Previous exposure to Stina? Basically just many listen to And She Closed Her Eyes and I think once I listened to Dynamite. The cover is cool, the title is cool yadda yadda. I'm not in as playful and ridic a mood now.
The album... after one listen I can say I really liked it. Haven't sunk my teeth into its lyrics or structures much at all. But on first listen it was a really quite pretty, dreamy, at times even epic collection of songs. As of now, I don't think its the album that And She Closed Her Eyes is. But that's not totally fair due to how many times I listened to it and the fact that over the last 6 or 7 years that has become one of my fave 1990s albums. Still, its good and I like it. Maybe a grade of about 70 to 75/100 as of now.
Sadly it is going up against an album I have heard 3 times previously (granted, the last time was a solid 5 years ago I'd guess) and one of the most hyped albums in the history of these forums.
I was a little intimated by this album and that is why I put it off as the last of the 8 albums I needed to listen to for this first barrage of matches. Like I mentioned, I am familiar with the album and how respected it is. My only recollection with it was that the music was so dense and untraditional (to my ears at the time) and the vocals so unique and (again at the time) annoying that I had a hard time really buying in to the epic songs and the Next-Level-First-Ballot-Hall-of-Fame-How-is-she-so-good-at-english-I-am-an-ant-compared-to -her Lyrics.
But today...oooh boy... I was honestly blown away. When I last heard it I was not as focused or maybe trained in the ears (??wtf???) about arrangements, delicate changes in tone and instrumentation, and the way these brilliant arrangements can be married to the themes and the lyrics. This listen though, I was all smiles, as I was taken on this incredible musical journey. I don't wanna say more...scratch that, I don't think I can say more. I just am in awe of the arrangements.
Even the vocals which were the main stumbling block before are not a hindrance at all. Granted, they still aren't the highlight or one of the highlights of the music. But she is damn amazing, like really great, at varying the rhythm and delivery of her words to brilliantly glad with or sometimes against the instrumentation. Really Solid stuff.
The musicianship is also top tier. Never showy as in "Let me blatantly show off my chops now" but at the same time the musicians all seem to smoothly and easily be pulling off the arrangements with no mistakes to my untrained ears.
Finally, the lyrics. On this playthrough I actually made it a point not to google the lyrics. Instead I just wanted to take the whole thing in. Still, Joanna enunciates her words clearly and I was mostly able to follow her ridiculously layered and poetic narratives and turns of phrase and her nearly-unprecedented ability to kinda draw a picture in your mind so you can see all the actions and reactions clearly as she weaves her tales. Next time through (spoiler alert: she will be going on in this tourney) I will no doubt do a little more research and readin'. But for now its enough that I know she is a genius lyrically. and musically.
All in all, this is a 85-95 range album out of 100. At its worst I am vibing with a 80-85, but mostly this listen its brilliant-tier, 90-100. Love it. And I suspect with repeasted listens to an album such as this with all its dimensions and little details, my appreciation will grow.
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In a massive show of superior depth and talent the #1 seed (#1 in the ENTIRE tourney not just this quarter of it) Ys comes out lays the smack down in a 54-17 win over would-be-Cinderella The World Is Saved. Don't be too down, Stina. The 1965 Bob Dylans would have had their hands full with Ys this day!
Prayers up for whoever faces this juggernaut in round 2, amiright? Back to you in the studio. _________________ -Ryan
(16) Since There Were Circles by Bob Lind defeats (1) Saint Dominic's Preview by a hair due to (probably) the judge's too high expectations and mood at the time. Both got about 3.5 grades out of 5.
(16) Old Chestnut by Ned Collette defeats (1) Divers by Joanna Newsom by a sizable margin, probably for some stupid reason like the judge absolutely adores Ned Collette's music and considers this his best. Ol' chesty was a, perhaps overzealous 5/5 and Diversss was a 3.5.
(1) Songs From Suicide Bridge by Kauffman/Caboor defeats (16) Iron Curtain Innocence by Bobb Trimble due to Ryan's obsession with sadness, death suicide and acoustic guitars. 4/5 was given Kauffman and Caboor LLC, and 3/5 was given the Trimbling Bobbtail.
(1) Ys by Joanna Newsom defeats (16) The World Is Saved by Stina Nordenstam due to what can only be assumed was peer-pressure and a closeted love of renaissance fairs. Ys got a 4.5 with ease (lololol) and Stina got a 3/5. _________________ -Ryan
I'm running into some technical difficulties getting ahold of Mythical Kings and Iguanas🙁
also down the line I will probably face similar issues with Short Sharp Shocked.
So if I can't find a solution, I may need some fill-ins for the 1968 thru 1975 era, as well as the 1976 to 1991 era. If y'all have some artists or albums that I should check out or if you are wondering if I've heard some great singer/songwriter album from those ears, please let me know and maybe this will become more interactive. _________________ -Ryan
Those are cool looking! Karen Dalton I am familiar with and love. Didn't include her in this or my chart as, at least as far as I know, she is not the writer of the lyrics on that album. Could be wrong.
That Margo Guryan looks dope! I have almost no 1960s stuff here so that would be cool. Looks like she is the lyricist as well?
D.R. Hooker looks interesting and will listen maybe not as part of the singer songwriter thing. But maybe for this.
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I'm leaning Margo if she is the lyricist.
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the ones I had maybe as fill-ins for the Dory Previn spot were Berlin by Lou Reed (but I'm somewhat familiar with it and although it would be fun pitting Reed against Cale, I think that isn't quite striking my fancy.
And the others are also long lost revisits and not new listens.
This was a great revisit. I listened to it about 7-8 years ago and remembered being impressed. But listened again last night and it felt like a new listen, didn't remember anything.
The songs and the craft of the pop rock tunes are/is remarkable. The opening track is one of the best pop songs of the 70s. I love making those grand statements off the cuff as if I fucking have any clue if that is correct lol.
The first half in particular features some really great, tight, playing by the band. The second half Cale's vocals take a bit more stage and he kills it. There is a bit of winking going on, where it seems like Cale, this art rock VU guy, is having a laugh about making such a seemingly straight-forward pop rock, singer/songwriter album. This irony could wear on me really quick, but he tempers it and it makes for a solid listen. There is a distinct flavor to this brand of pop music because of Cale's natural inclinations and history. He seems to be approaching the formula of a singer/songwriter album in a unique and subtly off-center way that makes the songs shine and stick out more. It is, on its face a pretty, pleasant, earnest album of its era. But listen closer and there is some weird stuff going on that I can't describe. Its really good. 3.5/5
This was gorgeous, heartfelt, sunshiny pop with really delicate instrumentals that were never over the top and her voice and words were excellent. It felt like a pop album first and foremost and not as beholden to singer/songwriter tropes, in terms of the lyrics and the focus of the music. The songs are all pretty and nice. Love the subtle jazzy parts, and the really weird psychedelic track "Love" that closes the album. All in all, its going on my unfinished 1960s chart, and gets also a 3.5/5
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This is tough and close, but in the end, I feel like I will get more out of several relistens to John Cale over the next months, so...
In a photo finish Paris 1919 wins by a hair, errr, 27-24 over the last-minute sub Take A Picture!
This was one of the best discoveries of this tournament so far. The pop rock production is insanely gorgeous and detailed and upbeat, the amount of STUFF that is happening sonically on this album is breathtaking and the producer does a great job making it all clear, making the drums come through clean and the basslines shine and the vocals soar and the guitars absolutely shred at points and the whole thing is a crystalline 70s pop rock/kinda rocky/singer/songwriter GOLD!
The vocals remind me of David Bowie most of the time. The lyrics are awesome and engaging and there is no dull moment, seriously the sequencing and the consistency of this album is brilliant.
The opening track is one of the best pop songs of the 70s! LOL here I go again...
Anyway, I had never heard this album and I had never heard this artist before last night and I was really impressed. 4/5 with room to grow. Its now on the singer songwriter chart.
And the first song blew me away cuz I had no idea Suzanne Vega sang that super popular catchy song. Its great. And the rest of the album is consistently quality. The whole style of Vega here seems like it had an influence on all those tougher female singer songwriters of the 90s - like Morrisette, Apple, Phair etc - in that her lyrics are pretty intense and give off a don't-fuck-with-me vibe. But the production is just less rocky and less menacing and more 80s pop rock. Some of the keyboard sounds and drum machine sounds are dead giveaways of the era it was made. The Production isn't the star here. Her consistently nice lyrics and pretty at times and world-weary at times vocals are the stars. By the end I was kind of spent on it and wanting it to end. That may be on me more than the actual quality of the music. Nonetheless its a slight point against it. And it had to be really REALLY great to win against that Al Stewart above.
I have been fascinated by Suzanne Vega. The original draft of this tournament had a whopping 4 Vega albums!!! 2 in the 2000s, 1 from the 90s and this from the 80s. As it is 99.9 is still coming up on the 1991-2006 bracket and I am excited to hear that album, considered maybe her best. But this was a great introduction to her in LP form. 3.25/5
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Year of The Cat wins! (that is it. I don't wanna make some silly analogy to sports at this time. _________________ -Ryan
previous exposure to Cave? Lots. I bought Nocturne at 15 and thought it was cool. Then in the post-BEA years of constant searching for albums, I have heard Let Love In, Push The Sky Away, No More Shall We Part and Skeleton Tree. All have consistently struck me as good but not something that connected with me. Thus his criminal exclusion from my singer/songwriter list despite being considered one of the all time greats.
This is a famous album and well regarded and is thus a high seed in this thing. I am just finishing first listen. The following are my thoughts.
What the fuck?!
To further my thoughts, this was not really what I expected. Nick Cave has a distinguished and unique voice, but it never was something I liked really - just bored me, that deep crooning voice almost gothic style. But here he strips off almost all the extra punk music influences and just strips literally the entire album down to piano, bass, some guitar some strings and his voice. His voice dominates the sound and every word, hopeful, sad, mournful, loving etc, is clear and in your face. This brings to the forefront Cave's songcraft. Both lyrically and structurally. The understated beauty of the lyrics are truly amazing. The piano chords and the old-fashioned presentation of the music is perfect for expressing as purely as possible the message of the songs and the songs themselves.
I saw a comment that this was like Cave's Blood On The Tracks. And I can hear that. It's a heartbreaking break up album but, just like Dylan with BotT, Cave is such a brilliant writer he strips all the extraneous stuff away and aims the music directly and purely at the emotional core of the listener. I can't describe it well. I think this album is very impressive. Sonically it is a bit boring and unadorned. But that is the point methinks. And I think this will be one that grows on me as I more fully understand the words and the messages. Much like how the first time I heard Blood On The Tracks I was super disappointed. At 14 I was like what?!? This was considered the greatest Dylan album post-66? WTF is this boring shite? Well, I came around to that classic more and more with more listens and more years and now it is a part of me.
I doubt this album will ever ascend to BotT levels in my heart. But for now I really like it. It gets a 4/5 and will be going on the ever-evolving chart. And I look forward to future listens and at some point a re-appraisal of his other classics in his all-time great discography. (Seriously I was just looking at his RYM page and Cave has as many renowned albums as Bowie or Dylan... okay maybe not quite as many as those giants. But its in that range with Bowie, Joni etc and I guess I never realized he has such a broad and renowned discography he has vreated over the last 36 years. Amazing stuff.)
Previous exposure to Marissa Nadler? Basically JUST 2009 album Little Hells. Me and it had a little fling back in about 2014 when I think Meccalecca or some other BEA regular recommended it. Its good. But I had mostly forgotten about it and her until I was looking at RYM singer songwriter charts for the last 20 years and this came up and then I saw it again and I was finally like "FINE! I'll concoct an entire torunament to give me an excuse to for sure listen to you and dozens of other albums!" And here we are now.
This album is gorgeous. Like the choral vocals and the strings and the melodious way Marissa layers her vocals on top of her other vocals. The weaving together of repetitive acoustic guitar riffs with large-scale dramatic strings is awesome! The whole vibe of the album is a mournful yet sweet epic. I didn't really catch or pay attention to the lyrics. But knowing her and based off the little I did hear I bet they are solid or even great.
All in all this was a solid 3-3.5/5 and while not something that blew me away it was a great and serene listening experience that soundtracked a memorable smoke break, looking out over my yard from my balcony, sipping the coffee occasionally and taking long, hearty drags, thinking deeply of things in the chill January air.
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It was pretty close and I kinda want both these albums to move on to next round so I for sure have an excuse to listen another 2 or 3 times (I still can, I know, but the nature of the game is to kinda force me to make time to listen and relisten and reappraise albums each round but whatever). This match goes to Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. Congrats to you, sir. _________________ -Ryan
Great that you appreciated Year of The Cat so much and weird that you only heard it for the first time. In Europe the title track and On The Border were all over the place and also the rest is album is so familiar.
But a bit of a pity that you put it against Solitude Standing, also one of those great singer songwriter classics in my view.
For the rest I wanted to take a slow pace in listening to the albums you're discussing but you're moving very fast.
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Great that you appreciated Year of The Cat so much and weird that you only heard it for the first time. In Europe the title track and On The Border were all over the place and also the rest is album is so familiar.
But a bit of a pity that you put it against Solitude Standing, also one of those great singer songwriter classics in my view.
For the rest I wanted to take a slow pace in listening to the albums you're discussing but you're moving very fast.
1. Yeah, somehow Year of the Cat completely flew under the radar. Since I was young, maybe 12, I stopped engaging with radio or pop or retro-rock channels or stations. That may be why sometimes a song which is ubiquitous and everywhere were completely missed by me. Year of the Cat is an example of this. Hell just a month or 2 ago, Gerry Rafferty and the song "Baker Street" was a strangely new discovery for me.
Its almost like, in broad strokes, my music taste started NIN/Ministry/Tool/KMFDM/Smashing Pumpkins/Dave Matthews and whatever my 2 older sisters listened to (the "edgy" industrial stuff thanks to the middle child older sister Tricia, and the alternative rock and soft rock thanks to the oldest child/sister Jess). Then I made my first discovery of my own music that they hated, which was Nu-Metal (Mudvayne, Slipknot, System of A Down which is not the same as the first 2 but was lumped in.). Then At 13 I "discovered" Metallica and Slayer and Megadeth and I had become a Thrash fan and my sisters really weren't into them but I think at least they could respect that my taste was developing and I wasn't stealing and borrowing their CDs anymore. Then I cut off from radio completely and I borrowed from my Library 2 Dylan albums, Highway 61 Revisited and The Times They Are A-Changin. And that was probably the single most influential discovery musically in my life. From there I can see the clear line from Dylan and Wilco quickly after to Alt Country and Americana singer/songwriters like Neil Young, Waits, etc and my discovery of the ooooold stuff that inspired Dylan like Delta Blues.
To this day if you look at my charts including the work in progress of the singer/songwriter chart, you can see it is still deeply steeped in that Dylan/Americana/Blues/Country lineage. I am only now starting to see a.) see that my slant has been in that direction for nearly 2 decades now, and b.) That there are whole strains and veins of music and even Singer/Songwriters that I just haven't given much attention to. Its interesting. Only interesting for me. I am sure you are reading this and thinking "what the fudge, man?! why are you rambling about your fucking life?" For that I am sorry, dihansse haha 😄
2. Yes that is the tragedy of this arbitrary format I have chosen. I really liked that Suzanne Vega album. Its another example of a blind spot in my listening. I will revisit it soon enough. But also she has another album coming up that I am excited to hear. And she has another 2 to 4 intriguing albums I will delve into eventually.
3. Yes! I have a tendency to go wayyyy toooo fast on these thinsg when I get into them. I have a hard time letting things simmer and cook so to speak. Part of the point of this game is so that I can listen 1 time to 64 new albums and make a relatively fast judgement, decide which I liked more and then that gives me an excuse to revisit an album 1 or 2 times later in the tournament.
4. Did you see my long-winded response to you a couple pages back about why I chose these albums? I am worried because I move so fast and there are new reviews so fast that people won't see posts because they'll be quickly buried. _________________ -Ryan
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Mercury
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