Museum Musica

Zhanteimi · 10-23-2018, 06:35 PM

0037 Biglietto per l'Inferno - Biglietto per l'Inferno
(Italy, 1974, progressive rock)

I like listening to Italian music with my wife. She grew up in Rome, so I can always get the inside scoop on the lyrics, which is what is interesting here since when the album started, I thought what airy, fun tunes it was, when in fact the lyrics were about murder, suicide, and other dark topics. I mean, the album title is "A Ticket for Hell." All right. I like that kind of juxtaposition. The music is pretty tame, but there are moments of real fire, and they usually involve the flute playing off a hard guitar.

Zhanteimi · 10-24-2018, 07:44 PM

0038 Marek Grechuta & Anawa - Marek Grechuta & Anawa
(Poland, 1970, poezja śpiewana, progressive pop, baroque pop)

It took me a long time to find this one, but as I was so charmed by Korowód, I didn't give up. I just loved the idea of Grechuta forming a student music group that focused on strings and the delivery of sung poetry and poetic recitation. It's all so charming. It just tickles me to know that here's a case of the young leading artistically, of students taking the ideas they're learning and turning it into something beautiful. A lot of classical sensibilities on display here. "Niepewność" is a high point.

Zhanteimi · 10-25-2018, 07:20 PM

0039 Koenjihyakkei - Dhorimviskha
(Japan, 2018, zeuhl)

Though the music is still brutal in spots, it seems like Tatsuya Yoshida has replaced some of his youthful frantic songwriting with more jazz fusion elements, which suits me just fine. It's been 13 years since their last release, and I like the progression I am hearing.

Zhanteimi · 10-28-2018, 08:12 PM

0040 Samla Mammas Manna - Klossa knapitatet
(Sweden, 1974, rock in opposition / avant-prog)

Måltid being one of my favorite albums, I wasn't expecting this as the follow up. This is hardly RIO, in my opinion, because, frankly, it's too playful, too carnivalesque. This isn't a criticism of the album--I like it!--but it's more humorous in the Canterbury Scene vein than anything else, especially moments like the yodeling on the fourth track or the clown bicycle horn on the fifth track. The turn towards jazz fusion the band takes here connects this album to a lot of similar-sounding music in my collection.

Zhanteimi · 10-29-2018, 07:42 PM

0041 Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
(USA, 2004, singer-songwriter / indie rock)

I fell in love with Elliott Smith the day after he died, consumed his discography like a madman, and was left feeling simultaneously satisfied and hungry for more. With the posthumous release of this album almost exactly one year after his death, his fans had something new, something beautiful, something at last we could listen to and say goodbye to. It's weird, discovering and loving an artist only after his death and then getting new material not soon after the initial discovery. "Sunshine been keeping me up for days...I felt so ugly before." Yeah, I bet, Elliott. There's a lot of desperation and not-so-subtle allusions to substance abuse all over this last, sad musical document of a brilliant young man. Whenever I hear "King's Crossing", I'm transported into Elliott's anthemic melancholy, that same darkness that leads him to his date with a "rich white lady", so when he sings, "Give me one good reason not to do it", I sing with all my might the answer his most-devoted fans would always answer at his live shows: "Because we love you".

Zhanteimi · 10-30-2018, 07:41 PM

0042 Beachwood Sparks - Beachwood Sparks
(USA, 2000, alt-country / indie pop)

This isn't some great work of art, in my opinion, but it is everything it means to be: a soothing blend of indie pop and alt-country. I loved this the first time I heard it years ago on a friend's recommendation. This is a great singalong album, equally good in summer or winter, but for opposite reasons. "Old Sea Miner" is randomly an excellent song on this album.

Zhanteimi · 10-31-2018, 08:09 PM

0043 The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
(USA, 2005, alternative rock / garage rock revival)

Fuck it. This is my favorite White Stripes album precisely because it doesn't sound like White Blood Cells or Elephant. I rate those solid 3s, and that's not me being an edgelord. I just prefer this sound, songs that aren't non-stop guitar-jamming drum-slamming.

OccultHawk · 10-31-2018, 10:35 PM

Quote:

This is my favorite White Stripes album

Mine too.

Zhanteimi · 10-31-2018, 11:27 PM

0044 Talking Heads - Remain in Light
(USA, 1980, new wave / post-punk)

So Brian Eno and David Byrne team up for Talking Heads magnum opus--no! That's just what they're fighting against (according to Wikipedia). Talking Heads is more than just Byrne, and the band proves it by bringing in all kinds of experimentation with loops, polyrhythms, and electronic sounds that paved the way for the future of popular music. This is one of those so-called "important" albums, and I guess so. I mean, there's a lot going on here. This album doesn't sound like it was released in 1980. It still sounds fresh today, which is strong evidence of its far-reaching influence. But for me, Talking Heads will never be one of my favorite bands. I like them and respect them, and they have a secure place in my collection, but I doubt I ever end up rating one of their albums 5-stars. I know this is crazy, but they just seem like...they're a bunch or robots or lizard people, and I find that thought off-putting.

Zhanteimi · 11-01-2018, 06:06 PM

0045 Pekka Pohjola - Harakka Bialoipokku
(Finland, 1974, progressive rock / jazz-rock)

This is a first listen, and I'm liking what I hear. The English translation of the song titles really helped me construct a narrative, since all the music is instrumental. I especially found the second track to be striking, what with the anthemic build ups leading to a jazzy saxophone flooding the track, like sunlight pouring across the land at sunrise.

10-23-2018, 06:35 PM	#921 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0037 Biglietto per l'Inferno - Biglietto per l'Inferno (Italy, 1974, progressive rock) I like listening to Italian music with my wife. She grew up in Rome, so I can always get the inside scoop on the lyrics, which is what is interesting here since when the album started, I thought what airy, fun tunes it was, when in fact the lyrics were about murder, suicide, and other dark topics. I mean, the album title is "A Ticket for Hell." All right. I like that kind of juxtaposition. The music is pretty tame, but there are moments of real fire, and they usually involve the flute playing off a hard guitar. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic Last edited by Zhanteimi; 10-24-2018 at 11:25 PM.

10-24-2018, 07:44 PM	#922 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0038 Marek Grechuta & Anawa - Marek Grechuta & Anawa (Poland, 1970, poezja śpiewana, progressive pop, baroque pop) It took me a long time to find this one, but as I was so charmed by Korowód, I didn't give up. I just loved the idea of Grechuta forming a student music group that focused on strings and the delivery of sung poetry and poetic recitation. It's all so charming. It just tickles me to know that here's a case of the young leading artistically, of students taking the ideas they're learning and turning it into something beautiful. A lot of classical sensibilities on display here. "Niepewność" is a high point. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic Last edited by Zhanteimi; 10-24-2018 at 11:25 PM.

10-25-2018, 07:20 PM	#923 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0039 Koenjihyakkei - Dhorimviskha (Japan, 2018, zeuhl) Though the music is still brutal in spots, it seems like Tatsuya Yoshida has replaced some of his youthful frantic songwriting with more jazz fusion elements, which suits me just fine. It's been 13 years since their last release, and I like the progression I am hearing. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic

10-28-2018, 08:12 PM	#924 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0040 Samla Mammas Manna - Klossa knapitatet (Sweden, 1974, rock in opposition / avant-prog) Måltid being one of my favorite albums, I wasn't expecting this as the follow up. This is hardly RIO, in my opinion, because, frankly, it's too playful, too carnivalesque. This isn't a criticism of the album--I like it!--but it's more humorous in the Canterbury Scene vein than anything else, especially moments like the yodeling on the fourth track or the clown bicycle horn on the fifth track. The turn towards jazz fusion the band takes here connects this album to a lot of similar-sounding music in my collection. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic

10-29-2018, 07:42 PM	#925 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0041 Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill (USA, 2004, singer-songwriter / indie rock) I fell in love with Elliott Smith the day after he died, consumed his discography like a madman, and was left feeling simultaneously satisfied and hungry for more. With the posthumous release of this album almost exactly one year after his death, his fans had something new, something beautiful, something at last we could listen to and say goodbye to. It's weird, discovering and loving an artist only after his death and then getting new material not soon after the initial discovery. "Sunshine been keeping me up for days...I felt so ugly before." Yeah, I bet, Elliott. There's a lot of desperation and not-so-subtle allusions to substance abuse all over this last, sad musical document of a brilliant young man. Whenever I hear "King's Crossing", I'm transported into Elliott's anthemic melancholy, that same darkness that leads him to his date with a "rich white lady", so when he sings, "Give me one good reason not to do it", I sing with all my might the answer his most-devoted fans would always answer at his live shows: "Because we love you". __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic

10-30-2018, 07:41 PM	#926 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0042 Beachwood Sparks - Beachwood Sparks (USA, 2000, alt-country / indie pop) This isn't some great work of art, in my opinion, but it is everything it means to be: a soothing blend of indie pop and alt-country. I loved this the first time I heard it years ago on a friend's recommendation. This is a great singalong album, equally good in summer or winter, but for opposite reasons. "Old Sea Miner" is randomly an excellent song on this album. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic

10-31-2018, 08:09 PM	#927 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0043 The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan (USA, 2005, alternative rock / garage rock revival) Fuck it. This is my favorite White Stripes album precisely because it doesn't sound like White Blood Cells or Elephant. I rate those solid 3s, and that's not me being an edgelord. I just prefer this sound, songs that aren't non-stop guitar-jamming drum-slamming. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic

10-31-2018, 11:27 PM	#929 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0044 Talking Heads - Remain in Light (USA, 1980, new wave / post-punk) So Brian Eno and David Byrne team up for Talking Heads magnum opus--no! That's just what they're fighting against (according to Wikipedia). Talking Heads is more than just Byrne, and the band proves it by bringing in all kinds of experimentation with loops, polyrhythms, and electronic sounds that paved the way for the future of popular music. This is one of those so-called "important" albums, and I guess so. I mean, there's a lot going on here. This album doesn't sound like it was released in 1980. It still sounds fresh today, which is strong evidence of its far-reaching influence. But for me, Talking Heads will never be one of my favorite bands. I like them and respect them, and they have a secure place in my collection, but I doubt I ever end up rating one of their albums 5-stars. I know this is crazy, but they just seem like...they're a bunch or robots or lizard people, and I find that thought off-putting. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic

11-01-2018, 06:06 PM	#930 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0045 Pekka Pohjola - Harakka Bialoipokku (Finland, 1974, progressive rock / jazz-rock) This is a first listen, and I'm liking what I hear. The English translation of the song titles really helped me construct a narrative, since all the music is instrumental. I especially found the second track to be striking, what with the anthemic build ups leading to a jazzy saxophone flooding the track, like sunlight pouring across the land at sunrise. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic