Music: Last Album You Listened to and Rate It II

[Saturated Fats]

Got my account back, been listening to a lot of new and classic stuff over the past few weeks. Feeliiiiiiing like ranking some things.

NEW-ISH
Tool - Fear Inoculum (5/10)
black midi - Schlagenheim (8/10)
Tyler, the Creator - Igor (7/10)
Lana del Rey - Norman F*ing Rockwell (9/10)
Death Cab for Cutie - The Blue EP (3/10)
Candlemass - The Door to Doom (5/10)
Tropical F* Storm - Braindrops (4/10)

CLASSICS
Depeche Mode - Violator (10/10)
Swans - The Seer (8/10)
Joanna Newsom - Ys (7/10)
Sigur Ros - Takk... (7/10)
David Bowie - Station to Station (8/10)
Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs (4/10)
My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade (5/10)
Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (9/10)
A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory (9/10)
Alexisonfire - Old Crows, Young Cardinals (4/10)

I'm pretty sure Violator is in my top-15/20 of all time. It's just such a top-to-bottom fantastic record, not a dull moment. Even the singles, when listened in sequence, shine with the sheen they must've when the album was released. It's electro-pop at its absolute zenith. Also really, really impressed with what black midi accomplished, and pleasantly surprised with Lana, who has really grown into some fantastic songwriting chops. Fear Inoculum was what I expected - for better or worse. Tracks 1,2 & 9 are fantastic - the rest... eh.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Anyone ever listened to Royal Trux's Twin Infinities? I'm curious...I listened to a few songs at work and I got somewhat lost in it but then also felt physical discomfort after a certain point. Worth a full spin? On paper, their approach kind of seems like something that I could get into but the album sounds pretty impenetrable. Not as much as something like Metal Machine Music but still.

 

[Shareefruck]

Oh yeah, forgot to include this. Highlights for me from Biosphere: Substrata.

Anyone ever listened to Royal Trux's Twin Infinities? I'm curious...I listened to a few songs at work and I got somewhat lost in it but then also felt physical discomfort after a certain point. Worth a full spin? On paper, their approach kind of seems like something that I could get into but the album sounds pretty impenetrable. Not as much as something like Metal Machine Music but still.

I think it's worthwhile and I don't dislike it, but I also wouldn't give it the strongest endorsement. It's somewhat impenetrable but not entirely-- There's usually enough going on to have something to hang onto (either a fun freak-out or angular bluesy bit). Very harsh, fatiguing, and amateurish but it has its own kind of liberating chaotic allure.

This isn't exactly a Captain Beefheart situation where there's deceptive and perfectly conceived order to the madness that you're likely to later find masterful. They might just be genuinely taking a p*** and stumbling onto things arbitrarily, but there's a neat unhinged energy to it that strangely seems to hold it together anyways and that you don't really get from other bands (bad or good).

I guess I'd call it more of an intriguing curiosity than a really strong album.

 

[Thucydides]

Sandy Alex G - House of Sugar (2019) 8.0/10

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Oh yeah, forgot to include this. Highlights for me from Biosphere: Substrata.




I think it's worthwhile and I don't dislike it, but I also wouldn't give it the strongest endorsement. It's somewhat impenetrable but not entirely-- There's usually enough going on to have something to hang onto (either a fun freak-out or angular bluesy bit). Very harsh, fatiguing, and amateurish but it has its own kind of liberating chaotic allure.

This isn't exactly a Captain Beefheart situation where there's deceptive and perfectly conceived order to the madness that you're likely to later find masterful. They might just be genuinely taking a p*** and stumbling onto things arbitrarily, but there's a neat unhinged energy to it that strangely seems to hold it together anyways and that you don't really get from other bands (bad or good).

I guess I'd call it more of an intriguing curiosity than a really strong album.

Good looking out. Think I might just go for it on some lazy day and concentrate. I guess that's kind of what I was looking for - whether it was some sort of highly experiemental but conscious execution or just some let's throw shit at the wall and see what sticks kind of experience.

 

[Thucydides]

Men I Trust - Oncle Jazz (2019) 6.5/10

Some good stuff here, but over an hour and ten minutes run time and it all starts to sound the same.

I wanted to like this more than I did, and I will give it more listens. As much as I like what they are doing - refusing record labels and staying independent, I think they could have used a label here to tell them to cut stuff and trim the album up a little bit.

Maybe it’ll grow on me.

 

[Shareefruck]

Warmed up to this specific period of New Order albums. Really perfectly pristine, consistently high quality, and balanced culmination of their sound during this time, IMO. In particular, I seem to be consistently won over by the instrumental outro that seems to happen about two-thirds into every track. Would be curious to hear instrumental-only versions of these of these albums, if such a thing exists.

Low Life by New Order - 3.0 (Very Good)
Republic by New Order - 2.5 (Good)

These are my three favorite tracks from their primary studio albums.

 

[Shareefruck]

Rushup Edge by The Tuss (Aphex Twin) - 3.5 (Great)
Grew on me. Doesn't feel as immediate/personal as his mainline albums, but ridiculously tight, clinically intricate, and perfectly constructed/produced (may even be his most technically impressive, consistent, and polished work, although I think I prefer some of the others stylistically/artistically).

Highlights:



Favorite Aphex Twin Albums
1. Selected Ambient Works Vol. II - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
2. Drukqs - 4.5 (Brilliant)
3. Richard D. James Album - 4.0 (Flawless)
4. Syro - 4.0 (Flawless)
5. Rushup Edge - 3.5 (Great)
6. Surfing on Sine Waves - 3.5 (Great)
7. Selected Ambient Works 85-92 - 3.5 (Great)
8. I Care Because You Do - 3.0 (Very Good)

Love this man's body of work and how he seems to have a bottomless pit of solid material.

 

[Jtown]

XTC have some good songs but their discography is a mess. Skylarking is great but the other stuff all needed some major trimming on those albums.

I'd recommend listening to Field Music instead, especially their 1st/2nd albums.

If this is your take on xtc, i would love to hear your take on the Rolling Stones.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

New Keane album first in 7 years I think. The voice is as good as ever, will give it a rating after a bunch of listens since their stuff is always a grower.

 

[Shareefruck]

Going through some Minimalism and Electronic/IDM albums. These two are the standouts so far.

LP5 by Autechre - 2.5 (Good)
CD 1 by Pole - 2.5 (Good)

Highlights:




Some of the others:
Hangable Auto Bulb by AFX (Aphex Twin) - 2.0 (Positive) [Like Rushup Edge but not as good]
Brainwave Music by David Rosenboom - 2.0 (Positive)
Like a Duck to Water by Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company - 2.0 (Positive)
Machine Guitars by Remko Scha - 1.5 (Neutral)
Nothing to Look At Just a Record by Phill Niblock - 1.5 (Neutral)
Loop-Finding-Jazz Records by Jan Jelinek - 1.0 (Negative) [The process of trying to make blips, clicks, and pops sound warm, sentimental, and accessible almost seemed to make it dull, uninteresting, and elevator music-esque]
Immunity by Jon Hopkins - 1.0 (Negative)
You Are My Everlovin'/Celestial Power by Henry Flynt - 1.0 (Negative)

 

[Ouroboros]

Going through some Minimalism and Electronic/IDM albums. These two are the standouts so far. Both very underrated, IMO. I don't get why that Autechre album doesn't get talked about more (circled their most recommended stuff over and over again and never came across it).

LP5 by Autechre - 3.0 or 3.5 (Very Good/Great)
CD 1 by Pole - 3.0 or 3.5 (Very Good/Great)

Are you familiar with Basic Channel? Might be something you'd be interested in - ambient/dub/minimal techno style stuff.

Perhaps Fluxion's Vibrant Forms I and Vibrant Forms II compilations as well. Those are quite good.

 

[Shareefruck]

Are you familiar with Basic Channel? Might be something you'd be interested in - ambient/dub/minimal techno style stuff.

Perhaps Fluxion's Vibrant Forms I and Vibrant Forms II compilations as well. Those are quite good.

Nope. Any specific album?

For the record, I'm a lot less into the really dance-y, techno-y, house-y brand of electronic.

 

[Ouroboros]

Nope. Any specific album?

Phylyps Trak, Phylyps Trak II, Quadrant Dub, and Radiance are all worth looking into. Those are all EP's that contain a handful of long-form tracks. There are also two compilations [BCD and BCD-2] that cover almost all of their output, but they have edited versions of some of their compositions.

Check those Fluxion compilations above as well.

 

[Legionnaire11]

Another top notch release on par with Exercises in Futility. V and VI in particular are worth the price of admission.

 

[Saturated Fats]

Another top notch release on par with Exercises in Futility. V and VI in particular are worth the price of admission.

One of the best things metal has going right now.

 

[Hippasus]

Anyone ever listened to Royal Trux's Twin Infinities? I'm curious...I listened to a few songs at work and I got somewhat lost in it but then also felt physical discomfort after a certain point. Worth a full spin? On paper, their approach kind of seems like something that I could get into but the album sounds pretty impenetrable. Not as much as something like Metal Machine Music but still.

Twin Infinitives is awesome. It is like ultra-amateurism, especially in a melodic but also in a rhythmic sense. It is yet very un-self-conscious in this.

 

[Hippasus]

Oh yeah, forgot to include this. Highlights for me from Biosphere: Substrata.




I think it's worthwhile and I don't dislike it, but I also wouldn't give it the strongest endorsement. It's somewhat impenetrable but not entirely-- There's usually enough going on to have something to hang onto (either a fun freak-out or angular bluesy bit). Very harsh, fatiguing, and amateurish but it has its own kind of liberating chaotic allure.

This isn't exactly a Captain Beefheart situation where there's deceptive and perfectly conceived order to the madness that you're likely to later find masterful. They might just be genuinely taking a p*** and stumbling onto things arbitrarily, but there's a neat unhinged energy to it that strangely seems to hold it together anyways and that you don't really get from other bands (bad or good).

I guess I'd call it more of an intriguing curiosity than a really strong album.

It's pretty consistent and has an original style, notwithstanding Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica. It's one of those 'it's so bad it's good' albums.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

It's pretty consisent and has an original style, notwithstanding Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica. It's one of those 'it's so bad it's good' albums.

Oof. With movies I get it, but with music, I don't know how appealing so bad it's good sounds.

 

[Shareefruck]

Oof. With movies I get it, but with music, I don't know how appealing so bad it's good sounds.

I mean "punk" can sort of be viewed that way too.

It can be seen as endearingly childlike in how off-the-wall, unhinged, and irreverent it is, I guess. Raw, unschooled instincts and spirit of discovery and all that.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I mean "punk" can sort of be viewed that way too.

It can be seen as endearingly childlike in how off-the-wall, unhinged, and irreverent it is, I guess. Raw, unschooled instincts and spirit of discovery and all that.

Eh...it still has to sound good, even if the technique and production aren't first-rate. I've never had any sort of enjoyment out of music that sounded outright bad because bad music is far more aggressive than a bad film, where I can certainly have my fun in a bad performance or with bad writing.

 

[Hippasus]

As far as rock goes, Captain Beefheart did it, The Velvet Underground did it to some extent on White Light/White Heat, Faust did it, The Birthday Party did it, Flipper did it, and Royal Trux did it to the n-th degree on Twin Infinitives.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

As far as rock goes, Captain Beefheart did it, The Velvet Underground did it to some extent on White Light/White Heat, Faust did it, The Birthday Party did it, Flipper did it, and Royal Trux did it to the n-th degree on Twin Infinitives.

Did what? Beefheart might be the most singular artist I've ever indulged stylistically (Alain Robbe-Grillet is another) and the VU are probably the first band to mix a literary tradition with experimental rock and roll but I wouldn't compare their work to what I've heard of Twin Infinitives. The latter feels far less tight in terms of execution on a practical basis, whereas White Light/White Heat's orchestration always sounds very dignified and conscious to me, despite its brash quality.

 

[kihei]

Rather late in life to get into Chet Baker, but better late than never. I stayed away from this guy for decades because: A) he often sings, and I hated his voice and because B) I thought he was a bit of a Miles Davis copycat. Old prejudices die hard, but now I think he is a marvelous player, especially on slow pieces, his strong suit, with a distinctive style of his own. He doesn't push any envelopes or try to; he definitely paints inside the lines. However, he is an absolute master of an older, more traditional style of playing. I'm even getting to the point where I can tolerate a few of his vocals, which are ultra-soft and almost flat. Anyway this album is almost entirely him playing not singing (except for one song), and it is very beautiful, especially if you like moody, late-night jazz. The adventurous Paul Bley makes this definitely an "odd couple" duo of the first order, but Bley complements Baker splendidly.

 

[Shareefruck]

Did what? Beefheart might be the most singular artist I've ever indulged stylistically (Alain Robbe-Grillet is another) and the VU are probably the first band to mix a literary tradition with experimental rock and roll but I wouldn't compare their work to what I've heard of Twin Infinitives. The latter feels far less tight in terms of execution on a practical basis, whereas White Light/White Heat's orchestration always sounds very dignified and conscious to me, despite its brash quality.

Have you heard the first Faust album? I think it's closer to what you're hoping for than Twin Infinitives is (more deliberate/thought out/ultimately satisfying), but it's also a lot more sloppy, amateurish, and unpolished than Captain Beefheart/VU. It's one of my all time favorites and always feels completely inspired/infectious to me despite a technically-could-be-improved/unpolished/hard-to-listen-to quality.



I probably would have recommended Miss Fortune to you, but there was that Sister Ray uncertainty again.