BEA ULL: 19loveless91

[19loveless91]

Hi guys. I decided that it's my turn to do this now, and even though it's shaping up to be a busy week for me, I'm gonna try to make this as busy as possible.

My listening habits have been a bit out of sorts this year, apart from listening to new releases on a fairly regular basis, I haven't had a clear direction and have just been listening to music randomly. My post-hardcore binge earlier in the year ended abruptly, my attempts of getting into classic blues and country ended before they properly started, couldn't really follow any of the recent tournaments either, even though I wanted to use this opportunity to get more into the classic hip hop, which I honestly don't know much about.

Anyway, if there's anything that you would love to recommend to me, particularly within the above mentioned genres, please go ahead. Other recommendations obviously welcome as well, but don't throw a fit if I don't end up listening to it, my wishlist is long enough as it is.

OK here we go, most of this is gonna be incoherent as fuck, but what can I do, I'm Slovenian.

---

Anyway, woke up late today again. Feeling really light-headed lately, what's up with that. Needed something calm, nice and boring, and gave this another go.

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

This Is All Yours by ∆ (alt-j)
Not sure what Pitchfork's problem with these guys is, in both reviews they mention how they're regarded by some as "new Radiohead" (something which apparently one person once said something about, and then the rest media starting talking about it for whatever reason), but it's not reason to throw a fit over...
This is Yours is not as good as the debut, it's also less immediate, not really for expense of being cohesive, because it is not... But it still works. There's a couple of really serene, chilled out tracks on here, just taking their time to build the sound slowly, before entering any sort of melody or hooks. Mostly it works well, Arrival in Nara is an example of that.
While I get that some hate the singer's voice, I for one find myself on the opposite end, and I especially like the moment when he's joined by a few others in Warm Foothills - album's best song by far in my opinion. Love how the vocals interweave here.
I also really like the slightly Black Keys-ish Left Hand Free, even if it feels like a bit out of place on the album.
A bit of an anticlimactic closer, but whatever.

BEA type rating:
75/100

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

First Step by TRUS!
Had no idea what to listen next and decided to put this on again. I've been whoring them out on plug.dj for the unfortunate bystanders, but I do really recommend these guys. A fairly new Slovenian band, only with this (short) album + one half of a compilation/collaboration with another artist, both released last year, and they play this slightly noisy mix of electronica and alternative rock. I often get reminded of Pram (and with that consequently of Stereolab), while maybe not the best comparison, they do achieve that similar mood.

2:00 - 3:00 PM

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
Lunch time, I'm in need of some easy listening, catchy indie rock. Spoon have a new album out this year, and I want to listen to it based on solid reviews, but I decided to go through their back catalogue first - I only listened to Kill the Moonlight before, and I don't have much of a recollection from it anymore, apart from knowing that I "sort of liked it" and gave it a pretty solid rating.

Well, Ga Ga Ga etc. was an extremely pleasant listen. Groundbreaking? No, but a well-produced, catchy, instrumentally rich, energetic enough, just a really damn solid album. Maybe one or two misfires at most, funny enough, one song I didn't seem to care for at all was The Underdog, which loads of people seem to like. Oh well.

No rating yet, but this is something I will listen to in the coming days for sure, and it's made me excited for the rest of their discography, including the latest album.

3:30PM =>

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Mature Themes by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Similar to the Spoon album, the main reason I'm listening to this is, because I intend to give his latest effort a go, and I haven't even heard this yet (despite liking Before Today quite a bit).

Well, this treads on a very fine line between fun and downright annoying, but I think it still manages to work. Like, I have no idea what to make of Schnitzel Boogie or Symphony of the Nymph, but there you go. I suppose it's even weirder that an album like this closes with the two songs that it does. After what felt like an hour long joke, an exercise in kitsch and irony that I wasn't sure I was into at all, we first get served with this astonishing, dreamy and kind of spacey 7-minute Nostradamus & Me, and another brilliant track, a soulful and seemingly straightforward, Baby. Or is this still just the same exercise in irony? I don't know. But I loved it.

No rating until a relisten, I imagine it'll be a positive one though.

---
Taking a break now, will return later in the evening I guess...

[19loveless91]

Well I mostly just chilled to this

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Real Estate by Real Estate
...and I think I'll continue to do so... Real Estate just make me want to melt. Jangly, lo-fi, occasionally murky but mostly just like a warm summer breeze. Days might be my favourite album of theirs, but I actually prefer the sound here...

I also started, then stopped The Go Betweens' 16 Lovers Lane. Not because it would be bad, but because I was looking for something more.. jangly. If you have something to recommend here, I'd love to hear it.

Oh I also watched Enemy which is a pretty damn solid movie. Psych thriller or something like that.

[Skinny]

I thoroughly enjoyed Veronica Falls' Waiting for Something to Happen from last year, it's nice and jangly. Also liking this so far. Hope you enjoy pom pom whenever you get around to it - in my top three albums of the year.
_________________
2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

[19loveless91]

[meruizh]

[Wombi]

Alt-J rarely do anything interesting with their music but I found This All Yours to be vastly superior to their debut (not that that says much).

[19loveless91]

Here's a list of things I managed to listen today. Since I don't have much time now, I will write something about these albums tomorrow. Maybe.

Relistened to Vehicle (great album), and gave yet another listen to Real Estate (s/t).
Also:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Waiting For Something To Happen by Veronica Falls

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Silur by Tarwater
(Norman's plug.dj rec)

And right now listening to

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Gimme Fiction by Spoon
Will give another listen to Ga Ga Ga... later... And go for their newest tomorrow.

[Norman Bates]

[19loveless91]

7 AM

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Sung Tongs by Animal Collective
Is there a better early morning album? Adore this band.

[19loveless91]

Phew, through with the big assignment of the week, now I can relax my asshole a little bit and focus on important stuff like this ULL.

Let's update my previous entries a bit