Best Ever Albums

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

Skinny — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 14:09:05 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 07/22/2016 18:09

In which our humble protagonist was truly blown away?

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Mette Henriette by Mette Henriette

Skinny wrote:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Mette Henriette - Mette Henriette (2015)

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

This is just... wow. She's a Norwegian sax player, and the first disc is just her and a pianist and a cellist, and it's like 15 short vignettes that form a much bigger whole, not a whole lot in terms of massively memorable melodies, but lots of little motifs that get part-repeated throughout, and this thrilling, sexy intimacy whereby you can hear every breath, and each one of these pieces are like little crystals. In fact, her own sax is basically a background player for most of this, allowing the other two to do most of the work, until about two thirds of the way through and then she comes through with this beautiful pure tone and yet still maintains restraint even as she pushes her way ever closer to the fore, and it's not even really jazz, it's more like chamber music, and it's kinda lonely but there's always hope and there's always light coming in through the cracks. And then the second disc kicks in and starts off in much the same vain, but slowly all these other instruments start emerging, and by the time we get to 'wildheart' this most definitely is jazz, it's angry at the world and it makes me think of Archie Shepp (except, y'know, less bluesy), but throughout most of the songs here (again, short vignettes that form a whole, often less than two minutes long) there remains that crystalline quality, and that restraint, but there's this longing quality that makes me think of 'Lonely Woman' at times, and then there's this three song section where 'but we did' and 'breathe' are these two beautiful pieces that make me realise that Nils Frahm is like the most boring fucking artist in the world and they sandwich this intense 8-minute freak-out called 'I', and then 'bare blacker rum' could've been on that fantastic Aki Takase La Planete album from last year, and then it all ends with this really intriguing piece that lets me know that the future is going to be fine, and oh my god what the fuck is this amazing album. There's like 35 tracks here, but really it's like two suites that come together to form a larger whole, and it's slight but there's also this bite to it, and I can't stop staring at that girl on the cover. *swoon*

Skinny wrote:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Mette Henriette - Mette Henriette (2015)

Been falling asleep to this the last few nights, which means I rarely make it to the second disc, so sat down and listened to the whole thing again just now. There's this quiet, ominous intensity to it that just grabs my attention throughout and keeps me hooked. Certain parts work less well than others (there's a song on the second disc that has this kinda circus-y oom-pah thing going on that doesn't really do a lot for me), but given the range of material here, and the sheer amount, this is an impressively consistent collection, especially given it's her debut album as bandleader. I love the clarity on display throughout, there's just a really clean feel to everything here, but the intimacy means that you pick up little imperfections that only add to the appeal, as though I'm listening through a magnifying glass (erm, a magnifying glass for the ears, or something). The first disc could be a movie soundtrack, the way it repeatedly incorporates a couple of melodic motifs sporadically throughout, whereas the second disc feels as though it has more of a narrative arc, with moments of action and violence occasionally cropping up out of that melancholy, ever-so-slightly menacing quiet. It's one of the best records I've heard all year (I'm talking top five), a genuinely gorgeous work that recalls Satie, Messiaen, Coltrane, Ornette, Eno, but manages to carve out its own subtly muscular identity. I feel that a lot of the stuff that gets released on ECM is pretty bland and stuffy, but this is a record to get excited about. Extremely highly recommended, obviously.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

meccalecca — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 13:25:12 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 07/22/2016 17:25

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

The Party by Andy Shauf

It took a little while to fully win me over, but it's proven to be one of the best singer-songwriter albums I've heard in quite some time.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

boyd94 — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 09:07:47 GMT

Author: boyd94

Posted: 07/22/2016 13:07

Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion has really crept up on me. It's steadily gone up in my estimations over a number of years and each song seems to blow my mind.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

Antonio-Pedro — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 10:55:48 GMT

Author: Antonio-Pedro

Posted: 07/21/2016 14:55

Hayden wrote:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

MM3 by Metá Metá

Well, as far as the last few weeks go, this is probably my favourite find. Fantastic album. Might climb into my top 3 of the year.

<3
Seconded the feeling, probably the best that came out from Brazil this decade.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 01:02:01 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 07/21/2016 05:02

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Children's Disco Musical Stories by Sharda

Imagine in your head what this might sound like based on title and cover. Now imagine that image as taking place entirely in India and also 100x better.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

RoundTheBend — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 23:44:38 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 07/21/2016 03:44

revolver94 wrote:

not sure what distinguishes it from a regular smiley, but rest assured i was only sending lots of luv

Likewise 😁

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

louisjwyatt — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 14:29:50 GMT

Author: louisjwyatt

Posted: 07/20/2016 18:29

Eureka by Jim O'Rourke

I have tried to listen to this album a dozen times in the past few years because I always admired O'Rourke's work as a producer, as well as many of the bands he's worked with. But I always switched it off before the first half was even over. Finally listened to the entire thing for the first time. Holy shit, if I had just kept it on all those times I would have discovered some of the most mind-bending melodies ever a long time ago.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

revolver94 — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 12:57:34 GMT

Author: revolver94

Posted: 07/20/2016 16:57

sethmadsen wrote:

revolver94 wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

I assume you mean a new find?

Honestly it was this album, which is funny because I didn't much care for it the first time, but in my 2010s discovery of about 250 albums, this was the only one that I instantly fell in love with for some reason.

Goes to show that people change... and that listening to an album 3 times in one week won't always help you appreciate it more:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Born To Die by Lana Del Rey

😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

What does this emoticon even mean?

not sure what distinguishes it from a regular smiley, but rest assured i was only sending lots of luv

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

bcmandude — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 00:30:02 GMT

Author: bcmandude

Posted: 07/20/2016 04:30

When I Was A Boy by Jane Siberry. Such a moving album, "Sail Across The Water", "Sweet Incarnadine", "Temple" and "Calling All Angels" especially.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

RoundTheBend — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 00:25:45 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 07/20/2016 04:25

revolver94 wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Born To Die by Lana Del Rey

😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

What does this emoticon even mean?

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

baystateoftheart — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 23:43:57 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 07/20/2016 03:43

Space-Dementia wrote:

baystateoftheart wrote:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Five Leaves Left by Nick Drake

First listen earlier today. Don't know if 'blew my mind' is the best phrase, because it's subdued enough not really to be that sort of record. Anyway, I was that impressed though.

I just listened to this album for the first time yesterday actually, and I was also impressed. Although I appreciated Pink Moon and understood why people liked it, I myself wasn't really much of a fan, so I wasn't expecting to like Five Leaves Left. And although it's not one of my favorite things ever or anything, I like it a lot more than Pink Moon, probably because of the orchestral things. For example, River Man is now one of my favorite songs at the moment because of the beautiful grand orchestral chords.

Literally my exact experience - listening to Pink Moon first, appreciating it but not connecting with it, and then loving the orchestral elements in FLL.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

Space-Dementia — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 22:04:27 GMT

Author: Space-Dementia

Posted: 07/20/2016 02:04

baystateoftheart wrote:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

alelsupreme — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 15:28:27 GMT

Author: alelsupreme

Posted: 07/19/2016 19:28

i dont even remember.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

Hayden — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 10:46:03 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 07/19/2016 14:46

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

MM3 by Metá Metá

Well, as far as the last few weeks go, this is probably my favourite find. Fantastic album. Might climb into my top 3 of the year.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

revolver94 — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 10:41:38 GMT

Author: revolver94

Posted: 07/19/2016 14:41

sethmadsen wrote:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Born To Die by Lana Del Rey

😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

for me it would be

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Puberty 2 by Mitski

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

stangetzaway — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 08:59:30 GMT

Author: stangetzaway

Posted: 07/19/2016 12:59

Soundtrack to 'Scanners'.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

jackbrown8786 — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 04:38:35 GMT

Author: jackbrown8786

Posted: 07/19/2016 08:38

I can't really think of any albums that I would consider mind blowing except for The Velvet Underground & Nico for the many ways it follows up beautiful or slow tracks like Sunday Morning with dark or crazy s*&^ like Heroin or Venus in Furs. their 3rd one too, The Velvet Underground is another album for the way it follows up all of those acoustic tracks with The Murder Mystery, I remember being blown away by that for sure. Kid A was pretty mind blowing as a follow up to OK Computer. there are quite a few records to have their own unique sound/atmosphere that just puts them in their own league, incomparable to everything else.

if I grew up in the 60's though, when all there was to hear was jazz, motown, blues, and that very predictable if fun 50's rock... when suddenly Revolver hits and it's psychedelic, rebellious, experimental, hedonistic, AND extremely great music... that's prob the most mind-blowing record ever. we all just get to take it for granted these days. who can really guess where music would be right now if not for the Beatles...

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

baystateoftheart — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 20:40:52 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 07/17/2016 00:40

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

Anti — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 15:58:30 GMT

Author: Anti

Posted: 07/16/2016 19:58

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Triangle by Schammasch

Because I listened to it today and it is indeed "mind blowing."

Re: What Was the Last Album to Blow Your Mind?

Michaell13 — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 14:29:33 GMT

Author: Michaell13

Posted: 07/16/2016 18:29

carter 3 - lil wayne