First Band On The Moon by The Cardigans
The Black Sabbath references were so cool haha. The bit from the Black Sabbath (the song) on Heartbreaker, Iron Man cover... Crazy, but somehow it works in the sweet poppy and indie style. As for the rest, I seriously can't make up my mind. It was slightly too "cute" for me, or at least the sugary parts weren't always backed by songwriting chops. Not all the time, but especially several songs in the first part, as well as the biggest hit, Lovefool. That one was just silly and mostly not in a good way. The last 2 tracks were bomb, I liked the more symphonic part in those two (as opposed to the cheesy "la la la" of the opener), it strangely reminded me of Genesis at times. Not a very apt comparison probably, but yeah. It's very possible that I'm just not in the mood for this kind of indie pop right now, so I'm overly critical, but lines like "La-la-la-la-la-la let's say forever, let's say it's true. La-la-la-la-la-la let's come together, me and you. La-la-la-la-la-la your new cuckoo" sound like a mockery, as opposed to a well-written and possibly ironic pop tune. But it's usually a thin line with this kind of pop. Might wake up tomorrow and think it's a genius earworm and smart songwriting instead of too simplistic and irritating. And then wake up in a week and dislike it. When it hits, it hits, when it's too much, it's trite. But some of these songs will be my go to indie pop. 7.5/10
(2)
Black Country, New Road. What an album.
(3)
baystateoftheart 1990s/2000s charts mashup && "Whatever" list
Belle And Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
The Magnetic Fields - The Charm Of The Highway Strip
Beach House - Devotion
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Shub Niggurah - Les Morts Vont Vite
Midori - Aratamemashite, hajimemashite, Midori desu.
Lantlos - .neon
Charlie Morrow - America Lament
Meridian Brothers - Desesperanza
Beck - Midnight Vultures
The Gun Club - Fire Of Love _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Apocalypse, Girl by Jenny Hval
This is an album I can appreciate, but had no cathartic reason to fall in love with it. It musically is interesting and understand why it can be loved. I just didn't. Good album for sure. I wonder if it's the lack of a strong bass/rhythm aspect as well - always been a huge factor in whether I fall in love with something.
2. Beck - Midnight Vultures - it's a trip. I love it, but I'm a biased Beck fan
3. BayState Top 100
57. Shakara by Fela Kuti
58. Coffin For Head Of State by Fela Kuti
15. New Age Of Earth by Ashra
34. Gossamer by Passion Pit
40. Alvvays by Alvvays
41. The Wayward Bus by The Magnetic Fields
49. Wildflower by The Avalanches
51. Shangri-Las - 65! by The Shangri-Las
62. PC Music Vol 1 & 2 by Various Artists
64. Time 'N' Place by Kero Kero Bonito
This is a particular record where I do enjoy and actually quite admire it. But not really loving it. And I think it comes down to a few things. The first thing and something that does come down to being a me issue, would be how this is one of the few records where I was taking breaks just before I finished it up. Usually can get a good chunk of an album done, do my work and then resume my album listen. But with this, by the tail end I started to lose interest. Especially the outro where the plodding instrumental leaves me hanging. And there was some vocal passage where I wasn't impressed. The track being F***** Alone. Did hit me a bit of Bob Dylan. But for the most part, when this got good it was really good. Just not a great or excellent piece of music. Grade:75
(2)
Bend listen to Ashra New Age Of Earth. All time favorite there.
(3)
BEA's Top 100 Albums of 1993
(67) Buffalo Tom-Big Red Letter Day
(71) Crash Test Dummies-God Shuffled His Feet
(73) Donald Fagen-Kamakiriad
(82) Cracker-Kerosene Hat
(84) Blue Rodeo-Five Days In July
(85) Sugar-Beaster
(87) Kingston Wall-II
(90) Mercury Rev-Boces
(91) Daniel Lanois-For the Beauty of Wynona
(92) Heroes Del Silencio-El Espiritu Del Vino
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
New Age Of Earth by Ashra
This was a fun trip. It was trippy and simultaneously felt like I was playing a video game. Fairly impressive for it's release year. Very nice listen.
2. Crash Test Dummies-God Shuffled His Feet
3. BayState's Top 100
57. Shakara by Fela Kuti
58. Coffin For Head Of State by Fela Kuti
34. Gossamer by Passion Pit
40. Alvvays by Alvvays
41. The Wayward Bus by The Magnetic Fields
49. Wildflower by The Avalanches
51. Shangri-Las - 65! by The Shangri-Las
62. PC Music Vol 1 & 2 by Various Artists
64. Time 'N' Place by Kero Kero Bonito
65. (For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People by The Chi-Lites
Purplepashranker, rater, & music list makerProfile Western Australia
I'm sorry. I have seen that this is a much appreciated album here on BEA (and elsewhere) but it is too sophisticated and easy listening for my taste to enjoy this. There were a couple of bright moments - a dash of funky guitar on Machine Gun Ibiza, the lyrics on the Jesse James double, and there was one song (I didn't catch which one it was) where the vocals seemed more vigorously passionate than the rest of the album, but unfortunately I just found myself uninterested for most of it. Nothing compared to When Love Breaks Down, the only song of theirs I previously knew and an old favourite of mine. When it comes to this sort of smooth sophisti-pop I would rather listen to The Style Council, Roxy Music, or even China Crisis. Despite the obvious quality of the album I rate & rank based on my enjoyment level and how much I would like to hear it again so I can only give this a 6/10, and 60/61 in my 1990 chart.
Top 69 Music Albums of 1990 by Tha1ChiefRocka (2 picks left)
3. Frizzle Fry by Primus
5. Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em by Reverend Horton Heat
7. One For All by Brand Nubian
15. Intelligent Hoodlum by Intelligent Hoodlum
18. World Clique by Deee-Lite
19. Funky Technician by Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth
21. Black Angels by Kronos Quartet
24. Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em by Eric B. & Rakim
25. Into Darkness by Winter
26. Sing The Troubled Beast by Bastro
Midnite Vultures by Beck
This is 7th or so Beck album I've heard and I've rarely been disappointed. That's because I haven't listened to anything from the last 10 years except for Morning Phase. The singles for the latest 2 were pretty bad. I'm seeing him this summer along with Deftones, Belle and Sebastian, Fontaines DC and some others if COVID backs off, so I'm diving deeper into the mentioned bands' discographies. That being said, I don't think I've ever been completely crazy about any Beck album either. He's been consistently good up to Guero (that's the era I'm familiar with), there's a handful of great albums but none of them are decade chart worthy imo. Although I guess a few of them are close. But I'm beating about the bush, let's get to the real thing. That is Midnite Vultures. Fun as always, but this time it's too quirky for its own good imo. It's the "worst" of the 90s and early 00s albums of his I've heard, and tbh Morning Phase is probably better too. A lot of funky rock and pop songs with classic Beck twist, but the highlights aren't really there except for Debra which is one of his better songs overall. I thought I'd dig weird funky and electronic Beck much more, but the songwriting's a slight issue. That and the style just doesn't seem to fit Beck as much as folk, chamber pop, slacker rock and whatever Guero is. This is still a pretty fun album, mind you. 7.5/10
(2)
Primus time!
"I don't believe in miracles, I don't believe in lies
I don't believe in holograms for I am the Frizzle Fry!"
That and the best album opener of all time.
(3)
baystateoftheart 1990s/2000s charts mashup && "Whatever" list
Belle And Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
The Magnetic Fields - The Charm Of The Highway Strip
Beach House - Devotion
--------------------------------------
Shub Niggurah - Les Morts Vont Vite
Midori - Aratamemashite, hajimemashite, Midori desu.
Lantlos - .neon
Charlie Morrow - America Lament
Meridian Brothers - Desesperanza
The Gun Club - Fire Of Love
The Dirty Nil - Fuck Art _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
This was okay. Didn't like the short songs that don't beuild or develop thing. Coulda used a few just 4-6 minute songs that developed. Idk. I've been in a bad-ish mood last couple days and so maybe I just needed to hear this when I was less ornery. The sounds are good and varied and Solange's vocals are good. Some good songwriting. But yeah not sure what was going for with 19 tracks over 39 minutes. I'm sure there was a clear cut artistic intention backing it, although the first thing my cynical mind thought was to get more track streams on spotify.
------------------------------------------
2.
This is preeety cool stuff. One of my fave albums since I was 15.
------------------------
3.
2019 albums:
1. Mouasalat ila jacad el ard - Issam Hajali
2. Pull the Right Rope - Junior Brother
3. Kiwanuka - Michael Kiwanuka
4. Little Electric Chicken Heart - Ana Frango Elรฉtrico
5. Grey Area - Little Simz
6. Pang - Caroline Polachek
7. All My Heroes Are Cornballs by JPEGMAFIA
8. Somewhere City - Origami Angel
9. ใใใใใฏ6 (Kikuo Miku 6) - ใใใ [Kikuo]
10. Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery - The Comet is Coming _________________ -Ryan
Fire Of Love by The Gun Club
I knew this would be a blast literally from the first chord. Sounds like The Cramps doing punk blues. Wonderful all around, the highlights were... pretty much every song now that I think of it. This will probably end up on the decade chart as well, I'm on a hot streak! 8.5/10
(2)
The Comet is Coming for you Merc. Even if I like that JPEGMAFIA album a bit more. But Shabaka's electro-jazz might be more of your thing. Or not, who knows.
(3)
baystateoftheart 1990s/2000s charts mashup && "Whatever" list
Belle And Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
The Magnetic Fields - The Charm Of The Highway Strip
Beach House - Devotion
--------------------------------------
Shub Niggurah - Les Morts Vont Vite
Midori - Aratamemashite, hajimemashite, Midori desu.
Lantlos - .neon
Charlie Morrow - America Lament
Meridian Brothers - Desesperanza
The Dirty Nil - Fuck Art
Amon Tobin - Permutation _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Having only listened to a handful of Fela Kuti records before this, I'm now understanding why there are 800 of them - this is a record of one track at 22 minutes - part one and two possibly intimates that there was a side one and two to the pressing. Anyway, can Fela do anything wrong? Like every jam I listen to of his is more light and life giving than anything even Miles Davis put out (even Standin on a Corner). Love that about Fela Kuti work. Even when dealing with some serious subject matter. "Westerners" gotta ruin everything with their "prudish" heritage.
2. How could you not Fuck Art
3. Bay States Top 100 (2 Picks Left... or maybe I'll do that halvsie game some of y'alls do to wrap up more)
57. Shakara by Fela Kuti
34. Gossamer by Passion Pit
40. Alvvays by Alvvays
41. The Wayward Bus by The Magnetic Fields
49. Wildflower by The Avalanches
51. Shangri-Las - 65! by The Shangri-Las
62. PC Music Vol 1 & 2 by Various Artists
64. Time 'N' Place by Kero Kero Bonito
65. (For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People by The Chi-Lites
68. Back To The World by Curtis Mayfield
I could actually get why the grade average is somewhat low. And would be my only complaint with the album. But some of the vocals on this album are quite shaky and over wroth. Even though I would say that the guy still hits the melodies. And musically this was excellent. I would say compared to the last two albums, this was way better where the sounds and production compliment each other really well. And was quite entertained. Not the most entertained compared to the top of the list. But still entertained. Grade:90
(2)
Bend listen to Wildflower
(3)
BEA's Top 100 Albums of 1993
(67) Buffalo Tom-Big Red Letter Day
(73) Donald Fagen-Kamakiriad
(82) Cracker-Kerosene Hat
(84) Blue Rodeo-Five Days In July
(85) Sugar-Beaster
(87) Kingston Wall-II
(90) Mercury Rev-Boces
(91) Daniel Lanois-For the Beauty of Wynona
(92) Heroes Del Silencio-El Espiritu Del Vino
(93) Tom Waits-The Black Rider
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LedZep
RoundTheBend
Purplepash
Mercury
