Board 8 > I rank 57 albums [ranking]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Let's goooo we still in it boys (hey rwlh guess who remembered their account credentials)

47. Various Artists - Jesus Christ Superstar (1992 Australian Cast Recording)
Rock Opera, Show Tunes, Rock Musical
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/7/2/AAeDEnAAE26A.jpg

@Raka_Putra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h71j9ZEgLyw

1. Simon Zealotes / Poor Jerusalem
2. Everythings Alright
3. The Temple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0zhkKiz8C4

Im not going to lie, this is one of the albums Im looking forward to the least. Over an hour of listening to a Broadway musical I have no context for is not my preferred way to spend my time. But I will go in with an open mind. Apropos of nothing but one of the cast members on this recording is apparently named Angry Anderson. I like it.

After an incredibly cheesy 90s overture, we get to Heaven on Their Minds, sung by Judas Iscariot in this, quite frankly, aggravating, showboating style. Lots of vibrato. Very showoffy. I like the instrumental hook at least. Everythings Alright is a sweet song but, as with the rest of this so far, divorcing it from the context makes it almost unable for me to process. This is music meant to be listened to be live, with visual performance; I dont honestly know if I can even fairly rate this as is.

The singing overall is often gratingly full of vibrato. Like, we get it, you can do a vocal run. John Farnham, who plays Jesus, sings in a more accessible way (to me at least). I acknowledge that this is how a lot of Broadway musicals are presented, and it not being to my tastes does not inherently make it bad.

I like the 7/8 time in The Temple.

I take back what I said above: Im mostly able to follow along with the plot (with a little help from a Wikipedia summary). Im no fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber, several of whose musicals Ive seen and not enjoyed, but this music feels okay I guess. Im sure Id have a more informed opinion from watching the actual show.

One thing I do like, that I can very overtly comment on, is the backing instrumentals are all pretty on point and cover a wide variety of genres: folk, R&B, dance. Thats definitely not what I was expecting, and its a welcome surprise.

Overall this isnt my thing. I can appreciate the craftsmanship (though I didnt care for some of the singing) and creativity. Would I willingly listen to this again? No. Would I rather listen to this than Cats? Absolutely.

Didn't expect Cats slander first thing in the morning, but here we are.

I was but a malleable preteen when I first watched Cats, and it deserves its damn hatred.

I'm not even a theater kid and the live production was soooo bad.

Hey it barely made it out of the Bottom 10 so yay! I'll take it!

Yeah I get why musical songs are usually better with context, but I just... don't listen to non-musical albums...

Glad you at least tolerated it somewhat!

rwlh posted...

I'm curious about what patterns you seem to be noticing. I often struggle with finding common threads in music I like/dislike, so I'd love to hear any insight you might have!

Sure! I think so far I would say your biggest overall dislike across all the albums so far have been "slow homogeneity" - I feel you don't like when albums just capture a single mood across the whole run-time especially when that mood tends to be more somber, darker, or more leisurely paced. I do notice you tend to say you don't "dislike" slow songs but more often than not the albums with the most slow songs on them have been the lowest-ranked so far! So you may not dislike them as you say but I certainly don't think it's a preferred type of music for you either. You need something with a bit more pep and I think definitely a certain vocal style to suit your taste that the likes of Bjork, TMBG, and certainly BoC don't provide.

Maybe I'm wrong but those are my insights so far!

Wish sounds like a lot like what I associate as typical modern style pop. So not something that I'd be super interested in. If this song were in English then I can imagine it being played on the speakers in stores and stuff because it's harmless and inoffensive (note: I do not know what the Korean lyrics are saying).

Gyroscope has a somewhat cool sound but the song doesn't really... do anything? It has no buildup or payoff, it's just like 3 minutes of background noise that stays the same the entire time.

It sounds like my reaction to Heirloom is more positive than yours. Although maybe I'd have to listen to the previous songs on the album to understand what you were writing about, if this song is apparently the exception to your comments on the rest of them.

I also wouldn't want to listen to a Broadway soundtrack, and I'm definitely not paying attention to the lyrics or any sort of "plot". But this song does seemingly show off the "variety of genres" that you mentioned, so it definitely broke my expectations for this source material. I'm sure that there are a few songs in there that are closer to what I thought they'd be.

I'll listen to the listed top 3 for each album and give my thoughts.

I have a friend who really enjoys Billy Talent and I have a few of my songs on my playlist. Crooked Minds is similar to the songs I hear from Billy Talent, which is fine. Show Me the Way is really fun. If this is last, then you got a really solid set of recommendations.

I'm a big Taylor Swift fan, but mainly of her Fearless -> 1989 run, with 1989 being one of my favorite pop albums. Folklore is a return to form, but went too far back. It's certainly good, but this style of music is very forgettable to me. You might be able to find one or two songs that are your faves and you can discard the rest. For me, those songs are the 1 and cardigan. august and exile are pretty good.

Hell yes, Frog On The Floor. I'm not the biggest 100 gecs fan, but Frog On The Floor is excellent. In regards to rap, I almost considered nominating Mac Miller's Circles, but that's pretty mild for rap.

I get what you mean by ELO. The songs kinda blur together. All the songs are pleasant though.

Second Go is pretty nice, but I don't have much to say for Lights. I will say that CHVRCHES is one of my favorite bands.

100% agreed on your write-up on TMBG.

Miracle Musical is certainly a variety. All 3 songs listed feel very different.

Younha is my favorite so far. I really enjoyed all 3 songs I listened to.

Boards of Canada is interesting. On some days, I would love this album. On other days, I would be bored out of my mind for this album. I think most days, I would like it. One nice thing about music that's more passive is that I'm able to think and work to it more often than other music. And music that's on my work playlist will just naturally float to the top. Really enjoyed all 3 songs, but on a different level than Younha.

Bjork is definitely not my style of music.

I like listening to Broadway albums. I don't think you lose that much from listening out-of-text. JCS is definitely enjoyable, but it doesn't have a high song like the other Broadway musicals I listened to (Phantom, Hamilton, Hadestown)

Some quick thoughts:

Oh hey, so that's where "Yours Truly, 2095" came from! The Megas did a cover of it, but I never heard the original before. I like the way this track sounds and I do enjoy concept albums (or at least the concept of concept albums), so I may try to listen to the album sometime.

END THEORY: I like ballads, so I had to try a random song from the album and clicked "Here" & wow, I kinda love the instruments on that track. Kinda want to try some more songs on the album, as that song seems promising.

I can't decide if I want to hear more from "Geogaddi" or not. Gyroscope was a miss for me, but I really like all the words you're using to describe the album? It's.. hard to guess if I'd enjoy the experience or not. Dark, lo-fi, and fuzzy are top-tier adjectives, but I hate repetition so... I dunno.

Bjork is rather hit-or-miss for me, but Heirloom sounds pretty good! Some rather nice instruments here, I think I liked that one.

Jesus Christ Superstar... it's a bit rough because I love Ted Neeley's performance of Gethsemane and really want to hear more of him, so I'd be unfairly biased against this version of the play for being Neeley-less. The linked song does sound nice though.

Very happy to see all the folks listening along with the top songs, especially Bitto, who's doing top three! Wowzers.

Snake5555555555 posted...

Sure! I think so far I would say your biggest overall dislike across all the albums so far have been "slow homogeneity" - I feel you don't like when albums just capture a single mood across the whole run-time especially when that mood tends to be more somber, darker, or more leisurely paced. I do notice you tend to say you don't "dislike" slow songs but more often than not the albums with the most slow songs on them have been the lowest-ranked so far! So you may not dislike them as you say but I certainly don't think it's a preferred type of music for you either. You need something with a bit more pep and I think definitely a certain vocal style to suit your taste that the likes of Bjork, TMBG, and certainly BoC don't provide.

Maybe I'm wrong but those are my insights so far!

Interesting, thanks for sharing! I do value variety, which is one of the reasons I don't listen to albums a lot - as I said earlier in the topic, I get bored easily. No comment on slow-song albums being ranked low as that would spoil part of the list. I will say that my top vgm spreadsheet does have a number of slower songs, including Nagisa's Theme from Clannad and To the West from Aka (if you know either of those). But there are probably more fast-paced songs up there, on average, though there are different varieties of fast and slow paced.

Keeping this analysis in mind, do you have any predictions for the rest of the list?

rwlh posted...

Yeah, that's something I've really had to come to terms with during this project (as I outlined in my Vespertine writeup): the idea that it's okay to not like something that's "supposed to be good." It's probably rooted in some deep-seated insecurity I've only now become aware of, haha.

There's a huge difference between saying you don't like something and calling it objectively bad. "I can see why people would like this, but I just don't" is a fair assessment that others won't judge you for unless they're jerks. Saying something is "overrated" is fine because many will agree with you if you corroborate it. But "I don't understand why people say this is good, because I thought it was awful" is going to get reactions. With music, I've found things I don't understand or particularly care for, but I don't call them bad unless I really think they are, and every time I try to explain why.

I've noticed this in my movie watchthrough topic. People didn't respond well to me calling No Country for Old Men "one of the worst movies I've ever seen." I still say it was, because nothing else has made me want to kill myself quite like that movie did, and I don't get why anyone would want to watch it. Meanwhile, I said I didn't enjoy American Psycho because it goes "splat" with the reveal. Since the build-up was great, I can see why some people might like that. I just didn't, but I'm considering a reassessment. I'm not doing that for No Country for Old Men, which had the same problem among many others that made it boring, with the only good thing being Javier Bardem. I think the movie only got the praise it did because it was made by the Coen Brothers.

With folklore, T-Swift made an album that was too long and sleepy, and though there are some stellar songs on it, it just drones on for too long. It's overrated, but it's not bad. It's a prime example of something lesser than the sum of its parts - too many unnecessary parts subtract from its worth. If anyone other than the Queen of Pop released that, the reception would have been lukewarm. It's good to be detached from who made it because that allows you to assess things better.

46. Barenaked Ladies Gordon
Pop Rock, Alternative Rock, Acoustic Rock
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/3/2/AAeDEnAAE2-E.jpg

@Xarnax42

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kL_VVX0yblvvbk0x1JBuBkyaYoANpstrM

1. Wrap Your Arms Around Me
2. Brian Wilson
3. Be My Yoko Ono

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6dsOoxgiN4

I have never been terribly charmed by this band, with a few exceptions, Pinch Me being the big one. Pinch Me isnt on this album though. Can we recover from this disaster?

Turns out I already know some of these songs! Enid is a blend of wistful nostalgia, ruminations on how memory is a fickle thing while playing at the idea of serious teenage relationships. Grade 9 is another song about being a teenager; Im surprised there are two right next to each other, since I dont think the band necessarily plays to that demographic? Its not a bad song, actually I prefer it to Enid, but it makes me wonder how the rest of the album will play out. There are some nice moments, like their genuinely terrific harmonies; or the subsequent instrumental outro in Brian Wilson. Be My Yoko Ono begins with the thought-provoking entreaty: If theres someone you can do without / Then do so. Those harmonies are on full display on Wrap Your Arms Around Me. Im glad the band knows theyre good at this!

One thing I find interesting about the Barenaked Ladies is theyre verynot rock star-y? Unglamorous, maybe unpretentious (though I dont know how much of that is an act). I think affable is a good word for this album, and this band.

Nine songs in and I have to sadly report that nine songs of Steven Pages vocals have not improved my impression of Steven Pages vocals.

Theres no need to be afraid of us
Though it just might be your daughter on our bus
-New Kid (On the Block)

There are a lot ofslow love songs on this album? Certainly more than I was expecting.

Theres been this seemingly endless stretch after Wrap Your Arms Around Me (#6) up through Blame It on Me (#12!) that I just dont really care about. I dont dislike it, my skin isnt crawling like with some of the lower ranked albums, but I struggle to maintain an opinion, or interest, on anything. The Flag rekindles my interest, with intriguing lyrics. I dont get why If I Had $1,000,000 appears to be the most popular song here I found it pretty insufferable.

Overall not really my thing. I enjoyed some songs, disliked one, and was ambivalent toward most. Thatll safely keep it out of the bottom five at least!

rwlh posted...

Keeping this analysis in mind, do you have any predictions for the rest of the list?

I have a good feeling American Idiot & Disco Volante will be ranked high!

Most likely next to drop - I'm going with Heaven or Las Vegas, You Want It Darker, & Passenger.

BlueCrystalTear posted...

I'm not doing that for No Country for Old Men, which had the same problem among many others that made it boring, with the only good thing being Javier Bardem.

See I find that interesting because I like that movie, and I think Javier Bardem is the worst part of it

With folklore, T-Swift made an album that was too long and sleepy, and though there are some stellar songs on it, it just drones on for too long. It's overrated, but it's not bad. It's a prime example of something lesser than the sum of its parts - too many unnecessary parts subtract from its worth. If anyone other than the Queen of Pop released that, the reception would have been lukewarm. It's good to be detached from who made it because that allows you to assess things better.

You really can't keep calling Taylor Swift the queen of pop while Madonna is still alive, the disrespect! :P

Cats is, to me, the absolute lowest that a musical can possibly go. If you told a person who hates Broadway to make up a Broadway song on the fly, whatever they come up with wouldn't be much different from this:

Are you mean like a minx? Are you lean like a lynx?
Are you keen to be seen when you're smelling a rat?
Were you there when the pharaohs commissioned the Sphinx?
If you were and you are, you're a Jellicle cat

I say this, though I think that's why I love it! It's total nonsense the entire way through that has little to do with the source material-- itself a collection of irreverent short poetry written to entertain the author's godkids-- and yet carries a sort of brazenness about itself that's hard to come by. You're dressing up a bunch of talented performers in cat costumes as they sing about milk and scratching posts and purring and also magicians for some reason. It's the most make-it-up-as-you-go thing to ever make it to the stage, and in this it may actually be the most perfect stage adaptation of all.

Also, the actual production side of things is sharp as ever. I especially love the Overture, translated faithfully for the 2019 film:
https://youtu.be/ijD-D0dKLbQ?si=tNRhY6kGyw0h6DnI

Snake5555555555 posted...

Most likely next to drop - I'm going with Heaven or Las Vegas, You Want It Darker, & Passenger.

nah bro Passenger is placing #18

Snake5555555555 posted...

I have a good feeling American Idiot & Disco Volante will be ranked high!

Funny feeling both Green Days are gonna tank. Mainstream music hasn't exactly had a good track record so far.

If I were gonna pick an album off this list I know nothing about and guess it'll do well...uhh...how bout Alice Schach. Won't top the list, but I think it'll be upper third. Actually, maybe Leonard Cohen? Yeah, sure, we'll say Leonard Cohen will do well.

SuperbVEVO posted...

You really can't keep calling Taylor Swift the queen of pop while Madonna is still alive, the disrespect! :P

Hey now, Madonna is still the first Queen of Pop, but she's been dethroned. T-Swift has really been even more crazy popular than Madonna ever was, especially recently with her having ten songs in the Top Ten at the same time.

But part of what my point is that Madonna could've released that kind of album in the 80s or 90s and everyone would've loved it. Someone else at that time... probably not.

azuarc posted...

Funny feeling both Green Days are gonna tank. Mainstream music hasn't exactly had a good track record so far.

If I were gonna pick an album off this list I know nothing about and guess it'll do well...uhh...how bout Alice Schach. Won't top the list, but I think it'll be upper third. Actually, maybe Leonard Cohen? Yeah, sure, we'll say Leonard Cohen will do well.

alice has a retiree..

45. Binzokomegane Girls Union - Taiten Mythologia
Breakcore
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/5/8/AAeDEnAAE3AC.jpg
@banshiryuu

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPKUmrgeihqz_F5zp6rT1c7hr23gIRmyb

1.
2. Gram
3. Ragnarok

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVenrv8of88

I support the labor rights of the Binzokomegane Girls Union.

Knowing this nominator as I do, I have certain expectations of what this music is going to be like. Here, the first song, lives up to those expectations: psytrance that bounces between mellower fare and harsh EDM stuff. I can take or leave these types of songs, and so Here doesnt impress me very much. But I will have an open mind for the rest of the album.

Gram, the second song, is more my speed. More melodic EDM with keyboards and minimal aggressive rhythm gamey elements. Very optimistic, for want of a better term. Goes on a bit too long without changing things up though. LMFAO at Blasphemia starting out relatively subdued and then someone comes in and goes SHAKE UR ASS and this massive fucking beat drops out of nowhere. I died. I have to give the song credit for that. Also I think it goes WAN 2 FUCK U at one point what even is this song. I would like Helix more if the song didnt sound like it was yelling at me at parts. Dont be mean to me Ragnarok starts off cool but, as do so many of these songs, quickly turns into louuuuuud.

Really this entire genre is something thats going to be a hard sell for me. Ive always had severe problems distinguishing subgenres of EDM from each other, so while each song is probably very distinct to connoisseurs, to me it mostly blended together. Some of it is fine but a lot is that hyper aggro style I tend not to like that much. Song #8 is a good example apparently this has the genre Terror Hardcore, which feels apt a lot of it feels too much like noise to me. (Looking it up, this is Camellia, which tracks.) Im somebody who actually enjoys noise music a lot of the time (I legit love Crazybus), but I dont like a lot of this in-your-face EDM stuff. Weird, huh?

But then it ends with by Feryquitous, and not only is it not trying to disintegrate my eardrums, its actually really cool! Was it worth sitting through the rest of the album? Ill leave that up to YOU, the viewers at home.

1. ???
2. ???
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27. ???
28. Younha - Wish
29. ???
30. ???
31. ???
32. Feryquitous -
33. ???
34. ???
35. ???
36. Electric Light Orchestra - Yours Truly, 2095
37. ???
38. ???
39. ???
40. Barenaked Ladies - Wrap Your Arms Around Me
41. ???
42. ???
43. ???
44. ???
45. ???
46. Boards of Canada - Gyroscope
47. ???
48. They Might Be Giants - Snail Shell
49. Taylor Swift - invisible string
50. ???
51. Bjork - Heirloom
52. ???
53. 100 gecs - Frog on the Floor
54. Jesus Christ Superstar 1992 Australian Cast & Russell Morris & John Farnham - Simon Zealotes / Poor Jerusalem
55. Billy Talent - Show Me the Way
56. Lights - February Air
57. Miracle Musical - Dream Sweet in Sea Major

Good showing from Feryquitous, all things considered!

Haven't heard of Taiten Mythologia before but it's really damn good.

:(

Oh this is a little late to be suggesting it, sorry, but it'd be neat to have the album release year next to the name as the writeups are dropping.

Bane_Of_Despair posted...

Oh this is a little late to be suggesting it, sorry, but it'd be neat to have the album release year next to the name as the writeups are dropping.

Sure, I'll try to remember that! Here is release year for everything so far:

45. Binzokomegane Girls Union - Taiten Mythologia - 2018
46. Barenaked Ladies - Gordon - 1992
47. Various Artists - Jesus Christ Superstar (1992 Australian Cast Recording) - 1996
48. Bjork - Vespertine - 2001
49. Boards of Canada - Geogaddi - 2002
50. Younha - END THEORY : Final Edition - 2022
51. Miracle Musical - Hawaii: Part II - 2012
52. They Might Be Giants - John Henry - 1994
53. Lights - The Listening - 2009
54. Electric Light Orchestra - Time - 1981
55. 100 gecs - 10,000 gecs - 2023
56. Taylor Swift - Folklore - 2020
57. Billy Talent - Dead Silence - 2012

I like the guitar work in Simon Zealotes / Poor Jerusalem. There are some good piano sections as well. Show tune vocals are often not my favorite type of singing, and that's the case here, but the instrumental is pretty cool on this one. Probably wouldn't seek out this soundtrack on my own, but I could see myself enjoying certain aspects of it.

Barenaked Ladies is another band that I've been meaning to do a deeper dive on, so I took the opportunity to listen to all of Gordon, and it was a pretty great album, as per usual for Xarnax recommendations. Their harmonization ability is clearly their biggest strength and they took advantage of that. I liked pretty much every song, but I think my favorite was Box Set. Wrap Your Arms Around Me was very pretty too. Great stuff.

I generally like deo's EDM rhythm game stuff quite a bit, as long as it's not excessively in your face with the machine gun bass. Apparently this Feryquitous song isn't anything like the rest of the album, but I liked it a lot. Good piano, synths, and overall production. This would be a distant future listen if I were to listen to the full album at some point.

tag

great writeups so far

Chaeix posted...

great writeups so far

Thanks!

44. Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas
Dream Pop, Ethereal Wave, Shoegaze
1990
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/5/3/AAeDEnAAE3Hx.jpg
@RyoCaliente

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfimnwaZdumjABvYHnq7nXUU41YVqPA3i

1. Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
2. Heaven or Las Vegas
3. I Wear Your Ring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgffvFM1J-Q

Ive heard the title track off this album before. While I like it, I need to be in the right mood for its Wall of Sound-esque production. The first song, Cherry-colored Funk, is in a similar wheelhouse of loud mixing. Its sort of like shoegaze, which I also struggle with at times for the same reasons. Pitch the Baby, the second song, is more intriguing from the start but then I can barely hear the singing. I feel like this is going to be a constant refrain in this album.

The album is very laidback, with a sense of wistfulness. I dont know if any artist could have made this as their first album. Yet I find it very inaccessible, and not just because of the mixing. It just feels so alien. I have nothing against alien-sounding music, in fact I generally really love it, so I dont quite know what my hangup is. I like Kraftwerk, and Kraftwerk sounds orders of magnitude more alien than this.

I always thought Heaven or Las Vegas (song) was in French or some shit. Apparently the whole album is in English, the lyrics are just completely unintelligible.

These songs all start off so promising. I Wear Your Ring feels like a great synthpop song at first, but then the singing kicks in. Maybe thats my issue I feel like the singing actively detracts from my enjoyment. This would be a killer instrumental album. Instead we get aggressively mixed and ill-fitting singing that pings my discomfort in very specific ways. This is certainly just me a me thing. Heaven or Las Vegas (album) is one of the most acclaimed albums ever recorded, after all (#50 on Rate Your Music!). My particular auditory tics prevent me from embracing it, however.

but then we get to the last song, Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires. I love this song. Holy crap. I dont exactly know what it does different to the rest of the album, maybe its that it feels softer/less overwhelming than the other tracks, but I absolutely love it. Ill say this in other writeups too, but sometimes theres a gem at the tail end of an album I dont love, and that makes the rest of the album worth it.

One of my predictions was right!

43. Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 3
Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul
2020
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/2/5/AAeDEnAAE3Kd.jpg

@MaxGalactica

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZzjWvolxrQ&list=PLrdDqgsW0HS4Gu85eNQfcfQXxs6IHrVpS&index=1

1. In My Bones
2. He Wont Hold You
3. In Too Deep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ukb1Ed7dIc

So we start off with Count the People, which apart from Colliers mile-a-minute rapping, feels like your standard pop fare. Nothing wrong with that, granted, but I appreciate this song more when it breaks the script a bit and does some fun electronic things: glitchiness, vocals layered on top of each other, etc. Maybe Im just dismissive of modern pop (which, I mean, I certainly am, its one of my biases). In My Bones is more my style. It feels like a Prince hit. Big ups to Collier for having the first two songs on the album (not counting the prelude) be so disparate from each other. The powers that be are just the powers you see. I like that.

I think I didnt realize how much of this was going to be funk and soul. I associate Jacob Collier with soft piano and polished pop. A few songs in and this feels like something youd hear in like a coffee shop, or at a high school dance. Im having trouble connecting emotionally with the music, especially now that its sort of evened out into a comfortable neo-soul vibe. I do like neo-soul, but I value not knowing what the next song is going to sound like too.

Speaking of! In Too Deep takes things a little s l o o o o w e r with a ballad. I love the deep bass on this, and also Colliers voice, airy and light, piggybacks nicely off the beat.

I cant tell if the popping noises on Light It Up On Me are cool or maddening. Maybe both? I do like the disorienting effects the uses. He Wont Hold You is super cool. I really like the rap.

What a strange album this is. The production is top notch but Im not connecting in an impactful way. This is probably a result of me struggling with the genre/style. As a result I sadly dont have a lot to say. Sorry! It seems like the first half is more upbeat and the second half is more contemplative. Is that an accurate assessment?

Hey you're right this song does sound a bit like Prince (derogatory)

don't worry max at least yoko kanno hasn't already shown up

42. Green Day American Idiot
Pop Punk, Alternative Rock, Rock Opera
2004
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/2/7/AAeDEnAAE3MD.jpg

@Great_Paul

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnBDrwd58yXKc_JBFBg492FYuIuKbEQub

1. Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams
2. American Idiot
3. Too Much Too Soon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0xe5DcnYSA

WRITEUP CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS FOR A FUTURE WRITEUP [Green Day - Dookie], PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK

American Idiot is the only album in this ranking Ive listened to before. I gave it a spin for FoolFantastics Rank the Albums. It got 10th place out of 24, sandwiched between Jagged Little Pill and 10,000 Days. This is my brief note:

Enjoyable pop-punk with a darker edge. There were quite a few I already knew, but didnt realize were from this. Its not higher because some parts dragged for me.
Favorite song: Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams

I feel like I appreciate American Idiot more having heard Dookie for this topic. The bands sound is more polished, for better or worse. The songs in Dookie all seemed to blend together in a frenetic pop-punk stew. Here they have hooks! The title track and Jesus of Suburbia are genuinely, infectiously catchy (I never noticed the Summer of 69 throwback in the chorus of the latter). Everyone knows the radio hits too. Is it cheating to put Holiday and Boulevard of Broken Dreams together? Theyre merged as one song in the Topic upload, so Im treating them as one. If it was just Boulevard of Broken Dreams separately, it would place much higher.

The overall storyline of the album is a bit easier for me to grasp than [REDACTED]. At the same time its also unclear how much is metaphorical and how much is meant to be taken literally, and thats not really a bad thing it works on different levels. Some of it, as I succinctly put it in Rank the Albums, drags. Like, a lot. Jesus of Suburbia, for example, works best for me as the catchy, hook-y first third and not the second and third thirds, with a seemingly endless parade of guitar.

There are quite a few slurs in the first three songs alone. Id be a hypocrite if I said this bothered me while enjoying a number of profane hip-hop songs, but it did stop me a little.

Are We the Waiting is some nice arena rock, with good call and response, but then the other half of the track, St. Jimmy, is a bit of a drag. I dont think Id feel differently if these songs were actually split up, since theyd still be overlong. I like the sentiment in Letterbomb: Its not over til youre underground. Very defiant, very much in the spirit of the album. Wake Me up When September Ends has never been my favorite song; Armstrongs voice gets a little too nasal/whiny for my taste, which is a shame because its one of the more personal songs theyve recorded.

By the end, Im realizing I enjoyed this much less than I thought I would on a second listen! Its so frontloaded for me; after the first three songs it falls into this mash of similar-sounding songs that go on too long. I mind that much more in rock (and pop) than in other genres. Its funny that one of my favorites is a bonus song that isnt even part of the album proper. To my great surprise, Im ranking Dookie higher. At least Dookie was fun.

Top songs:
1. ???
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
7. ???
8. ???
9. ???
10. ???
11. ???
12. ???
13. ???
14. ???
15. ???
16. ???
17. ???
18. ???
19. ???
20. Cocteau Twins - Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
21. ???
22. ???
23. ???
24. ???
25. ???
26. Green Day - Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams
27. ???
28. Younha - Wish
29. ???
30. ???
31. ???
32. Feryquitous -
33. ???
34. ???
35. ???
36. Electric Light Orchestra - Yours Truly, 2095
37. ???
38. ???
39. ???
40. Barenaked Ladies - Wrap Your Arms Around Me
41. ???
42. ???
43. ???
44. ???
45. ???
46. Boards of Canada - Gyroscope
47. ???
48. They Might Be Giants - Snail Shell
49. Taylor Swift - invisible string
50. ???
51. Bjork - Heirloom
52. Jacob Collier - In My Bones
53. 100 gecs - Frog on the Floor
54. Jesus Christ Superstar 1992 Australian Cast & Russell Morris & John Farnham - Simon Zealotes / Poor Jerusalem
55. Billy Talent - Show Me the Way
56. Lights - February Air
57. Miracle Musical - Dream Sweet in Sea Major

Cocteau Twins take the honors so far, though as I said in the writeup, Boulevard of Broken Dreams does way better without Holiday attached.

the real crime here is 10000 Days being so low

Well, guess I knew all three albums that dropped today. I marked 10 albums out of rwlh's list when this topic went live and have been listening through them. Heaven or Las Vegas was one of those albums, and I listened to it on Sunday. And wow, I really loved it. The ethereal vocals and instrumentation is really beautiful throughout. I don't think there was a song I didn't enjoy in it. Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires is definitely the big standout though. Absolutely gorgeous song.

Djesse Vol. 3 is probably my second favorite album out of the entire list. Jacob Collier's unique take on music and complex harmony is just enthralling to me. There's so much going on in every track, and it's mixed so well, and I really love that. In Your Bones is pretty great, although my personal favorite is All I Need. Also worth mentioning my favorite moment in the album is the beautiful loop at the end of In Too Deep. I also feel that Jacob Collier in general is someone you need to listen to several times before connecting with his music. I recall not feeling much from his music when I first heard it several years ago, and over time it grew on me to the point of him probably being my favorite artist now.

American Idiot is another album I like a lot. It's one of the essential punk rock albums out there. It does drag a bit at points, but there's so many good songs that it's not a huge deal to me. Boulevard of Broken Dreams is one of the songs of all time, and deserves the top spot.

Sad to see these three drop here, but at least they're not low tier.

rwlh posted...

Is it cheating to put Holiday and Boulevard of Broken Dreams together? Theyre merged as one song in the Topic upload, so Im treating them as one. If it was just Boulevard of Broken Dreams separately, it would place much higher.

Holiday is track 3 on the physical release and Boulevard is track 4. They are separate songs. They're also played independently on the radio. Contrast that with Jesus of Suburbia, which is listed in the liner notes as (going off memory) 5 different parts, but all within the same greater piece.

So if Boulevard would place higher independently, I would be inclined to do so.

As someone who only knows Barenaked Ladies through One Week, this album is not what I expected. I like Brian Wilson, though.

Binzokomegane is pretty good, but I think my opinion would drop if I heard the whole album. A lot of pleasant, but forgettable songs.

I'm familiar with Cocteau Twins. I like them. Not a lot, but definitely an above-average album. All songs are good.

Oh, I listened to Jacob Collier as part of a collaborative concert put forth by Porter Robinson. I really love In My Bones. I think it's the first song I immediately recognized so far in this listen.

American Idiot is a classic, but I believe you in that it's very frontloaded. I like both Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams a lot.

41. Matthew and the Atlas Morning Dancer (Unplugged)
Indie Folk
2019
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/2/9/AAeDEnAAE3Qx.jpg

@Chaeix

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nkys2Eh9U8vyATrSxT0rz75B095CvTzDo

1. Waging a War (Acoustic Version)
2. Tower Above the Sun (Acoustic Version)
3. White Bird (Acoustic Version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQDaDcnKKtM

[NOTE: I couldn't find the Unplugged version of Morning Dancer on RYM, so "Indie Folk" applies to the normal (Plugged?) version; any additional genres are left to the imagination.]

This falls firmly into singer-songwriter territory. I can often take or leave this sort of music. Ive never been a fan of Bob Dylan but I do like Joni Mitchell. Matthew and the Atlas is billed as the project of Matt Hegarty, and he falls into the Dylan camp because I dont enjoy his voice very much. Its not objectionable (like Dylans) but in the first song, Pyres, I struggle with understanding what hes singing. I even made a conscious effort to pay attention to the lyrics, but I still had trouble parsing what he was saying.

The second song, Waging a War, is much better in that department. I like it considerably more. I love the story it paints of someone rebellious who gets into all sorts of trouble, dancing on your own are they a lost soul, are they acting deliberately, or both? Profoundly sad, unclear, and nostalgic.
I dig the minimalist backing. Heavy on acoustic guitar, with some light strings. I guess it makes sense given the album is labeled Unplugged.

A lot of this album Im ambivalent on. Sometimes the arrangements feel too simple, like Low; sometimes Hegartys voice bothers me, like on Plaything. Other times I dont have those complaints; sometimes Im utterly charmed, like in Tower Above the Sun. Sometimes I think my favorite parts are the parts without any singing. There were multiple times more than three where a song started without me realizing, and I had to replay it from the beginning. Sometimes theres a female singer out of nowhere and the effect is fairly neutral.

Overall, an album I have no strong feelings on, unless you count shrug as a strong feeling. I found nothing objectionable but I wouldnt go out of my way to listen to any of it again. Waging a War is pretty terrific though! I listened to the full (non-acoustic) version and I definitely prefer acoustic.

Hm I forgot to mention but yeah I chose the 1992 version because I like the instrumentations a lot. I don't really understand music theory/production and all that stuff, but this Cast Recording version just sounds more memorable, cool, and interesting to me than other JCS versions I've listened to.

Raka_Putra posted...

Hm I forgot to mention but yeah I chose the 1992 version because I like the instrumentations a lot. I don't really understand music theory/production and all that stuff, but this Cast Recording version just sounds more memorable, cool, and interesting to me than other JCS versions I've listened to.

Makes sense to me. I thought the soundtrack had a lot of character I hadn't previously encountered in a Broadway production.

Heaven or Las Vegas is a great album. Iceblink Luck and Cherry Coloured Funk are both probably top 5 CT songs. Blue Bell Knoll is my favorite album from them though.

40. Sunspot - The Strangest Frequency
[band is not on RYM so no official genres but I would classify them as Indie Rock]
2022
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/3/7/AAeDEnAAE3Vl.jpg
@BlueCrystalTear

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lt-3lgrgOToYhX4uysv2H4EdDVw4qVhTM

1. Thunderbird
2. Cry Wolf
3. Well Be Seeing You Again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuOpHK0P3Kk

I remember this band from an old Rank the Tracks. You know them IRL, yes? I remember finding the other album mostly serviceable with some cool jams. Lets see if that pattern holds!

First track, Im On Fire, feels like pretty standard rock. Not something Id go out of my way to listen to but I dont dislike it either. I will say for a song about being on fire, untouchable, etc., the singer sounds pretty humdrum about it. Id expect a little more intensity. Ten seconds into Cry Wolf and I can tell right away that his vocal style is better suited for a song like this: more rollicking and good-natured. Thunderbird is another style, with an almost country-rock sound. I appreciate that theyre going for different things with each of these songs. I like the reverbed guitars in Everything They Told Us Is a Lie; it really adds to the mysterious, moody atmosphere.

I dont have much to add over the next few songs: mostly serviceable with some cool jams about sums up this experience. The Strangest Frequency (album) continues to be varied in style. I love the little BOO at the end of I Dont Wanna Be a Ghost. Pretty funny! Spend the Night is like cabaret: slow, smoky, dazzled. I like how playful Sunspot is here, its clear theyre having fun.

Some of these songs fade into the background more and theyre over before I can formulate much of an opinion, but I like what Im remembering (which makes sense because if I remember it it probably means I liked it on some level). There havent been any issues with the vocalist after that first song.

Well Be Seeing You Again has some real blues energy. Shows off some of the singers range too.

Overall, a pleasant surprise, maybe even something Id place beyond serviceable. I hope these guys find much success!

39. Black Country, New Road - Ants from Up There
Art Rock, Post-Rock, Chamber Pop, Indie Rock
2022
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/9/2/AAeDEnAAE3Wc.jpg

@FoolFantastic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIJjiW_aAFQ

1. Marks Theme
2. The Place Where He Inserted The Blade
3. Chaos Space Marine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63N7GiaVCSs

(Note: like all writeups, my review of Ants from Up There was written stream-of-consciously, as I listened for the first time. This one is particularly interesting because I slowly come to the realization of why I dont like the album much, after circling around it a few times. I hope you enjoy these glimpses into my thought process, or at least that you arent repulsed by them LOL)

The first song, Chaos Space Marine, opens with a combo of fiddle and sax(!). How intriguing. I like this vocalist; I get the sense hes hiding his true power and hell unleash a mighty belt any time soon. (But maybe not?) The chorus goes big I dont know if baroque is the appropriate term, but there are certainly a lot of instruments at once and none of them feel out of place. This feels like sophisticated rock. I think my tax bracket went up from listening to it. Seriously theres a lot packed into Chaos Space Marine that the band. Theres even a bit of mixed meter throughout. Very cool.

Concorde is pretty chill. I anticipated a much faster tempo but this is pretty slow-paced, but not in a bad way. Its nice, but it doesnt quite grab me. I dont need a big rock anthem but this one kind of puts me to sleep.

Maybe Im listening to this on the wrong day. I am very groggy today. So songs like Bread Song, a more acoustic, lyrics-heavy track, arent landing for me. This album got a ton of acclaim last year but Im just not into it so far. Literally none of these lyrics, like legit none of them, have sunk in. I warned everyone! Like looking into the album theres a recurring theme of a retired airplane representing love and loss that Im sure would come through nicely in the lyrics, but again, here we are.

I keep coming back to the blend of other instruments. Piano, strings, fiddle, drums, sax. It all works really well together. Vocalist Isaac Wood actually doesnt engage in belting like I thought he would; instead he keeps it understated. This is like, reading at a caf music. Its easy to zone out and get lost in. I think, now that I can grasp that, the album clicks a bit more. A track like Marks Theme, which opens with a plaintive sax solo, stands out for its starkness and emotion. (Im sure its not a coincidence that its an instrumental!)

Ooh and I like The Place Where He Inserted The Blade too. Less so because of the singing though. Maybe I dont actually like Wood as a singer that much? Maybe if you swapped him out for someone else Id feel differently? Snow Globes is a similar situation: he shows up and I lose focus immediately. Its bizarre.

Overall Ants from Up There would probably climb at least 15 to 20 places without Isaac Wood. Im sure hes a nice guy and probably a talented songwriter (as if I could tell) but I just dont think I gel with his singing at all, and as a result I stop paying attention any time hes on the mic. This is almost certainly why the instrumental Marks Theme is my favorite from the album. I heard Wood left the band; Id be curious to hear some of these songs with a different singer.

Top Songs:
1. Matthew and the Atlas - Waging a War (Unplugged)
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
7. ???
8. ???
9. ???
10. ???
11. ???
12. ???
13. ???
14. ???
15. ???
16. ???
17. ???
18. ???
19. ???
20. Cocteau Twins - Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
21. ???
22. ???
23. ???
24. ???
25. Black Country, New Road - Mark's Theme
26. Green Day - Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams
27. ???
28. Younha - Wish
29. ???
30. ???
31. ???
32. Feryquitous -
33. ???
34. ???
35. ???
36. Electric Light Orchestra - Yours Truly, 2095
37. ???
38. ???
39. ???
40. Barenaked Ladies - Wrap Your Arms Around Me
41. ???
42. ???
43. ???
44. ???
45. ???
46. Boards of Canada - Gyroscope
47. ???
48. They Might Be Giants - Snail Shell
49. Taylor Swift - invisible string
50. Sunspot - Thunderbird
51. Bjork - Heirloom
52. Jacob Collier - In My Bones
53. 100 gecs - Frog on the Floor
54. Jesus Christ Superstar 1992 Australian Cast & Russell Morris & John Farnham - Simon Zealotes / Poor Jerusalem
55. Billy Talent - Show Me the Way
56. Lights - February Air
57. Miracle Musical - Dream Sweet in Sea Major

Well now. Well well.

Morning Dancer (Unplugged) was the second album I listened to for this project. Waging a War was the second song ranked. No other song really came close. I know I said I'm not a lyrics person, but if a song really lands, the lyrics can sparkle. Waging a War doesn't have the flowery metaphors of comparable songs, but maybe that's why I like it - it's so plaintive, so deceptively simple, it hurts. This one truly resonated. This one's a keeper. Thanks, Chaeix!

So Jockstrap won the Georgia Ellery battle

rwlh posted...

You know them IRL, yes?

That I do!

And they write songs about stuff they like, really - which is why they have few true "love songs" over the... 25 years they've been together (you read right). And as for "I'm on Fire" - maybe you need another listen. It's supposed to have a different edge to it, much like everything on the album. Sure, it's all rock, but each song is a surprise - you never have any idea which one someone else is going to like best.

And lyrics are all over the place. "Cry Wolf" makes fun of cancer culture. You have creepy stuff like "Spend the Night" and "We'll Be Seeing You Again." You have, as you noted, the humorous ending of "I Don't Wanna Be a Ghost." The album is stacked top to bottom with good stuff (and really, their discography is too).

P.S. I'm glad you took a listen to this and could appreciate it at least a little.

#1 song alert.

As someone who only knew Barenaked Ladies from One Week, Wrap Your Arms Around Me was... not that. One thing that I can say about my own music taste is that I tend not to be interested in acoustic guitar music (especially in songs where it's the only instrument). So yeah, this one didn't enthuse me. I perked up a bit when the instrumental started in the last 1/3 of the song.

was enjoyable, but not memorable, if that makes sense? I liked listening to it, but it didn't stick with me once the song finished. If this topic were a VGMC-styled voting contest, this is a song that I'd vote over Wrap Your Arms Around Me in round 1, and then forget that I'd ever heard it by the time I relistened to it in round 2.

Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires might be a "need to be in the right mood" type of song... I'm struggling to come up with words to describe it. I don't have anything negative to say, but I also don't have anything positive. I can barely think of anything neutral. In one ear and out the other (note that this is not my lowest ranking that I can give a song).

By the genre description of Djesse Vol. 3, it sounded like something that I have little experience with. I guess by that standard, In My Bones was a surprise, and I liked it. I like the "effects" throughout the song. Almost sounds like some electronic touches, but it wouldn't be classified as an "electronic" song. (Oh, I guess you kind of said the same thing in your writeup.)

I also listened to American Idiot for that topic. I knew a bunch of GD songs from the radio, but I always felt like I missed a "connection" with them that a lot of other users have, based on the way that people talk about them. Maybe because I didn't listen to them when they were newer or when I was younger? Not sure. They're pretty much just radio music to me. I like Holiday better than Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

An unplugged album, well, see my comment about acoustic music above. After listening to Waging a War (Acoustic Version), I had to listen to the original to see what type of music it originally was. Yeah, I'd prefer that version because the instrumentation gives me something else to focus on instead of the lyrics. I'm not a lyrics person, so any song that uses minimal other sounds in order to force you to listen to the lyrics is not gonna work for me.