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

Day 286: Tago Mago by Can (Album Choice: ilikexd)

Experimental?
The first half is very good
The second is not

Best Track: Helleluhwah
Rating: 5.5/10

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

chris potter is one of the best instrumentalists currently alive

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

Day 287: Love Streams by Tim Hecker

Compared to the rather cluttered Virgins, this may be one of Hecker's sparest albums, and that's considering the fact that it includes vocals. Guided mostly by single-tone synthlines, this album doesn't even come close to the emotional depths of Harmony in Ultraviolet but it's at least a step towards innovation.

It wouldn't be nearly as mesmerizing to hear this in a church though. In fact some tracks might be able to pass off as REGULAR religious music.

Best Track: The mildly accurately titled Live Leak Instrumental
Rating: 7/10

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

Day 288: Sweet Nothings by Plini (Album Choice: Gradiant)

I feel unmoved.

Best Track: What just happened?
Rating: 3.5/10

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

Day 289: Urban Flora by Alina Baraz & Galimatias (Album Choice: Antonio A.)

This was a very situational album at 4AM, so I don't remember a lick of it but I do remember being thoroughly chilled and drifting on a path that seemed pleasant enough.

Best Track: I have no idea lol
Rating: 7/10

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

Day 290: Wrestling Moves by Native (Album Choice: ChikaraGuy)

I can't even tell if I've reviewed this album before or not. All of this midwest emo sounds the same to me. Supposedly this has more of a math rock influence, but the guitar tone and vocal style are damn near identical to every other emo release I've reviewed.

I'm depressed yet this doesn't do it for me.

Best Track: Pocket Jingle
Rating: 4.5/10

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

Day 291: Phreatic Surface by Metome (Album Choice: Surt)

This is rare, a release that actually leavese wanting MORE. This isn't really anything new to me (IDM straight outta Japan) but it's done so well, and the jazzy aspects add a nice nightly atmosphere to the EP.

It's 2:45 in the morning. Well not really but I wanted to say that.

Best Track: Water Cycle
Rating: 8/10

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

Day 292: Saralee by Saralee

Fucking self-centered dickhead. I hope you overdose on heroin mixed with xanax to the point where your lips turn purple, I hope you drown in the bathtub while bartarded. You are the most worthless scum I've ever met and every day you continue to live is a failure in both Darwin's theories and the morality of mother nature. Fuck you. You'll probably hear a different but similarly tip-of-the-tongue ramt, smile with your mouth but not your eyes and say some pretentious bullshit about how you're superior due to your money but I know you'll be hurting inside. I was the only one to give you a chance, all the other Asians said you were a dicksucker, a pompous asswipe without the smarts to back it up. They were right, and I was wrong to call them wrong. Seriously, I don't think anyone will cry if you commit suicide. I think that during your moment of silence people will giggle at someone else's jokes and nobody will remember you existed within a year. Please just die already.

That's not AT ALL directed to this album or the people who made this album I don't know them personally. This is a fine little slab of lo-fi guitar pop, although the vocals are so untrained as to be slightly headachey after 25 minutes. It's interesting that I like this music yet it somehow induced rage-filled thoughts in me. Hmm.

Best Track: Hesitation
Rating: 6.5/10

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

Day 293: Hybrid Awaken by Lunar (Album Choice: NinjaKIWI)

This album is marginally more appealing than sudoku on a plane.

Best Track: Lazy Dog Funk
Rating: 6/10

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

If you're still looking for albums, you should review Disarm the Descent by Killswitch Engage.

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

Day 294: The Willows by Belbury Poly (Album Choice: csd)

I don't really know what Berlin School really is. I once listened to Ringer by Four Tet but that release fucking sucked compared to his folktronica stuff. I need to see him live when he comes to Boston.

Anyways, this album starts off pretty weak, it sounds like it should've been made in the 70s or something when electronic instruments were new. However, as it goes on, it gets more and more beautiful and atmospheric. So basically, this is a first-time listen grower.

And it's definitely a keeper.

Best Track: Far Off Things
Rating: 8/10

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

Day 295: The Life of Pablo by Kanye West

Since you're going to read several professional reviews of this album I'm just going to bulletpoint my thoughts.

-Chance the Rapper had the best album of 2015, but nobody seems to agree with that opinion. This first track is good.
-I actually shouted "what?" when listening to Father Stretch My Hands Part 1. Those lyrics make Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven look like a goddamn masterpiece... because it is a masterpiece.
-Who the hell is Desiigner? He sucks.
-This is one incredibly fragmented album. I like that. The scattershot nature of this album means whatever sucks doesn't stick very long, and there are some stinkers. On the other hand, the best parts (minus the first track) don't stick around too long either, but at least it's charmingly schizophrenic.
-Low Lights is corny garbage.
-On the other hand, Highlights is hilarious garbage. I wish I was high for this. I'm so ignorant I can't even separate Young Thug and Kanye.
-Freestyle 4 is grating garbage. The trap influences on this album drag it down to hellishly bad lows.
-I am resisting the urge to skip FML because listening to The Weeknd is more violating than a 8 inch spiked butt plug up my ass.
-Wolves would be a fantastic track if the lyrics didn't make one go "What the hell?" out loud.
-I will always believe that less is more and a 10 track album would have been preferable, but on that note, the tacked on songs seem to be some of the best. Waves and 30 Hours are both great pop rap tracks, while No More Parties In LA features Kanye somehow being better than Kendrick Lamar.
-No I don't feel bad for Bill Cosby and you are a fucking idiot for feeling so.

Overall... Not bad, not good.

Best Track: No More Parties In LA
Rating: 5.5/10

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

2deep4u

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

Day 296: Painting With by Animal Collective

Two big releases I'm listening to on one day. Also, I'm seeing these guys when they come to Boston on the 22nd. They better play The Purple Bottle.

Pretty sure this is their shortest album, which is good because most of their albums meander for 15 or 20 minutes too many.

The songwriting, however, is only slightly above that of Centipede Hz and highlights are hard to pick out because these songs are practically indistinguishable. Like I've said about a thousand albums this definitely isn't bad, but it's definitely not one of their better releases. Hopefully these songs don't steal the show.

Best Track: These songs are all equal to each other.
Rating: 6/10

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

Day 297: Special Snowflakes by Pile

Impulse listen. This is a good introduction to the band. Not better than Dripping but better than You're Better Than This. I wish that sentence was more confusing.

Best Track: Special Snowflakes (there's only two)
Rating: 8/10

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

I'm sure you've probably listened to at least one of these but I'm really interested to see your opinion on them.

DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
The Avalanches - Since I Left You
Tortoise - TNT
Kairon; IRSE! - Ujubasajuba
Sweet Trip - Velocity : Design : Comfort

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

This is a very good album, even if it is damn near impossible to tag without most media players thinking it's two separate artists.

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

Day 298: A Promise by Xiu Xiu (Album Choice: Dvaerak7Korgo)

This is one of those albums that Tiny Mix Tapes wanks over but I've never gotten the chance to check out.

These lyrics are terribibble.

I'm sad that Gravity Falls is over.

What should I review for my 300th album out of 365? Am I gonna continue after 365? It's not like I have much better to do with my life.

Not my kind of experimental but I applaud these guys because they definitely have their own sound.

Best Track: Apistat Commander
Rating: 6/10

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

Day 299: Man in Black by Johnny Cash (Album Choice: Sean M.)

I think this qualifies as a good enough penultimate-to-300 review, since 364 as a major number is pretty debatable.

When I was around 9 or 10, I was forced to listen to Folsom County Blues and Walk The Line on a RIDICULOUSLY frequent basis because my sister played those two songs on a loop during car rides. At the time, it gave me sharp migraines, but in hindsight those were some pretty good songs.

And I must thank my sister, because she gave me what I will compare this album to. Well, I also do recall the Johnny Cash covers of Hurt and Rowboat, but the lack of trauma attached to that makes their influence on me negligible.

Compared to all of what I've heard before, THIS ALBUM FUCKING SUCKS. It's all bland, preachy, Christianity-is-my-fetish bullshit. I'm definitely not a diehard atheist but this is over-the-top. The first half DEFINITELY has some twangy good tracks for sure, but the Jesus is creeping up on me too damn much. On the note of instrumentation, some songs NAIL it, like the best track listed down below because I don't want to bold more shit, or they ruin the song with ludicrous instrumentation choices, like the title track.

Now I must find the Johnny Cash albums which contained, you know, good songs. I feel I owe it to the man's legacy.

Best Track: If Not For Love
Rating: 5/10

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

Day 300: None Shall Pass by Aesop Rock (Album Choice: FoJaR)

Shit, it's the 300th album? Completely forgot. Took long enough.

My knowledge of this guy is limited to the fact that he is the most verbose rapper out there, he's white (and I usually hate Caucasian rap) and he's universally considered better than A$AP Rocky by a very wide margin. I always used to confuse the two.

Like one minute in, and I'm already impressed by this guy's skills. For reference of my standards, I think MF DOOM is the GOAT and I thought Rap God was one of the corniest, most cringeworthy tracks ever releases. Horrible. This guy isn't as fast as Eminem but obviously speed isn't everything. This guy has everything, smooth flow, great wordplay, and he usually avoids being corny. Color me impressed.

The beats are pretty average. Funky, but nothing that makes me go wow HOLY FUCK IT'S MY MANCRUSH JOHN DARNIELLE. Off of that point, yeah beats are not good not bad. Also this album should be trimmed by at least 3 tracks.

Overall, I give this a thumbs up, and considering my admittedly irrational disdain for white pe- I mean rappers, that's not an easy approval to give.

Best Track: None Shall Pass
Rating: 7/10