Need music recommendations | 1 year challenge

[Poison-]

0-Disaster
1-Unbareable
2-Painful
3-Awful
4-Bad
5-Mediocre
6-Okay
7-Good
8-Great
9-Amazing
10-Masterpiece

[Crazyjayde]

I'd like to advocate the use of the word "decent" in the search for an agreement
I like how it sounds

And I will now grumble back to hibernation since Coolboyrulez suggested Clonepa although not one of his better EPs. That, and the fact that I'm a temperamental grouch.

P.S. I appreciate the effort of keeping the reviews coming. It's a great output for learning about points of interest.

[noname219]

I like some of those, plus they're one word. Will change to those :

10 - Masterpiece
9 - Near perfection -> Amazing
8 - Excellent
7 - Very good -> Great
6 - Good
5 - Correct -> Medium (edit : maybe decent)
4 - Poor
3 - Bad
2 - Very Bad -> Awful
1 - Worst -> terrible ? catastrophe ? disaster ? Abysmal

[EzExZeRo7497]

1 could be abysmal.

[ninjaKIWI]

Brazilian Girls - Talk to La Bomb

[choof]

did somebody say chvrches

[noname219]

Day Twenty-Nine - December 29th, 2013
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Force of Nature by 3rd Force (recommended by L.B.D.D.)

1. Forever Yours
2. Listen to Your Heart
3. Sundancer
4. Here Comes the Night (Intro)
5. Here Comes the Night
6. Behind Closed Eyes
7. Force of Nature
8. Vital Connection
9. 'Til We Meet Again
10. 3rd Force Party
11. Coming Home

3rd Force is a smooth jazz group that started in the mid 90s. They gathered moderate success up until their latest output in 2005. Their second album, Force of Nature was released in 1995 and features a dozen collaborators, notably Craig Chaquico (member of Jefferson Airplane), Peter White and Boney James.

It really sounds like it comes from an early beta version of the Sims. Buying mode - not building mode. The difference hides in the mood. The building mode was a little more depressing, more serious in tone. Whereas the buying mode was positive if not extravagant. Force of Nature is the buying mode. The music is overly light and optimistic. If not unidirectional in atmosphere. The ambiance is lacking complexity I should say. It's fun, but after 4-5 songs, the fun kind of wears off. Not the type of album I'm usually looking for, but I can listen to this if I need music to cheer me up. Very ISS Deluxe-y brass section (Forever Yours and Sundancer for example). The piano in Vital Connection is good. Here Comes the Night has a cool silky mix of guitar, accordion and bass.

And, that's about it. I could write more if I was a smooth jazz connoisseur. Decent.

My rating : ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

[noname219]

Day Thirty - December 30th, 2013
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The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden (recommended by Poison-)

1. Invaders
2. Children of the Damned
3. The Prisoner
4. 22, Acacia Avenue
5. The Number of the Beast
6. Run to the Hills
7. Gangland
8. Hallowed Be Thy Name

First to get 3 recommendations. \o/ And it's the first album I've already listened completely since I started this project. Along with Metallica and Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden are by far one of the most known and influential metal band. The Number of the Beast is their third album, with a lineup change. Vocalist Paul Di'Anno didn't like the direction the band was heading, he quit was fired, and was replaced by Bruce Dickinson (who was with Samson before). The album met critical and commercial success and is now a milestone in the heavy metal evolution, even if it was considered controversial/satanic at the time by some really dumb people.

It's crazy how this album has aged well. Every time I get back to it, I can feel the influence it had on nearly every metal band in the late 80s - and probably on a ton of recent bands today. It has for sure a nostalgic effect, the way it slowly grew on me, from the first time I heard the riffs of the song The Number of the Beast. The album is near flawless on every aspect. Not quite perfect for me : Gangland isn't as memorable, I don't like the choruses of Invaders or The Prisoner, Run to the Hills has been overplayed far too much...

Besides all that, it's an incredible release on all counts. Dickinson's particular singing might turn some people off, but his vocal range and large array of techniques is quite exceptional. The highlight being, for me, his scream at the beginning of The Number of the Beast. The bassist (Steve Harris) plays a very important role, by bringing variety in the melodies, complementing the guitarists (Dave Murray and Adrian Smith) in a perfect manner, going full-speed technical in Run to the Hills. The drummer (Clive Burr) is solid and inspiring. Not to mention the explosive solos and strong riffs, almost Sabbath-y at times (Children of the Damned). Hallowed Be Thy Name is perfectly constructed and builds up to a great finale.

My favourite Iron Maiden release by a mile. Even ahead of Powerslave which I found disappointing.

My rating : ★★★★★★★★★☆

[choof]

iron maiden a 9/10

[noname219]

3-4 years ago it was a 10.

[VisD]

Breakbeat Heartbeat - 22:06

BBHB is wildly inconsistent, but this is one of his stronger assemblies imo. Hope you enjoy it.

[noname219]

Day Thirty-One - December 31st, 2013
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White Lighter by Typhoon (recommended by moches)

1. Prelude
2. Artificial Light
3. Young Fathers
4. Morton's Fork
5. Possible Deaths
6. The Lake
7. Dreams of Cannibalism
8. One Hundred Years
9. Prosthetic Love
10. Hunger & Thirst
11. Caesar
12. Common Sentiments
13. Post Script

Last review of 2013, technically speaking, I'm two day late. (crap crap crap) But picking this album is a crazy good timing because it's moches' album of the year .
So, Typhoon is an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon with a driving force of 14 members. Not quite the number of The Polyphonic Spree but still. They were formed in 2005 and White Lighter is their 3rd album. Their music can be compared to Arcade Fire, Beirut, Frightened Rabbit or Bright Eyes. Probably to some extent to Sufjan Stevens.

When you discover a new band for the first time, you can't help but make comparisons with the music you have previously heard of. That's what happened when I listened to White Lighter. Their sound is extremely close to a lot of recent indie bands I've listened in the past years. It doesn't hurt their music, but it hurts their identity. If I never get back to this music, I will forget who they are. Instead, what makes this album interesting is the contrast of the melodies. Climaxing from the mid of Hunger & Thirst, it sounds ambitious. Violins are sublime on that song -- and on the whole album for that matter. Artificial Light is another highlight, introducing upbeat horns, bursting with a poignant symphonic choral. You can find almost the same harmonies somewhere into Dreams of Canibalism. The fuzzing guitar in The Lake has a cool tone, but they rushed its insertion by a half-measure. All of this contrast with the cute female voice and a gentle acoustic guitar you can find in Morton's Fork or Possible Deaths. So, it's this balance of ideas that makes it worthwhile. Gotta mention the songwriting too. On the negative side, beginning of Artificial Light is a bit discordant, too much going on there. Plus the singer sometimes seems out of breath.

Definitely a grower. Will give it more spins. For now, I feel comfortable with 7 stars.

My rating : ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

@ moches : take a look at Seeds or Into Your Lungs by Hey Rosetta!

[noname219]

Day Thirty-Two - January 1st, 2014
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Forest of Equilibrium by Cathedral (recommended by rayword45)

1. Picture of Beauty & Innocence (Intro) / Commiserating the Celebration
2. Ebony Tears
3. Serpent Eve
4. Soul Sacrifice
5. A Funeral Request
6. Equilibrium
7. Reaching Happiness, Touching Pain

Cathedral is a band from UK founded by the ex-vocalist of Napalm Death, Lee Dorrian who didn't like the death metal sound the band was moving to. Their first album Forest of Equilibrium went out in 1991 and became a reknown album in the doom metal community. They soon changed their sound to a faster groove/stoner/heavy metal and put out nine other albums before their dissolution in 2013.

It's so sloooooooow. Oh boy, and it dragged a lot. It's like watching a huge suitcase containing the only pair of dry socks you had slowly sink to the bottom of a muddy pit. So slow and downbeat, it's painful. I don't mind the thickness of the songs, but when combined to the depressive combination of chords and low vocals, it puts you into this mood and the music hurts even more. When they decide to crank up the tempo, that's when it gets good. Soul Sacrifice and the second section of A Funeral Request are great stoner metal songs. You can also hear at the end of the first track a pretty interesting reverberated effect on the vocals. About those vocals, well, they sucked. Almost no redeemable values for me. Heavy and muddy for sure, but painfully bad. The flute on Reaching Happiness, Touching Pain makes for a weird combination and it worked, somehow.

It's by listening Soul Sacrifice that I figured out I like their later work more (The Ethereal Mirror and over). Their doomy sound is generally unattractive. However, the album feels organic, so that gets a few more points because of this.

My rating : ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

edit : OP was updated. Lot of movements in the rankings. Will also rank them by month and give out monthly "awards". At the end of the year, I will make a more accurate top 50-100.

[rayword45]

I liked the vocal style personally, because it gave it a very unique feel to the album, compared to all the other Doom Metal artists like Candlemass and St. Vitus with operatic vocals. It's pretty obvious that it's not for everyone though. I think of this album as the midpoint between Doom and Sludge like Eyehategod.

EDIT: Is it possible so my list of recommendations goes in reverse alphabetical instead? I'm far more eager to see Ween and The Mountain Goats reviewed than Acid Bath and Lightning Bolt.

[Hakulyte]

Iron Maiden - Brave New World
Stratovarius - Chosen Ones

[noname219]

Day Thirty-Three - January 2nd, 2014
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Grace Under Pressure by Rush (recommended by trumaestro)

1. Distant Early Warning
2. Afterimage
3. Red Sector A
4. The Enemy Within
5. The Body Electric
6. Kid Gloves
7. Red Lenses
8. Between the Wheels

Rush. One of the most popular progressive rock band around. Formed in 1968, but only started recording in 1973. They got really popular around the release of 2112 and reached a climax after Moving Pictures, with YYZ, Limelight and Tom Sawyer being some of their most known songs.

I never was a fan of Rush. I like them but I can't see why they are so much praised. Their songs mostly left me cold barring a few exceptions (Working Man, 2112, etc.). So I wasn't expecting a lot. It started good, with two of their best songs. Good choruses, the instrumental section on Afterimage is more than decent. Then, I started to realize how awful and synthetic the drum was programmed during the drum rolls in Red Sector A. Talented musicians, but their tuning is off at times. The bass playing on The Enemy Within is solid. Not to mention the guitar solos on Kid Gloves and Between the Wheels.

Progressive rock was declining in popularity in the mid-80s so Rush went ahead and adapt themselves by blending their music even more than before. It's notable in The Enemy Within with ska (guitar) and electronic influences (that sound really cheapo today). Red Lenses features some quite ugly experimentation, it's absurd and uninspiring. On Between the Wheels, the synth was well mixed into the chorus (1m30). I always found Rush to have a fascinating songwriting. On The Body Electric, for example, there's a line repeated multiple times : "1001001". Can be translated to "I" in ASCII or "egg" in morse code (same trick they pulled off in YYZ). When you get to the lyrics, it describes a robot who tries to break free from a robot's social structure. The "I" or "egg" might be a reference to the robot's struggling to escape.

Not their best I believe. I found their early albums generally superior, but it wasn't bad either.

My rating : ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

@ rayword : with the randomizer, they have equal chances of being picked up.
@ Hakulyte : added yours

[noname219]

Day Thirty-Four - January 3rd, 2014
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2003-2008 by RTPN (recommended by DragonIIDX)

1. Awakening
2. Pulse
3. Boomslang
4. Inside
5. Feedback
6. Cell
7. Hypersleep
8. Abyss
9. Crossfire
10. Termination
11. Trigger
12. Shattered
13. Aftershock
14. Extacy
15. Solarize
16. Blinded - Terror
17. The Fall

RTPN is a finnish electronic/industrial rock/metal duo founded by Asko Katiska and Sami Anttila at 2003. Couldn't find a lot about this group except they made some Celldweller and Subkulture remixes in the past.

A lot of hidden industrial rock gems on this compilation. Very similar to Celldweller, Blue Stahli, Subkulture. I gotta say, it's better than those last two, and close to Celldweller's debut in terms of quality (better consistency at least). The guitar riffs are a bit straightforward (Crossfire, Inside, etc.) or memorable, like in the opener, Awakening. Some good trance beats here and there : Pulse, Termination, Shattered. An enjoyable ride. The guitar on Aftershock, on the other hand, is annoying and grating. Some darker, bleaker moods in Feedback and Abyss has a nice drum sequence going on. Mostly instrumental, but features whispering vocals (good), minimal spoken words or clean vocals on some songs, and muffled growling on Trigger (bad).

So, I wasn't expecting a lot based on how little I could find about them. I was instead, pleasantly surprised. Too long for me, I could remove probably 5-6 filler songs. It's energetic and has a nice mixture of different genres.

My rating : ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Ooo was able to catch up.

[noname219]

Day Thirty-Five - January 4th, 2014
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Once by Nightwish (recommended by rushyrulz)

1. Dark Chest of Wonders
2. Wish I Had an Angel
3. Nemo
4. Planet Hell
5. Creek Mary's Blood
6. The Siren
7. Dead Gardens
8. Romanticide
9. Ghost Love Score
10. Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan
11. Higher Than Hope

Finally getting to a Nightwish album at last. I know you know them. When I had my power metal "phase", that was one of the band I was listening the most. Had five songs from this album on iTunes before removing Wish I Had an Angel and Planet Hell because I was sick of them. Anyway, Once was their fourth album, released in 2004 and propulsing them as one of the main gothic/symphonic/whatever female fronted band, along with Evanescence, Epica, Within Temptation or Lacuna Coil. The album cost nearly €250 000 to produce (a record in Finland), partly because they hired a full orchestra - the London Phillarmonic Orchestra nothing less.

Last album with Tarja on the vocals. And she shines. I never undertood why they even bother adding generic male vocals on Wish I Had an Angel and Planet Hell. Tarja outclass by far Marco's voice. Yet, there's some opera-esque voices that complete her singing style finely. Creek Mary's Blood and Ghost Love Score are two long, mainly orchestral songs having some differences. First one is more smooth and "tribal", gets louder after 5m30, finishing with a native American prayer. The second one is more grandiose with an epic orchestral section, one of their most ambitious song. Have nothing to say negatively about the orchestra. How could I anyway ? They did a wonderful job.

What about the band ? I had the feeling they weren't exactly on par with the orchestra. They sure tried. But, they weren't as melodic and remarkable as their earlier albums. How would the album sound if we removed any trace of the orchestra ?
The guitar had some freaking boring riffs in Wish I Had an Angel or in some parts of Dead Gardens, yet the solos were good. The synthesizer and the bass were deeply buried, but they had their moments. The drumming was honest, but nothing extraordinary. It kinda left me waiting for more. At first sight, the album appears accessible, more than their other albums, due to being closer to symphonic metal than power metal. When you listen to it, however, it's more harsh, more aggressive, to a point where Romanticide sounds like a Thrash metal song.

Possible that I bump this album to 8 stars. It's close. Not yet. I will compare it before with their other records.

Kinda of funny how the cover art was copied from the first EP by Evanescence.

My rating : ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

[rushyrulz]

I actually like Marco's vocals since you don't hear that kind of assertiveness and power in music today.

[rushyrulz]

ps what are the random numbers beside each song title in the last 2 reviews?