Chief, glad you liked that Charanjit Singh album! I also agree that while the title is accurate, the music is also better than it lets on.
1)
I Feel Alright by Steve Earle
Steve Earle is an artist I don't find myself listening to much, but whenever I do, I really enjoy his music. I also always seem to forget who he is, or that I've listened to other music of his before (which is silly considering all his album artwork is drawn in a similar style, you'd think I'd recognize it by now), at least until I'm listening to him again.
I've listened to 3-4 of his albums now and this falls sort of middle of the line. I think Transcendental Blues is my favorite, followed closely by his album last year which is great albeit I have yet to listen to it in full. I think I Feel Alright is better than Exit 0 which I'm not huge on. I've listened to bits and pieces of his other albums and he has some great material. I need to get around to listening to the collab he's done with Townes van Zandt. Seems like van Zandt played a huge influence on Earle. Strong 3.5/5
2)
Anything Chief Keef, let's start from the earliest and go with
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
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
71. Most Things Haven't Worked Out by Junior Kimbrough
75. Broken by Nine Inch Nails
76. Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order (1928-1932) by Tommy Johnson
85. Ridin' Dirty by UGK
(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!
Purplepashranker, rater, & music list makerProfile Western Australia
A quite decent hard rock album from 1971, but without the typical hard rock vocals. The vocals are bit more mellow and singing type of vocals (for lack of a better description), with some vocal harmonies at times. There is a little bit of heavy psych and blues rock in there as well that keeps things interesting. The musicianship is good quality with some great guitar riffs and solos. What's missing from this album is that one kick ass track, but then again, there is no duds either. A consistent quality set of songs. 7.5/10, and 41/57 for the year.
Top 67 Music Albums of 1971 by Tha1ChiefRocka (3 picks left)
13. Bedลich Smetana: Mรก Vlast by Rafael Kubelรญk / Boston Symphony Orchestra
15. Moving Waves by Focus
17. Muswell Hillbillies by The Kinks
21. A Space In Time by Ten Years After
23. Smackwater Jack by Quincy Jones
25. Aqualung by Jethro Tull
26. Camembert Electrique by Gong
27. The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys by Traffic
28. Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison
32. Bless The Weather by John Martyn
Judas Priest do NOT like losing. After taking a dip in popularity with Point Of Entry (as I discussed recently in The Repo Zone) and with young upstarts like Accept and Maiden nipping at their heels, Priest hunkered down, regrouped and just positively exploded with cut after cut of high energy, ass kicking Metal. Every single track rules and every single track feels unique & different. Melodic & catchy as hell YET still undeniably HEAVY, this album ruled the suburban high school air waves back in 1982 and rightly so. This is Priestโs high water mark for the entire 80s.
#1 Metal Album Of 1982! (That's right. Even better than Number of The Beast (which still will make my top 5!))
Inpariquipรช by Kaatayra
Had 2 Kaatayra albums under my belt going into this. I did know that Inpariquipรช was completely different from both, but I was still surprised when the first song turned out to be a post-minimalist folky piece. Meditative, repetitive, warm. So yeah, it seemed right from the get go that this is more akin to So Quem Viu's acoustic black metal and Brazilian folk than Toda Historia's more traditional atmospheric black metal. Didn't like that, as I thought Toda Historia was a much better record in 2020, exciting and original black metal (primarily) with unique Sertanejo touches. Then again, the first track wasn't necessarily that similar to either and it was pretty good, so I was excited to hear the rest. The transition from laid back first track to blast beats of the second was magnificent. But the 10 minute title track was even weirder than the opener. Apart from the sparse vocals, this has nothing to do with black metal anymore - it's avant-folk with occasional blast beats sections, some avantgarde classical elements and Brazilian folk music touches. This loose theme continues on the rest of the album. And I have to admit, I found it hard to process on the first listen. Thought it suffered from underdeveloped songs and was a one trick pony, much like So Quem Viu, but even more unique and much more complex. The only thing that completely blew me away on the first listen was the second part of the last track, with its great finale. Maybe I was warming up to the sound? The second listen was quite something. There's still a lot - and I mean, A LOT to unpack here. But here's my final (for now) thoughts. The scope of this project is huge, and it all fell into place on the second try. I don't think it'd be an exaggeration to say this is the most inventive record of the 2020s yet. I really believe so. And on top of that, the compositions are magnificent. Bits and pieces of so many different musical styles and directions pop up in the most unexpected places. Every song is essential and not a second is wasted, and it still feels like there's so much ground left to explore. Another small, but interesting thing is that this feels very non-metalhead friendly. And me, as someone with metal background, enjoy it just as much as any metal album. This is barely even metal anymore, it's out of any imaginary boundaries of the genre. I'm currently listening in the midst of the third listen and staring at my ceiling in awe. And you just know the 4th listen will be even better. Easy rec to everyone, 9/10
Inpariquipรช by Kaatayra
Had 2 Kaatayra albums under my belt going into this. I did know that Inpariquipรช was completely different from both, but I was still surprised when the first song turned out to be a post-minimalist folky piece. Meditative, repetitive, warm. So yeah, it seemed right from the get go that this is more akin to So Quem Viu's acoustic black metal and Brazilian folk than Toda Historia's more traditional atmospheric black metal. Didn't like that, as I thought Toda Historia was a much better record in 2020, exciting and original black metal (primarily) with unique Sertanejo touches. Then again, the first track wasn't necessarily that similar to either and it was pretty good, so I was excited to hear the rest. The transition from laid back first track to blast beats of the second was magnificent. But the 10 minute title track was even weirder than the opener. Apart from the sparse vocals, this has nothing to do with black metal anymore - it's avant-folk with occasional blast beats sections, some avantgarde classical elements and Brazilian folk music touches. This loose theme continues on the rest of the album. And I have to admit, I found it hard to process on the first listen. Thought it suffered from underdeveloped songs and was a one trick pony, much like So Quem Viu, but even more unique and much more complex. The only thing that completely blew me away on the first listen was the second part of the last track, with its great finale. Maybe I was warming up to the sound? The second listen was quite something. There's still a lot - and I mean, A LOT to unpack here. But here's my final (for now) thoughts. The scope of this project is huge, and it all fell into place on the second try. I don't think it'd be an exaggeration to say this is the most inventive record of the 2020s yet. I really believe so. And on top of that, the compositions are magnificent. Bits and pieces of so many different musical styles and directions pop up in the most unexpected places. Every song is essential and not a second is wasted, and it still feels like there's so much ground left to explore. Another small, but interesting thing is that this feels very non-metalhead friendly. And me, as someone with metal background, enjoy it just as much as any metal album. This is barely even metal anymore, it's out of any imaginary boundaries of the genre. I'm currently listening in the midst of the third listen and staring at my ceiling in awe. And you just know the 4th listen will be even better. Easy rec to everyone, 9/10
Great write-up! Will have to check them out really soon!!!
Purplepashranker, rater, & music list makerProfile Western Australia
I had never heard of John Martyn before here, and now I've heard a couple of albums. Here, I get like a mix between Cat Stevens and Nick Drake, but without the x-factor they have. So it was decent but didn't move me much. I like his vocal style for sure, but I didn't find the music that interesting, apart from a song in the middle of the album which had some interesting percussion, and the what should have been the closing song on the album (I really could have done without the cover of Singin' In The Rain and this would have made a great closing track), Glistening Glyndebourne, which was awesome, and the only song I really liked a lot. Ironically an instrumental ๐คฃ The lyrics, which I value when it comes to singer/songwriters also didn't do much for me here subject matter wise. 7/10, and 49/58 for the year.
Top 70 Music Albums of 1971 by Tha1ChiefRocka (2 picks left)
13. Bedลich Smetana: Mรก Vlast by Rafael Kubelรญk / Boston Symphony Orchestra
15. Moving Waves by Focus
17. Muswell Hillbillies by The Kinks
21. A Space In Time by Ten Years After
23. Smackwater Jack by Quincy Jones
25. Aqualung by Jethro Tull
26. Camembert Electrique by Gong
27. The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys by Traffic
28. Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison
33. In My Own Time by Karen Dalton
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
If I remember correctly, Chief Keef was the edgiest rising star in the music business after releasing this mixtape at the tender age of 16. He had already been sentenced to house arrest twice on gun and drug charges, and his music, a vivid document of Chicago's gang life, certainly reflects the oppressive environment he grew up in. But the influential hyper-violent and aggressive lyrical style he helped pioneer as one of the architects of drill also arguably acted as lighter fluid for the next wave of gun violence in the city. I Don't Like, his breakout hit about killing anyone he doesn't like, is a fairly representative example. Back From The Dead has excellent production from Young Chop, and it's a catchy mixtape that goes hard as hell. But my feelings about the lyrics are ambivalent at best, which limits my enjoyment. Nonetheless, this is an important and quality breakout record. 3/5.
3. RYM's Top Hip-Hop/R&B Albums & Mixtapes by Black Artists
81. Mystic Stylez - Three 6 Mafia
84. LP! - JPEGMAFIA
121. Crack Cloud$ Over Arts Kitchen - Black Kray
152. Pangaea - Miles Davis
171. Live And Let Die - Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo
172. Revolution Of The Mind - James Brown
173. Stakes Is High - De La Soul
174. Madvillainy Instrumentals - Madvillain
176. Live In Europe - Otis Redding
187. Alive! - Grant Green _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
Broken by Nine Inch Nails
Yeah I was sort of dreading this one. It's weird, I really respect Trent Reznor for the music he's created, and I really LIKE Trent Reznor... AS Trent Reznor. I guess his more recent and minimal stuff has become more accessible? Maybe I'm the target audience for a Pixar score? Not sure, but I like his more recent stuff (mostly with Atticus Ross) much much much more than his 80s-90s output as NIN. So yeah, I didn't like NIN going into this album, I didn't like NIN any more or less coming out.
2/5, it's just nonsense to listen to for me. I didn't hate it though, so there's that (and there's some NIN music that I do really strongly dislike). I really couldn't abide Fragile, but most of the other projects have been tolerable, this one included. Having a small dose of NIN is also much more palatable than his typical hour+ albums.
2)
Oh you switched it up baystate, I was gonna keep plugging Chief Keef... great choices now though, I'm going for:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Alive! by Grant Green
This is some cool stuff, right on the border of jazz and funk, not quite in the way that Miles Davis was around the same time, but it's still a good listen IMO
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***
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
71. Most Things Haven't Worked Out by Junior Kimbrough
76. Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order (1928-1932) by Tommy Johnson
85. Ridin' Dirty by UGK
86. Far Beyond Driven by Pantera
** / *** : 2 / 3 chances left _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
Oh yeah, this absolutely cooks! I love Grant Green's jazz guitar playing, and turns out it's a perfect match for jazz-funk. Alive! features both the harder, more danceable side and the softer, more lyrical side, nailing them both. Beautiful stuff, and a must-listen for anyone who likes jazz guitar or jazz-funk. I'm starting it at a high 4/5.
3. I'm going to try a hip-hop genre grab bag now with five subgenres: bounce, dirty south, drumless, jazz rap, and trap
Hip-Hop Genre Grab Bag: Bounce
14. Uptown 4 Life - U.N.L.V.
15. A Very Big Freedia Christmazz (EP) - Big Freedia
16. Let Me Get That Outcha (EP) - Cheeky Blakk
18. Mac Melph Calio - U.N.L.V.
22. Suicidal Bounce - Sissy Nobby
25. Who's That aggiN - Pimp Dogg
26. Stop Pause (EP) - DJ Jubilee
28. The Treat Vol II (EP) - Treety
32. B Is for Bounce: New Orleans Rap Classics 1994-95 - Ricky B.
33. Pump Tha Party (Puttin' In Work) - Partners-N-Crime _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
Springtime by Springtime
Another excellent and unique pick. If you like your post rock more on the weird, experimental, jazzy, noisy and artsy side (depending on the song), then Springtime is the right band for you. It's all over the place stylistically, but feels very uniform in terms of structure and song sequencing. A portion of the album was recorded live, and even if there was some studio editing, it's still incredible how tight the band sounds. Everything has that rawness of the live recording while being close to impeccable instrumentally. Reminds me a lot of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds approach, an intimate, raw, at parts even improvised performance of top tier musicians. The passionate style of the vocalist isn't necessarily the highlight imo (thought it's a good fit at times), but the lyrics are excellent. Several songs were penned by an actual poet, Ian Duhig. Not a dull moment, even if it's quite minimalistic at times. There's parts where only the piano or meandering guitar arpeggios keep the song going, but those moments are often extremely impactful in their simplicity. Not sure what's the biggest highlight here, the whole thing is fantastic. I guess the opener is the punchiest, most straightforward song. The closer is also perfectly placed, the huge crescendo and the noisy ending is the best possible resolution. 8.5/10
Edit: oh that's actually the vocalist and guitarist of The Drones, Gareth Liddiard. Didn't make the connection before reading about the band.
(2)
Don't think I've heard any of these, take it from the bottom to shake things up. Partners-N-Crime is s great nsme for a hip hop group.
(3)
2021 and 2022
Plebeian Grandstand - Rien ne suffit
Sadness - _____
Malignant Altar - Realms of Exquisite Morbidity
Mortiferum - Preserved in Torment
--
Bonobo - Fragments
40 Watt Sun - Perfect Light
Molly Nilsson - Extreme
Gloios - Lide
Yard Act - The Overload
Anna Von Hausswolff - Live at Montreux Jazz Festival _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
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Purplepash
Repo
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identifer
8 years
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8 years
