This is indeed really good. Like just bright and effusive pop that is catchy as hell and funky at times and just has a nice sound and flow. There are lots of pitch perfect pop moments that (if I understood the language would all the more) make me swoon and want to dance. Yukika released this last year and a highly loved EP this year and I am glad I have finally gotten around to hearing this quite confident and beautiful debut from her. K-Pop is not my thing, and this album - despite my glowing respect - is no exception. With Pop music I really am losing a lot of the fun of it if I can't understand the words. Korean is on my bucketlist of languages to learn, but it is like 23rd on the list and I probably won't ever get past bad, fumbling Spanish in my life. So, maybe there will be a transcendent Korean Language pop album that will overcome the language barrier and become a pop fave, but if this excellently produced and performed K Pop album is any indication, I won't hold my breathe. nStill, I'm glad I heard it, its quite nice and I am starting to get the hype and understand where all those K Pop stans on twitter are coming from when they enthusiastically obsess over the pop coming out of South Korea these last few years.
2.
@Purplepash, okay so this is confusing. When I added that to my 2000 chart i thought that was the 4 CD box set that Rhino put out in 1998 (thought it was 2000) which was massive and had the original double album nuggets collections along with 3 additional disks of stuff. However, that thing on my chart (which I've also heard and is also great) is an excellent condensation of those songs and was released a couple years later. But if you haven't heard the original 1972 release of Nuggets, I recommend that. Or just listen to this and I'll stop being a pedantic asshat... here ya go, my friend. (Nuggets 2, which covers the psych stuff outside of the US is equally amazing.
Most acclaimed Metal (of any kind) albums since 2000 per RYM I haven't heard or feel I never gave proper Time and Attention to (will cut out albums over 80 minutes...because i really don't like long albums. Generally. If Tallest Man On Earth released a 4 hour album it would probably be #1 of the year):
1. Jane Doe by Converge (considering how hugely influential it is on a lot of my favorites this year, time to revisit and give it some TLC.)
2. Blackwater Park by Opeth (Lost touch with them after Orchid lol)
3. Boris at Last -Feedbacker- by Boris (this will be COMPLETELY blind listen. i kno what a noob)
4. White Pony by Deftones (was on constantly as a kid/teen, yet since say 20 can't say I've given it the new spin it deserves)
5. Ashes Against the Grain by Agalloch (this confuses me because i thought the one with the deer was their most loved. anyway, this will be brand new listen first time)
6. Close to a World Below by Immolation (first listen - DEATH METAL GRRRRR!)
7. Crack the Skye by Mastodon (for the love of fucking god don't make me confront this album again! ๐ )
8. Panopticon by Isis (its been a looong time. remember being disappointed it wasn't "real" sludge)
9. Those Once Loyal by Bolt Thrower (really like to near-love their early stuff, never heard this latter-career peak album)
10. Dead as Dreams by Weakling (would be a first listen. Could use a pick-me-up and what better thing to hear than some "depressive black metal")
I think we have a good variety of sub-genres there! Black, Death, Folk, Sludge Metals some Nu and Alternative Metal, some mathcore/metalcore, some progressive metal (please for the love of god don't nominate THAT one! some "post" metal (please don't use that term unironically!) - yeah solid list. can't go wrong with picking 9 of 'em. _________________ -Ryan
Yeah, the four disc compilation is essential listening for psych and garage fans. But it's not on BEA because it's technically a reissue of the 1972 original. I second Mercury's recommendation to listen to the 1972 original for this game, which is the best of the four discs. But at some point later on, I strongly suggest listening to the whole box set. _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
A cool and compact debut EP from the NYC indie darlings. I actually like this better than their first LP. It doesn't approach the dazzling highs of Maps or Y Control, but it's much more consistent and has no complete duds. While I'm not fully on board with Bang or Art Star, they're still pretty good. The remaining three songs are very good. Karen O has great vocals and the band brings a lot of energy. While this doesn't feel essential, it's a fun listen, and flies by at less than 14 minutes. 3.5/5.
~~~~~
2. I've only heard Blackwater Park, and didn't like it. This one intrigues me most:
U: War - U2
V: Veedon Fleece - Van Morrison
W: Live Drugs - The War On Drugs
Y: Relayer - Yes
Z: Look What You Did To Me - Z-Ro
&: ๊ณต์ค๋๋ (Gongjoong Doduk) - ๊ณต์ค๋๋ (Mid-Air Thief)
#: Cominโ Out Hard - 8Ball & MJG
A: One In A Million - Aaliyah
B: Live In Cook County Jail - B.B. King
C: Two Airships / Exploder Falls - Candy Claws _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Stellar stuff. At first, with track 1, I mostly thought "hmm... I kind of get the appeal. Like, its drone metal, wow listen to all those textures." and then after that initial song, which in isolation is cool but would have bored me over a whole album, track 2 happened and it was...like Idk, it was amazing! It built right off the opening drone ambient piece and built up into this incredibly melodic, emotional, perfect guitar crescendo. The leads especially at the end, but throughout as well, sounded like a modern drone metal answer to "Maggot Brain". Just wow. Track 3 has vocals and the vocals aren't amazing in any way. But the music itself is pretty awesome, with some killer riffing and a whole beautiful world created. Track 4 was Noise, like noise noise. But you know how some Noise can be just kind of uninspired nonsense while other noise can, somehow, create a whole body and mind and spirit fusion where you are like phased into a different reality just by the sheer overwhelming and exact noise on display? Well, the noise on track 4 here is and was, for me, the latter. It warped my mind. Track 5 more good noise but with drums and a bit of dissonant noise rock and then...roll credits.
In all 44 minutes, 5 tracks, all distinct, all related, all dissonant and wantonly uncommercial, all very good to transcendent all the way through. VERY impressed by this album and group. (Especially the guitarist, especially track 2, she is a total fucking beast of texture and feel). I don't know why I put off this album and band for so long. I guess I saw the descriptions, the art, the whole package and just thought it would be boring, pretentious dreck that at best I would feel smart listening to. I see the error of my ways.
2.
@BayStateoftheArt, Yes is a good band, Relayer has some insane moments, so I nominate for thee...
Most acclaimed Metal albums (of any kind) albums since 2000 1996 per RYM I haven't heard or feel I never gave proper Time and Attention to (will cut out albums over 80 minutes in most cases. I expanded slightly the year range from last 21 to last 25 because there are a couple right before 2000 that I really need to get my shit together and listen to or newly hear. Also 25 years is a nicer number than 21.
1. Jane Doe by Converge (considering how hugely influential it is on a lot of my favorites this year, time to revisit and give it some TLC.)
2. Blackwater Park by Opeth (Lost touch with them after Orchid lol)
3. From Mars to Sirius by Gojira (a band I mostly know from Youtube reaction channels and from people trying to find bands somewhat like Tool.)
4. White Pony by Deftones (was on constantly as a kid/teen, yet since say 20 can't say I've given it the new spin it deserves)
5. Ashes Against the Grain by Agalloch (this confuses me because i thought the one with the deer was their most loved. anyway, this will be brand new listen first time)
6. Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk by Emperor (Time to relisten to this now that I kinda like Black Metal...tried awhile back and thought it was ok i guess.
7. Crack the Skye by Mastodon (for the love of fucking god don't make me confront this album again! ๐ )
8. Obscura by Gorguts (considering this is why I expanded the years and considering how much i love recent Gorguts worshipers, its time I relisten to this)
9. Those Once Loyal by Bolt Thrower (really like to near-love their early stuff, never heard this latter-career peak album)
10. None So Vile by Cryptopsy (listened once and remember being mildly disgusted. But those were earlier and simpler times and maybe i'll like this brand of brutal death metal now) _________________ -Ryan
First, this cover is dope. I would watch a movie set there. Now for the music. Side A of Relayer is taken up by epic The Gates Of Delirium, an impressive opus that takes detours and sometimes falls into the over-indulgence trap. Side B kicks off with Sound Chaser, which has more guitar shredding than I've ever heard in a Yes song, but there's not enough else going on to make it well-rounded. The album concludes with To Be Over, which is probably my favorite track of the three, even though it's the least acclaimed. It might not be as virtuosic, but it works better as a song. Overall, the music is quintessential Yes: technically amazing prog that flirts with greatness but doesn't quite put all the pieces together. The only one of the four top-ranked Yes albums that I wouldn't put in that category is Close To The Edge, which is a thoroughly great record. But don't get me wrong; this is cool and a very good listen, even though it's not a great one. 3.5/5.
~~~~~
2. I like the one with the deer but also haven't heard this, so let's see how it is:
U: War - U2
V: Veedon Fleece - Van Morrison
W: Live Drugs - The War On Drugs
Y: Summer Sun - Yo La Tengo
Z: Look What You Did To Me - Z-Ro
&: ๊ณต์ค๋๋ (Gongjoong Doduk) - ๊ณต์ค๋๋ (Mid-Air Thief)
#: Cominโ Out Hard - 8Ball & MJG
A: One In A Million - Aaliyah
B: Live In Cook County Jail - B.B. King
C: Two Airships / Exploder Falls - Candy Claws _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
Sadly, this music is not very extreme. In fact, it's quite pleasant. Spacey, new agey, German electronic with acoustic instrumentation thrown in. It was a fine listen, but nothing too exciting.
I'll pick Veedon Fleece by Van Morrison.
A Tent- Six Empty Places
AD- Conspiracy
ADN' Ckrystall- Jazz' Mad
AGeM- Sekunda
Agencement- Agencement
Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale- Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale
Alvaro the Chilean With the Singing Nose- Drinkin My Own Sperm
Amber Route- Snail Headed Victrolas
Ame son- Catalyse
Anders Koppel- Aftenlandet & Regnbuefuglen
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
I've never been the biggest Marvin Gaye fan growing up (nor did I hear a lot of his music), but I've come to appreciate and even love his records when I was going through top BEA albums a century and a half ago (really it's just several years). I remember liking all 4 of his main albums almost equally, but none of them are in my regular rotation, which means this was me revisiting his discog for the first time in a while and updating my opinions on this soul great. (I do think What's Going On is an exception, I gave it a not very focused spin when that Rolling Stone list dropped iirc.) And I have to say I still don't get why this would be considered the best album ever. It's a great one don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure if it's even a pinnacle of 70s soul, never mind all of popular music. I still love several other soul albums much better, but it might be different strokes for different folks I guess. That aside, I got a lot of joy from this relisten. The universal themes, fantastic percussion, smooth song transitions and brilliant flow of the album all make for an instant classic. Religion, racial struggles, even an ode to ecology (possibly the best one ever written) are all observed from a standpoint of a pop lyrical genius. The highlight is Right On imo, which isn't weird considering my love of lengthy album centerpiece songs. Unfortunately, didn't like Let's Get It On and I Want You that much, while Here, My Dear was pretty damn good. As far as What's Going On is concerned, it's high 8.5/10
(2)
Catalyse
(3)
RYM overall albums I haven't rated (FL - first time listen, probably)
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
Can - Tago Mago
Elliott Smith - Either/Or
Prince - Purple Rain
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (FL)
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
The Kinks - The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (FL)
Milton Nascimento & Lรด Borges - Clube da Esquina (FL)
Can - Ege Bamyasฤฑ
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
That's so interesting... I wouldn't have thought of Boris as metal in a million years. I'm glad others know genres well enough.
Glad you liked Boris. It's the shit. I listened to a couple others and was always impressed. Not a one off one either is all I'm saying.
Yeah, looking at their discog I see a lot of legendary albums (or underground masterpieces) that I also need to get to. Excited about that. Not all are classified as metal first and foremost.
I was, funnily enough, listening to The Mantle when Bay came in with the clutch nomination of this follow-up album. Both The Mantle and Ashes Against The Grain are almost equally on average loved by their fans.
Listening to The Mantle brought back memories of BEA years past. There was a prominent member who adored that album and I checked it out initially on his recommendation. It was also nominated for a tournament and I have a distinct recollection of mowing the lawn in the summer of 2014 while listening to The Mantle. Anyway, stupid and uber-personal anti-review tidbits aside, I never "got it" back then. Listened yesterday and still don't love The Mantle - respect it and admire it, yes - but not love. The folk elements on that album are cool and the arrangements are cool, the riffs are pretty good but not heavily featured. The vocals on their 2002 album weren't amazing in my opinion, the black metal singing was particularly fragile. And I guess I just saw that album as one big, towering, 70 minute "metal" slab of deep meaning and deeply felt storytelling through music. It all went over my head back in the early parts of last decade and still to this day I find my response to it is not yet fully coalesced into looking at the whole work as a grand statement. I'm still thinking perhaps a bit like an old-head, where are the riffs? the solos? the hooks? the breakdowns? where are the songs that I love on their own? These are still what I am listening for in metal and rock and really all music to a large degree,
Okay, and now onto their 2005 follow up to that album, this album, ASHES AGAINST THE GRAIN. I liked this more. The reasons for liking it more are pretty tangible - 10 minutes shorter. Better and more solid singing (less singing and almost entirely gnarled black metal-ish growls and the growls are more assured and better produced), more distinctly metal in sound and flow, less folk (actually not sure I hear a single acoustic guitar on this beast - lol the SECOND after typing that and as I was relistening to this, there is a brief strum of an acoustic on "Limbs" lol - still MUCH less), and just generally I feel this album is more successful for me at conjuring epic soundscapes in my mind. Not a fan of the drummer or the drum sound (don't know who to blame here or if its a mix of how the drums are mixed or how they are played... they feature few artful or virtuosic embellishments and I guess I like it when the drummer is stealing the show a little bit which doesn't do here or on The Mantle).
This is a good to great album with moments of extreme beauty, there are parts here that are so delicately and perfectly crafted it blows my fucking mind. Generally, though, I will say its still a bit too Heady and High-concept for me. I listen to this and it reminds me of some really acclaimed Post-Rock albums I've had similar reactions to. Its a feeling of respect for the craft and the vision without almost any emotional buy-in. I guess that makes sense that designation of "Post Metal" (although I hate it and I hate the trend of putting "post" before any genre when their is a wave of groups or artists that take a basic sound and do something different with it. Seems lazy. Maybe I'm just not filled in on the musical theory of why and when that prefix is added. Maybe I need to create a genre called "Post-Singer/Songwriter". Anyway, I digress. - I think I have had similar reactions to some of these classic Neurosis albums and other Atmospheric Sludge albums, or these high concept Black Metal albums, and similar reaction to Opeth or or or.... when I hear a huge labyrinthian, very ambitious huge concept flowing metal album I tend to onlky respect it and they rarely scratch that itch of having clear-cut moments of emotional resonance. Also I suppose when a band starts at 11 in their LARGER THAN LIFE builds and atmosphere I don't have a chance to really get attached to the smaller and less epic "characters" or sounds and so when the big pay off happens I don't feel what I think I should feel. If one of these albums started with a pretty catchy and straight-forward Thrash song and then slowly and over several tracks built up the world around them, I maybe would be all shivery and curled up in a ball and crying when the huge epic conclusion happened. Or if they started with a straight up fucking folk ballad with a nasally voice and a slide guitar and shit and then it turned into a pop rock song and then a hard rock and metal and then thrashy metal and maybe an anfry hardcore punk - thrash crossover and then ratcheted it up until by the end it was just this massive 30 minute amorphous wall of gooey "post" metal guitar screams, I think THAT would be an album that would break me. Not an album like this.
But this album is really good and I think I left the real world a long time ago. sorry for the rambles folks.
Okay, and the final set of songs are amazing and terrifying and do sound like the world is crashing down, and civilization is going bye bye. The riff that comes in on ""Not Unlike The Waves" is some of the best stuff I've heard in modern-ish metal. The lelody and atmosphere of both "Limbs" and ESPECIALLY "Falling Snow" is god-tier build ups. There I spoke a little of this album itself. 3.5-4/5 - (oh and Boris at last feedbacker was like 4-4.25/5)
2.
@LedZep, agree on a lot of what you said about What's Going On. But I adore Lets Get It On by far the most, so based off what you said and what my allegiances are in life, we are no longer internet friends. jk. but seriously, LGIO is a classic.
One of those albums I constantly stole from my older sister when she was at friends houses and I would listen to and cry with at 11. Hope you like it. I don't adore it and it ain't on my overall but I myself was planning on revisiting it and so would love to hear your opinion.
------------------------
3.
Most acclaimed Metal albums (of any kind) albums since 2000 1996 per RYM I haven't heard or feel I never gave proper Time and Attention to (will cut out albums over 80 minutes in most cases. I expanded slightly the year range from last 21 to last 25 because there are a couple right before 2000 that I really need to get my shit together and listen to or newly hear. Also 25 years is a nicer number than 21.
1. Jane Doe by Converge (considering how hugely influential it is on a lot of my favorites this year, time to revisit and give it some TLC.)
2. Blackwater Park by Opeth (Lost touch with them after Orchid lol)
3. Edge of Sanity by Crimson (skipped 1 album to add this, because its only 40 minutes and I just am drawn to some super proggy melodic death at the moment... I'll come back for you soon, Immolation!)
4. White Pony by Deftones (was on constantly as a kid/teen, yet since say 20 can't say I've given it the new spin it deserves)
5. At the Heart of Winter by Immortal (lets see if this classic of classic black metal album hits different now with my new self.)
6. Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk by Emperor (Time to relisten to this now that I kinda like Black Metal...tried awhile back and thought it was ok i guess.
7. Crack the Skye by Mastodon (for the love of fucking god don't make me confront this album again! ๐ )
8. Obscura by Gorguts (considering this is why I expanded the years and considering how much i love recent Gorguts worshipers, its time I relisten to this)
9. Those Once Loyal by Bolt Thrower (really like to near-love their early stuff, never heard this latter-career peak album)
10. None So Vile by Cryptopsy (listened once and remember being mildly disgusted. But those were earlier and simpler times and maybe i'll like this brand of brutal death metal now) _________________ -Ryan
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Purplepash
Mercury
baystateoftheart
RoundTheBend
Tha1ChiefRocka
LedZep
LeoMarMal
judas_iscariot
Vermont