Reviews by deksametazon

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2025: #8. An album whose cover art got banned/censored (38th Album)

The best way to review this is to imagine the beat being an ocean wave the surfer, in this case the vocalist, rides and bends it to sail along smoothly.

Well, here, the beat is a stormy sea, and MC Ride uses the board to bash the sea to a watery pulp.

If there's anything to take from this, is that eventually all things revert back to noise. We see it with rock, we see it with jazz, movies, art, and here we see it with hip hop.

Thank you [~SpeedKills] for the recommendation!

It's good, but man do I hate the prefix technical. It makes everything sound so pretentious and up its own ass.

And the music reflects that. There's almost no sense of melody, and even when you do think there's a groove, it gets shattered into a thousand pieces of "technical" passages.

But there's no denying that there's a lot of talent here.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2026: #33 An album recommended by someone in the Sound & Vision server (37th Album)

Storia di un impiegato is a movie condensed to a 35-minute album. The story is how a 30-year-old man gets inspired by the 68 protests and wants to become a revolutionary.

Prior, I've heard La Buona Novella, and while there are some paralells to be drawn, like Fabrizios knack for telling a story thourgh his lyrics, with picturesque detail, and his almost deadpan voice, Storia di un impiegato is much more "free-sounding", partly due to La Buona Novella having such an intimate theme, while this one being so gung-ho and rebellious, is bound to be larger in sound. Especially with those synths in La bomba in testa, and the closer, which are sort of a opening and closing number to the story.

The whole story is also very sharp. What started as a poetic interpretation ended up being a sort of a manifesto towards acting on an anarchistic whim. Thankfully you have songs like Verranno a chiederti del nostro amore that show a humane side to a somewhat bitter album, and Nella mia ora di libertà, that sort of serves as a "moral of the day" to cap off the entire thing. Still, to me Il bombarolo is a favorite of mine. Something about the way Fabrizio closes each verse with "
son bombarolo!" gives vigor alongside the subdued oomph of the instrumental that makes you want to walk alongside the man, while simultaneously knowing it's the wrong thing.

As people have already put, it's Italian Leonard Cohen. I love his calm voice alongside the mostly sparse arrangement. European crooners really had that melancholic magic in them.

La Buona Novella is an album meant as a telling of the Gospel of James and the Arabic Infancy Gospel. With de Andre being an atheist, he brought a new, more humane view of Jesus' tale, weaved it into an allegory for the student protesters in 1968, with whom de Andre sympathized with.

I like it. Its form appeases non-Italian speakers, and once you read into it, you see how it ties well into the spirit of the moment. One should not stand alone while others, so-called friends and followers, cower in fear from the law.

1B to Fresh Fruit's 1A. DK sounds much more varied here, and it shows on side B, where the songs are longer and go beyond the 2-minute crash-and-burn style Dead Kennedys were known for.

A testament to that is "Riot" and "Moon Over Marin," two great songs that are much more atmospheric than the rest, especially the tracks on the A side. "Moon Over Marin" stands out particularly, as it's less of a punk song, structurally, and more of an indie jangly song. Lyric-wise, it's classic DK, which makes it even better.

A great set of songs compiled from the influental career of Dead Kennedys. It collects songs from those essential singles, some unique live performances like the now eternalized "Pull My Strings" and their compilation and live appearances.

Note how I didn't use a favorable epithet for the last two. That's because at the end of the day, if you aren't a fan looking to expand your DK listening palate, you should stay away from the back end of this comp. Still, the first half of it is essential hardcore punk, and I'm sure you will manage to find love for the rest of the songs like I did when I first started listening to this great compilation.

It's one of those punk albums that takes a chunk out of your brain, chews it and puts it back in. Jello's vocals take a bit to get used to, but his snarky deliveries of the socially conscious and venomous lyrics, some of which can be applied today, are great.

But are not the reason I like the album. The reason I like it is because of the simple nature, speedy deliveries, and the memorable surf-rock guitars. It embodies the spirit of California with the caustic taste that was brewing underneath the American dream.

I love-hate these albums that have songs stretching seven minutes or more. Most of the time, it's a miss: self-indulgence masked as ambition, with a knack for not knowing when to stop. Ryan Davis knows where to stop.

Despite jumping around a host of different themes like grief, love, regret, and nostalgia, it all weaves around the central theme of life passing. Free From the Guillotine explores breaking away from the mold of work and enjoying life. Learn 2 Re-Luv is exactly what the name suggests: learning to love oneself to love another human.

But at the same time, Dancing on the Edge shows a very humane side that's especially present today: a freeze in ambition and a loop of our own fear. Life doesn't stop; it accelerates past the point where we can do anything about it. This whole picture is demonstrated from the middle of the album onwards. Bluebirds in a Fight has a great line: "The future's a joke played on the present by the past." There is no progression, and we're stuck in our own little ecosystem of two parents, past and future, bending the present to its breaking point.

Junk Drawer Heart is another song that's practically an antithesis to Learn 2 Re-Luv. There isn't a light at the end of the tunnel, just a slow decay, a hoarding of unnecessary stuff, and maybe the rare gold coin that makes you not lose all hope.

And if you think the album is purely about lost hope, you're dead wrong. Despite the album descending into its bleakest stretch from Flashes of Orange and the regrets it displays onwards, in A Suitable Exit, Davis drops the line: "For death has loaned us to life." It's not a surrender. It's a release from the terms. If the time was never his to keep, he can stop fighting for it and start using it. The album isn't gloom dressed in sarcasm. It's a record about coming to terms with time, and then doing something worthwhile to pass it.

Tutu? More like, doo doo.

Boy do I hate reviewing good albums that are generally considered good. I have nothing new to add to this. This is THE jazz album. Even if you've never heard jazz, you've heard of "Kind of Blue". Even if you're a beginner jazz listener, you know of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans, and if you're a pinch more experienced, you know of Jimmy Cobb and Paul Chambers. It's like the 2017 Golden State Warriors of musicians. The album is one of THE albums to put on when it's night. It's one of THE albums to put on when it's day. It's one of THE albums to put on when you're happy, sad, content, when you're studying, when you're chilling.

It's one of THE albums.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2025: #21 A classic album everyone talks about (40th Album)

One word to describe it: impressive. And it really is. Miles Davis was on point all throughout this one, and he brought out the best out of the entire band, creating a tantalizing soundscape both relaxing and deeply scary with its mysterious aura it exudes.

But that only keeps me at bay for the first 30 minutes or so. After a while, it becomes a chore to listen to, only showing glimpses here and there with a new sound (particularly, McLaughlin's guitar playing, which I'm very fond of) then promptly returning to the same old buzz. Maybe in due time I'll understand this one, but for now: I guess I'm just too green for it.

As a bonus, my father walked in my room while this was blaring on the speakers, and we chatted a bit. Then he went on his way out for a walk around the neighborhood. When he returned, the music was still humming out the speakers. Once he entered my room for the second time, he said, perplexed: "This thing is still playing?"

And I find that simple sentence the crux of the entire album.

Weirdly... awesome! Comparing this to his later opus would probably place this at an unfavorable position, but as a standalone compilation, this really bops.

Really effortless to listen, with a great easy quality to it. Everyone is on top of their game, and they really bring out the cool in it. The only bad thing is that nothing stands out, but the plus side is that everything is good.

The early 2000s were a highly fertile period for all the republics of the former Yugoslavia. Simply put, the conflicts had reached their resolutions, and a strong sense of optimism prevailed across all spheres of life. Život počinje u 30-oj ("Life Begins at 30") is an album that captures that optimism and the newfound energy for creating artistic works meant to become defining features of their time and place.

The album bears a strong resemblance to Stereolab, with a flair for crafting songs that are not only rich in electronic progression but also infused with pop sensibilities.

Tracks like Vrtlog Vira, Baobab, and Dorćolac showcase a mature approach to creating simple yet highly effective electro-pop numbers. The closing track, Život počinje u 30-oj, is a lovely lounge piece, perfectly placed at the end of the album. Meanwhile, Steppin Out reveals a fondness for jazz, with drum rhythms that push the song into new sonic territory.

I have no complaints about Život počinje u 30-oj. At this point, the Dubs had been active for over a decade, so this level of artistic maturity was to be expected. One could say this album began a new life for the band.
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Period ranih 2000tih je bio jako plodan period za sve republike bivse Jugoslavije. Pojednostavljeno, konflikti su dozivjeli svoje rezolucije, i vladao je izuzetno jak optimizam za period koji slijedi u svim sferama zivota. Zivot Pocinje u 30-oj je album koji oblijezava taj optimizam i novonastalu energiju za stvaranje umjetnickih djela koja imaju za cilj da se zacementiraju kao odlika jedne sredine u vremena u kojem su nastali. Album dosta podsjeca na Stereolab sa šmekom za stvaranje pjesama koje nisu samo elektronski progresivno bogate, vec bogate i pop senzibilitetima.

Vrtlog Vira, Baobab i Dorćolac su pjesem koje pokazuju zrelost za stvaranje jednostavnih i jako efikasnih elektro-pop numera, dok recimo zavrsna pjesma, Zivot Pocinje u 30-oj je jedna divna lounge numera koja je divno postavljena na kraj, a Steppin Out pokazuje i ljubav prema jazz-u sa bubnjevskim ritmovima koji pjesmu tjeraju u nove teritorije.

Nemam nikakvih zamjerki za Zivot Pocinje u 30-oj. Dabovci su u ovom trenutku bili u igri preko 10 godina, tako da je ovaj nivo zrelosti u stvaranju i za ocekivatu u jednoj mjeri. Moglo bi se cak reci da je novi zivot za bend zapoceo ovaj album.

Jaaaako precijenjen album. Ono kontam da je dub i sve to, ali 80 posto albuma je samo puko ponavljanje naziva pjesme i dzem instrumental. Znam da ima vise nego par ljudi koji gotive ovaj album, ali meni ovo zvuci kao kombinacija dvije stvari: omaz svojim utjecajima (Sonic Youth ponajvise) i pkusaj probijanja sa indie muzikom (koji sa pogledom na ostatak diskografije, nije uspio).
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Such an overrated album. I know it's dub and all that, but 80 percent of the album is just repetition of song names and jam instrumentals. I know there are more than a few people who like this album, but to me this sounds like a combination of two things: an homage to their influences (Sonic Youth mostly) and an attempt to break through with indie music (which, looking at the rest of their discography, failed).

Really simple, darker, hard rock album carried by the voice of Glenn Danzig, who sounds like an evil Elvis impersonator more than anything. Unlike 70s hard rock though, Danzig is more atmospheric, the grooviness of the guitars prove that (Soul on Fire), and the solos are more of the speedy blues kind, than a "cock-rock" caliber. Other than that, really infectious stuff.

Danzig's debut spearheaded the revival of the hard rock sound of the late 80s, and early 90s, which in my opinion is the direct predecessor of the grunge movement of the 90s.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2026: #23 An album recorded over multiple years (32nd Album)

It only took two musicians with old-school tendencies to create a damn modern hip-hop masterpiece. None of that modern, quasi-abstract bullshit. Black Thought brings the lyricism and emcee mastery that helped him cut some of the best moments alongside The Roots. And Danger Mouse follows up on the beat portion, with some great samples to create really memorable beats.

The features are also solid. Guys who can spit meaningful bars are brought in, and we even get a feature from the late MF Doom. And it's not a throwaway track either. After Strangers, the album takes a bit of a hit, but who gives a shit when you have Cheat Codes, The Darkest Part, Aquamarine, etc. One of the crowning achievements of 2022.

Yup, this is how punk should sound.

Unlike some other, politically-oriented bands of that period, there is no room here to say that any song, except the one with gothic pretensions, is outdated or, God forbid, bad. Just simple, energetic bursts of playing in an excellent way without any moment of respite from the barrage of drums and guitars.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2025: #22 An optimistic album (41st Album)

Discovery is good, but just a smidge too long. You could easily make it even better if you removed that forgettable middle part. Still, it's a bop. One of those electronic albums that bridge the gap into being mainstream, but also being good.

My enjoyment comes from 20 years ago when MTV still used to play music (overused batch of words, but roll with me). Those singles off of this album were/are astonishing: Were astonishing because of their beautiful music videos and infectious nature for the eyes and ears of a young lad, and are astonishing because they still have that same energy 24 years later.

It's stylish and bold at each step on the way, a golden ratio of being pop and house music. It's also hella optimistic!

The only downside is the last song. It's redundant, and too long.

Denzel Curry returns after a two-year hiatus and gives us an album that signals that Denzel is maturing and is growing past that trap sound that made him famous on his triple crown of,, and more recently in 2019,. To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of his earlier works. Sure, I liked some songs, and some were beyond catchy, but that was mostly it. Denzel crafted those albums while he was still honing his craft, and I'm glad he started to move past it on the EP,. So, with all that being said, I was curious how this album would turn out.

Overall, I liked this album. The opener "Melt Session #1" with production and the laid-back beat by Robert Glasper accompanied by Denzel's apparent maturation in lyrical delivery who really compliment each other. While we're on the topic of lyrics, the whole album is a big departure from the boastful nature of his previous releases, and instead, we get a look inside the mind of Denzel and his life hardships. The second song, and first single "Walkin" starts off beautifully, and then takes a turn into trap theory, which I'm not a very big fan of, but of course, Denzel's voice makes it an enjoyable song. "Worst Come to Worst" continues where the first two tracks left off and give us lyrics of introspection, which this album is full of.

"John Wayne" has a hazy beat produced by Peggy which is apparent by the glitchy feel the song employs behind Denzel. Oh, and of course, it wouldn't be JPEG if we didn't have a DISCORD SAMPLE HERE!

"The Last" is where trap is apparent and is not a bad song by any stretch, and if you like that sound with delivery that isn't based on mumbling lyrics and actually articulating your words, this is for you. I'm not a big fan, mostly because of the chorus, but it's an OK listen.

"Mental" is a beautiful neo-soul track with confessional lyrics about the struggles with suicidal thoughts and with a spoken word passage by Saul Williams detailing the struggles with society's acceptance of mental health problems as a source of hardship.

And now comes three songs which I skip. "Troubles" has Kenny Beats on the production and T-Pain on the mic. It's alright, but boring. "Ain't No Way" is the song that I despise on here, because of Rico Nasty and her voice, but it is what it is, and "X-Wing" is a textbook trap song. All of these songs are OK if you're into that stuff, because it's really well made and produced, and all the guests have really good flow, besides the aforementioned, but it's just not my cup of tea sadly.

"Angelz" is a beautiful, conscious song with lyrics that tackle the topic of looking for validation, removing vices from your life, and connecting with your soul. Beautiful angelic vocals (hence the name) on the chorus, done by Bridget Perez, who has done backing vocals on "Walkin".

If only "The Smell Of Death" was longer, I would've loved it even more. Love the sample at the beginning. Reminds me of Wu-Tang, and the rest of the beat reminds me of something that the late MF DOOM would hop on. Props to you Thundercat.

While we're on the topic of MF DOOM, he gets name-dropped on "Sanjuro", which is a song that once again plays it safe with fast delivery and trap beats. It doesn't overstay its welcome, clocking at just 2 minutes, which I like.

"Zatoichi" is a song that perfectly encapsulates the love Denzel has for modern culture, comparing himself to the lone swordsman Zatoichi, in a cold, harsh world. Also, absolutely love the brakebeat-inspired beat, especially when Slowthai hops on.

"The Ills" is a beautiful jazzy, neo-soul outro that gives us another look inside the mind of Denzel, and the everyday struggles with mental health and emotions.

Overall, the album is chock-full of different styles and has songs that everyone will like, from jazz and soul, to trap and breakbeat. The beats are beautifully crafted, most people featured here have really good flow with each other, and Denzel's lyrics are the most poignant and introspective they have ever been.

Loved: Melt Session #1, Walkin, Worst Come To Worst, John Wayne, Mental, Angelz, Smell of Death, Zatoichi, The Ills
Skip: Nothing

This happened to my buddy Eric.