Sultry vocals, slick instrumentals, and songs with subtleties to grasp as they smoothly unfold. This is my first experience with Roxy Music, though I did hear Bryan Ferry's ensuing solo album Boys And Girls recently. Everything here is made with great precision and sophistication, and the title track is probably my favorite. I have a feeling there's more here than meets the ear on first listen, so I'm looking forward to exploring it further, and also to hearing their work before they got this smooth. Not that smoothness is a bad thing by any means - I love Sade's music, for instance, and much respect to Roxy Music for helping pave the way for sophisti-pop as a genre. While I haven't yet cracked the code of this record, it is undoubtedly a very good one, and I'm starting it at a high 3.5/5, or 70/100 on BEA.
~~~~~
2. I promise I'm not trying to bother you Rhyner
I always pick my favorite record of the bunch, and I love this one. It should fit your taste better than Daytona, at least.
30s: 2. Bessie Smith Album - Bessie Smith
40s: 4. The Midnight Special (And Other Southern Prison Songs) - Lead Belly
50s: 9. Berry Is On Top - Chuck Berry
60s: 63. The Who Sell Out - The Who
70s: 77. Aqualung - Jethro Tull
80s: 75. Pretty Hate Machine - Nine Inch Nails
90s: 91. The Fat Of The Land - The Prodigy
00s: 80. De-Loused In The Comatorium - The Mars Volta
10s: 79. Hand. Cannot. Erase. - Steven Wilson
20s: 11. Hellfire - Black Midi _________________ Join us in the canon game / Add me on RYM
Yeah, that album was particularly ill-suited for someone who doesn't like rap. There are plenty of hip-hop songs with emotionally affecting lyrics, insightful introspection, and melody, but if you expect all of those to be sustained over a full album, that narrows down the options. I'm sure they exist, but as someone who doesn't have those criteria, I'm struggling to think of one off the top of my head.
Here's a rap song that checks all three of those boxes. It made my dad cry, and he doesn't really like rap either.
While there are fewer songs about romantic relationships than some other genres, there plenty of emotional and/or introspective rap songs that address topics like societal problems, friends dying, struggling through poverty, and finally making it out. And definitely plenty of melodic hooks on songs without melodic rapping, but melodic rapping is rarer. What do you think of this example?
These are both better than a lot of rap I've heard, but I still don't think they're very good. I think it's just something inherent to the genre at a deep level that I simply do not vibe with. I wish it would click for me, because clearly lots of people are getting a lot out of hip hop and there seems to be something missing in me that won't let me experience whatever is inspiring all the love for the genre. But I just don't enjoy it for the most part. Like any other genre it has its highs and lows, but for me its highs are far lower than pop or folk or rock or country or jazz or most other genres really.
And by the way, I don't exactly have "criteria" that I use to evaluate music. I just listen and if it "sounds good" to me then I like it. I mentioned melody, emotionally affecting lyrics, and insightful introspection because they are things that tend to crop up in music I like and tend to be less abundant in rap, but it's very possible for me to enjoy music that doesn't have those things, and there's plenty of music that checks those boxes for me and still leaves me cold. My one criterion I actually do use to evaluate music is this: When I listen to it, do I enjoy the experience? As soon as you start trying to boil that down into specifics, as far as the different aspects that make up a piece of music (lyrical themes/topics, melody/harmony/rhythm, rhyme/alliteration/wordplay, song structure, instruments, genre, etc.) and generalizing them into "criteria" that you apply more broadly, you're going to be excluding music I like and including music I don't. Human brains are complicated, and I'm too dumb for my own brain to be anything other than an impenetrable black box when it comes to analyzing, generalizing, and predicting my own future evaluation and appreciation of music. So I don't try too hard at it. Instead I try to cast a wide net as far as what I listen to, and hope I pull in some real gems from time to time. So far that approach has been satisfactory for me. Perhaps someday one of those gems will be a rap album that will knock me off my feet and open up the genre for my appreciation more generally. I truly hope that happens.
It should fit your taste better than Daytona, at least.
Yeah, I guess it does, a bit, moment to moment. But I still can't say I enjoy it, especially as a whole. I've already made my general opinion of rap known, and that applies to this album, so I won't rehash it here. I'll say this: this album does avoid a lot of the common pitfalls of rap albums (particularly 90s/00s rap albums) that I find incredibly tedious, such as juvenile skits and overt homophobia/misogyny. But it's still rap, and it's way too long, in my opinion, so...
35/100
(2)
Let's go with Hellfire.
(3)
My ten are now split between two lists:
Here's one album from each of the first nine pages (20 per page) of albums I've not yet rated on BEA. I've tried to choose the albums I'm least familiar with.
1: 483. The Yes Album by Yes (1971)
2: 568. Up The Bracket by The Libertines (2002)
3: 667. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty (2017)
4: 722. Artaud by Pescado Rabioso (1973)
5: 826. Clics Modernos by Charly García (1983)
6: 878. Ctrl by SZA (2017)
7: 928. A Seat At The Table by Solange (2016)
8: 958. Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey (2023)
9: 995. Grey Area by Little Simz (2019)
And one album from the first page (40 per page) of albums I've not yet rated on RYM. I've tried to choose the album I'm least familiar with.
1: 200. Juan Gabriel en el Palacio de Bellas Artes by Juan Gabriel (1990)
Sonically, this continues largely in the dense, chaotic, virtuosic jazzy prog vein of their previous album Cavalcade. Instrumentally and vocally, it's a comparably solid effort. But on Hellfire, black midi up the ante with better songwriting and lyrics, oriented around central themes of hell and violence. All three of their studio albums are interesting and inventive, so it's a shame they've now broken up. I'm glad I've now heard their final statement, which in my opinion is their magnum opus. That said, my appreciation of their style here is higher than my enjoyment. I like the jazz influence, but the comprehensively harsh nature of this album prevents it from being a personal favorite, at least for now. Perhaps it will grow into one after I assimilate further. Starting at a high 3.5/5, or 70/100 on BEA.
~~~~~
2. My favorite of those is Grey Area, but I'll give you a break from rap for a turn (mostly - there are a few features) by choosing this instead:
30s: 2. Bessie Smith Album - Bessie Smith
40s: 4. The Midnight Special (And Other Southern Prison Songs) - Lead Belly
50s: 9. Berry Is On Top - Chuck Berry
60s: 63. The Who Sell Out - The Who
70s: 76. Aqualung - Jethro Tull
80s: 75. Pretty Hate Machine - Nine Inch Nails
90s: 91. The Fat Of The Land - The Prodigy
00s: 80. De-Loused In The Comatorium - The Mars Volta
10s: 79. Hand. Cannot. Erase. - Steven Wilson
20s: 18. A Light For Attracting Attention - The Smile _________________ Join us in the canon game / Add me on RYM
(1)
Ctrl by SZA
On first listen (first recent listen, that is; I listened to this not long after it came out and immediately dismissed it as not worth hearing again), I found this album to be largely mediocre-but-basically-passable, but with a sizable side helping of mildly irritating aspects. For instance, the interludes or whatever you want to call them--basically anything that's part of the track but not part of the song, such as the mom talking before and after songs, the outro on The Weekend...that kind of stuff. Also, SZA's vocals aren't, to my ear, anything special. And sometimes she seems to put on this vocal affectation that I find to be the aural equivalent of duck face. It's clearly unnatural and sounds bad to me. Especially when she's singing about "doo doo". But hey--at least she's singing! That's a nice change of pace from the last couple albums. But there's still a heavy hip hop influence here, especially in the features, as you mention, baystateoftheart. And then there's the lyrical focus on boring relationship drama. And the general lack of really evocative melodies. You know, mildly irritating aspects. Nothing that individually hurts my enjoyment too much. But it adds up, and on first listen it all added up to me disliking the album.
But I stuck with it, and after five fresh listens, I admit it has grown on me... a bit. I still am not a fan of anything mentioned above, but they irritate me much less. Stockholm syndrome, I suppose. But whatever the reason, I'm able to look past them and find something to actively enjoy here, rather than merely put up with. Most of the songs still have something about them that makes me not think they're worth listening to at all regularly, but there are some exceptions: Prom is pretty good, and Normal Girl is decent. And there are melodic bits here and there that I now appreciate. Unfortunately, they're not at all consistent.
So yeah, all in all not a great album. Nothing special...but some minor highlights.
48/100
(2)
I think it's Chuck Berry time.
(3)
My ten are split between two lists:
Here's one album from each of the first eight pages (20 per page) of albums I've not yet rated on BEA. I've tried to choose the albums I'm least familiar with.
1: 483. The Yes Album by Yes (1971)
2: 569. Up The Bracket by The Libertines (2002)
3: 669. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty (2017)
4: 726. Artaud by Pescado Rabioso (1973)
5: 831. Clics Modernos by Charly García (1983)
6: 884. Neu! by Neu! (1972)
7: 931. A Seat At The Table by Solange (2016)
8: 963. Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey (2023)
And two album from the first page (40 per page) of albums I've not yet rated on RYM. I've tried to choose the albums I'm least familiar with.
1: 159. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by Lorien Testard (2025)
2: 195. Juan Gabriel en el Palacio de Bellas Artes by Juan Gabriel (1990)
(1)
Begin by The Millennium
This is a wonderful sunshine pop record - bright, melodic, and dripping with late 60s charm. While I’m not yet sold on it being a classic (it doesn’t reach the heights of Surrealistic Pillow, which I revisited last week), Millennium carve out their own niche with lush instrumentals and playful melodies. The sound is undeniably enjoyable, especially on a day this hot, where the album’s breezy hooks and warm production feel just right. The more psychedelic and experimental tracks stood out the most. That said, a few cuts drift into pleasant but forgettable 60s pop. Still, there’s enough here to warrant a third listen soon (and I should read up on the band’s history, too).
(2)
Go with Neu! – not my favorite Krautrock band (or even their best album), but that scene was so good that even its second-tier records slap.
(3)
R marks relistens
The Black Dog - Bytes (R)
Ethel Cain - Perverts
Yeule - Evangelic Girl is a Gun
Huremic - Seeking Darkness
Dormant Ordeal - Tooth and Nail
Aesop Rock - Black Hole Superette
Chief Keef - Almighty So 2
Marijata - This is Marijata (R)
Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On
Kaleidoscope - Tangerine Dream _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
(1)
Neu! by Neu!
Insubstantial is the word that comes to mind. I'm not averse to good ambient music, but even the more rocking tracks here are...lacking something. They are, to my ears, unexciting and repetitive and don't generally do much to engage me. I mean, I guess I can tap my toe and bob my head to them a bit, but I could do the same to a metronome. I do like some parts of Weissensee, but that's about it. And the ambient tracks are devoid of anything of interest at all. Then the album ends with what sounds like a Jandek song. Weird choice but okay. It feels to me like something of a left turn, yet even here on the only track with vocals, said vocals are weirdly insubstantial. Is that the theme?
All in all there's not enough going on to get me excited at all. But the album isn't bad or anything--just kinda hollow, in my opinion. It lacks the heft I would expect of something that's supposedly so influential.
49/100
(2)
I'm not very familiar with any of these. Go with Marijata. Sounds like a good time.
(3)
My ten are split between two lists:
Here's one album from each of the first eight pages (20 per page) of albums I've not yet rated on BEA. I've tried to choose the albums I'm least familiar with.
1: 484. The Yes Album by Yes (1971)
2: 570. Up The Bracket by The Libertines (2002)
3: 668. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty (2017)
4: 728. Artaud by Pescado Rabioso (1973)
5: 835. Clics Modernos by Charly García (1983)
6: 901. Duke by Genesis (1980)
7: 917. Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe (2018)
8: 943. A Seat At The Table by Solange (2016)
And two albums from the first page (40 per page) of albums I've not yet rated on RYM. I've tried to choose the albums I'm least familiar with.
1: 194. En el Palacio de Bellas Artes by Juan Gabriel (1990)
2: 223. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by Lorien Testard (2025)
(1)
This Is Marijata by Marijata
This is a wonderful, short 27-minute excursion into the psychedelic funk and highlife scene of the 70s Ghana. On this third (I think) listen I'm still not blown away or anything, but this album does its job so well. Life-affirming and bright, even with somewhat nostalgic lyrics at times. It's one of those albums which I'd recommend to just about anyone, anytime. I don't have much to say about it, these are 4 cool af tracks with the higlight being a 10-minute opener I Walk Alone. A huge jam to soothe your soul.
(2)
Pescado Rabioso are fun, go with Artaud.
(3)
R marks relistens
The Black Dog - Bytes (R)
Ethel Cain - Perverts
Yeule - Evangelic Girl is a Gun
Huremic - Seeking Darkness
Dormant Ordeal - Tooth and Nail
Aesop Rock - Black Hole Superette
Chief Keef - Almighty So 2
Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On
Kaleidoscope - Tangerine Dream
Today Is The Day - Sadness Will Prevail (R) _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
(1)
Artaud by Pescado Rabioso
I don't speak or understand Spanish (except for the tiny occasional bits that I foggily retain from the Spanish classes I took as a youngster). It seems that Spanish-speaking fans of this album generally think the lyrics are a crucial aspect of its greatness. I read a couple of online translations, and nothing jumped out at me as especially impactful. They seem fine, I suppose, but nothing that special (with the caveat that I don't understand them in the original Spanish, and perhaps that influences my appreciation of them to some greater or lesser degree). Then again a lot of highly praised English language lyrics are in my opinion either total crap or really nothing special. That said, I'm mostly judging this album based on the musical (non-lyrical) aspects. Melody, vocal passion, sound palette, etc.
And on those aspects, it's decent. Not unpleasant. There are some good hooks here and there (particularly in the first and last songs). Some good vocal stuff (particularly in Cantata de puentes amarillos and the aforementioned bookending tracks). The penultimate track is probably the only one that I think, on balance, would improve the album by not being there. The first half is just not my thing. Especially the crying. After that it's fine, so really I'd probably just cut the first half. There are a couple songs that just kinda blend in...you know, they do nothing special and fade from memory the moment they end. Overall, as I said, the album is decent. But it starts and ends strongly enough, with just enough good stuff to get me through the middle section, that on the whole I'd say I lean toward liking it. But I don't get the overwhelming hype. Who knows how much the language barrier contributes to that...
58/100
(2)
LedZep, today is the day that sadness will prevail. I'm no metalhead, but I made an effort to listen to basically the entire consensus metal canon over the past few years, and this stood out to me as above average. I'll have to revisit it sometime.
(3)
My ten are split between two lists:
Here's one album from each of the first eight pages (20 per page) of albums I've not yet rated on BEA. I've tried to choose the albums I'm least familiar with.
1: 488. The Yes Album by Yes (1971)
2: 622. Kick by INXS (1987)
3: 671. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty (2017)
4: 754. Microcastle by Deerhunter (2008)
5: 834. Clics Modernos by Charly García (1983)
6: 900. Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey (2023)
7: 916. Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe (2018)
8: 942. A Seat At The Table by Solange (2016)
And two albums from the first page (40 per page) of albums I've not yet rated on RYM. I've tried to choose the albums I'm least familiar with.
1: 164. El jardín de los presentes by Invisible (1976)
2: 194. En el Palacio de Bellas Artes by Juan Gabriel (1990)
(1)
Neu! by Neu!
Insubstantial is the word that comes to mind. I'm not averse to good ambient music, but even the more rocking tracks here are...lacking something. They are, to my ears, unexciting and repetitive and don't generally do much to engage me. I mean, I guess I can tap my toe and bob my head to them a bit, but I could do the same to a metronome. I do like some parts of Weissensee, but that's about it. And the ambient tracks are devoid of anything of interest at all. Then the album ends with what sounds like a Jandek song. Weird choice but okay. It feels to me like something of a left turn, yet even here on the only track with vocals, said vocals are weirdly insubstantial. Is that the theme?
All in all there's not enough going on to get me excited at all. But the album isn't bad or anything--just kinda hollow, in my opinion. It lacks the heft I would expect of something that's supposedly so influential.
49/100
I'm glad you gave this masterpiece a go Rhyner. Here are some things about it that might assist when listening again.
It's impressionism, abstract art. The instrumentation, guitar, drums, effects, are alluding to (but not substantiating outright; again its impressionist, abstract art, allusive) emotions, themes, pictorial elements, movement, city scapes, the like; it's there but barely in ones vision or grasp, hanging as a moment or an allusion. It will help immensely that the lead instrument(s) (such as in the first track, its weaving, yearning, guitar figurations) alludes beautifully, poetically, yearningly, to the entrapped, faded, lost and lonely voice and one can make out the 'contours', an abstraction of speech, like a mouth trying to speak but only emitting the sounds and contour of the syllables around the words. This is of a voice trying to elicit from the cobweb of repression, underneath the clouds of oppression, Fascism, immense loneliness and immense internal anguish (or from inside other alike Dystopian nightmares). While the surrounding instrumentation is echoing, impressionistic, abstractly, the city scape, even a party-goer but of the lost, the anguished, the alone, the ennui (of the night life), the movement through the city and this scene, the percolating thought and atmosphere. Despite the omnipresent impressionism and abstraction these elements will likely become more and more "emotive" and profound, perhaps even catastrophic in their loneliness and allusion and poetry, the more one listens and grasps its nightmare, of the oppression of the humane. Not just impressions and abstractions but the album alludes to even Pop Art in its artifice of "excitement" and "driving" through the abstraction of the city or of atmosphere, or moving through the vague abstraction of night life, in its artifice of "melody" and "simple" beats. Nevertheless the whole album will be seen to be under such 'oppression' of the humane, such allusion, such anguish and impressionistic poetry amidst a dystopia (or consumerist society, and/or a society repressed of feelings and connection...). Some of the instrumental lead takes on an increasingly more abstract, increasingly mental phenomena -- as in thoughts percolating, emoting, the (allusion towards) vocalizations increasingly absent turned more inward by yearning thoughts, introspection, solitude, ennui, sheer (haunted) mood and foreboding -- after the first track -- and across the whole the 'protagonist' (instrumental lead) loses the ability to have a voice amidst the devastated, sinister, quietly threatening (rather haunted, ghostly, harrowing) impressionistic/abstraction of dystopian atmosphere, hemming the character within it, impressing down upon its mind, its sense of individuality, of free will, of the self, a crushing of the soul. Before the final track that finally sings out, haunted as in someone suddenly arising from a coma, and like a "rebirth" now almost yelling (but, ambiguously, simultaneously, also "whispering") singing, crying almost, out into empty space for any one to try and reach out and connect to, finally emotively expressive outside of its devastated shell, but still can no longer really enunciate words.
Hasty as usual in reply, so if you need me to explain something a little more (or maybe even show where what I mean occurs in the music itself, time permitting), just ask... _________________ Best Classical Best Films Best Paintings
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