Jan 19 2021
View Album
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
The first song was 4 minutes too long, and then it turned into a new song and that was cool.
My favorite track Grapevine is about 8 minutes too long
But still it's a 10/11 for me so far, if this song would just end then I can get to the last track.
OMG 2:30 to go I am so tired of this noodling
AMG seems to agree with me about grapevine:
Unlike some extended instrumentals, this was dramatic and had a direction -- a distinction made clear by the meandering jam that brings CCR's version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" to 11 minutes.
Ok maybe not agree, but it was too long
Long as I see the light, is a great ending song. It sounds exactly what the last song of the night should sound like.
4
Jan 20 2021
View Album
Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Le Tigre seems a bit lazy on purpose. I appreciate the punk vibe they are apparently going for, but I always thought specifically of "Hot Topic" as a pop-culture store that tries-hard to be a punk-culture store, and by try-hard I don't mean the good kind. I think it's cool that the band pushes for feminism. But I think they push a bit too much, making it their identity instead of just part of who they are. I think if I had heard this album when I was a teenager I would have liked it a lot more than I do today. Now they sound like an audio STD, and I don't want to hang out with the band. I give it 2/5.
2
Jan 21 2021
View Album
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
Biggie sure does have good flow, and the beats are for the most part great. At first I felt like he surpassed the typical Rap culture tropes of just talking about themselves and their accomplishments. Because the album started as more of a nostalgic feel. But then it descended into the same old tropes and I quickly got bored of the lyrics. I stopped halfway into "**** Me" because I really don't want to hear people having sex. So I would say this album is garbage, not something you want to listen to as an album. Maybe individual songs are great. And musically some of the songs are 5/5. But thematically it is pretty much boring rap themes, with a little originality at the beginning of the album. Also I really disliked how it tried to be explicit in every way possible in a way that seemed on purpose just for explicitness.
2
Jan 22 2021
View Album
Transformer
Lou Reed
Musically transformer is interesting. It's a bit like someone with a bit of musical skill rambling. Lou's Perfect Day made me feel sad. Walk On the Wild Side is a classic that I don't have in my library, and now I know which album it's from. He sounds like a musical version of Quagmire from Family Guy. "slick little girl" and "goodnight ladies" are some of the lyrics that gave me that feeling.
In the end, the music was good, but the singing was a bit lazy.
3
Jan 24 2021
View Album
Teen Dream
Beach House
Lots of the songs by Beach House sound very similar. So I think the album is cohesive. I was able to listen to the whole thing, but largely forgot about it while listening.
Then something happened, the streaming service got to the end of the album and another song came up and the style was similar but the singing was better. I was like "ooh who is this singer, they should get her to do more songs" but it was a different band and album entirely ("The Trip by Still Corners")
3
Jan 25 2021
View Album
Kala
M.I.A.
Mango Pickle Down River is one of my favorites, I haven't heard it in a few years, the flow was great but I think the kid's voices are the best, especially because it's about the things they like to do. The whole album feels guerilla. 20 Dollar's chorus is from the Pixies, it's an original take, but I don't like the take. Of course "Paper Planes" was the popular track. The last track "Come Around" has over-singing on the melody that is great, and an awesome sound. I wish the rest of the album sounded as well produced as the last track.
3
Jan 26 2021
View Album
Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
I like how crazy the lyrics are, and the music is pretty good. I didn't love it. But I made it through the whole album. I liked the track "Rain Dogs". I disagree that this is a must listen, but also I have no idea what it's history is or how it inspired other artists.
3
Jan 27 2021
View Album
White Ladder
David Gray
Pretty boring, I recognized many of the songs. Sounded like shopping in the mall. The harmonies sounded consistently depressing.
I found this great quote about David Gray:
> David Gray is sick of the sound of David Gray. “I’m bored with myself,” he confesses within moments of my arriving at his Hampstead home. “I realised, after the last tour, I’m fed up with my basic line of inquiry, my angle, my schtick, the density of my voice, all these things needed to be escaped from.
2
Jan 29 2021
View Album
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
A cacophony. When everyone is doing their solo at the same time, then nobody is doing a solo.
"Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" by Mingus, is 10x better than every track on this album, but it's not on this album.
1
Feb 02 2021
View Album
Abraxas
Santana
* Singing winds has a really chill sound, and the way they used the cymbal to sound like wind is super cool.
* Black Magic Woman has a great sound to it with a nice bass-line, and subtle conga drums. But then at around 3:50 it takes off. Probably live this is a great part of the song, but listening by myself I'll be happier when it ends.
* Oye Como Va is one of my all time favorite songs. I think it's on queue in my head to play at a moments notice. I could probably recognize it after 2 notes, including the one bass note and one keyboard chord. It's no wonder that genius.com translates "oye como va" to "listen, how it goes, my rhythm".
* Incident at Neshabur (Neyshabur sp?) is complex, but on rhythm. Chaotic until about 3:00. And it's no wonder its on beat, because Carlos Santa did "lead guitar, vocals, and percussion"
* Se a Cabo has a bunch of frilled solos noodling, probably fun in concert. The conga solo at 1:35 is pretty cool. I also like the big-band like un-mic-ed band singing "Se a Cabo" lines. But the guitar is what I didn't enjoy as much.
* Mother's Daughter has great a great rythm and bass combo to start. But then takes off into the kind of chaotic noodling I'm not a super fan of. Then the lyrics cool it off and it becomes good again.
* Samba Pa Ti, didn't even notice this song played and finished.
* Hope You're Feeling Better is a good song, I like that there are lyrics to it. I would listen to it on the Radio without turning, but I wouldn't play it on purpose.
* El Nicoya - I love the singing in the beginning of the song. Ooh and acoustic guitar, yes! Ok it's getting a bit repetitive now during the bongo solo. Aaand the track is over.
3