I was curious about the origin of the band name, and it turns out they're named after a drug used in the northern soul scene that helped people dance all night long, which makes quite a bit of sense. Their debut is an interesting combo of soul and new wave, with music that's both heavily horn-driven and infused with punk energy. There aren't any massive hooks here like Come On Eileen, but there are plenty of passionate vocals, a couple great tunes, and no duds. Even the instrumental and the track that's just poetry fit in context. Geno is good, but not one of my favorites on here, and I'm a bit confused about how it was a #1 hit. While it's not a personal favorite off the bat, this is quite a fun listen and about on par with Too-Rye-Ay. 3.5/5.
~~~~~
2. This is my favorite of those I've heard. A very lyrics-driven album by a 'songwriter's songwriter.'
4. Foxheads Stalk This Land - Close Lobsters
5. Up For A Bit With The Pastels - The Pastels
8. Back In The D.H.S.S. - Half Man Half Biscuit
9. A Fierce Pancake - Stump
10. I Am A Wallet - McCarthy
11. Mobile Safari - The Pastels
12. Banking Violence And The Inner Life Today - McCarthy
14. World Without End - The Mighty Lemon Drops
15. Illumination - The Pastels
16. CSI: Ambleside - Half Man Half Biscuit _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
Purplepashranker, rater, & music list makerProfile Western Australia
A nice blend of folk and country in this singer/songwriter album. The music is nothing that exciting but the lyrics do stand out, tackling various issues from the illegality of pot (maybe - apparently he denied it, but it sounds like it to me), the loneliness of the elderly, environmental issues, the struggles of returning soldiers and many others, in a caring and sympathetic way. He has a way with words and rhymes and gives enough details to personalise the subjects of the songs so that as a listener we find ourselves caring about what he is singing about. Quite impressive really. A high 7/10, and 38/47 for 1971.
I haven't heard any of these and I see no reason not to take it from the top. Close Lobsters
Top 65 Music Albums of 1971 by Mercury (3 picks left)
10. 'Frisco Mabel Joy by Mickey Newbury
12. Live-Evil by Miles Davis
16. If You Saw Thro' My Eyes by Ian Matthews
19. Live In Cook County Jail by B.B. King
21. Coat Of Many Colors by Dolly Parton
24. Getting Ready by Freddie King
25. Time Of The Last Persecution by Bill Fay
27. Delta Momma Blues by Townes Van Zandt
32. Jack Johnson by Miles Davis
34. Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson
I was curious about the origin of the band name, and it turns out they're named after a drug used in the northern soul scene that helped people dance all night long, which makes quite a bit of sense. Their debut is an interesting combo of soul and new wave, with music that's both heavily horn-driven and infused with punk energy. There aren't any massive hooks here like Come On Eileen, but there are plenty of passionate vocals, a couple great tunes, and no duds. Even the instrumental and the track that's just poetry fit in context. Geno is good, but not one of my favorites on here, and I'm a bit confused about how it was a #1 hit. While it's not a personal favorite off the bat, this is quite a fun listen and about on par with Too-Rye-Ay. 3.5/5.
Wigan Casino and the whole Northern Soul scene was huge. Kids would make pilgrimages from across the UK to visit the nightclubs and dance all night to forgotten US soul singles. However, because of the nature of the scene (with its big โhitsโ largely being rediscovered soul singles that certain DJs found whilst holidaying - and later scavenging - in the States), it obviously never dented the pop charts, despite its huge influence and popularity. So, when Dexyโs came out with a catchy horn riff on a song that paid direct homage to the scene and namechecked one of its biggest โstarsโ, whilst retaining some of the sneery punk energy that had populated the Top 40 regularly over the previous few years, it resonated with a lot of people. Whilst it might seem like an anomaly to outsiders, its popularity made perfect sense. (All of this fails to mention the British soul boom of the late โ70s and early โ80s, too, when acts like Billy Ocean and Junior Giscombe and Sade and Imagination were able to find chart success, as well as the likes of Culture Club and Spandau Ballet and Simply Red, whose sounds very much drew on American soul.) _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
Would you believe me if I said I've never listened to anything by Jim O'Rourke? Well now I guess I sort of have since he produced this album. Production was top notch. For an experimental garage sound, you can't get any better. The genre descriptors I've seen don't seem to do this album justice. Yes, it's math rock. It's post-rock. It's noise rock. It's experimental rock. There's a movement in architecture called "deconstructivism" which seeks to undo the unnecessary over-rationality of modernism/postmodernism. The name doesn't necessarily refer to the architecture style looking visually deconstructed, but rather a call back to an early 1900s style called "constructivism" which also sought to break the rules of architecture of the time. I think Krautrock has also been called "deconstructivist rock", and I think that may fit this album better than "math rock", though similar.
The instruments on this album are insanely technical. While it's experimental and with a bit of a garage rock sound, rather than typical garage rock which feels like lots of improvisation and a loose structure, U.S. Maple seems to make every note, every drum hit intentional. It's not an easy listen, but on subsequent listens it feels right, and feels like there's something new to discover within the complex structure. I'll have to check this out again but I can easily see this entering my 90s chart.
2)
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Coat Of Many Colors by Dolly Parton
Listened to this while going through the NPR list and was pleasantly surprised. Parton's best IMO, at least from what I've heard which admittedly isn't much.
3)
Mercury's Top Albums of the 1990s
The albums I'm most looking forward to are in bold, but I'm open to all of them!
31. Souls at Zero by Neurosis
45. Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell by Social Distortion
47. Resurrection of the Bayou Maharajah by James Booker 48. And She Closed Her Eyes by Stina Nordenstam 56. March 16-20, 1992 by Uncle Tupelo
57. His Best (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection) by Little Walter
58. Ocean Machine: Biomech by Devin Townsend
61. Heartwork by Carcass
62. Seasons in the Abyss by Slayer
64. Human by Death
(feel free to pick anything, not just the bold ones. I've decided I'm going to see this list through the end) _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
Bay I'm really glad you liked Veronica Falls, it's such a great and underappreciated band. The debut could very well end up on my overall. Also Dexys Midnight Runners have been on my wishlist for quite some time, nice to hear Skinny's side of the story.
(1)
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Comfort To Me by Amyl And The Sniffers
I knew only one song from Amyl & the Sniffers before, my friend played it in between Pond and Genesis Owusu in the middle of her "modern Australian sometimes psych sometimes punk sometimes indie" playlist (which is a blast). This album is so much fun. Reminds me a lot of The Chats (naturally), but last year's High Risk Behaviour was banger after banger, this is more fun, but less catchy, if that makes any sense. I'll take it though, we need more albums like this. Also looking forward to another listen, it's short, easy to listen to, perfect for this style. Highlight is (among others) Hertz. 7.5/10
(2)
Human is incredible. No better place to start with death metal, especially the more technical side of genre.
(3)
2021
Plebeian Grandstand - Rien ne suffit
Courtney Barnett - Things Take Time, Take Time
Blanck Mass - In Ferneaux
Portico Quartet - Monument
Adele - 30
Trhรค - Endlhรซtonรซg
R.A.P. Ferreira - The Light Emitting Diamond Cutter Scriptures
Tirzah - Colourgrade
Aesop Rock & Blockhead - Garbology
dltzk - Frailty _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
I was curious about the origin of the band name, and it turns out they're named after a drug used in the northern soul scene that helped people dance all night long, which makes quite a bit of sense. Their debut is an interesting combo of soul and new wave, with music that's both heavily horn-driven and infused with punk energy. There aren't any massive hooks here like Come On Eileen, but there are plenty of passionate vocals, a couple great tunes, and no duds. Even the instrumental and the track that's just poetry fit in context. Geno is good, but not one of my favorites on here, and I'm a bit confused about how it was a #1 hit. While it's not a personal favorite off the bat, this is quite a fun listen and about on par with Too-Rye-Ay. 3.5/5.
Wigan Casino and the whole Northern Soul scene was huge. Kids would make pilgrimages from across the UK to visit the nightclubs and dance all night to forgotten US soul singles. However, because of the nature of the scene (with its big โhitsโ largely being rediscovered soul singles that certain DJs found whilst holidaying - and later scavenging - in the States), it obviously never dented the pop charts, despite its huge influence and popularity. So, when Dexyโs came out with a catchy horn riff on a song that paid direct homage to the scene and namechecked one of its biggest โstarsโ, whilst retaining some of the sneery punk energy that had populated the Top 40 regularly over the previous few years, it resonated with a lot of people. Whilst it might seem like an anomaly to outsiders, its popularity made perfect sense. (All of this fails to mention the British soul boom of the late โ70s and early โ80s, too, when acts like Billy Ocean and Junior Giscombe and Sade and Imagination were able to find chart success, as well as the likes of Culture Club and Spandau Ballet and Simply Red, whose sounds very much drew on American soul.)
Thanks for the context! My confusion was more about the sound being much less catchy and pop-oriented than a typical #1. A song that has an instrumental hook and lacks a knock-out chorus is a pretty weird combo when it comes to topping the charts. Maybe it's less weird in the UK? _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
Before this I only knew Close Lobsters from their brief appearance on the record that launched the genre, but this debut full-length has been on my to-do list for years, so I'm happy to finally get to it. A wonderfully jangly listen that really captures what's special about the sound of C86. It's stocked with great songs, which are mostly compact gems until the epic closer that is Mother Of God. Close Lobsters careen through the tracks with plenty of energy on the back of post-punky drums. Love at first listen, and I would recommend it to almost any fan of indie music. 4/5.
10. The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
12. FutureSex / LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake
14. Madonna - Madonna
19. Like A Virgin - Madonna
21. Max & Match - ์ด๋ฌ์ ์๋ ์ค๋์์ด์จํด [LOONA ODD EYE CIRCLE]
24. True Blue - Madonna
28. Blackout - Britney Spears
38. Erotica - Madonna
52. Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
53. Loose - Nelly Furtado _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
The Light Emitting Diamond Cutter Scriptures by R.A.P. Ferreira
This feels more like a leftovers passion project than an album. While it's still decent (Milo's production never misses it seems), it's not something I think I'll be returning to. Although it's pretty short, so I might give it another shot sometime in the future, who knows. On this listen, it didn't do much for me. Nice while it lasted, smooth, jazzy, warm production, fine lyricism, not very memorable overall. Did put me in a certain cozy mood though. 7/10
(2)
Don't think I've heard any of those in full album format, but I do know some songs. For example, Madonna's s/t should be some decent funky synthpop and dance pop.
(3)
2021
Plebeian Grandstand - Rien ne suffit
Courtney Barnett - Things Take Time, Take Time
Blanck Mass - In Ferneaux
Portico Quartet - Monument
Adele - 30
Trhรค - Endlhรซtonรซg
Tirzah - Colourgrade
Aesop Rock & Blockhead - Garbology
dltzk - Frailty
Sadness - _____ _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
I listened to this while on a jog and ended up running twice as far as usual at a much faster pace. I jest, but this definitely got the adrenaline pumping. This is the third Death album I've heard and I think potentially my favorite, although I'll probably need to revisit Symbolic.
This is exactly what I want in a metal album, extremely technical but also very (dare I say)... fun? There's also some wonderful softer moments that are still incredibly technically played, just not beating the shit out of the instruments. In these moments the album reminds me of Dream Theater or Steven Wilson. Not necessarily a good thing on a metal album, but it really works here, and it breaks up the heavier moments with some interesting variety. This is something that I don't recall being present on the other Death albums, although I may just not remember.
High 3.5/5, really enjoying this chart
2)
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30 by Adele
Yeah this is the only one I've heard or even heard of, so let's go with this.
3)
Mercury's Top Albums of the 1990s
The albums I'm most looking forward to are in bold, but I'm open to all of them!
31. Souls at Zero by Neurosis
45. Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell by Social Distortion
47. Resurrection of the Bayou Maharajah by James Booker 48. And She Closed Her Eyes by Stina Nordenstam 56. March 16-20, 1992 by Uncle Tupelo
57. His Best (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection) by Little Walter
58. Ocean Machine: Biomech by Devin Townsend
61. Heartwork by Carcass
62. Seasons in the Abyss by Slayer
66. Geek the Girl by Lisa Germano
(feel free to pick anything, not just the bold ones. I've decided I'm going to see this list through the end)[/quote] _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
Based on what I've heard so far, Madonna's debut is a strong contender for her best work alongside Confessions On A Dance Floor. It's packed with disco-influenced, synth-heavy bangers. Instrumentally and vocally, Madonna is a great album. Lyrically, the writing holds up its end of the bargain for most songs, but is notably weak on a couple, with Everybody being the worst example. On the other end of the spectrum, Lucky Star, Borderline, and Holiday are all particularly huge tunes and album highlights for me. A really fun pop record that would indeed be ideal for dancing. 4/5.
10. Breakfast In America - Supertramp
13. Get To Heaven - Everything Everything
15. At War With The Mystics - The Flaming Lips
16. Bitte Orca - Dirty Projectors
18. Duke - Genesis
20. Those Who Throw Objects At The Crocodiles Will Be Asked To Retrieve Them - Bruno Pernadas
21. And The Glass Handed Kites - Mew
22. Ekstasis - Julia Holter
24. Blueberry Boat - The Fiery Furnaces
26. Eldorado - Electric Light Orchestra _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
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