Best Ever Albums

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Mercury — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 16:05:07 GMT

Author: Mercury

Posted: 11/07/2015 21:05

Skinny wrote:

Ever since I was a bairn, my favourite form of escapism has been pretending that I'm a bitter, pathetic, middle-aged man with an inflated ego and sense of self-worth, a modest jetsetting lifestyle, and above average ability on the guitar, and with this album I finally have the perfect vessel in which to vicariously live out this fantasy.

🤣 🤣 🤣

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Skinny — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 15:01:04 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 11/07/2015 20:01

Satie wrote:

i question what opinions and perspectives people are really vibing with here besides some abstract notion of pain

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Anonymous — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 14:56:12 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/07/2015 19:56

i just think the tortured, renegade iconoclast role chosen by (rather than earned by) artists such as Kozelek and Tillman is tiresome, cloying, presumptive, and passe. i mean, fucking Christ, titling an album Universal Themes in 2015 like lmaoooo get your own dick out of your mouth, Mark. you're not Bukowski, and you never will be, and the fact that you still aspire to such is just embarrassing. i guess i'm glad people find some resonance with this sort of? idk, i think it's all pretty vile, so i question what opinions and perspectives people are really vibing with here besides some abstract notion of pain. like, okay, the medium is gonna be impressionism, a lyrical style that's been being used since time immemorial in this kind of music. what's the message and why should i care?

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Skinny — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 14:41:53 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 11/07/2015 19:41

Gowi wrote:

filled with incomprehensible and nonsensical ideas that feel like a big joke that nobody is laughing at ... throwaway songs that feel like they were not even revised or polished as if the album is just Kozelek abridged with no context and with the blinders on.

Gowi wrote:

Am I literally missing something?

You're not necessarily missing something, but it's a shame that you can't get the same enjoyment from the record that I do.

Without repeating my chart note on the album too much, I actually think it's purposely impressionistic, avoiding falling into predictable structures and refusing to conjure any easy, comforting conclusions about life and any potential deeper meaning based on his diaristic notes, reminding me a little of Bolaño in the way that his writing often goes off on tangents that are seemingly pointless but which actually have a huge amount to say about the central theme of the work, and (to some extent) all works - that being: life itself. When he has a drink with the woman from the film set but doesn't go back to her room afterwards, when his partner cries upon seeing the dying possum, when he observes the nervousness of the Indian on his first day of work at the gas station - these may initially seem like a series of unrelated, inconsequential (and arguably inane) moments that mean nothing, but in fact they speak to and about all aspects of human life and interaction, love and loss and everything in between. Where Benji made clear its intentions, Universal Themes just offers up little bits and pieces and expects the listener to fill in the gaps, which I feel is brave and adventurous to a certain extent. This lyrical impressionism is appropriately mirrored by the music, which is fragmented and knotty and all over the place (again, just like life itself). It may come off as tossed-off or amateurish or nonsensical to some, but there's something really comforting about it for me. Just my opinion, of course.

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Anonymous — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 14:29:51 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/07/2015 19:29

Satie wrote:

if you think Kozelek complaining about hipsters and women is adventurous, i have a bunch of experimental spoken word tracks from Henry Rollins called "YouTube Videos"

🤣 🤣 🤣

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Anonymous — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 14:24:58 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/07/2015 19:24

if you think Kozelek complaining about hipsters and women is adventurous, i have a bunch of experimental spoken word tracks from Henry Rollins called "YouTube Videos"

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

mickilennial — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 14:21:30 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 11/07/2015 19:21

How is a bunch of rambling and lack of direction "adventurous"? Not being critical, I am just legitimately confused now. From the way I see it adventurous requires vision and interesting expressionism not the sort of meme that Kozelek has turned into on this record? Am I literally missing something?

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Anonymous — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 14:08:50 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/07/2015 19:08

Gowi wrote:

I guess almost everything?

Jesus, I wish you’d asked this to me when I discussed the record when it came out because now I have to think about where my mindset was coming from. Should’ve published a RYM review, heh. The vocals are Kozelek at his lowest with outside of one or two songs has terrible sense of songwriting (lyrical and instrumentation). It’s Sun Kil Moon’s worst album filled with incomprehensible and nonsensical ideas that feel like a big joke that nobody is laughing at. “Birds of Films” is the only song worth hearing, and the rest are throwaway songs that feel like they were not even revised or polished as if the album is just Kozelek abridged with no context and with the blinders on. It also doesn’t help that this is his most inane expression in his entire career coupled with the fact his vocals are terrible on this. It just sounds bad.

Wow. Very interesting. will keep this in mind next time I throw it on. I think it sounds adventurous and free. I love the storytelling too and how the songs take interesting detours. My first couple of listens were like an aural orgasm. One of the more adventurous indie rock albums I'd heard since the glory days. lol.

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

mickilennial — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 13:47:55 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 11/07/2015 18:47

RepoMan wrote:

One of my top faves of the year easily. What don't you like about it?

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Anonymous — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 13:34:50 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/07/2015 18:34

Gowi wrote:

Universal Themes is terrible though!

One of my top faves of the year easily. What don't you like about it?

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

mickilennial — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 13:27:35 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 11/07/2015 18:27

meccalecca wrote:

Trust the impeccable taste and give in. Both are excellent records.

Universal Themes is terrible though!

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Anonymous — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 06:26:14 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/07/2015 11:26

Most 2015 charts are on the netflix-and-chill level, but this is pure IMAX-and-climax glory.

Seriously, #futurehusband

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

andyw110183 — Sat, 7 Nov 2015 05:56:26 GMT

Author: andyw110183

Posted: 11/07/2015 10:56

This is one of the main charts I head to in search of new recs. There's definitely something for everyone here and this guy has impeccable taste.

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Mercury — Fri, 6 Nov 2015 14:48:04 GMT

Author: Mercury

Posted: 11/06/2015 19:48

Yeah, this is great. Thanks, skinny.

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Anonymous — Fri, 6 Nov 2015 13:45:56 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/06/2015 18:45

I trust this man's taste

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Anonymous — Fri, 6 Nov 2015 13:13:12 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/06/2015 18:13

Norman Bates wrote:

Although I don't value some of his top '15 albums quite as highly as he does (most notably The Epic tbh), I still feel every chart (this one included) by Skinny has a direction (be it conscious or not) and draws the fascinating portrait of somebody who's trying to find / finds some meaning to being alive in 2015. Beautiful.

Well said, Norman!!!

All of it actually as despite multiple attempts since it dropped, I can't get into The Epic. I'm no jazz expert, but it just seems like those early jazz fusion albums r just leagues better. Bit what do I know. Speaking of which, Skinny for the love of God stop ignoring me (lol) & gimme some more stuff like this...

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Zawinul by Joe Zawinul

and

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Odyssey of Iska by Wayne Shorter

I know that you got some tucked away somewhere.

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Norman Bates — Fri, 6 Nov 2015 12:28:37 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 11/06/2015 17:28

Although I don't value some of his top '15 albums quite as highly as he does (most notably The Epic tbh), I still feel every chart (this one included) by Skinny has a direction (be it conscious or not) and draws the fascinating portrait of somebody who's trying to find / finds some meaning to being alive in 2015. Beautiful.

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

meccalecca — Fri, 6 Nov 2015 12:18:59 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 11/06/2015 17:18

Satie wrote:

I will never understand how someone with such otherwise impeccable taste can swallow Father John Misty and Sun Kil Moon, but I echo mecca's statement, of course.

Trust the impeccable taste and give in. Both are excellent records.

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Anonymous — Fri, 6 Nov 2015 12:14:11 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/06/2015 17:14

I will never understand how someone with such otherwise impeccable taste can swallow Father John Misty and Sun Kil Moon, but I echo mecca's statement, of course.

Re: Chart of the day (#1480): By Skinny

Anonymous — Fri, 6 Nov 2015 12:13:35 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/06/2015 17:13

meccalecca wrote:

An excellent resource for 2015 listening recs

amen, brother.

Quality & diversity. Really sth for everyone. Love seeing that Four Tet & Kacey Musgraves albums so high.

Seeing as I'm currently loving jazz fusion, I think is the final push I needed to start delving in to The Epic.