Posts by northerndrifter42

It’s been 13 years since that concert in Austin where he pulled off the whole 'Oxygene' set using nothing but 1976 tech, and even threw in those last two tracks from 'Oxygene 7-13' just for good measure.

Everything is playing out exactly how I called it before the polls closed 😁

Steven Newman50 said:See, I don't actually know him that well. I know he tends toward those simple love ballads, but I finally heard him live today and I actually really dig his storytelling style. It's self-deprecating, yet somehow still warm. Why don't you suggest a track or two.

If it were me, I’d recommend this one from Franz—it's my absolute favorite.

https://www.discogs.com/release/7839...Med-Porcelanom

And I just stumbled upon this by accident. Check out the girls on the cover (look at the art)—ballerinas or whatever they are—this is about their reunion after 35 years.



After that, maybe the Ne Mi Dihat Za Ovratnik album. I haven't listened to much of Tulio's siren or Quiet waters. Honestly, I don't even remember the Adija's wisdom album. Everyone raves about the ikebana album, but whenever I tried listening to it back in the day, it just didn't click for me. It's kind of like how people always praise 'Dolgcajt' from Pankrt, but that one never sat right with me either. I'm more into the Red Album and State darling, though Song device isn't bad either.

The album I suggested is my absolute favorite, though honestly, their other stuff doesn't really hit the same way for me. The band started heading in a totally different direction right after their second record, and they lost that specific magic they had here—this one is just in a league of its all own. But hey, regardless of my personal taste, I have a feeling my pick won't be sitting at the very top of the list this time. At best, it’ll probably land somewhere in the middle.
Unless there's some kind of huge surprise in store...

Man. And then you hear someone say: "Do you really think you're smarter than everyone else? If the majority is listening to it, it must be good"... yeah, that's just mass appeal... and that's exactly what gets shoved down our throats by the media as "popular." Sure, there used to be quality in mainstream bands back in the day, but even then, when you look at everything that was actually available, those were still just a decent minority. I mean, I just look at history and how the masses have behaved regarding other stuff, and it becomes immediately clear to me what the crowd is all about and what their taste is like—whether we're talking music, politics, whatever... Once you start digging and actually thinking for yourself, your taste shifts instantly.

Carol Walker said:Hmm, I noticed the debate around my suggestion died down a bit, so let me clarify why I picked this one. To me, The Eagles are absolute perfection, and honestly, Hotel California is probably the greatest song ever written. But it’s kind of depressing because I get the feeling that 90% of people in my circle only know that one track—some don't even know that! I once told a friend what my favorite song was, and when I finally revealed it, he just went, "Oh, they're a one-hit wonder."

I guess comments like that happen because I belong to a relatively younger generation (The Eagles were basically formed right around the time my mom 😬 ) so, you know, whatever.

That said, it feels like I’m surrounded by actual music buffs here—people who definitely know way more than just the song Hotel California. So I figured, why not suggest this album and see what you all think? Maybe someone isn't even a fan of The Eagles or familiar with their catalog, and this album might actually catch them by surprise. That’s really what drove my decision.

Anyway, during my short stint on this thread, I’ve suggested some pretty wildly different albums (Cooper, Golden Boy, Apparat, and now Hotel California) mostly because my listening habits are all over the place. Sometimes I’ll throw out a legendary classic, and other times I’ll pick something obscure, because sometimes I listen to household names and sometimes I dive into artists who aren't exactly mainstream.

I didn't actually get a chance to listen to the albums from the last round, so I didn't want to vote for something just because I already love it. It would have been easy to just vote for, say, Sam Fender, whose album I already know and enjoy—but what's the point? I'm here to discover new stuff, but I also don't want to sabotage great albums just because they're famous. For instance, albums by Isaak or The Rolling Stones are incredible; why shouldn't I vote for them? Just because they're well-known? It seems silly to put pressure on how anyone should vote, and honestly, winning isn't even the most important part to me. Sure, it’s nice to see your suggestion win, but personally, seeing *any* vote counts as a win because it means something resonated with someone, just like it did with me. (Oh, I'll use this moment to say thanks to Amanda Robinson4 and Vanch for voting for Apparat! I was expecting zero votes for that one, so seeing two—especially from the mods—felt like a massive victory to me.)

At the end of the day, my point is that everyone should just vote for what they actually like, whether it's Apparat or The Eagles. It doesn't matter. If an album is mediocre or just bad, a big name won't save it (I mean, didn't System of a Down flop despite being huge?). Likewise, if an album is genuinely good, having a famous name behind it shouldn't be a reason for anyone to sabotage it just to help some unknown artist win.

So yeah, 👍

You don't really owe anyone an explanation. As far as I'm concerned, I was just expressing doubt that it's harder for the underdogs here to win, regardless of how good the music is. If I understood correctly, this is basically like a forum version of Eurovision where we are the jury. That means we should focus strictly on the music rather than how popular the band is, so we can decide what's actually good as objectively as possible. If we can do that, then fine.

Charles Ramos4 said:A country where albums like those are sitting in the top 10 bestsellers doesn't deserve anything other than to fall apart. For god's sake, the musical taste in that nation is just pure garbage. 🤦

👍 What’s even worse is that things have actually gotten more intense on what used to be Yugoslavia territory. It’s a cycle, really... the kind of music they listen to dictates how they think, which dictates their politics... it was the same back in Yugoslavia and it's the exact same story today.

Gerald Jackson48 said:I used to blast that Jadranka track at work whenever clients started breathing down my neck about project deadlines.
Exactly, I’m still genuinely baffled by how some of those massive acts just... fizzled out. You look at legends like Pink Floyd, Joy Division, New Order, David Bowie, Radiohead... they were huge, then suddenly, they weren't. It's wild.

You could easily overplay the "I was waiting" vibe if you go with that track from Mi Nismo Andjeli. That one features Srdjan Todorovic singing with the angel—it’s got that certain something people really dig.

@ Richard Murphy45

Yeah, that The Cult record... definitely one of those albums I had tucked away since I was just a kid.

brightwolf48 said:Because they’re just total garbage.

😁

Charles Ramos4 said:I don't think that's quite right. Honestly, there have been so many instances where the underground artists completely blew the mainstream stars out of the water. If anything, I’d say more often than not, suggesting a big-name artist doesn't even fly—they don't end up pulling the most votes. If you don't believe me, just dig through the old polls from a while back and you'll see exactly what I mean. There might even be other folks on here who remember those random details and can back me up on this...

Yeah, I was told that David Bowie didn't actually win, for example. Well, if that's the case, then fine, that's great. I guess we just need to try harder to step away from our own biases and stop focusing so much on what's popular if we want to reach some kind of objective conclusion.

Look, we can talk about quality all day long, but only after we actually sit down and define what parameters we're using to measure it. There’s this one part you just can't sidestep—the subjective side of things. It all comes down to what you personally look for in music. Like, if I find exactly what my soul is hunting for in Poobah, but I don't find it in the Eagles, then for me, Poobah wins. Period. But hey, that’s really just one tiny slice of the whole parameter pie.

Beyond that, my big takeaway is this: an underground band simply can't beat a massive, household name, regardless of how good the music is. That’s where the "glitch" happens. And honestly? I get this feeling that people vote like they're at a football game—they just back whatever they already listen to. They aren't really digging deep, studying the craft, or trying to make an objective decision on who is truly the best. It’s not about personal taste or how famous a band is; it's just tribalism.
That’s all I was getting at.

redbear12 said:it’s somewhere along the road between Gregorian chants and traditional American folk soul
And honestly, I’d describe his music as kind of a sanctified version of Jadranka Stojaković and Kemal Monten.

Ivanski - On the Way to Heaven... (2002)



It runs for about 47 or 48 minutes.

MY STAR(the YouTube playlist only has 8 tracks, but the full album actually has 10, so I grabbed the link from his blog where you can Listen to everything)

From Jadranka, all I really know is "I Was Waiting," which was on that 'We Are Not Angels' record

I’m taking my sweet time with this one, holding back on my absolute heavy hitters (well, besides what I posted last time regarding On Parole). Lately, I’ve been leaning more toward digging up these deep cuts from my vinyl collection—stuff that isn't exactly mainstream. You know, those albums that are genuinely great but just don't sit in that "elite" circle of my all-time favorites. Mostly just because they aren't famous. I'll get to them.
Anyway, it doesn't really bother me when people start throwing in stuff like > or >; honestly, looking at the current candidates, I can already see those tracks heading straight for the finals. I'm curious about how this piano-heavy entry will land, though—maybe it'll actually catch us off guard. Everything else will probably just trail behind.

It's all good. It’s just frustratingly obvious that people end up voting for whatever they actually listen to (and hey, you can't really blame them), regardless of whether it’s objectively "good." It makes sense, really—the big, loud, mainstream acts are what people have on repeat, and since they're everywhere, they naturally have the biggest fanbases.
The point is: something can be musically or artistically superior, but if it hasn't been blasted on every radio station, it struggles to win. That’s just the way it is, unless the folks on this forum decide to look at things through a different lens.

Midnight has passed, and Thursday is finally here. Time for a fresh pick for our Album of the Week.

Poobah "Let Me In" (1972)

LP 1
Side A
1. Mr. Destroyer
2. Enjoy What You Have
3. Live To Work
Side B
4. Bowleen
5. Rock N' Roll
6. Let Me In
LP 2
Side C
1. Here's The Band
2. Make A Man Outta You
3. Upside Down Highway
4. Walk Of The Bug
Side D
5. Blooey Gooey
6. Going To Rock City
7. Smoke
8. Mr. Destroyer (Live Rehearsal)
9. Passion For Freedom
10. I'm Crazy, You're Crazy

Mark Cruz15 said:Not everyone gets music the way I do, so there's no point in stressing over it.

I mean, obviously. This is just some casual entertainment for me; I'm not taking any of this to heart.

My second candidate is already sitting at number 9. My first one is up at 8. The other two seem way weaker—I honestly can’t wrap my head around why, but whatever.

Dennis Hall41 said:Which ones are actually catastrophic? Because if you're talking about The Kinks, I'm hitting that block button immediately.😁

They aren't. They were honestly a potential fifth candidate for me, but in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to vote for them.

Man, this poll is getting absolutely wild. We started with four totally disastrous bands on there, but now it’s split—two are sinking like stones while the other two are sitting right at the top. 🤦 Honestly, if I had to start tearing into them after the voting ends, I wouldn't even know where to begin. But hey, I have to admit, it’s a blast watching it unfold. Since it's an open poll, the sheer weight of popular opinion is going to take over, which is something I’ve never really been a fan of. As far as my picks go, most of them are cruising along just fine, except for one outlier. I'm feeling pretty good about it so far.

Don't get worked up about it 😁

See, the thing is, there are just so many suggestions floating around, and honestly, some albums are built that way—you can't just blast them once and say you've "heard" them. You have to sit with them, listen a few times to really catch the vibe. It’s totally normal that you won't get through everything. I already know some of these tracks inside and out, but with others... you’re just spinning your wheels trying to figure out what the deal is and how it all fits together, trying to learn the deeper layers...

Look, listen, we could totally set this up differently. Why not try a preliminary vote before the actual voting? Like, first, everyone submits an unlimited number of album picks, just like we do now, within a 24-hour window on Thursdays. Then, we hold a vote, and the top five albums with the most votes move on to a final showdown for Album of the Week. Problem solved. You only have to dive into those five specific albums over the next 24 hours, and even then, it's less work if you already recognize some of them and don't need to spend time discovering them from scratch.

It’s already past midnight, so what are we waiting for, Puky? Where’s the poll at?