Slept on albums that deserve another listen. - Music

Puncture Repair

Is this another underrated album thread? Maybe, probably. Oh well.

This is just a thread for albums released in the last few years that likely most people who following new releases will have heard, but maybe gave it one listen and moved on after dismissing it as average.

This isn't a thread for albums that blew you away first listen and no one else seemed to understand, but albums you thought were pretty meh to begin with, yet after returning time and time again you've found some real merit in.

Just two that spring to mind

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Sisyphus by Sisyphus

Never seen any rave reviews on this one. Mostly 6-7/10 ratings, but after maybe my third listen it's become one of my favourite albums. Sufjan obviously brings a lot to the table, and I'm a big fan of his melodies, but as a whole its got a fantastic coming of age and 'making sense of the world through drugs and sex' vibe to it. Its pretty white for a Hip Hop record, but it hits a certain chord I can't get from any other album. I honestly don't think there's a weak track, after thinking it was mostly just filler - and its a really cohesive record, despite sort of being about lack of cohesion.

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Familiars by The Antlers

I think for a lot of people (myself included) this album sounded like one pretty-ok song that's hit on repeat nine times. This has become one of my most-listened to albums ever as of now, and I think its a shame it'll probably go down as The Antler's worst record to date, or at least their most forgettable effort. I tend to really like samey sounding albums once it clicks, and the direction here of 'add trumpets to every song' is actually really fresh. I'm a sucker for dreamy indie pop anyways, but I think this is easily Silberman's best songwriting to date, each song has very confident melodies. Ask me to hum any of the songs and I probably couldn't do it, but as a whole piece I always find myself smiling at certain moments I can recall each time. Within all the samey soundingness of it is something new to discover each time.

Looking forward to reading your thoughts. I've been deleting a lot of albums from the last few years simply because they seemed average at the time. When sometimes the goal is to hear as much new music as possible, its hard to give some albums the second chance they might deserve.

Dingerbell

Gender: Male
Age: 27

Puncture Repair wrote:

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Familiars by The Antlers

I think for a lot of people (myself included) this album sounded like one pretty-ok song that's hit on repeat nine times. This has become one of my most-listened to albums ever as of now, and I think its a shame it'll probably go down as The Antler's worst record to date, or at least their most forgettable effort. I tend to really like samey sounding albums once it clicks, and the direction here of 'add trumpets to every song' is actually really fresh. I'm a sucker for dreamy indie pop anyways, but I think this is easily Silberman's best songwriting to date, each song has very confident melodies. Ask me to hum any of the songs and I probably couldn't do it, but as a whole piece I always find myself smiling at certain moments I can recall each time. Within all the samey soundingness of it is something new to discover each time.

I definitely thinks it's underrated, and at least better than Burst Apart. However, Palace is clearly such a standout, and one of the Antlers' best songs, that is sort of ruins the album for me a bit as I never get past that song.

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

It took me a long time to get into these two albums, even as a Stones "fan"... I just was of the opinion they didn't make GREAT albums. Just some hits with some other songs... but these two have since grown on me:

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Some Girls by The Rolling Stones

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Exile On Main St. by The Rolling Stones

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

It also took me a bit to get into this record mostly because I'm not a fan of the vocal style on the "fire" element part of this project... but boy am I glad I did.

This is possibly one of the coolest music projects I've heard, where the band decided to write music that sounds like/emulates how they interpret the original elements: 1) Fire, 2) Water, 3) Air, 4) Earth: a set of 4 EPs.

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The Alchemy Index by Thrice

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

Also I imagine this isn't a thread of underrated albums, but albums that took a while to grow on you? Totally dig this idea as some of my favorite music I didn't immediately appreciate. Some of it I did... why does that happen?

qwert9579
qwert9579

Gender: Male
Age: 27

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Some Nights by fun.

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Have You In My Wilderness by Julia Holter

Both of these had a song that made me come back and try the whole album only to see them in a different light and loving them.
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Puncture Repair

sethmadsen wrote:

Also I imagine this isn't a thread of underrated albums, but albums that took a while to grow on you? Totally dig this idea as some of my favorite music I didn't immediately appreciate. Some of it I did... why does that happen?

More albums released in the last five years or so, but there's certainly something to be said about 'growers' when it comes to albums in general.

I just feel like as we build up our yearly chart for the current year, there's going to be a great deal of albums we haven't given a second or third listen, and how many of those are actually growers but most of us never gave them the chance? Not necessarily great albums, but better than passing them off as average. I suppose its the opposite to those albums that we all hype up at begin with, then on multiple listens get tired of very quickly.

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

Puncture Repair wrote:

More albums released in the last five years or so, but there's certainly something to be said about 'growers' when it comes to albums in general.

I just feel like as we build up our yearly chart for the current year, there's going to be a great deal of albums we haven't given a second or third listen, and how many of those are actually growers but most of us never gave them the chance? Not necessarily great albums, but better than passing them off as average. I suppose its the opposite to those albums that we all hype up at begin with, then on multiple listens get tired of very quickly.

Difficult problem all around. Much agreed with your sentiments.

SuedeSwede
Ognoo

Gender: Female
Age: 26
Location: On a cloud

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Radio Tank Mix by A. G. Cook

I really didn't like this all that much on first listen, now it's top 5 material.

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Intro Bonito by Kero Kero Bonito

same with this, i think. i liked it a little on first listen and with lots and lots (and lots) of relistens in the last 2 years it finally clicked and it's on my overall
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benpaco
Who's gonna watch you die?

Age: 27
Location: California

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Phox by Phox

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Be The Void by Dr. Dog

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The Black Dirt Sessions by Deer Tick

All of these sort of got written off as really average folk albums until I came back. It's Monica's voice in Phox, the lyrics in Dr. Dog, and the emotion behind Deer Tick that ended up getting me to love each of these in their own way.
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