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RPS

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2 hours ago, RPS said:

For sure. I think the goal is just to find something that is readily available for people to listen too. Could be an EP or an LP. I actually have no experience with Godspeed, so I am excited. 

Also, because we are three short of our full 30, I am going to pick the next three albums from Acclaimed Music, RateYourMusic and the top selling albums to add to the list, so added in to the mix are: 

  • Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited (1965) (Acclaimed Music) 
  • Talking Heads - Remain In Light (1980) (RateYourMusic)
  • Celine Dion - Falling Into You (1996) (Best Selling Albums of All Time) 

Interesting mix that, looking forward to them.

Will sort out Beach Boys tomorrow.

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So I absolutely loved To Pimp a Butterfly. That was a fucking brilliant album, absolutely deserves the accolades and praise it is given. I think it was interesting reading other opinions on here, I think one thing that sticks out about all of us is that the beginning of the album hooked all of us. That's important, that's a really tell tale sign of a great album, did the beginning hook you? It sure as fuck did for me, that was a brilliant introduction to Kendrick Lamar for me, and I loved that first Interlude they do here. Good albums may start off a bit weak but pick up, but a great album grabs your attention immediately. 

I noticed right off the bat as well that musical influence from the past is present in the beats here. Throughout the whole album I was getting vibes of motown, funk, soul, and jazz (and my ear isn't keen enough to have identified any samples that were obvious so) in the music, and Kendrick fucking wove modern hip hop flow in flawlessly. It was wonderful. 

I think it also has a bit of something for everybody (I mean for those who like hip hop anyway, probably nothing here for my old white relatives). Ya know, it had these aggression, beauty, vulnerability, political thoughts, positivity, just everything you'd want.

As for standout tracks, I really enjoyed everything but I'd say the first five reallly hooked me and were all fantastic. The Interlude For Free? really knocked my socks off. After that, the Blacker the Berry, Complexion, and Hood Politics really worked for me. 

I also don't mind the length of the album. I can see where some of you would prefer to have cut this short, but I guess I was just so hooked by this that I loved how long it went. If the quality is good then keep rolling I say. 

So yeah, looks like I got a new favorite album for a bit. I'm going 5/5 for sure, and check back with me at the end of the year when the Spotify year end lists show up. Bet that some of this stuff is in my listening history. 

Beach Boys - Pet Sounds. 

So oddly, I don't know a lot about the Beach Boys music. I mean, I obviously know they're huge, and beloved almost on that level of Elvis/Beatles ya know? Big blindspot for me though. I also know this album is considered a masterpiece in just pretty much everything musically (production, musicianship, writing, etc. whatever)

I liked the album fine, I know a few of the tracks here just because it's the fucking Beach Boys. 

Much like Kendrick above, I like hearing elements of music from a previous generation. Is anybody here familiar with Les Baxter or Martin Denny? Check them out, especially Martin Denny, he was around in the 50s/60s? His stuff was interesting and I think probably some of it was a precursor to some of the stuff the Beach Boys do here. 

But then the fun part here, you can also hear stuff that sounds like a precursor to psychedelic and acid rock type stuff. The Beach Boys showing their own innovations here. 

I mean honestly, I think the more I like an album the more I'll comment on it. This was a fine album, but I just don't think the Beach Boys kick my ass like other stuff does. 

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I have very limited interaction with the Beach Boys, so going into this album was interesting. I listened to this album 3 times - 1 once yesterday and twice today. 

To begin, the album cover is awful. It is comical to me that OK Computer and Pet Sounds are renowned as great albums, but have awful album art. 

I am both impressed and disappointed with this album. I am impressed because the album feels and sounds aspirational and imaginative. It is a lot of fun. There is also the obvious highs - God Only Knows, Wouldn't It Be Nice - are lovely little pop gems. 

However, this is the album that is voted #1 by critics. I enjoyed the album. I would describe it as very good. I cannot understand how this is considered the best album of all time. Production, song writing, and in composition - nothing stands out as exceptional to me. I think I ultimately preferred Abbey Road to this. I would describe them as equal.

I am coming to the realization that so much of the greatest albums of all time are there for influence and nostalgia versus what I cherish in music. 

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Our next album, per DFF's request, is my bloody valentine's album Loveless. This album did not sell well and there is no real concrete data outside of it selling 100,000 copies in the UK. This was the #5 best album of all time according to RateYourMusic and according to critics the 54th best album of all time. 

I have legitimately never heard this album before and to my recollection, never listened to a single song off the album. 

 

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On 26/05/2021 at 19:27, Malenko said:

Talking Heads Remain in Light is the first album of this whole list I actually own. Good stuff.

Actually, I meant of those discussed so far. I just checked the whole 30 album list and there are a few I own. 

As for my bloody Valentine, I've heard random songs but never a full album because I never liked them enough to dig deep. I did see them live once and I liked it. I'll give it a go, maybe tomorrow.

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My Bloody Valentine. 

Holy shit. How have I never listened to this album before? 

I started listening yesterday. I think I am on my fifth or sixth listen through it. 

This is exceptional. 

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Playing catch up again. Haven't listened to either before.

Album #5: Pet Sounds Thoughts:

Spoiler

I know I said I haven't listened to it before but I'm fully expecting to recognise a lot of these. Wouldn't It Be Nice is a good opener, I like the janky little intro part. More familiar with this one though, as I imagine a lot are.

You Still Believe In Me and That's Not Me are tracks I didn't know, but I enjoyed both. They both stayed with me more than Don't Talk.

I'm Waiting For A Day's intro immediately got more attention from me, the drum beat was more interesting than all of Don't Talk.

Let's Go Away For A While took me out of it a bit, especially the intro for the previous song hooked me in. Just didn't see the need for an interlude.

Sloop John B was much more like it, they should have just gone straight into it, especially since the interlude didn't even lead directly into it.

I don't think I could find you anyone who doesn't know God Only Knows, and I'd say it's the best song on the album.

I Know There's An Answer was okay, I can't say it interested me that much. Here Today was much better for me.

The ending run of three was perfectly fine but there's better stuff on the album.

Overall I think a lot of progress has been made since this came out, but the fact a few of the tracks still hold up is a huge testament to what a hit it must have been when it was released.

 

Album #6: Loveless Thoughts:

Spoiler

I don't think I've ever consciously listened to a My Bloody Valentine song ever, so no idea what to even expect with this.

My immediate thought on 'only shallow' is that I hate the singer's voice so I'm hoping it isn't all like this. Musically very interesting though.

Second track starts, same whiny voice. I can already tell this is an album I probably won't come back to.

Gotta be honest this is doing absolutely nothing for me halfway through. From a musical standpoint there's a lot of technical quality but it is just 100% not my thing. The guy's voice is so off-putting and the songs are just blending into a drone noise. I can't even make out what he's saying to understand the lyrics.

It very much feels, in the same vein of Radiohead, that you either completely get it and think it's brilliant or it's just straight up not for you, and I'm very much in the latter.

 

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I am far behind! We are going to start rotating on Wednesdays. 

Due to fan vote, we will be listening to Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada! 

 

 

 

I am very excited! 

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My Bloody Valentine - 

Had this on in the background whilst working this AM. I think it's broadly pretty good, if a little samey all the way through and I found myself not overly distinguishing between songs as I went. It's got a certain aesthetic that's very 'early 90s' and I quite dig that. I can see why its highly rated, even if its not something that squarely fits into my wheelhouse. Glad we listened to it and may explore other bits by them on the back of it. 

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 

Wow. A fair bit to take in here. I get that the track lengths won't be for everyone (10 and 17 minutes respectively), but for me this is peak post-rock. Track 1 (Moya) is outstanding. Just how the piece is built, it's just exquisite. Track 2 (Blaise Bailey Finnegan III) is an interesting mix of post-rock and spoken word and had a bit of a cinematic vibe to me in places. Again, a very very good piece musically. I can see why this is the hgihest rated EP on RYM. I could happily listen to this - track 1 particularly - over and over. 

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Godspeed You! Black Emperor was really good. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I enjoyed it. I do not even know how I would classify it or describe it. Experimental or art rock. I thought what killed it for me was the longer tracks not broken up. I have younger kids and it is nice to be able to pause an album in between an individual track and listen. I do not know if I will ever listen to the album again, but I may. 

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On 15/06/2021 at 16:42, RPS said:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor was really good. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I enjoyed it. I do not even know how I would classify it or describe it. Experimental or art rock. I thought what killed it for me was the longer tracks not broken up. I have younger kids and it is nice to be able to pause an album in between an individual track and listen. I do not know if I will ever listen to the album again, but I may. 

RYM classes its primary genre simply as Post Rock, with Chamber Music, Field Recordings and a few others bits as a secondary genre. Personally, I felt it had an element of a film score vibe too on the first track. 

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We have not listened to the 80s yet, so I randomly picked one.

This week's listen is... Talking Heads - Remain in Light (1980). Outside of my dad playing the odd Talking Heads track here or there, I actually have no real memories or deep connection to the album. This album looks to have sold about a million copies worldwide. The 37th best album of all time according to AcclaimedMusic and according to RateYourMusic the 12th best album of all time.

 

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First, Talking Heads:

I prefer Talking Heads 77, their first. Remain in Light is still a good listen and definitely more acclaimed by music critics and fans alike. Personally I'm not very big into the heavy psychedelic funk influence you can feel immediately after their first album. It's part of their sound - I get it - but I don't love it.

 

Now, Remain in Light:

I like their non-singles better than their singles, however, I do enjoy Houses in Motion which is obviously very funky. I know it goes against everything I just said, but you like what you like. What can you do?

I also like the Great Curve, a happy song that doesn't necessarily match its lyrics, but it doesn't need to. 

I also like Listening wind. I like how the voice sounds in this one, how it manages to soothe. It doesn't seem to fit with the sounds around it, but it does so well.

The Overload is a cool way to end the album and wouldn't fit anywhere else in it. I mean, having it somewhere else was obviously never considered but regardless, I like it as a last song on an album.

The rest of it is decent new wave/ kind of post-punk stuff, which I usually like a lot. It should be what I liked the most about it, considering it's closer to their earlier work, which I just said I prefered, but yet, that's not how I feel about it.

 

I'd say this album isn't for everyone and I definitely need to be in the mood for it. It's the most experimental album by Talking Heads but I dig what they did in general.

It was definitely something I found extremely boring in my early 20s the first time I heard it in full, but it's grown on me.

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