But man, the chorus of every one of these songs is basically the cliff notes version of what the song is about. "I no longer believe in love." "The needle holds only lies."
I mean I understand the criticism, but that's like 80% of all songs ever? Not trying to pressure you to like the album, you don't like prog rock and metal and that's fine. But this struck me as a bit of a silly comment. That's probably because I love Operation Mindcrime though. :)
Yeah, that's a fair point. I don't exactly expect anything meaningful from most choruses. I think this just goes back to my disappointment with how similar a lot of the song structures were. There is some progressive metal I like - Mastodon's Crack the Skye and Between the Buried and Me's Colors are two of my favorite metal albums. And those are both way more unpredictable than this was, though I suppose it's not really fair to compare those to an album from the 80's. If I were better versed in 80's metal I could comment more on how revolutionary this was when it came out.
I also think it's funny because while I love Crack the Skye it's 100% more ridiculous than this album. I mean, it's a story about a paraplegic child who can only move by astral projecting and who gets kidnapped by a Russian cult while astral projecting and then gets put into the body of Rasputin, who gets murdered while attempting to overthrow the czar, and after this his soul and the child's soul travel the universe looking for the child's body but meet the devil on their way back. Yet somehow to me I don't really concentrate on all that because there's a lot of variety musically and the story is told a bit more abstractly. Here, at least after one listen, the story is pretty front and center and hard to ignore. This is of course my opinion after only one listen: it's entirely possible I come back tot his someday and like it more. I often find my first listen opinions are often fairly negative or completely neutral, which is why I hope to revisit most of the albums I hear in this game eventually to see how wrong I was after a first pass. _________________ And it's hard to be a human being. And it's harder as anything else.
I also think it's funny because while I love Crack the Skye it's 100% more ridiculous than this album. I mean, it's a story about a paraplegic child who can only move by astral projecting and who gets kidnapped by a Russian cult while astral projecting and then gets put into the body of Rasputin, who gets murdered while attempting to overthrow the czar, and after this his soul and the child's soul travel the universe looking for the child's body but meet the devil on their way back. Yet somehow to me I don't really concentrate on all that because there's a lot of variety musically and the story is told a bit more abstractly.
Crack the Skye is nuts, I don't think the concept is meant to be taken seriously, but it's fun as hell. Which is weird considering the title is a tribute to (drummer) Brann's sister who killed herself. Love that album to bits.
I agree that Operation Mindcrime can be a bit goofy at times, but what I like about it is that you can take any song and it stands very well on its own, except for the interludes and maybe Suite Sister Mary (which is a centerpiece of sorts, but still). To me, that means the concept is not crucial. But I get why that would bother people. The spoken parts bothered me on the first listen too, but as I listened to it again, I just accepted them as they were. It's like Judas Priest tried making a rock opera 😄 _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Untitled by The Armed
I was sure this was an indie rock album. The cover looks like a nod to Bowie. Imagine my surprise when this started playing. All of their albums are apparently produced by Kurt Ballou of Converge fame, and every one features a different drummer. The album is intriguing. It's intense as hell, and it does something similar to Converge, it combines metalcore and hardcore punk with experimental elements. Very well-written and crazy fast. That is, crazy fast up until the intro to Dead Actress, which is lovely and quiet if a bit unsettling. A great change of pace, although it lasts only for a minute and then the song explodes. Probably my favourite moment on the entire album, along with Issachar and Rage of Youth. The latter is excellent, and I'm not 100% sure but I think there are violins(?) in the song, and the outro has a saxophone part which is cool as heck. I'd love it if there was more out-there metalcore/mathocore/punk bands instead of the post-hardcore/metalcore stuff that seems to be popular. And ya know, this particular record may be the best metalcore that I've heard last decade along the Dillingers and Converge. 8.5/10
(2)
A lot of great stuff there Purple, try Swordfishtrombones
(3)
deepcuts top 50 of the decade & RYM metal top 100 & SquishypuffDave Top 100 Greatest Albums
49/ Greg Ward - Touch my Beloved's Thought
50/ Oceansize - Self Preserved While the Bodies Float Up
Cryptopsy - None So Vile
Immolation - Close To The World Below
Autopsy - Mental Funeral
Demilich - Nespithe
Diamond Head - Lightning To The Nations
Coroner - Mental Vortex
Godflesh - Streetcleaner
1. Deerhoof - The Runners Four _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
This sounds like a lost video game soundtrack. Probably a quirky RPG, or point-and-click. Maybe set in a tropical location, but the cover is probably influencing my thinking. I enjoyed this a lot, and it makes for something good in the background. Sleepdealer, who has probably listened to more Japanese albums than anyone else on the site, has the other album rated higher than this one, so maybe I'll give that a try if I can find it. Oh, and it was produced by Hosono, so his influence is clearly on the album as well.
Ledzep, I'll have to check out that album. I listened to a little of The Armed's 2018 effort, but not that one. Streetcleaner by Godflesh is monumental.
GÉRARD GRISEY : "Les Espaces Acoustiques"
Message - From Books and Dreams
The Northern Hymn - Kammarheit
Javiera Mena - Mena
Nine Days' Wonder - Nine Days' Wonder
Mathias Grassow - Rest in Emptiness
Byron Stingily- The Purist
Giddy Motors- Make It Pop
Picchio dal Pozzo- Picchio dal Pozzo
Triston Palmer - Showcase
Purplepashranker, rater, & music list makerProfile Western Australia
Another good Tom Waits album, I would place it inbetween Mule Variations, and Rain Dogs (I still have a lot of his albums to listen to). Like most experimental albums with a lot of tracks some things work for me, and some things don't, but I do love his voice all the way through. Things that worked were the first couple of tracks, 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six (loved the odd percussion sounds in this), and the only song I knew well previously, In The Nieghborhood. Mostly the story telling was good too. I wasn't as keen on the solely instrumental tracks, although the closer, Rainbirds, is a beautiful piece of music. I give it a 7.5/10 (probably a bit harsh but future listens if they happen may fix that), and place it at 9/19 for 1983.
Let's try Giddy Motors Rocka.
BEA's Best Albums of the 1980s (2 picks left)
20. Moving Pictures by Rush
23. Born In The U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen
32. So by Peter Gabriel
37. The Number Of The Beast by Iron Maiden
40. Synchronicity by The Police
41. The Dreaming by Kate Bush
43. War by U2
51. The River by Bruce Springsteen
54. Bad by Michael Jackson
55. Peter Gabriel III by Peter Gabriel
This is why I have to comb through the Steve Albini production disocgraphy. Not expecting this to be as experimental or instrumentally varied as it was, but holy crap this was damn good. It certainly has Mr. Albini's marks all over it, but the band is a huge surprise. Don't know how this album was not on the site at all, and it seems to be somewhat under the radar. Some critics said of this album that it was "Jesus Lizard playing Captain Beefheart" which really only applies to a few songs, but I wouldn't say that it's not completely wrong either.
YES, I get to rec more Peter Gabriel. Go with III though, so you and Bay don't overlap.
GÉRARD GRISEY : "Les Espaces Acoustiques"
Message - From Books and Dreams
The Northern Hymn - Kammarheit
Javiera Mena - Mena
Nine Days' Wonder - Nine Days' Wonder
Mathias Grassow - Rest in Emptiness
Byron Stingily- The Purist
Picchio dal Pozzo- Picchio dal Pozzo
Triston Palmer - Showcase
Michael Tippett: The Knot Garden
babyBlueSedanUsed to be sort of blind, now can sort of seeProfile
I'm a fan of If I Fall From Grace With God, so I've been meaning to listen to this for a long time. I think I had it on my computer for a while but I never got around to it. This is pretty great, though it's not really what I expected. It's much more folk heavy than its successor, and there are only a few tracks that have any punk influence. It's nice enough despite this though - I love the mix of instruments and Shane MacGowan's voice.
Take it from the top Chief.
BEA's top 1,000 albums:
577. Making Movies by Dire Straits
580. Pure Heroine by Lorde
624. A New World Record by Electric Light Orchestra
653. Nursery Crime by Genesis
655. Love Over Gold by Dire Straits
660. The Battle of Los Angeles by Rage Against the Machine
664. Waiting for the Sun by The Doors
677. Lady in Satin by Billie Holiday
689. Song For Swingin' Lovers by Frank Sinatra
699. The Final Cut by Pink Floyd _________________ And it's hard to be a human being. And it's harder as anything else.
Purplepashranker, rater, & music list makerProfile Western Australia
This was very good. Enjoyed this a lot. It was a lot more experimental than I was expecting (this is the first Peter Gabriel album I've heard), especially the first few songs, making a great start to the album. Games Without Frontiers and Biko were old favourites of mine from the '80s so it was awesome to hear them again - it had been a while. 8/10, and this just misses out on my top 10 for 1980, coming at 11/26.
Lorde has been there for a while and it's an album we should probably get around to.
20. Moving Pictures by Rush
23. Born In The U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen
32. So by Peter Gabriel
37. The Number Of The Beast by Iron Maiden
40. Synchronicity by The Police
41. The Dreaming by Kate Bush
43. War by U2
51. The River by Bruce Springsteen
54. Bad by Michael Jackson
58. Treasure by Cocteau Twins
This isn't top shelf and it's missing that five star track that brings you back to the album and which any good album should have. But, what sets this album apart from a lot of other obscure rock albums of the era is the swagger with which they play...they aren't playing anything ground-breaking or special, but they own it. The songs aren't mired down by mediocre vocals, either, which is something I encounter a lot more than I'd like to in early hard rock. "Rio de Camero", "Easy to Lie", and "Because I Love You" are the (choice) cuts from Side 1 which I'll revisit, but I doubt they'll get a high number of plays. Maybe "Rio de Camero". Side 2 got pretty stuffy.
// 2
Not sure if I should give you something proximal to your comfort zone like Treasure, or go a different way. Treasure.
1. T2 /--/ It'll All Work Out In Boomland
2. Captain Beyond /--/ Captain Beyond
4. Stray /--/ Stray
5. Buffalo /--/ Volcanic Rock
6. Pescado Rabioso /--/ Pescado 2
7. Groundhogs /--/ Split
8. Jericho /--/ Jericho
9. Frumpy /--/ 2
11. Grand Funk /--/ Grand Funk
13. Mountain /--/ Nantucket Sleighride _________________ Can you play free, or in three, or agree to try something new?
babyBlueSedanUsed to be sort of blind, now can sort of seeProfile
Royals is a song that I never really want to hear again.
Well, that didn't take long. But, to be fair, I knew it was coming. My opinion of "Royals" hasn't really change but I would certainly say that I had a better opinion of the rest of the album. I wasn't paying attention to new music in 2013 (hence me not having heard this album, one of the biggest albums from that year), but I have to ask - did this get compared to Lana Del Rey a lot at the time? Because, having listened to a lot of Lana after NFR came out, this has a lot of her trademarks vocally. And I imagine that if I had heard this at the time I'd have more to say about that, because this would feel a lot more unique. But now that Lana's style of disinterested vocals is pretty common in mainstream pop, this doesn't sound quite as fresh. I guess I can't say it really aged poorly, as Lorde still totally makes the style her own, all things considered. I'm just aware that I'm judging it a little differently than I would have back in 2013. My biggest problem with this is musically I guess, as the atmospheric, minimal backing tracks don't do much for me. I liked "Ribs" and it's kind of simplistic synth pop sound but a lot of the more ambient pop stuff isn't my thing. I imagine some of the tracks would reveal more on further listens.
I knew "Team" before this, and while it's one of the better songs that "I'm kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air - so there" line still kind of bugs me. Though I can't really articulate why, just like I can't articulate why "Royals" bugs me so much. I really think it's just overplay, because it was everywhere back in 2013, both on pop and alternative radio. And while I don't disagree with the overall message it's still not an interesting one to me. Like I don't party with tigers either (I'm not Joe Exotic after all), but hey if you want to party with a tiger go for it (just don't get caught with them in your suitcase). I think the same kind of sentiment was expressed much better on "Team" where she sings "We live in cities you'll never see onscreen / Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things." So yeah overall I'd give this another listen, maybe skipping "Royals," to see if there's anything else that sticks.
Go with this one Jameth. I like this cover the best.
BEA's top 1,000 albums:
577. Making Movies by Dire Straits
624. A New World Record by Electric Light Orchestra
653. Nursery Crime by Genesis
655. Love Over Gold by Dire Straits
660. The Battle of Los Angeles by Rage Against the Machine
664. Waiting for the Sun by The Doors
677. Lady in Satin by Billie Holiday
689. Song For Swingin' Lovers by Frank Sinatra
699. The Final Cut by Pink Floyd
702. All Mod Cons by The Jam _________________ And it's hard to be a human being. And it's harder as anything else.
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
babyBlueSedan
LedZep
Tha1ChiefRocka
Purplepash
Jameth
