Listening Log for 2012

18   7.5  

Originality as it somewhat of a loss, but it's makes for a nice listen

m08221196's rating:

7   6.8  

Jesus Christ, this band's 70s output is endearing. Some of the dopiest, even stupidest pop, but all with such a wonderful charm. Just a wonderful down to earth album

m08221196's rating:

18   7.3  

I've got a feeling this thing is gonna be a grower. Experimental, almost industrial rock music. Sort of like a cross between Einstruzende Neubaten and Sonic Youth or something like that

m08221196's rating:

9   7.4  

I don't really pay attention to what goes on in music these days. I mean, I have so much shit from the past to check out, I can't be bothered with it. An album like this, though, makes me regret doing that. This is an original, brilliant post-hardcore album. 77 minutes in length, but all worth it. Album of the year

m08221196's rating:

100   7.9  

So I already had her "You Are Free" album and I loved it, so thought I'd go here next. Lovely album, a lot more experimental than "You Are Free", but just as great

m08221196's rating:

8   8.5  

Very good lofi singer-songwriter. Not much to say about it beyond that

m08221196's rating:

2   8.5  

One of many albums I had to add to the database myself. This is absolutely astonishing pice of minimalism. It's very hard to come by, but you can find the whole thing on youtube, I really recommend everyone (or at least anybody interested in modern classical) take a look for themselves

m08221196's rating:

3   8.5  

Okay, the production is pretty bad, but the music is great. Lots of soul, and one of the best reggae albums I've had the pleasure of hearing

m08221196's rating:

4   9  

I'm still rather new to Fahey's work, but I've enjoyed what I've heard so far. I think this may be the best, but it's a tough call. Wonderful, almost unheard of, guitar playing

m08221196's rating:

2   9.5  

Another one I had to add to the database, and I'm actually rather irked about that. Not just because I had to go through the trouble of actually doing that, but also because people aren't even aware of this thing's existence. This is essentially the pinnacle of all music. It should be taught in school's for chrissakes. Minimalism is one thing, this is something greater

m08221196's rating:

5   8.5  

Why the hell did the person who uploaded this not add an image? Like, seriously, why? I'll have to add one myself. As for the music, it's amazing. I love Mingus's studio albums (I'm a bit of a Mingus fanboy tbh), but this is the first live album I've heard from him, and I'm rather eager to check some others out now

Edit: I've now added a picture

m08221196's rating:

5   8.5  

My science teacher told me to check this out. I like it! The title track and "Joshua" are two of Miles's best

m08221196's rating:

1   9  

Another album Listal simply wasn't cool enough to have in their database, but here I come again with my obscure modern classical. This apocalyptic shit, epic in a Biblical sense

m08221196's rating:

2   7  

I've been told two things about The Nice's debut 1. it was a big influence on prog and 2. it wasn't very good. I actually rather like it. The guitarist has a bit of a Hendrix thing going on, and Emerson's organ solos are very entertaining. "Dawn" is fucking awful, but the rest is loads of fun, even if a bit dated

m08221196's rating:

7   7.8  

Why didn't anybody tell this was so good. The beats, the MCs, the lyrics, it's a powerhouse. I mean, this thing is almost as good as "36 Chambers". I don't say that lightly. This is hip hop at it's finest!

m08221196's rating:

1   10  

Wow, this thing was already in the database. I should have checked before adding it. Anyways, brilliant album right here. Tuvan throat singing with accordions, very very powerful stuff

m08221196's rating:

4   8  

Really classy album right here. Some excellent piano, very nice solos, and awesome jazz guitar. I wouldn't call it essential or anything, but it is very nice to listen to

m08221196's rating:

5   8  

Awesome playing, but shit, it's Hendrix, am I to expect anything less than awesome. "We Gotta Live Together" is the best piece here, but the whole thing is pretty sick

m08221196's rating:

2   9  

Another added to the database by me. It's a very interesting album; late period Talk Talk with minimalism, ambient, and free improvisation thrown in there would be the best way to describe it. It's a really hypnotic, brilliant piece

m08221196's rating:

5   9  

Hip hop classic for sure. This album is just so damn cool

m08221196's rating:

1   10  

Q: Should I ease up on the excessive five stars
A: Probably

Q: Is this album a wonderful, quirky, progressive masterpiece of American bluegrass right up my alley
A: YES

Oh yeah, and I had to add this to the database

m08221196's rating:

3   5  

Fucking shit, this is unreal. I wish I could call it brutal, but it's WAY beyond that. Every member of the band tears it up beyond belief, playing as fast and as violently as they can. The lyrics aren't so much brutal as they are disturbing, describing a stalker outside his ex girfriend's house, and to make things even scarier, the album starts and ends with a creepy monologue about a girl ripping out another girl's eye sockets and crawling up her womb, told to us by the voice of Microsoft Sam. I can't say that "Prowler in the Yard" is for everyone, but I like it

m08221196's rating:

6   6.3  

I love post hardcore, so I suppose I was bound to love this. The guitar playing really is top notch, and to make things even better, it has shouty angsty teenage vocals

m08221196's rating:

31   6  

Being a "serious" music listener, liking something like this is strictly forbidden. Seriously, this album is heaviy influenced by hair metal (which I fucking hate), the lyrics are objectively stupid and contrived, every song sounds like "Party Hard", and it really is devoid of any substance whatsoever. I don't care, though. It's fun as hell, one of the most energetic things I've ever heard, and an album I love without the slightest hint of irony

m08221196's rating:

2   8  

Seriously, I think post hardcore may very well be the greatest genre of all time (top three at least). This album is an excellent example of post hardcore, filled with pure energy and unrelenting anger. An obscure classic for sure (but luckily already in the database)

m08221196's rating:

4   9  

There are some useless sections of basically nothingness, but when it gets going, it's fucking going. The whole "avant garde big band fusion" thing is as cool as it sounds and works amazingly well

m08221196's rating:

3   8  

Another one from the man that brought the album above. Solid hard bop with some avant garde leanings, a good bit of fun

m08221196's rating:

2   8  

A brilliant and lovely folk album. Lots of wonderful instrumentation, fantastic lyricism, and beautiful melodies. Sadly so obscure

m08221196's rating:

1   10  

Like many others here, added to the database by me. I'm a bit surprised, as it isn't all that obscure. No more than a lot of other stuff I have seen on listal.

As for the music, it's absolutely brilliant. Such quirky fun, and great great arrangements

m08221196's rating:

3   8.7  

An excellent jangley twee pop album. It has all the makings of a great twee pop album; sweet melodies, whimsical lyrics, and an overall high cuteness factor

m08221196's rating:

1   8  

You may be familiar with crunk, a god awful musical excursion experienced this decade. At the fore front of this movement were the Three Six Mafia. The Three Six Mafia were originally known as the Triple Six Mafia, who made this avant hip hop classic. Either they actually have real talent, or all these swag-jacked gems are the result of some horrible, marijuana-related accident (I'm guessing the latter). Oh yeah, and I added this one to Listal myself (again)

m08221196's rating:

4   8.8  

Aaand another one I added myself. Brilliant post hardcore, but very bad lyrics. I can tolerate some emo whining, but this is a bit much. Still, the music is really really good and has all the things I love about post hardcore in it

m08221196's rating:

4   9  

I've been meaning to listen to this one for over a month now. I finally stopped telling myself I would and just sat own and listened to the thing. It's actually pretty sweet, and really really loud. The only problem is the annoying background vocals on "Life is Cheap". Is that suppoed to be ironic or funny, it's not. Otherwise, fucking sweet

m08221196's rating:

116   7.8  

Amazing album, maybe even better than "If You're Feeling Sinister". Of course, it's a very very hard call, but I think this one just mildly edges it out. There very similar though, both in actual sound and quality

edit: never mind what I said, "If You're Feeling Sinister" is pretty much the greatest thing ever. This is still pretty brilliant, though

m08221196's rating:

4   8.5  

Dolphy is know for his avant gardeisms, so when I see has an album called "Out There" with a big fucking spaceship on the cover, I expect it to be the craziest, most avant garde thing ever. I actually found it rather restrained in a way. Still, very good, especially on "17 West" and "Sketch of Melba", both of which feature Dolphy doing some kick ass flute work

m08221196's rating:

121   7.5  

What a great band Belle and Sebastain are. They're catchy, fun, smart, write amazing lyrics, and are overall just totally loveable. "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" is no different

m08221196's rating:

8   7  

A pre-Rollins Black Flag ep. It's pretty awesome, fast, loud, and just fucking pissed, much like the band themselves. 6 and a half minutes in length, it packs more of a bunch than most full length albums

m08221196's rating:

87   7.1  

This band's ability to write so many awesome pop songs never ceases to impress me. How do they do it? Did they sell their soul to the devil for that talent or something

m08221196's rating:

16   8.2  

The problem with eps is that they can often feel insubstantial. All four songs here are gems that further prove my theory about how Belle and Sebastian are the greatest pop group ever, but I'm left wanting more. Black Flag's five minute eps worked because they could cram enough energy into that short period of time, but with Belle and Sebastian I want the whole album, not just a twenty minute glimpse of how awesome they are

m08221196's rating:

4   6.7  

Minimalism is sooooooooooooooo good

m08221196's rating:

16   7.6  

Generally I wouldn't go for Christian rock, but when it's awesome post hardcore I can make an exception. Plus you can't even tell it's Christian as the lyrics don't make any sense whatsoever.

m08221196's rating:

224   7.7  

I love indie. If you asked me what my favorite band was, I'd tell you a three-way tie between Belle and Sebastian, Pavement, and Modest Mouse, that's how much I love indie. But this is BORING. Musically it's not really bad, just kind of average vaguely enjoyable acoustic guitar that's not really all that engaging, but lyrically and vocally is where I really have to fault this thing. The lyrics sound like something I, an annoying, overly emotional 15 year old prick, would write and this wimp keeps sounding like he's gonna break down and cry while singing this bullshit. What's he got to cry about, how boring and lifeless his album is. The fucking thing should be called "I'm Sound Asleep, This Album is On"

m08221196's rating:

4   6.5  

So, after having scarred my mind with that shitfest "I'm Wide Awake" album, I thought I needed some genuine, unabashed fun, and who does that better than our friends, the Ramones. Definitely the most "pop" of their first four, but there's nothing wrong with that because it's a lot of fun

m08221196's rating:

6   7  

Shit, it's already 12 O'clock. I should be in bed, not listening to more music. Whatever, noisy pop music is the best, and this is noisy pop music

m08221196's rating:

77   8.5  

Coldness

m08221196's rating:

52   7.1  

Excellent collection of Modest Mouse's early recordings. Pretty much everything this band does rules

m08221196's rating:

318   7.4  

Yep, this band truly is brilliant. As their previous output indicates (especially stuff like "This is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing to Talk About"), Modest Mouse aren't the most "pop" band out there, but here they do catchy and accessible, but without losing their edge or coming across as sell outs. Tell me how many other bands could do that. I'll alays prefer their weirder stuff, but this is still a great album. Plus, "Float On" is just about the catchiest god damn thing ever

m08221196's rating:

2   8  

I'm gonna stop mentioning how I added certian albums to the database. It just seems dickish. I mean, plenty of users added music to the database, that's how we got a database to begin with, and they're not acting like they're somhow cooler or have more esoteric taste in music. It's just me, and I really should stop

Anyways, this album ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOCKS. Boris do their usual "doom metal Led Zeppelin" and the god of noise himself, Merzbow, comes in and adds some awesome harsh sound affects. This is objectively the greatest live rock LP ever

m08221196's rating:

1   8  

So, I was already familiar with Mayo Thompson's work with the pschedelic avant garde music group the Red Krayola and liked it, so I thought his solo stuff may have been pretty cool, too. It was, wonderfully strange Americana

m08221196's rating:

87   8.4  

There are a lot of boring parts, but a lot of excellent exciting as well parts, not to mention that amazing monologue in the beginning. Still, I feel it's to heavily flawed for me to rate it higher

m08221196's rating: