LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
It's not Cymbals Eat Guitars, is it? [emoji23] Seriously, I don't think anyone here listened to them much except for me and Mikal.
Random Music Talk CXXVIII: Cobbler's 42 Hat Sucks
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The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
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No no, I don't listen to them. And I did read your post!
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
As I was saying the other day with MBV, similarly I love "Marian" so much, from that Empty Country record, I couldn't quite get into the rest of it. "Marian" was my 2nd favorite song last year, after Charli XCX's "Forever".
david
ONE love, blood, life
I’m liking the new Matt Berninger song.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
UMMM
Where is all this great music coming from?? Getting to be tough keeping up with it all.
Where is all this great music coming from?? Getting to be tough keeping up with it all.
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Joey788
Refugee
Daft Punk Announce Breakup
This sucks, but sadly isn't that surprising. They've been really inactive since Random Access Memories. I just wish we had one more album or another chance to see them live before they called it quits. But "Contact" is a great last song for them to go out on.
This sucks, but sadly isn't that surprising. They've been really inactive since Random Access Memories. I just wish we had one more album or another chance to see them live before they called it quits. But "Contact" is a great last song for them to go out on.
Truly a gorgeous album. It starts off sounding almost like early Angel Olsen, but becomes this meditative, pastoral piece halfway through. The spoken word bit in Hard Drive was not my favorite moment, but that song gets so good towards the end (not to mention the Kaputt-like sax throughout) that I forgot about it.
cobl04
45:33
Yeah I'm really sad I'll never get to see them live. It's strange, because they've done nothing except a bit of production since RAM, but gets me all reflective and nostalgic all the same. Absolutely remember being 10 years old in my living room watching Rage and seeing One More Time for the first time.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
I know RAM has its detractors here, but I still think it’s pretty damned cool that Daft Punk won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Not something I ever would have predicted considering the conservative tendencies of the voting body.
And I guess I’d say the same thing about Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
And I guess I’d say the same thing about Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
cobl04
45:33
It's a pretty conservative album though, really. It's full of yacht rock and sounds that have been established for decades. I really, really like about a handful songs (Get Lucky, Giorgio By Moroder, Lose Yourself to Dance, Doin it Right and Contact), but the whole album was marketed as a throwback to "real" music. It's cool that Daft Punk won, but if you look at the film clip that launched them into superstardom, they're in the background behind Nile Rodgers and Pharrell.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
So I was looking at my Amazon account and I stumbled upon some music reviews I wrote over 20 years ago. They're pretty cringe, but I thought some here would get a good laugh out of them:
Madonna - Music
5.0 out of 5 stars Even Space Cowgirls Get The Blues
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2000
Maddy has thrown down the gauntlet to pop music once again, daring her audience and contemporaries to follow her to the next big scene. Is this a mainstream album? With Madonna, she MAKES it mainstream with her amazing ability to fuse her knack for pop songwriting with her nose for fresh styles and sounds.
The first three tracks on the album tell you that the club is still open, and the joint is jumping. But the AfterParty starts early: The heart of the album is the middle, tracks 4-8. Here Madonna retains the reflection of Ray of Light, but this time without the spiritual searching. When you hear the twang of the acoustic guitar and the easy shuffle beats, you'll understand the album's cover and layout: It's Space-Age Bachlorette Ranch Music.
"I Deserve It" begins as a mellow ode to a new love, drops down a streetwalkin' rhythm, then the spooky Western Movie-style strings by way of X-files-esque keyboards come in and you're under her spell. "Amazing" continues this enchanting mood, before sliding into a fast number which is the song most reminiscent of Ray of Light. "Nobody's Pefect" features the now-cliched Cher/"Believe"-style vocal effects, but somehow here it's appropriate. The warbling of the voice suits the title and the subject matter. "Don't Tell Me" manages to incorporate some country-style guitar picking, a head-bobbing beat, and lush strings. Don't worry, it works.
"What it Feels Like For a Girl" is probably the album's masterpiece, and one of Madonna's finest hours. Almost an update of "Express Yourself", this powerful song looks again at female empowerment, but in a more poignant way than her 1989 anthem. It begins with a sample from another artist, which nicely sets up the theme. If this doesn't become a number one single, it should at least inspire and affect many young women. It moved me deeply, and I'm a straight male.
After a longer, trance-y track that is more a display of producer Mirwais' skills (it also appears on his album), but none the less a treat for the ears, we have the mellow and magnificent ballad "Gone", the finale of the album. Madonna hits an almost-Emmylou Harris level of singing here, and the results are sublime. You walk out of the club, it's 5am, and there's just enough sunlight for you to find your way home. Sweet dreams.
And definitely throwing a "come at me" with this one of Pavement's Terror Twilight:
5.0 out of 5 stars indie rockers "too cool" to still like pavement
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 1999
I have a theory as well, that indie bands are abandoned by "old fans" the better they seem to get. It seems you're not worth your weight anymore unless you crash and burn before you can achieve even a hint of success.
Pavement's indie-rock crown was dislodged slightly by rock critics who thought their favorite pets were getting a little too in-jokey for their own good (for a film parallel, see Coen Bros. & Big Lebowski) on Wowee Zowee, which oddly enough seems to be a favorite of many "Paveheads". Yet it seems to be the audience and not the critics who have thumbed a nose to the last two releases. Exactly what makes "Slanted & Enchanted" so great that "Terror Twilight" lacks? Amateurism?
Perhaps S&E was influential and deserves to be noted on Best of the 90's lists, but are we looking solely at the work, or also at the times we associate with it? Many indie rockers want to remember the moment in time when the band was THEIRS, and not everybody else's, so they view the early years as the best.
What they fail to see, especially in Pavement's case, is that their absence of mass popularity has allowed them to grow with a minimum of distraction, on their own terms. If you ever really got what Pavement was about, you'll see that they are older and wiser, but still more perceptive and subversive than 99% of the music world. Slower songs do not equal bad music. Static and lo-fi fuzz do not equal good music. It's just the medium used to convey the message, which for me, in Pavement's case, is just as relevant and enlightening as it has always been.
Terror Twilight is something warm and cool at the same time. It is shrugging and winking with grace. It is as diverse as Wowee Zowee yet focused. It is filled with great songs played by great musicians. It is, as most of Pavement's art, difficult to categorize, which is why they are adored so much.
It may be important to kill your idols, but Pavement were always more like our friends, which are worth keeping.
Madonna - Music
5.0 out of 5 stars Even Space Cowgirls Get The Blues
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2000
Maddy has thrown down the gauntlet to pop music once again, daring her audience and contemporaries to follow her to the next big scene. Is this a mainstream album? With Madonna, she MAKES it mainstream with her amazing ability to fuse her knack for pop songwriting with her nose for fresh styles and sounds.
The first three tracks on the album tell you that the club is still open, and the joint is jumping. But the AfterParty starts early: The heart of the album is the middle, tracks 4-8. Here Madonna retains the reflection of Ray of Light, but this time without the spiritual searching. When you hear the twang of the acoustic guitar and the easy shuffle beats, you'll understand the album's cover and layout: It's Space-Age Bachlorette Ranch Music.
"I Deserve It" begins as a mellow ode to a new love, drops down a streetwalkin' rhythm, then the spooky Western Movie-style strings by way of X-files-esque keyboards come in and you're under her spell. "Amazing" continues this enchanting mood, before sliding into a fast number which is the song most reminiscent of Ray of Light. "Nobody's Pefect" features the now-cliched Cher/"Believe"-style vocal effects, but somehow here it's appropriate. The warbling of the voice suits the title and the subject matter. "Don't Tell Me" manages to incorporate some country-style guitar picking, a head-bobbing beat, and lush strings. Don't worry, it works.
"What it Feels Like For a Girl" is probably the album's masterpiece, and one of Madonna's finest hours. Almost an update of "Express Yourself", this powerful song looks again at female empowerment, but in a more poignant way than her 1989 anthem. It begins with a sample from another artist, which nicely sets up the theme. If this doesn't become a number one single, it should at least inspire and affect many young women. It moved me deeply, and I'm a straight male.
After a longer, trance-y track that is more a display of producer Mirwais' skills (it also appears on his album), but none the less a treat for the ears, we have the mellow and magnificent ballad "Gone", the finale of the album. Madonna hits an almost-Emmylou Harris level of singing here, and the results are sublime. You walk out of the club, it's 5am, and there's just enough sunlight for you to find your way home. Sweet dreams.
And definitely throwing a "come at me" with this one of Pavement's Terror Twilight:
5.0 out of 5 stars indie rockers "too cool" to still like pavement
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 1999
I have a theory as well, that indie bands are abandoned by "old fans" the better they seem to get. It seems you're not worth your weight anymore unless you crash and burn before you can achieve even a hint of success.
Pavement's indie-rock crown was dislodged slightly by rock critics who thought their favorite pets were getting a little too in-jokey for their own good (for a film parallel, see Coen Bros. & Big Lebowski) on Wowee Zowee, which oddly enough seems to be a favorite of many "Paveheads". Yet it seems to be the audience and not the critics who have thumbed a nose to the last two releases. Exactly what makes "Slanted & Enchanted" so great that "Terror Twilight" lacks? Amateurism?
Perhaps S&E was influential and deserves to be noted on Best of the 90's lists, but are we looking solely at the work, or also at the times we associate with it? Many indie rockers want to remember the moment in time when the band was THEIRS, and not everybody else's, so they view the early years as the best.
What they fail to see, especially in Pavement's case, is that their absence of mass popularity has allowed them to grow with a minimum of distraction, on their own terms. If you ever really got what Pavement was about, you'll see that they are older and wiser, but still more perceptive and subversive than 99% of the music world. Slower songs do not equal bad music. Static and lo-fi fuzz do not equal good music. It's just the medium used to convey the message, which for me, in Pavement's case, is just as relevant and enlightening as it has always been.
Terror Twilight is something warm and cool at the same time. It is shrugging and winking with grace. It is as diverse as Wowee Zowee yet focused. It is filled with great songs played by great musicians. It is, as most of Pavement's art, difficult to categorize, which is why they are adored so much.
It may be important to kill your idols, but Pavement were always more like our friends, which are worth keeping.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
I'm not a huge Daft Punk fan, but I respect them greatly and am very sad that I will never get to see them live.
Also, Discovery is a legitimate classic and has one of my favorite dance songs ever, Digital Love. That was part of the Trashley wedding reception playlist, which I wish I still had lying around somewhere.
Also, Discovery is a legitimate classic and has one of my favorite dance songs ever, Digital Love. That was part of the Trashley wedding reception playlist, which I wish I still had lying around somewhere.
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
Oh my God, that review of Music is going to stay with me for the rest of my life. I love it so much.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Shit, cat.
Pitchfork would have been proud.
Pitchfork would have been proud.
phanan
Blue Crack Addict
I've recently had a medical issue that's put me on short term disability from work, and I've been enjoying the time away not listening to new music, but going back through great catalogs that I haven't listened to in a while.
When we talk about some of the best album runs in music history, it's mostly the usual suspects - The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, etc. But I've revisited Stevie Wonder's classic period over the past week and damn, I don't think we talk enough about how good he really was. Obviously the peak is considered Music Of My Mind to Songs In The Key Of Life, but there's an argument to be made that the albums directly before and after those five should be part of that discussion (not including Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants since that is a soundtrack), and I wanted to give them some love.
We all know the story. Berry Gordy had final say over Wonder's 60's output, which had remarkable singles intertwined with needless filler throughout the decade. And Wonder was able to negotiate a new deal in the 70's that gave him complete control, setting the stage for his most remarkable works, but the last album under the old deal, Where I'm Coming From in 1971, is really the starting point. Knowing that it was the final record to be delivered and he had all the leverage, Wonder created his first fully self-produced album of all original songs. It's not the most cohesive album - after all, here was a 20 year old bursting at the seams with all these musical ideas, but the stepping stones are there. Do Yourself A Favor is a musical pre-cursor to Superstition, opener Look Around introduces us to the beautiful clavinet sound that becomes a prominent mouthpiece in his upcoming masterpieces, and Sunshine In Their Eyes displays the first thoughts of stretching things out, here with horns and a chorus. Not everything on the album works - I Wanna Talk To You, for example, falls flat with its delivery and just comes off as extremely awkward, and he's still holding on to that 60's Motown sound at times that no longer jives with his new direction, but if you like what followed, you'll love this album.
At the other end, sometimes forgotten because Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants gave us a weird detour in between, is Hotter Than July, his last truly great album. What sets it apart from it's predecessors is the overall loose vibe found throughout, perhaps a result from Wonder's time spent with Bob Marley. Indeed, its biggest hit is a direct homage to him, and one of Wonder's very best singles. But beyond that, the album has a terrific blend of fantastic riffs (Did I Hear You Say You Love Me), ballads (Lately) and even a slight venture into country territory thanks to steel guitar echoes (I Ain't Gonna Stand For It). And it finishes with one of his best and most important songs ever, the MLK ode Happy Birthday. So if your Stevie Wonder classic period listening has generally ended with Songs In The Key Of Life, do not lose sight of this one.
That said, the mountaintop is still for most those five revered albums, although I personally slot Hotter Than July above Music Of My Mind, with Innervisions and Songs my personal top two. But really, every single album in this run is just a tremendous joy to listen to, especially with headphones.
1. Innervisions
2. Songs In The Key Of Life
3. Talking Book
4. Fulfillingness' First Finale
5. Hotter Than July
6. Music On My Mind
7. Where I'm Coming From
When we talk about some of the best album runs in music history, it's mostly the usual suspects - The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, etc. But I've revisited Stevie Wonder's classic period over the past week and damn, I don't think we talk enough about how good he really was. Obviously the peak is considered Music Of My Mind to Songs In The Key Of Life, but there's an argument to be made that the albums directly before and after those five should be part of that discussion (not including Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants since that is a soundtrack), and I wanted to give them some love.
We all know the story. Berry Gordy had final say over Wonder's 60's output, which had remarkable singles intertwined with needless filler throughout the decade. And Wonder was able to negotiate a new deal in the 70's that gave him complete control, setting the stage for his most remarkable works, but the last album under the old deal, Where I'm Coming From in 1971, is really the starting point. Knowing that it was the final record to be delivered and he had all the leverage, Wonder created his first fully self-produced album of all original songs. It's not the most cohesive album - after all, here was a 20 year old bursting at the seams with all these musical ideas, but the stepping stones are there. Do Yourself A Favor is a musical pre-cursor to Superstition, opener Look Around introduces us to the beautiful clavinet sound that becomes a prominent mouthpiece in his upcoming masterpieces, and Sunshine In Their Eyes displays the first thoughts of stretching things out, here with horns and a chorus. Not everything on the album works - I Wanna Talk To You, for example, falls flat with its delivery and just comes off as extremely awkward, and he's still holding on to that 60's Motown sound at times that no longer jives with his new direction, but if you like what followed, you'll love this album.
At the other end, sometimes forgotten because Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants gave us a weird detour in between, is Hotter Than July, his last truly great album. What sets it apart from it's predecessors is the overall loose vibe found throughout, perhaps a result from Wonder's time spent with Bob Marley. Indeed, its biggest hit is a direct homage to him, and one of Wonder's very best singles. But beyond that, the album has a terrific blend of fantastic riffs (Did I Hear You Say You Love Me), ballads (Lately) and even a slight venture into country territory thanks to steel guitar echoes (I Ain't Gonna Stand For It). And it finishes with one of his best and most important songs ever, the MLK ode Happy Birthday. So if your Stevie Wonder classic period listening has generally ended with Songs In The Key Of Life, do not lose sight of this one.
That said, the mountaintop is still for most those five revered albums, although I personally slot Hotter Than July above Music Of My Mind, with Innervisions and Songs my personal top two. But really, every single album in this run is just a tremendous joy to listen to, especially with headphones.
1. Innervisions
2. Songs In The Key Of Life
3. Talking Book
4. Fulfillingness' First Finale
5. Hotter Than July
6. Music On My Mind
7. Where I'm Coming From
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
Looks like I'll be listening to Stevie Wonder today.
Thanks for posting that, phanan. Hope you are doing well in your recovery.
Despite being so popular, I think Stevie is somehow still underrated as an album artist - which is maybe the reason why his album run is not in the collective psyche like the other artists you mentioned (the other reason being that soul and other forms of black music were marginalized for such a long time). His peak albums are still full of hits (I mean, Songs in the Key of Life could be a best of compilation, really), but they also stand on their own as albums.
I have a soft spot for Fulfillingness' First Finale (which I am listening to as a write this). It is perhaps his least talked about album from that run? It's easy to forget about it, as it is sandwiched between Innervisions and Songs..., and it's not on that level (but what else is?). It doesn't really have big hits, but it has Stevie at a more spiritual and inward-looking moment after the more serious Innervisions and before the exuberance of Songs... (that said, You Haven't Done Nothing, perhaps the best song on the album, is a fantastic roast of Nixon).
Despite being so popular, I think Stevie is somehow still underrated as an album artist - which is maybe the reason why his album run is not in the collective psyche like the other artists you mentioned (the other reason being that soul and other forms of black music were marginalized for such a long time). His peak albums are still full of hits (I mean, Songs in the Key of Life could be a best of compilation, really), but they also stand on their own as albums.
I have a soft spot for Fulfillingness' First Finale (which I am listening to as a write this). It is perhaps his least talked about album from that run? It's easy to forget about it, as it is sandwiched between Innervisions and Songs..., and it's not on that level (but what else is?). It doesn't really have big hits, but it has Stevie at a more spiritual and inward-looking moment after the more serious Innervisions and before the exuberance of Songs... (that said, You Haven't Done Nothing, perhaps the best song on the album, is a fantastic roast of Nixon).
cobl04
45:33
??????????????????
St. Vincent Teases New Album Daddy’s Home With Street Posters
Literally sounds perfect. She's making a Prince record
St. Vincent Teases New Album Daddy’s Home With Street Posters
Literally sounds perfect. She's making a Prince record
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Masseduction was an underrated masterpiece and I can't wait to hear what she's cooking up next.
cobl04
45:33
totally agree.
phanan
Blue Crack Addict
It's a good point re: soul and black music perhaps not getting the same recognition as your traditional white rock/pop artists, but then I look at the 80's and that doesn't seem to be an issue for Prince or Michael Jackson. Perhaps it's more of the style of music at the time and who is listening, as it was really less about soul music and more a traditional pop that transcended racial lines in the 80's.
Fulfillingness is definitely more of a spiritual record, probably a direct result of the serious car accident he was involved in prior to that. I think he lays it on a bit thick at times, but that's a very minor quibble, and Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away is one of his best. And he does crank up the funk a bit with You Haven't Done Nothin' and Boogie On Reggae Woman, obviously two other major highlights.
I wanted to share a random discovery that I think people here might enjoy (I know from RYM that LM already knows this album): Doctor Head's World Tower, a 1991 album by the Japanese band Flipper's Guitar.
It's not an easy album to categorize, as it ranges from sample-heavy songs to shoegaze (the MBV-sounding Aquamarine was my favorite song, pretty incredible that this came out half a year before Loveless) to super danceable songs, with a baggy/Britpop sound (think of Blur's Girls and Boys). It's just such a cool, refreshing listen.
The whole album is on YouTube if you are interested.
It's not an easy album to categorize, as it ranges from sample-heavy songs to shoegaze (the MBV-sounding Aquamarine was my favorite song, pretty incredible that this came out half a year before Loveless) to super danceable songs, with a baggy/Britpop sound (think of Blur's Girls and Boys). It's just such a cool, refreshing listen.
The whole album is on YouTube if you are interested.
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bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
So glad Phanan wrote that post. I've listened to Where I'm Coming From and Music On My Mind today and they're both great, but definitely Music on My Mind is superior....and so so so good.
Joey788
Refugee
"Little Oblivions" is such a devastatingly sad, beautiful, harrowing and cathartic album. I really appreciate that it's an uncompromising self-reflection of Julien Baker's struggles, but doesn't wallow in defeatism.
Musically, I think it's a wildly inventive step forward. I love the soundscapes she builds up through the use of percussion and synths to match the power of her lyrics and vocals.
The whole album left me teary-eyed. I need to spend much more time with it but so far, the songs that spoke to me the most are "Hardline," "Song In E" and "Repeat."
I think I still like Turn Out the Lights more, but this is another fantastic, powerful album from Julien. Definitely my favorite release so far this year.
Musically, I think it's a wildly inventive step forward. I love the soundscapes she builds up through the use of percussion and synths to match the power of her lyrics and vocals.
The whole album left me teary-eyed. I need to spend much more time with it but so far, the songs that spoke to me the most are "Hardline," "Song In E" and "Repeat."
I think I still like Turn Out the Lights more, but this is another fantastic, powerful album from Julien. Definitely my favorite release so far this year.
Danny Boy
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
Mofo...
cobl04
45:33
My initial impressions of both Little Oblivions and CARNAGE have been very, very positive.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
I didn't like Little Oblivions very much (Baker hasn't really connected with me since Sprained Ankle) but I loved Carnage and see it as one of Nick's better albums.
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Jerry Dunk
Refugee
Little Oblivions rules. Baker has always impressed me because I really enjoyed her despite my general distaste for sparse music. It's no surprise to me that a fuller sound lends itself very well to her.
phanan
Blue Crack Addict
Definitely. It’s really cool to hear the progression in his sound with those two albums, and then obviously that continued with Talking Book onward. Just really great stuff.
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