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Wed Feb 14 2024
Nonagon Infinity
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
I liked this much more than I thought I would. A bit too frenetic for me at times, but a lot of interesting stuff going on. Strangely reminiscent of progressive rock at times, e.g. Yes. Will listen again. 4 stars.
4
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Thu Feb 15 2024
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
Arctic Monkeys
Well, so far I'm two for two on the user submitted albums. Another good one. I've always liked the Arctic Monkeys, but never delved too far into their catalog beyond their first album, so happy to have the opportunity to listen to this. It's mellow, but really nice and interesting. Strangely evocative of David Bowie at times. Will listen again. 4 stars.
4
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Fri Feb 16 2024
Poesía Básica
Extrechinato y Tu
This is certainly interesting. Sadly, I can't understand the words as I don't speak Spanish, so I won't comment on that. Musically it's interesting, strangely it brings to mind the Alan Parsons Project for me. Kind of good, but also kind of generic sounding. The singing I don't really care for - not very pleasant to my ears. Overall this is just okay for me, but I'm glad I listened to it. 3 stars.
3
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Sat Feb 17 2024
Give Up
The Postal Service
I've listened to this before, and I like it overall. The songs are good and interesting, but I really dislike the inorganic sounding electronic aspects of the album. It makes the whole thing sound kind of droning and monotonous. 3 stars.
3
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Sun Feb 18 2024
Ænima
TOOL
When I decided to continue this journey with the user submitted albums, I told myself I wouldn't force myself to listen to something that had no appeal for me. But then I realized that I would be a little sad if people didn't at least give the album I submitted a chance. So, I've modified my approach: I'll at least listen to a sampling of an album and then decide whether to listen to the whole thing. So that's what I did with this one. I listened to 4 random songs on it. And to be honest I can sort of see the appeal. There's more going on than I thought. But at the same time I confirmed this really isn't for me. Maybe if I was in a very particular mood, but overall I'm just not a fan of this style. 2 stars.
2
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Mon Feb 19 2024
No.1 In Heaven
Sparks
Sort of like if Freddie Mercury and Kraftwerk got together and decided to make a disco album. Not really my thing, but not boring! 3 stars.
3
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Tue Feb 20 2024
Forced Witness
Alex Cameron
My first reaction: This is pretty lame, generic throwback music that borders on easy listening. But as the album went on I really started appreciating the clever lyrics, interesting songs, and quality production. By the end he pretty much won me over. Happy to have heard this and will listen again. 4 stars.
4
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Wed Feb 21 2024
Relatives in Descent
Protomartyr
Always excited to hear a band from Detroit that I wasn't already familiar with. I liked this a lot, and I have a feeling it will be rewarded by repeated listening, so that's what I plan to do. Thanks to whoever added this! 4 stars.
4
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Thu Feb 22 2024
King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown
King Tubby
Very nice! Excellent groove to the whole thing. 4 stars.
4
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Fri Feb 23 2024
Frosting On The Beater
The Posies
I always get the Posies mixed up with the Pixies. I don't care for the Pixies, but I like the Posies a lot. I consider myself a power pop fan - Big Star is one of my all-time favorites, and I love Matthew Sweet and Teenage Fanclub - but I haven't really listened to much by the Posies for some reason. I'll take this as a good reason to right that wrong. This album is great. I plan to re-listen and check out more of their catalog. It's a shame Ken Stringfellow turned out to be a bad guy, but I do try to separate art from the artist in general. 4 stars.
4
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Sat Feb 24 2024
Music For People In Trouble
Susanne Sundfør
WOW. I had never heard of this artist before and from the very beginning it grabbed me. Simply sublime. Familiar-sounding yet completely distinctive. I have a feeling this will become a regular part of my listening rotation, and I will check out her other work as well. Thank you to whoever added this to the list! 4 stars.
4
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Sun Feb 25 2024
Cleopatra
The Lumineers
Back in the good old days when I used to listen to the radio, the Lumineers would regularly get played on the station I usually listened to. I never turned the station, but at the same time I can't say I really loved it. It was always good, but maybe a little bland. That's how I feel about this album. There's nothing I can point to that's bad about it, but it's just a little boring. 3 stars.
3
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Mon Feb 26 2024
Don't Throw Stones
THE SPORTS
I hadn't heard of this band before, but after a single listen it's clear that these songs stack up favorably with popular music of the time, e.g. Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Squeeze. The songs are catchy but not simplistic, well-produced but not over-produced. Surprising and disappointing that they weren't more well known. 4 stars.
4
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Tue Feb 27 2024
Piledriver
Status Quo
It's good straightforward rock and roll. Nothing wrong with that, in fact I enjoy it. At the same time, it's pretty simplistic and not much about it is unique or groundbreaking. 3 stars.
3
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Wed Feb 28 2024
Dimanche à Bamako
Amadou & Mariam
Very nice! 4 stars.
4
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Thu Feb 29 2024
After Hours
The Weeknd
I tried, I really did, but this just isn't interesting to me. 2 stars.
2
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Fri Mar 01 2024
Dogrel
Fontaines D.C.
This really grew on me over the course of the album. I think it was Roy's Tune that really got me. It's what I like about most Irish punk/post-punk - the emotion, the authenticity, the plaintiveness, the simple beauty. 4 stars.
4
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Sat Mar 02 2024
Tomb
Angelo De Augustine
Very nice. Quite reminiscent of Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens but still different enough to be interesting. 4 stars.
4
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Sun Mar 03 2024
Because the Internet
Childish Gambino
I can appreciate that Donald Glover is super talented, but this just isn't my cup of tea. 3 stars.
3
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Mon Mar 04 2024
Yeti
Amon Düül II
I liked this a lot. Heavy, driving and psychedelic. It reminds me of something that I considered submitting as my user-submitted album - an album called Satori by Flower Travellin' Band from Japan released in 1971. It's got a very similar vibe, so if you like this album I recommend checking out Satori as well. 4 stars.
4
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Tue Mar 05 2024
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Neutral Milk Hotel
I've listened to this before and found it really interesting. Didn't know anything about the band though, and the fact that they only released two albums. Good stuff, reminds me a bit of the Decemberists. 4 stars.
4
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Wed Mar 06 2024
Continuum
John Mayer
I like this best when Mayer is rocking out a little, like on Bold as Love. The more polished, smooth stuff that makes up most of the album is good but a little bland. 3 stars.
3
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Thu Mar 07 2024
McDonald and Giles
Ian McDonald
Nice early prog rock. Very pleasant and interesting. 4 stars.
4
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Fri Mar 08 2024
Before These Crowded Streets
Dave Matthews Band
I was kind of into Dave Matthews back in the day. I even saw them on their Under the Table and Dreaming tour. Listening to this album I can see why I liked them. They are clearly great musicians who play well together, and the songs and arrangements are strong. If I'm being honest though, it's just a bit bland, and it goes on too long. 3 stars.
3
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Sat Mar 09 2024
I Am
Earth, Wind & Fire
It's a fun boogie wonderland. Not my favorite type of music, but enjoyable to listen to. 3 stars.
3
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Sun Mar 10 2024
Emotional Mugger
Ty Segall
This caught my attention right away; it felt fresh and interesting. But I have to admit by the third song it was grating on my nerves. Mainly his voice. I will listen to it again, maybe it will grow on me. But for now it's 3 stars.
3
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Mon Mar 11 2024
A Live One
Phish
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Phish gave the deadheads somewhere to go so they're not just out wandering the streets, but 2+ hours of pointless canoodling? No thank you. I'm sure it would be fun to see them live, but listening to this is not fun. 2 stars.
2
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Tue Mar 12 2024
Spilt Milk
Jellyfish
This is great, glad I got to hear this! It's too bad the band only lasted for two albums. 4 stars.
4
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Wed Mar 13 2024
Kick
INXS
When I was in college, probably around the time this album came out, I worked as supplemental security at an outdoor concert venue on our campus. They only hired students as extra security for the "big" acts that came through, so I got called to work the INXS concert. Basically we had to walk around in the woods along the fence line and try to stop people from sneaking in. Once it got dark, it was useless trying to keep people out, so we just took bribes from people wanting to get in. I couldn't hear much of the concert, but the INXS roadies brought us some beer to drink while we were hanging out in the woods, so that was cool.
Anyway, onto the music. It's alright, but nothing I find that special or interesting. I like Michael Hutchence's voice, but musically it's sort of boring and simplistic. Some of the guitar riffs (if you can call them that) almost make me laugh - just like two chords repeated duh-duh.. duh-duh. Must have been excruciating to play over and over again from one night to the next. 3 stars.
3
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Thu Mar 14 2024
Hand. Cannot. Erase.
Steven Wilson
I appreciate Steven Wilson for his support of prog rock and some of the great remixes he's done. I like his music also, but I find it a bit cold and emotionless. It's sort of how I feel about Rush compared to Yes. I absolutely love Yes, but with Rush, while I can appreciate their technical proficiency at the end of the day it leaves me a little unsatisfied. I will give his another listen though. 3 stars.
3
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Fri Mar 15 2024
Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides
SOPHIE
Definitely interesting and glad I listened, but not a big fan of the more abrasive stuff. I hadn't heard of her before, sad that she died much too young. 3 stars.
3
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Sat Mar 16 2024
I And Love And You
The Avett Brothers
I like folk-rock, Americana, or whatever you want to call this style of music. The Avett Brothers aren't my favorite of the genre though. They're good, I wouldn't turn the station on them, but somehow they feel a little flat to me. I think it's the vocals. Overall I enjoyed this but so many other artists in this category I prefer - Gillian Welch, Ryan Adams, Be Good Tanyas, Justin Townes Earle, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, etc. 3 stars.
3
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Sun Mar 17 2024
Blink-182
blink-182
It's weird, I like punk and I like pop, but punk-pop seems like a stupid genre to me. Unpopular opinion I know. The singer sounds like a 14 year old brat. 2 stars.
2
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Mon Mar 18 2024
Control
Pedro The Lion
Pretty good. Songs are good but I don't love his voice, it has sort of a flat quality to it, reminiscent of Evan Dando. 3 stars.
3
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Tue Mar 19 2024
Recipe for Hate
Bad Religion
Good, solid punk rock. What's not to like? 4 stars.
4
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Wed Mar 20 2024
Fuzz
Chucklehead
Seems like they'd be a fun bar band. 3 stars.
3
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Thu Mar 21 2024
Weezer
Weezer
I'm not a big fan of this "pop-punk" genre. I will say I like this better than the Blink-182 album I had recently, but it all sounds like 14 year old brats whining about stuff. 3 stars.
3
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Fri Mar 22 2024
22, A Million
Bon Iver
Once in a while I hear a Bon Iver song and thing, "Oh, that's pretty nice." But mostly I just find him pretentious. Naming songs the way Elon Musk names his children, and please, enough with the auto-tuner. 2 stars.
2
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Sat Mar 23 2024
Sublime
Sublime
Better than I expected. I didn't know the story about this band or the singer, very sad that he died so young. 4 stars.
4
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Sun Mar 24 2024
Racine carrée
Stromae
Listened to three songs. More than enough to know this isn't my thing. I feel bad for the kid, because based on the picture I saw of him on the album cover, he's just a disembodied head. Sad really. 2 stars.
2
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Mon Mar 25 2024
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
Interesting one. Never heard of this group before, but it holds up well compared to other music of the time. Started out seeming a bit like a novelty act, but got better as it went along. I Was Cool reminded me a bit of Tom Waits. Too bad they weren't able to hold it together for more than two albums, would have been interesting to see where they would have gone. 4 stars.
4
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Tue Mar 26 2024
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
Tally Hall
Wow! I live in Ann Arbor, have been to Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum many times, had heard of the band Tally Hall, but never really listened to them and didn't know this album existed. What a revelation to not only find an album that hits so close to home, but to top it off it's really, really good. Excellent, up-beat energy. 5 stars!
5
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Sat Mar 30 2024
The Best of The Hot 5 & Hot 7 Recordings
Louis Armstrong
Classic. Normally not a fan of compilation albums - I prefer to think of an album as an artist's vision at a particular time - but times were different back in the day so I can make an exception. I'm also not a big jazz-head, but I can totally appreciate and enjoy this. 4 stars.
4
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Sun Mar 31 2024
Boys And Girls in America
The Hold Steady
Love this album. 4 stars.
4
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Mon Apr 01 2024
Live in San Francisco
Thee Oh Sees
This rocks hard. I like it. 4 stars.
4
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Tue Apr 02 2024
Rêver mieux
Daniel Bélanger
I can't understand a word of what this guy is saying! Seriously though, this is really nice. Mellow but intricate and interesting. 4 stars.
4
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Fri Apr 05 2024
Peasant
Richard Dawson
I liked him as host of the Family Feud, but not so sure about this. Haha, I'm so funny. And old.
I liked this. At its best reminded me of early Peter Gabriel and Genesis. A bit weird at times but kept my interest and I enjoyed listening to it. 3 stars.
3
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Sat Apr 06 2024
When Smoke Rises
Mustafa
Like Bon Iver but not as overrated. Pretty nice overall, not my favorite genre but I can appreciate it. 3 stars.
3
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Sun Apr 07 2024
Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha!
Gotcha!
It's pretty good when it sounds like older funk/R&B, not so much when it veers into Red Hot Chili Peppers territory. Overall it's just okay for me. 3 stars.
3
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Mon Apr 08 2024
Nurture
Porter Robinson
The more upbeat numbers remind me of going to big tech conferences, when you're gathering for the keynote in the cavernous conference center ballroom, thousands of chairs arranged in a grid pattern, huge widescreen at the front with random factoids popping up while people are getting themselves seated. It's the type of music they play to get people's energy up, but is also inoffensive and bland to some degree. Overall it's okay, just not really my thing. 3 stars.
3
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Tue Apr 09 2024
Enema Of The State
blink-182
I feel the same way about this as the other blink-182 album that was user submitted (was there collusion???). I just don't care for it. The singer sounds like a 14 year old whiny brat. I'll even go so far as to offer another unpopular opinion - although I like punk and I like power pop, "pop-punk" is a crappy genre of music.
It's a good album cover though, I'll give them that. 2 stars.
2
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Wed Apr 10 2024
Version 2.0
Garbage
I like Garbage overall. The songs are good and I like her voice, but I'm not the biggest fan of the way its mixed. I don't really have the words to describe what I mean, but the instruments all sound sort of mushed together. 3 stars.
3
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Thu Apr 11 2024
A City Dressed In Dynamite
That Handsome Devil
Pretty cool. Reminds me just a little bit of an artist I love called Spottiswoode and His Enemies. Vocals are different but similar style. If you like this then I recommend you check out Spottiswoode. 4 stars.
4
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Fri Apr 12 2024
Nuyorican Soul
Nuyorican Soul
A bit too jazzy for my tastes, but it's alright innit? 3 stars.
3
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Sat Apr 13 2024
A1A
Jimmy Buffett
I've gained a lot more respect for Jimmy Buffett since he passed away and all the tributes poured in. It was especially interesting seeing an old quote from Bob Dylan mentioning Jimmy Buffett as one of the songwriters he most admired.
Having said that, this is all good, though a bit too country-ish for my taste. 3 stars.
3
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Sun Apr 14 2024
Madvillainy
Madvillain
It's alright for what it is, but not a type of music I enjoy much. 2 stars.
2
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Mon Apr 15 2024
Daisies Of The Galaxy
Eels
I love the Eels but for some reason I don't listen to them that often. So I was very happy when this one came up. Great album! 4 stars.
4
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Tue Apr 16 2024
The Lion's Roar
First Aid Kit
Man, I love First Aid Kit but to be honest I kind of forgot about them! So I was really happy when this came up. A great opportunity to revisit their beautiful music and harmonies. 4 stars.
4
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Wed Apr 17 2024
Bloody Kisses
Type O Negative
Didn’t enjoy this at all. 2 stars.
2
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Thu Apr 18 2024
El Circo
Maldita Vecindad Y Los Hijos Del 5to. Patio
Pretty decent, not super interesting though (other than the album cover). 3 stars.
3
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Fri Apr 19 2024
Currents
Tame Impala
It’s alright but not super compelling. 3 stars.
3
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Sat Apr 20 2024
Hammersmith Odeon, London '75
Bruce Springsteen
A nice reminder of how awesome Bruce Springsteen is. Not only has he written some of the most iconic songs and produced some of the greatest albums of all time, he and the E Street Band are certainly among the all-time greatest live acts. This album captures that live feeling about as well as you can on a recording. I saw them on the Born in the USA tour, but would have loved to have seen them in this era as well. 5 stars.
5
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Sun Apr 21 2024
Lahai
Sampha
I tried, but I just can't get into this. 2 stars.
2
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Mon Apr 22 2024
The Black Parade
My Chemical Romance
Pretty good. Not a big fan of “pop punk” but this is better than most. 3 stars.
3
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Tue Apr 23 2024
The Beautiful Letdown
Switchfoot
"The Mediocre Letdown" would have been a more apt title. 2 stars.
2
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Wed Apr 24 2024
I Need to Start a Garden
Haley Heynderickx
I like a good singer/songwriter with a beautiful voice, and this certainly qualifies. Very nice, interesting songs, excellent lyrics, beautiful arrangements. I don’t like her hairstyle on the album cover, that’s my only real negative. 4 stars.
4
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Thu Apr 25 2024
Come And Get It
Rachel Stevens
Not something I would normally listen to, but it's poppy and fun. Nothing wrong with that. Reminds me of Madonna. 3 stars.
3
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Fri Apr 26 2024
Vedergällningen
Garmarna
This was pretty interesting. Not sure I would listen again, but glad to have the opportunity to hear it. Definitely not the same old same old. 3 stars.
3
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Sat Apr 27 2024
The Animal Years
Josh Ritter
This is really, really good. I need to listen to more Josh Ritter. 4 stars.
4
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Sun Apr 28 2024
A Salty Dog
Procol Harum
Yay, I get to review the album I submitted. First, I'll say that I knew I was going to add a Procol Harum album, because they are one of my all-time favorite bands and I think they have been unfortunately overlooked, often viewed as one-hit wonders with Whiter Shade of Pale being their first release and becoming such a mega-hit.
They have so much amazing material though, that I struggled to decide which album of theirs to include. I could have chosen any of their first 7 studio albums, or possibly a good choice would have been their live album with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. This album to be honest is a bit inconsistent, but the songs that are great are really great, so I went with this one. (Yeah, I know the album cover is awful. Procol was not great at album covers.)
Let's walk through the tracks:
1. A Salty Dog. The title song is one of the most beautiful songs ever created and recorded by a rock band. The strings are amazing, the melodies beautiful, Gary's voice is perfect, and the lyrics evocative. It's such a mellow song, but the drumming of BJ Wilson (one of the best drummers of all-time who turned down Jimmy Page's offer to be in Led Zeppelin) is just amazing and really completes the song. A masterpiece.
2. The Milk of Human Kindness. A bit of a throwaway. Not a super interesting song, but Robin Trower's guitar playing is nice.
3. Too Much Between Us. Another bit of a throwaway. A different, more mellow, sound for the group, but not their most interesting song.
4. The Devil Came from Kansas. It might sound like another throwaway on first listen, but there's some cool stuff going on here, including some harmonies, which is not typical for Procol Harum. This song reminds me of another of my favorite bands of the time, The Band.
5. Boredom. Another sort of filler song, but still interesting due to the use of some unusual instrumentation.
Okay, after a few tracks that are inconsistent let's carefully flip our vinyl over to side 2, where things get really interesting.
6. Juicy John Pink. The purest blues that Procol Harum ever did. Sounds like three or four really talented guys sitting around in a basement jamming.
7. Wreck of the Hesperus. One of Matthew Fisher's best contributions to the band. The piano, the soaring strings and orchestration, the lyrics, it's a great complement to the title song.
8. All This and More. This is Procol at their finest. The song starts sounding beautifully classical, then evolves over the course of the song to reach moods that are both dark and ominous, but also soaring and inspiring, with great guitar and piano throughout.
9. Crucifiction Lane. Another great Robin Trower contribution. He was clearly going in a different direction from the band, but one of the things that makes this album great is the variety. Definitely the most diverse Procol album.
10. Pilgrim's Progress. Another of Matthew Fisher's best and a fitting closing to the album. Another classic Procol track, with classical/churchy sounding organ at the core, some nice piano in the mix, solid drumming by the amazing BJ Wilson, and lyrics that are mysterious and allude to seeking a higher truth and wisdom. The closing bit is just a perfect end.
It's not a perfect album, but if you give Procol Harum a chance and check out their first several albums, you might discover some pretty amazing music that has been largely overlooked. Sadly, many of their best albums (namely Shine on Brightly, Home, and Broken Barricades) are still not available on Spotify.
I finally got to see them in concert in 2019, more than 50 years after they got their start. Mostly different lineup, but I was shocked that Gary Brooker's voice still sounded largely the same at age 74 as it did in his twenties. Even their final album, 2017's Novum, while not up to the level of their earlier releases, is still excellent.
5 stars, of course.
5
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Mon Apr 29 2024
Watch Out!
Alexisonfire
Sorry, I just can't with those vocals. 1 star.
1
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Tue Apr 30 2024
Night Drive
Chromatics
When I saw the words "Italian disco" I have to admit I was overcome by a feeling of dread. But this was actually very good. A little long maybe, but overall enjoyable. 3 stars.
3
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Wed May 01 2024
Zuckerzeit
Cluster
Interesting at times, but overall not my thing. It was 37 minutes long but it felt like an hour and a half. 2 stars.
2
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Thu May 02 2024
F♯ A♯ ∞
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Very interesting! For some reason it reminds me of David Lynch. It has sort of the same vibe to it as Twin Peaks and some of his movies. I will definitely listen to this again. It seems like the type of album that rewards repeat listens. 4 stars.
4
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Fri May 03 2024
The Hazards of Love
The Decemberists
Love the Decemberists and love this album. 5 stars.
5
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Sat May 04 2024
Apostrophe(')
Frank Zappa
I feel like a curmudgeon whenever I have to review a Frank Zappa album. I just don't get it. I think he's highly overrated. Technically he's a very good guitar player, but if a good guitar player plays stuff that isn't enjoyable to listen to is he really a good guitar player? 2 stars, because it's short and more listenable than most Zappa, and I actually liked the song Apostrophe'.
2
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Sun May 05 2024
1, 2, Kung Fu!
Boy Azooga
Very nice! Reminds me a bit of the Eels. 4 stars.
4
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Mon May 06 2024
Game of Fools
Koritni
I know they say not to judge an album by its cover, but I did and I was wrong. I was expecting some type of death-metal/grindcore/growly vocal type bullshit, but this was like 80's throwback hard rock. Still not quite my cup of tea but not half bad. 3 stars.
3
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Tue May 07 2024
Funeral Dress
Wussy
It's not bad, it just feels a bit amateurish at times maybe? 3 stars.
3
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Wed May 08 2024
Oncle Jazz
Men I Trust
Pretty nice. A little long. 3 stars.
3
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Thu May 09 2024
Maestro
Kaizers Orchestra
Despite being unable to understand the lyrics, I quite enjoyed this. Kept my attention. 3 stars.
3