Joy Of A Toy by Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers is a multi-instrumentalist and one of the key figures of the Cantenbury scene. I've heard some of the Cantenbury scene classics, but the sound (in many of its forms) has never been that appealing to me, with a few exceptions. Until now. Joy of a Toy is a top tier pop album. It's also a top tier prog rock album. AND it's psychedelic, cool af, experimental for its time, and just well crafted in general. But it's also whimsical and incredibly fun, which I appreciate a lot. The variety of instruments, good lyrics and just plain weird songwriting choices add to the quirkiness. There's nothing better than a great musician writing off-kilter music and having fun with it. Numerous highlights and no real weak points. Religious Experience with Syd Barrett is apparently only a bonus track, which I've figured out after listening to the album 3 times. It's not that the song doesn't work as a closer, but it's definitely different than the rest. Works well as a one-off experiment. 9/10
(2)
Has to be Relationship of Command, Bay!
(3)
R marks relistens
Leviathan - The Tenth Sub Level of Suicide (R)
The Black Dog - Bytes (R)
Ethel Cain - Perverts
Squid - Cowards
Opeth - The Last Will And Testament
Lana Del Rey - Did you know there was a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
Ultravox - Ha! Ha! Ha!
Idrissa Soumaoro et l'Eclipse de L'I.J.A. - Ampsa: Le tioko-tioko
Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On
Toots & The Maytals - Sweet And Dandy _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Weezer (White Album) by Weezer
For years now I've had a negative view of Weezer. (This is based purely on their first two albums, since I haven't heard anything else they've done until now. Apparently the consensus is that they have some real stinkers in their discography, but I've never heard those, just the blue album and Pinkerton.) So this album was a pleasant surprise, because I kinda like it. It's got some catchy melodic hooks, and while the lyrics are quite often corny or even kinda cringe, they're mostly easy to ignore. I can't say that on the whole this album is anything particularly special, but I don't mind listening to it--in fact I can happily bob my head along while listening--and that's a huge relief based on my preconceptions. Now, thinking, back, I have to wonder...why did I have such a prejudice against Weezer? I'm going to have to go back and revisit their first two albums (and maybe a few more in their discography), because most of the songs I can actively recall (Say It Ain't So, My Name Is Jonas, Buddy Holly) are perfectly fine, and while a couple (El Scorcho and The Sweater Song) do have some aspects that I find slightly irritating, that's hardly a reason for the degree of enmity I've had for the band all these years. Maybe the answer is hiding in the forgettable songs and when I revisit them it will all come flooding back, or maybe I'll listen back and the negative feelings will evaporate. That would be nice. I hope that's what happens.
58/100
(2)
Leviathan. Black metal is fun.
(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: 481. The Yes Album by Yes (1971)
2: 565. Up The Bracket by The Libertines (2002)
3: 670. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty (2017)
4: 714. Artaud by Pescado Rabioso (1973)
5: 817. Clics Modernos by Charly García (1983)
6: 823. Argus by Wishbone Ash (1972)
7: 889. Buffalo Springfield Again by Buffalo Springfield (1967)
8: 935. The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories) by Steven Wilson (2013)
9: 946. A Seat At The Table by Solange (2016)
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: 213. Juan Gabriel en el Palacio de Bellas Artes by Juan Gabriel (1990)
I would generally agree with this statement. Black metal is known as an "evil" subgenre, but in all honesty, it's fun as hell. Grown dudes dressing in weird costumes, wearing face paint, shrieking about demons, devils, vampires, wizards, spirits and whatnot? Sign me up. Even the dark, disturbing, lofi black metal manages to be fun sometimes.
Leviathan is NOT fun. It's a Californian one-man black metal project by Wrest (Jef Whitehead), also of Lurker of Chalice fame. The Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide is his debut which gained him significant following in the metal underground. It's one of the most self-loathing album I've ever heard, even in the DSBM (depressive suicidal black metal) scene which specializes in uncomfortably dark themes and music. It also seems like a very genuine record - is it because of the quality songwriting, fantastic playing (one guy created, played, produced and mixed all of this!) and incredible, chilling vocals, or just the overtly mysanthropic and well-written lyrics? The themes explored here include depression, anger, suicidal thoughts and self-extermination.
Now all of this might sound negative and off-putting (and it certainly is, by design). But the music itself is done extremely well and Wrest manages to create an unrivaled atmosphere. The songwriting on display is straight up incredible, it features some of the best riffs you'll hear in metal. Production wise, the album dances on the edges of lofi metal. It's produced well enough to showcase the strong musicianship and instrumentals, but it's also clearly lofi which helps maintain that "edge" and atmosphere all black metal listeners love. A fantastic record, though not an easy listen lyrically. Or a difficult listen in general if you're not into black metal. Either way, I wholeheartedly love it. Highlights are Fucking Your Ghost in Chains of Ice and At the Door to the Tenth Sub Level of Suicide.
Btw shoutout to this great documentary. It introduced me to Leviathan's music almost a decade ago.
(2)
You might like The Raven That Refused To Sing, it's modernized old school prog and one of Wilson's best works.
(3)
R marks relistens
Today Is The Day - Sadness Will Prevail (R)
The Black Dog - Bytes (R)
Ethel Cain - Perverts
Squid - Cowards
Opeth - The Last Will And Testament
Lana Del Rey - Did you know there was a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
Ultravox - Ha! Ha! Ha!
Idrissa Soumaoro et l'Eclipse de L'I.J.A. - Ampsa: Le tioko-tioko
Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On
Toots & The Maytals - Sweet And Dandy _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
My first time hearing any project involving Cedric Bixler-Zavala. I'm not a fan of his vocals here, and that's the biggest negative for me. Instrumentally, this is solid, and At The Drive-In is talented, but the songwriting has some room for improvement. There are a number of post-hardcore records I really enjoy (from Unwound, Hüsker Dü, Drive Like Jehu, etc.), and now I realize a common thread is that they have significant noise rock elements. In the absence of that, Relationship Of Command's emo influences don't resonate for me as much. I can appreciate what they're doing here, and it's pretty good, but I'm not sure if it's for me. Starting at a light 3/5, or 55/100.
~~~~~
2. This one has a few stone-cold classic tracks, and the rest is solid too:
266. Hotel California - Eagles
304. Thick As A Brick - Jethro Tull
321. Aqualung - Jethro Tull
404. 2112 - Rush
417. Highway To Hell - AC/DC
434. At Fillmore East - The Allman Brothers Band
443. (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd) - Lynyrd Skynyrd
477. Deep Purple In Rock - Deep Purple
483. Avalon - Roxy Music
487. The Who Sell Out - The Who _________________ Join us in the canon game / Add me on RYM
Okay, I've decided to play this game again. I'll start fresh. Don't remember what last assignment was, I just remember not getting to it or into it and then giving up like 6-10 months ago. So...
1.
(blank to start)
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@Baystateoftheart, some classic a very mainstream rock and hard rock there. I'll say this is a pleasant and iconic album and should be heard if only to be aware of what the fuss was and is about with it... Thus I nominate for you:
For now, I'll do a similar thing to what baystateoftheart is doing, for RYM. Each group of 40 I'll pick one I've not yet rated or heard and list it here. I'm including EPs and albums and deweighted soundtracks, and live albums and archival records.
354. The Ape of Naples by Coil/2005
385. Love In Us All by Pharaoh Sanders/1974
416. New Plastic Ideas by Unwound/1994
445. Just Got Back From Discomfort---We're Alright by The Brave Little Abacus/2010
488. Floating Into The Night by Julee Cruise/1989
542. ...Like Clockwork by The Queens of the Stone Age/2013
572. Somewhere In Time by Iron Maiden/1986
633. Around The Fur by Deftones/1997
658. Ceres & Calypso in the Deep Time by Candy Claws/2013 _________________ -Ryan
Sweet And Dandy by Toots & The Maytals
I've previously heard several songs from this seminal release, with Pressure Drop being one of the best tracks of the 70s period. Having such a massive song is both a blessing and a curse - the rest of the album doesn't reach the same highs, but there are still excellent songs like Monkey Man, We Shall Overcome, Sweet & Dandy, I Need Your Love, 54-46 That's My Number, and a bunch of others. I prefer Funky Kingston as of now, but I enjoyed Sweet and Dandy a lot on this wonderful, sunny day.
(2)
Hey Merc, good to see you back in the game. Go with Floating Into The Night in remembrance of David Lynch. It's also pretty much a perfect album.
(3)
R marks relistens
The Black Dog - Bytes (R)
Ethel Cain - Perverts
Squid - Cowards
Saor - Amidst the Ruins
Actress - Hell
Lana Del Rey - Did you know there was a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
Idrissa Soumaoro et l'Eclipse de L'I.J.A. - Ampsa: Le tioko-tioko
Spirit - Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus (R)
Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On
The Millennium - Begin _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
My first time hearing an album by the Eagles, and I was looking forward to this one. The title track is one of the most famous songs ever, but apart from that I can't recall hearing any of this before.
While it has some good moments, the aforementioned track one is massively overplayed relative to its quality, its concluding guitar solo is ponderously long, and Frank Ocean does a better job with the instrumental on American Wedding. The next song, New Kid In Town, is a pretty nice country rock tune that might be my favorite on the record. And then the band loses the plot, crossing the line between mellow and bland and staying there. To my ears it's pretty much continuous filler, without memorable melodies or songwriting, barely any bite to the instrumentals, and pedestrian vocals to boot. This is not bad music by any means, and it goes down easy, but now that it's done I am hard pressed to identify anything I'd like to hear again. There are a couple moments with harmonies that sound nice, and I wish they leaned hard into those and into the countryfied elements of their sound. Maybe then Hotel California would live up to its reputation, but as is, it's sadly vapid. 2.5/5, or 50/100 on BEA.
~~~~~
2. This is an amazing album and personal favorite:
3. BEA Overall Chart Most Interesting By Page Not In Collection
481. Avalon - Roxy Music
495. Out Of The Blue - Electric Light Orchestra
570. A New World Record - Electric Light Orchestra
612. A Saucerful Of Secrets - Pink Floyd
703. Black Celebration - Depeche Mode
724. Paris 1919 - John Cale
828. Dare - The Human League
878. Gaucho - Steely Dan
887. New Day Rising - Hüsker Dü
964. Yerself Is Steam - Mercury Rev _________________ Join us in the canon game / Add me on RYM
The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Oth...ven Wilson
On the one hand there's nothing here that really bothers me in any way. It's all very tastefully done, very professional etc. But on the other hand it doesn't move me much at all. It leaves me cold. It's...okay....
50/100
(2)
Yerself Is Steam is really good.
(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: 485. The Yes Album by Yes (1971)
2: 569. Up The Bracket by The Libertines (2002)
3: 671. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty (2017)
4: 719. Artaud by Pescado Rabioso (1973)
5: 820. Clics Modernos by Charly García (1983)
6: 826. Argus by Wishbone Ash (1972)
7: 905. House Of Balloons by The Weeknd (2011)
8: 941. A Seat At The Table by Solange (2016)
9: 950. Sound Affects by The Jam (1980)
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: 206. Juan Gabriel en el Palacio de Bellas Artes by Juan Gabriel (1990)
I listened a few times and I liked it a lot. I suppose its a basic bish opinion, but my favorite songs were and continue to be the ones from the Twin Peaks soundtrack. The surrounding songs are consistently dreamy and sweet and melancholy and match the mood and the atmosphere of the one's I was introduced to early by Twin Peaks. And perhaps over time some of these other tunes will warm to me more like "Falling", "The Nightingale", "Into the Night", etc.
Her voice is the focus and it's majestic, with no sharp edges, it goes down smooth. A warmness and a reminiscent feeling when I hear her throughout this record.
Anyway, not much else to say. It was a good listening experience.
-------------------------
@Rhyner, this one is my favorite of those listed and I think Wishbone Ash in general should be listened to and talked about a bit more:
For now, I'll do a similar thing to what baystateoftheart is doing, for RYM. Each group of 40 I'll pick one I've not yet rated or heard and list it here. I'm including EPs and albums and deweighted soundtracks, and live albums and archival records.
354. The Ape of Naples by Coil/2005
385. Love In Us All by Pharaoh Sanders/1974
416. New Plastic Ideas by Unwound/1994
445. Just Got Back From Discomfort---We're Alright by The Brave Little Abacus/2010
542. ...Like Clockwork by The Queens of the Stone Age/2013
572. Somewhere In Time by Iron Maiden/1986
633. Around The Fur by Deftones/1997
676. Il était une forêt... by Gris/2007
704. Structures From Silence by Steve Roach/1984 _________________ -Ryan
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