Rated 8/10
HL: “Frog Princess “, “Something for the Weekend”, “Songs of Love”, “The Dogs and the Horses”
Wasn’t expecting the actual Father Ted theme song on this list (in a way)
Enjoyed it even more than the last Divine Comedy, now my research for the evening is why a man from Derry sounds like an English aristocrat
June 28, 2023 (listening while heavy storm clouds cover the city)
Rated 6/10
HL: “Genius of Love” (s tier), “L’elephant”, “On, On, On, On…”
Dumb fun album, kind of in-one-ear-out-the-other sometimes but I’ll have to remember this when I need a pick-me-up
June 25, 2023
Rated 6/10
HL: “Roundabout”, “Long Distance Runaround”, “Mood for a Day”
Little classical flourishes in “Mood” & “Cans & Brahms” are neat, and “Roundabout” is probably their best song, but I didn’t take as easy to Fragile as I did for the Yes Album & Close to the Edge. The mix of grand, multi-part odysseys & little song fragments demanded different levels of attention, and switching between them wasn’t always a simple task
June 26, 2023
Rated 6/10
HL: "Escapade", title track, "State of the World", "Lonely", "Love Will Never Do Without You"
Pretty good introduction to Janet Jackson's music (knew "Escapade" already tho)
listening to this thing in one go, I started to tire of the loud processed drums but in small doses it gets the head bopping
Definitely feels like a landmark album
3.5
June 24, 2023
Rated 8/10
First time hearing “Voodoo Dolly”: awful noise
The 2nd time: awesome, I love it
Finding there’s a lot to love in early 80s goth rock, between the Cure, Bauhaus and now this
HL: “Into the Light”, “Monitor”, “Night Shift”, “Spellbound”
Rated 10/10
At its best, sublime, and at its worst a bit generic. Overall, love the mix of Brazilian folk & psych-rock. Have to remember this one for a midsummer road trip
HL: "Visions of Johanna", "I Don't Believe You", "Ballad of a Thin Man"
Alright. If I saw this show live it'd be an easy 5
June 19, 2023
Rated 8/10
HL: "Re-Make/Re-Model", "If There Is Something", "2HB", "The Bob (Medley)", "Chance Meeting"
The mixing in some of the songs is a bit odd, thought my speakers were broken during "Sea Breezes", the sparse drum and bass feels incomplete somehow
"Chance Meeting" is better on re-listen, now that I'm anticipating that abrasive synth/guitar
I'm starting to "get" Roxy Music with Brian Eno, he clashes musically with Bryan Ferry but some interesting chemical reactions occur
June 18, 2023
Rated 10/10
Eurythmics to Slipknot then to Björk sure is some whiplash
What a glorious winter album that I’m discovering in summer.
Going back to individual tracks to decide on a rating was… odd, as the album does a good job of introducing the samples, the glitchy fuzzy beats & the glockenspiels. Well actually “Hidden Place” throws you in the middle of it all in the 1st 60 seconds, but does it *gently*.
HL: “Hidden Place”, “Unison”, “Pagan Poetry”, “Aurora”, “It’s Not Up To You”
June 16, 2023
Rated 2/10
Alright, nice things only:
1) Corey Taylor is a truly impressive vocalist
2) The frenetic rhythms on display prove both creativity & technical prowess
3) "Eyeless", "Wait and Bleed", "Surfacing", and "Spit it Out" is a consecutive run of songs where I wasn't praying for it to be over.
There were 2 lists I made as a teenager, Favourite Bands & Least Favourite Bands. I think Slipknot and Marilyn Manson were neck and neck for the top spot of the 2nd list, but my knowledge of both artists was pretty limited. Also that list included Kanye, T Swift and Rihanna from what I recall, so I could have been wrong about this too!
Still not a fan
Rated 8/10
I have a feeling that Touch is their better album that is NOT in the book (it's also from 1983!), but makes sense that they'd choose their big break over the confident follow-up.
Still making up my mind over parts of it, like the plastic soul in "Wrap it Up", or "This City Never Sleeps" which just goes and goes, but I can't help but dig the Eurythmics sound, and Annie Lennox's voice elevates the weaker tracks and supercharges the strongest ones.
June 14, 2023
HL: "Love is a Stranger", "Jennifer", "I Could Give You (A Mirror)", "This is the House" oh yeah and that title track
Rated 8/10
There’s a stretch from tracks 3-5 which is among the saddest I’ve heard in one album. Good thing every song isn’t like that
“Hello in There”, “Sam Stone”, “Paradise”, “Your Flag Decal”, “Angel From Montgomery”
Rated 10/10
Call it nostalgia (even tho I’m hearing roughly 12/13 songs for the first time today) but I loved this
Both Missy & Timbaland bring out their respective best artistic qualities in each other, & the guests (e.g. TLC, Method Man) are also pretty excellent.
I may have just had back-to-back 5-star hip-hop records (where’s that kid who only listens to the Beatles, Floyd & Queen now?), but while I’m still digesting the Outkast one, this more straightforward outing is easier to deliver a verdict with.
HL: “Bring the Pain”, “Back in the Day”, “Slide”, “Funky Fresh Dressed”, “Can You Hear Me”, “Work It”
Rated 10/10
HL: "B.O.B.", "Ms. Jackson", "Gangsta Sh*t", "So Fresh, So Clean", "Toilet Tisha"
I'm not here to argue that S/TLB is a better album (I gave that 5 stars). Maybe the biggest drawback to the album-a-day thing is that some albums deserve time to digest, and my opinions on several tracks/interludes on Stankonia aren't fully formed because I was still reeling from the song before it. Probably was the most tuned in during the first 5 songs & the last 5 songs. Definitely worth a relisten in the near future.
"B.O.B." continues to be my favourite Outkast song, bar none (not that I've listened to the other four albums yet)
June 11, 2023
Rated 8/10
HL: title track, “(A) Touch Sensitive”, “Run! Christian! Run!”
Very fun album overall. Some bizarre twists & turns, like the CSNY-invents-dubstep in “No Sympathy”, or the bits about Monica Lewinski (I guess not that bizarre for a 2001 album)
“Receptacle” is either the best or the worst song- currently making up my mind about the last minute or so.
June 10, 2023
Rated 8/10
Switch to the non-album single “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” was like a splash of cold water in the face, in how different it was to the actual album
💿 Two of these 60s albums back to back (following Chelsea Girl)- and aside from ripping off the brilliant Was (Not Was) to make “Pearly Queen”, this one is also more enjoyable than expected.
More sweet, sweet harpsichord to be found in “Cryin’ To Be Heard”
Less waffling here than in John Barleycorn Must Die
HL: “Feelin’ Alright”, “Don’t Be Sad”, “Cryin’ To Be Heard”, “No Time To Live”
June 9, 2023
Rated 8/10
HL: "Somewhere There's a Feather", "These Days", "I'll Keep It with Mine", title track
Rated 6/10
June 7, 2023 (late night, trying to write a theatre piece)
HL: “Samba de Bencao”, title track, “Close Your Eyes”, “Sem Contencao”
💃🏿
It sounds like purgatory. No I cannot fully explain what I mean by that
Even the brassy ending song “Close Your Eyes” doesn’t give much closure. It traps that carnaval energy in a loop. Is that just a feature of bossa nova then
Fave track has to be the intro, probably the best fusion of spooky electronica & serene acoustic guitar
3.5
Rated 8/10
HL: "You Are My Sister", "Fistful of Love", "Hope There's Someone", "Spiralling"
Took a couple songs to get accustomed to Anohni's voice, but it's a pretty strong set of piano ballads with an emotional core nonetheless.
Also led me on a Wiki rabbit hole about the woman on the cover. I should really focus on my assignment
June 8, 2023
Rated 10/10
First Miles Davis album
DISC 1: we'll let that settle for a minute. Feels a bit hostile & ominous at times, yet still captivating
DISC 2: "Spanish Fly" is the most accessible moment so far, for me personally. Is it just me or is the music on this warmer-sounding?
Great crescendo in "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down”
it might be a masterpiece. Make no mistake, this is no “Head Hunters”, with no addictive hooks like in Chameleon & Watermelon Man. It’s a pretty different beast, and one I’m almost relieved to “shelve” for now. 90 mins is a lot. But wot a journey
