Sunday, February 25, 2024
mu-Ziq - In Pine Effect: 7 (B+)
Docked a notch for having the songs going on way too long. Why do all dance tracks need to be 6 minutes and the album 80? # [dance/electronica] anyway.
Amanda Shires - My Piece of Land: 7 (B+)
Upped a notch and purchased after beginning to appreciate her more.
R.E.M. - Collapse into Now [honorable mention]
:-) [Sounds just about like every other album they ever made in one way or another, although not quite as good in each case. Collapse into Then, actually, would describe this very well.]
Bully - Lucky for You [honorable mention]
:-) [Almost got sucked into this one - I think I was giving the punky abrasiveness too much credit. Also, one of those detestable oversize digipacks. Never a good sign.]
R.E.M. - Up [honorable mention]
:-) [Whether or not I am an R.E.M. completist, the only album after Bill Berry left that I am behind is Accelerate. In other words, not this, Reveal, Around the Sun, or Collapse Into Now.]
Culture - Natty Dread Taking Over - Reggae Anthology: 8.5 (high A-)
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Nice 2-disc comp. It contains the entirety of Africa Stand Alone, which I separately rate at 7.5 (high B+), and their "Peel Session" release, which I separately rate at 8 (A-). Then, mainly on the second disc, as the following track listing shows, it cherry-picks very good tracks from several later Culture releases which I don't have and you probably don't either. So, first disc is Africa Stand Alone plus key tracks from early releases most of which you probably should already have but are still nice to hear, and second disc is The Peel Sessions plus key tracks from later releases most of which you and I don't have and probably shouldn't so it's good to have them here. Of course, to make things more complicated, 4 or 5 of the tracks on Africa Stand Alone were rerecorded for Harder Than the Rest (bolded below) (not certain that "Behold" and "Behold the Land" are the same song, probably not, which only makes this compilation more helpful). Plus, it contains a bonus live DVD, so it's kind of a no-brainer.
1-1 Two Sevens Clash TWO SEVENS CLASH
1-2 This Time THREE SIDES TO MY STORY
1-3 See Them a Come TWO SEVENS CLASH
1-4 I'm Not Ashamed TWO SEVENS CLASH
1-5 Natty Dread Taking Over TWO SEVENS CLASH
1-6 Baldhead Bridge BALDHEAD BRIDGE
1-7 Them a Payaka BALDHEAD BRIDGE
1-8 Play Skillfully MORE CULTURE
1-9 Love Shines Brighter AFRICA STAND ALONE
1-10 This Train AFRICA STAND ALONE
1-11 Dog Ago Nyam AFRICA STAND ALONE
1-12 Tell Me Where You Get It AFRICA STAND ALONE
1-13 More Vacancy AFRICA STAND ALONE
1-14 Iron Sharpen Iron AFRICA STAND ALONE
1-15 Garvey Rock AFRICA STAND ALONE
1-16 Innocent Blood AFRICA STAND ALONE
1-17 Behold the Land AFRICA STAND ALONE
1-18 Work on Natty HARDER THAN THE REST
1-19 Stop the Fussing and Fighting HARDER THAN THE REST
2-1 Natty Never Get Weary CUMBOLO
2-2 Cumbolo CUMBOLO
2-3 The International Herb INTERNATIONAL HERB
2-4 I Tried INTERNATIONAL HERB
2-5 Too Long In Slavery PEEL SESSION
2-6 Two Sevens Clash PEEL SESSION
2-7 Lion Rock PEEL SESSION
2-8 Armagiddion War PEEL SESSION
2-9 Come Jah People SINGLE
2-10 Disobedient Children LION ROCK
2-11 We a Boss PREV UN
2-12 Psalm of Bob Marley GOOD THINGS
2-13 Addis Ababa ONE STONE
2-14 Riverside TRUST ME
2-15 Legalization PAYDAY
2-16 Election PAYDAY
2-17 Poor People Hungry HUMBLE AFRICAN
2-18 Revolution HUMBLE AFRICAN
2-19 Why Am I a Rastaman HUMBLE AFRICAN
Bright Eyes - One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels [honorable mention]
:-) [Not sure the horns improve this. Not sure why Christgau bombed the original 6-track version of this, which is what the honorable mention is for. I also note neither Hull, nor the New Rolling Stone Album Guide picks this one up. And I note that AllMusic likes this less than There Is No Beginning. And while the latter scores higher with users, that might only be because there are so many more who seem to be aware of it.]
The Quintet [Charlie Parker] - Jazz at Massey Hall: X stars
I bought this in its original CD release when there was a remaster available, which bummed me out when I realized it, and I've toyed with rebuying it, but I can't bring myself to do so because I frankly just don't like this like I'm supposed to. (Although I do note Tom Hull, premier jazz critic, assigns this a B+ at best.) I toyed with buying the 2-CD Hot House version, released in 2023, because the new remastered sound is supposed to be outstanding, but they put the Bud Powell Trio tracks on the first disc, instead of keeping the original release on the first disc and sticking those with the overdubs on the second. A fatal flaw in my book, and it saves me 25 bucks and a bunch of tracks I don't want or need. [And... I went for it anyway in July 2024.]
Bright Eyes - Every Day and Every Night [EP] [honorable mention]
:-) [Docked a notch for final throwaway track. Really, even on a 22 minute EP you're going to include one of those? Standout track: "A New Arrangement." 4 listens]
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Monday, February 19, 2024
Kool Keith - Sex Style: 7 (B+)
Used copies prohibitively expensive for this grade. Bootleg copies of this are out there as Erotic Man.
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Lee "Scratch" Perry - Life of the Plants: 8.5 (high A-)
Vinyl-only, but I want it for some reason, so I did a rare thing and bought the vinyl.
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Monday, February 12, 2024
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Sunday, February 11, 2024
Corook - Serious Person (Part 1) [EP] [honorable mention]
:-) [All they's songs sound about the same. They is very sad.]
Creation Rebel - Hostile Environment: 7 (B+)
# [import] [4 listens] [Later purchased as part of the High Above Harlesden box.]
Tabu Ley [Rochereau] & L'Orchestre Afrisa International - Tabu Ley & L'Orchestre Afrisa International [placeholder]
Not sure why I started searching for this to stream or download (it's African 360.128), but I never found it and then it started becoming something of a game. I did manage to find a VG+ vinyl copy for sale for around $25 and was tempted to just go for it. But by then I finally was able to stream-sample about a third of the tracks and decided against it. I would like to hear it in full one day though.
Tyler Childers - Rustin' in the Rain [honorable mention]
:-) [Christgau gave this a full A (!?!). It's basically an EP btw.]
The Paranoid Style - The Power of our Proven System [EP]: 8 (A-)
I think this is their best release. Cover of the cassette of this "EP," the second side of which is The Purposes of Music in General [EP]. If that were available on CD, I'd buy it. I wrote elsewhere that it was impossible to find this, but as of 2024, the individual songs have been released by the band on YouTube, and I assembled a playlist.
DJ Shadow - The Mountain Has Fallen: 7 (B+)
Only released on 12" vinyl and limited edition cassette, so I don't have it. [4 listens]
Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs: 8 (A-)
I shelved All Is Dream before I began assigning grades, which means I thought at least a 7 (B+). I will re-listen at some point and give it an honest grading. But no higher than this one certainly.
Saturday, February 10, 2024
Lil Wayne - Tha Fix Before Tha VI: 8 (A-)
MixUnit CD. These are nicely done, and so for 8.5 (high A-) and less, I'm shelving them in the sleeves they send them in. Just for mixtapes. I'm not going to go back to check all the mixtapes I've ever graded 7 (B+) through 8.5 (high A-) and put in an order, but to the extent I stumble upon them, I will probably make the purchase. Really nice service, and presumably they pay the artist something.
Various Artists [Mlimani Park Orchestra & International Orchestra Safari Sound] - Zanzibara 7: Sikinde vs Ndekule: 7.5 (high B+)
# [multi-artist comp; muziki wa dansi] Picks up as it goes along. Bought this right around when the streaming era began (for me at least). It's just that the slower parts, before the sebene kicks in, or whatever they called it in Tanzania, are pretty bland. I know they're obviously not supposed to be as charged as the sebene, but here they seem like tentative throwaways. I think I'll sell this off.
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Top Albums of 2024
9.5 (high A)
Karantamba - Galgi
Serengeti - Kenny Dennis IV
9 (A)
MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks
LL Cool J - The Force
8.5 (high A-)
Fred Again - Ten Days
Jon Langford & The Men of Gwent - Lost on Land & Sea
Occidental Brothers Dance Band International - Likambo Te
beabadoobee - This Is How Tomorrow Moves
8 (A-)
Lee "Scratch" Perry - King PerryLes Savy Fav - Oui, LSF
Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Among Us
Various - Kampire Presents: A Dancefloor in Ndola
Heems & Lapgan - Lafandar
Les Amazones d’Afrique - Musow Dance
Thomas Anderson - Hello, I'm From the Future
Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
Morgan Wade - Obsessed
The Libertines - All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
Ekko Astral - Pink Balloons
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft
Japandroids - Fate & Alcohol
7.5 (high B+)
X - Smoke & Fiction
Pet Shop Boys - Nonetheless
Wussy - Cincinnati Ohio
The Pixies - The Night the Zombies Came
The Dandy Warhols - Rockmaker
Bombino - Sahel: 7 (B+)
# [desert blues] Also, "housed in a cardboard wallet." I really dislike those things.
Project Polaroid [Kool Keith & TomC3] - Project Polaroid: 7 (B+)
Only available used at ridiculous prices, or new also at ridiculous prices as a "limited edition" CD.
Monday, February 5, 2024
Culture - Culture & The Deejays at Joe Gibbs 1977-79 [honorable mention]
:-) [Full track followed by rapped version in each case. Should have just used rapped versions. Docked 2 notches for that. Would have been # [multi-artist comp] anyway.
U-Roy - Love Is not a Gamble: 8 (A-)
Deeply out-of-print. Vinyl only, from 1981, and very expensive used.
Native Soul - Teenage Dreams [honorable mention]
:-) [Is there a reason all these songs need to be 7 minutes long? And the album 76 minutes long? None of the songs change that much throughout their duration. Cut them in half. Know when to stop talking. Docked two notches for extreme bloat.]
Sunday, February 4, 2024
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Lee Scratch Perry - King Perry: 9 (A)
I might be overreacting because he's gone. But I don't think so. I do miss him though. Maybe more than any musician other than Leonard, although of course it's not a competition. I need a shirt that says "Leonard was my father and Scratch my zany stepfather."
Kool Keith - Matthew [honorable mention]
[Lately feeling like maybe he’s the best rapper of all time, but I will say he doesn’t do just plain angry that well.]
Nourished by Time - Erotic Probiotic 2: 7 (B+)
Ridiculous vinyl-only. Probably # [r&b] anyway, so not worth another few listens to see if it improbably moves up four notches, which is what it would take to buy vinyl.
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