#1
Interstice by Knoll
which is just an extremely noisey and breakneck and brilliant mix of Grindcore and deathgrind with some noise thrown in for atmosphere.
#2
For The First Time by Black Country, New Road
which most of you know about, its just really REALLY cool and badass experimental rock with horns and guitars and post rock and post punk and its excellent
#4
Imperative Imperceptible Impulse by Ad Nauseam
Some of the most boundary-pushing Technical Death Metal and Avant Garde metal I can imagine. So extreme and yet what they are trying to do with dissonance and experimental flights into uncharted territory and then pulling off here is mindboggling.
#5
Smiling With No Teeth by Genesis Owusu
This is a another genre-bending blend of Neo-Soul with somewhat experimental hip hop, funky Prince-exque grooves and some Talking Heads guitars and Post Punk energy at times. Its brilliant.
That's a great top 5. 2, 3, 4, 5 are all among my favourites this year, and the Knoll album is pretty good too. I also think Chemtrails Over The Country Club is quite possibly Lana's best one yet, or at least stylistically the most interesting. Looking forward to future reviews, especially The Unforgettable Fire because that one divides opinions of U2 fans and it's also my favourite. _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
#1
Interstice by Knoll
which is just an extremely noisey and breakneck and brilliant mix of Grindcore and deathgrind with some noise thrown in for atmosphere.
#2
For The First Time by Black Country, New Road
which most of you know about, its just really REALLY cool and badass experimental rock with horns and guitars and post rock and post punk and its excellent
#4
Imperative Imperceptible Impulse by Ad Nauseam
Some of the most boundary-pushing Technical Death Metal and Avant Garde metal I can imagine. So extreme and yet what they are trying to do with dissonance and experimental flights into uncharted territory and then pulling off here is mindboggling.
#5
Smiling With No Teeth by Genesis Owusu
This is a another genre-bending blend of Neo-Soul with somewhat experimental hip hop, funky Prince-exque grooves and some Talking Heads guitars and Post Punk energy at times. Its brilliant.
That's a great top 5. 2, 3, 4, 5 are all among my favourites this year, and the Knoll album is pretty good too. I also think Chemtrails Over The Country Club is quite possibly Lana's best one yet, or at least stylistically the most interesting. Looking forward to future reviews, especially The Unforgettable Fire because that one divides opinions of U2 fans and it's also my favourite.
Thanks, LedZep! Yeah I am kinda looking forward to checking out these famous bands' discogs especially their early works. Outside of the smiths they all slowly build to a moment, a big and momentous and legendary album that took them from where they were - as great as it was - to a whole other tier. For U2 this is The Joshua Tree, Sonic Youth had Daydream Nation, and REM had Document. The Smiths sorta shined the brightest and the shortest and their debut and their 4th and their 2nd and 3rd albums are all seemingly relatively equally loved or popular these days - but i suppose even they had The Queen Is Dead which is the default accepted highwater mark it seems. All those albums came out 86-88. Just kinda random and not super interesting fact of the day.
Looking forward to The Unforgettable Fire. Never heard it. _________________ -Ryan
This was a good listen. It's interesting hearing where this band, this massive, one of the all time most famous and legendary bands, got their start. I was struck just as much by what was not yet their as what was their. I don't hear that signature Edge guitar style. Its kinda there maybe, but I didn't hear those band-defining staccato, echo heavy, riff explosions that are so iconic. I don't yet hear the larger than life Bono moments, instead he sounds like a pretty sexy post punk singer with a lot of cool and a lot of style. The riffs are still quite cool, very bouncy and catchy. The bass playing and drumming here are pretty cool i guess.
There is a stripped down post punk energy here that I liked. The energy, and the sounds and they style and rawness and passion of that vibrant era of post punk are all here, yet it is flipped from being a sort of angry, angsty, dark affair to being more of a soulful and upbeat affair. That is cool. After one listen not much to say here on this famous debut. Glad I listened. 7.1/10
Based off the descriptions of this and the genre and the things that have been said about Pre-EVOL sonic youth over the years, I had expected this to be hard to like or listen to. I was a expecting a Glenn Branca level of vicious noisy assault. However, min the 5 songs and 24 minutes here, I was not once uncomfortable. Nor was it at all a slog. This is just very interesting experimental, discordant, rock. The drumming was surprisingly good. Not technically brilliant, but there were some really lively and cool things happening with the drummer. The bass lines I think were fine (wasn't paying attention and listened to this yesterday, so I just mentioned the bass cuz...I don't know its just filler.). The Guitars aren't yet where they would be, but there are still some wild and weird and woolly little beasts of noise coming out of those amps. Don't have much to say except that this was cool, and fits in nicely with other dissonant, adventurous, experimental post punk of the time that I've heard. Looking forward to the arrival of Ranaldo to the band so I can hear those sweet sweet guitar interplay explosions that I love so much from Sister/Daydream Nation. 7.2/10
Okay, this is an album I kinda already knew I loved. I had my suspicions. I recall it fondly. I haven't heard it in awhile, but I had a feeling that the second I pushed play on it I'd be awash in college rock heaven and I'd switch my strong like to love in a few minutes of "Radio Free Europe". And... that is exactly what happened.
I love this album. I think the atmosphere is the right amount of mysterious, and the right amount of energetic and bouncy college wide-eyed exuberance, and the right amount of loving and downright romantic and heart-on-sleeve earnestness. The opener is one of the best opening tracks ever. Radio Free Europe is one of my fave songs ever. But the way that is followed up with the slinking and cool "Pilgrimage" and the way that songs goes into that irresistible chorus...*swoon*. Then the post punky heavy bass line and vibe that starts "Laughing" and the way that goes into that simple yet gorgeous acoustic guitar lick and the way the vocals swell and build on that first verse and into the chorus, and then the way it returns, i just can't deal with how GREAT this song also is. Then as if that wasn't good enough, "Talk About The Passion" with its twangy almost country feel, and the mumbled almost bored Stipe vocals, that song is also amazing. Oh and track 5 "Moral Kiosk" brings that same youthful energy back that had been somewhat missing from the previous tracks 2-4. And its a classic as well. Then "Perfect Circle" brings us back down to that youthful romantic feel, like this song is perfect for a first dance with your high school sweetheart. It's marvelous. "Catapult", track 7, does it miss a beat? NO! IT FUCKING DOESN"T!!! This song is another classic, with that bouncy, classic college rock sound, and it is sick. And the way the chorus is just the title, so stupidly simple, so perfect, and it works. Sitting Still is a Pop rock gem, with more of those Buck guitar lines that twang and float and just pull on my heart strings and then those acoustic touches segue into the uplifting rock part, and back and forth those 2 amazing parts go, making yet another great song. That's 8 in a row. How about track 9? Maybe the most "abstract" or sonically weird song yuet with "9-9". But fuck me this is amazing! How were these kids from Athens, Georgia able to come out of the gate with such an infectious and full formed sound right off the bat??? How? Shaking Through is maybe my least loved song yet, but its still cool. "We Walk" second to last track 11. It has a melody and a dreamy twang that I love and its right back to absolute GEMS after one song that I think I like but don't love. This gets it back on track. Finally "West of the Fields" is pretty cool too. Kind of less my thing than all the other songs and although a solid 7/10 song, a bit of a relatively low note to end on.
Anyway, that nonsense massive paragraph aside. I think its clear I love it. I thought maybe I'd like it a lot. Didn't expect to come away from this listen thinking its one of the best debut albums and best albums in general ever made. But Yes I think its that tier of mindblowing. Consistent, has its own unique space and vibe, hits me on an intellectual and emotional level, and just makes me feel great for its full 12 song, 44 minute run time. 9.4/10
Okay, I think I understand the allure of this band and album. The full-bodied and powerful mix of jangly guitars and melodic basslines, the almost ridiculously dark and self-deprecating lyrics, the at times incredible arrangements and the general badassness of the band at its best. The Smiths are maybe the defining band of the 1980s. Certainly one of them. And really this idea of revisiting or visiting for the first time the catalogues of legendary 80s bands started with JUST REM and The Smiths. I only later added U2 and Sonic Youth. This band holds an important place in rock music history. That said, I don't personally love it, and at times I don't even particularly like it.
Despite running the risk of seeming very basic, the best songs here are the hits and the songs that I first heard on the Best of I bought when I was 14. Namely, the most killer and truly incredible songs here are "This Charming Man" - a song that when I heard it as a kid I thought I had found my new favorite band ever - , "What Difference Does It Make", and "Hand In Glove". Those 3 songs along with the excellent opening track "Reel Around the Fountain" are cool as hell and really show off the brilliance of Marr and company. The rest of the songs range between fine - "I Don't Owe You Anything" for example, to quite grating "Miserable Lie". I think the personality and the vocals and the shenanigans of Morrisey on these songs are the main thing that kinda take me out of it. When he is just crooning, its serviceable. And when he is backed up by a song as great as This Charming Man I can like his delivery and persona. But most of the time when he is just saying the most silly and over the top self loathing shit and then doing these silly histrionics vocally it makes for a bad listening experience for me. Sometimes his vocals are just neutral, just there, and there isn't a particularly great song around his half hearted vocals such as on the closer "Suffer Little Children". Anyway, yeah I'm not a fan of Morrisey.
All that said, Marr and the bassist (should look up the name but sorry I am a little lazy now) are killer most of the way through this. Those 2 as well the transcendent songs here and the general uniqueness and respect I have for the lush jangling atmosphere of the band is what makes this still an Okay album in my eyes. Maybe as time goes on and I listen to later Smiths albums I'll warm even more to the style of Morrisey or maybe he will suppress some of the more grating aspects (to my ears) of his persona. For now... 6.4/10
------------------------
After this debut album listening to U2, SY, REM and Smiths, it seems I have maybe a bias for American artists. Maybe that is true. Maybe I can just relate to the scuzzy, disgusting New York city style of SY and the twang mixed with jangle of the Georgia boys more than the Dublin and Manchester vibes of U2 and The Smiths respectively. As this listening project lives on and I listen next to October, Confusion Is Sex, Reckoning and Hatful of Hollow I hope to get a clearer idea of what I like about these bands. For now, signing off. _________________ -Ryan
Not the most popular opinion, but I consider both U2's and Sonic Youth's debuts to be their best releases - not that I'm a huge fan of any of those two bands in general, but it's a comparative assessment. Boy admittedly has some of their typical annoying traits, but definitely to a lesser extent than their "big" albums, which makes it much more relatable, Bono is almost one of us here. Sonic Youth (the album) has this minimal nightmare-like vibe that firmly grasps you from the very first second and never lets go, it makes for a very captivating listening experience. Not much of a common ground when it comes to the other two, I heavily dislike R.E.M. (actually I checked my rating for Murmur and it stands at 55/100, which is even lower than I recalled, maybe I overdid it there) and absolutely adore The Smiths, but it was refreshing to see a different perspective in such well-established albums, I am looking forward to the second part.
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
Not the most popular opinion, but I consider both U2's and Sonic Youth's debuts to be their best releases - not that I'm a huge fan of any of those two bands in general, but it's a comparative assessment. Boy admittedly has some of their typical annoying traits, but definitely to a lesser extent than their "big" albums, which makes it much more relatable, Bono is almost one of us here. Sonic Youth (the album) has this minimal nightmare-like vibe that firmly grasps you from the very first second and never lets go, it makes for a very captivating listening experience. Not much of a common ground when it comes to the other two, I heavily dislike R.E.M. (actually I checked my rating for Murmur and it stands at 55/100, which is even lower than I recalled, maybe I overdid it there) and absolutely adore The Smiths, but it was refreshing to see a different perspective in such well-established albums, I am looking forward to the second part.
Hmmm... interesting how different our points of view are. I respect the opinions, and its cool that you have such respect for SY's and U2's debuts.
Yeah, I love Murmur and I don't understand why you didn't like it. Actually, I do understand. Its just a taste thing.
Anyway, glad you are reading this. I look forward to the next batch of October, Confusion Is Sex, Reckoning, Hatful of Hollow as well. Hopefully, tomorrow I will have something to say about them. _________________ -Ryan
I have an unhealthy appreciation of REM and U2, so this warms my heart to see anyone write about them, in arguably their most agreeable eras.
Yeah, when I reviewed U2 in particular I thought about ypou. I know you're a big fan. I will be respectful. lol. But yeah so far I have really loved visiting the early works of U2 and revisiting the early REM albums. _________________ -Ryan
Yeah, when I reviewed U2 in particular I thought about ypou. I know you're a big fan. I will be respectful. lol. But yeah so far I have really loved visiting the early works of U2 and revisiting the early REM albums.
Oh say what you want to say - it's your log 🤣 . I've rarely had someone be nice about U2 out of the gate, so I'm used to it. Sometimes for REM too.
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Oh say what you want to say - it's your log 🤣 . I've rarely had someone be nice about U2 out of the gate, so I'm used to it. Sometimes for REM too.
Yes I will do. And I don't want you to have the idea that I pulled any punches in the first review/comment. I quite liked it. And I never got the vitriol the Music Snob Mob shows toward U2. I understand the critiques, especially to albums in the last 20-25 years. But man they are dogged so. fucking. hard. I like them. I may not love them. But who knows after a bit deeper of a dive into how they progressed and where they came from before being this Mega Band 1987 on, I may find myself loving them. _________________ -Ryan
Okay, so far in 2021 I have heard some great music. This is BY FAR the most music I have ever heard from a given year, at least over such a short time. Anyway, just now finished a little comment for a few more albums and ranked them, so I have officially gotten my chart to 100 for 2021. From here I will create a custom chart for the albums and comments that fall off and the list will get more and more and more pruned until its just good to great albums. Right now I'd say the last 25-35 aren't really albums I recommend. maybe more. But based off the top 20 (all really cool albums) I'd say I have loved this year's music so far.
Also I notice that I am REALLY into extreme grindcore/screamo/mathcore/powerviolence lately. Whereas the first month was dominated by female singer/songwriters, the last month or 2 has been a lot of the more intense and heavy music along with, still, a lot of singer/songwriters. Not sure what changed. But yeah.
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LedZep
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RoundTheBend
