Nov 16 2023
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The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
ella's voice is like velvet. it's hard to separate the voice from the compositions because her vocal cords carry the ones that i'm less inclined to like, but proper band jazz covers of gershwin are nice to listen to anyway even if i'm not a great fan of the pieces themselves. its quite easy to let jazz music (whether instrumental or vocal) fade into the background of whatever you're doing but to focus on this is a delightful and very calming thing to do.
some of the songs are a bit less memorable than the others, some much less memorable. some are great (i got rhythm) (the man i love). felt very autumnal. i love ella fitzgerald's voice so much.
3
Nov 17 2023
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The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
i now understand road rage. i can imagine listening to this and getting mad at stupid pedestrians for walking so slowly. hurry up! me and my death trap machine need to power down the road at 100kmp/h while listening to iron maiden!
a lot of focus on religion and christianity (and its antithesis hehe (satanism(666(the number of the beast's lyrics are so funny)))) in the lyrics generally speaking which is really fun. i actually couldn't tell the difference between a lot of these which is maybe quite bad but it did all sound quite similar sorrryyyy!! however there were two standouts, children of the damned was insanely good and i very much support the guitar solos in that song specifically. which isn't to say that others in the album are bad but that track in particular was fantastic. also the melodic/harmony motif in run to the hills was fun but as i type this i can't remember it that well, which potentially says something either about the quality of the hook or my propensity to forget things very fast. both valid.
3
Nov 18 2023
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Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
a bit steely dan on first impression? a bit beatles-y, a bit bob dylan (or actually i think i'm just saying that because there was a harmonica on let the good times roll). it's defo steely dan-y though. very 70s. Without You has been memed to death but its hook is so good! i also liked the brass on Down. Jump Into The Fire also good, the textural buildup in the second half made it. otherwise this was a bit meh sometimes (Coconut is strange as fuck it made me very uncomfortable i do not know why). not a particularly memorable album however i really do love the title
2
Nov 20 2023
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British Steel
Judas Priest
it wasn't really what i was in the mood for but i listened nonetheless. i enjoyed it more than iron maiden but that's relatively speaking. highlights were Rapid Fire (very cool way to start an album (i love seeing what a band's choice is for their album's first song)), Grinder (again relatively speaking), You Don't Have to be Old to be Wise, and Living After Midnight, the latter of which i actually did enjoy a lot. again though not really what i'm into, i can respect it and appreciate it from a distance
3
Nov 21 2023
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Is This It
The Strokes
such a brilliant energy-fueled joyous album, it's sad that the strokes haven't really advanced musically from this but oh well because this is such a specific sound for a specific time and place, a specific generation that i can't really fault it that much. although apparently the woman whose bum is on the album cover didn't consent to her bum being on the album cover which is a bit morally dodgy. anyway back to the music. this is an album for sweaty teenage parties. dark rooms and warm air. thinking you're really cool with your new short black dress. eyeliner and hairspray and t shirts with bands on that you think are really cool even though you've only listened to a few songs. the lyrics are needy, whiny. made me happy to listen to this the whole way through!
4
Nov 23 2023
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Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
what a fucking tune i've known the first track on this album maybe for the same amount of time i've been alive. sooooooo good. and so i was very glad to see that i had an excuse to listen to the entire thing!!!!! i Love funk instrumental so much. and i also very much enjoy the motif that Green Onions establishes is riffed throughout the album, i.e. Mo' Onions + Comin' Home Baby in particular. some weaker bits, the cover of Twist and Shout i wasn't a fan of (as a self-proclaimed beatles fan) and Stranger on the Shore in particular i didn't get on with. generally though a very fun very funky very casual album that's so nice to put on if you're doing a room tidy or i can imagine having a really cold beer with lime in and talking with friends in a low-lit room. it's not really a wine album i don't think. i give it 3 stars but i think it is a 3.5
3
Nov 28 2023
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Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
1. gorgeous album cover! not to be annoying but so far (nearing the end of side 1) this is SUCH a great album. i shall continue to listen.
2. i'm getting a bit drained, this is a long fucking album. 1979 just came on though (yey!!!!)
3. on the whole i think the first half is better than the second half, i am still enjoying it but it's more same-y than the first half. or maybe i'm just smashing pumpkins-ed out
4. the last song is lovely
5. on the whole i really enjoyed this album i like the variations on the genre and the different things it tries out. i'd like to know its influences. and what it influenced. a nice thing to listen to from start to finish i wouldn't do it again but now i know what songs i like from it !!! yey!
4
Nov 29 2023
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So Much For The City
The Thrills
his voice is annoying.
2 songs in and his voice is still annoying. and it's musically quite boring. not very many interesting things going on.
4th song and it just doesn't end. praying for this to finish as soon as possible. just listen to steely dan. his voice is so whiny!
did NOT enjoy.
2