It continues to intrigue me how much I struggle to get into most metal, even more so certain types like Death Metal. I love a lot of metal adjacent type music and have no bias against it. I always go in expecting this time it will be different, and sometimes it is, but mostly I'm left feelingless, like here. This is the first Death album I have heard, and with the acclaim they have I was curious to hear them. There were things I the liked - the vocals weren't as offputting to me as most, (and I felt if I concentrated I would be able to make out a lot of the lyrics), the raw power and energy that makes me want have to listen to it loud, and times here and there mostly where they slowed things down a bit, and I could start to get into the music. But most of the time it was too fast and technical for me to get any sort of feeling for the musical pattern. Meaning I could probably listen to a song from this album again and not really recognise having heard it before because it doesn't stick with me. Apart from Suicide Machine - that one I remember. So an album I respect the acclaim, detachedly admire, but don't feel anything for personally. 6.5/10.
Easy decision here. The Positions is my favourite Gang Of Youths album, and on my decade chart.
15. Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses
19. Innuendo by Queen
21. Woodface by Crowded House
23. Use Your Illusion I by Guns N' Roses
26. White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity by Swans
29. Weld by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
31. The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld by The Orb
32. Girlfriend by Matthew Sweet
33. Into The Great Wide Open by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
35. Foxbase Alpha - by Saint Etienne
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
Gang Of Youths make the kind of sweeping, arena-friendly indie rock that will likely never be my favorite style, but they do it quite well, especially when they deviate a bit from the formula. The Positions may be much less popular than their follow-up Go Farther In Lightness, but it's about as good. The heartland rock influences are a plus, even if the results are not as impressive as in the hands of contemporaries The War On Drugs. Overall, this record is a mix of pretty good songs and very good songs, with slightly more of the latter. 3.5/5.
E: Doris - Earl Sweatshirt
F: The Reminder - Feist*
F2: 56 Nights - Future & DJ Esco
G: White Light - Gene Clark
H: Little Queen - Heart
I: I Am Kloot - I Am Kloot
J: Jack Stauber’s OPAL (EP) - Jack Stauber’s Micropop
J2: Ekstasis - Julia Holter
K: The Book Of Traps And Lessons - Kae Tempest
L: L’Rain - L’Rain
Computer Games by George Clinton
Groovy, funky, fun jams. Had a good time with it, I can see why it's a classic. It was a bit too loose for my liking, more a collection of good synth and electro grooves than a collection of well written songs, if that makes sense. That's not a diss though, it's a style Clinton goes for, and he does it extremely well. Like I've said before, funk and soul are my blind spots, but I have heard a few Funkadelic/Parliament records before, and this solo effort is in the same tier of awesomeness. I did appreciate the fact that this was much more electronic than the usual 60s and early 70s funk, but it's tough to say how it compares to other synth funk since I don't have a reference point in the genre other than William Onyeabor. 7.5/10
(2)
That's a lot of cool albums. Opal is fantastic, recommend watching the animated short too if you haven't. Earl, Julia Holter... But I'd really like to hear more about The Book Of Traps And Lessons, that's on my shortlist as well. So go with Kae Tempest, Bay.
(3)
Mixed + 2022
A Silver Mt. Zion - He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts Of Light Sometimes Grace The Corner Of Our Rooms...
Virgo - Virgo (the Chicago house one)
The Pyramids - King of Kings
Demolition Hammer - Epidemic of Violence
Various Artists - Saturday Night Fever
Various Artists - Angola Prison Spirituals
Cursed - II
Cities Aviv - Man Plays the Horn
Ode and Elegy - Ode and Elegy
Bladee & Ecco2K - Crest _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
I found it hard to get through this album. It was partially because this is 2 hours and 25 minutes. Partially because this is some deeeeeply disturbing and harsh and pained and brutal music - for 2 and a half hours?!? Partially because this album (unlike other TODAY IS THE DAY albums I am learning from listening to their other LPs from same era) is very very roughly and jadedly and gratingly recorded. Part of the reason for having a hard time finishing this is it is a classic example of a double album, or in this case, triple album - their are long droning songs and there are short tracks that seemingly have no purpose and are there simply as a garnish or something. Etc etc etc... But I listened in full once. I may come back to this when I have explored more fully their back catalogue. This may be an album that is revered by fans of this band because this is their culmination point in styule and development. Or maybe if I understand more about where this brutally hateful, anguished, pitch-black sound and emotion comes from I will more fully appreciate it. But as of now, I don't love this. Nor did I really even *like* big portions of it.
The production as I mentioned is sharp and grating and tough on my ears. But the music is generally pretty great. This is a band that experiments with so much varying soundscapes and mixes them well. The sludge is just so fucking punishing and brutal, the grindy and faster stuff is suitably intense and scathing, the noisey and noise rock parts are off-kilter and unusual, the whole vibe is dark and psychotic and self-destructive/loathing. And its a truly EPIC album that thoroughly delves into these deep, disturbing emotional pits. The music matches the words and vocals and mood beautifully.
Yeah, anyway, so this album while not my fave, did the job of getting me interested in this band and I have enjoyed their other, shorter, more clean and beautifully produced albums. I suspect I'll return to this big one later and enjoy it more with greater familiarity with the whole style and artistic vision of the group.
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@LedZep, I've wanted to check this out and have been intrigued by this album myself recently, so I choose:
CHANGE! I am going to change it again and focus on some extreme stuff I have been meaning to hear.
Top ranked Grindcore, Deathgrind, and maybe some other stuff that I have already heard but just haven't given enough time and attention to. or have never heard.
1. Dogma by Asterisk*/2003 (extremely noisy grindcore, mixed with some avant garde stuff and lots of noise bits which is cool. Alos, a compilatiopn it seems including an LP and other stuff released as EPs I think?)
2. Kuroi Jukai by Kuroi Jukai/2015 (I think I heard this once awhile back. This is Harsh noise and grindcore and powerviolence of the most grating kind and but also if i recall correctly, its pretty cool. Want to revisit.)
3. Human 2.0 by Nasum/2000 (I love me some Nasum. Never heard this LP though. They were one of the great grindcore bands of all time when it came to a sad end in 2003)
4. World Extermination by Insect Warfare/2007 (Very intense and cool grindcore/deathgrind stuff... something of a modern classic of the genre that I have yet to really give a close listen to or enough time to. I am interested in diving in again. Also, silly, but I like how the title of the album is similar to one of the best albums ever also within the same genre - World Downfall by Terrorizer.)
5. Mental Hygiene by Internal Rot/2014 (Excellent grindcore album that I listened to a couple times and never gave or really formulated my thoughts on.)
6. Death by Manipulation by Napalm Death/1991 (This 1991 compilation includes some EPs that ND released after their first 2 Grindcore albums and before their next LP which was quite different. This is some classic classic, bedrock death metal and grindcore and deathgrind. Kind of wanted to listen to the EP Mentally Murdered but saw that it and others are included on this 44 minute compilation.
7. Tanz, Grosny, Tanz... by Yacøpsæ/2007 (German Powerviolence and Grindcore with a a cool album cover and probably something I'll need to add to database but we shall see... it looks fucking awesome.
8. Need to Control by Brutal Truth/1994 (Their 1992 debut is a brilliant deathgrind bar setter. This album also gets a lot of love and I am very very intrigued to hear where they go from their classic debut.)
9. Sweatin' to the Oldies by SPAZZ/1997 (this is a compilation of some crazy grindy powerviolence insanity from SPAZZ. It's 64 songs in 55 minutes! Jiminy cricket!)
10. Lobotomise by Incinerated/2017 (Kind of a new record! verrrryyyy tricky! Anyway this looks intense. A mix a death metal and grindcore and deathgrind and stuff with brutal cover art. Could be cool) _________________ -Ryan
When it comes to individual lyrics, occasionally there's a dud, but when it comes to full albums, Kae Tempest doesn't miss. I put off listening to this one because it swaps out the hip-hop for more straight-up poetry, but happily it's even better than Let Them Eat Chaos (Everybody Down is still my favorite). The vast majority of the time, I find their poetry beautiful, but it can get a little corny or overwrought in the weaker parts. Here, the hit to miss ratio is quite high, and the record flows brilliantly over several long stretches. The Book Of Traps And Lessons is well worth a listen, even if like me, you initially checked out Kae Tempest for their hip-hop. 3.5/5.
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2. Take it from the top
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3. Alphabet Game, Cohort 18 (3 picks left)
E: Doris - Earl Sweatshirt
F: Yellow Fever - Fela Kuti & Africa 70
F2: 56 Nights - Future & DJ Esco
G: White Light - Gene Clark
H: Little Queen - Heart*
I: I Am Kloot - I Am Kloot
J: Jack Stauber’s OPAL (EP) - Jack Stauber’s Micropop
J2: Ekstasis - Julia Holter
K: Failer - Kathleen Edwards
L: L’Rain - L’Rain
This is the first Tom Petty album I've listened to, and it was pretty much what I expected from all the songs of his I know. It was a very solid set of slightly jangly heartland rock/pop rock songs with good songwriting, nice guitar tones, and vocals I like the sound of. Maybe nothing exciting but a pleasant Sunday morning listen. Like most people seem to say, the first two singles from the album, Learning To Fly and the title track, are the best songs and personally I also liked All Or Nothin' quite a bit. I give it a low 7.5/10, and 40/53 in my yearly chart.
I like the songs I've heard from Jack Stauber and am interested in hearing more so have a listen to (and maybe a watch of) OPAL.
Top 56 Music Albums of 1991 by Mercury (5 picks left)
1. Like An Ever Flowing Stream by Dismember
8. Comedy by Paul Kelly And The Messengers
9. III by Sebadoh
10. Virtuoso Guitar 1925-1934 by Scrapper Blackwell
11. The Bootleg Series Vols. 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 by Bob Dylan
13. East Coast Piedmont Style by Blind Boy Fuller
14. Organized Konfusion by Organized Konfusion
15 Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious by Carcass
16. Decade Of Aggression: Live by Slayer
17 Arise by Sepultura
This BEA-eligible soundtrack EP clocks in at 7 tracks and less than 5.75 minutes. I watched the short film, and it was creepy and interesting. Wouldn't say I'm likely to return to it, but it was artfully made and the context helped me appreciate the music more, which I do suspect I'll listen to again in the future. The theme and reprise are quite nice, there are a couple score tracks, and the three short songs are of variable quality, with Easy To Breathe being by far the best thing here. Overall, it's a compact, quirky, and catchy soundtrack that does what it sets out to do. 3.5/5.
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2. I haven't heard any of those yet, but this one is on my to-do list:
An easy to like hip hop album. Full of clever wordplay that kept my interest while listening along. The flow of both were great, and they worked so well together while showing some individual character. Some cool funky beats that were very enjoyable to groove along to behind the rapping. Serious at times but mostly fun, and either way with a positive attitude. Highlights for me were Prisoners Of War (for its wordplay and subject matter), Releasing Hypnotical Gases (good beats, rhythms, and music), and Organized Konfusion. Good album. 7.5/10, and 40/54 for 1991.
Top 56 Music Albums of 1991 by Mercury (4 picks left)
1. Like An Ever Flowing Stream by Dismember
8. Comedy by Paul Kelly And The Messengers
9. III by Sebadoh
10. Virtuoso Guitar 1925-1934 by Scrapper Blackwell
11. The Bootleg Series Vols. 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 by Bob Dylan
13. East Coast Piedmont Style by Blind Boy Fuller
15 Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious by Carcass
16. Decade Of Aggression: Live by Slayer
17. Arise by Sepultura
18. Effigy Of The Forgotten by Suffocation
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
A great country rock album that's on par with No Other. White Light is a smooth, compact listen with strong songwriting throughout. The weakest link is actually the Bob Dylan composition Tears Of Rage. If it were all Clark originals, this would be an airtight record. 4/5.
E: Doris - Earl Sweatshirt
F: Yellow Fever - Fela Kuti & Africa 70
F2: Free Your Mind… And Your Ass Will Follow - Funkadelic
G: Nursery Cryme - Genesis
H: Varech - Henri Texier
I: I Am Kloot - I Am Kloot
J: Hot Pants - James Brown
J2: Ekstasis - Julia Holter
K: Failer - Kathleen Edwards*
L: L’Rain - L’Rain
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Purplepash
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LedZep
Mercury
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