Sunday, April 30, 2017
The Doors - Strange Days: 3.5 stars
Pretty good, but I'm a first-album plus greatest hits guy with this band.
Kendrick Lamar - Damn [honorable mention]
:-) [I actually come close to despising this album. The "honorable mention" is for other people's honorable mentions of it. With all the accolades, and A- grades from both Christgau and Hull, topping Pazz & Jop, the Pulitizer, etc. I don't see how I can't own this. So I put it on the shelves.]
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Juana Molina - Segundo: 3.5 stars
Sounds good. Again, not my style. Beautiful hair though. I'll give Tres Cosas at least one listen, and if I post nothing further on her, then that will be that.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
John McLaughlin - Extrapolation: 3.5 stars
This has been a "crown" album in all editions of the Penguin Guide, so I'm keeping it. I have it on vinyl as a bequeathal from a friend who passed away, and so it also has that special relevance to me. I'm also happy I have it on vinyl, because the only CD version available looks to be a 1st generation transfer.
Friday, April 21, 2017
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Papa Wemba - L'Esclave: 4 stars
This is the Gitta LP, not the Soneca Zaire CD, which only shares the title track. I have the latter but have not graded it yet. I have this as a downloaded file, but have printed it out and am putting it on the shelves, at least partially because Christgau gave it a full A.
Eno Moebius Roedelius - After the Heat
:-| [four listens] [One of "Eno's ill-fated LPs with Cluster," per Christgau] [Half of this and half of Cluster & Eno are compiled on Old Land.]
(The Original) Black Sabbath - The First Six Studio Albums - batch review
First, everyone please stop using the tiresome term "sludge" to describe this band's sound. Enough with that. It's not even that accurate, just a huge, lazy cliche at this point.
I will include Paranoid in the collection, because I like it the best, and it seems to be their acknowledged classic. I also ended up getting the debut. Here are the grades/designations:
Black Sabbath - 7 (B+)
Paranoid - 7.5 (high B+)
Master of Reality - honorable mention
Vol. 4 - honorable mention
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - neutral
Sabotage - neutral
I will include Paranoid in the collection, because I like it the best, and it seems to be their acknowledged classic. I also ended up getting the debut. Here are the grades/designations:
Black Sabbath - 7 (B+)
Paranoid - 7.5 (high B+)
Master of Reality - honorable mention
Vol. 4 - honorable mention
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - neutral
Sabotage - neutral
Saturday, April 8, 2017
The Rolling Stones - Blue & Lonesome: 3.5 stars
If this weren't the Stones, my halfheartedness w/r/t pure blues would result in this not being added to the collection.
Friday, April 7, 2017
Vijana Jazz Band - The Koka Koka Sex Battalion: 3.5 stars
Not paying import prices for a B+ of older African music, but this is nice.
David Bromberg Band - The Blues, the Whole Blues, and Nothing but the Blues: 3.5 stars
Not a great fan of "traditional" blues, so not going on the shelves.
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Various Artists - Arabic Groove: 8 (A-)
[Almost de-shelved this in 2022. It's probably more of a 7.5 (high B+), but Muzikifan put it on his Africa top 50, so I guess I'll keep it after all and bump it up a notch. The fact that I'm reluctant to de-shelve it up indicates that I probably like it more than I realize. Several more than 3 listens.]
PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project
:-| [Everything's a fucking "project." It would have been better if they had made an album.]
Life Without Buildings - Any Other City: 3.5 stars
Has alot going for it, but not putting it in the collection. Just not quite there for me, but solid.
Les Amazones de Guinee - Au Coeur de Paris: 3.5 stars
Talk about ridiculously priced physicals. Only a B+ so I'm not going to worry about printing this out and shelving it.
Four Tet - There Is Love in You: 8 (A-)
Another brilliant release from Kieran Hebden. Guy is an unsung genius.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)