Journal of a Melomaniac: January 2018

Sunday, January 28, 2018

The Jam - Snap!: 3.5 stars

This is the full, 29-track original version, not Compact Snap! It can be bought as a double CD import at single CD domestic prices, but I'm still not springing for it. I find them to be slightly annoying much of the time, and I can't stop thinking about putting The Clash on instead.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid: 4 stars

Queens of the Stone Age - Villains

:-|

Chance the Rapper - Acid Rap: 3.5 stars

I printed this out when it came out, at the end of the beginning of the non-physical era. And I did it with such care that I'm keeping the physical on the shelves, even though I would probably not do that if it came out now. [De-shelved in 2020]

Friday, January 26, 2018

Death Grips - Bottomless Pit [honorable mention]

:-)

Zitany Neil - L'Embarras du Choix: 4 stars

One of the best of Diblo's appearances, around the same time as his classic work with Loketo. I almost bought a used vinyl copy, but I'm just losing that urge. Maybe if it had Diblo's (or at least Loketo's) name on the cover. Decided to save my money and just stream it if I want to hear it. Maybe I'll change my mind and go for it at some point. The Napster version is truncated after all.

Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me

:-| [At least six listens]

Mariem Hassan - La Voz Indomita: 3.5 stars

B+ but not for me.

The Cranberries - Everyone Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?: 3.5 stars

B+ but not for me.

Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup: 3.5 stars

# [avant pop?] [at least four listens, and probably many more because I'm pretty sure I owned this at one point decades ago]

Christgau A- single listens [unless otherwise noted]

Various - The Civil War [Original Soundtrack Recording]

Little Charlie and the Night Cats - Straight Up!

Ornette Coleman and Prime Time - Opening the Caravan of Dreams [live/jazz]

Ornette Coleman/Joachim Kuhn - Colors [live 1996; just Ornette w/Kuhn on piano]

Stew - Passing Strange [original Broadway cast recording

Company Freak - Le Disco Social [standard disco; he knows the artist personally]

Stephen Ulrich - Music From This American Life

Burnt Sugar/Arkestra Chamber - Blood on the Leaf: Opus No. 1 [2 listens]

Sarge - The Glass Intact

Sarge - Distant
Victoria Williams - Loose

Victoria Williams - Musings of a Creek Dipper
Whitney Rose - South Texas Suite
Various - Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams
Kaito U.K. - Band Red
Marc Ribot - Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos (Prosthetic Cubans)

Marc Ribot - Muy Divertido
Various - The Sidewalks of New York
Fred Eaglesmith - Ralph’s Last Show
An Horse - Rearrange Beds
Sonny Rollins - Road Shows, Vol. 1 [actually, he gave this an A+]
Ruben Blades - Buscando America

Ruben Blades - Escenas
Carla Bley - European Tour 1977
Loretta Lynn - Writes 'Em and Sings 'Em
Bette Milder - Live at Last
Elvin Bishop - Raisin' Hell
Asleep at the Wheel - Comin' Right at Ya [couldn't find The Wheel]
Hi Rhythm - On the Loose
Terry Garthwaite - Terry [only listened to the few songs I could find]
Soul II Soul - Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade
Blue Lu Barker - Remastered Collection

Kirby Heard - Mama's Biscuits [2 listens; Hull B+(**)]

Various - A Gift to Pops: The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong All Stars

Ahl Nana - L'Orchestre National Mauritanien [1971 recordings – digital only]

Kasai Allstars - Around Felicite: 7 (B+)

# [congotronics] I did what Christgau advised, and made a playlist of the 8 Kasai-only tracks on disc 1. I'd give it an 8 (A-), but won't be buying this because it has the second bonus disc, but, more importantly, the Kasai-only tracks are interspersed with the soundtrack elements from the movie (which stick out there as well). Maybe if the Kasai-only tracks were a 9 (A), or even an 8.5 (high A-). [Bonus disc is also separate issue as Felicite Remixes.]

Princess Nokia - Deluxe 1992: 3.5 stars

Pretty good, but too outlying for the collection.

Joey Bada$$ - All-Amerikkan Bada$$: 3.5 stars

Pretty good, but too outlying for the collection.

Playboi Carti - Playboi Carti [honorable mention]

:-) [6 or 7 listens]

Jay-Z - Vol. 3 . . . Life and Times of S. Carter

:-( [Rapper over-rated by almost everyone. Album over-rated by Xgau and Hull. What a tedious bore. Allmusic editors and users got it more right (~three stars). De-shelved in 2021.]

Eminem - Revival

:-| Intensely spotty. There's an A-grade EP in there somewhere. But at double album length (78 minutes), he overstayed his welcome by at least 40 minutes. [Originally rated at 7 (B+) (hence the album cover), but revised upon further listening to honorable mention and then neutral. Significantly more than three spins.]