Mr Butternut Squash Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Me being a music geek, I was in the process of doing this list for my own amusement cos I enjoy writing about music and have an ocd need to list stuff. I thought I may as well share it here and hopefully it might spark up some debate as well as turning on people to new things. The list order is complete. Expect steady updates as of when I get time to write my thoughts about each LP. A cheesy and honest as I can get reflection of the magical records that shaped and inspired me, including nostalgia picks, obscure stuff, typical 'cannon' stuff and pretentious write ups. I'll also list my favourite tracks from each release - usually five - in order of preference. First things first; Honourable Mention Michael Jackson - Off The Wall 1979 Pop/Disco/Soul Key tracks; ' Don't stop til you get enough', 'Get on the floor', 'Off the wall', 'Workin' day and night', 'Rock with you'. A fitting way to begin, cos this is where it all began for me. If you were a kid in the 80s then you know how magical and mythical Jacko seemed (i'll pocket the kiddie fiddler jokes for now). This obviously had a lot to do with marketing and all that grown up stuff, but some of his music was too infectious; you just had to dance along. And Thriller doesn't even come close to this slick pop / disco / soul joy of a record. Quincy Jone's production is masterful and Jackson's songs and, um, skin have yet to become diluted. A line as trite as "If you take the chance and do it, then there ain't no one who's gonna put you down" is made life affirming by his ecstatic voice with the back up of exquisite disco pomp. As I grew older a lot of weird stuff went on with Jacko and it damaged his legacy. But Off the Wall is still here, and its force don't stop. Now . . 100 Various Artists - Gamelans De Bali 1964 Gamelan Best Tracks; Le Gangdrung - 'Ouverture et Danse' and 'Air Sur le 3 Monde #2', Gamelon Djog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted August 15, 2013 Moderators Share Posted August 15, 2013 I'm expecting there'll be loads of stuff to tickle my fancy in this list if the opening post is anything to go by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Butternut Squash Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 In the least, you can expect the bloke in you avatar to turn up somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Sergio Mendacious Posted August 15, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted August 15, 2013 Will Rudebox be in there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Butternut Squash Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 Sorry Robbie fans. I did like the Millennium single though. We've got stars directing our fate Quite beautiful when you look at our modern celebrity obsession. Deep, man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Two great albums so far. I'm assuming both artists feature again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vamp Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Sorry Robbie fans. I did like the Millennium single though. We've got stars directing our fate Quite beautiful when you look at our modern celebrity obsession. Deep, man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Butternut Squash Posted August 17, 2013 Author Share Posted August 17, 2013 97 Th Microphones - The Glow Pt.2 2001 Lo-fi indie/Indie folk Best tracks: 'The Moon', 'I'll not contain you', 'I felt your shape', 'The Glow Pt 2', 'I want the wind to blow' Rubbing quilt in between the fingers, you follow the fallen leaves and the forgotten echoes of scents to deep childhood. Staring from the mountain peak beneath the purple skies at the white fizz of the shore below where the plumes of foam search like serpents for the cracks and crevices of caves. You enter this luminous corridor of dissolving rocks and deserted time as the winding steps crumble under your feet and this house has always been here. Ancient and imposing, same as it ever was. You enjoy a moment with the familiar features - the smooth marble of the dining table, the blackened carpet by the smouldering oak fireplace, the high white walls that reach into forever - and then you wait for the appearance of that tall silent figure. The chalky grey spectre that watches over you never to be reached, always receding, face shadowed and obscured, creeping into the fading light between the curtains. Your stomach churns at the thought of ever seeing that face. But you follow anyway. Follow follow. Into the light, into the glow. [/wank] 96 Marine Girls - Lazy Ways 1983 Twee pop/lo - fi Best tracks: 'Falling Again', 'Sunshine Blue', 'A Different Light', 'Love To Know, 'Second Sight'. In theory, twee may be my favourite genre in the world. I find the fundamental characteristics of it very attractive. In practice though it's all too often the kind of awful, syrupy, cutesy shit that you get in TV ads for phones and dating sites. Of course, it's all a matter of taste, and some might see the twee albums in this list as exactly that. I guess I prefer my artists in the genre to never sound like they're genuinely happy. There has to be an underlying feeling of loss and melancholy in there to make it feel human, or at least so I can relate. A sense that, hey, you may be as miserable as fuck now, but this chiming guitar and this sunny melody hint at the joy and content that will soon find you. Being happy is boring. But hoping to be happy is something I can dig. And this feeling always has to come from the vocalist. Twee lives or dies by the vocalist. If she (and it almost always has to be a she) lacks them intangibles in the grain of her voice that char my heart then you can do one. And that's something that connects all the twee pop/rock I have time for. Lazy Ways has all that fun stuff as well as holidays, deckchairs and elastic bass guitars that you could bathe in. The songs are brief ditties with two or three scratchy guitar chords and the odd bit of woodblock tap or tambourine shake. Tracey Thorne's (soon of Everything But the Girl) voice is steady, sure and always mournful whilst Jane Fox stays cheerful, her words haphazardly flutter like a butterfly on the breeze. They’re a wonderful contrast in vocal timbre and the twin vocals for ‘Falling Again’ are a wobbly delight. Every moment of this album is perfect for lounging around in the garden, weightless under the June sunshine, the melodic basslines crawling up your spine or as Fox sings, “playing the perfect summer melody”. Summer's fading but hope has no off seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sphinx Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 This could go one of two ways. Either I find a lot of artists that I really like and would never have found otherwise, or it'll be a pretentious list ala Pitchfork reviews. I'll try my best to keep up with listening to albums from the list, but I get the feeling it'll be swaying towards the latter. Edit: I think I'm mainly basing that off of what I presume to be the lyrics from a Microphones song. Just listened to some of the sample songs. I think I'm out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Butternut Squash Posted August 17, 2013 Author Share Posted August 17, 2013 Good to know! Ahh, pretentious. Nobody creates anything interesting when that word is bandied about. My writing may be pretentious waffle at times but that's because I'm actually quite thick. The only reason the choices might be pretentious to you is because they don't meet your expectations. I'm hardly going to pretend to like my favourite albums am I? I don't know what the fuck Pitchfork's got to do with anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sphinx Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 That came across as quite harsh. Maybe I shouldn't have thrown pretentious there, especially so early on in the list. I'll just go with 'not my cup of tea' and be done with it. We have different tastes. I find Pitchfork tend to give lesser known bands higher ratings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Butternut Squash Posted August 17, 2013 Author Share Posted August 17, 2013 I tend to give the bands I like higher ratings. What sort of music are you into btw? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sphinx Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 No, I know you do. I think I'm unfairly comparing you to someone I know who is pretty elitist with his music taste and kind of looks down on others who don't like his taste (and whaddya know? I've just done the same thing!) I'm open to different genres of music. It's a hard question to answer and I tend to struggle in conversation when it's asked. But Pitchfork are hipsters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Johnny Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 I'm open to different genres of music. It's a hard question to answer and I tend to struggle in conversation when it's asked. Then shut the fuck up and let someone who appreciates music have a go at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted August 18, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted August 18, 2013 That came across as quite harsh. Maybe I shouldn't have thrown pretentious there, especially so early on in the list. I'll just go with 'not my cup of tea' and be done with it. We have different tastes. I find Pitchfork tend to give lesser known bands higher ratings. Why the fuck have you mentioned Pitchfork in all three of your posts in this thread? Are you on a commission? If you don't like the music in this thread then fuck off with your moaning somewhere else, preferably not on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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