The Chills - Snow Bound: 8 (A-)

The Human League - Dare: 3.5 stars

I don't collect '80s synthpop at this level. But I respect this one's reputation. Stephin Merritt favorite.

Cavanaugh [Serengeti/Open Mike Eagle] - Time and Materials: 7 (B+)

Not paying the regular-length CD prices for an EP at this grade. If it were Serengeti-only, I would. Not a fan of OME.

Destroyer - Ken [honorable mention]

:-|

Pablo Lubadika Porthos - Pablo! Pablo!: 7 (B+)

Not eager to pay import prices for what is essentially an EP reissue (4 songs at ~27 minutes), with Denis La Cloche on mi-solo. Also known as Ngai Locataire, with this cover:

Frankly, he's better when he's got Syran Mbenza or Dally Kimoko or Diblo Dibala on mi-solo with him. Nevertheless, I have this on my wantlist.

Bob Dylan - Live at Jones Beach Theatre: Wantagh, New York, June 30, 1988: 7 (B+)

Good bootleg but not as fantastic as the reviews indicate. A friend of mine saw this show (or one near to this date) and said it was one of the best shows he's ever seen. I can see how that would be, although it doesn't come all the way through on this. Performance is a little thin and wooden, and Dylan’s vocals and the slappy bass are way too prominent. #live/bootlegs

Various Artists - Sugar and Poison: 3.5 stars

Not worth getting physicals for a B+ level soul comp.

Simon Chimbetu and Orchestra Dendera Kings - Takabatana: 4 stars

Zero physicals to be found anywhere. Why was this so ignored?

Pepe Kalle - Best of: ? stars

Just a note to mark that all of the tracks on this are on other albums I have reviewed, other than "Loin Des Yeux," which I found on Napster and listened to three times.

Pepe Kalle - Gigantafrique: ? stars

What this is is a combination of the apparently self-titled release with Cé Chalè Carnaval on the cover, and Pon Moun Paka Bouge, each with one track omitted -- "Djoni Bitoto" from the former and "Djarabi-Adjatou" from the latter. So I'm not going to listen to the "gestalt" and grade this, but I want to mark this here. Check my grades on those two albums.

The Mekons 77 - It Is Twice Blessed: 7.5 (high B+)

Linda Ronstadt - Heart Like a Wheel: 4 stars

Would buy this, but for some reason it's only been released on expensive SHM-CD type releases. I could probably find some good used vinyl, but it's slightly far afield for me. It should be available on remastered CD for a reasonable price at this point. I'll wait for that.

Lil Peep - Hellboy: 7 (B+)

Digital only. [Four listens]

Open Mike Eagle - What Happens When I Try To Relax

:-| [I would boycott this just for the stupid thing he does with his voice on the first track where he makes his voice get all whiny at the end of a line. I rarely say things like this, but I hate this EP.]

Flipper - Blow'n Chunks: 7 (B+)

I have only their original Subterranean releases, minus the final single "Some Day" b/w "Distant Illusion," which, while on Subterranean, was issued in 1990 and the songs were remade (or just included) on American Grafishy, which I have not collected; and it's post-Will Shatter and so not the "real" line-up (I did listen to that single 3x on YouTube and would grade it 7 (B+)). All the other Subterranean singles are on Sex Bomb Baby! and are therefore associated with their early brilliant period. As a final nail in this one's coffin: I have their Subterranean live release, Public Flipper Limited. Update: I now have a copy of Live at CBGB's and will evaluate that in due course. The only other thing to try would be Nurnberg Fish Trails (live in 1991), but I will never find that, and it's poorly-rated on Discogs anyway. [4 listens] # [live]

Homeboy Sandman & Edan - Humble Pi: 7 (B+)

Vinyl-only

Laurie Anderson - United States Live: 9 (A)

I give this grade for what it is, a 4-CD [or 5-LP] recording of a live performance art piece. But it's not an album of "music" as normally understood. So while I've been tempted to get a copy over the four or five times I've listened to the entire thing, I've never done so. I guess if a beautiful copy for a good price ever came to my attention, I would spring for it, but I won't be searching. 

Laurie Anderson - Home of the Brave: 8 (A-)

Upped from 7 (B+). I also watched the entire film and would give it a 7.5 (high B+).

Jerry Lee Lewis & Linda Gail Lewis - Together: 7 (B+)

# [country]

L7 - Fast and Frightening: 7 (B+)

Complicated decision on this one. Disc One is an odds and ends/grotty-live collection. Usually I don't buy those, although I admit that many of these songs are worth getting to know. Disc Two includes two bootlegs, one of which I easily found online to give a shot, and the other was previously released on an album called Wireless, both of which I will review at some later date. So this rating is really for Disc One, which is freely streamable on all services and essentially digital-only, which I don't do. Long story short, I'm not paying import prices for a digital-only at this grade (or even 8 (A-) if that's what it is) odds and ends collection which has been padded out to a two-disc physical with bootlegs (one of which was previously released). Release it domestically on a single disc and I would buy it. But it's obvious how much I love the band by how much I have agonized over this. Plus, when you already have 8000 CDs in a house, and have spent god knows how much money on music, you grasp at straws to keep the spending down.

Clinic - Visitations [honorable mention]

:-) [See my other reviews of this band for more info. De-shelved in 2020.]

James Carter - Conversin' with the Elders: 7 (B+)

I originally had this as "disliked." Not sure what I was thinking at that specific time. Strikes me now as more of a 7 (B+). But both Hull and Christgau have this at "A" and the Penguin guide at 4 out of 4 stars, so I might as well rescue this from the deshelve boxes. I do think it's strange to have more James Carter than, say, Charles Mingus.

Clinic - Walking with Thee [honorable mention]

:-) [Might be a B plus, but I'm not worrying about it; which actually sums up every album I've heard from this band.]

Clinic - Winchester Cathedral: liked

See my other posts for this band. [De-shelved in 2020]

Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Style: 9 (A)

Doomtree - No Kings: 4 stars

Lee Perry & The Upsetters - Revolution Dub

:-( [Way more than four listens - once even owned it. What do people hear in this???]

Oneohtrix Point Never - R Plus Seven [honorable mention]

:-)

James Carter - The Real Quietstorm: 8 (A-)

Upped from 7 (B+) and rescued from the de-shelve box. I've probably played this 20 times, which is a lot of plays for this grade. On the other hand, with that many plays, there must be something to it, so I should keep it.

Blackbeard [Dennis Bovell] - I Wah Dub: 7 (B+)

Physicals way too expensive at this grade.

Al Green - Call Me: 5 stars

Sonic Youth - Goo: 9.5 (high A)

Yo La Tengo - Painful: 10 (A+)

Yo La Tengo - Electr-O-Pura: 10 (A+)

The Clash - The Clash [UK version]: 10 (A+)

I also have the US version, which I will not grade separately.

The Mekons - Fear and Whiskey: 10 (A+)

One of the greatest albums of all time in my view.

Luna - Penthouse: 10 (A+)

Michael Hurley/The Unholy Modal Rounders/Jeffrey Fredericks & the Clamtones - Have Moicy!: 10 (A+)

SZA - Ctrl

:-|

Deafheaven - Sunbather [liked]

:-)

Various Artists - Arabesque Tlata 3: 4 stars

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: 7.5 (high B+)

Upped from honorable mention (and at one point de-shelved but later rescued from that pile).

The Neckbones - Souls on Fire [honorable mention]

:-o

Yy - Tape It Back Together: 4.5 stars

Most underappreciated indie rap album of all time.

Teddybears - Devil's Music: 4 stars

MBilia Bel - Bameli Soy: liked

:-)

Roni Size/Reprazent - In the Mode: 3.5 stars

Docked a notch for going on too long.

Various Artists - Before Benga 2: The Nairobi Sound [honorable mention]

:-)

Smog - Red Apple Falls: 4 stars

The Corin Tucker Band - 1,000 Years: 7 (B+)

# [riot grrrl] [De-shelved in 2021]

Teddybears - Soft Machine: 7 (B+)

Sounds good when it's on, but hard to remember what it sounds like when it's over. Normally, I wouldn't keep "dance" or "techno" at this grade, but I've got the next one too and they make a good pair.

Various - Escale au Senegal: 8.5 (high A-)

Definitely one of the most out-of-print albums I have ever come across. I have a digital file, which I burned to disc in the early days of digital music. I then de-shelved it later in an effort to save space and because I've basically stopped physicalizing at grades below 9 (A). It is a Muzikifan entry for his Top 20 African Compilations, however. Outstanding track: "Naning"

Update (November 2025): Upped a notch to 8.5 (high A-) after over four plays. Upon looking further into it, half the tracks on here are extremely rare. Here are some notes:

"Gorgui" by Idrissa "Idy" Diop - only other appearance is on an album entitled Gorgui by Idy and Seydina "Sidy" Wade, which is itself extremely rare and may be a split album between the two artists

"Sibam" and "On Verra Ca" by Orchestra Baobab - both tracks are on On Verra Ca

"Say Konntaa" (aka "Kontar"), "Nongi Nongi" (aka "Nongui Nongui"), and "Waalo" by Star Number One (Number One de Dakar) - all three songs are on La Belle Epoque

"Naning" by Orchestra Fangool - noted above and is on Jat Sa Bop (as "Nianing"), which is itself extremely rare

"Gueju Xam Xam," Taaruna," and "Cumba Ndoli Ndoli" by Seydina Wade - do not appear to be on any other release (there is a track entitled "Taaruna" on an album called Yoff [Disques Esperance, 1985] by this artist, which streams, but it appears to be a re-recording?) (there is also a track called "Geeju Xam Xam," on an album called Libaas [Samarkand, date unknown] by this artist, but it doesn't appear to stream anywhere - physical copies are not crazy expensive for this, but of course I'm not going to get it just on the evidence of this one track)

The bottom line is that half of these songs seem extremely rare, if not utterly unique to this compilation. "Gorgui" is not that great and sounds extremely like another track I have heard a million times that must have a different title but may be a variation of this song. The Seydina Wade tracks I would say are good, but not great. So, in reality, I would be getting this mainly for "Naning," which does not justify the expense, despite it being outstanding.

Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus: 7 (B+)

# [live] [5 listens] [I might even get this, if it were in a format I could handle. The original CD cut a couple tracks and wasn't remastered. I don't want a "deluxe" 2 CD reissue. And the original vinyl goes for too much.]

Alpha Blondy - The Best of Alpha Blondy: 9 (A)

Funkadelic - Uncle Jam Wants You: 7 (B+)

Prices are ridiculous for an album at this grade. I'll keep an eye out for a fairly-priced copy. [Found one in 2024]

Blur - Modern Life Is Rubbish

:-|

Issa Juma and Super Wanyika Stars - World Defeats the Grandfathers: Swinging Swahili Rumba 1982-1986: 7 (B+)

# [import] And I hate to complain that these songs go on too long, but they do. They average 9 minutes, and are all pretty samey. I wound up with a digital copy of this somehow, probably during the early days of digital music when sometimes I would do that, especially for pricey imports like this. Also see my review of Sigalame 2.

Yo La Tengo - Ride the Tiger: 7 (B+)

Fangool - Jot Sa Bop: notation

I have not heard this album in its entirety. I did spend a fair bit of time searching for it, to no avail, and want to memorialize that, and note that I would snatch up a digital file or reasonably-priced physical if I ever come across either. My interest springs from the track "Nianing" (appears on the compilation Escale au Senegal as "Naning"), which is stunning. The other track from this album that I have heard is "Mariama," which appears on the compilation Senegal 70 and is not quite as good, but it does tend to indicate that this album would be well-worth hearing.

Various - Senegal 70: Sonic Gems & Previously Unreleased Recordings from the 70's: 7 (B+)

# [multi-artist comp]

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits: 8.5 (high A-)

Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever: 4 stars

His best-selling album, for good reason, and it's the only album of his I really listened to at the time it came out.