Yo La Tengo - Old Joy [EP] [liked]

:-) [12” vinyl-only. Would buy it if it was a CD (or even 7” vinyl), because I’m a completist with respect to this band (even though # [soundtrack])]

Martin Phillipps [and the Chills] - Songs from Solo Below [EP] [placeholder]

[4 songs] [Also be on the lookout for Sweet Bites]

Rosie Tucker - Utopia Now!: 7.5 (high B+)

Vinyl-only

Dengue Dengue Dengue - Agita2 [EP]: 7.5 (high B+)

Vinyl-only. I would buy it if they released it as a 7”, but it's only on 12”.

Jeff Evans Porkestra – Willow Pillow [EP]: 8.5 (high A-)

Digital-only

Ren - Sick Boi: 7.5 (high B+)

 Not selling anywhere for anything resembling a fair price. Not sure why that is.

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Broadcasting from Home: 7 (B+)

# [avant-pop]

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - The Penguin Cafe Orchestra Mini Album [EP] [placeholder]

Two tracks were previously released and heard by me, two tracks are live, and I heard one of the two previously unreleased ("PU") tracks (“The Toy”). The other one - "Piano Music" - I could not find, but it is only 1:41 long.

Populous - Night Safari: 8 (A-)

# [import]

The Roches - The Collected Works of the Roches: 8 (A-)

No reasonably-priced copies.

Waco Brothers - Resist!: 9 (A)

Vinyl-only. Previously-released songs as noted below. Not really a best of -- I believe the theme is union/worker/leftist songs. It is a great compilation though, and might as well be a best of, in that I think it is literally the best Waco Brothers album, which is why I purchased the vinyl.

A1 Blink of an Eye - New Deal

A2 Lincoln Town Car - Freedom and Weep

A3 I Fought the Law - ?

A4 Plenty Tough Union Made - To the Last Dead Cowboy

A5 Fast Train Down - Cowboy in Flames

A6 See Willy Fly By - Cowboy in Flames

B1 No Heart - New Deal

B2 $ Bill the Cowboy - To the Last Dead Cowboy

B3 Never Real - Electric Waco Chair

B4 Revolution Blues - Do You Think About Me?

B5 New Deal Blues - New Deal

B6 Bad Times Are Coming Round Again - To the Last Dead Cowboy

Ducks Ltd. - Get Bleak [EP]: 7.5 (high B+)

Vinyl-only. So cool!

Car Seat Headrest - Making a Door Less Open: 7 (B+)

Jax - Dear Joe,: 7 (B+)

# [pop]

Jah Wobble - Metal Box - Rebuilt in Dub: 8 (A-)

Jad Fair/Yo La Tengo - Strange But True: 7.5 (high B+)

Soukous Stars - In Hollywood [aka Morenita]: 8 (A-)

On wantlist

Evizo Stars - V.I.P. [placeholder]

Dally Kimoko on solo and Lokassa Ya Mbongo on rhythm, or so I understand. Impossible to find any files on the internet, and used copies are too expensive to buy on a lark. Nevertheless, because of the presence of Dally, I have this on my wantlist and will snatch a copy if one ever surfaces for a reasonable price.

Roky Erickson - Clear Night for Love [EP]: 7 (B+)

# [import] Listed as a "mini-album" for some reason. 5 songs at 17½ minutes? That's an EP.

Gang of Four - Hard: 7.5 (high B+)

Never reissued on remastered CD, so I have a near-mint vinyl copy.

Rush - Clockwork Angels

:-|

Diblo Dibala - My Love: 7 (B+)

Probably upped a notch because of my Diblo bias. Love that orange cover, too.

Skrillex - F*ck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!!: 7 (B+)

Digital-only [4 listens] # [electronic]

Earth, Wind & Fire - Greatest Hits: notation

From the AllMusic review of this release: “All but one (‘Love Music’) of the ten songs from 1978's The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire are included, while six of the ten songs from The Best of, Vol. 2 are featured; the remaining two cuts on the 17-track collection are the minor early single ‘Kalimba Story’ and the album cut ‘Gratitude.’” Since I have both best ofs and Gratitude, I can do without "the minor early single 'Kalimba Story.'"

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Greatest Hits: notation

If one has Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication, this compilation is more or less redundant. Of the 14 collected tracks (the album contains two new songs), nine are from those two albums (!). The five others include two from By the Way, one from the Coneheads soundtrack, the Stevie Wonder cover from Mother's Milk, and one from One Hot Minute. You'd be better off just getting By the Way. I only gave it a single listen.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium [liked]

This one grew on me after 3 listens. It's long though. Docked a notch for extreme bloat, but I'm posting the cover image anyway. I'm still tempted to get it, given its numbers/impact, and that it sells for the price of a single album, which is nice.

Non-Prophets - Hope: 8 (A-)

Sebastian - Total: 7 (B+)

# [electronica]

Various - Tsapiky! Modern Music from Southwest Madagascar: 8 (A-)

Vinyl-only

The Ex - If Your Mirror Breaks: 8 (A-)

# [import]

David Bowie - Changesbowie: 9 (A)

Like many people, I grew up on the earlier version of this, Changesonebowie, and may end up also getting the reissued, remastered, 2016 version of that as a nostalgia piece. Sometimes, shorter is better.

David Bowie - Station to Station: 9 (A)

David Bowie - Low: 7.5 (high B+)

David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: 8 (A-)

David Bowie - Hunky Dory: 10 (A+)

Aurlus Mabele - Soukouss la Terreur: 7.5 (high B+)

Diblo Dibala on solo. I have this on a nice vinyl copy, which I just happened to find when I was just getting into soukous decades ago. Bought it on a lark, and lo and behold, Diblo!!!

The Handsome Family - Singing Bones

:-|

Portishead - Dummy: 8 (A-)

Portishead - Third: 7.5 (high B+)

Even though this is # [electronica] and I would normally not shelve it, it is so well-regarded in some circles that I will just keep it.

Low - Things We Lost in the Fire

:-| [Definitely had this at one point, but presumably sold it off. It's possible that I "liked" it, but it's also possible that I "disliked" it. So I am just splitting the difference.]

Champeta w/Edna Martinez: Diblo Dibala Special (NTS radio playlist): notation

I'm posting about this just to note that I listened to it 3 times and so that I don't wonder about that in the future, since a couple people (including Christgau/Hull) have reviewed it. I don't review playlists. I have all the albums from which the playlist is constructed. Yes, it's a great playlist, but not some kind of cultural statement, like people are pretending.

While I was there I also listened to Champeta w/Edna Martinez: Lokassa Ya Mbongo Special, which is the only other one of her specials that appealed to me. I have reviewed all the albums from which the playlist is constructed, and/or entered a note on them, or will review them eventually. Just as good as the Diblo playlist.

Various - Mondo Soukous: 8 (A-)

Aurlus Mabele with Loketo - King of Soukous: 7.5 (high B+)

With Dally Kimoko on solo, not Diblo Dibala. Also issued as Embargo with this cover:

Diblo Dibala/Matchatcha - Best of Diblo Dibala/ Matchatcha: 8 (A-)

This is not actually a "best of." It contains two albums in their entirety: Boum Tonnerre and Laissez Passer. I would rate Boum Tonnere as 7.5 (high B+) and Laissez Passer as 8.5 (high A-). I guess that means that this compilation is an 8 (A-). Here are the covers of those two albums:

Diblo Dibala with Loketo - Super Soukous: 8 (A-)

Loketo [Diblo Dibala] - Soukous Trouble: 8 (A-)

Issued in France as simply Trouble, with this cover, which is so great I’ve been tempted to get a copy for years but have not done so to date:

That’s Diblo over there third from the right, standing humbly in the rear.

El Grupo Matchatcha [Diblo Dibala] - Aimer La Danse Nyekesse: 7.5 (high B+)

The Handsome Family - In the Air: 7 (B+)

Probably should be # [folk/country], but I have it, so I'm keeping it.

The Handsome Family - Last Days of Wonder: 7 (B+)

Probably should be # [folk/country], but I have it, so I'm keeping it.

The Handsome Family - Twilight: liked

De-shelved in 2025

The Handsome Family - Live at Schuba's Tavern [2002]: 7 (B+)

# [live]

Meat Puppets - Raw Meat [EP]: notation

 Here's the track breakdown:

1. "We Don't Exist" - on Too High to Die
2. "Up on the Sun" - on Backwater
3. "El Paso City" - another Marty Robbins cover

4. "White Sport Coat" - on Backwater
5. "Goodnight Irene" - standard

The two "original" tracks are another Marty Robbins cover and a standard. I'm not going to bother to grade for 2 songs.

Meat Puppets - You Love Me [EP]: 7.5 (high B+)

# [promo]

Meat Puppets - Backwater [EP]: notation

Here's the track breakdown:

1. "Backwater" - from Too High to Die
2. "Open Wide" - from Forbidden Places
3. "Animal" - outtake from Too High to Die (also released on a couple soundtracks) [not to be confused with “Animal Kingdom” from Up on the Sun]
4. "Up on the Sun" - 8-track demo/alternate version; previously on Raw Meat EP released with vinyl reissue of Up on the Sun
5. "White Sport Coat" - cover of Marty Robbins song; also on Raw Meat EP, with They Might Be Giants singing backup
 
I don’t do demos/alternative versions, generally, so the only things to hear on this are “Animal” and “White Sport Coat” which are fine songs, but I’m not going to bother to grade for 2 songs.

4 Stars [Quatre Etoiles] - Zairean Stars Show in the US - Kilimanjaro Heritage Hall: 7.5 (high B+)

Used copies are way too expensive for this grade, and at least half of this is # [live] anyway (or purportedly live - applause sounds canned). Also apparently issued with this cover:

Yo La Tengo - Sampler 1993-1997

I'm not going to bother to grade this, just note that I have a copy.

Michael Hurley - Hi-Fi Snock Uptown: 7 (B+)

Normally, this would be # [folk], but I'll make an exception for Hurley, because I love him so much. I have this on over-sized CD, which is regrettable, but at least it exists.