King's Disease II by Nas
This was great. I've not really been following Nas, but it really seems like this is his return to form. King's Disease 2 sees him fully embracing the modern rap approach and being near the top of his game as far as rapping is concerned. I can't say "at the top of his game" cause Illmatic exists. Surprisingly, my favourite song was a throwback tune EPMD 2, featuring Eminem and EPMD. All of them have great energy and chemistry, plus the song's on The Judas & The Black Messiah soundtrack. Overall consistent and enjoyable, very easy to listen. 8/10
"Imagine Lil Uzi on a Preemo beat
Imagine N-A-S on a Migo beat
Hip-hop culture, Henny on coasters
Watching hundred inch screens, see who sittin' with Oprah"
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Magic by Nas
A brief 30-minute release, just Nas and Hit-Boy having some fun. It's not quite as focused or interesting as King's Disease. Plus it has one stinker in Wu for the Children where Nas is half boasting and half being nostalgic, neither of which sat well with me. Wave Gods has an exciting A$AP Rocky and DJ Premier feature, apart from that it's just Nas. Which is kind of a shame, the predecessor's best songs were usually the ones which featured several great rappers doing their thing. Not that Nas is bad, far from it, he is often the star of the show even with multiple other famous feats, but I thought the features were universally good and contributed greatly to the quality of King's Disease II. Still a nice one, 7.5/10
(2)
I've only heard Aqualung out of these, but I'd actually like to hear your thoughts on J.J. Cale's Naturally more. Thought about listening to it yesterday, but the queue is full. Depending on your review, might bump it to the top, no pressure
(3)
2021 and 2022
Plebeian Grandstand - Rien ne suffit
Aesop Rock & Blockhead - Garbology
Sadness - _____
Kaatayra - Inpariquipê
Springtime - Springtime
Mortiferum - Preserved in Torment
--
Bonobo - Fragments
40 Watt Sun - Perfect Light
Molly Nilsson - Extreme
Gloios - Lide _________________ Finally updated the overall chart
This is the first album I've uploaded to the DB in quite some time. And it's a good one. Well, good by my standards.
First track: was literally Borat before Borat. I'm not kidding; he goes "wa wa wee wa" more than a few times during this song.
Second track: actually rocks, and is one of the more coherent of the bunch. It begins the 50s American Doo Wop kind of influence that is present on the album.
Third track: OK, this is getting weird now. This also sounds anachronistic, because it sounds like it could've have came from this. (I'm not going to explain this, but IYKYK).
Fourth Track: Much like track two, this song is actually decent. Sounds like he was channeling Doo Wop era Zappa. But with a lot of weird synth stuff. Even have a saxophone appear for a few seconds.
Fifth Track: Yep, I'm loving this album way more than I should.
Sixth track: I'm now convinced that Ariel Pink and John Maus might've have lifted their entire sound from this guy.
That was a complete blindside and a welcome one. That's one of the more interesting things I've listened to in months, and I'll definitely listen again sometime.
Ledzep, Aesop Rock is the only one I can recommend.
Overdeth- King Arthur's Final Battle
Stormcry- The Dawn of the Mega-Metal
Exterminator- Total Extermination
Complete- God Awful
Devoured Decapitation- Ammunition for the Land Battle
Andrew Wartts and The Gospel Storytellers- There Is a God Somewhere (I really want to find this one)
Carmen Electra- Carmen Electra
Charanjit Singh- Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat
Concrete Rubber Band- Risen Savior
Damon- Song Of A Gypsy
Obscura by Gorguts
Yeah this album was brutal. So brutal that I after listening I needed to listen to some "lo-fi chill beats to study to" to neutralize the brutality. I jest, but I'm not 100% joking. This was rough. But not rough in a "I didn't like it" way, more rough in that it was challenging but felt good to listen to. I might need to take a break and revisit this at a later time to decide, but as of now I'm thinking a high 3/5.
It's odd because a lot of the traits of metal music that have sort of turned me off of the genre are present in this album (namely the harsh grating vocals), but everything here just works so well together. Maybe this album is just really good, or maybe I'm just becoming more in tune with the finer draws of metal music. Or a bit of both.
2)
Chief, FYI I think those links are broken. I assume the first list is some sort of metal playlist? And the second is like worst albums ever lol? Well regardless, I actually really dig that Indian disco album, so you get that:
3)
Mercury's Top Albums of the 1990s
The albums I'm most looking forward to are in bold, but I'm open to all of them!
31. Souls at Zero by Neurosis
45. Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell by Social Distortion
56. March 16-20, 1992 by Uncle Tupelo
57. His Best (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection) by Little Walter
58. Ocean Machine: Biomech by Devin Townsend
61. Heartwork by Carcass
71. Most Things Haven't Worked Out by Junior Kimbrough
75. Broken by Nine Inch Nails
76. Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order (1928-1932) by Tommy Johnson
77. I Feel Alright by Steve Earle
(feel free to pick anything, not just the bold ones. I've decided I'm going to see this list through the end) _________________ 51 Washington, D.C. albums!
This is my first J.J.Cale album I've listened to. A good album of blues rock with a variety of styles to maintain interest. Strong songs throughout. Great smoky vocals. Somehow manages to be an upbeat laidback album which I liked. Interesting hearing the original versions for the first time of some songs I know well elsewhere. Well worth listening to if you like this sort of thing. A solid 7.5/10, and 38/56 for the year.
Top 67 Music Albums of 1971 by Tha1ChiefRocka (4 picks left)
13. Bedřich Smetana: Má Vlast by Rafael Kubelík / Boston Symphony Orchestra
15. Moving Waves by Focus
17. Muswell Hillbillies by The Kinks
20. A Space In Time by Ten Years After
21. Demian by Demian (Psychedelic Rock)
22. Smackwater Jack by Quincy Jones
25. Aqualung by Jethro Tull
26. Camembert Electrique by Gong
27. The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys by Traffic
28. Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison
This is my first J.J.Cale album I've listened to. A good album of blues rock with a variety of styles to maintain interest. Strong songs throughout. Great smoky vocals. Somehow manages to be an upbeat laidback album which I liked. Interesting hearing the original versions for the first time of some songs I know well elsewhere. Well worth listening to if you like this sort of thing. A solid 7.5/10, and 38/56 for the year.
Nice! Glad you like it. I flat out worship JJ Cale. This should have been on my chart! lol
I knew just from the title that this album was going to be something that I would enjoy, but I wasn't fully prepared for how great this would be. And released in 1982 no less! The album is exactly what it says it is, and it does the same thing nearly every track, but it's so good at that one thing that it doesn't matter. Total mind blower that this guy just casually making acid house type stuff in the early 80s.
Purplepash, I should've updated that chart with some other albums, because there's some I definitely would have higher.
Overdeth- King Arthur's Final Battle
Stormcry- The Dawn of the Mega-Metal
Exterminator- Total Extermination
Complete- God Awful
Devoured Decapitation- Ammunition for the Land Battle
Andrew Wartts and The Gospel Storytellers- There Is a God Somewhere (I really want to find this one)
Carmen Electra- Carmen Electra
Concrete Rubber Band- Risen Savior
Damon- Song Of A Gypsy
Dee Dee King- Standing In The Spotlight
Garbology by Aesop Rock X Blockhead
Another great addition to Aesop Rock's catalogue, and a reunion with Blockhead. He's still one of the best around at doing that abstract, cryptic style which I'm a fan of. The beats by Blockhead are straight fire, lyrics are more on the personal, introspective side than usually. I've got surprisingly little to say about an album which I liked a lot, but, you know, it's Aes doing his stuff, and doing it very well. If you like abstract beats and his unmistakable flow, this is an album for you. 8/10
As a side note, has anyone heard anything new about the Aes and Kimya Dawson shitshow that happened not too long ago? Aes was supposed to make a statement about that, but I've not seen anything. I mean, he has alluded to being a shitty boyfriend before, but that suggested there might be something more than just being a bad boyfriend... That story always reminds me why it's important to differentiate between an artist and a person behind the music.
(2)
Carmen Electra made an album? Please listen to it Chief, so I don't have to
(3)
2021 and 2022
Plebeian Grandstand - Rien ne suffit
Sadness - _____
Kaatayra - Inpariquipê
Springtime - Springtime
Mortiferum - Preserved in Torment
Yola - Stand For Myself
--
Bonobo - Fragments
40 Watt Sun - Perfect Light
Molly Nilsson - Extreme
Gloios - Lide _________________ Finally updated the overall chart
These are certainly masterful big band performances of standards, plus one wholly original Ellington composition in The Tattooed Bride. Well-arranged and well-played throughout. However, I'm just not a huge fan of this musical style, so I don't see it becoming a personal favorite despite being technically unimpeachable. Still, Masterpieces By Ellington is quite enjoyable and makes for great background music. The standout track for me is Mood Indigo. 3.5/5.
3. I start the Black History Month listening project in a couple days, so for this pick I'll go with...
RYM's Most Popular Jazz Albums by Black Artists
71. Nefertiti - Miles Davis
84. Porgy And Bess - Miles Davis
95. Filles De Kilimanjaro - Miles Davis
99. Interstellar Space - John Coltrane
102. Jazz In Silhouette - Sun Ra
113. Black Woman - Sonny Sharrock
117. Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens De Couleur Libres - Matana Roberts
121. Sun Ship - John Coltrane
126. We Are Sent Here By History - Shabaka And The Ancestors
131. Miles Ahead - Miles Davis + 19 _________________ Add me on RYM
Unexpectedly, I have a country album in my top 20 of 2021 (thanks Gowi for the Pearl Charles rec), and it's in the countrypolitan style. So, naturally, I was excited to hear another highly praised countrypolitan album. But, it turns out Stand for Myself is a soul album with some country influences (or the other way around), so not really close to Magic Mirror. It sounds very throwback. And I mean like VERY very throwback, like it's a reissue of a lost late 70s album. Even with the obviously clean and polished production, I couldn't help but feel it's so old-school sounding that I barely have any use for it in 2021/22. No modern quirks or production tricks or songwriting ideas. Just a Last Night in Soho's "I wanna live in the 60s" vibe (it's a good movie, don't let anyone tell you different). I can't remember a recent album which literally sounds like it is a lost 70s album, even with all the throwback synthpop, prog, boom bap and death metal floating around. Ok, there's the Greta Van Fleet album, but I am NOT going to compare a decent album like Stand for Myself to GVF. Besides, Yola tries so many sounds and styles, from the early 80s pop to the late 60s pop to classic country to jazzy soul to rock... And she's more than competent in all of them, but the approach to songwriting doesn't belong in the 21st century. Quite possible that some people may consider Yola's sound "timeless". I guess what irks me is the sheer idea that a 2021 album doesn't seem modern in any sense, at least to me. Idk man, it's hard to explain without sounding like a hater. All of that being said, there are 2 aspects of this album that felt more up to date: the lyrics and the closing track. Didn't care about the stories much, but they definitely helped me appreciate the album more. If nothing else they transported me back to 2021 lol. The title track wasn't my favourite, but it sounded the most modern, reminding me of Alabama Shakes, and it also had strong lyrics. Ok, now I realize I've written too much negative stuff about an album I think is fine. It's a good collection of songs, despite the flaws. The short guitar solo on Diamond Studded Shoes, gentle and groovy verses on Starlight, the second verse with orchestral background in Now You're Here, the powerful vocal performance of Whatever You Want... All top-notch moments. Tough to rate this one, the quality's there, but I can't look past some issues, which are admittedly 100% personal. I'll say that the upbeat songs were much more to my liking than the ballads (Great Divide is the biggest dud). Very glad people enjoy this, hopefully when I'm in the right mood I'll like it more. 6.5/10
(2)
So many good ones, Bay. I guess you should take it from the top cause Nefertiti might be my favourite Miles tune.
(3)
2021 and 2022
Plebeian Grandstand - Rien ne suffit
Sadness - _____
Kaatayra - Inpariquipê
Springtime - Springtime
Mortiferum - Preserved in Torment
--
Bonobo - Fragments
40 Watt Sun - Perfect Light
Molly Nilsson - Extreme
Gloios - Lide
Yard Act - The Overload _________________ Finally updated the overall chart
It's vintage Miles, so you know it has to be very good. However, so far my personal taste in his discography favors his electric era and his hard bop recordings over basically everything else, including legendary albums like Kind Of Blue and this one. I guess when it comes to jazz, I'm not a connoisseur of subtleties like some are, instead preferring the more upbeat and showy forms of virtuosity. To be sure, there are a couple great tracks on Nefertiti. I think I actually prefer Hand Jive to the title track on first listen. This record may yet truly click for me, but today is not that day. 3.5/5.
3. RYM's Most Popular Mixtapes by Black Artists (3.5+)
42. 6 Kiss - Lil B
56. Blvcklvnd Rvdix 66.6 - SpaceGhostPurrp
57. Back From The Dead 2 - Chief Keef
59. Almighty So - Chief Keef
63. Crack Cloud$ Over Arts Kitchen - Black Kray
66. Back From The Dead - Chief Keef
67. 56 Nights - Future & DJ Esco
74. Better Off Dead - Flatbush Zombies
79. The Narcissist 2 - Dean Blunt
84. NASA: The Mixtape - SpaceGhostPurrp _________________ Add me on RYM
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