A cab drive through New Orleans and the radio is playing some empowering tunes recreated by a magician.
2015 for me is going to be the year of jazz. I've been thinking about this for a while now whether or not I would want listen to RYM's top 100 jazz albums (traitor!). But, hopefully, this idea would come into fruition because, even though I've listened to very few albums from the genre, I could see it become a genre that I would love in the future. And I guess what adds to my motive is that my grandfather used to be in a jazz band. He played the saxophone for this band all around the country and apparently he was really good. I miss him dearly, since I never got to know this fact about him until much later after he passed away. I had a go at his saxophone earlier this year, and while I may not be able to return the favour of giving me my musical ear (I'm one of those rare people who thanks their grandparents for being responsible for their grandchildren's traits, yeah I'm weird) by being able to play the saxophone, but maybe if I listen to what he might've been listening to/playing when he was with his band at the time.
Although, I wouldn't call myself the biggest John Coltrane fan. A Love Supreme was good but I don't think it has clicked with me in the way other people have. I think his work boils down to is whether you get it or not. I think I'm in the latter category. Maybe I wasn't ready to handle his spiritual side and maybe go for more of his carefree hard-bop beginnings (I have no idea what these jazz terms mean #BawpOfTheYear). And yeah, this is definitely a lot more accessible, even though there are instruments improvising scales left and right. I do prefer the slower and sophisticated side of the album more than the youthful and energetic side of the album. Not to say that it's bad or anything, it's just a lot harder to appreciate, in my opinion. I'm Old Fashioned has all of your favourite traits in jazz, but it's backed up by the most relaxing bass melodies ever.
I think I prefer this to A Love Supreme. It's just a lot more accessible and it's more laid-back and cool. I guess that's how I may like my jazz when my jazz excavation reaches its conclusion, but you never know what's going to happen in 2015. Holy shit, A Love Supreme is going to be 50 years old by that point...well, that gives me the excuse to listen to it this year. _________________
The scene kids start a benefit concert to help their terminally ill friend.
I wasn't actually planning on listening to this, but I heard of the premise of emo and indie pop being fused together, my interest was piqued. As soon as I started listening to the first track all the way to the last track, it was unlike anything I've ever heard. There's this anger and rawness that has this biting attitude which would've sounded generic and uninteresting, but add the female's vocals and dabble a bit of electronics in there and you get that really angst-y sound and make it really triumphant. Loneliness getting you down? You feel you're not getting enough respect? You ready to give up now? There's no need to, this album will help you through it. Some rivals may have won the battle, but it's about time you won the war. _________________
Strolling through the streets of Liverpool where pavements are covered in flower beds and everyone had their clothes tie dyed.
I allowed this album to consume my soul for 34 minutes. It feels like I'm swimming in acid where the beach is made out of candy. This isn't an album to be writing a lot of technical terms about. Just listen to the music and you'll be swimming with it too.
OK, I knew you'd be disappointed, so I'm going to have another double album post! Yay!
Having your hair done in the last hair salon at the end of the universe. I may be diminishing in health, but at least I go out looking fabulous.
I almost feel like saying nothing about this album at all. I mean, how can I describe this thing? I can't. It's so unlike anything I've ever heard before. Like if new-wave merged together with industrial with a mythical fairy projecting the most eccentric but also purest R'n'B melodies. But, even that isn't giving it enough credit. Even though I don't know what I'm supposed describe this as, I like it. It has that odd charm to it. It feels mystical and otherworldly, even though it has this mechanical aid around it. I mean, I don't see it becoming one of my favourites one day (sorry Brandon), but it's something I could see myself putting it on once in a while, or maybe something a little bit more. _________________
Waking up in the morning of Spring, feeling miserable as always. A new beginning and you're still regressing your past mistakes. How pathetic.
The story of how Sparklehorse started and how it will inevitably end has always intrigued me. With the news about Mark Linkous tragically killing himself in 2010. I know he will be missed and how he will always live on in his music, but with context like that, I kept thinking to myself; how depressing could his music be? The idea of dead musicians has always fascinated me, and if their music was a factor and an insight into what their life was really like, I could feel a sense of comfort and so sign that I'm not alone in experiencing these feelings. But, maybe I'm just really sick and twisted if I really think of it. I shouldn't base how good a person's music is because of how memorable they committed the act of suicide. I mean, the reason I love Nick Drake and Elliott Smith so much is, not because of their tragic departures from life but, because of how fucking proficient their music was.
With all that being said, is Sparklehorse musical ability up there with them. In my opinion, no. But, Sparklehorse has a completely different style and outlook on music than those two. I would say that they resemble more Eels than anything else, but even Eels never had this experimental side to their indie sound. But, let's stop comparing, it's clearly not fair on Linkous's part, who probably worked really hard to display his feelings to this experimental baroque sound. His tortured voice that's on it's last breath reads out all of his disturbed poems with incredibly dark subject matter at hand. It's very poignant but it also has a lot of desperation. The only problem I have with it is merely a personal problem with me, but I feel like I don't feel a connection to it. There are moments where I should feel the emotions run through my system, but I don't get them as much as I do with similar artists who do this exact same thing. It's a sound I really do love to hear when it's played, but somehow I don't feel it hear. I hope this is just a personal miscalculation with me. But, overall I thought it was pretty good.
R.I.P. Mark Linkous (September 9, 1962 – March 6, 2010) You will be missed. _________________
If you couldn't see from the lack of any well written and convincing notes for the albums I'm listening to, I'm getting pretty tired. But I don't want to end this just yet. So, I'll listen to one more album tonight and then I'll wrap this whole thing up. _________________
Spending the last days of Summer vacation with your significant other and have some wholehearted fun together and jam until the sun goes down. The day ends at your place, with your partner asleep snuggling up beside you. This day couldn't get any more perfect.
Again, like with a lot of other artists featured here, I'm not the biggest fan of Yo La Tengo. In fact, I find I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One quite overrated. The only song I like off that album is Sugarcube and that's a really big problem if I only like one song off of it. Oh, I must be experiencing deja vu with another indie band with another less than satisfying album. However, I didn't want to give up on these guys entirely. So what if I didn't like arguable their most popular album among critics and fans alike, they've been around for thirty years now, they must have something that appeals to me. Thankfully, this album, not only do I find it good, is an absolute spectacle to behold.
In all my years of delving in indie rock, this is by far the most romantic album from the genre that I've heard. The shoegaze/dream pop influence is already romantic enough, but it has so much substance that it can live on its own ground without being compared to other albums at the time. Despite the outbursts of Ira's blaring overdrive ridden guitar and some controlled improvisation this album still maintains incredibly sweet and sanguine design. Heck, if anything, it's made the already prepared sweet sound even better. The lyrics are incredibly simple but they pack a lot of weight to them and they really hit you right in the heart strings at points. There are so many standout tracks - both versions of Big Day Coming, Nowhere Near, A Worrying Thing etc - that I'm inclined to say that the whole album is a standout on it's own. _________________
Well, I guess this is it. We made it guys. We finally reached the end of this thing where I waffle for about 600 paragraphs talking about music. At points it got a bit deeper than that, maybe a bit too TMI at some points, but I said just enough information that it didn't turn into a pity party or whatever. That's what I think at least. Though, I'm going to be honest, there were times where I almost did try to make that a reality. Where I would end this thing with a huge "fuck you guys" and just start packing my things and leaving this site for good. I thought that you guys would've celebrated over the fact that I would've left, like I was this burden on you.
But, I soon realised that wasn't the case. I noticed that my ULL was getting all of this warm reception from well respected users and they acknowledged what I said about these albums with consideration. I just wondered why they would do something like this. Then I figured it out: it's because they love their music so much that they'll listen to anything that anyone says that will spark discussion. That's the reason that I love this site so much. Even if we are getting new members every day, we're still a relatively small community, and we have each other. We are devastated when a regular leaves the site or deletes his/her account, because all of that discussion that we've had with that user is all replaced with an automated artifact. I'm not blaming anyone for this kind of responsibility, but it is sad when we do see a factor that a user we once knew is gone.
I've made myself a promise that I will never officially leave this site. That's still true to me, however I feel like because of this site, I'm not really getting anything with my life done or I'm not focusing on other interests that I have on my mind. So that's why I've decided to take a break from the community for a while. I know that sounds really contradictory to what I said earlier but I hope you understand that I can't really keep listening to music every single day. This was a new for me to experience, and while I did have a blast with it, I couldn't keep it up forever, and I'd feel fatigued every single day.
Don't worry though, I'll still be here for the remainder of what's left in 2014, but if you notice my absence in 2015, I hope you understand why. Here's my favourite song to remember me by:
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But I don't want to end this just yet. So, I'll listen to one more album tonight and then I'll wrap this whole thing up.
