Album of the week

Steven Newman50 said:Charlotte Gainsburg - IRM (2009)

It's absolutely incredible. 🙂

Jesse Jackson3 said:Every once in a while, I’d run into them or hear about them through recommendations or some random mention online, but I never actually sat down to give them a real listen. Honestly, there wasn't even a specific reason why I hadn't, just life getting in the way. Well, that changes today.

If you think there's a better, more "approachable" album to start with if I want to get into their discography, let me know. If this is the one, then we're good to go. 😉

I have a huge soft spot for this one, and I've also always loved Super Fuzz Big Muff—you basically have to listen to an album with a title that legendary. 😁

Shit and Shine - Ladybird (2005)

If I remember right, this was sitting at #1 on my forum list of the best albums from the 70s. Even though there are at least a dozen other contenders for that spot—but man, within that specific vibe of introverted singer-songwriter folk/country/soul-rock—this record hits perfection on every single level, from the songwriting all the way down to the production.

General Clark - No Other (1974)



Full Album

Wikipedia

1. "Life's Greatest Fool" 4:44
2. "Silver Raven" 4:53
3. "No Other" 5:08
4. "Strength of Strings" 6:32
5. "fra a Silver Phial" 3:40
6. "som Misunderstanding" 8:09
7. "The True One" 3:59
8. "Lady of The North" 6:04

EDIT - actually, it was #2. Fear of Music takes the top spot.

Steven Newman50 said:So she went to Catholic school—mom’s a lawyer, dad works in banking—and before diving into music, she actually studied neuroscience and Russian. 🙂

Classic budding Satanist vibes. Or a hardcore eco-activist. Honestly, probably both. She likely cares more about some obscure species surviving in the rainforest than her own mother's health. I can totally see her as a guest speaker at the World Economic Forum.

I don't know what the deal is here. Where is all this venom coming from?😁 But seriously—I just can't stand this woman, organic or otherwise.
Feel free to move this over to the hate thread if you want.😁

Dennis Hall41 said:I honestly have no clue what's going on. Where did this venom even come from?😁 I just can't stand this woman... organically or otherwise.
Feel free to take that over to the hate thread.😁

Haha, look at you! You're clearly feeling it. 😁 I’ll just remind you what they actually named the baby—that whole thing with her and Elon Musk... I'm totally over it. She was proposed two weeks ago and it didn't fly. Time to move on... 😛

Nils Frahm - All Melody (2018)



Tracklist

1. "The Whole Universe Wants to be Touched"
2. "Sunson"
3. "a Place"
4. "my friend The Forest"
5. "human rang"
6. "Forever Changeless"
7. "All Melody"
8. "#2"
9. "momentum"
10. "Fundamental Values"
11. "Kaleidoscope"
12. "Harm Hymn"

All Melody / #2 [live@Melt!]

I drove all the way to San Diego in 2018 to see Kraftwerk, but I ended up experiencing Frahma instead. 🙏

UBU - Cloudland (1989)



Tracklist:
Breath
Race The Sun
Cry
Why Go It Alone?
Waiting For Mary
Ice Cream Truck
Bus Called Happiness
Love Love Love
Lost Nation Road
Nevada!
Flat
The Waltz
Pushin'
Monday Night

Formed back in the 70s in Cleveland, Ubu was led by their vocalist and lyricist, David Thomas. They were essentially a post-punk outfit before punk even had a name. Their catalog—especially those early 70s records—is this strange, beautiful blend of cabaret, underground grit, and alternative textures. I chose this specific album because it marks a turning point; it’s practically their first release that wasn't through an indie label. Instead, they moved into more "commercial" waters with Philips Records, and a few tracks even made appearances on MTV. If you're looking to dive into this band, honestly, it’s probably better to start with their later work—it's much easier on the ears than their raw beginnings. That said, Ubu’s early stuff had a massive influence on several legendary acts, most notably the Pixies, even if you don't hear that direct lineage on this particular record.

Review:https://www.allmusic.com/album/cloudland-mw0000653605

Album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYCD...7o66Mk0NnXl-t0

You can get a feel for the vibe from these tracks...

I’ve intentionally left out their biggest commercial hits—specifically the opening track, Breath, and Waiting for The Mary.

Nothing captures their lack of mainstream success quite like this interview with David Thomas.

Yello - Stella (1985)





Tracklist

A1 Desire 3:47
A2 Vicious Games 4:18
A3 oh Yeah 3:05
A4 Desert Inn 3:30
A5 Stalakdrama 2:57
A6 Koladi-ola (Low BLOW) 2:55
B1 Domingo 4:30
B2 Sometimes (Dr. Hirsch) 3:30
B3 Let Me Cry 3:29
B4 Ciel Ouvert 5:26
B5 Angel no 3:05

Credits

Composed By, Arranged By – Boris Blank
Cover – Ernst Gamper
Drums – Beat Ash
Engineer – Tom Thiel
Guitar [ Guitars
Chico Hablas Idiophone
Glassharp ] – Petia
Lyrics by, Vocals – Dieter Meier
Mixed By [ Assistant ] – Ian Tregoning
Piano – Annie Hogan
Presenter [(Who Presented "Yello Live AT The Roxy, New York")] – Dianna Brill
Producer, Engineer – Yello
Vocals – Rush Winters

Desire (PV)

Vicious Games (PV)

oh Yeah (PV)

Domingo (user video)

Sometimes (Dr. Hirsch)

Angel no

It’s tough to pick just one standout from all those early sonic adventures. It's like choosing a favorite slice of pizza—they're all good! Especially considering their first decade was objectively their strongest era. But if you really sit down and dig through the material—singles, LPs, the whole lot—one record truly rises above the rest because of how cohesive and atmospheric it feels. To me, that masterpiece is definitely Stella from 1985.

Even if you set aside those massive, iconic singles—the kind that basically became cult classics overnight—there are tracks here where Blank proves exactly why he’s a true master of his craft. He shows off everything he knows.

I'm thinking specifically of the sonically devastating and lyrically brilliant Domingo, the hypnotic pull of Sometimes (Dr. Hirsch), and the closing Angel no. For those of us who grew up with it, Angel no always brings back memories of being the background music for Top-40 countdowns on Friday nights back when we used to listen to local rock stations.

Looking back at the musical landscape of the last twenty years, we've seen countless attempts by record labels to breathe new life into old catalogs via so-called "remastered" editions. Honestly, many of these fall flat due to various flaws—mainly in audio quality—and often face heavy criticism from fans who are just hungry for fresh takes on unreleased gems or polished versions of their favorites.

One of the rare series of remasters that actually earned universal praise was the Yello 80s remaster series released in 2005.
Under the careful eye and direction of Boris Blank, this album (along with the others in the series) received the best possible treatment. They sound better than ever, whether you're listening on basic headphones or high-end gear meant for serious audiophiles.

It's nothing less than what they deserve, after all.

...looks like we've got ten more new albums on our hands.
(And we get to pick just one...)

🙂🙂🙂 + 🙂

Why on earth can we see the poll results before actually voting? It doesn't feel particularly fair to me. :P Someone could just wait until the very last second to cast their vote just to tip the scales and win. I think it would be much more interesting if you only saw the results after you've submitted your own vote. Is there any way to set it up like that?

I haven't had enough time to get through all the albums yet; I was listening to Yello just now. But I definitely need a bit more time to listen to everything properly, so I'm still feeling pretty undecided about it.

northernangler8 said:Wait, why can we actually see the poll results before we even cast our votes? That doesn't feel totally fair to me! :P Someone could just sit on their hands until the very last second and then dump all their votes in just to snatch the win. It would be way more exciting if you didn't see the numbers until after you hit submit. Is there any way to change the settings so it works like that?

Sadly, there isn't an option for that. But honestly, it’s pretty hard to "game the system" here. You need a massive amount of people backing any single album to actually make it happen...

Alright, sounds good. 🙂 I also just wanted to give a quick shout-out to Gene Clark; I hadn't actually listened to him before. I’ve always had a soft spot for 70s music, though. I think I'll be spinning this album for a while—it really hits the spot for me. "Strength of Strings" is probably my favorite track so far.

I'm in on this. General Clark is just incredible. Thanks, Dennis Hall41!

Glad you guys are digging it, even though I probably should've suggested something a bit more mid. This week is stacked—honestly don't think I've ever dropped more than three votes before—and while None Other is my top pick, I'd personally love to see MMJ, YLT, or (especially) Charlotte take the win. I’m usually more into reading everyone else's threads than starting my own, but hey—the voting isn't over yet.

Between breaks from volunteering at the campaign headquarters for Vesna Škare-Ožbolt, I managed to squeeze in a few albums. Here’s the lowdown:

Mudhoney — just your standard, gritty rock/grunge stuff. Nothing special, no real flavor or unique vibe here.

Charlotte — boring as hell and completely unoffensive.

Yo La Tengo — heard them before and loved Cee-Dee 😁. This is a killer album. "Big Day Coming" is easily their best track—total shame it doesn't run at least twice as long.

General Clark — mid-tempo folk-rock. The title track hits home, but it’s immediately followed by this incredibly melodramatic, pretentious mess, so I just skipped ahead.

Nils Frahm — this was the one I struggled with most. Technically? Flawless. But something about it rubbed me the wrong way the whole time. Finally figured it out: it's got this layer of Sahara-level sentimentality and suck-up sweetness bleeding through the music. Still, I'll give it credit—it’s a rare bit of freshness compared to the generic garbage I've been hearing all week.

Pere Ubu — I’ve never actually sat through this pop excursion from those avant-garde legends, so now's the perfect time to finally do it.

Dennis Martin6, don't take this the wrong way—but is there anything you actually love from the heart? Not just stuff you judge by how many "innovative" elements it has, but based on how much it hits you emotionally. Does any music actually touch you like that? If so, what's the go?

Lisa Davis46 said:I'm in. General Clark is fantastic. Thanks, Dennis Hall41!

+1. Not bad at all!
Honestly, everything has been going pretty smoothly this week—except for the fact that I got hit by COVID, or some other similar bug, which basically nuked my ability to concentrate, let alone stay organized. As a result, I haven't managed to listen to much of anything, nor have I really been able to just wing it (for the stuff I actually enjoy or would love to get into). But hey, there's always next time.
(Now we just need Jordi Savall!)

Whenever I'm reading Dennis Martin6, I can't help but think of that Fisher quote from Ally McBeal—those who are over 30 will know the one: those eyes, those lips, that tongue that just knocks you off your feet... 😍
Basically, I'm saying there's a lot to read between the lines here. 🙂 Not that I'm some kind of fetishist like Fisher. 😁

Dennis Hall41 said:Dennis Martin6, no offense, but is there actually anything you love from the bottom of your heart?

Man, you're such a fanatic! 😁 Of course there is—my pick for this week is something you can only truly feel with your soul. 😁 This one track is pure raw expression—it’s all instinct and body language before any of that rational, discriminatory psychological junk starts cluttering things up. The whole album captures that split second of pure being. I know it runs about 40 minutes, but at those quantum levels, time becomes totally unreliable. You listening? Can't you see how it’s an album about time and change—basically the two prerequisites for life itself? Can't you hear the primal rhythm hitting your hypothalamus in those drums, Dennis Hall41? Do you even have a heart? 😁

Amanda Lopez50 said:those eyes, those lips, that tongue that just knocks you off your feet... 😍

Do I know you? 😲

Anyway, stoked that Thomas and his crew pulled off the win this time. 😍😍