First an album I already own and of which there is a track I haven't heard in many years:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Coles Corner by Richard Hawley
And that track is Wading Through The Waters Of Time and I would add: not reaching the other side: not an interesting track.
In a way I don't really understand why I included this album in my 2005 year chart in the first place. A lot of the tracks are very uneventful but then again there's things like The Ocean and Born Under A Bad Sign that obliges me to pay attention. So definitely a mixed bag and still at the lower end of my year chart (number 71) but still in it.
Then an album on my wishlist:
The Invisible Invasion by The Coral
A bit like the previous one: not interesting overall but with enough good tracks to make me include it in my year chart at rank 43.
First an album I already own and of which there is a track I haven't heard in many years:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New
And that track is Untitled I haven't heard since 11 August 2007 and it should stay that way.
I used to dig this album when it was released but that has changed. I really can't find myself any more in the overblow lyrics and orchestration of this mega-emo album. The long Limousine is the best track and for the sake of older times I'll keep it in my year chart but not higher than the 49th rank.
And an album on my wishlist:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Progress Reform by I Like Trains
Also in the emo region but I can appreciate this one much more than the former one. It's a bit a mix between The God Machine and Sophia (both headed by Robin Proper-Shepard), two bands I really like. It's more a mini-album but it gives a good view of the band with Stainless Steel as the finest track and the album immediately enters at the 27th rank.
First an album I already own and of which there is a track I haven't heard in many years:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Time On Earth by Crowded House
And that track is English Trees which is in fact a very good song. And I very much underrated the rest of this album as well. It's not their best but it's still a solid Crowded House album which rises a whopping 45 ranks to rank 23.
And there's nothing on my wishlist from this year for the moment.
And also for 2008 only one album because nothing on my wishlist for the moment:
With an album I already own and of which there is a track I haven't heard in many years:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
With Moonland (not bad) the song I haven't heard since 4 March 2008 which makes me realise I have listened to the full album only once.
This is one of the heaviest Nick Cave album for years (and also for the years to come) and I like it. The heaviest songs are in fact the best, he still can do it. And the album moves up from the 50th to the 24th rank.
First an album I already own and of which there is a track I haven't heard in many years:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Years Of Refusal by Morrissey
and that track is You Were Good In Your Time I haven't heard since March 2010 and is indeed not really much.
But the rest of the album shows that Morrissey still has it, as much on most of his earlier albums. I liked very much relistening to it and it goes from the 35th to the 29th rank.
And an album on my wishlist:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Purling Hiss by Purling Hiss
Up to now Drag On Girard is my favorite album of 2023 and even of the decade, so it was time to also discover the rest of the legacy of Mike Polizze, this band and that other band of his, Birds Of Maya.
You could call this firs album of Purling Hiss a mini-album because it only contains 6 tracks were it not for the fact that three of the tracks are very long. And the first track with its long and psychedelic guitar explosions Almost Washed My Hair (with clear references to some other band) could even be called a classic were it not the fact that nearly nobody knows it. And the other outlier is even longer at about 14 minutes with another clear reference both to Prince and Jimi Hendrix: Purple Kiss. The other clear reference is Dinosaur Jr. and the only minor point of the album is the muddy production not helped by the fact that I could only find the album on Youtube. But maybe this only enhances the loose and freewheeling jams which are just great to hear. The album immediately enters at the second rank of the year, just behind their great example: Dinosaur Jr.
So I will try to also listen to the other Mike Polizze albums in the rest of this round.
First an album I already own and of which there is a track I haven't heard in many years:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Black Tambourine by Black Tambourine
And that track is Pam's Tan I haven't heard since 7 April 2010 and indeed the worst track of the album.
And how difficult can you make it. This cult band has never made a proper album so what remains is a lot of mini-albums/EP's and two compilation albums. But the thing is: they released Complete Recordings in 1999 and it contained 10 tracks which really summed up their legacy as a jangly band between Velvet Underground, lots of twee rock bands and even a bit of Wedding Present. And then came the self-titled second compilation in 2010 which contained the same 10 tracks in the same order + 6 bonus tracks: two alternative versions of the other tracks, one (very good) cover of Buddy Holly's Heartbeat and of Suicide's Dream Baby Dream and two new tracks. So as a purist I would choose the first, but then again, I own the second (and didn't know at the time the first existed) and the additional tracks are really good; so I finally keep the second in my year chart and it rises from the 44th to the 12th rank of the year 2010.
And for my wishlist this is a 3-tiered Mike Polizze round:
First:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Hissteria by Purling Hiss
Another mini-album with only 4 tracks with the last over 12 minutes. Again the sound quality is not great but acceptable and the quality of the songs is very much okay but not as great as that of the first mini-album. So it lands at the 17th rank of my year chart.
But then:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Public Service Announcement by Purling Hiss
Here the sound quality is just awful. You can hear that the first long track, Run From The City, has a lot of quality, but the recording quality is so bad that it really is unbearable. I like lo fi like the first Sebadoh or GBV albums but this is to me the limit especially since the other tracks are more experimental I would maybe be able to appreciate but now I just can't: so I won't include it in my year chart.
And then there's also a Birds Of Maya (collaboration with with only three tracks (of which 2 over 20 minutes):
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Ready To Howl by Birds Of Maya
They are long psych rock tracks which are in itself very good but again of a bad sound quality although here it just barely remains at the right side so I included it at the lower part of my year chart at rank 61.
First an album I already own and of which there is a track I haven't heard in many years:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Space City Kicks by Robert Pollard
With Mr Fantastic Must Die the track I haven't heard since 3 January 2011, so really the beginning of the year and only heard once and just an ok song.
This was again a prolific year for Robert Pollard with one album released under the usual GBV name (Let's Go Eat The Factory), one under the Boston Spaceships name (Let It Beard), one under the Lifeguards name Waving At The Astronauts) and two under his own name (also this album under his own name (Lord Of The Birdcage and this album) and maybe I forgot one. As For this album: it has its flaws but is still a solid GBV album and it moves up from the 58th to the 34th rank.
And then from my wishlist another Mike Polizze album I tried to listen to:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Dizzy Polizzy by Purling Hiss
In fact this is a compilation of earlier cassette track under the Purling Hiss name. And it's clear that there is a real songwriting talent here. The songs are not as guitar driven as most of his other work which sometimes means that the (terribly bad) recording quality is not a complete miss (see the longer closing track Headlights) but overall sorry: if this album would be re-released in a good sound quality I would certainly put it in my top chart but now I really can't.
First an album I already own and of which there is a track I haven't heard in many years:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Wrecking Ball by Bruce Springsteen
And that track is Rocky Ground I haven't heard since 15 March 2012 and not a bad track.
For many people a return to his earlier masterpieces but to me a bit less great than Magic and Working On A Dream. The album both sounds angry and gospel-like and some of the songs like the title track, but still not one of his best albums and it moves from the 27th to 32nd rank.
And then an album on my wishlist (there were no Polizze albums this year):
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Sweet Heart Sweet Light by Spiritualized
In contrast to most other fans of Spiritualized, I like the more recent albums of Spiritualized more than their earlier classics and I guess this must be the first of that string of very very good albums because I immediately loved it. The long and a bit psychedelic songs with in my opinion a lot of reminiscenses to the Velvet Underground are really great with Hey Jane as the best. This album immediately enters at the 3rd rank of the year.
Last edited by dihansse on 08/30/2023 18:59; edited 1 time in total
In contrast to most other fans of Spiritualized, I like the more recent albums of Spiritualized more than their earlier classics and I guess this must be the first of that string of very very good albums because I immediately loved it.
In contrast to most other fans of Spiritualized, I like the more recent albums of Spiritualized more than their earlier classics and I guess this must be the first of that string of very very good albums because I immediately loved it.
Could there be anything more on brand?! 😉😜
Hope you had a great summer, brother! \m/
Nothing wrong with being a bit controversial.
And on my holidays: I'm just back from a few weeks Italy.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
dihansse
Repo
