#015 Streetlight Manifesto - Everything Goes Numb

Boning up on punk, which lead me to this album. I never got much into ska; Orange County was the nexus of punk/3rd wave ska and it was blindingly trendy at LBHS in the 90s. I wonder if I can evaluate this or similar albums on their merits?

In any case, pretty catchy stuff, real high energy (orly?), but with some surprisingly interesting plays with tempo and structure, lots and lots of fun, bizarre left turns. Bass parts are breakneck fun, and the vocals are often incomprehensible, but easy enough to tune out when you need to. The unabashedly metal guitars (A Better Place, A Better Time, most notably) may or may not be tongue in cheek, but are sort of awesome, and were the turning point for winning me over somehow. I'll need more time to mull my changing of opinion about an entire genre, but I can't imagine I won't come back to this some day 4/5

#014 Big Star - Radio City

The 2nd Big Star album, fueled by encouraging exposure to the first one.

I don't know quite what to make of this, it sounds like it was from every time, from 70's glam to 80's hair metal to 90's indie, which is pretty incredible given that it came out in '74. Apparently this album was produced without major contributor Chris Bell, and it might even be better for it, certainly a lot more quirky and a lot less Led Zeppeliney. A bit schmaltzy at times, but I suspect once I get my head around it, I might like this album a lot (I'm already listening to it again now) so I'll give it a generous 4.5/5

Update: on 2nd listen, I'd dock it a bit for the really very schmaltzy bits, but still, listen to Mod Lang and September Gurls and tell me you'd have guessed they came out in 1974.

#013 Giom - March-April 2010 Promo Mix

(http://soundcloud.com/giom/gioms-march-april-2010-promo-mix)

See explanation below, another one recommended by Nick.

I was ready to sum this up with "I dont like house music", which I don't, but I have to admit, after about 20 minutes, I got in a good work groove, the beats shutting off the distracting parts of my brain. So there's something to that. I think I can do better though, its awfully boring stuff, though this mix is expertly put together, nary a distracting transition or rough edge in sight. I have no frame of reference here, I don't know good house from bad house, just house from not. In an even more arbitrary than usual designation: 3.5/5.

#012 Jess - SleepOnTheFloorDreamAboutMe

(http://soundcloud.com/jphlip/jess-sleeponthefloordreamaboutme)

Do online mix tracks count? I don't see why not, as long as they are publicly available artifacts; if this was a mix Thom Yorke did and it was super popular it would count, and if this was an album by a super tiny band it would count, so we'll be equal opportunity about artist fame, and delivery mechanism too.

Recommended by Nick as some work music, I don't love the way it starts, but its gets really nice and atmospheric around the 7:00 mark, with just enough atonal glitchyness to get itchy in your heart without losing the melodic thread. By the time it gets to Cherry at the halfway mark you're saying, yes, of course, I should have seen that coming - perfect song for this mix. Later appearances by Sigur Ros, Radiohead, BSS (obviously), all fit in as nice pretty cores for glitch and noise trimmings - totally an enjoyable mix, put together with unspectacular but totally sufficient skill - 4/5

#011 Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Another Pitchfork pickup. There is a trend among Pitchfork editors, and therefor the indie world, for thin trembly voices over atmospheric music (Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, the utterly unbearable Antony and the Johnsons, and I guess Sigur Ros for that matter) that I have no patience for. I find it annoying, affected, forced. I do like the atmospherics of some of these songs, but its that same atonal, half-step-off harmony thing that The Morning Benders and other recent bands do that I just can't get into. I get a sense of normal, good songs at the core, but that have been weirded up on purpose, as if somebody said "that's good, but its a little too enjoyable, sing it a little more atonally and ship it". I doubt that's what happened, but the experience of listening to this album nonetheless inspires this scenario and curses its villains.

I think there are probably 3 or 4 really good, enduring songs on here (While You Wait for the Others is a strong candidate), I may or may not go back in to recover them 2.5/5

#010 Elliot Brood - Mountain Meadow

I found the right pleasant Write it all Down for You on an mp3 blog, put it on a mix, and decided to follow up.

Things start off unpleasantly, formlessly shouty, but the souring guitars and plucked banjo bring a majesty to T-Bill, which leads nicely into the jaunty shuffle of the aforementioned WiaDfY. Nice, upbeat distorted guitars all over the place here, I reckon this might make good driving music. It gets surprisingly textured and atmospheric at the end, like early Yo La Tengo, or music I listened to as an undergrad. I dig it. - 4/5

#009 The Morning Benders - Big Echo

Pitchfork BNM'ed it, which is usually worth at least one listen.

I honestly am not sure I had listened to this one before, but I don't think I made it all the way through before now. Frankly, I don't enjoy it. There's something dissonant in the harmonies and the denseness of the sound that I find unpleasant, sort of in a Dr. Dog kind of way. I actually think I could see it growing on me, and there are some pretty moments, but it lacks distinction: distinction between its notes, dynamic distinction between its parts, and it lacks distinction in the sense that I can't remember anything about it when I'm done 2.5/5

#008 Dan Mangan - Nice, Nice, Very Nice

I randomly came across Robots (which is incredible) somewhere and couldn't track this album down.

A more recent search finds it, and man, this album starts off amazing. I'm not much of a lyrics guy, but the words and their delivery and the perfectly paced guitar churn behind them are unbelievable on this one. All very singer-songwritery, but just so well done you can't help but like it. It peters out a big in the middle, but still a remarkably enjoyable listen given that its in a style Im not all that hot on normally - 4.5/5

#007 Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped

Following my discovery that Sonic Youth makes good programming music, I decided to continue my exploration of their (extensive!) discography with a recent, well-regarded offering.

I sort of like the repetition, just intricate enough to be catchy, Incenerate is more enjoyable than I had reason to expect it to be, even though it does sound like a dozen other sonic youth songs to me. Conversely, Do You Believe in Rapture is really something different, a strangely gorgeous piece of incredibly intricate guitar music. The drums are catchy on this album in a way I don't normally associate with Sonic Youth.

Runs a bit long for my taste though, sort of runs out of steam, but a good one to have around. Resisting urge to go on long rant about how I lump albums by the same band - 3.5/5

#006 Sonic Youth - Goo

This was just something I came across in my music folder that I'd never actually listened to, and seemed like something that I could listen to while I programmed.

I've never been all that into Sonic Youth, and certainly never could figure out what all the fuss around Daydream Nation was. But in getting bored with guitar rock and playing the bass a lot more, I've started to really appreciate the things they're doing with tuning, tone and texture. This was a pretty catchy, atmospheric, aggressive listen. I liked it, and will probably come back to it - 4/5.

#005 Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

I've been thinking about filling in the gaps in my classic rock listening, and realized I'd never actually heard this album all the way through.

I don't think I've ever heard In the Light before, thats got some really great guitar lines in it. The Wonton Song does some neat stuff that I hear band misusing years later.

Sounds at first pass like an only slightly fillery, good Led Zeppelin album, with little to distinguish ti from IV and Houses of the Holy. Which isn't a bad thing, and which means I will appreciate it and enjoy it when I listen to it, even if I rarely actually listen to it - 3.5/5

#004 Sigur Ros - Takk

This was just one of those albums I got and never listened to. I'd heard it was one of their better albums, figured I'd try it.

I'd be hard pressed to identify a single song here as being from this album as opposed to either of the previous 2. I have little patience for the same thing again in general, and this sounds exactly in every way like their previous two albums. I can't see why I'd ever listen to this again instead of Aegis Byrgygnnyngnnn. And I actually find this one quite annoying in ways I didn't the previous two, I actually prefered ( )'s extended doom, and at least it was a /slight/ change from the previous sound.

Sigur Ros took a long time to grow on me in the first place, and I think their place on my heart is full now. This was a struggle to finish - 2/5.

#003 Man or Astro-Man? - Intravenous Television Continuum

I've been listening to a lot of surf rock revival lately, and after 2 enjoyable albums by this band, I decided to try a 3rd one.

Pretty awesome so far, a lot garageyer and noisier than EEVIAC, which I'd mostly focused on, a little more out of control. man, some really catchy stuff on here, this might be my favorite of theirs, just better ramshackle energy than the others. calling hong kong is just so ridiculous, and right in the tradition of surf rock history.

My new favorite Man or Astro-Man album? - 4/5

#002 Snoop Dogg - RnG

prompted by the really good snoop song on the gorillaz album, and actually sort of liking drop it like its hot, with its super weird glitchy production.

when i first heard that song it made me retroactively think that Beck's midnite vultures was awfully prescient about the direction of mid aughts hip hop, and the rest of the album confirms it, with a bunch of super skanky, broken-synth jams.

though its also one of the most misogynistic albums I've heard just about ever, with songs about how bitches aint shit and bitches need to be slapped or at very least about how you need to be leaving your bitch. its really unpleasant, and I shudder to think about people who think its funny.

some pretty rad production and rapping on a few songs, but I can't see listening to it as an album again any time soon - 2/5

#001 Big Star - #1 Record

prompted by the death of alex chilton and knowing him from the super catchy replacements song that bears his name.

weirdly pre-hair-metal songs mixed with folky pretty poppy stuff that works much better. i hear pop led zeppelin.

didn't realize they did the song from that 70's show, whaddya know.

i can see revisiting this, certainly a few standouts, but I don't see it being a huge hit for me - 3.5/5