lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Sorry to hear about the recent troubles, Cobbler. Hope you’re able to work things out.
For the record, Sunken Treasure has always been my favorite VWilcock song, very moving stuff. And hard agree on Gagging Order as well.
Random Music Talk CXXX: The AFL Finally Gets Revenge on Meat Loaf
- Thread starter cobl04
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Sorry to hear about the recent troubles, Cobbler. Hope you’re able to work things out.
For the record, Sunken Treasure has always been my favorite VWilcock song, very moving stuff. And hard agree on Gagging Order as well.
GirlsAloudFan
Blue Crack Addict
That Biffy Clyro version of Running Up That Hill sucks ass.
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
Probably not the best person because I've failed in relationships more than succeeding, but the best thing I learned is complete vulnerability. And when things aren't in good shape, it's not all about "going back to the beginning when things were better" and to look at your current situation as a new beginning and working through it will make you stronger. So focusing on that portion instead of "remember when" will be more beneficial.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
To say I have had a difficult year would be a gross understatement as well as an unrealistic perspective on what's actually been happening in my life.
True to form, I have also leaned heavily on music during this time. There are a few songs that stand out as being especially important to me right now:
Not a new song by any means, but I rediscovered it over the past two months having really paid attention to the lyrics. It's one of the greatest breakup songs ever written, not because it's triumphant or inspiring, but because it paints such a complex picture of what it's like to go through that experience.
To forget you is to hide
There is still so much left to recover
If only we could start again
Pretending we don't know each other
I could not come back the same
This city's changed, it's not what it was
Back when you loved me
Walking down that path we made
When we thought what we had was such a good thing
Hiding out inside my head
It's me again, it's no surprise
I'm on my own now
Every time I turn to you
I see the past, it's all that lasts
And all I know how
Learn to look me in the eyes
Yet I still don't feel it's me you're facing
Say your heart is always mine
What about old times? You can't erase them
There's regret, anger, sadness, disappointment and longing in every word and it's all blown up to a cinematic scale with that explosive arrangement. The drama in this song is overwhelming, which is appropriate, because losing a person isn't something you feel quietly. There have been hours I've spent just listening to this song.
The next one is from this year:
Ethel Cain's album is an expansive work of gothic brilliance, but American Teenager is a fantastic fake out. There's some U2 in there, some Taylor Swift, and a very direct homage to Don't Stop Believin' to bring it all together. It's a massive track but it's built on a number of very specific details - the line about a neighbor dying in the military tragically bringing it on themselves because their love of country made them want to go is one of the heaviest I've heard in a minute - in the way a great coming of age film would be. It touches on all the concerns of small town American adolescence in a little over 4 minutes without feeling rushed or underwritten.
Sunday morning
Hands over my knees in a room full of faces
I'm sorry if I sound off, but I was probably wasted
And didn't feel so good
Head full of whiskey but I always deliver
Jesus, if you're listening let me handle my liquor
And Jesus, if you're there, why do I feel alone in this room with you?
And I feel it there
In the middle of the night
When the lights go out
But I'm still standing here
Say what you want, but say it like you mean it
With your fists for once, a long cold war
With your kids at the front
Just give it one more day, then you're done
I do what I want, crying in the bleachers
And I said it was fun
I don't need anything from anyone
It's just not my year
But I'm all good out here
It's such a cathartic song. Not happy or satisfied, certainly, but epic and fearless and confident in a way that inspires me.
The last song that's meant a lot to me is a track I guess I don't really need to say much about but I will anyway:
I think we all go through phases with this song where we're completely numb to it but I've been back to loving One, or at least the studio version of One, for a couple of years now.
At some point during the pandemic, the concept of carrying others - through their fears, through their poverty, through their ignorance - really began to resonate with me in a profound way. I couldn't listen to One without crying. There is so much selfishness in the world that it becomes difficult to even conceptualize what it means to "get" to carry each other. Sacrifice is a gift, it's something we are able to do if we are fortunate. I am a high school English teacher who works with dropouts, students with a record, recovering drug addicts, etc. and One has gone from a series of platitudes that Bono preludes with a speech to a way of life for me.
Then 2021 came and went and One took on another meaning. Someone came into my life who I loved and still care about, a very flawed person wracked with trauma who ultimately fucked my life up and vice versa.
If you've ever been in a toxic, one-sided relationship where you feel obligated to stick around and carry someone through their problems even when it drains the life out of you, One describes your situation perfectly. One has to be among the most universal songs ever written, a musical Rorschach test that can reflect any situation, but I can't hear it any other way at this point.
They're so simple and direct that perhaps we take them for granted, but "You gave me nothing, now it's all I've got" and "I can't be holding on to what you've got when all you've got is hurt" are two of the most resonant lines I've ever heard. They really sum up the feeling of love and dedication to another person running you right into a brick wall. I'm sure that sometimes the people who care about me must feel the same way.
I could keep going. There are dozens of songs I've run into the ground over the past year as I've leaned more on playlists and less on albums, but three tracks is fine for now. I guess the theme across all of these songs is that I'm being drawn back to outsized emotions because that's what I feel so often.
I don't really want to go into detail, but basically I turned 30 in early 2021, decided I wasn't happy with the direction I was going and voluntarily blew up my life, made new relationships and recast myself as a new person. Now, having discovered some of these people were very broken and destructive, not unlike myself, I'm paying for it and suffering a great deal emotionally. I've been on the verge of a breakdown for months. Of course it's been hard, but that's really besides the point. I'm grateful that I still have the same core support system in my life that I've had for years despite pushing so many people away and I've learned a lot about myself, how strong I can be and how selfish and stubborn I can be as well. I've learned to love myself, but I'm less sure if I like myself. Sometimes I feel terrible for my loved ones, even when they say it's all good. Something to talk to my therapist about, I guess.
True to form, I have also leaned heavily on music during this time. There are a few songs that stand out as being especially important to me right now:
Not a new song by any means, but I rediscovered it over the past two months having really paid attention to the lyrics. It's one of the greatest breakup songs ever written, not because it's triumphant or inspiring, but because it paints such a complex picture of what it's like to go through that experience.
To forget you is to hide
There is still so much left to recover
If only we could start again
Pretending we don't know each other
I could not come back the same
This city's changed, it's not what it was
Back when you loved me
Walking down that path we made
When we thought what we had was such a good thing
Hiding out inside my head
It's me again, it's no surprise
I'm on my own now
Every time I turn to you
I see the past, it's all that lasts
And all I know how
Learn to look me in the eyes
Yet I still don't feel it's me you're facing
Say your heart is always mine
What about old times? You can't erase them
There's regret, anger, sadness, disappointment and longing in every word and it's all blown up to a cinematic scale with that explosive arrangement. The drama in this song is overwhelming, which is appropriate, because losing a person isn't something you feel quietly. There have been hours I've spent just listening to this song.
The next one is from this year:
Ethel Cain's album is an expansive work of gothic brilliance, but American Teenager is a fantastic fake out. There's some U2 in there, some Taylor Swift, and a very direct homage to Don't Stop Believin' to bring it all together. It's a massive track but it's built on a number of very specific details - the line about a neighbor dying in the military tragically bringing it on themselves because their love of country made them want to go is one of the heaviest I've heard in a minute - in the way a great coming of age film would be. It touches on all the concerns of small town American adolescence in a little over 4 minutes without feeling rushed or underwritten.
Sunday morning
Hands over my knees in a room full of faces
I'm sorry if I sound off, but I was probably wasted
And didn't feel so good
Head full of whiskey but I always deliver
Jesus, if you're listening let me handle my liquor
And Jesus, if you're there, why do I feel alone in this room with you?
And I feel it there
In the middle of the night
When the lights go out
But I'm still standing here
Say what you want, but say it like you mean it
With your fists for once, a long cold war
With your kids at the front
Just give it one more day, then you're done
I do what I want, crying in the bleachers
And I said it was fun
I don't need anything from anyone
It's just not my year
But I'm all good out here
It's such a cathartic song. Not happy or satisfied, certainly, but epic and fearless and confident in a way that inspires me.
The last song that's meant a lot to me is a track I guess I don't really need to say much about but I will anyway:
I think we all go through phases with this song where we're completely numb to it but I've been back to loving One, or at least the studio version of One, for a couple of years now.
At some point during the pandemic, the concept of carrying others - through their fears, through their poverty, through their ignorance - really began to resonate with me in a profound way. I couldn't listen to One without crying. There is so much selfishness in the world that it becomes difficult to even conceptualize what it means to "get" to carry each other. Sacrifice is a gift, it's something we are able to do if we are fortunate. I am a high school English teacher who works with dropouts, students with a record, recovering drug addicts, etc. and One has gone from a series of platitudes that Bono preludes with a speech to a way of life for me.
Then 2021 came and went and One took on another meaning. Someone came into my life who I loved and still care about, a very flawed person wracked with trauma who ultimately fucked my life up and vice versa.
If you've ever been in a toxic, one-sided relationship where you feel obligated to stick around and carry someone through their problems even when it drains the life out of you, One describes your situation perfectly. One has to be among the most universal songs ever written, a musical Rorschach test that can reflect any situation, but I can't hear it any other way at this point.
They're so simple and direct that perhaps we take them for granted, but "You gave me nothing, now it's all I've got" and "I can't be holding on to what you've got when all you've got is hurt" are two of the most resonant lines I've ever heard. They really sum up the feeling of love and dedication to another person running you right into a brick wall. I'm sure that sometimes the people who care about me must feel the same way.
I could keep going. There are dozens of songs I've run into the ground over the past year as I've leaned more on playlists and less on albums, but three tracks is fine for now. I guess the theme across all of these songs is that I'm being drawn back to outsized emotions because that's what I feel so often.
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LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
As far as albums though, I've played the new Big Thief and Kendrick albums to death. Dragon New Warm Mountain gives me such strong Tusk vibes, it's loose and untamed but also incredibly warm and comforting. It's what solace sounds like in 2022, or at least the closest approximation that we get. Somehow the best album of their career.
It's incredible to me that Mr. Morale even exists, let alone that it came out when it did, at this point in my life. It sounds like Kendrick has been grappling with a lot of those thirty-something-with-a-family anxieties that I've been having and he turned them into a great album, one I've listened to more than any other this year. Mirror and Rich Spirit have been in constant rotation.
It's incredible to me that Mr. Morale even exists, let alone that it came out when it did, at this point in my life. It sounds like Kendrick has been grappling with a lot of those thirty-something-with-a-family anxieties that I've been having and he turned them into a great album, one I've listened to more than any other this year. Mirror and Rich Spirit have been in constant rotation.
OP
OP
cobl04
45:33
LM, will reply to your longer post later on!
This one is nice. I'm sorry to hear you've been having a tough time. My fav Beach House song does something similar, in terms of the vibe it creates, less the sound. It's the first half of this song. So fucking incredible. Unfortunately I really only love the first half - the piano, my favourite part, drops out at 3min and doesn't return.
Thanks man
and nice to know you love both those songs as much as me.
Many thanks, mikal. Vulnerability, for sure. It's still a hard thing to do, to be completely vulnerable, even for someone like me whose job is to encourage teenage boys to be vulnerable! And a good point about the past vs future as well, Em said the same thing.
This one is nice. I'm sorry to hear you've been having a tough time. My fav Beach House song does something similar, in terms of the vibe it creates, less the sound. It's the first half of this song. So fucking incredible. Unfortunately I really only love the first half - the piano, my favourite part, drops out at 3min and doesn't return.
Thanks man
and nice to know you love both those songs as much as me.Many thanks, mikal. Vulnerability, for sure. It's still a hard thing to do, to be completely vulnerable, even for someone like me whose job is to encourage teenage boys to be vulnerable! And a good point about the past vs future as well, Em said the same thing.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
(I know we're in a serious discussion, but this was just such a huge meatball left over the plate that I had to swing)
OP
OP
cobl04
45:33
I had a good laugh at it! 
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
HeartlandGirl
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Just wanna offer you my support and positive vibes, Cobbz.
I've also been in that place lately where I don't have the emotional capacity to listen to...well, the same kind of music I always have. I've been sticking to a lot of downtempo electronic stuff that's melodic and calming. Not a lot of lyrics. Although I did listen to Zooropa in its entirety the other day, and it was just what I needed.
El Mel's writeup about One reminded me of how I feel about Love Is All We Have Left. That song, as well as Iris, have both made me tear up in the car. The world kinda feels like it's on fire. It's been tough to be a teacher in America and have all this vitriol directed toward the profession. Watching sweet baby angels get shot up in their classrooms has been too much. Just about anything on the news makes you feel like the earth is gonna tilt off its axis and slingshot into the void. Then on the personal level, both my siblings are getting divorced. Close family members are sick with covid as I type this. There's a potentially tough situation at work waiting for me next month. I think a lot of us are dancing around the breaking point.
Occasionally when I practice yoga, I'll go back and listen to old yoga mixes I put together for the classes I used to teach. This song starts one of the mixes, and it has become my go-to the past two years. It walks the line between monotonous and hypnotic, and it's got just the right balance of emotion and apathy that I can still listen to it when needed.
Sending you lots of good vibes for better times ahead, friend.
I've also been in that place lately where I don't have the emotional capacity to listen to...well, the same kind of music I always have. I've been sticking to a lot of downtempo electronic stuff that's melodic and calming. Not a lot of lyrics. Although I did listen to Zooropa in its entirety the other day, and it was just what I needed.
El Mel's writeup about One reminded me of how I feel about Love Is All We Have Left. That song, as well as Iris, have both made me tear up in the car. The world kinda feels like it's on fire. It's been tough to be a teacher in America and have all this vitriol directed toward the profession. Watching sweet baby angels get shot up in their classrooms has been too much. Just about anything on the news makes you feel like the earth is gonna tilt off its axis and slingshot into the void. Then on the personal level, both my siblings are getting divorced. Close family members are sick with covid as I type this. There's a potentially tough situation at work waiting for me next month. I think a lot of us are dancing around the breaking point.
Occasionally when I practice yoga, I'll go back and listen to old yoga mixes I put together for the classes I used to teach. This song starts one of the mixes, and it has become my go-to the past two years. It walks the line between monotonous and hypnotic, and it's got just the right balance of emotion and apathy that I can still listen to it when needed.
Sending you lots of good vibes for better times ahead, friend.
iron yuppie
ONE love, blood, life
I'm a teacher as well: high school, but still I see the elementary schoolers around the building pretty frequently. Thinking of them in a similar situation to Uvalde is very difficult to handle. I was genuinely physically ill for a few days over the Uvalde shooting. Maybe it's recency bias or something, but that is the most despicable thing I have ever heard of.
OP
OP
cobl04
45:33
Eno's back.
OP
OP
cobl04
45:33
Sending love and strength to you as well, HG. I think so many people are dancing around the breaking point, for sure. And I can't imagine what it's like being a teacher in America. I work in schools and I can't even conceptualise an active shooter type scenario.
I've been listening to Bowie over the last week as well, two tracks in particular, Lazarus and Strangers When We Meet. The former is just outstanding, I find it very difficult to listen to Black Star, because it's such a visceral document of his dying months, but I love that track. The album absolutely comfortably sits amongst his top echelon.
And the latter song just made me weep at the cafe getting a takeaway coffee and then all the way home. The chorus is incredible, up there with his best, like Teenage Wildlife, "Heroes", Lady Stardust, so on.
Steely resolve
Is falling from me
My poor soul
All bruised passivity
All your regrets ride roughshod over me
I'm so glad that we're strangers when we meet
I'm so thankful that we're strangers when we meet
Heel head over, strangers when we meet
I've been listening to Bowie over the last week as well, two tracks in particular, Lazarus and Strangers When We Meet. The former is just outstanding, I find it very difficult to listen to Black Star, because it's such a visceral document of his dying months, but I love that track. The album absolutely comfortably sits amongst his top echelon.
And the latter song just made me weep at the cafe getting a takeaway coffee and then all the way home. The chorus is incredible, up there with his best, like Teenage Wildlife, "Heroes", Lady Stardust, so on.
Steely resolve
Is falling from me
My poor soul
All bruised passivity
All your regrets ride roughshod over me
I'm so glad that we're strangers when we meet
I'm so thankful that we're strangers when we meet
Heel head over, strangers when we meet
DaveC
Blue Crack Addict
i don't have anything more profound to add than i love this place and i love all of you 
DaveC
Blue Crack Addict
new gorillaz featuring thundercat:
OP
OP
cobl04
45:33
They had a show here on Sunday, I have been in survival mode so sadly didn't get my shit together to see them in time. I do have Tyler, Gang of Youths and Something for Kate coming up soon though. (And I'm seeing a Neil Diamond tribute show - my mum's favourite artist of all time. She had tickets to his last show, and was about a month away from finally seeing him, when he announced he'd be retiring due to illness.)
Also, on Strangers When We Meet, I didn't realise the Buddha of Suburbia version is different. Just listened to it, and I definitely prefer the Outside version, although it's really a bonus track, because it doesn't fit the album's vibe at all.
Also, on Strangers When We Meet, I didn't realise the Buddha of Suburbia version is different. Just listened to it, and I definitely prefer the Outside version, although it's really a bonus track, because it doesn't fit the album's vibe at all.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Seeing Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten and Julien Baker tonight [emoji24][emoji24][emoji24] $49 after fees for a seat right near the front, which is a fucking bargain these days, especially for that bill.
the tourist
Blue Crack Addict
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2003
- Messages
- 27,919
I’m back in a Cure phase. I haven’t really left it for long in… about the last 4 years. Keep coming back to it.
Also, in personal news, I have a single coming out on Saturday on all the streaming platforms. It’s a song about hope that I wrote in early 2016. And I felt like I had to shelve it for years after November 2016 happened. And then I had thought about it for my album that came out in 2020, but 2020, the year of covid and George Floyd, didn’t feel like a hopeful time either. I’m not sure if now’s a time for hope, but I decided not to sit on it any more and finished tracking it and remixed/mastered it to fit my sound a bit better.
Give it a listen if you feel so inclined.
Also, in personal news, I have a single coming out on Saturday on all the streaming platforms. It’s a song about hope that I wrote in early 2016. And I felt like I had to shelve it for years after November 2016 happened. And then I had thought about it for my album that came out in 2020, but 2020, the year of covid and George Floyd, didn’t feel like a hopeful time either. I’m not sure if now’s a time for hope, but I decided not to sit on it any more and finished tracking it and remixed/mastered it to fit my sound a bit better.
Give it a listen if you feel so inclined.
GirlsAloudFan
Blue Crack Addict
I'm gonna listen to the new Beyoncé album.
HeartlandGirl
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
I teach junior high, but I often see the elementary school kids around campus. They're so flipping adorable, walking through the cafeteria with their tiny lunch trays. Some of them will randomly high five you. I kept getting choked up when I saw them after the Uvalde shooting. And I had to take up a new hobby in the evenings so I wouldn't binge on the news.
Thank you. Let's just say, I'm prepared to use a heavy duty three-hole punch to defend myself. It's weird.
GirlsAloudFan
Blue Crack Addict
It's good, if a little same-sounding in stretches. Still I like the overall style.
Now on to the new Maggie Rogers album.
namkcuR
ONE love, blood, life
Sending good vibes to you all - this place has been a comfort to me for years, and I always want this little group of us that keeps it alive to be happy or at least content. I know it's a punching bag for some, and you might think it's trite, but I do think some wisdom can be gleaned from the end of Stuck In A Moment:
and if the night runs over
and if the day won't last
and if your way should falter
along the stoney pass
it's just a moment
this time will pass
---
I haven't been around here much myself lately...I was traveling for all of May(and preparing for that trip the last couple weeks of April), and then at the very end of the trip in early June I got sick(thought it was covid at first; it wasn't, if my negative tests are to be believed, just a bad cold that took its sweet time working its way through my system) and spent the rest of June after I got home getting over that. Then my mom DID get covid and was in insolation for a week and a half earlier this month(she's fine now).
But one of the things I've spent that in June/July doing is listening to all of the year's new music that I'd completely neglected. Up until I got back from my trip the only thing I'd listened to is the RHCP album, 'cause they're like a top five band for me all time so this new album with Frusciante after so long was big deal(and there's another one coming!). I'll probably go into greater detail in the RHCP thread, but I love Unlimited Love, and it will almost certainly be my AOTY unless their second one in October tops it. To put into proper B&C context, the way I feel about it is probably akin to how Cobbler felt when LCD put out American Dream after seemingly being done forever. I truly never thought there would ever be new RHCP with Frusciante again, so this is all a little surreal.
Anyway, that was the only 2022 release I listened to on my trip, and I decided to rectify that upon my return, and I've found that it's been a pretty massive year for music, to the point where I've now listened to over twenty albums, which is sort of unprecedented for me at this time of year(I'm usually the guy listening to twenty albums in December when we're doing our year-end ranking like I'm cramming for a test). It's been an unbelievable year for music, and I wanted to share my thoughts, so I'll just give a brief rundown, roughly in order of preference from favorite to least favorite.
Like I said, RHCP is #1 for me.
Beach House / Once Twice Melody - Would clearly be my AOTY if it weren't such a huge year for RHCP. I've always loved Beach House, but I think this is genuinely the best thing they've ever done. Where their songs in the past have usually been fairly amorphous, these songs seem to have a little more structure to them, and that makes them stick in my mind more, but still with that trademark Beach House atmosphere. It just sounds like music from another world. The title track, Superstar, ESP, Another Go Round, Masquerade, Illusion Of Forever(best song on the album), The Bells, Hurts To Love, Modern Love Stories...just to name a few. So, so good. A work of art. Victoria Legrand is amazing.
Big Thief / Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You - So I had no experience with this band going in, never listened to them before, but you guys were giving the record such glowing reviews I had to give it a shot...and by god if it's not one of the ones I've been coming back to the most. I'm struck by how the record seems to be dominated by two distinct sounds: the more traditional indie rock sound(in songs like Little Things, Simulation Swarm, Flower Of Love, Blurred View, No Reason) and a more folksy sound(in songs like Spud Infinity, Red Moon, Sparrow, Dried Roses, Certainty) that's almost reminiscent of old country music from the 60s or 70s(think Dolly Parton). It's unusual for those two vibes to sit side-by-side on the same album, but the band nails both, to the point it's not clear to me which one is more typical to them and which one is more unusual. It's a great record though, there's a real warmth to it, it's very inviting. I think I'll eventually explore their previous ones.
Father John Misty / Chloe and the Next 20th Century - So I wasn't expecting FJM to put out a retro jazz record, but here we are. And it's fucking great. The songwriting is on point, his vocal delivery is silky-smooth, and the instrumental arrangements are top-notch. Just a really comforting listen.
Jack White / Fear Of The Dawn
Jack White / Entering Heaven Alive - I've always had a ton of respect for Jack White. He's the real deal, the genuine article. A real artist. He's put two records out this year; one back in April, and the other just a week ago. The former, Fear Of The Dawn, is a balls out rock album, the best guitar album of year outside of RHCP, but White's penchant for writing catchy pop hooks is still there underneath all the effects and distortion. It's a thrill ride. I kept being reminded of Marquee Moon just in terms of the number of cool guitar licks on the thing. I mean it's not as good as Marquee Moon, but you get the idea. The latter, Entering Heaven Alive, is a more stripped down affair and contains some of the most captivating songwriting of the year and really drives home that White is an artist who could exist in any era - give it a listen if you haven't. He was originally going to release them together as a double, and they still go together - the last song on EHA is an acoustic take of the first song on FOTD. Taken as a whole, this is an impressive piece of work for one of the few genuine rock stars still around.
The Smile / A Light For Attracting Attention - I would've listened to this a lot sooner if I'd realized who it was. I had seen a few mentions of 'The Smile', but until a few days ago I never put it together that it's Thom and Johnny. One does wonder, if the two creative heavies of Radiohead were going to write and record an album produced by Godrich, why they didn't simply loop the others in and call it a Radiohead album. In any event, I like it a lot...it's not as warm and lush as A Moon Shaped Pool but not as cold and sterile as King Of Limbs either...maybe Hail To The Thief is the appropriate comparison. Maybe I shouldn't even be comparing it to proper RH albums. I need to listen to it some more - I didn't flip for it immediately like I did with AMSP, but it's already growing on me. I'm a sucker for anything these guys do.
Wilco / Cruel Country - Full disclosure, I've never listened to anything Wilco has done outside of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I just never got to digging deeper into them, and it always seemed like their more recent stuff was getting very mixed reactions anyway. But I gave this one a shot after someone posted positively about it here, and I really enjoyed it. I mean, it's a little inconsistent, they probably could've made it at least 20 minutes shorter, but there's some great tracks here - The Empty Condor, Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull, Many Worlds, Hearts Hard To Find, Story To Tell, Mystery Binds - and the whole thing does a great job of creating and sustaining a mood.
Mitski / Laurel Hell - Another artist I have no experience with, never listened to anything before this. I gather she was more guitar-centric before this? This is a very synth-heavy album, and parts of it sound like it could've come straight out of the 80s. I'd say the record is a bit inconsistent, but the high points are pretty high. Stay Soft is the best song on the record and one of my songs of the year - absolutely infectious chorus. Heat Lightning, The Only Heartbreaker, Love Me More, Should've Been Me, and Working For The Knife are also really good. But the other five tracks I can kind of take or leave. Maybe future listens will change that. But on the whole I love the atmosphere and the seeming earnestness of the record, and the high points are high indeed.
Kendrick Lamar / Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers - So I've said before that hip-hop isn't usually my genre of choice, and so I don't usually rank these records as highly as others. That said, Kendrick is clearly a step ahead of pretty much anyone else in the game right now(and has been for a while). He's put on a higher pedestal than any other current rapper, and from what he says on this record, it seems like he's not entirely comfortable with that. I think this record is better than DAMN(which I wasn't high on outside of one or two tracks) but not as good as TPAB(one of the greatest hip hop records ever). It's still a bit of a mixed bag for me, but the high points are high enough on their own to lift the record into, or at least at the door of, the top ten. United In Grief, Father Time, Auntie Diaries, Mother I Sober, and the bonus track The Heart Part 5(which with that Marvin Gaye sample is off the chain) are the big winners for me, they see Kendrick really opening up in an unvarnished and serious way. We Cry Together is also certainly one of the most memorable, but I found it hard to listen to, with it's raw and explicit nature. The one other thing I'll say is that I found the choruses on this record to be mostly superfluous and unnecessary, as if he or someone else felt the need to have choruses in the songs in order to create a traditional pop structure instead of it just being beat poetry. The verses are where it's at. This isn't pop music.
Angel Olsen / Big Time - While some didn't love the left turn she took with All Mirrors after My Woman, I loved it, and I still think All Mirrors is her best record. This record seems to draw from the previous two projects, with cuts like All The Good Times and the title track feeling more earthy like My Woman, and probably half of tracks harkening back to the crooning of All Mirrors - All The Flowers, This Is How It Works, Go Home, Through The Fires, Chasing The Sun. Again, I prefer the latter. I think the last four tracks are the strongest part of the record. Not quite as captivating as All Mirrors for me, but still another solid record from her.
Harry Styles / Harry's House - If you'd told me six months ago that I'd potentially put a Harry Styles album in my top 15 for the year, I'd have looked at you with a confused expression on my face and said something along the lines of 'the One Direction guy? really?', but alas, that's exactly what I'm doing, because this record is actually pretty darn good. There are a myriad of influences here. Late Night Talking and Daydreaming wear their Motown influences on their sleeves, while the closer Love Of My Life is maybe vaguely Billy Joel-ish, and the album's single best moment, the penultimate Boyfriends, evokes, for me anyway, The Everly Brothers with those harmonies. I'd say those four, plus "As It Was" and "Matilda" are the best of the album, and that's like half of it right there. Color me surprised that Harry Styles of all people put out something this enjoyable. It feels like a project where he was consciously trying to make something to get taken seriously.
--from here on, it's just a list more than a ranking, because I'm less sure of where to rank these, hopefully I'll have a better idea by the end of the year.
Cate Le Bon / Pompeii - No experience with her prior tot his. This is a record that I enjoy while I'm listening to it, but can't remember how much of it goes afterward. I wish I had more to say. Probably needs more listens, because I do know the sonics and atmospherics were quite arresting.
Hanson / Red/Green/Blue - I'm sure I'm the only one here paying any attention whatsoever to Hanson in 2022. Truthfully, they were stagnant musically for a long time imo until the last few years, and then just as their music started becoming interesting to me again, it came out that they hold some objectionable political positions(their family is deeply religious/Christian, apparently Trumpers, they are anti-abortion/birth control, and the youngest one seems to have a gun fetish and has posted some offensive memes at the expense of the LGBTQ community, and the oldest one apparently complained about social distancing back in 2020). So it's not been the greatest time to be a fan, but I believe in separating art from artist, and in this case they really haven't done anything terrible behind having sucky political views. The album is their best in a while - the three of them essentially made three solo EPs and put them together. If you're curious, Child At Heart, Rambling Heart, Cold As Ice, and Don't Let Me Down are highlights.
Arcade Fire / We - It's an improvement on Everything Now, but it doesn't really touch their first three records. The issue here is two-fold. One, some of it is simply not very interesting. Two, the two best parts of the record imo are noticeably derivative. In "End Of The Empire I-III", the melody for "and we know that it's time to go" is rousing, but all I can hear is Clapton's Bell Bottom Blues("I don't wanna fade away"), as well as a tangible Bowie influence. On "Unconditional II", which is probably the highlight of the record with Regine and Peter Gabriel leading the way, they use a riff which sounds exactly like Coldplay's Talk...which means it sounds exactly like Kraftwerk's Computer Love. I guess I'll give it more chances, and it's better than the last one, but I wanted to like this more.
Animal Collective / Time Skiffs - Haven't listened to them since Merriweather Post Pavillion. This is a sonically interesting, offbeat, breezy, bouncy, pleasant record. It's a great, unique, upbeat vibe, but the vibe ends up being stronger than the substance a lot of time, if that makes sense. I enjoy it, and it might rank higher in another year, but there's too much great stuff this year.
Black Country New Road / Ants From Up There
Black Midi / Hellfire - I'm going to talk about these two together because I have the same issue with both. These are the most frustrating releases of the year for me, because musically, instrumentally, there's a lot of fantastic stuff on both records, but I have a very hard time getting past the vocals in both cases, especially with Black Country(and I feel bad saying that because I know the guy just left the group). I'm sure everyone here has had experiences with certain bands where you can't get past the voice, and I fear that is where I am with these groups. It's unfortunate, because the music is some of the most exciting of the year, but I can't listen to it much because the voices grate on me so much. Maybe it's a me thing.
Wet Leg / Wet Leg - Interesting Pixies/Breeders vibe and attention-grabbing guitar work, but not as high on it as some of you. I think the main strike against it for me is that they're in their late twenties but some of these lyrics sound like something meant for people ten years younger than them. I only listened to it once, but I felt like it was somewhat musically interesting but lyrically shallow.
Nilufer Yanya / Painless - This one just didn't make much of an impact with me...I was listening to it while doing other things and it just didn't grab me. Maybe I'll give it more of a chance, as it's getting rave reviews. Belong With You and Another Life, and maybe Midnight Sun were the ones that stuck out on first listen. I have a feeling it might be a grower for me if I give it more time.
Foxes / The Kick - This is well done, well produced and well performed, but a little generic too. I basically feel like there's nothing here that Robyn and CRJ haven't done better. JMO.
Weeknd / Dawn FM - I'm not gonna belabor the point too much, because I know some of you love this one. I was never much of a fan of the singles of his I'd heard in the past; this was the first full album of his I listened to, and it didn't really change my opinion. Let's just say I don't get it and leave it at that.
That's all for now, there's still some other records to check out, but that's where I'm at now.
and if the night runs over
and if the day won't last
and if your way should falter
along the stoney pass
it's just a moment
this time will pass
---
I haven't been around here much myself lately...I was traveling for all of May(and preparing for that trip the last couple weeks of April), and then at the very end of the trip in early June I got sick(thought it was covid at first; it wasn't, if my negative tests are to be believed, just a bad cold that took its sweet time working its way through my system) and spent the rest of June after I got home getting over that. Then my mom DID get covid and was in insolation for a week and a half earlier this month(she's fine now).
But one of the things I've spent that in June/July doing is listening to all of the year's new music that I'd completely neglected. Up until I got back from my trip the only thing I'd listened to is the RHCP album, 'cause they're like a top five band for me all time so this new album with Frusciante after so long was big deal(and there's another one coming!). I'll probably go into greater detail in the RHCP thread, but I love Unlimited Love, and it will almost certainly be my AOTY unless their second one in October tops it. To put into proper B&C context, the way I feel about it is probably akin to how Cobbler felt when LCD put out American Dream after seemingly being done forever. I truly never thought there would ever be new RHCP with Frusciante again, so this is all a little surreal.
Anyway, that was the only 2022 release I listened to on my trip, and I decided to rectify that upon my return, and I've found that it's been a pretty massive year for music, to the point where I've now listened to over twenty albums, which is sort of unprecedented for me at this time of year(I'm usually the guy listening to twenty albums in December when we're doing our year-end ranking like I'm cramming for a test). It's been an unbelievable year for music, and I wanted to share my thoughts, so I'll just give a brief rundown, roughly in order of preference from favorite to least favorite.
Like I said, RHCP is #1 for me.
Beach House / Once Twice Melody - Would clearly be my AOTY if it weren't such a huge year for RHCP. I've always loved Beach House, but I think this is genuinely the best thing they've ever done. Where their songs in the past have usually been fairly amorphous, these songs seem to have a little more structure to them, and that makes them stick in my mind more, but still with that trademark Beach House atmosphere. It just sounds like music from another world. The title track, Superstar, ESP, Another Go Round, Masquerade, Illusion Of Forever(best song on the album), The Bells, Hurts To Love, Modern Love Stories...just to name a few. So, so good. A work of art. Victoria Legrand is amazing.
Big Thief / Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You - So I had no experience with this band going in, never listened to them before, but you guys were giving the record such glowing reviews I had to give it a shot...and by god if it's not one of the ones I've been coming back to the most. I'm struck by how the record seems to be dominated by two distinct sounds: the more traditional indie rock sound(in songs like Little Things, Simulation Swarm, Flower Of Love, Blurred View, No Reason) and a more folksy sound(in songs like Spud Infinity, Red Moon, Sparrow, Dried Roses, Certainty) that's almost reminiscent of old country music from the 60s or 70s(think Dolly Parton). It's unusual for those two vibes to sit side-by-side on the same album, but the band nails both, to the point it's not clear to me which one is more typical to them and which one is more unusual. It's a great record though, there's a real warmth to it, it's very inviting. I think I'll eventually explore their previous ones.
Father John Misty / Chloe and the Next 20th Century - So I wasn't expecting FJM to put out a retro jazz record, but here we are. And it's fucking great. The songwriting is on point, his vocal delivery is silky-smooth, and the instrumental arrangements are top-notch. Just a really comforting listen.
Jack White / Fear Of The Dawn
Jack White / Entering Heaven Alive - I've always had a ton of respect for Jack White. He's the real deal, the genuine article. A real artist. He's put two records out this year; one back in April, and the other just a week ago. The former, Fear Of The Dawn, is a balls out rock album, the best guitar album of year outside of RHCP, but White's penchant for writing catchy pop hooks is still there underneath all the effects and distortion. It's a thrill ride. I kept being reminded of Marquee Moon just in terms of the number of cool guitar licks on the thing. I mean it's not as good as Marquee Moon, but you get the idea. The latter, Entering Heaven Alive, is a more stripped down affair and contains some of the most captivating songwriting of the year and really drives home that White is an artist who could exist in any era - give it a listen if you haven't. He was originally going to release them together as a double, and they still go together - the last song on EHA is an acoustic take of the first song on FOTD. Taken as a whole, this is an impressive piece of work for one of the few genuine rock stars still around.
The Smile / A Light For Attracting Attention - I would've listened to this a lot sooner if I'd realized who it was. I had seen a few mentions of 'The Smile', but until a few days ago I never put it together that it's Thom and Johnny. One does wonder, if the two creative heavies of Radiohead were going to write and record an album produced by Godrich, why they didn't simply loop the others in and call it a Radiohead album. In any event, I like it a lot...it's not as warm and lush as A Moon Shaped Pool but not as cold and sterile as King Of Limbs either...maybe Hail To The Thief is the appropriate comparison. Maybe I shouldn't even be comparing it to proper RH albums. I need to listen to it some more - I didn't flip for it immediately like I did with AMSP, but it's already growing on me. I'm a sucker for anything these guys do.
Wilco / Cruel Country - Full disclosure, I've never listened to anything Wilco has done outside of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I just never got to digging deeper into them, and it always seemed like their more recent stuff was getting very mixed reactions anyway. But I gave this one a shot after someone posted positively about it here, and I really enjoyed it. I mean, it's a little inconsistent, they probably could've made it at least 20 minutes shorter, but there's some great tracks here - The Empty Condor, Bird Without A Tail/Base Of My Skull, Many Worlds, Hearts Hard To Find, Story To Tell, Mystery Binds - and the whole thing does a great job of creating and sustaining a mood.
Mitski / Laurel Hell - Another artist I have no experience with, never listened to anything before this. I gather she was more guitar-centric before this? This is a very synth-heavy album, and parts of it sound like it could've come straight out of the 80s. I'd say the record is a bit inconsistent, but the high points are pretty high. Stay Soft is the best song on the record and one of my songs of the year - absolutely infectious chorus. Heat Lightning, The Only Heartbreaker, Love Me More, Should've Been Me, and Working For The Knife are also really good. But the other five tracks I can kind of take or leave. Maybe future listens will change that. But on the whole I love the atmosphere and the seeming earnestness of the record, and the high points are high indeed.
Kendrick Lamar / Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers - So I've said before that hip-hop isn't usually my genre of choice, and so I don't usually rank these records as highly as others. That said, Kendrick is clearly a step ahead of pretty much anyone else in the game right now(and has been for a while). He's put on a higher pedestal than any other current rapper, and from what he says on this record, it seems like he's not entirely comfortable with that. I think this record is better than DAMN(which I wasn't high on outside of one or two tracks) but not as good as TPAB(one of the greatest hip hop records ever). It's still a bit of a mixed bag for me, but the high points are high enough on their own to lift the record into, or at least at the door of, the top ten. United In Grief, Father Time, Auntie Diaries, Mother I Sober, and the bonus track The Heart Part 5(which with that Marvin Gaye sample is off the chain) are the big winners for me, they see Kendrick really opening up in an unvarnished and serious way. We Cry Together is also certainly one of the most memorable, but I found it hard to listen to, with it's raw and explicit nature. The one other thing I'll say is that I found the choruses on this record to be mostly superfluous and unnecessary, as if he or someone else felt the need to have choruses in the songs in order to create a traditional pop structure instead of it just being beat poetry. The verses are where it's at. This isn't pop music.
Angel Olsen / Big Time - While some didn't love the left turn she took with All Mirrors after My Woman, I loved it, and I still think All Mirrors is her best record. This record seems to draw from the previous two projects, with cuts like All The Good Times and the title track feeling more earthy like My Woman, and probably half of tracks harkening back to the crooning of All Mirrors - All The Flowers, This Is How It Works, Go Home, Through The Fires, Chasing The Sun. Again, I prefer the latter. I think the last four tracks are the strongest part of the record. Not quite as captivating as All Mirrors for me, but still another solid record from her.
Harry Styles / Harry's House - If you'd told me six months ago that I'd potentially put a Harry Styles album in my top 15 for the year, I'd have looked at you with a confused expression on my face and said something along the lines of 'the One Direction guy? really?', but alas, that's exactly what I'm doing, because this record is actually pretty darn good. There are a myriad of influences here. Late Night Talking and Daydreaming wear their Motown influences on their sleeves, while the closer Love Of My Life is maybe vaguely Billy Joel-ish, and the album's single best moment, the penultimate Boyfriends, evokes, for me anyway, The Everly Brothers with those harmonies. I'd say those four, plus "As It Was" and "Matilda" are the best of the album, and that's like half of it right there. Color me surprised that Harry Styles of all people put out something this enjoyable. It feels like a project where he was consciously trying to make something to get taken seriously.
--from here on, it's just a list more than a ranking, because I'm less sure of where to rank these, hopefully I'll have a better idea by the end of the year.
Cate Le Bon / Pompeii - No experience with her prior tot his. This is a record that I enjoy while I'm listening to it, but can't remember how much of it goes afterward. I wish I had more to say. Probably needs more listens, because I do know the sonics and atmospherics were quite arresting.
Hanson / Red/Green/Blue - I'm sure I'm the only one here paying any attention whatsoever to Hanson in 2022. Truthfully, they were stagnant musically for a long time imo until the last few years, and then just as their music started becoming interesting to me again, it came out that they hold some objectionable political positions(their family is deeply religious/Christian, apparently Trumpers, they are anti-abortion/birth control, and the youngest one seems to have a gun fetish and has posted some offensive memes at the expense of the LGBTQ community, and the oldest one apparently complained about social distancing back in 2020). So it's not been the greatest time to be a fan, but I believe in separating art from artist, and in this case they really haven't done anything terrible behind having sucky political views. The album is their best in a while - the three of them essentially made three solo EPs and put them together. If you're curious, Child At Heart, Rambling Heart, Cold As Ice, and Don't Let Me Down are highlights.
Arcade Fire / We - It's an improvement on Everything Now, but it doesn't really touch their first three records. The issue here is two-fold. One, some of it is simply not very interesting. Two, the two best parts of the record imo are noticeably derivative. In "End Of The Empire I-III", the melody for "and we know that it's time to go" is rousing, but all I can hear is Clapton's Bell Bottom Blues("I don't wanna fade away"), as well as a tangible Bowie influence. On "Unconditional II", which is probably the highlight of the record with Regine and Peter Gabriel leading the way, they use a riff which sounds exactly like Coldplay's Talk...which means it sounds exactly like Kraftwerk's Computer Love. I guess I'll give it more chances, and it's better than the last one, but I wanted to like this more.
Animal Collective / Time Skiffs - Haven't listened to them since Merriweather Post Pavillion. This is a sonically interesting, offbeat, breezy, bouncy, pleasant record. It's a great, unique, upbeat vibe, but the vibe ends up being stronger than the substance a lot of time, if that makes sense. I enjoy it, and it might rank higher in another year, but there's too much great stuff this year.
Black Country New Road / Ants From Up There
Black Midi / Hellfire - I'm going to talk about these two together because I have the same issue with both. These are the most frustrating releases of the year for me, because musically, instrumentally, there's a lot of fantastic stuff on both records, but I have a very hard time getting past the vocals in both cases, especially with Black Country(and I feel bad saying that because I know the guy just left the group). I'm sure everyone here has had experiences with certain bands where you can't get past the voice, and I fear that is where I am with these groups. It's unfortunate, because the music is some of the most exciting of the year, but I can't listen to it much because the voices grate on me so much. Maybe it's a me thing.
Wet Leg / Wet Leg - Interesting Pixies/Breeders vibe and attention-grabbing guitar work, but not as high on it as some of you. I think the main strike against it for me is that they're in their late twenties but some of these lyrics sound like something meant for people ten years younger than them. I only listened to it once, but I felt like it was somewhat musically interesting but lyrically shallow.
Nilufer Yanya / Painless - This one just didn't make much of an impact with me...I was listening to it while doing other things and it just didn't grab me. Maybe I'll give it more of a chance, as it's getting rave reviews. Belong With You and Another Life, and maybe Midnight Sun were the ones that stuck out on first listen. I have a feeling it might be a grower for me if I give it more time.
Foxes / The Kick - This is well done, well produced and well performed, but a little generic too. I basically feel like there's nothing here that Robyn and CRJ haven't done better. JMO.
Weeknd / Dawn FM - I'm not gonna belabor the point too much, because I know some of you love this one. I was never much of a fan of the singles of his I'd heard in the past; this was the first full album of his I listened to, and it didn't really change my opinion. Let's just say I don't get it and leave it at that.
That's all for now, there's still some other records to check out, but that's where I'm at now.
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A belated sending of good vibes to cobbler, LM and others going through difficult times. I’m glad you all seem to be dealing with this stuff in productive ways.
It’s been hard to engage more substantively these last few days. We are all stuck at home with COVID. My son got it first at daycare and brought it home. He’s almost back to normal after 3 days. My wife has been hit pretty hard with fever/headaches/tiredness. I just tested positive this morning, hoping I don’t get super sick as someone needs to watch the 3 year old. My wife got Paxlovid prescribed so hopefully that will improve her situation soon.
It’s been hard to engage more substantively these last few days. We are all stuck at home with COVID. My son got it first at daycare and brought it home. He’s almost back to normal after 3 days. My wife has been hit pretty hard with fever/headaches/tiredness. I just tested positive this morning, hoping I don’t get super sick as someone needs to watch the 3 year old. My wife got Paxlovid prescribed so hopefully that will improve her situation soon.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Hope the whole family recovers quickly and completely.
the tourist
Blue Crack Addict
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2003
- Messages
- 27,919
Oof. I had it. It hit hard. I tested positive on the 8th and I was barely out of bed until the 15th. Thankfully I quarantined in our master suite and mrs. tourist was excellent at cleaning surfaces so no one else in the family caught it. By about the 18th I felt fairly normal again. Now all that’s left is the cough.
phanan
Blue Crack Addict
When we got back from our vacation, it took quite a while for my wife to shake it. Thankfully she’s fine now.
And positive thoughts to anyone going through rough times…
And positive thoughts to anyone going through rough times…
HeartlandGirl
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
I hope you're okay, Gump, and I hope everyone in your family feels better ASAP.
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
I missed this whole conversation last week, but Cobbler, please reach out if you want to talk. I would definitely be happy to lend support or an ear.
Loving this as well, thank you for sharing!
Loving this as well, thank you for sharing!
the tourist
Blue Crack Addict
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2003
- Messages
- 27,919
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