First Utterance by Comus
This was super interesting. Almost like a blend of folk and early metal (which was often more psychedelia-influenced). I wish this band had more to offer, because the 50ish minute album + 20ish minute EP left me wanting more. It doesn't surprise me much that Comus isn't more well-known, since their second album seemed to get rid of everything that made First Utterance interesting. It's also easy to see how later metal bands like Opeth drew so much inspiration from Comus.
This album felt VERY similar to 666 by Aphrodite's Child: themes of biblical violence layered over psychedelic folk and early metal-infused instrumentals. Though the Greek band Aphrodite's Child actually had English lyrics that were easier to understand than London-based Comus. Anyway, thanks for recommending this. 4/5 easy.
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Opus Eponymous by Ghost (SE)
Let's go with this Purplepash. I need to listen to more Ghost, everything I've heard has been great.
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RYM Top albums (including live, but not archival)
- Irish Tour '74 by Rory Gallagher (live)
- Sun Bear Concerts Piano Solo: Recorded in Japan by Keith Jarrett (live)
- Silent Hill 2 by Akira Yamaoka (soundtrack)
- Rétrospective Vol. 1 & 2 by Magma (live)
- Colors_Live by Between the Buried and Me (live)
- Live by Magma (live)
- At San Quentin by Johnny Cash (live)
- You Will Never Know Why by Sweet Trip
- Strangers in the Night by UFO (live)
- Live-Evil by Miles Davis (live) _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Hi Purplepash, glad you liked that Gareth Liddiard album. The story of how I learned about that album is quite simple. I love singer/songwriter albums and folk songwriting-y albums and so as I have done many times since and before, maybe 5 years ago I made a custom chart on RYM for top rated singer/songwriter albums of the 21st century and that came up and I really Liked it. I never took the next logical step and looked into his bands and other work. May do that now that I have a bit more background thanks to your comment! That’s cool that he grew up around where you did. I have similar feelings toward Jeff Tweedy if Uncle Tupelo/Wilco.
@EyeKanFly, glad you loved that Comus album. Agree it’s great and I feel it’s a super singular album. Almost has an air of mystery and strangeness to it that kinda gives it, for me, another layer of intrigue. And yeah I think I read somewhere (on the internet and you know you can always believe what you read here) that they had a big influence on lots of black metal and folk metal bands. I can hear that influence for sure.
This was excellent. I felt while listening that this is a gorgeous and consistent and melodically rich album, that is subtle. Subtler than Selling England by the Pound and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. What I mean is quite simplistic - there are few “WHOA! HOLY SHIZ!” moments on Foxtrot. There are moments of grandeur and moments of propulsive heaviness on Selling England… and The Lamb… which this album doesn’t have. At least based off what I noticed this time through.
Also this album doesn’t sound super dated. The main thing in old Prog of this era that, for me, dates it and can admittedly make me feel a little embarrassed is that super bright, outlandish keyboard sound. That sound I didn’t notice until the massive end track “Supper’s Ready”. It was good keyboard playing and technical and expressive - but was less my thing than most of the other art rock, literate softness that dominated the first tracks and most of the rest of Supper’s Ready.
Supper’s Ready tho, I have to say, was incredible. When I saw 23 minutes (broken into 7 parts that aren’t noted on Apple Music) I was a little daunted. My experience with these types of MASSIVE suites in Prog is hit and miss. I consider Yes’ Close to the Edge to be perhaps the single greatest “song” I’ve ever heard and I worship it. But I consider Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick to be mostly a slog. And even Yes couldn’t capture that same level of brilliance in subsequent albums with 18-22 minute tracks (though none of them are less than great). Anyway, back to Supper’s Ready, I thought the lyrics and the whole equal parts philosophical and heart-wrenching writing to be masterful and the way it builds and crescendos at the end would put GY!BE to shame.
The rest of the track list was cool. Need a few more listens to really pinpoint particularly great moments. But there were half a dozen times I was struck by some chord change or melody and thought it was cool as hell.
Great album. Will revisit.
Oh and I went ahead and listened again to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. After Foxtrot I was just in a Genesis/Peter Gabriel mood. And… it was great. Like awesome. Not sure which brand of artsy Prog I liked more - Foxtrot or Lamb - but both were excellent in unique ways. Genesis really were on a tear in the early 70s. I’ve heard Nursery Cryme is also quite good. Will get to that in this game eventually - but probably I was skip ahead and listen to it before we get that far down (or up this list - as we are working from both sides). Peter Gabriel vocally and personality wise is one of the most strange and unique and genius rock musicians of all time. I kind of already knew that but this last 2.5 hours of listening sort of cemented that take.
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@EyeKanFly, I assure you I am not timing these so I am always the one to nominate for you lol. I went and listened and came back and thought I was gonna pick for LedZep and only just now discovered that 2 newer posts have shown up. Anyway, I enjoy picking for you because we are doing similar things on this thread.
So, I pick next you listen to… perhaps my fave live album ever (top 10 at least) from my 2nd or 3rd favorite artist of all time:
RYM top 1000 albums which I haven't rated due to never heard 'em or because I can't honestly remember much or anything about the albums. I will take the top 5 I haven't heard or need to revisit plus the bottom 5 of the top 1000 that I haven't heard. Just to spice it up. Some interesting stuff down at #997 and stuff.
The ratio working down and up will always be 5/5 with that little dividing line indicating where the bottom and the top are divided.
Just albums now. Excluding Classical and any sort of soundtrack or film score.
The asterisk before some albums indicates I have never listened to this album. All of these, including ones with no asterisk, are quite vague and faint in my recollection and need revisits.
*1. Mirage by Camel/1974/RYM #265 all time album (A totally classic symphonic prog album and one that I can't recall listening to. Very intrigued by this one.)
2. Getz / Gilberto by Stan Getz & João Gilberto featuring Antônio Carlos Jobim/1964/RYM #266 all time album (Surely I have heard this. I even distinctly buying it used on CD a decade ago or so. I remember it being kinda cool and unique and so forth. But my recollection is vague enough that I didn't rate it. So yeah here is another choice for y'all.)
*3. The Ape of Naples by Coil/2005/RYM #274 all time album (Here it is again on the list. I have heard this but I paid a criminally small amount of attention. Remember vaguely that it was good. It’s apparently a great post-industrial album. What is there not to love?)
4. Fôrça bruta by Jorge Ben/1970/RYM #278 all time album (This is an album I know I’ve heard but can’t remember much about it and so haven’t rated it. But Jorge Ben was one of the first artists that overcame the language barrier and really blew me away a few years ago. A Tábua de Esmeralda and Africa Brasil are both absolutely mind blowing and I adore em. So this one is a cool one I’m looking forward to revisiting.)
*5. Stratosphere by Duster/1997/RYM #284 all time album (I've been wanting to check this out for a long, long time. Slowcore, indie stuff i guess. I heard its really solid, although the genre tags aren't ones that strike me as faves of mine. Anyway, yeah, blah blah.
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*6. All My Heroes Are Cornballs by JPEGMAFIA/2019/RYM #992 all time album (Very recent album that I don't think I've ever pushed play on. Experimental hip hop not always my main forte, but I here this is legit great.
*7. Somewhere Along the Highway by Cult of Luna/2006/RYM #996 all time album (Okay, so this is a famous somewhat modern metal album which is atmospheric sludge and I have never heard this all the way through. I may have sampled it when I was trying desperately to find atmo sludge I actually dug a few years back. Oh and the genre "Post Metal" is used to describe this - a possible red flag... we shall see.)
*8. Geraes by Milton Nascimento/1976/RYM #997 all time album (I have never heard this album nor heard OF it. I respect some - maybe only a couple - other Milton Nascimento albums which seem to be more famous. But yeah I always enjoy listening to some MPB legends.)
9. All We Love We Leave Behind by Converge/2012/RYM #998 all time album (Ah yes, 2012, the year everything changed. I joined BEA and started obsessively talking music. Anyway, I think I listened to this then. It was ... a bit extreme for my tastes at the time. I have since revisited it a time or 2. Its been a long long time since last heard and haven't revisited it after finally loving Jane Doe.)
*10. Confield by Autechre/2001/RYM #999 all time album (For those of you who sometimes read my lil diary, sorry I have not been doing my 1990s deep dive posts. I will return to it. But anyway, Autechre is on that list of great 90s acts. And this is a legendary album I can say I have never finished but started a few times.) _________________ -Ryan
Orange by Caroline Shaw / Attacca Quartet
Her 2021 release was great, but this was even better. Really compelling quartet, and the voices are unique, yet not abrasive. Inviting, but not simple. Great work.
2. Take it off the top - I remember some of those and thinking meh.
3. Craola (last pick although I kinda don't want it to be... hehe):
5. Baabel by Leïla Martial
8. The Exotica Album by Øyvind Torvund
10. Circles by Anne Paceo
13. Shoshan by שי בן צור [Shye Ben Tzur]
14. Orange by Caroline Shaw / Attacca Quartet
16. Aventurine by Linda May Han Oh
17. Excava 11 by Spartan Fidelity
18. From The Cliffs by Guillemots
19. Jewels Of The Sea by Les Baxter
20. Carrier by Daniel K. Böhm
Live-Evil by Miles Davis
First off, I had no idea this album was partially recorded in Washington, DC! Likely would have gone in the chart in my signature had I known that. Probably in lieu of one of the other live jazz albums recorded in DC.
I enjoyed this immensely more than Dark Magus, or really any other 70s-era Davis album with the possible exception of Bitches Brew, though honestly it might be close because I don't love Bitches Brew like I used to. My only critique with this album is in song lengths: and not because some of them were too long. Some of the shorter tracks had really cool concepts that I felt could have been explored more deeply. It's an interesting mix, three songs between 2 and 4 minutes, a 6-minute medley (IMO the weakest track here), one 15-minute track, and three 20+ minute tracks. The opening track "Sivad" is the 15-minute one, and I feel as though this easily could've been a 30-minute jam, I enjoyed every moment of this. Same with "What I Say" (21 minutes), and "Nem Um Talvez" (only 4 minutes). The closing track is the longest at 26 minutes, and quite frankly I feel like even this could have gone on for longer. It's incredibly rare that a 1 hour 20 minute album leaves me wanting for more, but Live-Evil has certainly done that. At some point I am going to need to listen to the full 6 hours of the 1970 Cellar Door Sessions, a part of which was edited to create parts of Live-Evil (and then it's possible that the Cellar Door Sessions goes into my Washington, DC chart 🤣 ).
This is probably an album I would've checked out eventually regardless of whether it was in this game, but I may not have checked it out for a long time if it wasn't selected. Mercury, it's funny that you've coincidentally been picking most of my recent albums since we're drawing from (different versions of) the same chart. And your picks have been great so far. The last 2 I listened to may have been my favorites so far.
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was about to suggest Orange until I saw that's what you just listened to lol. I haven't listened to any of these (Craola's chart seems to be true unknowns to me), so by the process of judging a book an album by it's cover, let's go with:
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RYM Top albums (including live, but not archival)
- Irish Tour '74 by Rory Gallagher (live)
- Sun Bear Concerts Piano Solo: Recorded in Japan by Keith Jarrett (live)
- Silent Hill 2 by Akira Yamaoka (soundtrack)
- Rétrospective Vol. 1 & 2 by Magma (live)
- Colors_Live by Between the Buried and Me (live)
- Live by Magma (live)
- At San Quentin by Johnny Cash (live)
- You Will Never Know Why by Sweet Trip
- Strangers in the Night by UFO (live)
- Live at Birdland by John Coltrane (live) _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Of all the recent albums I’ve been listening to for the RYM top 1000 list, this is probably my fave. Off screen I went and listened ahead and listened to Fiona’s When A Pawn… and that was another one I adored and gave 4.5 score to. It’s rare that I hear an album and like it so much so quickly. This album is stellar.
I don’t know exactly why I love it so much. I think because it has an emotional core to it that I don’t find in much Prog. Some of the melodies especially the keyboard parts and a good amount of guitar lines are so gorgeous and soaring and powerful. The guitar line/reoccurring melody on Lady Fantasy is sublime and some of the coolest and most rich stuff I’ve heard in awhile.
The band also can rock more intensely when needed. It’s awe-inspiring when they just “let loose” (in quotes because they are always controlled and precise even in the more intense rocking moments).
Also technical mastery has always been something that is almost a direct index of how much I can really relate to music. I guess on either extreme I don’t feel a connection. If a band or artist sucks and can’t play for shit I also don’t like it much or connect. (Usually). But certainly when I hear intensely technical Prog or prog death metal or fusion sometimes this just sorta bewilders and hard me out of the moment. This happens a lot with those genres. But with this album and hopefully band (I’ll soon listen to their other classics) while sure there is a precise sound and there are rhythm changes and I’m sure what is happening is complex and is cat nip for Prog heads, I can’t think of a single time I weird change or uptick in technicality took me out of the heart of the song. My immersion is never broken with this album. I think this is because the songs and the melodies or gorgeous and so well written and logical.
The vocals are the only part I don’t think is 9-10/10. They are fine and they sound peaceful and they work well in the context of the music and it’s great not hearing a showboat lead singer, one who just embodies the song and does his job in a rock solid way. They aren’t super distinctive, but they’re good and basically just what this album needs.
Anyway, I love this. Listening for the 3rd time now. And I think I like it more. This is possible overall chart worthy once I take it off private. Certainly going high on a super super stacked decade chart. I highly recommend this album to all ye music fans. Even if you don’t generally love Prog rock.
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@EyeKanFly, me again. I’m finding it fun following your posts. And I’m glad you’ve dug the last 2 so much (especially happy you liked Live-Evil)
So, let’s see… I think this is good from the little I have heard. Features some sick guitar god shit.
RYM top 1000 albums which I haven't rated due to never heard 'em or because I can't honestly remember much or anything about the albums. I will take the top 5 I haven't heard or need to revisit plus the bottom 5 of the top 1000 that I haven't heard. Just to spice it up. Some interesting stuff down at #997 and stuff.
The ratio working down and up will always be 5/5 with that little dividing line indicating where the bottom and the top are divided.
Just albums now. Excluding Classical and any sort of soundtrack or film score.
The asterisk before some albums indicates I have never listened to this album. All of these, including ones with no asterisk, are quite vague and faint in my recollection and need revisits.
1. Getz / Gilberto by Stan Getz & João Gilberto featuring Antônio Carlos Jobim/1964/RYM #266 all time album (Surely I have heard this. I even distinctly buying it used on CD a decade ago or so. I remember it being kinda cool and unique and so forth. But my recollection is vague enough that I didn't rate it. So yeah here is another choice for y'all.)
*2. The Ape of Naples by Coil/2005/RYM #274 all time album (Here it is again on the list. I have heard this but I paid a criminally small amount of attention. Remember vaguely that it was good. It’s apparently a great post-industrial album. What is there not to love?)
3. Fôrça bruta by Jorge Ben/1970/RYM #278 all time album (This is an album I know I’ve heard but can’t remember much about it and so haven’t rated it. But Jorge Ben was one of the first artists that overcame the language barrier and really blew me away a few years ago. A Tábua de Esmeralda and Africa Brasil are both absolutely mind blowing and I adore em. So this one is a cool one I’m looking forward to revisiting.)
*4. Stratosphere by Duster/1997/RYM #284 all time album (I've been wanting to check this out for a long, long time. Slowcore, indie stuff i guess. I heard its really solid, although the genre tags aren't ones that strike me as faves of mine. Anyway, yeah, blah blah.
*5. Flood by Boris/2000/RYM #287 all time album (Never heard this one. Started listening yesterday and listened to first track and it was pretty amazing.)
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*6. Soul Station by Hank Mobley/1960/RYM #991 all time album (Never even heard of this album u til a couple days ago while strolling what was coming up on this game. I listened for a bit and man I really enjoyed the playing on track 1 and 2. Hard Bop classic that I somehow had never heard of.)
*7. All My Heroes Are Cornballs by JPEGMAFIA/2019/RYM #992 all time album (Very recent album that I don't think I've ever pushed play on. Experimental hip hop not always my main forte, but I here this is legit great.
*8. Somewhere Along the Highway by Cult of Luna/2006/RYM #996 all time album (Okay, so this is a famous somewhat modern metal album which is atmospheric sludge and I have never heard this all the way through. I may have sampled it when I was trying desperately to find atmo sludge I actually dug a few years back. Oh and the genre "Post Metal" is used to describe this - a possible red flag... we shall see.)
*9. Geraes by Milton Nascimento/1976/RYM #997 all time album (I have never heard this album nor heard OF it. I respect some - maybe only a couple - other Milton Nascimento albums which seem to be more famous. But yeah I always enjoy listening to some MPB legends.)
*10. Confield by Autechre/2001/RYM #999 all time album (For those of you who sometimes read my lil diary, sorry I have not been doing my 1990s deep dive posts. I will return to it. But anyway, Autechre is on that list of great 90s acts. And this is a legendary album I can say I have never finished but started a few times.) _________________ -Ryan
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Mdou Moctar - Afrique Victime
I will shamelessly admit I had no idea who Mdou Moctar is prior to listening to this album, so you can easily imagine it was quite the experience, something like a punch in the face. The first thing I noticed is that - in my opinion at least - the production’s handling is exemplary. Despite adding some not so subtle psychedelic touches to the African/blues rhythms, everything remains so bright, almost crystal-clear. Of course, this can’t be a coincidence, it has to be intentional and I believe it is connected with the artist’s general attitude towards his art. Music is for him a means to an end, used to raise the awareness and cohesiveness of the community, so he needs a "transparent" sound that will allow his point to come across more easily -other factors that contribute to that result are a slight tendency towards repetitiveness and the contrast between the light nature of the music and the dark themes explored by the lyrics. In that sense, the obvious comparison as far as 2021 albums go would be - considering how much I liked that one, this is one of the biggest compliments I can give - We Are by Jon Batiste. Actually the first part of the above sentence regarding the value of music in terms of spreading socio-politcal messages is almost a copy/paste from my comment on that album, as I find it fits like a glove here as well. The vocals are another great example of his willingness to get everyone involved, a “the more the merrier” mentality if you will. The fact that he is a modern guitar hero doesn’t hurt either. When he gets too fancy he somewhat loses me (if I'm being completely honest, I’m not that much of a guitar guy to begin with, so it's more my problem than anything else), when he compromises some of his flair for lyricism’s sake, the world instantly becomes a better place, he is so convincing yet not forcing, you 'll follow him of your own free will without asking any questions or having second thoughts. I read somewhere that the studio barely does his work justice and you have to watch him live to conceive the full extent of his artistic statement, a claim which I suspect may be true.
2.
It was one of the first albums I listened during my recent 1960's exploration. Can't say I loved it, but I think you stand a much better chance and I don't care about anything else on that list except JPEGMAFIA Hank Mobley - Soul Station
3.
EyeKanFly's Top 2021 albums
1. Nafs At Peace - جو بھی [Jaubi]
2. Palais D'argile - Feu! Chatterton
3. Black To The Future - Sons Of Kemet
4. Slash And Burn - Ghlow
5. 42 Days 四十二天 -Southeast Of Rain 东南有雨
6. The Off-Season - J. Cole
7. Cor - Anavitória
8. Let's Throw A Party - Sammy Rae
9. No Branches Without Trees - Steven Van Betten & Andrew Rowan
10. Echoes Of Africa - The Invisible Session _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
went ahead and listened also to that 2019 JPEGMAFIA album. I thought Cornballs was pretty good. I thought this one, Soul Station, was good. Its another Hard Bop/Jazz of this era album that I thought was admirable and well played (obviously) and I especially love the subdued and versatile playing of Mobley on sax. IO liked the bass playing a lot and the drummer was dope. Some of the extended piano solos and bits were alright but less my thing. Overall, well, this was good. I enjoyed listening to this while soing some boring work from home. Sorry my jazz comments (and others - its not just jazz - are so bland usually.)
have only heard Cor and thought it was pretty okay. This one though is one I at least know of the artist and I think you're a pretty big hip hop fan. so here you go.
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3.
Yet another change:
RYM top 1000 albums which I haven't rated due to never heard 'em or because I can't honestly remember much or anything about the albums. I will take the top 5 I haven't heard or need to revisit plus the bottom 5 of the top 1000 that I haven't heard. Just to spice it up. Some interesting stuff down at #997 and stuff.
The ratio working down and up will always be 5/5 with that little dividing line indicating where the bottom and the top are divided.
Just albums now. Excluding Classical and any sort of soundtrack or film score.
The asterisk before some albums indicates I have never listened to this album. All of these, including ones with no asterisk, are quite vague and faint in my recollection and need revisits.
1. Getz / Gilberto by Stan Getz & João Gilberto featuring Antônio Carlos Jobim/1964/RYM #266 all time album (Surely I have heard this. I even distinctly buying it used on CD a decade ago or so. I remember it being kinda cool and unique and so forth. But my recollection is vague enough that I didn't rate it. So yeah here is another choice for y'all.)
*2. The Ape of Naples by Coil/2005/RYM #274 all time album (Here it is again on the list. I have heard this but I paid a criminally small amount of attention. Remember vaguely that it was good. It’s apparently a great post-industrial album. What is there not to love?)
3. Fôrça bruta by Jorge Ben/1970/RYM #278 all time album (This is an album I know I’ve heard but can’t remember much about it and so haven’t rated it. But Jorge Ben was one of the first artists that overcame the language barrier and really blew me away a few years ago. A Tábua de Esmeralda and Africa Brasil are both absolutely mind blowing and I adore em. So this one is a cool one I’m looking forward to revisiting.)
*4. Stratosphere by Duster/1997/RYM #284 all time album (I've been wanting to check this out for a long, long time. Slowcore, indie stuff i guess. I heard its really solid, although the genre tags aren't ones that strike me as faves of mine. Anyway, yeah, blah blah.
*5. Flood by Boris/2000/RYM #287 all time album (Never heard this one. Started listening yesterday and listened to first track and it was pretty amazing.)
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*6. El patio by Triana/1975/RYM #989 all time album (Andalusian Rock influenced by Flamenco (per RYm)??! Now this is what I am talking about! A whole new sphere of music I have never come close to checking out.)
*7.Volume 6: Days Have Gone By by John Fahey/1967/RYM #990 all time album (I like John Fahey and I like American Primitivism - shoutout to Meccalecca i believe who got me into it 6 or 7 years ago more deeply - yet somehow I have never heard or really heard OF this album. Cool.)
*8. Somewhere Along the Highway by Cult of Luna/2006/RYM #996 all time album (Okay, so this is a famous somewhat modern metal album which is atmospheric sludge and I have never heard this all the way through. I may have sampled it when I was trying desperately to find atmo sludge I actually dug a few years back. Oh and the genre "Post Metal" is used to describe this - a possible red flag... we shall see.)
*9. Geraes by Milton Nascimento/1976/RYM #997 all time album (I have never heard this album nor heard OF it. I respect some - maybe only a couple - other Milton Nascimento albums which seem to be more famous. But yeah I always enjoy listening to some MPB legends.)
*10. Confield by Autechre/2001/RYM #999 all time album (For those of you who sometimes read my lil diary, sorry I have not been doing my 1990s deep dive posts. I will return to it. But anyway, Autechre is on that list of great 90s acts. And this is a legendary album I can say I have never finished but started a few times.) _________________ -Ryan
Irish Tour by Rory Gallagher
I was right off the heels of listening to Alive! by Kiss, and in a similar vein, since they're both hard-hitting live rock albums. Gallagher is distinctly more bluesy, but still has the hard rock feel. "Too Much Alcohol" was my favorite track, oddly fitting for a man who died young due to liver issues. Overall I wasn't super impressed by this album, Gallagher's songwriting seems lacking, although the band's jams and solos were good. This is also the type of music that I couldn't really see myself enjoying that much in person, but I'm glad I listened from home.
2)
I get you this time Mercury. Let's go with Boris, since it sounds like you'll like it. Boris is a mixed bag for me. I loved Pink and Akuma No Uta, absolutely hated Feedbacker, and thought Flood was just ok. They're clearly talented and have a diverse sound, some of it just missed the mark for me.
3)
RYM Top albums (including live, but not archival)
- Sun Bear Concerts Piano Solo: Recorded in Japan by Keith Jarrett (live)
- Silent Hill 2 by Akira Yamaoka (soundtrack)
- Rétrospective Vol. 1 & 2 by Magma (live)
- Colors_Live by Between the Buried and Me (live)
- Live by Magma (live)
- At San Quentin by Johnny Cash (live)
- You Will Never Know Why by Sweet Trip
- Strangers in the Night by UFO (live)
- Live at Birdland by John Coltrane (live)
- A Tribute to Jack Johnson by Miles Davis (soundtrack) _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
1.
J. Cole - The Off-Season
Here we go, J. Cole, everyone has something to say when his name is being brought up. Where does one even begin? He’s been one of the biggest names of hip hop for a decade now, probably the most polarising rapper of his generation. There’s a good chance someone will tell you he is better than Kendrick (or even sidestep any comparisons and proclaim him the G.O.A.T) or that he is worse than Drake ( no offense to Drake, it’s just that a surprisingly large amount of people that take part in such debates barely know another rapper, so these two are the most common points of reference, lol). As it happens more often than not in similar cases, in my opinion the truth lies somewhere in the middle - boring, I know. He is a good rapper, I wouldn't call that in question, but hardly anything beyond that. Actually, I find it a funny little coincidence that Mercury used the word bland to describe his reviews (which by the way isn’t true at all, the vast majority - if not all - of your comments are of the highest calibre. Probably you think that way because the less interested one is in an album, the less invested he is in writing about it and obviously that last album wasn’t exactly your cup of tea.) So, yeah, what I was trying to say is that the word bland perfectly characterises J. Cole. I’d go as far as to say he’s been constantly deteriorating in that regard and here he may have reached his peak. Allow me a couple of flashbacks, In 2014 Forest Hills Drive he opened up, showing a vulnerable side of himself, using his own journey as a means to deliver some universal messages. It wasn't hard to spot some flaws, in an attempt to become relatable he did get too personal in an awkward way, but at least he tried – and the jazzy laid-back sound was ear-pleasing if nothing else. 4 Your Eyez Only saw him getting more ambitious, both in terms of production, where some modern touches were added to his typical sound, but mostly in terms of the narrative, featuring story arcs that don’t restrict themselves to one song, but unfold over the entire album. Again, saying he fell short of creating a masterpiece would be an understatement, but you couldn’t blame him that much. And then (fast forward to the present , conveniently skipping some of his "lesser" albums) came The Off-Season. The basic premiss of this record is obvious simply by looking at the title: he took his time during the off-season (it's noteworthy that the sport references remain a thing throughout the album, which are almost always a positive in my book) to prepare, improve, focus on his goal and come back better than ever. Well, after listening to this, it’s fair to say it did him more harm than good. Production wise, he’s fully immersed in a modern, kinda generic trap based sound, while his performance is also dangerously close to forgettable when it comes to either rapping or lyrics. So, yeah, all this quite possibly unnecessary and undoubtedly overly long introduction just to say that his previous albums displayed some effort, no matter how the final product sounded like, while this is disappointingly indolent.
2.
It takes some effort to go wrong with Coltrane - says the guy who's never managed to connect with any of his albums on a satisfyingly deep level 🫢 - , I nominate
John Coltrane - Coltrane Live At Birdland
3.
EyeKanFly's Top 2021 albums
1. Nafs At Peace - جو بھی [Jaubi]
2. Palais D'argile - Feu! Chatterton
3. Black To The Future - Sons Of Kemet
4. Slash And Burn - Ghlow
5. 42 Days 四十二天 -Southeast Of Rain 东南有雨
6. Cor - Anavitória
7. Let's Throw A Party - Sammy Rae
8. No Branches Without Trees - Steven Van Betten & Andrew Rowan
9. Echoes Of Africa - The Invisible Session
10. Super What? - Czarface & MF DOOM _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
Coltrane Live At Birdland by John Coltrane
Can't believe I haven't listened to this yet. Coltrane live is such a treat, and his live performances are all over the place depending on the year recorded. This one was during his post-bop phase but before spiritual or free jazz. That said, there's certainly hints of what's to come in these performances. Particularly in "Alabama", which I've heard before but didn't realize it was from these sessions. "Afro Blue" is always a treat as well. I think I prefer this set to the earlier (but similar) Live at the Village Vanguard (which I also listened to for this game), and I think a big part of that is the recording quality. Birdland seems to have better acoustic design and quality, though both clubs are still extremely lacking when compared to amphitheaters or concert halls.
2)
Ooh, I get to pick an albums from my own chart, this is good because I've heard all of them haha
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Slash And Burn by Ghlow
Let's go with this. I really enjoyed it when I first picked it up, and I'm a little surprised I ranked it lower than 1-3 in this list. I might need to listen again along with you!
3)
RYM Top albums (including live, but not archival)
- Sun Bear Concerts Piano Solo: Recorded in Japan by Keith Jarrett (live)
- Silent Hill 2 by Akira Yamaoka (soundtrack)
- Rétrospective Vol. 1 & 2 by Magma (live)
- Colors_Live by Between the Buried and Me (live)
- Live by Magma (live)
- At San Quentin by Johnny Cash (live)
- You Will Never Know Why by Sweet Trip
- Strangers in the Night by UFO (live)
- A Tribute to Jack Johnson by Miles Davis (soundtrack)
- Agharta by Miles Davis (live)
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