This was fun hearing these 2 albums again. Both actually GREW in my heart and mind. With Ys, I am fully over any reservations I had before. I love this album and I am in awe of how Newsom managed to reinvent folk and singer/songwriter music (to me at least) and make a new style and new feel. Its genius. Really, I use that word too much, but this is a recorded example of sheerest genius of the highest order.
As for Long Journey, coming back to this album was a blast. It felt like I was visiting an ooold friend (despite only discovering this album 1 month ago). Its just such a playful yet professionally done album full of great Americana melodies imbued with the amazing personality of Hurley. Somehow every one of these short songs of which there are a good amount, are warm, distinct, playful, personable and great.
Both these albums are 4.5s out of 5. They are both strong 8s to light 9s in my mind. So its tough to decide who moves on to the sweet 16 of this tournament. But I must choose. And because I feel like there are more layers and depths to it and it perhaps is an album more benefitted by many many MANY listens to unravel all its nuances and meanings, I announce here and now....
Ys defeats Long Journey by a hair to move onto the next round of this all-important tournament!
And this was also tough for very different reasons. I kinda go back and forth on Lubbock (On Everything). One hour or day I think it may be the pinnacle of progressive country and country singer-songwriters, a classic of such distinction that its unassailable. The next hour I think its quite good but overlong, overstuffed and unfocused. One minute its going on my overall chart and is a 5, the next I'm thinking its a 4 and has no place on my chart. This moment I'm kind of in the middle.
Terry Allen is a brilliant songwriter and this album is his greatest moment (I say that as if I've heard even half his albums lol ignore that self-assured take there). This album is hilarious, and stylistically varied and rich and manages to stick to country in some of the best ways ever and also turns the genres on their heads and mixes em and makes fun of the whole thing. By the end of this 81 minute album I am a bit worn out by the barrage of consistently great short songs of varying type.
On the other hand we have the best country artist I ever heard, Gillian Welch. This album Hell Among The Yearlings, is more consistent than Lubbock. Its the perfect length. It has fewer songs but is consistently of the same high quality. And only has one major issue (that random rock and roll song) and is otherwise an atmospheric and amazing Gillian Welch banger. Still, its very clearly behind Revival and Time (The Revelator) in my mind. And maybe behind Soul Journey and Harrow and the Harvest too (need to revisit them). But that is still not really an indication of the quality of this album because in my mind everything this woman has ever released is fucking gold.
Both albums are 4 to 4.5 out of 5. Both are like light to decent 8s. But I must choose 1 to move on. And for a similar reason to why I gave Newsom the win above, I will say the victory Goes to....
LUBBOCK (ON EVERYTHING) defeats HELL AMONG THE YEARLINGS by just a smidge and advances to the next round of 16!
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I'll post the next 2 matches in this long-running series soon. The next matches are the 12 seeds versus the 5 seeds. _________________ -Ryan
Hmmm... Saw u posted sth about this in the 2021 thread. What's it like? :-k
Its pop soul. It features her voice - which is quite incredible really - very prominently. Some songs are like better ()to my ears) Adele and some or modern (or more modern) Amy Winehouse, some are quiet and somewhat jazzy and atmospheric and show off the defi nite Billy Holiday influence in her voice. Somre good lyrical moments, some bright and sharp production and overall a really great pop soul album that dips its wee toes in various styles and sounds. _________________ -Ryan
I'll listen top these 4 albums and decide which 2 of them move on to the sweet 16. I'll do this listening in the next week or so maybe. maybe sooner, maybe later. _________________ -Ryan
and its still fantastic. Not an all time fave but top few hundred maybe. I thought maybe it would be upset by John Hiatt. But then I realized i really love it. Her voice is truly special. and that opener "Solo" is all time great.
liked this a little more the second time through. But...it didn't quite transcend, y'know? It just didn't quite grab me. Its really good and he's a stud songwriter, but this is mostly a 6.5 to 7.5 whereas that Sandy Denny is a 8-9. so...
SANDY DENNY MOVES ONTO THE SWEET SIXTEEN!
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Completely different, I saw that kokkinos really didn't enjoy Pig Destroyer. So I did what I always do when I see someone not like a fave of mine, i listened to it to see if my love was still there. And it really still is. Maybe the best grindcore i've ever heard. actually who am I kidding this...
is indeed the best damn grindcore album I've ever heard with all due respect to the maybe 15-20 others I've heard. This is like the abbey road of grindcore. ha. haha. easy 5 evil face album if ever there was one. 😈😈😈😈😈
Now I am listening to more extreme stuff, this time going old school death metal with some grind bits...
and this is fantastic. Despite coming out 32 years ago its still just about as brutal as any more modern brutal death metal album. And the insane speed and the raw disgusting recordings and the sheer power of this album is godly. I'll be delving into that late 80s sweet spot of death metal and grindcore a lot soon and this was a great mood setter. Hard to think of what may top it. I'm sure something will. But idk, this is fucking incredible. 4 and a half evil faces. 😈😈😈😈🤬 _________________ -Ryan
Rating music is weird. Was gonna say it’s hard. But that’s not right. It’s easy. But weird. And wrong. I am thinking of just removing ratings from my discourse. But there’s some weird part of me that just wants to slap a number on. Why? I don’t know.
The reason I think of this is I am what could be called an “easy grader”. I rarely dislike music. And I do to some degree admire people who actually make music and so I always feel a little shitty talkin shit on music. I see some people almost have a very self-assured way of talking about music and they can distill their dislike (mostly dislike in these cases) down to a few words to make the music sound as bad as possible and then slap a 30 a 40 or a 50 on it and move on. This annoys me. So I tend to respond in the opposite direction where I talk way too much about albums that don’t really do that much for me, don’t say much of intelligence, try to find what I like or admire and slap a 60 a 65, or a 70 on albums that maybe I didn’t like too much but respected.
I want to be more consistent. Let me see now if I can somehow cobble together a numeric system. Within this BEA system and maybe I’ll also make a note of how that will translate to RYM (cuz it’s not exactly the same. A 70 here feels less positive than a 3.5 over at RYM. Oftentimes I’ll rate something 70 or 75 here but slap a 3 on it on RYM even though mathematically that is wrong. A 60 here is a 2.5 over there. An 80 here is 3.5 there, etc. - once we get to 90s and 95s that does indeed become a 4.5 over at RYM so it does eventually add up).
Okay here goes.
BEA 5 to 25 = an album I truly hate, just really dislike. I think I’ve essentially never given this range out. This would be a 0.5 to 1.5 on RYM.
BEA 30 to 45 = an album that I also really disliked. Okay this isn’t going well. Damn ... how do I differentiate? Well I guess this would be album that to some degree I disliked to a sizable degree but maybe I was trying not to completely shit on the album or song and so I found some redeeming qualities. This is also rare. But yeah that is what I’ll call that. On RYM that is a 1.5 to 2.0.
BEA 50 to 55 this is an album I personally didn’t enjoy much but I recognize what makes it powerful for so many others or I respect the artists attempt or I recognize what is maybe unique about it but just didn’t give with it myself. Like at all. This is a 2.5 on RYM (that matches!)
BEA 60 to 65 is an album I thought was a mixed bag. Or maybe it worked to some degree. This grade may actually happen a lot cuz I don’t like going much lower often. Almost always I have chosen an album of some high regard to listen to and so I am not exactly likely to listen to an album I don’t respect or enjoy at all in its entirety. So this, in summation, is an album that maybe it’s good for what it is but for some reason it feels a little weak to me in ways and just doesn’t totally convince me or make me like it to the moon. This is a 2.5-3.0 on RYM.
BEA 70 to 75 is the sweet spot where I notice I rate almost all albums I like or respect but don’t, like, REALLY like or super recommend. This is a good thing that I liked listening to. Or I got the hype or I understood what makes it great or loved by so many or maybe it’s a genre I have a hard time with, but I listened and liked it for what it was and I could see how someone who was into that genre may like it. This is a RYM 3.0 as well. So this is where the rating systems diverge. And I know it doesn’t make sense to make it diverge. I may honestly if I really respect but don’t personally love a 70 or 75 album give it a 3.5 on RYM but that’s what I try to avoid.
BEA 80 to 85 - this can get tricky. These are grades I give for albums I REALLY like and borderline love. OR like if it’s classic hard rock or it’s some dense hip hop album that maybe isn’t my core favorite styles (meaning blues, folk, country, mix of all or singer/songwriter) so maybe I don’t love them but holy shit I get what makes them so classic or so great despite not quite getting that boost for being my usual jam, that is what would get a 80 or 85. Distinguishing between 80 or 85 is just the degree of awe I feel towards an album. This is tricky because an album like say Symbolic by Death may get the same grade of 80 or 85 as a lesser Tallest Man On Earth album. Why? Well because Symbolic is some of the most overwhelmingly impressive music I have a ever heard. BUT I can’t say it’s one of my fave albums. But a lesser TMOE is something that personally fits me so well that I adore it more than Symbolic even if I don’t respect it’s musicality the same way remotely. For example his 2015 album Dark Bird is Home may get a 85 whereas Symbolic or something gets a 80. It shouldn’t make sense and it doesn’t. On RYM these are 4.0 or sometimes 4.5s if I just am a fanboy for the artist and to some degree wanna counterbalance the haters.
BEA 90s are albums that I can say are eaither potential overall chart material or are potentially quite high on a decade chart or just albums that I both respect the musicality of art of the album and it had some emotional or other impact on me. I have given this out too much already this year, and that is partially what made me wanna type this unneeded post. But these are all time favorites or just really great albums I love even more than the 80-85s. 4.5s on RYM.
BEA 95s and 100s - these are essentially all time favorite albums I adore and are for sure chart material and I adore em. Yet why no 100? Well I save 100 for albums that I consider immensely important to me and great musically OR for albums that sound almost perfect and unimpeachable and also had some solid affect on me emotionally or influenced me or artists I live greatly. Really 95s and 100s are almost the same. Cuz no album is perfect and really it’s just an aesthetic choice. If I really wanna drive home that an album is my baby and I loves it, I’ll give it a 100 as like me planting my flag in the ground saying “this is my shit!”. These are almost always 5s on RYM. Sometimes 4.5.
Now the last thing I want to say is the main thing that absolutely destroys this system for me is that I do have preferences in styles as we all do. For example there was a recent singer songwriter album by Danielle Durack that I gave a 80 or 85 to. It’s a simple and very much not awe-inspiring and very much not original album. But it worked for me and I listened like 5 times to it. I should save that 80-85 for a really great album. But I didn’t save it because I really liked this style of album. Most people who weren’t as much fanboys if this style or laser focused on that type of album would say it’s a good 60-65 album. Not I! But at the same time I give a 75 to say the new LICE album or even to a classic I just heard Abigail by King Diamond. I think those albums are more musically ambitious, more amazingly done, more groundbreaking or at least more impressive albums. But they didn’t scratch that itch so they got lower grades. It’s weird.
Anyway, that is my random long, un-asked-for post about my ratings and what I’m going to try to stick to going forward.
Like I said rating is silly and weird. Have a great say, BEA! _________________ -Ryan
Bolt Thrower are the most consistent band you'll find. OK the truth is not really that singular, but they have at least 5 classics and several more very good albums, from 1989 to 2005. In fact the last one from 2005 (Those Once Loyal) is often cited as the best. Very cool band, glad that you liked them. Seems you'll find an album or two for that cannon "untouchable" list heh.
Yeah rating is weird. I've stopped overthinking it, I just slap whatever rating seems to fit at that moment. Biases are natural and even welcomed on any music forum imo. _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Lately I 've been thinking about ratings as well. Trying to put into words the experience of listening to music is already an abstract enough process. Imagine having to assign numerical values, that's almost mission impossible. In the past I was kinda obsessed to it and I used to view the scale of 1-10 (or 1-5 or 5-100 or whichever you prefer) as absolute. What I mean by that? Let's say I listened to an album, I would think "this is a great albium, let's give it an 8" just like that out of nowhere, without any particular context, simply a juxtaposition with a vague idea of perfection (it's irrelevant if we're talking about "objective" perfection, i.e. how music "should" be or "subjective" perfection, i.e. how much I enjoyed it). Right now, I consider the comparative/relative method more effective. In order for this to work, you need some "absolute" albums, they will be your point of reference. At least that's how I did it. I thought "what's the best album I've ever listened to?" and I gave it a 95/100 (just in case something surpasses it in the future) and rated everything else accordingly. It might seem as there's not much difference between the two systems, the truth is it has helped me a lot with the top and bottom ends of my ratings, but admittedly hasn't solved the "middle of the road albums" problem, still the vast majority of albums I listen to lie in the 65-75 range. Regarding the biases/prejudices thing, I guess most of us (me for sure) have gotten over the phase we viewed ourselves as objective reviewers/holders of the truth and we just go with what we like, no shame in liking "garbage" or disliking "classics".
By the way, I 've never commented on your diary, but I've been following for some time now, you're doing a fantastic job, not to mention the volume of albums you're listening to is astounding.
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Bolt Thrower are the most consistent band you'll find. OK the truth is not really that singular, but they have at least 5 classics and several more very good albums, from 1989 to 2005. In fact the last one from 2005 (Those Once Loyal) is often cited as the best. Very cool band, glad that you liked them. Seems you'll find an album or two for that cannon "untouchable" list heh.
Yeah rating is weird. I've stopped overthinking it, I just slap whatever rating seems to fit at that moment. Biases are natural and even welcomed on any music forum imo.
Yeah that is what I'm seeing! Super consistent and I saw that even as relatively old men they released a classic in 2005 which I will get to. And yes I may find some new near and dear albums yet (I wouldn't call that Bolt Thrower album quite that, but as a death/grind album, it was all I could ever hope for).
And yes indeed. I realize that most people realize that everyone is carrying around almost exclusively biases of various kinds when it comes to music and ratings.
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kokkinos wrote:
Lately I 've been thinking about ratings as well. Trying to put into words the experience of listening to music is already an abstract enough process. Imagine having to assign numerical values, that's almost mission impossible. In the past I was kinda obsessed to it and I used to view the scale of 1-10 (or 1-5 or 5-100 or whichever you prefer) as absolute. What I mean by that? Let's say I listened to an album, I would think "this is a great album, let's give it an 8" just like that out of nowhere, without any particular context, simply a juxtaposition with a vague idea of perfection (it's irrelevant if we're talking about "objective" perfection, i.e. how music "should" be or "subjective" perfection, i.e. how much I enjoyed it). Right now, I consider the comparative/relative method more effective. In order for this to work, you need some "absolute" albums, they will be your point of reference. At least that's how I did it. I thought "what's the best album I've ever listened to?" and I gave it a 95/100 (just in case something surpasses it in the future) and rated everything else accordingly. It might seem as there's not much difference between the two systems, the truth is it has helped me a lot with the top and bottom ends of my ratings, but admittedly hasn't solved the "middle of the road albums" problem, still the vast majority of albums I listen to lie in the 65-75 range. Regarding the biases/prejudices thing, I guess most of us (me for sure) have gotten over the phase we viewed ourselves as objective reviewers/holders of the truth and we just go with what we like, no shame in liking "garbage" or disliking "classics".
Yes, these are actually very interesting views on ratings and ratings systems and all they entail. It can be a really fickle thing and part of me scoffs at people who have these elaborate and seemingly (in their minds) objective mathematical work outs for their ratings, and part of me is a little impressed and jealous. I've had phases of greater and lesser thought and attention being placed on the whole thing. I guess today is a GREATER day where I'm again trying to tackle what these famn numbers even mean.
Taking what I personally would consider the closest thing to the Absolute Album, the best I've heard, and then kinda comparing with that is a great idea. I guess I have 5-10 albums I consider almost just perfect in every way. And if I were to envision them being different aspects of what a 95 to 100 level album to be I can kinda guage from there what this most recent listen is by comparison.
kokkinos wrote:
By the way, I 've never commented on your diary, but I've been following for some time now, you're doing a fantastic job, not to mention the volume of albums you're listening to is astounding.
Oh wow thank you for this comment! Much appreciated. I was just thinking about how your forum comments in just a couple months have become some of the best and most interesting. To the point when I see a forum thread and with your name as last commenter I quickly and curiously click to see what you say. Not sure if you ever went by another name here on BEA, because it feels like you've been an integral part of the forums forever.
And I'm sure you have gotten this before and maybe you just aren't interested, but if I were to pick a chart that I most wanted to someday see, it would be "Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by kokkinos". Are you thinking of making a chart sometime? Last I checked a couple days ago there were no kokkinos charts. (I think i was looking to see if I could better choose an album for you to listen to from my chart based off your other faves). _________________ -Ryan
Okay, BEA Friends, It's Thursday at about 8pm right now. You know what that means? It means we are mere hours away from the next big album release dump!
Before I started listening to copious 2021 albums as they came out, I had no idea what the usual release schedule was. So very quickly Thursday at midnight turning into Friday has become a weekly holiday. I'm already looking ahead to the next batch of very intriguing albums.
I just now finished the last remaining comment/review/rating and ranking of the albums I've heard fro January. Thus I have put a bow on my January listens (although I'm certain I will be discovering albums released last months for a long time to come.) When I started my formula or system of 2021 albums revieing and relistening I thought I would burn out fast fast fast. However, I haven't. I will slow it down a little bit but not much. I find it very fun and almost therapeutic to listen and listen closely a few times and then write a usually crappy, sometimes okay, review of it. So I'll continue.
Here is the first 44 of this ongoing 2021 project. and heres to the next 11 months of goooodies!
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