[Filipe]

It's my first post in this thread.

Try "Kick" by INXS (1987)!

My top 10 unheard from BE's best ever albums:
10 - To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
16 - Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan
18- Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Kendrick Lamar
21 - Funeral, Arcade Fire
22 - The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths
23 - Blonde On Blonde, Bob Dylan
28 - Hunky Dory, David Bowie
32 - A Love Supreme, John Coltrane
33 - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel
38 - 98.12.28 男達の別れ [98.12.28 Otokotachi No Wakare], フィッシュマンズ [Fishmans]

[Rhyner]

(1)

Kick by INXS
This album is a mixed bag. There are a lot of solid elements here, but generally they don't come together into satisfying entire songs. There's a fair amount of solid instrumental stuff, but the vocals are generally not up to par. Guns in the Sky and Mediate stand out for me as particularly crap. Need You Tonight, Kick, and especially Never Tear Us Apart are decent to solid. The rest is kinda forgettable but not necessarily bad.

49/100

(2)
I have to choose my all-time favorite album, of course. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel.

(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: 519. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming by M83 (2011)
2: 576. Up The Bracket by The Libertines (2002)
3: 671. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty (2017)
4: 792. Without You I'm Nothing by Placebo (1998)
5: 838. Clics Modernos by Charly García (1983)
6: 914. Duke by Genesis (1980)
7: 936. A Seat At The Table by Solange (2016)
8: 989. Grey Area by Little Simz (2019)

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: 165. El jardín de los presentes by Invisible (1976)
2: 198. En el Palacio de Bellas Artes by Juan Gabriel (1990)

[Filipe]

(1)

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998) by Neutral Milk Hotel

I was very curious to finally listen to this album, seeing that it appears in so many lists and, from what I understood, has a lot of mystique surrounding it.

So far I have only listened 2.5 times to it (twice from start to finish and then only some of the songs) so my opinion might change drastically in the future (it has been known to happen 😁 )

I recognize this album has some charm and I can understand why some people really like it. The lyrics, albeit a bit cryptic (at least for a non-native speaker) are good and some of the songs have a hymn-like quality to them. But that's the thing, on both full listens I gave this album, halfway through it just feels like I've been listening to one very long acoustic, stream-of-consciousness recitation. I'm not a big fan of Jeff Mangum's vocals either. He has a good range and I enjoy his singing on some songs, but on other songs he just sounds like a drunk busker singing on the street, mostly due to his phrasing and slightly nasal tone. But then again, I've changed my mind about other vocalists before, so who knows.

I was a little disappointed, not because it's a bad album, but because I had high expectations I had due to all the hype.

60/100

(2)

Try "Duke" by Genesis! It's actually on my list to hear eventually.

(3)


My top 10 unheard from BE's best ever albums:
10 - To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
16 - Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan
18- Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Kendrick Lamar
21 - Funeral, Arcade Fire
22 - The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths
23 - Blonde On Blonde, Bob Dylan
28 - Hunky Dory, David Bowie
32 - A Love Supreme, John Coltrane
38 - 98.12.28 男達の別れ [98.12.28 Otokotachi No Wakare], フィッシュマンズ [Fishmans]
39 - A Moon Shaped Pool - Radiohead

[baystateoftheart]

1.


Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus (2004) by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

I pretty much always enjoy Nick Cave's music while I'm listening, but with rare exceptions (The Mercy Seat is an amazing song), I scarcely ever feel compelled to return to it. This is the ninth album I've heard from him and the sixth involving The Bad Seeds, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect sonically going in, and there aren't too many surprises on that front. It's a very enjoyable trip through several of his signature styles like alt-rock and punk blues, with plenty of solid songwriting and subtly-crafted instrumentals. But at over 82 minutes, Abbatoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus does get long in the tooth, and I can't help but think it might fare better if it were trimmed into a single album. On first listen, my favorite tracks are There She Goes, My Beautiful World and Nature Boy, which are both great songs. The gospel choir is incorporated very effectively and is an excellent addition to the record. Apart from those two, not much sticks out to me, but this is nonetheless a very good album, and Nick Cave enjoyers should check it out. Starting at a 3.5/5 or 70/100 on BEA.

~~~~~

2. Welcome! What an amazing selection - so many of my favorite albums. Listen to my #2 of all time:


A Love Supreme (1965) by John Coltrane

~~~~~

3. BEA Overall Chart

316. Aqualung - Jethro Tull
413. Highway To Hell - AC/DC
443. 2112 - Rush
449. (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd) - Lynyrd Skynyrd
453. At Fillmore East - The Allman Brothers Band
488. Deep Purple In Rock - Deep Purple
489. De-Loused In The Comatorium - The Mars Volta
490. Can't Buy A Thrill - Steely Dan
493. The Who Sell Out - The Who
499. For Your Pleasure - Roxy Music
_________________
Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM

[Rhyner]

(1)

Duke (1980) by Genesis
I'm finding it hard to get excited about this album, positively or negatively. It's okay...
As someone who's just not at all invested in Genesis as a band, the lack of Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett is a nonissue to me.
I don't think I can single out any particular song as any better or worse or essentially different from any other. They all sound pretty much the same to me, even after five recent listens.
Occasionally there's a moment that stands out to me, a melodic hook or some attention-grabbing emotional power in Phil Collins's voice or whatever, but these moments are fleeting, few, and far between.
The album doesn't rub me in the wrong way or anything. It's...fine, I guess. It just doesn't grab me.

51/100

(2)
Lynyrd Skynyrd. There's some good stuff on that one.

(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: 515. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming by M83 (2011)
2: 547. X&Y by Coldplay (2005)
3: 673. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty (2017)
4: 788. Without You I'm Nothing by Placebo (1998)
5: 834. Clics Modernos by Charly García (1983)
6: 911. Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey
7: 937. A Seat At The Table by Solange (2016)
8: 962. Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay (2024)

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: 200. En el Palacio de Bellas Artes by Juan Gabriel (1990)

[baystateoftheart]

1.


(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd) (1973) by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Going into this I knew only 2 Skynyrd songs: Sweet Home Alabama from being everywhere, and Saturday Night Special from being on a free 20th century masters medley comp I played as a kid. It's mostly Sweet Home Alabama that prevented me from listening to anything else of theirs. Catchy as hell, but awful lyrics. Southern Man and Alabama are both great Neil Young songs calling out racist oppression. It's very telling that a) Skynyrd got so worked up about defending the honor of their state from factual accusations of racism that they wrote a jingoistic response song b) out of the three tracks involved, that's the one became the huge hit and revered classic rock song c) as a band, they kept flying the confederate flag at concerts until 2019. Honestly, so embarrassing for Neil Young that he later walked back his songs and praised Skynyrd.

Anyway, it was time to finally listen to an album of theirs, and I'm surprised by how good this debut is. It really holds its own with albums I've heard by other southern rock greats like The Allman Brothers Band and Little Feat. The record is much bluesier than expected, and I was expecting some bluesy rock. Simple Man is great, there's not a bad track or even a mediocre track here, and I finally appreciate the Free Bird meme. I was also shocked by how politically liberal of a song Things Goin' On is, in stark contrast to Sweet Home Alabama. Such a solid album front to back, and lots of fun to listen to. Starting at a high 3.5/5, or 70/100 on BEA.

~~~~~

2. This is a great atmospheric album with a few bangers:


Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (2011) by M83

~~~~~

3. 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die (I just got the book!)

Modern Cosmology - Jane Weaver (2017)
Django Django - Django Django (2012)
Blunderbuss - Jack White (2012)
D - White Denim (2011)
Cross - Justice (2007)
Savane - Ali Farka Touré (2006)
Coles Corner - Richard Hawley (2005)
Want Two - Rufus Wainwright (2004)
De-Loused In The Comatorium - The Mars Volta (2003)
Under Construction - Missy Elliott (2002)
_________________
Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM

[Filipe]

(1)


A Love Supreme (1965) by John Coltrane

I listened to this album a couple of times before writing this review, mostly on the background while cooking and working out.

I can say that it was quite pleasant to hear in general. I felt it was a bit more chaotic than, for example, "My Favorite Things", a record that I really like, more in the vein of "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" by Mingus (forgive me Jazz connoisseurs, but my Jazz knowledge is very limited 😁 ) and it even reminded me a bit of the soundtrack of Cowboy Bebop, an anime that I love.

For better or for worse, there was really no highlight for me, if anything, I slightly preferred the Part I.

70/100

(2)

Listen to "De-Loused In The Comatorium" by The Mars Volta, I really like that one 😁

(3)


My top 10 unheard from BE's best ever albums:
10 - To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
16 - Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan
18- Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Kendrick Lamar
21 - Funeral, Arcade Fire
22 - The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths
23 - Blonde On Blonde, Bob Dylan
28 - Hunky Dory, David Bowie
38 - 98.12.28 男達の別れ [98.12.28 Otokotachi No Wakare], フィッシュマンズ [Fishmans]
39 - A Moon Shaped Pool - Radiohead
42 - Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division

[Rhyner]

(1)

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (2011) by M83
This starts off so promisingly. After six tracks, I'm fully on board. Uplifting, atmospheric, anthemic feel-good music. What's not to like? And then...it just loses all of its oomph. A couple tracks toward the end do their best to lift things to their prior levels, but it's a case of too little too late.
As a whole, not bad. Even all the filler that stops the momentum of this thing dead in its tracks isn't, in itself, bad. It's decent atmospheric, ambient-ish stuff, but it just doesn't work with how the album starts out, in my opinion. The pacing of this album is all out of whack, but it's always at least listenable.

60/100

(2)
I have a feeling you'll greatly appreciate A Moon Shaped Pool.

(3)
My ten are split between two lists:

Here's one album from each of the first six 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: 546. X&Y by Coldplay (2005)
2: 660. Reggatta De Blanc by The Police (1979)
3: 679. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty (2017)
4: 785. Without You I'm Nothing by Placebo (1998)
5: 836. Clics Modernos by Charly García (1983)
6: 933. A Seat At The Table by Solange (2016)

And two albums from each of the first two pages (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: 200. En el Palacio de Bellas Artes by Juan Gabriel (1990)
2: 261. Deseo, carne y voluntad by Candelabro (2025)
3: 315. DELTARUNE: Chapters 3+4 by Toby Fox (2025)
4: 351. UNDERTALE by Toby "Radiation" Fox (2015)

[baystateoftheart]

1.


De-Loused In The Comatorium (2003) by The Mars Volta

For a long time, progressive rock and punk were basically polar opposites, presenting diametrically opposed visions of what rock music should sound like. So it's jarring to hear the two blended together decades later, and at first listen I really don't know what to make of this album. It's quite an interesting listen throughout, but sometimes a bit clunky, and I don't follow the story. I had been settling into much more appreciation than enjoyment, but then the end of the album really leveled up. Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt is an epic closing track. There's a lot to like here, and this record could be a grower with further listening. I certainly enjoy it more than At The Drive-In. But I won't pretend I'm close to truly getting it, so I'll start it at a high 3/5, or 60/100 on BEA.

~~~~~

2. I prefer the follow-up, but this is a nice album too:


A Seat At The Table (2016) by Solange

~~~~~

3. 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Modern Cosmology - Jane Weaver (2017)
Django Django - Django Django (2012)
Blunderbuss - Jack White (2012)
D - White Denim (2011)
Cross - Justice (2007)
Savane - Ali Farka Touré (2006)
Coles Corner - Richard Hawley (2005)
Want Two - Rufus Wainwright (2004)
Under Construction - Missy Elliott (2002)
The Rising - Bruce Springsteen (2002)
_________________
Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM

[Rhyner]

(1)

A Seat At The Table (2016) by Solange
Yeah, this is a nice album, I guess. For the most part. Before listening, seeing a track listing full of interludes scared me a bit, but as far as spoken word interludes go, the ones on this album are comfortably over on the benign side of that particular bell curve. They could have been much worse, but I'd still prefer if they weren't there. Yeah, yeah, I know they help to craft the theme/message of the album, but in my opinion they're a clumsy way of doing that. A little too on-the-nose. And they still pad the runtime of an album that I think would benefit from being much shorter.
My dislike of rap is well-documented, so I'll avoid mentioning Lil Wayne's feature except to say that it also could have been much worse.
As nice-sounding as this album is at any given point, I do think it goes on too long. To me, most of the tracks don't really stand out from the crowd. "Filler" is the term that comes to mind. And while the album is technically competent and all that, it doesn't, in my opinion, do anything to really go above and beyond in terms of, like, you know, personality or artistic expression or whatever. What I'm saying is...Solange strikes me as kinda bland.

52/100

(2)
I've never heard of that Jane Weaver album, but it looks interesting.

(3)
My ten are split between two lists:

Here's one album from each of the first six 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: 548. X&Y by Coldplay (2005)
2: 670. Reggatta De Blanc by The Police (1979)
3: 679. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty (2017)
4: 814. Clics Modernos by Charly García (1983)
5: 882. Mogwai Young Team by Mogwai (1997)
6: 904. Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey (2023)

And two albums from each of the first two pages (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: 158. El jardín de los presentes by Invisible (1976)
2: 202. En el Palacio de Bellas Artes by Juan Gabriel (1990)
3: 327. DELTARUNE: Chapters 3+4 by Toby Fox (2025)
4: 349. UNDERTALE by Toby "Radiation" Fox (2015)