Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 201: Tri Repetae by Autechre (Album Choice: WSCB)

This is another album I've had waitlisted for many many months. I'm gonna see them live in October so I guess now is a good time though I'm doubting these guys play too many of their classics in concert.

Each of these songs is about 30 percent too long. I understand creating an atmosphere through repetition but with such subtle use of melody and gradual changes these songs don't really feel like they all need to be 7-10 minutes.

Luckily the songs ARE all rather groovy, although I generally prefer my IDM faster paced. Shorter songs are better. I wonder how this album compares to more recent albums consider it turns 20 this year.

Best Track: Eutow
Rating: 6/10 (Are you surprised?)

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 202: Ziltoid the Omniscient by Devin Townsend (Album Choice: Lord Of Sushi)

Chugchugchugchugchugchugchugchugchuvchugchuvchug

This album has some of the dumbest lyrics ever. This guy should work for [adult swim]. He's worked on Metalocalypse I think but he should actually write some episodes.

Chugchugchufchugchugchugchugchugchugchug

This album is decent musically but a bit wanky for my tastes and the downtuned riffs tire out quickly behind the nonsensical opera.

Chugchugchugchugchugchugchugchugchugchugchugchuvchdugchug

The vocals are appropriately stupid considering the bombast and pomp and cheese of everything. And coffee.

Chugchgchugchugchugchugchugsjendjent wait I have no idea what djent is.

Best Track: Solar Winds
Rating: 5/10 (might go up or down if I bother to relisten)q

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 203: Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest (Album Choice: FoJaR)

This is basically The Low-End Theory part two. I should bump that album to a 9. Anyways, although it's more of the same, that's not a bad thing because these guys know their formula well. Same low beats (maybe a little bit more exuberant this time), same smooth, smart flow, same witty lyrics. The only thing is nothing stands out like Butter or Scenario. Still not a bad album by any means.

Best Track: Clap Your Hands
Rating: 7/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Coil - Musick To Play In The Dark

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 204: Mezzanine by Massive Attack (Album Choice: korny)

I love how the album's textured and deep tone relies heavily on abstract and ambient sounds.

Okay it's obvious I don't feel like writing. This is a good album. The songs are groovy and danceable. What more do you want?

Go have sex to this music.

Best Track: Dissolved Girl
Rating: 8/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 205: The Elkcloner by The Elkcloner (Album Choice: Wayward Vagabond)

At first I thought this was gonna be some psybient in the vein of Shpongle but this is much more jazzy than that (although there is copious amounts of flute in here). This seems to be inspired mostly by old spy and horror films. Not a bad bunch of songs, but I can't get behind the vocals combined with the arrangements half of the time, which can get way over-the-top. It's one thing to be theatrical, another thing to be B-Movie esque.

I should say that at some points, however, this album is astonishingly beautiful, especially that first track.

Best Track: Awaken
Rating: 7/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 206: Chaos by Faux Paz (Album Choice: YOSHl)

Months later, I still have no fucking idea how to review acapella music. These are still covers of songs I don't like at all (Ellie Goulding? Adele?). This album is quite a bit shorter though, only 8 tracks.

The production on this album sounds fuller and more atmospheric. Maybe the group got bigger between albums? Not sure. I enjoy this album more than the last one because of that, also because no horrible rap solos.

A pleasant listen, and I enjoyed a lot of covers of songs I hate. I need to do more dense reviews.

Best Track: Figure 8, surprisingly enough.
Rating: 7/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 207: Dripping by Pile

5 hour bus to New York, let's knock some albums out. I'm listening to this one because I wanna see some local bands and these guys are easily the biggest ones touring right now (well, biggest within the local scene).

Some good noise here, but I prefer the more melodic songs. Definitely wanna see this live, I'm sold. Whoever decided that live shows promote albums and not vice versa? That's dumb as hell and I'm glad the times are achanging.

Best Track: Prom Song
Rating: 7.5/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 208: Liminal Space by Xanopticon (Album Choice: Contrapasso)

This is not Music for Bus Rides. That's not actually an album but even if it was this wouldn't be funny.

Best Track: Capacitd (because with this music the crazier the better)
Rating: 6.5/10 (I'm not crazy for flashcore but for a 2003 FL studio production this gets bonus points for dating so damn well)

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 209: Panic by Caravan Palace (Album Choice: Surt)

Fun, unique album. Sounds kinda like a modern electronic-tinged update on the soundtrack of an old blackface cartoon except not nearly as offensive. Considering how cartoonish this music is, 55 minutes was a bit long, but nonetheless I can definitely see this music fitting many situations and it's quite enjoyable. It's also great as Music for Bus Rides. Why is that not an Eno album?

Best Track: The Dirty Side Of The Street
Rating: 7/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 210: Comfort Eagle by Cake (Album Choice: Hazel H.)

Someone called me out for not putting effort into my reviews. I think it's about damn time I changed that. Perhaps a bit more focus and effort will stimulate my brain as much as I need it to. Perhaps this could be a very healthy exercise if I was to use my intellect and writing skills more. Perhaps if my writing was of a better quality, maybe, just maybe someone from an up and coming review website will recruit me and I'll be on the path to a new career. And if you've read this paragraph, maybe you realize everything I'm saying right now is bullshit. I'm sorry I just hate effort. I will try to write at least a FEW good reviews before I hit 365 though.

But yeah this album's pretty decent. A bit too Caucasian funk for my own tastes but these guys certainly can write a catchy melody. Horns seem slightly gratuitous.

Best Track: There's no real particular standout here
Rating: 6/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 211: Zebrafish by Azargabra (Album Choice: Surt)

I think this may be the most obscure release I've listened to yet as a result of this challenge. This album isn't on RateYourMusic, doesn't seem to have any reviews from major publications, has no existence on YouTube, how the hell do people find out about releases like this? Word of mouth I guess?

Anyways, for a 21 track album, I'm surprised that I didn't think the album was too long. What does bum me out is after the first few songs, a lot of these tracks just seem to be sketches and soundscapes where either a more fully-formed track could've taken over or the idea wasn't worth the time. I'm not sure if this album needs trimming or reworking. Not to say I didn't enjoy most of my time.

Best Track: Wild Boar Stew
Rating: 6.5/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 212: Wild Light by Mount Sims (Album Choice: David H.)

I had never heard of this guy prior to perhaps 10th grade. However, a friend of mine obsesses over this guy like he's the new musical god and needs worship. As much as I respect someone who worships the lesser-known, let me list off this friend's musical faux pas. Why? Because I'm having fun. Also fuck your notion of an opinion, these are objectively problematic.

-Disses Ween
-Disses The Jesus Lizard (Understandable but not in this case)
-Disses anything with acoustic guitar
-Worships Kanye West without reason
-Thinks of Eminem and Childish Gambino as some of the finest lyricists today
-Claims a good voice counts for "51% of the music"
-Listens to Linkin Park
-Listens to effing Lostprophets
-Worst crime: Thinks Tyler the Creator is better than Earl Sweatshirt

And yet sadly, I find his taste to be slightly more respectable than 90 percent of people I know. I know a bunch of cretins. Also, most of what he listens to that isn't atrocious ends up being Depeche Mode ripoffs so that is my current expectation.

Dude, usually I'm wrong with my predictions, but this time I was completely freaking right. And this lasts 15 goddamn songs.

Well, 14 songs. The first track hints at what is to come but is otherwise a cool piece of dissonance.

David you have failed me again.

Best Track: Forest Chamber
Rating: 3/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 213: Plains of the Purple Buffalo by *Shels (Album Choice: Crazyjayde)

These stupid artist names piss me the hell off. After an emotional, atmospheric first track, this album meanders a bit too much for my taste. The use of silence between blow ups is a great idea for dynamics in theory (because we're all sick of crescendos), but there's too much dead air. And the vocal style is too overwrought for such a long release, not to mention the crappy "touches" here and there like acoustic guitar.

Cut out the fat, and this would be a much better album. There are a handful of great emotional tracks but this certainly does not need to be 15 lengthy songs.

Best Track: Conqueror
Rating: 5/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

True. Even though I think the length is great for narrative/concept purposes, they could take a handful of their best, split them into parts and it would still hold up. I'm fond of their ideas though. Crescendocore and all, they pull it off nicely.

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 214: Twilight Cinema by Major Parkinson (Album Choice: TheRapingDragon)

Is this a solo project or a band? Not gonna bother with the research. This is described as "dark cabaret" but this just reminds me of a medieval-esque Mr. Bungle with hints of one of those progressive metal bands (in terms of atmosphere solely, there's not much metal to this at all). Like evil circus music or something with less color. The attempts at setting are a bit overwrought but this is a very, very interesting release, and quite well-written at that. I wish the voices weren't so bizarre.

Best Track: Impermanence
Rating: 7/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Good to see you enjoyed it. They are a group and one of my favourite recent finds. According to last.fm they are my second most listened to band of the last year (Amorphis are first).

Personally I'd go for The Wheelbarrow as the best song on the album. I'd highly recommend their other two albums as well.

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 215: Naked City by Naked City

I'm going to see John Zorn in November so I thought I may as well listen to some of his albums. This one is listed as a starting point. It's good, more engaging than most jazz.

This school year already sucks.

Best Track: Latin Quarter
Rating: 7/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Day 216: Talking Book by Stevie Wonder (Album Choice: Phillip S.)

My sister says this guy put on the best concert she's ever seen. I wonder how much the goddamn tickets cost though. Can't fathom paying more than $60.

This is the album with Superstition on it? I would've expected some epic double album loaded with filler.

I'm glad it's not the case, because that's a stellar addition to an already pretty good album. Concise enough to leave a mark without overstating it's welcome, and that guitar synergizes so well with the synth work it's crazy.

Best Track: Maybe Your Baby
Rating: 7/10

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year
 

Not sure I could sit through a John Zorn gig, depends what albums he was playing off, but it would be nice to hear a review on it once you go.

His solo stuff as well as the albums with Naked City and Masada are more miss than hit. The three Gnostic Trio albums are pretty good. Personally, I like his work with Moonchild the most. Any of those six albums are worth a listen, though the most accessible is probably Templars: In Sacred Blood.