You must listen to the album below you.

[baystateoftheart]

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Looks Like Rain by Mickey Newbury

Sweet, another album from the top tier of my to-do list, and after one listen I love it already. Great songwriting from Newbury, featuring very poignant lyrics on love and loss. He really nails the vocals too, and the instrumental arrangements are interesting and beautiful (including a sitar!). The recordings of rain that tie the album together are the cherry on top. Not a weak track here. In some ways, it sounds like what I was hoping for from Lee Hazlewood's underwhelming Requiem For An Almost Lady. I'm starting Looks Like Rain at a high 4/5, with potential to grow into a personal favorite with future listens.

This is simultaneously one of my favorite post-punk and twee pop albums:

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Pleasure by Girls At Our Best!
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[guzguzgarbit]

Time (The Revelator) by Gillian Welch

I like hearing things I don't usually hear, and this album is probably as remote as possible from my usual habits. I'd sort this as folkish bluesy country stuff, but my knowledge in that domain is close to nothing. The lyrics are of interest and the guitar part is well played and written. I like the first two and last two tracks, but in between, it goes for a mood I don't adhere much to. The last track was my favourite because I think it builds long enough to get me on board. Overall, I was nice, with some high and low.

Bay, listen to:

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Mag Mell by Mili

[Mercury]

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Salt by Angie McMahon

Listened and mostly... I just thought it was alright mostly. I had this annoying feeling that came and went that I have heard this sound and this album a dozen or 2 times before and I was wondering why? why can't some sort of distintively unique feature be developed and added? Maybe a cool and unique lyrical style or an instrument that is unique or some sick solos or breakdowns or maybe some truly gorgeous melodies... mostly though I felt like I had heard this brand of sad, introspective, indie rock-ish female singer songwriter thing a lot. But then... there were some interesting rhythmic things and songwriting parts that kind of impressed me toward the end. I mostly think I heard this at a meh time, like I wasn't in the exact right mellow and emotional and introspective headspace. Looking back, I think its a good album. Nothing blew me away.

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@guzguzgarbit, glad you liked that Gillian Welch. Also, at baystateoftheart, I am STOKED you loved Looks Like Rain. One of my all time faves as well. That whole "Trilogy" is peak 1-2-3 punch of Newbury greatness.

as for guzguzgarbit, I choose for thee... considering you are a fan of some black metal per your chart so here is a classic that I adore

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Dead As Dreams by Weakling

(if you have heard that one... then listen to Squarepusher's album Music Is Rotted One Note... but if you have already heard it and are familiar with it as well... then darn, maybe pick the one least remembered and listen to that.)
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ONLY 4% of people can understand this chart! Come try!

My Fave Metal - you won't believe #5!!!

[Tha1ChiefRocka]

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Mariama by Boubacar Traoré

I know I had to have heard some of this before, but I don't think I'd ever listened to an album by this fellow. Good positive vibes throughout, but nothing that stands out too much from song to song.

Mercury, I came across this album awhile ago, and I still can't make heads or tails of it.


Drome Triler Of Puzzle Zoo People by Gasp

Only available on youtube.


Link


(Actually I just saw that it's now on bandcamp too.)

https://gasplapsychviolence.bandcamp.co...zoo-people

[baystateoftheart]

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Mag Mell by Mili

This is an interesting album that's not quite like anything else I've heard. It's pleasant-sounding throughout, but I greatly prefer the progressive pop parts to the classical parts. Mag Mell contains some inventive and beautiful arrangements and has solid vocals, but there's also a definite cheese factor (lyrically and sometimes musically too) that prevents me from enjoying this as much as I'd like. Still, it's a good and unique listen. 3/5.

I'm going to pass along a great obscure album previously assigned to me in this game. It's on YouTube.

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Pygmy Love Song by Francis Bebey
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[kokkinos]

It’s been some time since I posted here, I see this thread’s lost momentum the last few days, so let’s jump back in.

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Joe Henderson - Page One
I’m positive I had listened to this when it was nominated, but I can’t for the life of me find any notes I might have kept, so I gave it a second listen. You know, LedZep might have made a name as a metal guru, but it’s his jazz picks that continue to amaze me. This album is full of vivid colours, it is extremely evocative, immediately transports you to a different place and time, perfect for a hot summer night, enjoying your drink in Cuba or a similar setting, you know what I mean. Relentless energy without a single wasted moment and the piano adds a level of class that allows the record to take the next step.


This is lovely, hope you like it.

大貫妙子 [Taeko Ohnuki] - Mignonne
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[guzguzgarbit]

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Dead As Dreams by Weakling

There's quite a few extreme metal albums I love but I still suck at discovering them. Never heard of that band "Weakling", but I'm happy to hear what's apparently their only album effort "Dead As Dream". Well, it's certainly first class Black Metal, at least to my ears. It's ominous, powerful and technically proficient. The singing is often hit or miss but not to the point of spoiling the album. What struck me the most is the amount of diversity in the tracks, it covers the whole spectrum of Black Metal while always staying true to its sound, it never sounds dull to the contrary of lots of extreme metal albums. Great pick.

Kokkinos, it seems we have vastly different tastes, but try this if you haven't heard it yet:

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Every Day by The Cinematic Orchestra

[Purplepash]

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Pleasure by Girls At Our Best!

A post-punk album from 1981 that I hadn't heard of, which fits well with me. Over a third of my 1981 chart is post-punk or post-punk influenced albums. Hearing of them now for the first time it's a shame they only had one album. It was the twee pop influences they bought to the post-punk music that helps this album stand out a bit. Some may find the high pitched vocals annoying but I liked the contrast with the noisy music. Especially when they got a bit of a gothic beauty to them combined with the dissonance. But just as often the vocals were strong accented punky. Kept things varied and interesting. I will say the version I listened to started with 5 extra tracks (singles and b-sides) before the album proper, which I didn't realise until later in the listening, but those 5 songs were some of the better songs. That probably worked out better as it placed the 2 centrepiece worthy songs I enjoyed the most - Too Big For Your Boots with it's surprising entrance of some honkytonk piano giving it a rollicking bar-room feel, and the frisky I'm Beautiful Now with it's French chorus adding a bit of mystery for some - in the middle of the album where I like them, after a strong start with the aforementioned extra tracks (which had some interesting song structures and production choices by the way). Good album. I liked it.



In a totally unexpected surprise Loop are back with a new single and an album announcement. Their first in 30 years. Got me excited...so Guz I'm giving you probably my favourite of theirs (all 3 of their albums have their fans). Fade Out.

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Fade Out by Loop

[LedZep]

Emperor Tomato Ketchup by Stereolab
Third Stereolab album under my belt, I've been a moderate fan of everything I've heard, and the trend continues. A lot of really interesting sounds and experiments with groovy motorik beats as the base. Sometimes the jams can be too repetitive and monotone for my liking, or the experiments themselves just don't work, but most of the time I liked this as much as their first two efforts, Peng and Random-Noise Bursts. I'd actually put it slightly above both, it's certainly more accessible and could prove to be the first Stereolab album I truly love after a few more listens. It's definitely got the potential, and no wonder it's their most well known and commercially successful release. They're a really interesting and influential band regardless of me not quite digging their songwriting, I've always struggled to find similar musicians or even just list all of their influences. 7.5/10

I can't believe you haven't heard Forced Witness (at least you've not rated it) One of the funniest and most charismatic albums I've ever heard, with fantastic songwriting to boot. AND he's Australian.

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Forced Witness by Alex Cameron
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Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[baystateoftheart]

Mignonne by 大貫妙子 [Taeko Ohnuki]

The title is certainly apt, but a bit of an understatement if anything. This is easily the best of the four city pop albums I've heard so far. The jazz elements make the sound full and rich. The arrangements are gorgeous, and Ohnuki's vocals are a perfect complement. While I can't speak to the lyrical quality, I have no real complaints about the other aspects. Most of the songs sound great, and the rest sound very good. Looking forward to checking out more of her music. 4/5.

Now I have an opportunity to assign the compilation I mentioned in the other thread! This features the original versions of Walk On By and I Say A Little Prayer, among others.

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The Dionne Warwick Collection: Her All-...ne Warwick
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