/daily/ - "ap memes and japanoise" edition

Two in a row, bitches.

The point of these threads is to encourage people to look for new and interesting music. We do this by listening to and ideally discussing albums we've never heard before. Many of us already listen to new music daily, these people are in it to venture "out of their comfort zone" by listening to albums they otherwise wouldn't have, or just to have a good time.

>make charts
neverendingchartrendering.org/

>listen to tunes
plug.dj/sdc-room-3-the-sequel

>templates/listenalong schedules
dailymu-sic.weebly.com/

>discord
discord.gg/8exuEmG

Previously, on /daily/:

Other urls found in this thread:

rateyourmusic.com/list/iyiiki/japan__the_dark_continent_of_rock/
youtube.com/watch?v=UpmHHrk54h0
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/kylie_minogue/kylie_minogue_f8/)
youtube.com/watch?v=mVJjmyFfuts
twitter.com/SFWRedditGifs

una vela...

thirst for the borscht

ap spanish exam tomorrow, imma channel ur spirit

>Otomo Yoshihide - Cathode
THIS IS WHY I LOVE OTOMO YOSHIHIDE
Thank you Yoshihide-san for continually gathering great groups of people to make wierd sounds for my listening pleasure
This album is a lot more warm and rich than the Yoshihide albums I associate with him the most (due to how much acoustic instrumentation is present). definitely more EAI than onkyo
Each song manages to inject a lot of variation throughout while still maintaining an atmospheric consistency
Really cool shit. Good job.

>Pauline Oliveros - Primordial / Lift (2006)
I don't know how this song managed to keep me invested for over 70 minutes
It was great, what can I say
The accordion, harmonium, and strings all blended together so well (with some sprinklings of electronics for charm)
At times, the song becomes so harmonious that you get utterly lost in it. But Oliveros isn't afraid to also use super sour harmonies (which I love)
There's just so much Oliveros (and the other performers) manages to squeeze out of these sounds!
There are times on this album that it doesn't feel it should even be classified as drone
But the parts that are drone are so goddamn beautiful.
This record is a journey

post el

have I been memed?
AKJLKAJKLAJKJALKAJLAJAJKLAJ una vela, su sudaca huevon cabron hijo de puta mierda cabron cabron cabron una vela ALKLKAKKAKSKJAJAJAAJJAKLAJAKJAKSJKLASJ

no
listen to hisou

yes

also i memed you too with that pic!

sure is another great day for music consumption

did you post yr 98.12.28 review yet

literally writing it right now

que picardia....

HOIPE

...

We can all agree that The Great Curve is the best track, right?

According to Rolling Stone Japan these are the best Japanese rock albums ever.

Which ones are actually good?

LOL not fishmans

Born Under Punches*

>Cathode
such a fantastic album, great into to EAI imo

Blue Hearts, Satori, Fantasma, Fushitsusha, and Merzbow are all good. i might actually dive into this, sounds fun.

>Rolling Stone

Probably like three good albums on here then lol.

Also, are these all supposed to be rock albums? Cause Ken Ishii/Fishmans aren't even remotely rock afaict

it was just "best japanese albums" but then they noticed it's 88% rock

(that was a discussion question btw, I've listened to a fair amount of these. also why would they pick chocolate synthesizer of all boredoms albums to choose?)

Yes, 100%

Best Talking Heads track overall imo

of the ones I've listened to,
YMO - Solid State Survivor
Cornelius - Fantasma
Akiko Yano - Japanese Girl
Fushitsusha - Live

wait those are the only four on that list that I've listened to

Also, gonna keep posting reviews, lotsa tight music these past few days.

[1/2]

Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun (1992)
>Stoner Rock, Stoner Metal

Much lighter and more digestible than Welcome to Sky Valley. The tracks are much shorter, clocking in between 2 and 7.5 minutes, as opposed to the 15+ minute epics on WTSV. The vocals even feel lighter for some reason, leaning even more toward rock than metal here. The riffs still have that slow-burning psychedelia though even if they aren’t quite as heavy. It reminds me a bit of QOTSA, so it’s obvious that Homme would eventually go back to a more psych rock direction in the future.

I think the overall heaviness on Sky Valley are what make it so great but this is still a solid listen. It’s still a bit one note as you’d expect from a stoner metal but the atmosphere is terrific. It feels like it was crafted in the desert, with this bleak, one-tone vibe all throughout. That being said, there are a lot of subtle little elements on here, within the riffs that make it so enjoyable. Or maybe I just like this style of metal regardless. I find these slower brands like sludge/doom are way more up my alley.

I think this is on a similar level as Sky Valley though it’s hard because they almost feel like different styles. Great stuff though.

3.5/5

>merzbow, fushitsusha, fishmans
i mean, at least rolling stones japan aren't dadrockers but idk if poseurs are any better

[2/2]

Sleep - Dopesmoker (2003)
>Doom Metal, Stoner Metal

This seems to have the reputation as a monotonous listen but man it’s really something else. It’s trance-inducing and unwaveringly heavy but I certainly wouldn’t call it boring. The guitar drones on in repetitive fashion, with waves and waves of distortion. But there’s subtle variations throughout the album that keep it interesting enough. Even when it does get too repetitive, it just ends up feeling hypnotic. The lyrics are so corny and over the top - but the vocal style and overall atmosphere ensures that you don’t have to pay too much attention to them. It works way better than it should, if these lyrics weren’t slowly belted out in this fashion over layers of guitar, I would definitely hate them. Yet, somehow it works.

The complicated history behind this album’s release and the pure boldness (or stubborn stupidity depending on your view) to release a 63 minute track definitely add to the legacy/reputation. But despite all that, the music is heavy as shit and something about it just works. I almost want to say this would be better as an instrumental but it’d be way too repetitive without the vocals.

Surprised I liked this as much as I did but man, it’s awesome.

4.5/5

I only recognize like 5 albums on here so idk if that's true...

What do you think?

>Best Talking Heads track
>Not This Must Be The Place

Blasphemous

someone bool with me in plug

I'm glad you agree. It's one of my favorites and I'm tired of justifying that

That Fishmans album is imo the worst from that era

Luxury is better than Fantastic Plastic Machine's s/t

For You is better than Spacy

That Merzbow album is far from his best.

Japanese Girl, the top left album, Shiina Ringo, Vacant World, Solid State, Long Vacation, Fantasma, Japanese Girl, Fushi, and Satori are all great.

P-Model, Bonobos, and Mute Beat are okay, but certainly not top 100 material. Where in heck is Boris? Boredoms? Ground Zero? Even outside of Sup Forums these guys have decent popularity. No idea why they wouldn't be included. Why are there so many synth/electronic albums? This list could've been massively better with even the slightest research (or, maybe listening to more of the artists mentioned here).

Maybe the problem is trying to judge an eastern country by a western genre we assume is the gold standard for all of music. That's just my shitty hot take though.

No doubt.

>reviewing two of the top ten weed albums ever
nice

idk what anyone says, Dopesmoker is incredible. Maybe not for everyone, but an experience nonetheless.

I think the people that hate it are just a loud minority. I do see more love than hate in general, but a lot of what seems to be contrarianism surrounding it.

life during wartime (stop making sense)*

That's true, but it seems like the meme precedes the quality.

lol I listed "Japanese Girl" twice, and also confused Bonobos for Yonin-Bayashi (the album with the sloth smoking the pipe).

I should probably listen to more albums from there, but regardless I still think the list is kinda shitty.

popularity polarizes, who would have thought. both sides would be justified here though

The best Talking Heads track is Crosseyed and Painless (Stop Making Sense ver.)
t. Talking Headspert™

Solid State Survivor (even though I prefer Technodelic and some Ryuichi solo records), Kuchu Camp (even though there are many better Fishmans albums), Fantasma (even though Point is better), Friction, Chocolate Synthesizer (even though there are again a lot of better Boredoms albums), Fushitsusha, In a Model Room (even though I prefer some of their later albums), and Satori are all great. Dunno why they'd pick Camera Talk instead of Doctor Head's World Tower for Flipped's Guitar, and Music for Bondage Performance seems like a pretty random choice for Merzbow.

I'm probably gonna go through all of these at some point, so we'll see if this is a good list or not!

Pretty much agree with everything you said.

Here's another list by a competing Japanese music magazine: rateyourmusic.com/list/iyiiki/japan__the_dark_continent_of_rock/

>This Must Be The Place
you are right boy

Yeah, such a tight album. I was kind of skeptical going in because I'd seen mixed reviews but it took me by surprise.

Yeah, I was looking at the metal on my backlog and realized I'd missed out on those two. Figured I'd tackle em in the same day.

>Maybe not for everyone, but an experience nonetheless.

Definitely agree

Huh, cool to see your opinion on the whole thing. I'm completely out of the loop on Japanese music so maybe I'll check some of these out in the future

That Boredoms album is super random wtf. Unless this list came out in like 1995 there's no reason it should be like that.

interdasting.

chocolate synth is pretty good imo, but i feel like anyone would agree that Super AE and VCN are miles better. Hell, Super Roots 7 blows CS out of the water.

needa listen for sure, but it's definitely not one of their staple albums I think of when I think of them.

Super as, Vision Creation Newsun, Pop Tatari, Super Roots 5, Super Roots 7, and Soul Discharge are all better than Chocolate Synthesizer imo, even though CS is still like a 8-8.5 for me.

and 77 Boadrum as well.

compared to their tribal space rock shit, it's pretty basic noise rock, really raw. think pop tatari with more structure

>good
Vacant World
Fantasma
Welcom Plastics
In A Model Room
Satori
Live

>ass
Blue Hearts

still need to listen to friction. that chart is surprisingly good

youtube.com/watch?v=UpmHHrk54h0

4:00-end legit me wanna cry

old news, grandpa

*makes me

>Roy Porter - Jessica
>J A Z Z F U N K

Lots of instrumental variation to keep each track afloat. A good time all around, with an interlude of experimentation. What starts out as clean grooves has stranger tracks like Drums For Daryl, where an engine's thrums and an electronic buzz intervene bongos and drumming with brushes.

There's also an interesting use of distortion on many soloists in the this album, most noticeably in Wow even in something like the flute solo of the title track. Wow actually begins by covering the group in a blanket of electric buzz, like some strange jazz noise mixture.

In the end, I'm not overly affected by this. It's got some small moments, but Jazz Funk as a whole is a genre that I've yet to really enjoy.

6/10

>Daneil Bachman - Daniel Bachman (2016)
>Drone, Folk, "American Primitivism"

After a screeching and sordid intro, there's nothing to greet you but a lone guitar, and small audible breaths from Bachman.

A solid solo performance by Bachman, but I'm ambivalent on the drone portions of the album.

7/10

>Mortal Unknown Orchestra - Multi-Love
>Psychedelic Pop

I was surprised to learn this was released only 2 years ago. They really do feel like genuine funk/soul-- and in Woolite's review, I agree with the assessment that the production feels both fresh and nostalgic at the same time. The front of the album is loaded with bombastic singles, and the other side takes a cooler tone.

Could be compared to Tame Impala or Thundercat, but it feels more genuine. The vocals are more like Thundercat's falsetto, but aren't as similar between tracks to be irritating. The percussion is tin-can packed, and very effective in establishing the previously mentioned funk and soul vibe.

and the polyamorous relationship for the artist though

Favorite Tracks: Necessary Evil, Can't Keep Checking My Phone, Stage or Screen

8/10


>Beck - Odelay
>Alt Rock, The Alternative Melting Pot, When samples weren't so easily cock-blocked

Yeah.

7/10

>Multi-Love

Nice. Shit is underrated as hell. The album also features interesting techniques that are not common of it's indie-pop contemporaries (modulating 5 times in one phrase (NecEvil), the non-cyclic chord progression that starts and ends a phrase on a chord other than the tonic (Multi Love). Also:

>Best
Extreme Wealth and Casual Cruelty
>Runner Up
Necessary Evil (also one of my favorite music videos)
>Overrated
Can't Keep Checking My Phone
>Underrated
Extreme Wealth and Casual Cruelty
>Worst
Stage or Screen

Yeah, I guess you'd have to be into jazz-funk in the first place to really dig Jessica. But I'm a sucker for anything with a bit of funk influence. Love the motorcycle samples on "Drums for Daryl" though


>Could be compared to Tame Impala or Thundercat, but it feels more genuine.

Nicely put, I've been trying to find a good comparison for that album

Glad you're liking the drone so far man!

More enjoyable than my first chart, that's for sure. Thanks for havin some neat taste

ok when u do freeforms do u update it by putting the albums in topsters and redownloading it and putting the scores in again or am i doing this the stupid way
anyway heres some memes i listened to recently
>Robert Ashley - Private Parts
really lovely, soothing album. the synths reminded me of structures from silence at parts, and ashley's calm voice and the incessant tablas are so relaxing.

>Tzusing - A Name Out of Place, Pt II
pretty cool industrial techno. i like the really noisy parts of it the most.

>The Motifs - Cross Paths
aaaahhhh this is so cozy and twee i love it! really comfy, lovely listen. perfect to listen to while lying in bed, getting ready to fall asleep

>ok when u do freeforms do u update it by putting the albums in topsters and redownloading it and putting the scores in again or am i doing this the stupid way

haha good one, you're so silly

Kept you waitin’, huh?

>Fishmans - 98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare

This is it. The big fish. The 4.31 from 21 ratings. The live album from the band that was memed into /daily/ so hard that bringing up the name is enough to trigger certain people. The album that outdid vaccines in creating one of the most infamously autistic reviews of all time. After absorbing the Fishmans discography, for better or for worse, I feel like I am ready to tackle it.

First off, for a live album, I’m rather impressed with the audio quality. However, I still feel initially disconnected from the music in a way I wasn’t with the studio albums. Is it worth it or fair to evaluate the album on this level? I’m not sure, but I always feel like live albums by default are held back in some regard. Especially when the stage banter is kept in the recording, though to be fair, what is said actually holds some heavy emotional weight, as the lead singer says he hopes to continue doing live shows next year and --spoiler alert-- he dies a few months after the concert was recorded. This was due to heart problems he had suffered since he was a child. That fact certainly sheds a different light on Fishmans’ music and though I try not to let outside context affect my consumption of music too much, it’s hard to call that detail superfluous.

All that aside though, let’s talk about the actual music and what immediately struck me. It seems I was not alone in my thoughts when I say that the first half or so of the first disc has a few uncharacteristically weaker songs and performances to almost an odd degree. I mean, comparing what comes first to what comes later… it’s almost as if the band woke up from some daze and realized holy shit this may very well be our last concert let’s play our god damn hearts out (pun unintended).

(1/4)

crazy how the katamari soundtrack is better than most dedicated shibuya-kei albums

I suppose it mirrors their discography in a way though I doubt that was intentional? Who knows. But seriously, those who hold up this album as perfect -- which I don’t have a problem with really, the album is fantastic -- I wonder if they evaluate less of the album as a whole entity but focus on the grander moments to the point they are willing to excuse a few missteps.

Songs like ひこうき (Airplane), Thank You, and 頼りない天使 (Unreliable Angel) I feel miss the mark of what a good Fishmans song is. These songs meander and find Shinji with a one-note and utterly unmemorable vocal performance… I mean fuck it let’s be honest these songs aren’t memorable at all. They are perfectly fine songs, but they miss that infectious upbeat pop quality and this Chemical X that the band has suddenly thrown into the live reinterpretations that follow. Let’s take for example In The Flight, where the album completely takes off (pun intended). Not one of my favorite Fishmans songs at all whatsoever, but they throw in this absolutely killer violin and drum performance that completely reinvigorates the song. And oh man does it perfectly transition into Walking In The Rhythm. This is the point where I myself woke up and was thinking okay now THIS is what I was promised. The album does not let up from this point, playing some of their absolute best songs. Additionally, the way they build up tension and catharsis for their choruses (WAAAALKIIIING IN THE RHYTHM) is nothing short of genius.

(2/4)

They play extended breakdowns not from the studio version with the melody as the main theme from the song they just finished, and it feels so natural, almost improvised. They get so weird and energetic with it. One of their potential best songs Smilin’ Days, Summer Holiday is almost unrecognizable. Keep in mind this song was never properly developed. On the studio version it ends abruptly at a meager 2 minutes. This live version is the extreme home makeover edition, complete with crazy solo segments that flow together seamlessly. On top of that, there is Shinji’s extremely raw vocal performance to the point where he is audibly exhausted at the end of it. It’s worth mentioning that listening to the studio versions of the songs is essential to fully appreciating these performances. I still maintain that some of the studio versions are superior. I don’t think ナイトクルージング(Night Cruising) was done to its full potential, and it struck me as an odd song to play second on the set list. But I digress.

Being perfectly honest, disc 2 is perfection. If I were to rate it separately, I’d probably give it a 5. So if at this point you’re sick and tired of me droning on about Fishmans, I urge you to stop reading here. It’s not getting any better. For those of you with their dicks out (hi Fish) thanks for making it this far! The first track, ゆらめき In The Air is a single released shortly before the live album was recorded, hinting at another direction the band could have headed in if the world wasn’t so damn cruel. This track is absolutely fucking beautiful, and honestly, I’m surprised I hadn’t heard about it.

(3/4)

In my eyes, it’s about as good as Long Season as it showcases the masterful understanding of songwriting that Fishmans possesses. The way each element of the song coalesces under Shinji’s heavenly, yet androgynous and alien, vocals is nothing short of breathtaking. I’m definitely repeating myself here from previous reviews, but the song fuses together these feelings of hope, melancholy, and nostalgia through such simplistic yet effective means. I don’t know how to describe it really, but each texture feels calculated and layered in the correct mathematical way to evoke certain feelings and memories. I no longer feel separated from the music like I did earlier. I feel like I’m there at the concert. This is the type of song that makes me wish I understood music theory, and I may damn well fix that at some point.

Following that is いかれたBaby, a song that is certainly a stand out on its respective album, and I believe it was one of their few hit singles. It’s a staggeringly simple song compared to what we just heard and what we’re about to hear, yet it does not feel out of place in the slightest. That kitschy dub influence finally makes its way back into the music, and I couldn’t be happier to hear it. It works as a sort of palette cleanser before they dive headfirst into their reinterpretation of Long Season. It is the checkpoint before the final boss. I’m sure if you’ve read this far into my review, you’ve heard Long Season. If you haven’t, I think you ought to give it a listen. I don’t want come off as over dramatic or a cop out by not really describing the live reinterpretation of it, but I can’t accurately sum it up. I don’t know what else to say. I don’t want to build lofty expectations with purple prose. It has to be heard. Your own opinion, negative or positive, needs to be built. I think I’ve said all that needs to be said. I think this album’s reputation, overall, is deserved.

Ok This Must Be The Places maaaaybe shares first place, because it's a great track

I fucking despise Once In A Lifetime though, I can't stand it. I don't know why, there is almost no Talking Heads song I dislike except for that one. It's just so boring

>It has to be heard. Your own opinion, negative or positive, needs to be built.
saying it like this will make people not want to listen to it just saying

i really wish AnCo would make an album that wasnt a complete mixed bag, for every bluish or moonjock or purple bottle i get a lion in a coma, a todays supernatural and a daffy duck

>ok when u do freeforms do u update it by putting the albums in topsters and redownloading it and putting the scores in again or am i doing this the stupid way
holy shit this is another level of autism
man just use photoshop or paint.net why do you suffer so much

>Lion In A Coma

Don't remind me of that song

>not using an editable svg file in inkscape

Once in a Lifetime means more to me in a personal and sentimental level than any other song ever written

fuck u >:^(

Their loss. But why?

thanks. i realized how autistic it was as soon as i started downloading the chart for the second time lmao

Yesss good to see love for Multi-Love

:-(

I understand why some people like it but it just feels like.... Talking Heads for people who don't like Talking Heads ;-)

Once in a Lifetime is a song for people who love Talking Heads and for people who don't like them, as the song's timelessness and pognient commentary of the human condition are for essentially anyone. :-)

Say, this is pretty good.

this

>Dos velas....

Aguante el piti caretas

>I don’t want to build lofty expectations with purple prose.
yet the way you introduced it and used too many periods is oozing with the same useless dramatism i mean???

That line is acknowledges the fact that I did that lol. I just wasn't going to do it for Long Season bc there'd be no point.

>four-post fishmans review
>1 reply by an user
/daily/ is truly dead

Fucking great review, and I'm glad you articulated your opinion so well without saying anything fucking dumb.

>It seems I was not alone in my thoughts when I say that the first half or so of the first disc has a few uncharacteristically weaker songs and performances to almost an odd degree
Though I see what you mean, I have never understood that point. The first three songs, if anything, are are probably the strongest sequence in a row. In fact, tracks two and three are probably the ones I find myself coming back to most often. The live Nightcruising is probably one of my most listened to songs ever, and I would highly rec you give it another chance (or maybe it's just not your thing).

>I suppose it mirrors their discography in a way though I doubt that was intentional?
Perhaps, after all, every album has at least one song pulled from it, so it's definitely intentional as a reflection on their discog.

>I wonder if they evaluate less of the album as a whole entity but focus on the grander moments to the point they are willing to excuse a few missteps.
I fully acknowledge some tracks are better than others, but individually any of these tracks are some of the best pop songs ever made. I think to an extent people could overrate it due to circumstance, but it's so consistently good it blows my mind. I could go into detail what I like about songs like Thank You or Airplane, but I couldn't transfer over those feelings directly I suppose.

>It’s worth mentioning that listening to the studio versions of the songs is essential to fully appreciating these performances
110% true mang. I want more people to hear this, but it's so much more for people who have heard more of their stuff. Since it's in a way a send off to fans, listening to all of the studio material increases enjoyment so much.

Their other live album, 96.12.26 might be worth hearing since you seem to like the dubbier-influenced stuff. Nice review man.

>saying that you have to form your own opinion for a song will turn people off from hearing an entire album
what.

you read the same review I did, right? Or did you just like skim it?

user sounds like someone who won't listen to an album until a random internet nerd says it's good so he won't be insecure about his tastes

Nice aned pretentious breh

No problem :)

Idk why Jangle does it that way, using paint or PS is so much easier.

>Four post review
>It's actually good

Nice job man, you did a great job analyzing the album. Makes me think I need to go back and listen to earlier Fishmans stuff - I feel like it'd help me like that album even more

that totally contradicts my initial jab at this random internet nerd saying the album is good hello check your logic my man

I'm glad desu. My intention was never to incite a shitstorm.

Glad you liked it. I enjoyed writing it.

I'll address a few of your points and make some minor corrections. I wasn't directly referring to the first three songs. In fact I quite like 1 and 3. I suppose I was being vague, and in a sense, that was on purpose because other than the songs I specifically listed, I can't point out anything as inherently weak on their own. But the overall impression is still that the first half is weaker by comparison only.

Nightcruising I will maintain, did not hit me as hard as I thought it should have, and I'll repeat that I don't think it's appropriate as the second track. I think they could have saved it for later. I think the sequence is important to criticize in live albums.

Perhaps the other songs will grow on me but it's a matter of differing taste between us I think or at least what we look for in songwriting? Idk.

I will certainly check out that live album. Dub is pretty cool.

>Nightcruising I will maintain, did not hit me as hard as I thought it should have
Fair enough, I'm a huge fishmans nerd and that song is legit one of my favorites from their discog. You could totally be right that it's because we look for different things in songwriting, but I think it's cool that despite that we both have a shared love of this album, no?

Nightcrusing in particular is one I see a lot of love for so I guess I just found it weird. Your criticisms of ひこうき, Thank You, and 頼りない天使 seem to be shared mostly as those are rated slightly lower than the rest. However, your love of いかれた Baby is pretty unique, as most people see it as the black sheep of disc 2.

Long Season has the highest track rating I've seen for any album with over a thousand ratings, jesus christ. Shit's nuts.

When people say "second half of 98.12.28" I always think they literally mean disc 2, but most of them seem to mean "second half" starts with "In the Flight".

頼りない天使 has always been of my favorites, that keyboard riff always gets me

Thanks, I really appreciate it.

Perhaps I should have emphasized this point a bit more, but truly Long Season kinda came out of nowhere. There is somewhat of a logical progression in the sense that their songs got more fleshed out, so listening to their early discog is kinda cool in that regard, though the albums aren't cohesive or all that good really. Still, it makes Long Season that much more impressive in hindsight. You kinda wonder where it came from? This may sound stupid but surely Shinji knew his heart condition was worsening. It may be overly romantic but it could have affected his songwriting.

Yeah maybe I built it up too much in my mind cause the studio version got me really emotional for whatever reason. No big deal though.

And hmm that is an interesting fact about Baby Blue. Idk man that shit is magical how it comes between those two songs and it's just a simple dub number. I can easily see why people think it's a dip in quality but they are overthinking it or not seeing the purpose of its placement, especially since it was their one hit right? That shit was intentionally played before their swan song. Genius.

I totally agree with the second half starting with in the flight

Souls of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity (1993)
>west coast hip hop, jazz rap, boom bap

Dangerously close to a 3.5, but the MCs aren't good enough to really reach that mark. They're serviceable, but none of them have any distinct personality or flow. If I didn't know this was a group I'd totally believe this was just one rapper, and a pretty tepid one at that. The production is where this album truly shines. It's firmly rooted in jazz rap and boom bap, but the beats have a prominent ethereal quality to them that elevate them above and beyond typical production in the genre. They're chill but super banging, the perfect combination.

3.0+

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (2007)
>indie rock

More low-key than Funeral, but low-key isn't what I want from Arcade Fire. The band is at their best when they're making the most bombastic, grandiose pop rock songs ever, and this albums rockier, rootsier style doesn't sit well with me at all. It's got some fucking great tracks in that grandiose style, like "Intervention" and "No Cars Go", but they flirt way too much with really generic sounding rock that they don't do well at all. It's not just the sound, the songwriting isn't nearly up to par with what the band is capable of, and Butler and Chassagne both turn in uncharacteristically weak vocal performances. Decent enough, but lacking the highs of Funeral.

2.0+

Also that dip in ratings for Melody is weird. Another great song. Maybe I'm just willing to give it a pass bc Shinji was clearly exhausted from the previous song and I kinda like that aspect

Kylie Minogue - Impossible Princess (1997)
>electronic, art pop, indie pop

I wanted to listen to this because I was interested in Minogue's take on indie rock, and frankly, all the tracks that fall under that category fucking suck! They're just generic pop rock at it's worst, and Minogue's voice seems really uncomfortable singing along, especially on fucking "Cowboy Style", the ill-fated country pop song. The tracks more influenced by drum and bass and house are really cool, though. The opener and "Limbo" are great tracks, but two great tracks among ten other mediocre tracks doesn't make a great album. This could be so much more, but like most other pop albums from this time period there's just too much filler that takes away from the good stuff.

2.0

also, that alternate cover (the one for this issue here: rateyourmusic.com/release/album/kylie_minogue/kylie_minogue_f8/) is absolutely phenomenal.

>Dangerously close to a 3.5, but the MCs aren't good enough to really reach that mark.

I believe the album was released when they were all 17/18 years old. Gotta give them props, desu.

holy shit you're right, that's insane.

fucking cool that like the best beat ever got thrown at some teenagers

>Baby Blue
Do you mean いかれた Baby? Because yeah, that's pretty much their defining song in the public eye. Pretty odd to me honestly.

>That shit was intentionally played before their swan song. Genius.
I think so too. Their most publicly acclaimed and critically acclaimed songs placed right next to each other is probably not an accident.

96.12.26 has a longer, dubbier version of Nightcruising. You might dig it more there.

>If I didn't know this was a group I'd totally believe this was just one rapper

I feel like that's a total 90s thing. There's all sorts of crews during that time with solid flows and all that but every MC sounded kinda the same. I don't mind, it just gets old after listening to too many albums from the era

Isn't that title track just incredible though? Phew

I had no idea this was a thing wtf. I'm even more impressed with that album now

Yeah my b. I switched to mobile.
I'm glad my hunch was right though. Way cool.

I prob won't write a big review but I'll be sure to let you know what I think about that live album

true, wu-tang is really the only one that subverts that.

and yeah, the title track is insane. one of the best beats I've ever heard.

I keep coming back to the Christian Scott tiny desk concert and man it's fantastic. The first song ("Twins") is so tight but it's weak on the actual album imo. Why did they gloss it up so much? Seems like it was ruined in the production process. Is this a thing in modern jazz or something?

Vid related

youtube.com/watch?v=mVJjmyFfuts

You ever check out the Gibbs remix? Not sure if you're big on him but I think it's one of the best uses of that beat aside from the original