Best Ever Albums

Re: ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Sun, 28 Sep 2014 22:35:19 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/29/2014 02:35

September 26-28

Hi all. I know I haven't posted lately... the last few days have been busier than normal, meaning both less listening and less time to write about it. The pattern stayed the same, though... I still focused on 2014 recordings. In fact, my Top 100 list is almost filled out now! Once that gets maxed out, I'm going to start trying to listen to lots of records from last year, but still pop in the occasional unheard 2014 album. It feels really great to have finally put in some time listening to current music. I know I have a chart, but I'll use this space to share some of my favorite 2014 discoveries - specifically, artists that were new to me:

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Nikki Nack by tUnE-YaRdS

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Alas Rattoisaa Virtaa by Kemialliset Ystävät

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The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint by Ambrose Akinmusire

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Mouth Sounds by Neil Cicierega

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All You Can Do by Watsky

Also, I know most of you know about RateYourMusic but I want to throw in a word for it. It has a lot more albums listed for BEA and a useful genre search feature. I used it, for example, to discover a list of chiptune albums released in 2014. It can be a great way to supplement music discovery (both older and newer stuff).

Over the last few days my listening has included:

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All Things Must Pass by George Harrison

Living In The Material World by George Harrison

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Dark Horse by George Harrison

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Extra Texture by George Harrison

Thanks to the new Apple Years box set. All I can say is that his solo career is filled with interesting moments and great songs (and not just the famous ones). Any Beatles fan who has neglected it is missing out.

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Gratitude by Earth, Wind And Fire

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Head To The Sky by Earth, Wind And Fire

One of my favorite bands (in close competition with Steely Dan), Earth Wind & Fire really should get more love on websites like this - unfortunately, classic soul, funk, disco, and r&b records tend to be underappreciated by the - I'll say it - largely white audience for classic album aggregation websites.

Finally, an album suggestion to close with:

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Speak No Evil by Wayne Shorter

Hardly obscure, in fact a very well-known album of its era, but I still think it's an album that demands to be heard. Herbie Hancock's solo on "Dance Cadaverous" is my favorite jazz piano solo of all time (it starts a bit after 1:40).

Link

Since we're on the subject of keyboard solos, I'll also share my favorite synth solo of all time (Billy Currie), from this live Gary Numan rendition of "On Broadway" (stars at 1:57).

Link

Anyway, I know this project fizzled a bit towards the end, but I enjoyed filling you all in on my listening for the week. I definitely suggest checking out the earlier ULLs if you haven't done so yet, many of them are filled with interesting music and insights.

Best,
Cameron

Re: ULL: CameronMB

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 17:22:51 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 09/27/2014 21:22

The Orb have many good albums. 😄 The one our wonderful Prime Minster mentions is perhaps the best. Has something very charming which I could imagine driving a car around to.

Late at night may be a good idea, yes indeed 😄

Re: ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 17:16:40 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/27/2014 21:16

Gowienczyk wrote:

Will be looking into this one.

Hope you enjoy it. I recommend using headphones and listening late at night for maximum effect.

Re: ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 12:17:42 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/27/2014 16:17

September 25

2014 Albums

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Teledrome by Teledrome

You know that song from Portlandia, "The Dream of the 90s is Alive in Portland!" Well, the dream of the 80s is alive on the BEA Top 100 for 2014. This being my first year really diving into new releases, I am very surprised by the dominance of (what sounds to me like) retro, 80s-influenced synth pop, from lighter fare like Ronika and La Roux through slightly darker material like this album (not that this is a "dark" album but it's less insistently upbeat than some of the other neo-80s albums I've heard from 2014). Am I right in perceiving this as a trend or has it just been a coincidence that I've run into so many albums like that this year?

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EX by Plastikman

I'm very sympathetic to electronic music, but this felt pretty hollow to me; a couple thrilling moments mixed with long stretches of almost dead space.

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Mo Kolours by Mo Kolours

I tend to listen to complete albums in search of great individual tracks. That is to say, I'd rather have an album with a couple tracks I love than one that works as a concept but doesn't have any stone-cold classic tracks. But occasionally an album breaks that chain for me; I don't know if I loved any of the songs on this album, but it works great as an entirety and definitely demands multiple listenings. It's a sort of kaleidoscopic mix of hip hop beats, r&b, sound collage, experimental dance... sort of like a cool musical stained glass window, sometimes moving dizzyingly quickly. Fascinating.

Other Music

I've been enjoying diving into the George Harrison "Apple Years" boxed set, listening to his early albums in chronological order. I started off with

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Wonderwall Music by George Harrison

The best one-word description I can come up with is "surprising" - there are some truly out-there, experimental moments. "Dream Scene," for example, sounds to my ears as avant-garde and experimental as music I've heard by groups like Can or Gong. Give it a listen:

Link

The incorporation of Indian musical elements is not surprising, but the way he fuses them, along with other musical material, certainly was unexpected to me. Not all of the album is as weird, or as good - it's wildly inconsistent and I can imagine it frustrating a lot of Beatle fans. But it's absolutely worth hearing.

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Electronic Sound by George Harrison

A fascinating bit of history if not a totally compelling listen from beginning to end. Reviews for it are all over the place; MusicHound gives it 1 out of 5 stars, Rolling Stone Album Guide gives it 2.5 out of 5, and AllMusic gives it 4 out of 5, saying of one of the two tracks, No Time or Space, that it is "Dramatically structured, unearthly in its pitchless writhing, flamboyantly manipulating pink and white noise from the opening electronic gun battle onward... an entertaining listening experience." I think I'd fall in the middle in terms of my reaction; I admired it and found it occasionally fascinating, but far from the most interesting electronic music from that era that I've heard.

My classical listening of the day was a disc of piano concerti by the 20th-century (but retro) British composer Malcolm Arnold.

Finally, I'll take this opportunity to plug another album:

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Called To Rise by Oblivion

I have to be upfront: a friend of mine is the lead singer, and I don't normally go for metal. But this is extremely well-played, virtuosic technical death metal and even a casual like me found plenty to enjoy.

Link

Re: ULL: CameronMB

mickilennial — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 13:33:42 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 09/26/2014 17:33

CameronMB wrote:

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This Is All Yours by ∆ (alt-j)

Interesting, and my first exposure to this artist. I'm listening to a lot of groups this year for the first time who had some popularity from earlier albums - it's kind of fascinating going into these things without preconceptions, when I know a lot of people had expectations one way or the other for an album. I will definitely check out their debut disc.

I didn’t like this as much as the debut but I don’t understand why it’s getting its collective ass kicked by critics and bloggers. I liked it well enough but on RYM it’s gotten down to almost to the negative reception numbers (it’s a 3.09 last I checked which is a resounding “meh” and it continues to drop). I felt the textures and emotional/musical depth were plenty fine.

CameronMB wrote:

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The Road Of Bones by IQ

It warms my heart to know that honest-to-goodness, semi-grandiose prog rock is still being made in this day and age, complete with synth sounds out of the 70s, obligatory odd time signatures, and a style that clearly owes a lot to Genesis. I'm not being sarcastic, I think it's great that there's still music like this being made. Still, hearing it makes me want to go back to the source, the great prog rock of the 1970s.

Symphonic Prog didn’t die with Asia’s “Heat of the Moment” which is something a lot of people didn’t get the memo on. Marillion, IQ, and countless others have been putting out great progressive rock in the vein of their ‘heroes’ for the last two-to-three decades. But yeah, I liked this one a lot. IQ’s best since Dark Matter.

CameronMB wrote:

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Orblivion by The Orb

This is a funky, fun, groovy, catchy, yet totally spaced-out, ambient, and psychedelic masterpiece. It's not one of their few most popular albums, but it was the first album in this style that I ever fell in love with.

Will be looking into this one.

Re: ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 20:49:28 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/26/2014 00:49

Just a quick note, I did listening today but won't have time to update until later (probably tomorrow). If anyone cares... 😜

Re: ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 21:48:13 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/25/2014 01:48

September 24

2014 Albums

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Mehliana: Taming the Dragon by Mehliana

There's actually a lot of resonance between this and the new Mogwai album. I think this is a similar concept, executed slightly better.

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Chambers by Lorelle Meets The Obsolete

All the reverb in the world can't make boring music interesting.

Other Music

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Paris by Supertramp

I tend to prefer studio recordings to live ones, but I do find that live albums are a great way to find out of a band's musicianship is really as good as it sounds on record. This album proves that Supertramp were a great, tight, talented band, and it serves as a great mid-career retrospective of some of their best music, from "Dreamer" and "Bloody Well Right" through the (then) more recent hits of their best album, Breakfast in America.

My classical listening of the day:

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Glassworks by Philip Glass

A classic, not my all-time favorite Glass but very strong chamber music. Glass writes some of the best and some of the worst contemporary classical music, and this is definitely on the good side.

Finally, my recommendation of the day:

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Re: ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 13:59:27 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/24/2014 17:59

Thanks Gowienczyk, I appreciate your serious replies. I've only heard Doolittle twice and Indie Cindy once, so clearly I have a lot more Pixies listening to do. And I haven't listened to many Supremes/Temptations LPs cover to cover, I'm moving that up in priority because I do love 60s soul of all kinds and agree in general that it's underrepresented on most album lists.

Re: ULL: CameronMB

mickilennial — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 13:48:55 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 09/24/2014 17:48

CameronMB wrote:

I do like the Four Tops though, don't get me wrong.

And I love the Temptations and the Supremes. To be honest, I probably can't argue with you when it comes to the post-1960s music. Talking about the Four Tops, I really was mostly talking about the 60s golden age.

I agree some of the music of the Temptations was more cleanly produced, but I think the raw production on the Four Tops' tracks is one of their strengths (and I usually prefer more sophisticated production). I'll take Stubbs' voice over Ruffin's any day. But I also thought I'd try to be a bit more precise about it.

I ranked the 1397 songs Motown released as singles between 1959 and 1970. Excluding duplicate songs (e.g. stereo and mono versions of the same songs), looking at my top 25 singles from that group, here's how the artists break down:

Diana Ross & The Supremes - 8
Four Tops - 6
Temptations - 3
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - 3
Martha & The Vandellas - 2
Stevie Wonder - 2
Jackson 5 - 1

So I'd be much more open to an argument for the Supremes over the Four Tops in terms of quality singles. Thanks for making me reconsider this. I'll still take the Tops over the Temptations, though, at least in the 1960s.

I just think the Four Tops were more comfortable as a singles act. I can listen to entire LPs by The Supremes and The Temptations all day. I mean when it comes down to it the sixties were home to the best of soul songwriting before soul got ambitious and experimental (new jack swing, funk, disco, psychedelic soul, alternative r&b, neo-soul, etc) so I wouldn't be mad at anybody giving soul more attention since it really does deserve it. Not enough 60s charts represent soul music and its always bothered me.

CameronMB wrote:

As for Pixies, I'd love to love them, I've just yet to run into any music by them that moved me in any way. I'm open to thoughts about why they are worth the time.

For me speaking about Doolittle is really difficult because I’ve never listened to a record that has resonated like it has on my very first listen and refused to wear down. So what is it about the record that continues to hold me after a few years of listening to it and its companions in the Pixies’ discography? It really is a question that I’m not sure I really can answer, but then again I am certainly not the only one drawn to the frantic guitar-driven rock that plays around with a sound of desperation and emotion that blows their contemporaries out of the water. The Pixies have long since cemented themselves as my second favorite band after six or seven years of excessive listening and the weird part is as I mentioned is that there is absolute zero point zero percent of exhaustion as I could sit in the middle of nowhere for an entire year with just this record as a partner. Revered as alternative rock’s staple pioneers and prophets, there is something so profoundly special about what they do on this record. I don’t know if it’s the frantic vocal melodies, the noisy guitars, the pop hooks, or what it is really.

The first time I heard Wave of Mutilation was like a tidal wave of raw unadulterated pop-noise that for some reason took me with it completely unaware. Why this was strange as I felt at the time as pretty knowledgeable on music so something clicked that I wasn’t expecting at all as if it was fate, a fate that was adoration for dissonance in a rock soundscape, was this my calling as a listener?

Favorite Track – “Wave of Mutilation”

I wrote this awhile back, I probably (maybe) would be able to talk about it in more length.

Re: ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 13:43:51 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/24/2014 17:43

Quote:

I do like the Four Tops though, don't get me wrong.

And I love the Temptations and the Supremes. To be honest, I probably can't argue with you when it comes to the post-1960s music. Talking about the Four Tops, I really was mostly talking about the 60s golden age.

I agree some of the music of the Temptations was more cleanly produced, but I think the raw production on the Four Tops' tracks is one of their strengths (and I usually prefer more sophisticated production). I'll take Stubbs' voice over Ruffin's any day. But I also thought I'd try to be a bit more precise about it.

I ranked the 1397 songs Motown released as singles between 1959 and 1970. Excluding duplicate songs (e.g. stereo and mono versions of the same songs), looking at my top 25 singles from that group, here's how the artists break down:

Diana Ross & The Supremes - 8
Four Tops - 6
Temptations - 3
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - 3
Martha & The Vandellas - 2
Stevie Wonder - 2
Jackson 5 - 1

So I'd be much more open to an argument for the Supremes over the Four Tops in terms of quality in the 1960s. Thanks for making me reconsider this. I'll still take the Tops over the Temptations, though, at least in the 1960s.

As for Pixies, I'd love to love them, I've just yet to run into any music by them that moved me in any way. I'm open to thoughts about why they are worth the time.

Re: ULL: CameronMB

mickilennial — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:28:52 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 09/24/2014 13:28

Quote:

To be honest, I found both albums pretty forgettable.

lolno.

Well Indie Cindy is pretty much Trompe le Monde's less focused kind of sloppy collection of songs anyway. I mean it's okay for what it is, but I could be okay with someone calling Indie Cindy forgettable. But Doolittle is TIMELESS man.

Quote:

For my money, the Four Tops are the best group ever to emerge under the Motown label,

I'll take that money and smack you with it, because while the Temptations and the Supremes both reinvented themselves (and made quality energetic records) this band became pretty stale after Still Waters Run Deep (ironically the one you are listening to). A focus on uneven collabs and the occasional decent record really can't compare to the energy and care put into the Supremes/Temptations 70s material. By the time Night Lights Harmony came out they had lost it.

Also, I'd wager for my money that both the Temptations and Supremes 60s output were far more well-arranged and crafted than The Four Tops as well.

I do like the Four Tops though, don't get me wrong.

Re: ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 20:09:34 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/24/2014 00:09

September 23

2014 Albums

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Jungle by Jungle

An interesting synthfunk/alternative R&B album that I think I'm going to have to listen to again before I can really appreciate it.

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Indie Cindy by Pixies

Unlike many here, I have no nostalgia or "skin in the game" when it comes to the Pixies. This was just the second Pixies album I've heard, after Doolittle. To be honest, I found both albums pretty forgettable. I know, I know, I suck.

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Syro by Aphex Twin

I've been a pretty hardcore Aphex Twin fan for my entire adult life; I discovered him around the age of 13 or so and haven't looked back. I've tried to get almost every note he's recorded under every moniker (from Bradley Strider to The Tuss to Gak to Polygon Window to AFX to Mike & Rich to... well, you get the idea). I tried really hard not to get too excited about Syro but it was inevitable that I'd be really stoked.

Frankly, I think anybody calling this one of Aphex Twin's best albums needs to go back and listen to Richard D. James Album to hear what a truly vibrant, engaging, creative, and original album of electronic music sounds like. Syro is very good - it would be inconceivable for an Aphex Twin album to be bad - but it just doesn't have the soul, the timbral variety, the humor, the true weirdness of a classic Aphex Twin album. Still probably going to be in my top 20 of the year, though.

Other Music

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Still Waters Run Deep by Four Tops

For my money, the Four Tops are the best group ever to emerge under the Motown label, narrowly beating out the Supremes and the Temptations. Levi Stubbs' voice is legendary, and they seemed to have a knack for getting some of the most memorable tunes of the classic Motown era, from "I Can't Help Myself" to "Bernadette" to "Standing in the Shadows of Love" to "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" - honestly, it really didn't get any better.

This was my first time hearing Still Waters Run Deep - an interesting album from 1970 which has some pretty progressive touches such as connected songs, environmental sound effects, and recurring lyrical themes, though it was released about 1 year and 2 months before the much more famous What's Going On. While Gaye's album is probably 'better' I actually enjoyed this one just as much. One highlight is a fantastic cover of the Supremes classic "Reflections". All in all a strong album from a great group.

Link

My classical listening today:

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Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 / Spohr: Violin Concerto No. 8 by Hilary Hahn

I've actually specialized in studying the extremely important but largely forgotten composer Spohr during my time in musicology. Hahn's disc is the best-selling Spohr disc of all time (not surprising considering her star power). The Paganini concerto is very good, as well, at least if you're fond of early romantic violin showpieces, but the Spohr is the one of real historical interest.

Finally, I'm using each day to promote a 'little-known' album that I think deserves some love. Today I'm going to plug a real obscurity, Post Global Music - in actuality a set of four remixes of Aerial M's Wedding Song, albeit nearly 40 minutes in total length.

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I don't want to say too much about this album except to strongly encourage you to listen to the track below.

Link

Re: ULL: CameronMB

RockyRaccoon — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 10:32:39 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 09/23/2014 14:32

Mercury wrote:

Mogwai Young Team by Mogwai

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Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will by Mogwai

This is the correct answer.

Re: ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 10:21:41 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/23/2014 14:21

Thanks, Mercury. I'll check those out.

When I say I like hooks, basically all I mean is that given a choice between a band's "deepest" album and their "most accessible" I prefer to start on the most accessible end and work my way in.

Re: ULL: CameronMB

Mercury — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 09:39:57 GMT

Author: Mercury

Posted: 09/23/2014 13:39

This is cool so far. 😄

And as for Mogwai, if you love hooks that's cool, but I don't think Mogwai is the hookiest band out there. These are good next Mogwai albums IMO....

Mogwai Young Team by Mogwai

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Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will by Mogwai

Re: ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 17:35:56 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/22/2014 21:35

September 22

Alright, so I'm working on a few different listening "projects". This was the year that I finally decided to try to stay caught up with new releases. I listen to so much music that often I never hear important albums from the current year. So after some concentrated listening I've heard about 120-130 albums from 2014 and so far I have to say that I'm enjoying actually knowing about the music other people are talking about.

Right now I'm going through the top BEA albums for 2014 and just listening to them in (approximate) order, at least those I can find on Spotify. Today I checked out three albums; none of them are likely to make my final Top 100 of the year, but that's ok, I've discovered some really cool music this year (I'll talk about that in a future post).

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Going To Hell by The Pretty Reckless

As a fan of the ass, I happily condone this album cover. Unfortunately, the music itself didn't do much for me. Not bad, but hard rock like this isn't really one of my favorite genres.

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Rave Tapes by Mogwai

Believe it or not, this was actually the first Mogwai album I've ever heard. There were definitely flashes of interesting music, but from an overall perspective this was an entire album of mostly mid tempo, 4/4 rock instrumentals (with just a little variation) and I couldn't really aurally grab onto anything that I loved. That said, and knowing my fondness for hooks, what would be a good next Mogwai album for me to check out?

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Earthbeat by Be Forest

This was my favorite of the three albums I listened to today. It was a nice surprise - for some reason I was expecting it to be metal of some sort (maybe it's the cover), but instead we had a moody female-led sort of post rocky dream poppy thing going on.

I'm REALLY looking forward to listening to Syro tomorrow. I am a lifelong fan of Aphex Twin (around the age of 15-16 I was obsessed with the mid-90s trilogy of I Care Because You Do, Richard D. James Album, and Come to Daddy.)

Every day I also try to check out an album by a group I'm already familiar with. One of my favorite albums is They Might Be Giants' Flood so today I listened to Lincoln for the first time.

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Lincoln by They Might Be Giants

After two listens I found it quite the enjoyable album although it obviously hasn't grown on me the same way Flood did. What I really appreciated here is how TMBG are the masters of sublimating dark, serious, or touchy lyrics underneath bubbly, catchy, whistlable melodies. My favorite example on Lincoln is the last track here, "Kiss Me, Son of God":

I built a little empire out of some crazy garbage
Called the blood of the exploited working class
But they've overcome their shyness
Now they're calling me Your Highness
And a world screams, "Kiss me, Son of God"

I destroyed a bond of friendship and respect
Between the only people left who'd even look me in the eye
Now I laugh and make a fortune
Off the same ones that I tortured
And a world screams, "Kiss me, Son of God"

I look like Jesus, so they say
But Mr. Jesus is very far away
Now you're the only one here who can tell me if it's true
That you love me and I love me

I built a little empire out of some crazy garbage
Called the blood of the exploited working class
But they've overcome their shyness
Now they're calling me Your Highness
And a world screams, "Kiss me, Son of God"
Yes a world screams, "Kiss me, Son of God"

Link

I also appreciate TMBG's ability to make their point musically and not drag things out. Lincoln has 18 tracks but is less than 40 minutes long. Likewise, Flood crams in 19 tracks (at least 14 of which are very good) into 43 minutes.

Finally, I also try to listen to classical music of some sort every day (and by 'classical' I refer broadly to anything from the Western concert music tradition from before Bach through contemporary composition). Today I checked out an album of chamber music by Chen Yi, a Chinese-born composer whose works combine Western classical music with elements of her cultural experiences in her home country. This falls towards the conservative side of contemporary classical music (not necessarily a bad thing) but I don't think it's the best introduction to her work.

Since I would love to share some of my favorite music with you, I'd also like to recommend an album for anyone who loves 80s soul/r&b/funk.

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Jeffrey Osborne by Jeffrey Osborne

Jeffrey Osborne is one of the all-time great soul singers. His debut album, by far his best, is filled with a mixture of soul, funk, and r&b all filtered through his very strong voice. The songwriting is great, but the album really isn't widely recognized (I added it to BEA because nobody has it on any chart), possibly because it does have its dated, slightly cheesy moments (especially lyrics-wise). Still, it's produced wonderfully, and I can't recommend it strongly enough. Here's a taste; play it loud and dance:

Link

Re: ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 15:07:36 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/22/2014 19:07

pa wrote:

hey Cameron, I'm enjoying your ull!
and Billy Cobham is an amazing drummer!
I love this one:

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Spectrum by Billy Cobham

That one's really good. I also enjoyed Crosswinds.

Re: ULL: CameronMB

pa — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 10:15:16 GMT

Author: pa

Posted: 09/22/2014 14:15

hey Cameron, I'm enjoying your ull!
and Billy Cobham is an amazing drummer!
I love this one:

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Spectrum by Billy Cobham

ULL: CameronMB

CameronMB — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 09:24:58 GMT

Author: CameronMB

Posted: 09/22/2014 13:24

ULL: CameronMB

Hi everyone. I'm happy to try my hand at a listening list for the following week. Before I start the list proper, I thought I'd start by introducing myself a little bit so you have an idea where I'm coming from.

As you might have guessed, my name is in fact Cameron. I'm 31, and I've been a member here for about 3 months but I lurked for quite a while before joining. What initially attracted me to BEA was just the opportunity to find suggestions of important albums that I hadn't heard, and certainly it's been really valuable in that regard. Now I'm slowly starting to discover other cool things about the site - specifically, the community. I've been reading everyone's ULL for example. I tend to be more of a watcher than a participator.

But anyway, just a few quick facts. I'm currently studying musicology as a grad student. I play piano and percussion, but long-term my goal is probably to work in the music department at a university. Growing up, my dad was a professional jazz drummer - he played with people like Robben Ford, Jimmy Witherspoon, Mose Allison, and so forth; the most famous person he ever did a gig with was Chuck Berry. When my mom was younger, my she was a flutist. For this reason I grew up hearing a ton of jazz/blues and classical music.

I guess I'll start by listing a few of the albums that were most special to me as a kid - some of these are really well-known and well-loved, and others are pretty obscure.

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So by Peter Gabriel

My dad picked up this album because he had to play one of the songs on it for a wedding gig. 4-year-old me loved it. I also loved the music videos for "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time" - the latter was the first song I ever truly adored. When I finally got my own personal CD player about ten years later, this was the first album I bought, and I think the first thing I did was listen to "Big Time" on repeat about 20 times in a row.

Seriously, how could any kid born in the '80s not find this awesome?

Link

When I was about 6 or 7 I went to an Amnesty International concert which had a bunch of big names - but I only cared about Peter Gabriel. When his set was done and Bruce Springsteen came on, I said "OK, we can go home now."

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Canciones De Mi Padre by Linda Ronstadt

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What's New by Linda Ronstadt

I heard these album a lot as a kid. For those who don't really know Linda Ronstadt, she's probably the most versatile mainstream singer. I mean ever. Mariachi music, salsa, vocal jazz, Philip Glass, country, pop, rock... and she sounds great doing it all. But don't take my word for it, take Billy Crystal's.

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Power Play by Billy Cobham

My love for this album convinces me with a certainty that nostalgia is the single greatest factor in what music we love. If I had heard it for the first time today I know I would consider it mediocre, cheesy '80s synth-jazz. but because I got the album as a kid and listened to it over and over I'm now honestly convinced that these are some of the best, catchiest jazz instrumentals ever written. But that's also why I tend to be skeptical of albums adored by certain people; if I get my hopes up too high for anything, I'm usually disappointed. It takes time to form a bond with music, and for this reason almost any music can be worthwhile and valuable if it appears in one's life at the right time.

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Friends by Chick Corea

Another favorite album as a kid, although I think the cover helped. I used to love the Smurfs (really no idea why anymore).

Aja by Steely Dan

I was a bit of a weird kid. As a preteen I adored Steely Dan (I still think they're probably the second-greatest band ever to exist, after the Beatles).

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Yellow Submarine by The Beatles

Speaking of the Beatles, Yellow Submarine (the movie, and therefore the music as well) was definitely a staple of my childhood. Some other movies I grew up with: Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Pete's Dragon, the Star Wars movies, and, weirdly enough, An American Werewolf in London (great flick).

I used to cry to the Eleanor Rigby scene as a kid. I guess I was a sensitive boy.

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Everything's Changing In The Global Village by Worlds Collide

A local band where I grew up. I know both the cover and the title sound cheesy, but this is some of the best purely instrumental "world beat" that has ever been recorded, and this combined with my interest in Peter Gabriel basically convinced me from a young age that the whole world had interesting music to offer. Along with a love for classical music, this basically means that I'm open to listen to just about anything from any era... or at least I'd like to think so.

And finally, the guy every kid loves growing up:

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Off The Deep End by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Anyway that's the intro.

2014 Favorites

This year (spurred on by the BEA best-of-year lists after finally becoming a Level 8 member) I've decided to really plunge in and listen to a lot of new releases, something I've never actually consciously done before. I've put together a very short 10-song playlist on Spotify of some of my favorite songs of this year. As you can see, I like pop, I like hooks, I like production. I'll take a catchy, well-produced single over lo-fi grunge almost every time. There are lots of reasons for my tastes and I thought about going into them here but I don't think people really need to hear all that.