Dec 06 2021
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
Music for 20 year old boys who read New Yorker-approved short story collections on public transportation, and the 17 pick-me manic pixie dream girls who are young enough to still be enamored by them.
As music ā arrangements and guitar-work ā I admire/respect this record. As poetry, I think, even in my late-20s, Iām much too old for this to hook me. Especially since Iāve always hated the indie Elliot Smiths/Belles and Sebastians this has gone on to inspire.
Maybe if revisit this at 70, Iād find youthful longing to admire in it, but right now, I just find it a bit too self-involved to be impressed, even though Iād love to play like Drake.
3
Dec 07 2021
Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
I canāt wait ātil Morrissey dies, and Iāve never been all that impressed by The Smiths aside from the obviously-great handful of classic singles...but Iām kinda shocked that I didnāt hate this.
Still not something Iād revisit aside from a couple tracks in a playlist, but Johnny Marrās airy, jangly, off-kilter, influenced-by-anything-obtuse arrangements got me wondering if I should revisit their most lauded classics.
I still wouldnāt say Iām a *fan* of this style by any stretch, but I at least get why my Millennial, North Brooklyn , indie-minded peers all love them, and I donāt hate this record by any stretch. But also itās far from a *must listen* before I die, more like, āmaybe I was a pretentious hardcore kid who just wanted to hate The Smiths, and maybe their strange final album is just odd enough to be more my speed,ā but that assessment doesnāt mean itās essential for everyone, either, especially if youāre already more respective to 80s indie pop than me.
3
Dec 08 2021
Celebrity Skin
Hole
3
Dec 09 2021
Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
Good to know that Greta Van Fleet sucked even back when they were cosplaying as The Allman Brothers.
I hate this type of āwhite dad blues,ā but I definitely hate the reheated versions of it the most.
1
Dec 10 2021
Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
Certainly iconic, and a truly essential listen. I canāt believe I hadnāt heard this before, because the cultural references I now understand have increased 199-fold.
Like all ā70s funk, itās tight as hell, groovy, vibey, and incredible fun, even though itās drenched in social commentary.
That said, also like all 70s funk, itās so deep tied to its time, it almost feels too disconnected for modernity to latch on to, essentially as a white listener. Thatās not a negative, of course, but it does make it harder for me to enjoy as purely as Iād like. Itās a record not made with me in mind, a soundtrack to a blacksplotation film about cocaine in black communities. Iām not the target audience.
But that doesnāt mean I canāt enjoy and respect it, and even groove along with it. Just that I need to sit with it a lot longer than one listen. That said, with an album this tied to cultural references even today, I think thereās enough for me to find on repeat listens.
4
Dec 14 2021
Me Against The World
2Pac
This was the album that convinced me that Tupac truly desires the praise/status heās achieved in his legacy. As a youth, his rapping and style wasnāt immediately clear to me, but as soon as you hear āThey say pussy and paper is poetry, power, and pistols,ā followed by an assault of lyrical alliteration, I was sold.
I donāt love his beat selection 100% of the time. His G-Funk/West Coast beats are typically the most bland, watered-down version of the style, his soft songs are really grating, especially if heās not doing the hook. There are exceptions (āHey Mamaā) but I think Pac is at his best when heās doing gangsta rap, if only because his tone fits it so well, and heās really not the greatest at it until this record, when his own game is undeniable. But all his albums are a mix of styles and tonal shifts. Some people love that, and even argue itās why heās so great. I disagree; to me, it means he doesnāt have a flawless album.
But of his 5 albums, Iād have to say this is the closest he has to a legitimate classic. Iād say all his other albums have higher highs (my favorite track here, āOld School,ā is my least favorite of my favorite Tupac songs), *but* this record also has quantitatively the most highs in his discography. Maybe if 7 Day Theory wasnāt posthumous, or if All Eyez on Me was one disc, Iād prefer it, but Me Against the World is the tightest of all Tupac records imo, so therefore my favorite, and the one Iād say is his definite classic.
Honestly, though, while the first half is all gold, I donāt think Side B gets good until āOld School,ā and even then, all those final tracks are notably weaker. High water marks for sure, but not on the same caliber as Side A/any of his best tracks that released after this album.
I donāt know - Iāve always felt odd about Pac. On the one hand, when I like him, I love him. But when I donāt, I really donāt. Maybe that dichotomy is why people love him. Idk - I was always a Biggie fan first. But my distaste for Pac still isnāt distain - bad 90s hip-hop is still an A- for me, so while this isnāt like my favorite album ever, itās still my favorite Tupac record, and therefore 5 stars.
5