Psychic TV - The Magickal Mystery D Tour EP: liked

This is the four-track version.

Serengeti - Shark Attack [EP]: liked

This is almost certainly at least a 7 (B+), possibly even an 8 (A-) or slightly higher. But it is not streamable more than three times for free, and I refuse to pay for digital tracks in almost all circumstances, so it will sit here at "liked" for now. Seven tracks at 20 minutes. He indicates that this is part of a full album to come on vinyl.

Bettie Serveert - Tom Boy [Matador, 1992]: notation

I'm a semi-completist with this band/her. This is a CD single/maxi-single with four tracks: the title track of the single (same version that appears on Palomine), the B-side of the single ("Smile"), a demo of a song that appears on Palomine ("Balentine"), and what appears to be a demo from the Palomine sessions that never made it onto the official release ("Maggot"). So the B-side is the real draw here, but I did not get a copy of this just for that.

The Strokes - The Modern Age [EP]: 8 (A-)

The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth: 7 (B+)

The Strokes - Room on Fire: 7.5 (high B+)

The Strokes - Is This It: 8.5 (high A-)

Ass Ponys - The Okra Years [Shake It, 2005]: 8 (A-)

Normally, I would get this, but copies are so expensive that I'm not even going to bother with an alert. This is presumably the best way to hear their first two albums -- Mr. Superlove [1990] and Grim [1993] -- since Cleaver picked the best of the 26 tracks on those two and remastered them for this two-disc, 24-track set, with some other add-ons. I wish I had had the sense to pick up a copy when it was released. Oh well. I'm not going to play or listen to the two original album configurations, since this is basically offered as a better alternative. Who am I to second-guess their judgement?

The Jelly Bishops - Kings of Barstool Mountain: 8 (A-)

Langford/Mekons/Three Johns side project. My copy skips on the first track on both sides, but I got it sealed for almost nothing, so.... What am I going to do, return it? I'll just deal.

Four Tet - [Wingdings album, 2026]: liked

:-)

NOFX/Rancid - BYO Split Series, Vol. 3: liked

Only reason it's not an EP, at 26 min 57 sec, is because it has 12 tracks.

Chicks on Speed - Will Save Us All: 8 (A-)

Los Lobos - The Ride [Mammoth/Hollywood, 2004]: 8.5 (high A-)

It was the four-star review in the last Rolling Stone album guide that opened me up to this one. Slipped somewhat under the radar, I think.

Various - Black Label: Hip Hop 101 [Tommy Boy, 2000]: 8 (A-)

I filed this one under "H" because some sources drop the "Black Label" part of the title.

The Chemical Brothers - Loops of Fury [EP]: liked

:-)

Laurie Anderson - Let X=X: 7.5 (high B+)

With Sexmob [Sex Mob]. This is #live, but I may reconsider if it starts getting more attention over the coming months. Also, a little overlong (1 hr 34 min) for a show (for me), but also for an album. Also, very large portions of this are spoken-word. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I do really focus on music. And on the tracks when the band gets going, they really rock out. I wonder what this would sound like boiled down to only the more musical tracks? Two-disc physicals are available though, so we shall see.

The Three Johns - Volume: notation

Has Atom Drum Bop, The World by Storm, the Brainbox EP, and singles. I have The World by Storm on nice vinyl. I will grade these all separately as time permits. This also contains everything that's on (Crime Pays… Rock and Roll in the) Demonocracy - The Singles 1982-1986. 

I would also like to hear Eat Your Sons [Tupelo, 1990], but there are no digital copies or streams that I can find, and I'm not paying the prices being asked for a physical sound unheard, considering that the admittedly limited number of reviews I can find of it (Hull, AllMusic) are not encouraging. I did sample the few tracks I could find on YouTube.

I also thought I had The Best of the Three Johns [Dojo, 1996] on CD somewhere, but now I can't find it.

Dim Subooteyo - Lakeside: notation

I'd love to hear this one day, but prices are just too high to hear sound unheard. A Jon Langford (Mekons) "side project." Apparently this was the only release under this band name.

The Killer Shrews - The Killer Shrews: 8 (A-)

Peter Laughner - Peter Laughner [Koolie EP, 1982]: 7 (B+)

This is #miscarticles, but it's too expensive even if it came in a couple notches higher.

Bobby Bare Jr.'s Young Criminals' Starvation League - From the End of Your Leash [Bloodshot, 2004]: 7 (B+)

#country [De-shelved]

Latin Playboys - Dose: 8 (A-)

The Hold Steady - A Positive Rage: 8 (A-)

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive: 8 (A-)

The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday: 8 (A-)