My guess as to why LedZep was wondering how I felt about prog was due to that little explanation where I used punk being the antithesis to prog. But personally speaking, I'm more of a prog guy myself. I haven't hit a prog album yet where I just think it's nothing but wanking around. I know I have that debut from Transalantic in my absolute favorites as well as giving a good bit of Porcupine Tree positive reviews. Devin Townshend's Biomech got a high review. So I'm usually pretty warm to prog. This where while I do prefer Counterparts more in a stylistic whole and vibe, I still think it's quite excellent. The playing is excellent and while I'm not completely enamored by the vocals, they are really expressive and charasmatic. I think my problem with this album except for Cygnus and Xanadu had this odd feeling where I'm not as excited about it as I should with prog albums. But I do want to go through the rest of Rush's discography. Grade:90
(2)
Bay-listen to Room On Fire.
(3)
BEA's Top 100 of 1977
(6) Steely Dan-Aja (R)
(9) Billy Joel-The Stranger (R)
(10) Kraftwerk-Trans-Europa Express
(14) Talking Heads-77
(15) Electric Light Orchestra-Out Of The Blue
(16) Iggy Pop-Lust For Life
18 Ramones-Rocket To Russia
(19) Meatloaf-Bat Out Of Hell (R)
(20) Iggy Pop-The Idiot
(24) Queen-News Of The World
"A one-man band comprising Steve Hall, a great guitarist who squatted around London, did loads of drugs - glue and heroin - and in the 1990's became a born again Christian, playing to prisoners."
Plays exactly how that sounds, and it's wonderful. Hyper-repetitive songs, but they're bursting with a raw psychedelic-punk kind of edge that sets it apart from other albums of the time. The DIY aesthetic that makes so many underground records of the time desirable is also present. This is a brilliant album for the right person. The album gets much more disjointed as it goes on, but the first 3 tracks are killer. This is exactly what I was wanting from this Mutant Sounds archive.
Sometimes I find Trans Europa Express being my favorite release from Kraftwerk.
Mutant Sounds' archive (part 1)
2+2=5 Into the Future
48 Cameras- Third & Last Imitation of Christ
A la Ping Pong- Extrem Musik a la Ping Pong Phase I
A Tent- Six Empty Places
Ache- De Homine Urbano
AD- Conspiracy
ADN' Ckrystall- Jazz' Mad
AGeM- Sekunda
Agencement- Agencement
Aktuala- Tappeto Volante
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
For You by ๅฑฑไธ้้ [Tatsuro Yamashita]
Certainly quality, but there's a certain level of kitsch that my brain didn't allow me to let go of poisoning this one for me. Sorry :(. It reminds me of the Paul McCartney I don't like, as much as I like him doing other things.
2. To continue running with Radiohead stuffs, let's do 2+2=5 Into the Future, Chief. Also, sorry BayState, I didn't know you had an affinity to SuperTramp, et al, no offense meant ๐ซข ).
3. Gowi's Top 100 (8 picks left)
3. In And Out Of Control by The Raveonettes
7. Diana by Diana Ross
22. Nightfall In Middle-Earth by Blind Guardian
24. Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements by Stereolab
28. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood by Neko Case
30. Rainy Day Music by The Jayhawks
32. The Sunset Tree by The Mountain Goats
33. The Photo Album by Death Cab For Cutie
36. By The Way, I Forgive You by Brandi Carlile
37. Tijuana Moods by Charles Mingus
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
This was the album I was hoping everyone would pick, so thank you Luigii. A long overdue listen that has been on my to-do list for over five years. Especially overdue considering that I adore Is This It and have it in my overall (US version > UK version). Room On Fire is basically what I thought it would be: a record much in the same style of its predecessor, but with a somewhat weaker batch of songs. I love the way the claustrophobic production and Casablancas' vocals come together to convincingly affect coolness and edge. Great guitar tone. And even though the songwriting isn't peak Strokes, it's still pretty damn good. Most of the best songs arrive early on, but there are great tunes sprinkled throughout the duration. Not the equal of Is This It, but a worthy follow-up, and one I look forward to returning to. 4/5.
~~~~~
2. The Raveonettes are a great band and this is a great album:
No offense taken lol. Just saying in general the 70s are probably the best music decade for me. I have no idea whether these records will strengthen or weaken that sentiment.
~~~~~
3. BEA Overall Chart
195. AM - Arctic Monkeys
238. Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs - Derek & The Dominos
262. Hotel California - Eagles
268. Machine Head - Deep Purple
274. Thick As A Brick - Jethro Tull
280. Crime Of The Century - Supertramp
307. Boston - Boston
329. Aqualung - Jethro Tull
335. Silent Alarm - Bloc Party
337. Synchronicity - The Police _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
Good minimal wave, cold wave, whatever wave album from Italy. Sounds like you would expect in a good way, and I can always go for some more stuff of this style and time period.
Baystate, I'm always a fan of The Police.
48 Cameras- Third & Last Imitation of Christ
A la Ping Pong- Extrem Musik a la Ping Pong Phase I
A Tent- Six Empty Places
Ache- De Homine Urbano
AD- Conspiracy
ADN' Ckrystall- Jazz' Mad
AGeM- Sekunda
Agencement- Agencement
Aktuala- Tappeto Volante
Alain Markusfeld- Le monde en รฉtages
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
In And Out Of Control by The Raveonettes
I was a little worried this would've been like a number of albums that were "almost" good for me. Alvvays comes to mind or Le Tigre or whatever idk, those don't really match but it's what comes to mind right now. Anyway, this on the other hand, the vocals jammed with me, and I got a vibe from it that I get from stuff like barbara lynn's you'll lose a good thing or dancin in the streets vibe or whatever, and then like an 80s jangle pop... dunno just a confluence of a lot of good things, and most importantly, done well enough to intrigue me. But yeah, 50s, 60s and 80s vibes for sure, which is interesting since 80s went through like a 50s/60s revival. Of course they have their own thing going for them, like in the Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed). Bit of Noise influences here too. Anyway, dig it.
2. only now realizing your list is alphabetical (somehow I thought you really wanted to listen to albums that had numbers in them ๐คฃ ).
3. Gowi's Top 100 (7 picks left)
7. Diana by Diana Ross
22. Nightfall In Middle-Earth by Blind Guardian
24. Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements by Stereolab
28. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood by Neko Case
30. Rainy Day Music by The Jayhawks
32. The Sunset Tree by The Mountain Goats
33. The Photo Album by Death Cab For Cutie
36. By The Way, I Forgive You by Brandi Carlile
37. Tijuana Moods by Charles Mingus
40. A Sailor's Guide To Earth by Sturgill Simpson
Lady Soul by Aretha Franklin
I think this is the best album along with At Last! I've heard as far as those oldie female soul/blues/R&B singers are concerned (Nina Simone, Etta James etc.). IDK why I group these 3 plus Billie Holiday together, it's probably my lack of knowledge. And they're all classic female singers which I used to confuse with each other, so there's that. Aretha's other album I've heard, I Never Loved a Man... was also excellent, but this was more consistently enjoyable and actually very catchy. Sure, nothing here touches songs like Sinnerman or At Last (not even the fantastic rendition of You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman), but I found the overall package very appealing. There weren't any lulls, the songs were mostly short and they were all the better for it. You just get into one song's groove, it's catchy, cool and then the next song is just as good. Left me craving for more honestly. Vocal performances were incredible, no need to even mention that. 8.5/10
(2)
Tijuana Moods is probably my 2nd favourite Mingus and one of the all time favourites
(3)
Leftovers list + some 2021
Meridian Brothers - Desesperanza
Still Corners - The Last Exit
Lawrence - The Absence of Blight
John Talabot - Fin
The Beginning Of The End - Funky Nassau
Flamengo - Kuลe v hodinkรกch
Sadaf - History of Heat
th1rt3en - A Magnificent Day For An Exorcism
Ataraxie - Slow Transcending Agony
Kashiwa Daisuke - Program Music I _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
(47 minutes of minimalist spiritual jazz-meets-classical-meets subtle electronic touches. I, at first, honestly thought this would probably be something that made me think I just didn't "get it" but by the end of the 1st listen and certainly by the end of the 2nd, I did feel a certain calm come over me and a certain wonder at the beauty of the music and life in general. Its a delicate, stirring, touching album that I highly recommend.)
I am so set on listening to music in search of hooks, interesting riffs, drum fills, showy bite-sized solos, lyrical snippets, word plays, melodic bits, walls of sound, and many many other ear-catching and immediate and tangible things. I listen to most music and it provides what it is quick and there is something distinct and bright and loud and up front to latch on to. Very rarely does an album come along that stops me and slows me and makes me just BE. Occasionally an ambient or new age album will do it, or a more minimalist jazz album, but I listen to those albums so rarely sometimes I forget what it's like to be given a gentle "shhhh" by an album. Obviously, as I am commenting on Promises - this recent collab between electronic artist Floating Points (who I had zero previous experience with), jazz legend Pharaoh Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra - I must be indicating that this was one of those rare albums that made me stop overthinking and stop bloody fidgeting and just experience music. And, yes, you figured me out. That is exactly what I am getting at.
This album on first 2 tries was rejected by me. I was up and about and getting ready for work and I put this on, and it was like my whole body and mind just said "nope" and I couldn't do it and I stopped it and put on probably a loud Grindcore or Post Punk album instead. Then a week or so later I tried again and yet again I felt like I just couldn't give this piece the time and peace it deserved. Finally today, Monday the 12th of April, after a long and stressful weekend of work, I woke up and played this album and almost the same response happened. I heard those same 7 notes played over and over and 4 minutes in I was close to just writing it off as something I just personally "don't get" or "it's not made for me". Then something happened. I told myself to just shut up, be still for a bit and just experience the music. Don't check twitter, don't play some stupid game on your phone, don't do it. Don't look online at other reviews, don't read news stories, don't start reviewing the album track by track, etc. Instead, just be still and listen to the music, the minimal and repetitive electric piano, the soulful and sad and yet peaceful and perfect saxophone "speeches" from Sanders, listen to the subtle orchestral bits swelling and waxing and waning underneath the 2 main musical instruments, listen and observe those subtle changes and the way they slowly grow and then shrink and then grow again. As I did this, I admit I started feeling myself relax and enjoy not just the music more but also I started to appreciate my current situation, I started smelling the proverbial roses. And when the album ended I enjoyed the silence for a few moments and I thought about what I had heard. I started writing this and pushed play again on Promises.
My experience perhaps will be mirrored or at least similar for many other music fanatics that generally don't listen to this type of cerebral, slow and building music. There are no major pay offs in terms of large walls of sound and fury like you'll hear on many other jazz and classical and post rock pieces/albums. The start of the piece may seem familiar for many music fans, but outside of some increased intensity on Movement 6, this album isn't one to build and build until an inevitable loud and intense resolution. This work seems more to be a rumination all the way through. It takes these subtle, minimal elements and themes and rides with them and creates a quiet chamber where the listener can simply Be with the music and think of promises, life, future, past, people you know and people you may yet come to know. It's, for me anyway, a 47 minute piece of music I can put on to gather myself.
That's not say that one can't also listen to this and hear some vibrant and tangible details. Because, there are dozens of moments when I was listening when I heard a particular saxophone melody that was gorgeous and clear, there are moments when the subtle electronic synth part sticks its head out and plays about with something, there are symphonic swells that can make you misty-eyed and inspired, and those are excellent moments. In the main, however, for me anyway, this is an album less involved in moment-to-moment highlights and more involved in creating its own space in this wild world we live in, a space where we can take stock, relax, ruminate and Be ourselves. It does this near-flawlessly and all musicians involved in Promises contribute what they have to creating this atmosphere with no one (not even the legend Pharaoh Sanders) ever seeming to be showy or stealing the show intentionally. Every note and little detail is there to create the atmosphere of the music.
I'd be lying if I said this was 100% my style, or if I said this album alone has sold me on the virtues of minimalism and this sort of slow building atmospheric music. I doubt I will listen to this for a week non-stop or come to the conclusion this is my favorite album of the year. I doubt I will go and do one of those funny music nerd things where I research everything I can on this style and listen to almost exclusively this sort of music for months. I still prefer, given 2 or 3 options before me, a wild and loud and hook-filled album over a slow work of minimalist Third Stream or whatever this is. I will say though, that my expectations were surpassed by this and I have been enriched by having listened to this album a couple times. And, yes, its one of the better albums I've heard this year. And I suspect I will be coming back to it for years to come,
If the genre description or the way this album is spoken of is possibly turning you off or making you think its an abstract and perhaps pretentious album and so you are thinking to avoid it, I recommend going ahead and clearing out 47 minutes of your life and listening. I was in the same boat as those of you who thought it wouldn't connect, and yet it did as you can see from this rambling and pointless little write up. If you finish the album and you don't feel at least a little more at peace and a little more enriched, well, 1.) I will be surprised and 2.) you can move on from the album and listen to your usual jams whatever those may be (There is nothing wrong with that either.).
2.
@LedZep, I really liked Program Music 2 and 3 I think they were, so maybe this will also be cool...
top 10 2021 and 2020 (a couple 2020 albums may be added) albums that I want to hear. They are the top albums on my self-made list of albums Iโve been circling - I made this into a spreadsheet and its getting fucking out of hand, guys!
1. Cull Ficle by Asian Glow
2. Flock by Jane Weaver
3. Fishmonger by Underscores
4. I Became Birds by Home is Where
5. Etemen รnka by Dvne
6. The Cyclic Reckoning by Suffering Hour
3. Made Out of Sound by Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt
7. Songs for the Enamel Queen by Black Sheep Wall
8. Restless Ego by City Light Mosaic
9. Haram by Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
10. Tickley Feather 1 2 3 by Tickley Feather _________________ -Ryan
Tijuana Moods by Charles Mingus
I was missing some signature bass playing (although some unique bowing nonetheless), but still a solid Mingus record. The spoken word/story on a colloquial dream was interesting. Was hoping for a little more latin beats, but understandably not. Also interesting Mingus was born in a border town himself, wonder if that played a role in the record.
For kicks: (I think I kinda agree with this sorting... want to spend more time with his works)
Blues & Roots 4.5
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus 4.5
Mingus Ah Um 4
Let My Children Hear Music 4
Tijuana Moods 3.5
Pithecanthropus Erectus 3.5
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady 3.5
2. Etemen รnka by Dvne (I don't typically love metal music, but thought highly of this one myself)
3. Gowi's Top 100 (6 picks left)
7. Diana by Diana Ross
22. Nightfall In Middle-Earth by Blind Guardian
24. Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements by Stereolab
28. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood by Neko Case
30. Rainy Day Music by The Jayhawks
32. The Sunset Tree by The Mountain Goats
33. The Photo Album by Death Cab For Cutie
36. By The Way, I Forgive You by Brandi Carlile
40. A Sailor's Guide To Earth by Sturgill Simpson
46. Radio City by Big Star
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
My first time trying The Police. I wasn't a fan of the two singles I knew by them, so never bothered to dig deeper. This is a strange album that is never boring, but far from consistently good. It gets off to a good start with the first part of the title track, but then veers into weird, half-baked territory (Mother being the worst offender) until the second part of Synchronicity arrives to close out the a-side. The b-side is significantly better. It starts off with their biggest hit Every Breath You Take, which I'm not a fan of due to its lyrical content. That guitar riff is absolutely classic though. Also I realized I've listened to I'll Be Missing You way more (not a great song either), because some parts of the instrumental took me by surprise. The album then closes on a high note with three of its best songs. Synchronicity is ultimately a disjointed and odd listen, inconsistent in both songwriting and production quality. However, the highs balance out the lows, making it overall a worthwhile album. 3/5.
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2. Black Saint last?!? Heresy!! (jk, I respect your opinion even though I strongly differ)
This isn't my favorite Stereolab record, but it is a great album by one of my favorite bands:
195. AM - Arctic Monkeys
238. Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs - Derek & The Dominos
262. Hotel California - Eagles
268. Machine Head - Deep Purple
274. Thick As A Brick - Jethro Tull
280. Crime Of The Century - Supertramp
307. Boston - Boston
328. Aqualung - Jethro Tull
336. Silent Alarm - Bloc Party
342. War - U2 _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
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Tha1ChiefRocka
RoundTheBend
baystateoftheart
LedZep
Mercury
