Desert Island VIII Master List, Part Three

[Screwtape2]

Has anyone else tried to download namkcuR's playlist yet? I have tried to a couple times over the past couple days but the download stops at a certain completion percentage. One day it kept stopping at 23% each time I tried and today it stops at 1%.

 

[iron yuppie]

Hmmm...I downloaded it yesterday without a problem. Meagupload is sometimes temperamental, though.

 

[Screwtape2]

Okay. I guess I'll try again tomorrow.

 

[phanan]

He's next on my list, so if there's a problem, I'll let you know.

 

[IWasBored]

i got everything downloaded no problem. it's just figuring out where i put them, putting them on my ipod...such a slacker.

 

[iron yuppie]

I listened to the illustrious Cobbler's list a few days ago, and I will say that this was a generally high-energy list. I loved the classic rock selections; the Stones-Bowie tandem to start the whole thing established a great tempo, and the inclusion of Nick Drake and Bob Seger were also very nice touches. I also found some enticing beats in the hip-hop selections - most notably in "Aquemini." All in all, the list was replete with personality, which is, I would think, the mark of a well-executed playlist.

I also listened to NamkcuR's list recently. The chronological focus of this list was an interesting idea that made for a combination of surprising and nostalgic moments. As an example of the first, I was completely unaware of the side of Jane's Addiction expressed on "Three Days." As examples of the second, "Foreground" places me in a very specific time and place, and the inclusion of Hendrix and The Doors reflects tapes that my dad would play in the car when I was a lad. That combination of unexpected and familiar moments made the playlist consistently engaging.

 

[cobl04]

I listened to the illustrious Cobbler's list a few days ago, and I will say that this was a generally high-energy list. I loved the classic rock selections; the Stones-Bowie tandem to start the whole thing established a great tempo, and the inclusion of Nick Drake and Bob Seger were also very nice touches. I also found some enticing beats in the hip-hop selections - most notably in "Aquemini." All in all, the list was replete with personality, which is, I would think, the mark of a well-executed playlist.

Thanks for the words! Glad to see people are appreciating the Bob Seger inclusion.

 

[phanan]

Well, we've had quite a few weeks with some new releases coming out, and those have probably hindered DI listening for some people, but we should be wrapping this up soon.

I plan on launching the last thread this weekend - it only has three playlists on it as Mr. V had to unfortunately drop out. I guess your life turns upside down when your family wins the lottery.

Then, I plan on having everyone submit rankings shortly after, perhaps on March 1. I'll set a firm date when I launch the fourth thread.

 

[cobl04]

He won the lottery?!?!?!!!

That doesn't happen to anyone! Lucky bugger.

 

[bono_212]

 

[phanan]

I listened to namkcuR's list yesterday - it downloaded just fine, by the way.

I understand that the format was based on time travel, but the changes from one section to another were a bit jarring I thought.

Having said that, the sections themselves were, for the most part, very well done. The 79-84 period was something I particularly enjoyed. Great choices for Alan Parsons and Depeche Mode in particular, and while I only like a handful of ABBA songs, The Winner Takes It All is one of them.

The newer time frame was also good, although I don't care for that MGMT song. You have, however, reminded me that I have totally neglected Robyn this past year, which I find surprising considering I like her and her music. I hadn't heard Indestructible before your list, sadly, but it was awesome. And obviously great choices for AF, LCD, and Grizzly Bear. I prefer other Muse songs though.

I thought the "classic" period had a great set of songs, although I don't think some parts went together very well, such as Bowie into Cat Stevens. A great Stevie Wonder selection here, and of course The Beatles doing what they do is always nice. Don't know if I would have had a John Lennon song in the same section, however. Not a big deal though.

The last section was probably my least favorite, as those songs are just not ones I like by Phish, Jane's Addiction, and RHCP.

Your intro and outro songs were very cool. Great choices!

A very good entry for you, namkcuR. I believe it to be stronger than your last one. I would rate this very well.

 

[IWasBored]

wanted to wait til i was in the mood to listen to stuff i don't listen to often to afford some semblence of respect toward cobbler and oneblood's lists, because while i still see hip-hop as some kind of kryptonite, there are things i will unavoidably enjoy given the right state of mind.

oneblood:
"how does it feel?": "beast mode" is pretty beast, indeed. and there's nothing about it that is even remotely my cup of tea, but i did like it quite a bit. but before dam-funk was over, i had a splitting headache, only made much worse by prince. i was relieved to hear "sexx laws" despite never having liked that song before. yeah, the middle 3 songs flowed very well. i just couldn't stand them.

"bass bangin'" put songs to artists (names to faces, if you will) to a couple songs i absolutely despise but never knew who was responsible. i did dig the n.e.r.d. track until i was reminded of the "her ass is a spaceship i want to ride" line. still would call it a highlight, though. i'm sorry. i can tell there was thought and effort put into this, because it does all thematically match up well. i am just apparently party-impaired.

from westside, with love enjoyed that whole section both flow and song-wise, possibly contradicting a bunch of what i just said. strangest highlight was 2pac. my 2pac hatred goes back about 10 years, and while i'll never be a fan, i can recognize this as...i don't know, for some reason quality is the word that comes to mind. that's the closest you'll ever get me to saying something good about 2pac.

ok, done with the negative stuff. other highlights: atmosphere, and lupe fiasco. those were great.

 

[IWasBored]

cobbler:
enjoyed part 1. even the coldplay song. kicking things off with "sympathy for the devil" is as epic as it looks like it should be. even moreso when you follow it up with bowie. and "abel" is such a great song. yeah, things started out great and stayed solid throughout the first part. helps that ibi is pretty much the one bss song i actually like. i still hate bob seger with a passion, but i'm looking past that. besides, you made me like a los camp! song.



part 2, about 99% not my thing. sorry.

 

[cobl04]

thanks iDubB!

i'd like to know what the 1% was that you enjoyed in part two

 

[Reggo]

Ashley's A Trick Of The Light

I really wanted to like this. I hadn't heard a lot of these artists and was hoping for an adventure into 80's loveliness, like Screwtape's was, but I just couldn't get into it. You snagged my attention from Slowdrive through The New Pornographers, but with Frightened Rabbit, you lost me again. There were a few good tracks toward the end: Stone Roses, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Arcade Fire , and Smashing Pumpkins, but as it is, I guess it really isn't my thing. I'm disappointed only by the fact that I didn't enjoy it as much as I anticipated.

On to the next: Friggin' Cobbler.

 

[IWasBored]

thanks iDubB!

i'd like to know what the 1% was that you enjoyed in part two

knew you'd ask. i was going to say nwa of course, and leave it at that. but i liked the de la soul. that was really the only thing on part 2 i'd want to hear again.

 

[cobl04]

cool. Eye Know is a truly great song and the first thing i play to people who complain about hip hop.

 

[IWasBored]

namruck's up now.

first off, on paper this list makes me several kinds of happy. i know i've mentioned it before around here, but 60s stuff gives me that pleasant nostalgia sense a lot of folks around here seem to get from 80s music. not that it should really, seeing as i wasn't born til the middle of the 80s, but it's that whole oldies station thing. so starting with the toys was nice. i remember that song. never knew who it was. sweet. the cat stevens, too, although i wish i hadn't known that. always bums me out to find out a good song is cat stevens. it's actually not the crazy extremist thing that makes it impossible for me to like his music, it's actually something else (although that doesn't help). but that's another story. hendrix thru carole king was stellar. we can blame lauren hill for my violent hatred of "killing me softly with his song," though.

then you lost me a bit with the next segment. enjoyed "air," but didn't really dig the depeche mode through abba section. the patti smith/metallica transition, however, worked a lot better than i'd expected.

overall, works well as a concept piece. wasn't overly fond of the 2005-2010 section either (although i did enjoy the camera obscura), but the 70s and 90s were enjoyable "decades" so to speak.

 

[iron yuppie]

then you lost me a bit with the next segment. enjoyed "air," but didn't really dig the depeche mode through abba section.

Didn't like Depeche Mode? Now we're going to have problems.

 

[IWasBored]

i generally like depeche mode til the chorus. i don't think they necessarily have more repetitive choruses than most, but there's just something...it's like every depeche mode song i've ever heard, i go from "hey, i like this. what is this." to "um, maybe i don't hate depeche mode after all, cos this is pretty decent." to "god this chorus is incredibly annoying," and finally "yeah, ok that was irritating." like i said, i know there are far more repetitive choruses out there, including that of some songs i like, so i don't know what that's the reason i'm singling out here. just always winds up annoying me.

 

[LemonMelon]

I don't care for Depeche Mode either. Dave Gahan's voice actively grates on me, and I find their beats sub-par relative to their contemporaries. Just don't like the band, having heard Violator and Music For The Masses.

 

[iron yuppie]

Blasphemy, good sir!

Dave is one my favorite vocalists, and Violator is probably among my top ten albums ever. Just for the record, Dave has become a much nuanced vocalist over the course of the past fifteen years or so. He started taking vocal lessons sometime around 95, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Joey788]

Alright, I've fallen way, waaaaaay behind on these. Going to listen to colb04 today if I can.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

I don't care for Depeche Mode either. Dave Gahan's voice actively grates on me, and I find their beats sub-par relative to their contemporaries. Just don't like the band, having heard Violator and Music For The Masses.

out of curiosity, what do you think of martin's voice? i like that about them, the two vocalists totally contrast each other. depeche mode were nearly my favourite band for a while and though i don't listen to them nearly as much as i used to, i still definitely enjoy their stuff. i find violator to be a bit overrated; i don't think it's a crap album by any means but i would rank several of their albums above it. my favourite of theirs is black celebration (the fact that it's the album where martin sings the most songs isn't overlooked by me).

 

[IWasBored]

other highlights: atmosphere, and lupe fiasco. those were great.

just feel the need to reiterate the awesomeness of those two choices (which still seems a little odd, particularly amusing concerning the latter, since "float on" makes me mildly homicidal)

 

[onebloodonelife]

wanted to wait til i was in the mood to listen to stuff i don't listen to often to afford some semblence of respect toward cobbler and oneblood's lists, because while i still see hip-hop as some kind of kryptonite, there are things i will unavoidably enjoy given the right state of mind.

oneblood:
"how does it feel?": "beast mode" is pretty beast, indeed. and there's nothing about it that is even remotely my cup of tea, but i did like it quite a bit. but before dam-funk was over, i had a splitting headache, only made much worse by prince. i was relieved to hear "sexx laws" despite never having liked that song before. yeah, the middle 3 songs flowed very well. i just couldn't stand them.

"bass bangin'" put songs to artists (names to faces, if you will) to a couple songs i absolutely despise but never knew who was responsible. i did dig the n.e.r.d. track until i was reminded of the "her ass is a spaceship i want to ride" line. still would call it a highlight, though. i'm sorry. i can tell there was thought and effort put into this, because it does all thematically match up well. i am just apparently party-impaired.

from westside, with love enjoyed that whole section both flow and song-wise, possibly contradicting a bunch of what i just said. strangest highlight was 2pac. my 2pac hatred goes back about 10 years, and while i'll never be a fan, i can recognize this as...i don't know, for some reason quality is the word that comes to mind. that's the closest you'll ever get me to saying something good about 2pac.

ok, done with the negative stuff. other highlights: atmosphere, and lupe fiasco. those were great.

just feel the need to reiterate the awesomeness of those two choices (which still seems a little odd, particularly amusing concerning the latter, since "float on" makes me mildly homicidal)

Thanks IWB! I'm considering the list a success because you legitimately enjoyed some of the hip-hop and didn't want to kill yourself during some.

Atmosphere and Lupe are two of the best things to happen in hip-hop since the 2000s. Both true storytellers. I saw that you liked "Always Coming Back Home To You" in the Hip-Hop Purists thread. Knowing what I do about your tastes, I'd say to check out God Loves Ugly. It's probably the darkest and most bitter of his albums. I'll throw up some Youtube links over in the Hip-Hop thread for you.

 

[IWasBored]

what i know about atmosphere (i can't remember if i said this in the hip hop thread or not) is limited to a very small handful of stuff, starting with whatever track it was of his that was on the punkorama 8 compilation. i wasn't one of those people who got all up in arms about the presence of hip hop (sage francis was also on that compilation) on an epitaph records comp, especially when the previous one was so terrible, and definitely once those two tracks wound up being some of the more interesting tunes on the entire two-disc disaster. well, i wouldn't say disaster, but for 2 cds it was pretty light on decent songs.

songs like "yeah!" still make me want to sacrifice small children and animals. and i've been trying to figure out exactly why certain hip hop appeals to me when it seems like similar-sounding stuff is the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard, but the storytelling thing...that might just be it. or part of it, anyway. something like "always coming back to you" is compelling to keep listening to because it is a story unfolding, and you want to keep listening because you want to find out how it ends. or in the case of n.e.r.d, there are interesting things musically going on in the background. beats, samples, or whatever they might actually be, i'm not well enough versed to know what. but something like that is interesting, whereas bmp bhmmp bmp bhmmmp! makes my ears bleed.

or maybe it's not hip hop i hate. i saw saul williams open for nine inch nails a few years back and had to go out and buy an album. that's the opposite of hate, isn't it? it might be the idiot suburban kids who grew up in much bigger houses, got cars for their 16th birthdays, and generally had way more money than me but ran around trying to convince everyone at school they were gangsta because they listened to jay-z. those kids suck. my sister listening to ja rule definitely didn't help. that guy would have been a plague on any kind of music.

i'm kind of going off on a tangent, though. i will have to look into that atmosphere album. i like dark and bitter. i also have a newbury comics giftcard from christmas that i keep forgetting to bring with me when i go cd shopping.

 

[onebloodonelife]

Perhaps it's mainly commercial hip-hop that you hate, then? N.E.R.D are toeing that line, but they're also critically acclaimed as producers, so as you mention, they know what they're doing in terms of putting interesting things into the beats.

Anyway, I put up a few links from God Loves Ugly in the Hip-Hop thread as well.

 

[LemonMelon]

Khaaaaaaaaaan...Black Celebration is just wonderful. I liked every song, beat, all of it. Perhaps I'll go back and listen to the two I've already heard and decide if I feel the same way now. All I know is that I felt this one was a huge improvement.

 

[IWasBored]

Perhaps it's mainly commercial hip-hop that you hate, then? N.E.R.D are toeing that line, but they're also critically acclaimed as producers, so as you mention, they know what they're doing in terms of putting interesting things into the beats.

Anyway, I put up a few links from God Loves Ugly in the Hip-Hop thread as well.

probably, and mainstream is primarily what i've heard, given the fact that it's everywhere, it's the crap my sister listens to (some years back i gleaned a bunch of reccomendations from skeek to make a non-mainstream mix cd for her which i ended up liking a lot more than she did), and it's the crap that people listen to because it makes them think they're cool. it's got a lot less to do with white kids listening to hip hop, because that's something i don't care about at all. trust me, that would be way too easy and too much of a cop-out excuse. it could be any other genre of music. it could be the kids in high school who come in to class one day with mohawks because they bought a green day album and all of a sudden they're soooo punk rawk, but then graduation day rolls around and as soon as they start college wilco are their favorite band. i guess not every single person who listens to mainstream hip hop is doing it because they think it makes them cool. cobbler truly loves outkast. i cannot stand them (other than the fluke that was "hey ya," and believe me i did try). it's kind of baffling to me, moreso than any other broad classification of music, either due to limited exposure or because to my untrained ear plenty of mainstream hip hop sounds like non-mainstream hip hop for the most part, the only distinction being that for some reason i'm unable to fully articulate i may like vs. i utterly despise. i utterly despise mainstream pop music (sorry GAF, if you're in here) to about the same degree, but various other kinds of pop music that are non-mainstream and/or i like don't seem to sound even remotely similar. same goes for generic mainstream nickelback/three days grace/disturbed/etc rock music that i hate. it all sounds the same, and it doesn't sound like rock music that i do enjoy, in whatever form.

i wrote n.e.r.d. off years ago as garbage because my sister liked some album of theirs (pretty sure it was the one with "she wants to move" on it, because i know i know that spaceship line). i know i'm supposed to respect pharrell whatshisface because he's actually supposed to have some talent. but i've just been unable to stomach enough of the music he's been in any way responsible for to thoroughly be able to appreciate it.

will give those links a listen