Best Ever Albums

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Necharsian — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 21:14:17 GMT

Author: Necharsian

Posted: 02/14/2015 02:14

SquishypuffDave wrote:

I thought the lyrics were absolute shite. It sounds like someone making fun of Mark Kozelek.

k this is what I thought too. lyrics don't usualy mean much to me (yet I still hold RHP and Ghosts in high regard) but ya Benji seemed pretty lame to me. I mean I liked it enough but didn't get as much as id expect out of it. Perils was wayyyy better.

at the same time tho I don't think I really wanted another kozelek album like benji. like I doubt anything he makes will be better in my eyes than RHP's or SKM's best already so its just beating a dead horse at this point for me. ya we get it youre sad, mark.

its certainly not because benji is too subtle or not exciting lol I listen to more boring music than anyone

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

benpaco — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 20:30:37 GMT

Author: benpaco

Posted: 02/14/2015 01:30

Benji is beautiful vocally to me. Just the sound of his voice is wonderful. There's something to the lyrics that I mostly enjoy but occassionally suffers the same way La Dispute does, it doesn't fit because (it sounds, at least) like lyrics were written and then they went back later to go "how can I throw music with this". The album, as a result, to me, feels less special than other albums that are lyrically as good as it, just because it becomes words and music instead of truly lyrical. To me at least. It's a good album, just not great.

And honestly, it shouldn't be, but I think part of me hated this album going in because of the cover. That's home for me. That's what the hills look like out here, and there's a lot of hills out here. I see it and instantly feel that sort of [insert-name-of-current-place-of-residence-here] vibe and get a bored vibe off the album. I try to seperate it, but I can't, especially knowing that with his links to San Fran, it's possible that is a picture from my area. There's a stretch of freeway towards San Jose I drove a lot to get to my now ex which looks a lot like it, and it brings me back to that, too. Had this turned out to be like, dubstsep or punk or something, I'd be able to go "OK, I had the wrong impression". But it's calm, inoffensive, and white, much like here, and it feels too much like home for me to enjoy it.

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

SquishypuffDave — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 19:26:14 GMT

Author: SquishypuffDave

Posted: 02/14/2015 00:26

meccalecca wrote:

It's the kind of record that only really rewards with attentive listening since it's entirely dependent on Kozelek's storytelling.

I thought the lyrics were absolute shite. It sounds like someone making fun of Mark Kozelek.

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

mickilennial — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 18:46:44 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 02/13/2015 23:46

Micheline is one of the best songs produced this year, if you ask me. Benji is worth listening for that song alone.

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Skinny — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 18:09:40 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 02/13/2015 23:09

Perils from the Sea > April > some other stuff

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Patman360 — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 18:05:23 GMT

Author: Patman360

Posted: 02/13/2015 23:05

Among The Leaves > Everything else

I've never gotten into Red House Painters as much as Sun Kil Moon...

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Skinny — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 18:01:19 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 02/13/2015 23:01

Perils from the Sea > April > some other stuff

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 17:16:49 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/13/2015 22:16

Kool Keith Sweat wrote:

Down Colorful Hill > Red House Painters 1 > Red House Painters 2 > Ocean Beach > April > Benji > Perils from the Sea > Ghosts of the Great Highway > Mark Kozelek + Desertshore > Songs for A Blue Guitar > Old Ramon > Among the Leaves > Rock n Roll Singer > Tiny Cities

Still, Benji is secure in my top 5 for 2014

Red House Painters 1 > Down Colorful Hill > Ocean Beach > Ghosts of the Great Highway > Benji > Songs For A Blue Guitar > Perils From The Sea > Among The Leaves > April > Red House Painters 2 > Shock Me > Mark Kozelek + Desertshore > Old Ramon > Rock N Roll singer > Admiral Fell Promises > Tiny Cities

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 16:56:48 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/13/2015 21:56

meccalecca wrote:

You're missing Admiral Fell Promises.

Haven't listened to it yet ❗

I will eventually.

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 15:35:02 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/13/2015 20:35

Benji was a good album. 😄 I liked it more than some of the past albums the man behind it was playing on

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

meccalecca — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 15:22:46 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 02/13/2015 20:22

sp4cetiger wrote:

Has anyone said this is the reason they don't like it? 🤔

All I've heard so far is that they think Kozelek sounds phony or that the album was overhyped. It would be cool to hear from some of the other negative voters...

I saw a lot of comments about it being boring which I equate to its simplicity

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 15:15:17 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/13/2015 20:15

meccalecca wrote:

It's not at all shocking that there's people that don't like it. There's no bells & whistles. It's not attention grabbing sonically, or innovative.

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 15:10:56 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/13/2015 20:10

I love this album!!! Probably my personal favourite of the year just edging out Black Metal, Grouper's Ruins & believe it or not, Foxygen's latest.

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

meccalecca — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 14:39:58 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 02/13/2015 19:39

Kool Keith Sweat wrote:

You're missing Admiral Fell Promises.

Yeah. Benji may not quite live up to early Red House Painters, and yet it's still as good as anything released last year.

It's not at all shocking that there's people that don't like it. There's no bells & whistles. It's not attention grabbing sonically, or innovative. It's the kind of record that only really rewards with attentive listening since it's entirely dependent on Kozelek's storytelling.

When I first heard this record and the very confessional storytelling, it immediately reminded me of the current state of social media, where millions of people report the every detail of their days to the public with no direct audience. They take pictures of their meals, and share far more than they really should because they've been given the opportunity to do so. And that's what I feel makes such a simple album so contemporary and meaningful for its time.

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 13:36:32 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/13/2015 18:36

Down Colorful Hill > Red House Painters 1 > Red House Painters 2 > Ocean Beach > April > Benji > Perils from the Sea > Ghosts of the Great Highway > Mark Kozelek + Desertshore > Songs for A Blue Guitar > Old Ramon > Among the Leaves > Rock n Roll Singer > Tiny Cities

Still, Benji is secure in my top 5 for 2014

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Hayden — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 13:27:32 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 02/13/2015 18:27

Benji is still my #1 for the year. Keeps getting better with every listen for me. Only album from 2014 that made my top 100 of all time.

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

alelsupreme — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 13:25:17 GMT

Author: alelsupreme

Posted: 02/13/2015 18:25

It's alright, but Sun Kil Moon are definitely the whitest fuckin' band I've ever heard.

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

WindowAbove — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 12:43:30 GMT

Author: WindowAbove

Posted: 02/13/2015 17:43

Kozelek's eighth best album. Horrible as an introduction to his music but not that bad of an album. It's just frustrating as a listen.

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

RockyRaccoon — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 09:54:46 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 02/13/2015 14:54

To me, Benji was a perfect example of how death and pain truly affect people. It's the anger at the world, at God, at the universe, whatever the force may be, that something that feels like shouldn't happen did. It affected me personally because I've felt that, I've sat there and said "This shouldn't have happened" over and over again when a close friend of mine died. I mean, good people who live good lives shouldn't just die out of nowhere when truly deplorable people get to live long, fruitful lives right? But that does happen. This album is someone being smacked in the face with the reality of mortality and not knowing how to deal with that. It's honest, it sounds genuine, it's someone struggling with something everyone struggles with at some point in their lives, and that's why it spoke so much to me. Because I've felt like that before, I've thought the same things, felt the same anger and frustration and helplessness at a universe that I can't control, no matter how much I may like to think I can or how much I would like to.

This album is being human. Frightening, infuriating, and beautiful at the same time.

Re: BEA's Year-End List Extra: The Most Controversial Albums

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 09:53:22 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/13/2015 14:53

Gotta love this album, it's as funky and badass as James Brown circa 1970