anythng else.
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