The Pixies - The Night the Zombies Came: 7.5 (high B+)

Fred Again - Ten Days: 8.5 (high A-)

Limited edition white vinyl only. Too bad. Might be a 9 (A), but I won't be burning any brain cells trying to make that distinction given the limited availability.

Wenge Musica Aile Paris - Nganga Nzambe: 9 (A)

Definitely one of the very top soukous albums I have ever heard. Always marred slightly from perfection in my opinion by ill-advised keybs and/or slight repetitiveness. But this one has that soaring lift that we soukous lovers crave. Splinter group from Wenge Musica. [In the market for a decent used CD copy at a reasonable price]

The Cure - Songs of a Lost World [liked]

:-) [Four or five listens - one thing to be sad, another thing to make it beautiful. Not saying I can do it.]

A Place to Bury Strangers - Worship: 8 (A-)

Public Image Ltd - End of World [liked]

:-)

Franco - Franco Luambo Makiadi Presents Les Editions Populaires (1968-1970)

Limited edition vinyl only. I don't even try to rate early Congolese Rumba.

A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head: 8 (A-)

Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and Raekwon - Wu-Massacre [liked]

:-)

Heems - Veena: 7 (B+)

Digital-only

Blind Willie Johnson - Dark Was the Night: X stars

# [blues/country blues] Not qualified to rate blues, especially country blues.

Four Tet - Pause [liked]

:-) [Had this a few decades ago but sold it back, which means I listened at least 3 times, plus 2 or 3 in present day]

This Heat - Deceit: 7 (B+)

# [experimental]

Blind Willie McTell - The Rough Guide to Blind Willie McTell: X stars

# [blues] I'm really not qualified to be rating country blues. Goes on for a very long time.

A Place to Bury Strangers - A Place to Bury Strangers [liked]

:-)

Duane Allman - An Anthology Vol. II: 7 (B+)

# [best of]

Primal Scream - XTRMNTR: 7 (B+)

# [dance/electronica]

ABC - Beauty Stab: 7 (B+)

# [synth pop]

Johnny Thunders - Live from Zurich 1985 [liked]

:-)

The Smile - Cutouts [liked]

:-)

Best Coast - California Nights [liked]

:-)

Guns N' Roses - G N' R Lies

:-( [Docked two notches for racial and other slurs]

Buffalo Tom - Birdbrain

:-|

Buffalo Tom - Let Me Come Over [liked]

:-)

Four Tet - Everything Ecstatic: 9 (A)