Board 8 > I rank 57 albums [ranking]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Hell yeah top 10. Excited you enjoyed Made in Heights and looking forward to seeing to what extent.

Crash into Me is lovely. Love the acoustic guitar, the drums, and the subtle snare that occasionally appears. The vocals are different, but I enjoy them quite a bit. I think this could be a fun album to listen to at some point.

Deck the House is great. The extremely short samples are disorienting, but they somehow work, especially once the bass gets introduced. I don't have this album in my plans to listen, but I may have to add it, I expect I'd enjoy it quite a bit.

Make It Stop is definitely a song that depends largely on whether I like the singer or not, because a lot of times this type of punk rock instrumental is accompanied by screaming, which often isn't my favorite thing. This vocalist definitely hits the mark for me. Really good voice, and the drums and guitar work are great as well. I think I'd definitely enjoy this album as well.

10. Jockstrap I Love You Jennifer B
Art Pop, Glitch Pop, Chamber Pop, Progressive Pop, Folktronica
2022
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/4/7/AAeDEnAAE5Hz.png

@mcflubbin

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC80P4gsPr-ZF2Vaag5hJeKngTCo6O7k7

1. Concrete Over Water
2. Neon
3. Greatest Hits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbDDU24yu7U

I have certain expectations for an artist named Jockstrap but Neon, the first song, defies them. Actually, it seems to defy everything, flitting between acoustic guitar and dense glitchy electronic. A bold opener I genuinely enjoy. I especially like the last minute.

Song 2, the eponymous Jennifer B, sounds like if a fairy got a hold of a DJs soundboard, and I mean that in the best possible way: lots of light effects undergirded by some periodic lush chords. Greatest Hits has this lovely piano melody supported by more glitchy effects and airy vocals.

Jockstrap consists of Georgia Ellery (vocals and other instruments) and Taylor Skye (production and other instruments). Ellery provides terrific singing that really rises off the songs (though her lyrics are often incomprehensible to me). The glitchy effects are mixed with more traditional fare: strings, guitars, piano. The result is a lush album that isnt afraid to explore some unexplored sonic places.

Concrete Over Water starts with either non-English or backwards speech (maybe both?) before segueing into a sparse, very beautiful ballad-esque song (though again I have no idea what Ellery is actually singing). The effect is mesmerizing, especially when the discordant strings come in, and then theres a huge beat drop with intense drums and holy shit this song has everything yes give me more. Wtf @ 3:35 the production becomes way rougher, you can even hear someone in the studio (Skye?) and I love that, what a fascinating choice. This song is a tough act to follow, so I feel bad for Angst, which cant really compare until the very end, with a rapid-fire vocal delivery. It still feels like a placeholder song though. Debra sounds like VGM so Im automatically predisposed to like it lol.

A few of the later songs (Glasgow, Lancaster Court) drag a little, perhaps symptoms of album fatigue, when an album stops being as exciting to me after so many similar songs. Or maybe I Love You Jennifer B is frontloaded. I dont know. All I know is I like the first half significantly more. But then theres 50/50 (Extended Mix), which can best be described as unhinged and goes to show that theres still a few surprises left.

Very enjoyable album, a real process of discovery for me. Thanks for nominating!

Oh I'm late, but damn just outside the top 10! Ah well, glad you enjoyed it! It's hard for me to pick a favorite song on What's Your Pleasure, they're all killer to me. The production on it, those bass lines fuck haaaaard, and so much else just creates a big hitter of an album.

9. Midnight Grand Orchestra - Overture
J-Pop, Electropop, Electronic Dance Music, Artcore, Nu Jazz, Future Bass
2022
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/8/2/AAeDEnAAE5Le.jpg

@handsomeboy2012

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m_zOwnpDZaGIFrSvAH86IAmcA1bWSYlwM

1. Never Ending Midnights
2. Allegro
3. Highway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgXrJqaEWc8

This is the last album Im listening to, 57/57. Lets hope its a good one!

Never Ending Midnights is really cool, wow. It goes from sparse vocals to full production chorus. I love the ooh-aah backing vocals in the verses; they remind me of the NeoTokyo soundtrack, which I am a big fan of. SOS is also cool. I love the singing and the big dance beats. It doesnt strike me as terribly complicated music but theres nothing wrong with that.

Allegro is also really cool! More solid beats, this time of the unequivocally happy variety. This one, more than the first two, feels like it could be an anime opening. I love the e-strings and guitar and keyboard and also the singing is great too. Lots to love! Rat a Tat feels electroswing-like even though Im pretty sure it isnt.

Apparently this is a vtuber project. That both surprises and doesnt surprise me. I know folks that would instantly disparage this if they found out it was by a vtuber. I think creativity is creativity, and the world needs more folks who can think creative, in whatever form that takes. Basically vtubers are fine with me

I think this is the shortest nomination, if not in number of songs (7, including an interlude) then in runtime (24 minutes). Believe me when I say Im grateful for brevity. Fun fact: Taku Inoue, the producer for Midnight Grand Orchestra, has a composing credit on one of my favorite songs of all time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apWzu6lwgEc

I can hear his exuberant pop style in this games soundtrack as well as in this album.

Im impressed by the variety in Overture. In a short period of time we run the gamut from all sorts of styles and paces and emotions. There are albums triple Overtures length that dont cover as much emotional ground.

Highway is a bittersweet song for me, not only for its tone but also because its the last song Im listening to in the ranking. Its the end of an era! Thanks for a solid, short and sweet album to close out the topic!

Top Songs:
1. Matthew and the Atlas - Waging a War (Unplugged)
2. Negativland - More Data
3. ???
4. Silversun Pickups - Mean Spirits
5. Fuck Buttons - Rough Steez
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge
7. Alice Schach and the Magic Orchestra - Hypnotized
8. ???
9. Rise Against - Make It Stop (September's Children)
10. Scatman John - Scatman (ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop)
11. Akufen - Deck the House
12. Lemm feat. lasah - Occult Descartes
13. Ryuichi Sakamoto - A WONGGA DANCE SONG
14. ???
15. ???
16. Midnight Grand Orchestra - Never Ending Midnights
17. Dave Matthews Band - Crash Into Me
18. Deep Forest - Deep Forest
19. HANABIE. - TOUSOU (Run Away)
20. Cocteau Twins - Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
21. ???
22. Slothrust - Parallel Timeline
23. XoArK - wurmple_658385643478450179
24. ???
25. Black Country, New Road - Mark's Theme
26. Green Day - Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams
27. ???
28. Younha - Wish
29. Jessie Ware - Save a Kiss
30. aji - the long line
31. The Dear Hunter - The Bitter Suite IV and V: The Congregation and The Sermon in the Silt
32. Feryquitous -
33. ???
34. NEUPINK - TRASHFIRE VISCERAL
35. Cryptovolans - Rainforest Collapse III
36. Electric Light Orchestra - Yours Truly, 2095
37. Hiroaki Tsutsumi - And Test,Test,And Test Some More
38. Murder by Death - End of the Line
39. Jockstrap - Concrete Over Water
40. Barenaked Ladies - Wrap Your Arms Around Me
41. Mr. Bungle - Carry Stress in the Jaw
42. William Shatner - It Hasn't Happened Yet
43. Brand New - Handcuffs
44. Genesis - Dance on a Volcano
45. Yoko Kanno - Atomic Bird
46. Boards of Canada - Gyroscope
47. Green Day - Basket Case
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

3, 8, 14, 15, 21, 24, 27, 33 left.

rwlh posted...

3, 8, 14, 15, 21, 24, 27, 33

I feel like you're trying to tell me what to play in the powerball.

Very happy with how well Overture placed. I was looking for something you definitely havent heard of before; Highway is my personal favourite in the album. Although I wonder how you decided the listening order of all albums and how this ended up being the very last.

I think Vtubers are popular enough in Japan that they are recognised even outside anime circles and starting to work with the music industry or appear on TV, at least the big ones. Really appreciate that many are trying to branch out from anime-like content and songs so in a maybe few years they will be taken more seriously.

This group of 3 albums are all albums that I've listened to. Disco Volante sure is an experience of an album. I do like a lot of it, but some things are a bit too out there even for me (like the mouth sounds rwlh was mentioning). Carry Stress in the Jaw and Desert Search for Techno Allah were definitely my highlights from the album.

I listened to Esperanto today. I liked this one quite a bit too, especially A WONGGA DANCE SONG and ADELIC PENGUINS. Very cool ambient/industrial/tribal percussion in both of those. Very pleasing sonic experience all-around.

What's Your Pleasure? is one of my favorite albums that I listened to for the first time this year. So many great disco/synthpop bangers, and the production is pristine. Jessie's voice is so good too. Very strong, but not overbearing. Save a Kiss and Spotlight are my big highlights from the album, but I love almost every song here. Happy to see this one do well.

handsomeboy2012 posted...

Although I wonder how you decided the listening order of all albums and how this ended up being the very last.

The order was partially random, partially based on whatever I was in the mood for based on my impressions of the artist/genre. As I got to the end, I started looking at length too; it was a bit of a slog near the end so I was spacing out the shorter nominations that I could fit into spaces throughout my week. It turned out that Overture was the shortest left, so I saved it until the very end. Glad I did - it was a great note to end on!

8. Shohei Amimori - PataMusic
Glitch Pop, Jazz Pop, IDM, Modern Classical, Plunderphonics, Progressive Pop
2018
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/2/4/AAeDEnAAE5T8.png

@cakophon

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l6wFIyC45ybfzTpRuvbmKdwu9HTia_iXA

1. Pata
2. ajabollamente
3. Climb Downhill 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhzIfyCO8Es

I know this first song cako nominated it for my non-vgm ranking a few years back. These were my thoughts on Climb Downhill 1, which got 14th place:

Really amazing intro, this series of extended notes that gradually gives way to a much bigger soundscape. The song then, befitting its title, escalates in speed and intensity, picking up bits and pieces as it goes along. It gathers jazz, world music, piano, spooky Halloween, all this great stuff, with a solid glitch underpinning. At 4:45 is really when the song starts to lose its mind and everything coalesces together and globs into a surround sound experience. I feel richer having listened to this.

That still basically holds up! Its a dynamic song, a captivating opening. I eagerly anticipate hearing what comes next!

Decadent Utopia is super proggy, very glitchy, and suddenly vocalized. I like it! I especially like where it goes after the 3:00 mark. Its a little too long in that I lose focus after a while, a common issue I have with proggy music. Now Forever is a similar situation: I like it but Id like it more if it were 1/3 the length. ReCircle is pretty great. A mellower, sadder piece than the first three songs, it still retains the odd time and occasional glitch. Ooh I love the wet sounds in ajabollamente. Parts of this kind of remind me of Hiroki Kikuta, oddly enough.

*listens to Climb Downhill 2* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Coincidental Planet sounds like Katamari and I like that. Washer and Fence of Bats are really lovely. Really there havent been any duds here, with the possible exception of Climb Downhill 2which, funnily enough, holds my interest more than anything else, yet I have the lowest desire to listen to it again. The last song, Pata, sounds like a Commodore 64 having a tantrum. Love it. This one actually gives me chills.

This was a real ride. I liked everything, even if my focus waned a few times. Thanks for letting me revisit this!

7. Neil Cicierega - Mouth Moods
Mashup, Pop, Musical Comedy, Dance-Pop, Musical Comedy, Novelty, Synthpop, Plunderphonics
2017
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/0/9/AAeDEnAAE5Z9.jpg

@Bitto

https://youtu.be/m0nIVGoFh8I

1. T.I.M.E.
2. Bustin
3. AC/VC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsoCe7C4Kmk

Thisis not what I was expecting. I was not expecting anything specific, but I certainly didnt expect 90s-00s mashups. The only mashup artist Im familiar with is Girl Talk, who mostly uses breakneck hip-hop samples. The Starting Line, in contrast, is way mellower, full of intricate sampling from rock and pop music. Floorcorn uses a hilarious base of Popcorn that grounds other songs like Bodies. AC/VC is another hey I know that song moment, coupled with I cant believe this guy made this work. I know I overuse the word fun when describing music, but this album seems super fun.

I will say I appreciate the slower pace to this than to something like Girl Talk, which is unrelenting in its hedonistic orgy. Mouth Moods also has an edge in that Ive recognized most of the samples so far, which obviously increases enjoyment.

How do you explain Tim Allen? Cicierega asking the hard-hitting questions. Annoyed Grunt appears to be comprised of mostly unintelligible noises, Larry King clips, and Yeah baby! Also a beat I dont recognize. Still having plenty of fun! The Freak on a Leash clip does wonders here.

OMG at this Stairway to Heaven/No Scrubs mashup. These are really creative and they all basically work! (Nice reference to Bustin, the previous song, too.)

So many tigersit happens to tigers. XD Eye of the tiger, its the thrill of the tiger, rising up to the challenge of the tiger. XFD oh my god. Im enjoying this album but Tiger is the first song to actually make me laugh. (Love the Frosted Flakes clip near the end too.) The End is similar to AC/VC, taking a happy backing instrumental (in this case from the Doobie Brothers) and mashing it with something unexpected, and the result is something completely different. T.I.M.E. goes the opposite route an upbeat song mashed with a deadly serious Hans Zimmer composition that turns a Village People anthem into a somber cautionary tale. Its remarkable. This is an album that promotes the creative spirit.

Smooth does something a little different: the two songs, Smooth Criminal and One Week, arent as starkly different as some of the others. Its a more traditional mashup and as much as I Iike both original songs, its not as impactful as some of the other, more transformative works. But thats a nitpick. Its still pretty great. Oh but then we get to the section where the Barenaked Ladies notes get held out and distorted, and thats amazing I love it. Stand by Meme is curious because it uses the exact same One Week samples but with a different backing (Stand by Me). Im not sure we needed both? Wallspin is another frankensong between two disparate songs that transforms into something unexpected.

Wow Wow is a rare cut that uses rap as a base. It flows nicely and is IMO an improvement over Will Smiths original.

This was quite the ride. Apparently Mouth Moods is steeped in meme culture. Im just enjoying it for the tunes, partially through recognition of most of the samples but mostly for the deft skill Cicierega employs with constructing something new from something old. I genuinely enjoyed this album.

Top Songs:
1. Matthew and the Atlas - Waging a War (Unplugged)
2. Negativland - More Data
3. Neil Cicierega - T.I.M.E.
4. Silversun Pickups - Mean Spirits
5. Fuck Buttons - Rough Steez
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge
7. Alice Schach and the Magic Orchestra - Hypnotized
8. ???
9. Rise Against - Make It Stop (September's Children)
10. Scatman John - Scatman (ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop)
11. Akufen - Deck the House
12. Lemm feat. lasah - Occult Descartes
13. Ryuichi Sakamoto - A WONGGA DANCE SONG
14. ???
15. Shohei Amimori - Pata
16. Midnight Grand Orchestra - Never Ending Midnights
17. Dave Matthews Band - Crash Into Me
18. Deep Forest - Deep Forest
19. HANABIE. - TOUSOU (Run Away)
20. Cocteau Twins - Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
[...]

Really love today's two songs!

Yeah I always thought this was a fun little album, I like plunderphonics-type albums a lot in general.

you failed to say how Bustin' made you feel in your writeup

NFUN posted...

you failed to say how Bustin' made you feel in your writeup

Would you believe I was only familiar with half of the source material for that song?

rwlh posted...

Would you believe I was only familiar with half of the source material for that song?

uhh, does it take from more than one source?

Huh, so it doesn't! I didn't recognize the "makes me feel good" part so I assumed it was from another song.

rwlh posted...

Apparently Mouth Moods is steeped in meme culture. Im just enjoying it for the tunes, partially through recognition of most of the samples but mostly for the deft skill Cicierega employs with constructing something new from something old.

I'm not caught up on this topic, but I decided to read this writeup anyway since it was the only album on the list that I was fully familiar with (I'm counting the ones that I only heard in Rank the Tracks as "partial" familiarity).

If you liked this album for this reason, I would recommend listening to its predecessor, Mouth Silence. I'm in the apparent minority that considers it to be the best Mouth album (Moods is a clear #2, don't get me wrong). While nearly all of Neil's music incorporates some degree of "meme culture" or humor, I find that Silence has a larger portion of genuine, listenable music compared to Moods. Again, Mouth Silence has plenty of jokes and joke mashups too, I don't want to downplay it, but the way you wrote this description is basically the same line of reasoning that I use for listing Mouth Silence as my favorite one. So I believe that you would enjoy it the same.

I Love You Jennifer B was a pretty solid album. Very experimental pop sound, which I generally appreciate. My favorite from the album was definitely Glasgow, but Concrete Over Water is a highlight as well. I especially love the soft organ keyboard in that one. And Ellery's vocals are very pretty, which is another plus.

Never Ending Midnights is a cool song. The intro reminds me a bit of mili, but then it explodes into something much grander (0:51 is such a cool moment). Great synths and vocals. I think I'd probably enjoy this album if I were to look more into it.

Still trying to listen to these all the way through, getting through it slowly and looking forward to the Cicierega now (I think Mouth Dreams is the only one I've heard but that was fun)

-hotdogturtle-- posted...

If you liked this album for this reason, I would recommend listening to its predecessor, Mouth Silence.

I recommend that rwlh listen to Mouth Sounds, too (though Mouth Moods is my favourite).

Wait, Mouth Moods is THAT band? Brb checking out album in entirety.

6. Deniz Akbulut - CrossCode ~ The Ultimate Arrange
no genres lol but it's a VGM arrangement
2023
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/0/6/AAeDEnAAE5gK.jpg

@Haste_2

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nVq22uQ78-w20cOzI1_7D0J8RrXuVmBhA

1. Sapphire Ridge
2. Mysterious Place
3. Battle 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe_EeIiD1D0

Here we have an odd nomination, an arranged album of VGM. I dont know much about CrossCode, but two songs in and the songs are pretty lovely. I had no idea Dale North was still making music. I really like this Takahiro Eguchi song, an arrangement of Mysterious Place. I should say that Im not all that familiar with the original soundtrack, so Ill be judging primarily by the arrangements themselves.

The Path of Justice (arranged by Qwesta) is the first song, after the initial batch of three, thats a bit different: more guitar and rock-oriented. Then its back to pretty/pastoral land with Autumns Rise (by ), another very relaxing song. Lea! (by Shibayan) is sort of lounge-ish. Really getting a strong chill vibe from this album.

*thinks Battle 3 sounds like Sonic Mania and/or Funk Fiction*

*sees its by James Landino*

Checks out.

Oh right, Temple of Thunder is the Secret of the Forest song. Thats one of the only original CrossCodes I know offhand. The arrangement, by Nishijima Sondai, sounds a bit like a Mystery Dungeon arrange (no wonder you like this album, Haste!). Sapphire Ridge might be my favorite song so far; it epitomizes my favorite aspects of the arrangements: light and breezy, but with heft and substance.

And then we get to The Ultimate Experience, the Chimeratio/Cryptovolans jam. Clocking in at 10 minutes, its prog with a capital P, with distorted synths, complex rhythms, unique sounds, and an impeccable stamp of personality. This is not a song anyone but these two could make. It stands out among the album, in a good way perhaps, one might say, the arrangers have together created a truly Ultimate Experience dohohoho Ill see myself out.

I really like The Ultimate Arrange. Its solid. I dont have much to say because every song is consistently something Ive enjoyed. Its so consistent, with vibrant musical choices. Not a dud in the batch. Definitely a keeper!

no sorry rwlh. The organization that produced this album had a bad track record therefore this album is terrible QED this is what some people actually believe

Some very late catching up:

I was not prepared for how dark "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" is... turns out I'm not really into strangulation. A mildly interesting data point and a fairly catchy song that I'll definitely remember, but I think their funnier songs are more my speed. (Though I do like dark music, so it could grow on me after I adjust to what the song is doing).

"Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires" is also something I need a few more listens of to properly define my reaction. The early part of the song sets me on edge for currently unexplained reasons, but the richer parts where all the instruments come in are fairly nice. And I didn't make out a single lyric (or look any up yet), so... I don't know what this was or what I thought about it.

I really enjoyed American Idiot and kinda love "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", though I've played it so many times that it's rather lost its magic. I've never liked pairing the song with "Holiday"; I like Holiday too, I just don't think the songs work together as a cohesive whole & both tracks are worse for the combination.

I *think* I'd say that I really liked The Dear Hunter's Act IV? I spent quite a while listening to six songs from that album on an endless loop, but I can't recall most of the other tracks... and it also falls into the "I loved this so much I played it on an endless loop and now I don't have much reaction to it" category. Still, the album had several songs I loved and I actually had to go listen to a few more songs after revisiting "The Bitter Suite IV and V", so that feels rather top tier... even if I can't recall more than half of it?

Oh hey, "Basket Case" is a big enough single that I actually recognize it. That's kinda neat.

"More Data" is... likely to be highly memorable, but I don't know that I'd want to hear it again. It"s a very "ask me again in two months" type of song where I need more time to process it.

"Rough Steez" is intriguing enough that I may check out a second song sometime.

"Dance of the Volcano" was pretty neat, I liked hearing a bit of a different song featuring Phil Collins.

I like the linked song from "STAFFcirc vol. 8 - circle" so much that I'm immediately dropping everything to go listen to the whole thing now & OMG I love what "Trapped in a Dream" is doing, this is exactly the type of thing I need with its low tones and ambient tranquil soundscapes.

-

More catching up on songs later, more circle to listen to.

I've always loved the music from CrossCode, but I never really got acquainted with the whole OST until this year. It's one of the most consistently good OSTs, so it's one of several games competing for that #5 spot in my personal game OST rankings. Good choice picking Sapphire Ridge as your #1. The Ultimate Experience is fascinating to listen to, as well.

5. Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker
Singer-Songwriter, Chamber Folk, Contemporary Folk, Spoken Word
2016
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/8/0/AAeDEnAAE5mA.png

@Fluttershy_Pony

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lGS5sFfhmk_51z2R2BdwZFOCLpm9WyuRU

1. You Want It Darker
2. Traveling Light
3. On the Level

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD6fvzGIBfQ

Wow Leonard Cohen has a distinctive voice. I only know his older stuff, where he was already gravelly, but here hes like a rock tumbler. I like it! You Want It Darker (song) seems to be about mortality, which is especially poignant given that he is wrote it while he was dying. Very curious to hear the rest of the album.

Treaty is another poignant rumination on loss and love. Thus far there have been three main components to this music:

- Cohens voice
- Cohens songwriting
- The musical accompaniment

All three are

really, really strong.

Like, wow.

Like, listen to this stanza:

Let's keep it on the level
When I walked away from you
I turned my back on the devil
Turned my back on the angel, too

This is really really good stuff. Im really glad you shared this with me.

If I Didnt Have Your Love, like a lot of the songs on You Want It Darker, seems to be about Cohens relationship with God. Here he sings that, though the world might be full of despair, he still has your love to make it real. Whether this is the correct interpretation or not, its certainly an interesting one, possibly more interesting than if it was about another person.

Traveling Light is another enigmatic song. Is Cohen singing about the idea of how you cant take anything with you when you die? Or somebody whos literally leaving behind possessions on a journey? Or somebody reminiscing about a companion with whom he used to travel light, whos now gone, off traveling on their own? Maybe its about all of these things. I wouldnt put it past Cohen.

It Seemed the Better Way is a bit clearer in meaning: Cohen seemingly ruminating about turning his back on God, and how it Sounded like the truth / But its not the truth today. I guess you could interpret it as him turning his back on God again, so maybe its not as clear as I thought!

One songwriting technique Cohen does in virtually every song on the album is repeating lyrics. Most every line gets repeated at some point in each song. Its great at emphasizing themes.

Overallwow, this was terrific. A fascinating insight into an artist with a long career that I basically know nothing of, full of musings on open-to-interpretation tough subjects. I will certainly check out more of his work!

Top Songs:
1. Matthew and the Atlas - Waging a War (Unplugged)
2. Negativland - More Data
3. Neil Cicierega - T.I.M.E.
4. Silversun Pickups - Mean Spirits
5. Fuck Buttons - Rough Steez
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge
7. Alice Schach and the Magic Orchestra - Hypnotized
8. ???
9. Rise Against - Make It Stop (September's Children)
10. Scatman John - Scatman (ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop)
11. Akufen - Deck the House
12. Lemm feat. lasah - Occult Descartes
13. Ryuichi Sakamoto - A WONGGA DANCE SONG
14. Deniz Akbulut arr. quarkimo - Sapphire Ridge
15. Shohei Amimori - Pata
16. Midnight Grand Orchestra - Never Ending Midnights
17. Dave Matthews Band - Crash Into Me
18. Deep Forest - Deep Forest
19. HANABIE. - TOUSOU (Run Away)
20. Cocteau Twins - Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
21. ???
22. Slothrust - Parallel Timeline
23. XoArK - wurmple_658385643478450179
24. Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker
25. Black Country, New Road - Mark's Theme
26. Green Day - Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams
27. ???
28. Younha - Wish
29. Jessie Ware - Save a Kiss
30. aji - the long line
31. The Dear Hunter - The Bitter Suite IV and V: The Congregation and The Sermon in the Silt
32. Feryquitous -
33. ???
[...]

Today's lottery numbers are 8, 21, 27, and 33!

Woo! Top 5 is *way* beyond what I was expecting. I actually had a pre-typed apology ready for this topic, expecting this to hit last place (or somewhere close to the bottom at best). You wanted music without a focus on lyrics & I gave you the most lyric heavy album that I love.

I actually spent quite a bit of time trying to find anything I thought you might enjoy, but eventually ran out of time and just went with what my favorite album was that particular day. So while I wish I could take credit for finding something you enjoyed, it was ultimately a very selfish nomination that just got really lucky. But... well... I shared something I loved with someone who appreciated it, so all's well that ends well? Thanks for taking the time to listen to it!

[Fortunately, I was unable to find all the songs from "ROM Cassette Disc in JALECO Remix" on YouTube or I likely would have nominated it instead, even though every song on that album loops too many times before changing tracks.]

Oh, on an unrelated note, I did listen to that circle album... three times in a row. So, I discovered something I loved and that's neat. Thank you for selecting one of the best parts to showcase in this topic & thanks to sergio for nominating it.

One thing I've learned about myself in this ranking: I can focus better (at all) on lyrics in songs I'm enjoying and invested in. In You Want It Darker's case, I was captivated by Cohen's voice and the arrangements, so the lyrics sunk in more for me. So yeah, I guess you got lucky!

ok I listened to the Neil Cicierega album and my mind is blown at the creativity. I'm guessing this went viral and I missed it? because it's like the best thing I've ever heard

You Want It Darker is so good, glad to see it place well!

Epyo posted...

I'm guessing this went viral and I missed it?

Bustin' has 16 million YouTube views and Wow Wow has 13 million, so probably!

Epyo posted...

ok I listened to the Neil Cicierega album and my mind is blown at the creativity. I'm guessing this went viral and I missed it? because it's like the best thing I've ever heard

He kinda had a reputation for a long time before that album came out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Cicierega

4. Made in Heights Made in Heights
Ambient Pop, Alternative R&B, Glitch Pop, Alt-Pop, Glitch Hop
2010
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/5/9/AAeDEnAAE5wn.jpg

@ZaziGuado

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFVXkqN7lGra6VbjG0n0mzoraaR8vzMjY

1. Wildflowers (Exhale Efreet)
2. All the Places
3. Amaranthine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bm92UH2_Rk

Its late at night as I listen to this. This singers voice and the light piano feel like they sync perfectly with an evening spent looking out the window at either a busy cityscape or a sky full of stars. I didnt expect female vocals; its a nice surprise. These nominations are way too sausage heavy for my liking. The singer, who goes by Kelsey Bulkin, is a real selling point for me; her voice is gentle but affected. Track 1, the awkwardly named Skylark Interabang?!, deftly combines her singing with some very heavy bass and beats. All the Places is even stronger than the first track to me: it feels more polished and pointed, less filler with all of the intricate beats and delightful singing. It even has backwards vocals. As we all know, everyone loves backward vocals.

Hors D'uvre continues the trend of being very chill and immersive. The beginning of Wildflowers (Exhale Efreet) took my breath away holy shit. This is very me core. Have we interacted before? You seemed to know exactly what I would like for this. IIRC you nominated for another musical topic of mine but I dont think you did this well!

No real comments for the rest. I got lost in it. I feel transported. This is absolutely my kind of jam. The songs all fit the same pattern of chill beats with some glitchiness. Nothing quite beats the high of Wildflowers, but thats a big bar to clear. Sorry I dont have much to say. In some respects thats the ultimate compliment, that I got so absorbed into the music that I forgot to take notes. This really is a terrific experience. I cant believe Im saying this and it likely contradicts some of the other writeups for albums that were over an hourthis is 34 minutes and it could have been longer and I probably still wouldve liked it. Nice work!

3. Meshell Ndegeocello - Peace Beyond Passion
Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B, Psychedelic Soul, Jazz-Funk, Spoken Word
1996
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/6/0/AAeDEnAAE5yM.jpg

@LkProd

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lcKJyW5i4NcSgQLeJ1o3LwMgWDmB1e5hk

1. Make Me Wanna Holler
2. The Way
3. Mary Magdalene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc5r1i5RhxQ

I always appreciate the presence of female musicians in this topic. Generally speaking the noms are full of dudes. Meshell Ndegeocello I know exclusively from a John Mellencamp song, so Im curious to hear what she has to offer!

After an instrumental intro, The Way is a very provocative opening: addressed to Jesus and his followers, the song examines how faith has been used as a weapon of hate against specifically people of color and queer folk. It is a very good song. Deuteronomy (Im not typing the other half of the song title) has Ndegeocello rapping about gender relations and I think toxic masculinity: When I look at you / so black and blue.

Looking around the interwebs, there are comparisons to Stevie Wonder. I dont know his work all too well, but Peace Beyond Passion feels very neo-soul, with a feminist slant, and I am here for it, super hard.

While Ndegeocello is definitely the star of the album, the backing musicians also deserve shoutouts for elements like funky bass. They all help bring out Ndegeocellos powerful lyrics and sizzling delivery. Shes got such a unique voice, not flashy at all or even seemingly with a large range, but shes able to bring a level of intensity and, well, passion that some of these flashier pop stars fail to do.

Leviticus (Im not typing the other half of this song title either) is suitably provocative, casually dropping the gay slur in a rumination about saving a gay person - youre just a prisoner of your own perverted world - to a very funky beat. Its a scathing indictment of a homophobic society. It maybe goes on a little too long, but its still compelling to listen to.

Mary Magdalene appears to be a love song directed to, well, Mary Magdalene. Ndegeocello feels rawer and more vulnerable on this track the production is still full, but the subject is more intimate. She tells the subject Come, and Ill set you free and if you must dance, dance for me. Shes not just singing to Mary, but to legions and legions of women and girls oppressed by patriarchal society. Here, she dares to dream of a better life for them, embodied by the biblical figure. God Shiva also uses religious symbolism to paint a feminist narrative.

2/3 through and Im enjoying this, though I wish some of the songs were a little tighter. I guess thats in keeping with the funk tradition, to have extended jams and outros in every song, but it does make it a bit of a drag sometimes. I still like the music, but I think this ranking could be even higher if some of the songs were trimmed.

Stay is another simmering downtempo piece. She sings things like I want you / I cant get you off my mind. It feels like a more typical song without much symbolism or commentary, but there is a hidden layer of taboo present. As one YouTube commenter puts it: This is so direct and to the point, without sounding vulger [sic] or nasty. I dont mind the occasional crass love song, sure, but Ndegeocello is so up front and confident without needing to go that road, and its nice to hear. A Tear and a Smile is also a bit of a ballad that uses religious imagery like a crown of thorns. One gets the sense that Ndegeocello is deliberately propping up themes and images seen by some as sacred and balancing them alongside concepts like queer love and racial and gender liberation. Shes doing a damn good job of it!

The closing track, Make Me Wanna Holler, is an almost 9-minute jam thats mostly spoken word recollections (with stellar backing instruments, as usual) about a mother who broke her back for a man who broke her, a child who promised that shed never be like her parents, their broken family, and how she learned how to hurt people from her father. Its so raw. I love it. Ndegeocello is a master storyteller and her prowess is on fully display here.

This was really stellar. As I said above, if the songs were a little tighter, it might have actually gotten first place :o But it was still a great listen. I certainly want to check out other music by her.

Top Songs:
1. Matthew and the Atlas - Waging a War (Unplugged)
2. Negativland - More Data
3. Neil Cicierega - T.I.M.E.
4. Silversun Pickups - Mean Spirits
5. Fuck Buttons - Rough Steez
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge
7. Alice Schach and the Magic Orchestra - Hypnotized
8. Made in Heights - Wildflowers (Exhale Efreet)
9. Rise Against - Make It Stop (September's Children)
10. Scatman John - Scatman (ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop)
11. Akufen - Deck the House
12. Lemm feat. lasah - Occult Descartes
13. Ryuichi Sakamoto - A WONGGA DANCE SONG
14. Deniz Akbulut arr. quarkimo - Sapphire Ridge
15. Shohei Amimori - Pata
16. Midnight Grand Orchestra - Never Ending Midnights
17. Dave Matthews Band - Crash Into Me
18. Deep Forest - Deep Forest
19. HANABIE. - TOUSOU (Run Away)
20. Cocteau Twins - Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
21. ???
22. Slothrust - Parallel Timeline
23. XoArK - wurmple_658385643478450179
24. Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker
25. Black Country, New Road - Mark's Theme
26. Green Day - Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams
27. Meshell Ndegeocello - Make Me Wanna Holler
28. Younha - Wish
29. Jessie Ware - Save a Kiss
30. aji - the long line
31. The Dear Hunter - The Bitter Suite IV and V: The Congregation and The Sermon in the Silt
32. Feryquitous -
33. ???
[..]

The top 10 is all filled out! It might seem odd that the two remaining albums don't have a very high placement for their songs, but keep in mind 1) I judged on the album in its entirety, not individual songs, and 2) I like basically everything from around #36 or so.

Only two albums remain Who will emerge victorious? I'll probably post both writeups at the same time tomorrow, so stay tuned!

I'm legitimately DOIN' MY BEST! I'm loving this.

That aside, Leviticus from this album is an insanely good song, holy shit.

I'd like to nominate some of the albums from this topic for my next Rank the Tracks day. I think Peace Beyond Passion might be one of them!

rwlh posted...

3. Meshell Ndegeocello - Peace Beyond Passion
Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B, Psychedelic Soul, Jazz-Funk, Spoken Word
1996

I'm genuinely really happy to see you enjoyed the album and rather surprised to see it in top 3! When first nominating it I was admittedly skeptical of doing so because the lyricism in this is a really big part of why I love this album so much, and I feel like some people might be put off by the topics adressed especially when not focusing on the lyrics, but I'm really glad I ended up doing submitting it in the end.

Also, something in regards to what you said about the instrumentation: Meshell herself plays the bass in every song in the album, along with an array of other instruments across each track (but each still also has a number of fantastic session musicians). She's an incredibly talented individual that I wish had more recognition and is still putting out great music to this day. If you feel like checking out more of her I suggest her debut, Plantation Lullabies, which to me feels like a... prototype? of Peace Beyond Passion (in a good way), or even her most recent record, although that one leans far more into the jazz fusion field and might not be as much of your thing.

Either way, thank you for taking the time to listen to all of these, following the thread and reading the writeups has been really enjoyable even if I'm not particularly familiar with many albums across the entire nominated set.

azuarc posted...

Snake5555555555 posted...

In the top ten, let's freakin' go!

Congrats. I'm genuinely happy to see you doing well in a ranking topic.

Welp, this is an interesting set of circumstances.

I'm betting az comes in 2nd, Snake in 1st and Tunnel comes in hot with the steel chair

Also, interesting that the top two albums did not have any one particularly stand-out track from them. #21 and #33 on the singles list.

I've listened to something from each of the last few. Best of luck, Snake. Kelsea's up against what is by some metrics one of the most generic, mainstream choices I could have made, but I had it on good word rwlh had never listened to Floyd and decided we needed to fix that. No ragrets.

I mean I can't be mad losing to Floyd!

rwlh posted...

4. Made in Heights Made in Heights
Ambient Pop, Alternative R&B, Glitch Pop, Alt-Pop, Glitch Hop
2010
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/5/9/AAeDEnAAE5wn.jpg

@ZaziGuado

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFVXkqN7lGra6VbjG0n0mzoraaR8vzMjY

1. Wildflowers (Exhale Efreet)
2. All the Places
3. Amaranthine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bm92UH2_Rk

Its late at night as I listen to this. This singers voice and the light piano feel like they sync perfectly with an evening spent looking out the window at either a busy cityscape or a sky full of stars. I didnt expect female vocals; its a nice surprise. These nominations are way too sausage heavy for my liking. The singer, who goes by Kelsey Bulkin, is a real selling point for me; her voice is gentle but affected. Track 1, the awkwardly named Skylark Interabang?!, deftly combines her singing with some very heavy bass and beats. All the Places is even stronger than the first track to me: it feels more polished and pointed, less filler with all of the intricate beats and delightful singing. It even has backwards vocals. As we all know, everyone loves backward vocals.

Hors D'uvre continues the trend of being very chill and immersive. The beginning of Wildflowers (Exhale Efreet) took my breath away holy shit. This is very me core. Have we interacted before? You seemed to know exactly what I would like for this. IIRC you nominated for another musical topic of mine but I dont think you did this well!

No real comments for the rest. I got lost in it. I feel transported. This is absolutely my kind of jam. The songs all fit the same pattern of chill beats with some glitchiness. Nothing quite beats the high of Wildflowers, but thats a big bar to clear. Sorry I dont have much to say. In some respects thats the ultimate compliment, that I got so absorbed into the music that I forgot to take notes. This really is a terrific experience. I cant believe Im saying this and it likely contradicts some of the other writeups for albums that were over an hourthis is 34 minutes and it could have been longer and I probably still wouldve liked it. Nice work!

Glad you enjoyed it. I love Made in Heights. Sadly the duo disbanded years ago after only two (incredible) albums. There's a rights dispute between the two artists and because of that all the music was pulled from streaming services. Luckily both artists have links to free downloads of the discography. I knew nothing about your tastes going in. The reason I nominated this album is because you expressed a preference for YouTube links. Most people when they are asking for album recs are looking to be able to play it on a streaming platform and so I'm hesitant to offer Made in Heights up. Here was the perfect opportunity to get some thoughts on the album.

My personal top 3 is Hors Doeuvre, All The Places, and Holla Mears. I definitely prefer the wispy ambient tracks. Funny enough, the first track samples the first track on Sufjan Stevens - Illinois which was just covered on Rank the Tracks. As far as I know, that's the only direct sample they've used. If you are ever hankering for more, I highly suggest giving their second album Without My Enemy What Would I Do a spin. It's longer and more of the same, though it has a little more polish and a little less of the glitch that you are drawn to. There's a couple of tracks on there I think you would really enjoy based on what I've seen in this topic.

Anyways, fun stuff! Thanks for doing this.

Pata is definitely interesting. I feel like I'd like most of the rest of this album a lot more than this specific track. Very glitchy song that's not particularly pleasant to listen to, but it does feel like a very rwlh type song. May listen to the rest of the album at some point.

I have a hard time critiquing these types of "funny" songs/albums because while I do enjoy them, I can't really take them seriously. This is the same case with stuff like Weird Al parodies. I'm also not a fan of mashups in general. So yeah, T.I.M.E. was a song that existed for me. I did appreciate the All Star whistling at the end though.

Well I haven't really been in much of a position to listen until last night. I already have a lot of "required" listening as it is. And oh would you look at that. Final two get posted today. Welp. Would anyone still care to hear my deranged ramblings? Oh well, here's my opinions on last night's batch:

I planned to listen to the entirety of STAFFcirc - vol. 8 circle, but I'm so damn behind. For now, I'll decide on listening to the long line and if I enjoy it, I will go back and listen to the album in full. I trust Sergio though to have a banger to share. Oh yes, science fiction vibes and piano and was that a lil breakbeat action going on? Okay yeah, I'm gonna listen to this whole thing in whole after I've caught up: this concept is too good to pass up.

And Test,Test,And Test Some More is a very invigorating piece. I love music that reminds me of an adventure in a JRPG, something that might accompany a journey through a forest. Unfortunately, it's short, understandably so considering the source, but still disappointing.

Okay, I was mildly jumpscared by the voice at the intro of Deep Forest (the song by the artist of the same name, on the album by the same name) Probably should not have turned this thing way up when I heard nothing LOL. It's taking me about two minutes to warm up to it. I usually end up being in favour of weird sounds/voices when it comes to music. The combination of that with the tribal/world music vibes is very thing too. Like a primitive vs. modern thing going on.

I already forgot what rwlh wrote about Parallel Timeline so I truly did not expect to be behest by those kind of soft vocals that I see a lot in indie music. I expected something more psychedelic with that thumbnail ig. Still pleasant listening though.

I remembered to turn my volume down before starting up Hypnotized and I'm thankful, for otherwise this song probably would have been met by an "ow! my ears!" I love the harshness meeting the fluttery vocals, with the occasional Arabic(?) instrument coming in. Jesus Christ why the fuck isn't this one of their vgm songs? Would have joined the Alice Schach bandwagon faster if I've heard this before Chocolate fucking Missile.

Excited to see what takes the bag in the end. The Dark Side of the Moon is one of my all timers, so I consider its high placing a personal victory.

And here we go!

-

2. Kelsea Ballerini - SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Country Pop, Pop Rock
2022
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/5/4/AAeDEnAAE6DS.jpg

@Snake5555555555

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5PlQyxFa9w&list=PLWOIavvdAWstiUblfLY9sDjDB8qQc8z8v&index=1

1. IF YOU GO DOWN (IM GOIN DOWN TOO)
2. DOIN MY BEST
3. LOVE IS A COWBOY

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

From the first song, SUBJECT TO CHANGE, Kelsea Ballerini promises me contemplative folk-pop about relationships and life transitions. Ive never heard of this artist so I could be wrong and this turns into doom metal by song three. My impressions are SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

In THE LITTLE THINGS, I love the line Save your money on the roses, baby / Just leave a daisy on the dashboard. There honestly dont need to be any words in this song other than that; it sums up the conceit perfectly. These opening songs paint the artist as down to earth and humble in a country music sort of way, but the production incorporates pop elements too. Its nice.

Another great line, this one from I CANT HELP MYSELF: I try to be an angel and the whole thing goes to hell. I also, from the same song, love the hilarious My therapist says I do this a lot / I see her on Monday, Im coming in hot. Ballerini has these poetic one-liners that cut right to the heart of the song.

IF YOU GO DOWN (IM GOIN DOWN TOO) is basically a perfect song. I wouldnt change a thing. Pure fun with a darker edge. Love it!

LOVE IS A COWBOY is this wonderful extended metaphor about, well, love. When Im with him its like roping the wind. As I listen Im more and more impressed by the lyrical prowess in these songs.
One of my biggest musical pet peeves is when songs build to chord changes in an unsurprising way. Its unfortunately common. Six songs in, Ballerini has yet to do this. :o

I GUESS THEY CALL IT FALLIN has so many good lines riffing on the idea of falling coupled with a great beat. WALK IN THE PARK is a fascinating anti-love song where the singer tries to discourage the object of her affection from pursuing her; she acknowledges how difficult she is, but is that overcompensating for something? YOURE DRUNK, GO HOME is absolutely savage. DOIN MY BEST might be the most personal the album gets; the opening mentions 2020 and continues from there.

Not a dud in sight. Im so impressed. I have nothing against country music but Im pretty hard on pop, and Ballerini does this remarkable dance of songwriting and pop production and country twang. Such variety too! I enjoyed every song on this album. Great pick!

1. Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon
Art Rock, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Space Rock
1973
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/5/7/AAeDEnAAE6DV.png

@azuarc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-nYd1XIPJc

1. On the Run
2. Money
3. Time

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

Would you believe Ive never heard this before? This or any Pink Floyd album.

Speak to Me is a great opener that segues perfectly into Breathe (In the Air). Already the album is immersive, big synthy rock that transports me to a faraway place (the Land of Oz, perhaps???). By the time the vocals come in, Im all in. Ive always had a soft spot for 60s and 70s British rock, though Im not as into most of what gets airplay on classic rock stations. This, thoughthis is the real shit.

On the Run sounds like a Commodore 64 tune this song specifically https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOpIbm_XX-k. Ive read that composers like Rob Hubbard were heavily influenced by Pink Floyd; I can hear a lot of the similarities. This synth-bending track is captivating from the first note, a steady pulse that twists around enough to keep me guessing.

Omg Time starts with ticking clocks how did you know I love clock noises in music aaaaahhhh. Theres like a woodblock or something after the clocks recede? Very interesting percussion here. Oh Ive heard Time before, I recognize the singing. That moment when everything crescendos together, A Day in the Life-style Im a sucker for musical moments like that. Sudden unexpected female backup singers! Hanging on in desperation is the quiet English way.

Midway through The Great Gig in the Sky and I realize that music like this is a product of its time, but its also timeless. Like all great art, it exists simultaneously in a state of its own era and of all eras. Piano and guitars and keyboards and a backup singer going ham and somber meditations on life its very period, and yet it speaks to me in a way divorced from time, separate from time. Maybe this is what the band was attempting to do make music that could be listened to hundreds of years later and still feel like a window into 1973.

Another meditation, though this ones just a theory: The Dark Side of the Moon seems to benefit from the format of this topic. Taken in sum, its an experience greater than its individual songs. Like Ive heard some of these songs before but I never paid them much mind. Here though, the whole album experience elevates them significantly.

Money has a sax. I like sax. It also has super weird meter and feedback-heavy guitars. I also like those things. Theres some neat panning in Any Colour You Like. Really, the whole album shows off plenty of audio tricks.

According to Wikipedia, the album is a consideration of the bands deteriorating mental state and approaches the subject through angles including fame, money, death, and the passage of time. Honestly, I would have probably gleaned that much even without the lyrics, which shows how profound the music is.

This was an absolute fucking delight. Thank you azu for exposing me to a band Id heard so much about but never bothered to check out. I know its clich to call things like this experiences, but thats what The Dark Side of the Moon is: an experience, from start to finish.

-

That's it! Final thoughts soon!