Wow, it's been too long since I updated this. Here's what I've heard in the meantime. I'm probably going to stop including date listened and site ranks in these entries for the sake of convenience, but I'll still do the rest.
Released: 1988
RYM Primary Genres: Noise Rock, Alternative Rock
First Listen
The first Sonic Youth album I've heard. I liked it, although I didn't love it. A few phenomenal songs. Kim's vocals are way better than Thurston's, and it would be nice if they were more frequent.
Released: 1993
RYM Primary Genres: East Coast Hip Hop, Jazz Rap, Boom Bap
Re-Listen
High on my overall chart, and as usual a fantastic listen. [2] Played this for someone who doesn't usually listen to hip-hop and wanted to try an album, and I think she liked it.
Released: 1967
RYM Primary Genres: Pop Rock, Baroque Pop
Re-Listen
There's a bunch of filler here, particularly in the middle, but when this album gets good it gets really good. Not as captivating as the first time, but it goes without saying that "Waterloo Sunset" is a gem.
Released: 1996
RYM Primary Genres: Indie Pop, Pop Rock
Re-Listen
This has held up very well to repeat listens and is by far my favorite album of theirs. Something of a concept album about a decaying, unhealthy relationship, but musically portrayed in the most cloying way. I like that sort of dissonance between sound and lyrical themes.
Released: 1985
RYM Primary Genres: Twee Pop, Lo-Fi Indie
First Listen
The second album this girl introduced me to. Fun to know someone new with similar tastes to swap recs with irl. Anyway it's a bit of a mixed bag. When it's good, it's beautiful and poignant. When it's bad, it's grating and overly sloppy. Worth a try though.
Released: 2013
RYM Primary Genres: Psychedelic Pop
First Listen
Very good grooves and some good hooks as well. Not quite as strong as Multi-Love, but still fun. Surprised they don't get more recognition. _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
Released: 2007
RYM Primary Genres: East Coast Hip Hop
Re-Listen
Jay's flow on this album is very laid back... too laid back. However, the beats are so soulful and do such a good job melding with the vocals to create the title's ambience, so that it is an enjoyable even if not particularly lyrical listen. Probably his fourth best solo album, and the best after his three obvious classics.
Released: 1985
RYM Primary Genres: Art Pop, Progressive Pop
First Listen
"Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" is an amazing opener, and the rest of the album unfortunately never comes close. There are a number of other good pop songs, but where the 'progressive' elements intrude, they can be irksome or corny.
Released: 1979
RYM Primary Genres: Punk Rock, New Wave
Re-Listen
The only prior time I listened to this, a long time ago, I don't think I gave it a fair shake. This is largely phenomenal and deserves most of its acclaim! An epic with almost no filler.
Released: 1984
RYM Primary Genres: Jangle Pop, Indie Pop
Re-Listen
This gets better with every listen! It's really clicking and it might be on the way to displacing The Queen Is Dead as my favorite. The lyrics and delivery are incredible, and there are so many catchy sing-along moments too!
Released: 2014
RYM Primary Genres: Southern Hip Hop, Trap Rap, Pop Rap
Re-Listen
Bangers on bangers. This gets off to a tremendous start, but really gets long in the tooth after "Milk Marie." A mediocre overall effort that's frustratingly close to excellent. But because it's a mixtape I can't be too mad about filler/sequencing issues.
Released: 1998
RYM Primary Genres: Trip Hop, Downtempo
First Listen
Only the second trip hop album I've heard, after Dummy (on my overall). More sonic variety than Dummy, and more rock influences. Sensational, superior highlights as well. But I rather prefer the atmospheres of the former, and that tips the balance. _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
How do you choose... totally random/stuff that peaks interest, or...?
Thanks. Most of the first listens (those not from friends) are from me working through multiple very long to-listen spreadsheets, sometimes out of order. The re-listens don't have much rhyme or reason - whatever piques my interest.
Now that you're pleased with how the double album rule applied to your 90s chart, are you going to go back and apply it to the others? Also curious to see how your hip-hop chart is coming along ๐ _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
Released: 1961
RYM Primary Genres: Modal Jazz, Post-Bop
First Listen
This started out well and I liked the reinterpretation of the title track. However, the album as a whole felt aimlessly ambling and I didn't connect. But maybe I'll like it more the second time. In any case, my least favorite that I've heard by Coltrane so far.
Released: 2015
RYM Primary Genres: Show Tunes, Hip Hop
First Listen
Listened to this because a friend put it on during a long drive. I don't really like show tunes, but these might be the best I've heard. Fun for one listen, but not compelling enough to add to my library and chart. Long as hell.
~~~~~~
Next in this diary I'll do something similar to Listmeister's ELO exploration for Stereolab, a group I'm listening to for the first time and one that I think might become a favorite. I've already listened to 2008's Chemical Chords, so now I'm going to go through the other albums and compilations in chronological order. The only major releases I plan to skip are 2000's The First Of The Microbe Hunters and 2010's Not Music, which are considered by many to be unessential, mediocre releases.
I'll keep mixing in random stuff and albums from the RYM canon challenge as I go. This will be the listening order for Stereolab releases:
1. Switched On
2. Peng!
3. Low Fi (EP)
4. The Groop Played "Space Age Batchelor Pad Music"
5. Transient Random-Noise Bursts And Announcements
6. Mars Audiac Quintet
7. Refried Ectoplasm: Switched On, Vol. 2
8. Emperor Tomato Ketchup
9. Dots And Loops
10. Aluminum Tunes: Switched On, Vol. 3
11. Cobra And Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night
12. Sound-Dust
13. Oscillons From The Anti-Sun
14. Instant 0 In The Universe (EP)
15. Margerine Eclipse
16. Fab Four Suture _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
How do you choose... totally random/stuff that peaks interest, or...?
Thanks. Most of the first listens (those not from friends) are from me working through multiple very long to-listen spreadsheets, sometimes out of order. The re-listens don't have much rhyme or reason - whatever piques my interest.
Now that you're pleased with how the double album rule applied to your 90s chart, are you going to go back and apply it to the others? Also curious to see how your hip-hop chart is coming along :wink:
If you don't mind sharing a view only list with me, I'd love to see it (honestly, I only have like 100 albums that aren't on this site... but helpful for me nonetheless) and then I have different tabs for the decades.
As for double album rule... good question... I haven't played with it yet. The 90s made more sense somehow. I didn't apply that rule to 2000s either. What I did was create a top 10 with that rule and a top 10 without it and then made a decision based on how it "felt". The rule allows for most of those albums to hit my top 10. So I have to decide is it top 10 material or not... and of course a month from now I might disagree with myself. Sorry that was a long explanation for... idk.
As for my rap charts, going through the decades has really helped me to understand what kind of rap I like. I am pretty excited to get to that. I'm almost there! I only have the 2010s left to re-survey/analyze and attempt to throw my prejudices out the window/learn something new.
I have had a hard time getting into Jay-Z and the acclaimed Kendrick Lamar. It's not that I don't see the quality. Jay-Z for example has an A Capella version of some of his albums and I heard some of it and was like, damn... that dude can rap. His rapping is more impressive than his music, and my brain has to meld the rapping and music together, whereas I think those that appreciate rap can do both (focus on rapping OR the music). Anyway... I want that list to be at least 50 albums, so I think I still have a long way to go.
I posted that educate me on rap skits cause those really kill the album for me... the singles are super awesome, but sometimes the whole album loses something with lame skits sometimes. Kill buzz. So enjoying rap at an album level is going to take some time maybe... dunno. At the same time 2001 and Carnival are super solid albums imo.
Sorry... I totally took over your journal. Just got excited talking about it.
Oh - any tips on "understanding" Kendrick Lamar or Jay-Z? Or maybe better way to ask that is what do you like about them?
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
How do you choose... totally random/stuff that peaks interest, or...?
Thanks. Most of the first listens (those not from friends) are from me working through multiple very long to-listen spreadsheets, sometimes out of order. The re-listens don't have much rhyme or reason - whatever piques my interest.
Now that you're pleased with how the double album rule applied to your 90s chart, are you going to go back and apply it to the others? Also curious to see how your hip-hop chart is coming along :wink:
If you don't mind sharing a view only list with me, I'd love to see it (honestly, I only have like 100 albums that aren't on this site... but helpful for me nonetheless) and then I have different tabs for the decades.
As for double album rule... good question... I haven't played with it yet. The 90s made more sense somehow. I didn't apply that rule to 2000s either. What I did was create a top 10 with that rule and a top 10 without it and then made a decision based on how it "felt". The rule allows for most of those albums to hit my top 10. So I have to decide is it top 10 material or not... and of course a month from now I might disagree with myself. Sorry that was a long explanation for... idk.
As for my rap charts, going through the decades has really helped me to understand what kind of rap I like. I am pretty excited to get to that. I'm almost there! I only have the 2010s left to re-survey/analyze and attempt to throw my prejudices out the window/learn something new.
I have had a hard time getting into Jay-Z and the acclaimed Kendrick Lamar. It's not that I don't see the quality. Jay-Z for example has an A Capella version of some of his albums and I heard some of it and was like, damn... that dude can rap. His rapping is more impressive than his music, and my brain has to meld the rapping and music together, whereas I think those that appreciate rap can do both (focus on rapping OR the music). Anyway... I want that list to be at least 50 albums, so I think I still have a long way to go.
I posted that educate me on rap skits cause those really kill the album for me... the singles are super awesome, but sometimes the whole album loses something with lame skits sometimes. Kill buzz. So enjoying rap at an album level is going to take some time maybe... dunno. At the same time 2001 and Carnival are super solid albums imo.
Sorry... I totally took over your journal. Just got excited talking about it.
Oh - any tips on "understanding" Kendrick Lamar or Jay-Z? Or maybe better way to ask that is what do you like about them?
Sorry, it's just too sloppy and incomprehensible to share.
Your rap chart has definitely improved. But yeah, Amy Winehouse and The Black Eyed Peas definitely don't belong. Imo hip-hop and r&b don't really belong together as genre tags, and they're often lumped together just because they're both black music.
If you think Jay's beats aren't up to par with his flows, you might like The Grey Album by Danger Mouse. He replaces the beats from The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' The White Album, which turn out really well. It's probably the most famous mashup album ever, and the 10th anniversary remaster is available as a free online file last I checked. The Blueprint, which I recently re-listened to, has the best beat selection of any of his proper albums, so I would check that out too. Doing beats for that album is how Kanye made it big. If you don't like either of these two then Jay's music is probably just not for you. And I would say that in general, don't force yourself to like things. Keep an open mind, but you like what you like, and it doesn't always need an airtight justification. I have no listening tips, just album recs, because liking this music more or less came naturally for me. Kendrick's best album for me is Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City by a mile. I love how it forms a cohesive and autobiographical narrative as a "short film," while exploring social issues and also having some tremendous bangers. The replay value is just off the charts compared to To Pimp A Butterfly (which I also like). _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
Sorry, it's just too sloppy and incomprehensible to share.
Your rap chart has definitely improved. But yeah, Amy Winehouse and The Black Eyed Peas definitely don't belong. Imo hip-hop and r&b don't really belong together as genre tags, and they're often lumped together just because they're both black music.
If you think Jay's beats aren't up to par with his flows, you might like The Grey Album by Danger Mouse. He replaces the beats from The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' The White Album, which turn out really well. It's probably the most famous mashup album ever, and the 10th anniversary remaster is available as a free online file last I checked. The Blueprint, which I recently re-listened to, has the best beat selection of any of his proper albums, so I would check that out too. Doing beats for that album is how Kanye made it big. If you don't like either of these two then Jay's music is probably just not for you. And I would say that in general, don't force yourself to like things. Keep an open mind, but you like what you like, and it doesn't always need an airtight justification. I have no listening tips, just album recs, because liking this music more or less came naturally for me. Kendrick's best album for me is Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City by a mile. I love how it forms a cohesive and autobiographical narrative as a "short film," while exploring social issues and also having some tremendous bangers. The replay value is just off the charts compared to To Pimp A Butterfly (which I also like).
Thanks! Your feedback on Jay-Z and Kendrick was super helpful... and I totally forgot about the Grey Album. I remember hearing about it and thinking that'd be interesting, but then never checked it out.
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
It's been a hectic time for me, so I can't write too much or update this diary too often. Here's what I've listened to lately. Also, I saw The National in concert on June 11 (my birthday present to my sister), which was pretty sensational. They rock so much harder live than they do on their albums. I never thought I'd describe them as heavy, face-melting, or awash in feedback, but that's what they were for much of the night. The energy was amazing and I'm lucky to have had the experience. It was only the second concert I've ever been to (The Temptations).
Released: 2015
RYM Primary Genres: Synth Funk
First Listen
Relaxed, infectious album. Captures the spirit of funk by being sufficiently weird and sexual in a way many revivalists aren't. Sadly, a lot of uninspiring material toward the back end.
Released: 2013
RYM Primary Genres: Indie Rock
Re-Listen
Heard this again just before the concert. It's been growing on me each time. It's now basically tied with Alligator for my second favorite of theirs, after Boxer. A stunning depiction of malaise and emotional paralysis.
Released: 1992
RYM Primary Genres: Noise Pop, Dream Pop
First Listen
Their debut LP finds them regressing a bit from their 1991 output. Still a lot of good moments, and I like noise pop, but a lot of this noise is uninspired, uninteresting, and overly droning.
Released: 2009
RYM Primary Genres: Indietronica, Indie Pop
Re-Listen
There will always be a special place in my heart for Passion Pit. This record is even better than I remember. There are a few weak tracks, but the pop highs are undeniable.
Released: 1967
RYM Primary Genres: Southern Soul, Soul
First Listen
This is a strong album, but it's unfortunately not greater than the sum of its parts. Some weak material and a missed opportunity to make a classic. "Tramp" is the obvious standout.
Released: 2015
RYM Primary Genres: Cloud Rap, East Coast Hip Hop, Trap Rap
First Listen
Dope skills, but at this point if you've heard one, you've heard them all. The downfall of this album and their rap careers is an utter lack of variety and innovation.
Released: 1992
RYM Primary Genres: Indie Rock, Noise Pop, Experimental Rock
First Listen
This 25-minute effort is the only Stereolab EP not to get a later compilation release. I've just added it to BEA. Like Peng!, it finds the group in a frustrating holding pattern. The ingredients for brilliance are there, but the compositional ideas are half-baked. In particular, the second half of "(Varoom!)" is very irritating. I don't regret listening, but so far I like it less than anything else from them.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
baystateoftheart
RoundTheBend
