An Album a Day (maybe)

I did not know Led Zeppelin was a blues band.   I dig it.   Not the vocals.  But these songs have been around for my whole life and I've heard them before, in commercials,  skate videos,   movies,   video games, on the radio, skate rinks.   This is my first time sitting down to the Z in a strictly musical context.   They've got strong jazz chops.  And are super clean and tight together.  From the inherited collection of Mike Kasen. Classic. That is a very long drum solo, sir. 3/5

  Japanese math rock.  I imagine them playing to a motionless, polite, japanese crowd.  They are rocking.  As the song finishes, the musicians take their hands off their instruments indicating to the crowd it is time to applaud.  I bet they miss touring the states.  They have the style of America-philes and I like the mirror they hold to myself.  Maybe there is a random gaijin in the crowd being boisterous and rambunctious; he is   moved by what he is hearing.   The crowd gives him a side eye.  He doesn't care.  The band is performing for him.  I wanna be that guy.  I would risk air travel and society to see them live. 5/5

I am a sucker for talented harp.  Not just strumming but somehow making actual music with a hundred strings just suspended in front of you.  This album reminded me of Charlie Brown Christmas' soundtrack.   So much so I may look back later to see if there is a connection.  Just really cool jazz. Walking bass lines that go all the way around the block.  To me this sounds like environmental jazz.  As if the reefer madness was finally exposed to LSD and the Dark Side of the Moon.  A traditional jazz solo will transition into a harp trill and echo into the next thing.  Would seek out more like this.  4/5  

  Love the style.  Unapologetic outsider cool.  My people.  5/5

  AI told me that "according to critics and fans" this is Steely Dan's best.  As musicians they are super tight and talented.  The music itself is kinda cheesy by my modern ears.  Are people really this upbeat?  If you've heard "Ricky Don't Lose My Number" you've heard this album.  Did a sax solo just pull me back in?  Maybe a little.  I really like instrumental Steely Dan.  But I'm super judgemental and picky regarding male singing voices.  Its now in my collection.  I am curious to see how my tastes for it change over time.  Maybe the voice can be a goofy buddy and not a awkward stranger.  I would listen to this again, someday.  3/5

Catchiness is king.  It doesn't matter how out of tune you sing, as long as the ear worm takes root.  From my personal vinyl collection 5/5  

  For the un-white Christmas 5/5

  Fallout Radio, but Christmas. 5/5

Lazy vacation mode continues. I listen to this album when I pump iron.  High dude energy.  This guy fucks. 5/5  

  This used to be considered adult cartoons.  Adult comedy was awkward silences and going off script.  Post 9-11 it got hard to be silly.  5/5

   An album from my childhood. Probably from a mail in subscription.  5/5

  Lazy vacation mode continues.  5/5 duh

  I was going to just listen to this album, give it a 5 and be done with it.  Apparently I had something to say.  I remember purchasing this album from Best Buy on CD sometime in 2000.  I was looking to extend my growing library of "emo punk" music.  OMG I hated this the first time I listened to it. The vocals are so unpolished.  I try hard to get back to that place of complete revulsion.  I can't find it. The energy of the band and screams pull you in.  Acquired taste they may be, I am fully acclimated.  5/5 not for everyone, but perfect for me.

  5/5

I added "Bandages" to my saved list in Spotify back in 2016.  I've sat on just that track for eight years and decided to listen to it in context.  They are cool and British.  They remind me of Arctic Monkeys.  He has a staccato style of singing that fits. 3/5 a'ight  

I found Dr. Dog on playing "That Old Black Hole" on a late night talk show.  Probably something of Conan's.  I bought Be the Void soon after and it may be one of the last CD's I bought before the streaming era.  During the streaming era, I added "Where Has the Time Gone" to my favorite songs.  I decided to hear it in context.   This is a great album if you're a fan of Dr. Dog.  They have an honest quality to them without being corny.  I dub this "Urban Folksy" 3/5 solid

Sometimes you have to be part robot to appreciate math rock.  That's not the case with Chon.  They are just too groovy.  Max chill.  My head is compelled to bob with them.   Ok maybe some songs get deep into the math.  This is Chon's first album, I wanted to see how they were earlier.  They are just as polished as I know them from Homey.  I can't actually tell the albums apart in my head.  Can't Wait is a favorite song.  5/5  is is my jam  

This band had a great rendition of Sk8in on XMAS in VA.  I looked deeper into them and found that track came from this album.  More great stuff.  Jazz can't really feel "modern" but it is refreshing.  Its nice hearing these new takes on a soundtrack that is iconic.  It really shines in the solos.  The energy and talent is crazy. 5/5 will purchase

2/5 alright.  DNF.  Electronic.  Has moments that reminded me of Propellarheads.  

  Recently I started following music blogs to discover new tunes.  I came across this through https://www.dcmusicreview.com/.  It hit me right in the Christmas season feelings and my feelings of Virginia pride.  It also went to a good cause (something about cancer).   The album itself is filled with refreshing Yuletide melodies.  Not many covers, this is filled with new compositions.  A notable Christmas classic is the ice skating theme from a Charlie Brown Christmas title here awesomely as "Sk8tin" The track starts with an epic standing bass solo.  I needed this.  Christmas music can get stale, this kept me in the spirit.   It makes me feel connected with modern music. 5/5 do not regret purchase

Spotify would play this band.  I saved the song "January 10th, 2014" to a playlist at somepoint. It is a great song.  Unrelatedly it is my brother's birthday.  I understand why they are recommended.  It is like my highschool tastes have matured like I did.  But they were left to mature for 20 years without internet.   Reminiscent of Get Up Kids in their catchy emo moments.  At other times they sound like The Mars Volta or Pink Floyed in some progressive artsy movements. 4/5 some songs are forever keepers  

Carpenters Christmas Portait (Extended Edition/Reissue) was a soundtrack of December in my house growing up.  This year the Carpenters Christmas songs have been repackaged again.  I grabbed it on vinyl.  I dont know if its the rawness of the medium.  Maybe its how things have to be mixed for vinyl.  My overall impression is it feels more raw than the extended edition.  The extended edition is CD digital perfection.  The vinyl seems more human.  On the surface I can easily hear breathing they would probably be cut from prior versions.   There are also places where the drums get too loud that I think brother Carpenter kept in to remember his sister's playing. 5/5 Love the new medium (for me)

 A classic,  hilarious, irreverent.  "The incredible return of the great white dope"  Is that self referential?  Some other joke that went over my head?  IDK but it is a great return for an entertaining band. I caught myself singing "Yummy Down on This" this morning.  "Ouch, it wont leave my mouth.  If I could do it myself I'd probably never leave the house." Poetry.  I think there is a Will Ferrell sketch with the same premise. I don't know of any other example of gag reflexes in time. Three Point One Four is cleverly titled.  It is definitely easier to search than "Vagina Lyrics" 5/5 would buy again

Recommended by fam.  Its epic and grandiose metal.  Makes me feel like church sometimes.  Their weakest point is the singer.  Reminds me of corny Hot Topic.  It might be the overproduction.  They definitely don;t need the over engineering because the musicality is incredible. Lots of long pieces with lots of transitions between movements like a rock opera. 3/5 Solid

I got into this band through "Catalina Fight Song" A catchy tune on its own, but the song was seared into my consciousness by a short video of a tattoo subtitled "Suck a titty by the ocean"  These lyrics are misheard from "Sunken city by the ocean". Was this purposeful ambiguity by the band?  An inside joke of some sort? I cant unhear it and in fact it is my anthem.  The album is filled with driving emo ballads.  A "midwest" emo vibe but the coolness from being of the west cost (Torrance, California. I looked it up wondering what part of Kansas they are from).  It takes me back to a time where I had more energy more passion.  If you take time to look up the lyrics, they are super deep in a way only emo 20 somethings can muster. 5/5 Would get on vinyl.