Masaka Kids Africana - Greatful: 8 (A-)

Digital-only

Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman - Miami Lice: Season Four [EP]: 8 (A-)

Vinyl-only

Madness - The Ultimate Collection: 7.5 (high B+)

Definitely the best Madness compilation I have heard, but still #bestof.

Television - Television: 7.5 (high B+)

Television - Live at the Old Waldorf: San Francisco, 6/29/78: 8 (A-)

Television - The Blow-Up: 7.5 (high B+)

I'm not going to play the #live card on Television.

Cypress Hill - III: Temples of Boom: 7 (B+)

Orchestre Maquis & Orchestre Safari Sound - Zanzibara 11: Congo in Dar: Dance No Sweat/1982-1986: 7 (B+)

#multiartistcomp

Cypress Hill - Skull & Bones: 7 (B+)

I'm going to call this #miscarticles and save myself some money. The second disc contains some inferior "rock" tracks versus the "hip hop" ones on the first. Notably, it's their first release not affiliated with Ruffhouse, and it shows. It could easily all have fit on one disc (the second one's basically an EP, the first one a standard album length).

Low - I Could Live in Hope: neutral

:-)

Last Exit - Iron Path: 8 (A-)

Cracker - Kerosene Hat: 7.5 (high B+)

Redman - Dare Iz a Darkside: neutral

Docked a notch for bloat. Fricking thing goes on forever, as always with this artist. In fairness, it's a scourge of basically the entire genre.

The Grateful Dead - The Best of the Grateful Dead [Rhino, 2015]: 9.5 (high A)

This two-disc compilation is a fantastic listen. A really, truly great historic overview that just squeezed in at the end of the CD era. I have all but six of these tracks in other configurations, but this is still worth having. What a Long Strange Trip was good, but this kills it. This is the regular-issue Dead I would take to that deserted island if I could only take one (together with a matrix of Cornell for live bootlegs). Just a very special compilation, beautifully done by Rhino.

Dennis Robbins - Man with a Plan: 7 (B+)

#country

Barry Black - Barry Black: 7.5 (high B+)

Just like Luke Haines putting Baader Meinhof after the Auteurs, Eric Bachman puts Barry Black after Archers of Loaf. Shelf space.

The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat: 8.5 (high A-)

The Velvet Underground - Another View: 8 (A-)

The Velvet Underground - VU: 8.5 (high A-)

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground: 9.5 (high A)

The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico: 9 (A)

The Velvet Underground: Loaded: 9 (A)

Freedy Johnston - Unlucky [EP]: 7.5 (high B+)

Crooked Fingers [Eric Bachmann] - Reservoir Songs [EP]: 7 (B+)

Great cover

Crooked Fingers [Eric Bachmann] - Red Devil Dawn: 7.5 (high B+)