An album that has been on my to-do list probably since it was released, just never got around to it, or any of his others. The lyrics were the highlight here in these sordid tales of fucked up people and unhealthy relationships. At times they made me laugh, at times they made me cringe, but at all times they kept me interested. The music was decent enough sophisti-pop type synthpop, with some interesting song-writing at times, but nothing special which is probably what stops me from finding this a great album.
After listening to that album of tales here is one for you Baystate. Hope you find this interesting.
This one has been on my to-do list since I heard Ogre in the songs tournament. What a great track. There are a couple others on Peasant that come close, but most are one step below those heights. To be clear, one step down still results in a very good album from start to finish. As you might expect from the title, it's a trip back to the days of yore musically and lyrically (set in the 400s to 600s CE in the real historical Kingdom of Bryneich, as this interesting interview reveals), but with plenty of ambitious avant-garde twists. This simultaneous presence deep in the past and on the cutting edge gives the album an otherworldly, entrancing quality. Richard Dawson has created a uniquely rooted and progressive work of art that makes for a vital listen, even though it's not a personal favorite yet. 3.5/5.
I was familiar with most of the music on this album from previous compilations that I'd listened to, but it was nice to revisit. His music has such a unique texture to it with all of the different kind of instruments played along with some of the electronic touches. Always a good listen.
Well, never heard of that band even though they seem pretty famous in their domain.
Fade Out mixes psychedelic and space rock elements, two styles that are usually difficult listens for me. At first, I thought this would make no exception with the first 3 tracks sounding quite dull to me, but it got better in the long run, with slower, more developed progressions. I like "Fade Out" and "Torched" especially.
In the end it was a nice listen, maybe I'll try their other albums.
I can't believe I've never heard of this guy before, but I did at least recognize Sunshine from the Jay-Z version. The structure of this album is unique, as there's a separate intro of topical dialogue that precedes every song. While O'Neal's vocals are great and the songwriting is solid, the greatest strength is definitely the note-perfect production from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. From groovy to lush to crystalline, they create immersive soundscapes throughout. For weaknesses, there are some cheesy moments and the songwriting isn't always strong. But this is a very good 80s r&b effort, and I suspect it will have high replay value. 3.5/5.
Even though I like some jazz, this electronic take on it was outside my comfort zone. There were moments it felt too long, but I have to admit it featured interesting song structures, unpredictable enough to keep you on your toes, but coherent enough to flow nicely. On the other hand, maybe it was missing a spark, something to take it to the next level. Not a fan of the vocals โ with one exception-, thankfully their presence isnโt overwhelming. Man With The Movie Camera was the closest to my jam, there were some parts that had a Mingus-esque vibe I was really fond of. Roots Manuva was a pleasant surprise and probably the highlight of the album for me โ add the elegant instrumentation and he makes an even bigger impression.
This one certainly provides plenty of summer V I B E S, which is cool. Piper bring good vocals to the table and there are a couple great songs. The closer might be my favorite due to the vocal harmonies. On the downside, most of the production is airy, insubstantial, and rather dated. Somewhat surprisingly, most of the lyrics being English isn't leading me to connect to Summer Breeze better than other Japanese albums of the era. Quite a good record overall, but very of its time, and not one of my city pop favorites so far. 3.5/5.
Since you're on 1963, listen to some space age pop:
Dick Hyman / Mary Mayo - Moon Gas
Most -if not all- songs were cool. Were I to complain about something, it would be that some of them featured an intriguing idea, but were disappointingly short. As soon as something interesting started happening, it was over, give me some more. Still, I donโt think you can find many similar albums in the early โ60s, an extremely refreshing listen compared to the rest of the stuff Iโve been checking out lately. And of course the jazz touch is always welcome, as it gives the album a much needed extra dimension. I wouldnโt have been a fan of the vocals on general principle, but they work fine in this context.
The Dionne Warwick Collection: Her All-Time Greatest Hits by Dionne Warwick
Yeah, I'm struggling with a lot of straightforward old school American pop, be it the brill building, soul, vocal jazz or easy listening. So, even though I was looking forward to hearing this, unfortunately I cannot say I've enjoyed it too much. American pop (specifically soul and brill building) deep dive is long overdue for me, but y'know how it is, the queue is always full. Maybe I'll appreciate the music more after in context of everything else that was going on at the time, or maybe it's just bad timing because I was listening to some intense metal before this. Dionne Warwick is one hell of a woman from what I've read on her Wiki page - UN's Goodwill Ambassador, tremendous chart success, pretty interesting life. There actually isn't a bad song here, maybe not even a mediocre one, but listening to more than 2 or 3 in the row is not exactly too fun for me. Not my cup of tea, what can I say. 7/10
It's me again. Let's go with some great dub by The Aggrovators and The Revolutionaries this time around
The Aggrovators / The Revolutionaries - Rockers Almighty Dub
I have little to no idea what Iโm talking about when it comes to reggae, no matter if the album/song in question is a โpureโ or a โprocessedโ version of it. With that in mind, this was nice. The album cover scared me a bit, but it proved to be a case of false alarm. Some addictive rhythms that get you in the groove and paint pictures of tropical islands โ probably not the most desirable concept in Christmas time, but getting summer vibes is never a bad thing, let me escape reality and lay in the sun for a second. Hadn't I known it is a split album beforehand, I wouldn't have been able to guess so, it all flowed smoothly.
I believe jazz and electronic are genres you enjoy, so I'm going with:
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