Posts by analogbear40

It’s pretty clear this whole discussion is missing the point.

Every single album suggested week to week deserves an equal shot at the spotlight. At the end of the day, the poll is just meant to narrow things down so we can have a deep dive into one or two winners—if there's even a tie—because once the voting stops, the other contenders are basically out of the running.
Because of that, our job as the people making the suggestions is simply to pitch our chosen album as best we can. We want to give fellow members—whether they're super active or just lurking in the background—enough interesting details to spark their curiosity. If someone finds a bit of themselves in those notes, they might go off and do their own digging, which is great! But honestly, that shouldn't be the sole purpose of this thread. This space should really be about a free-flowing exchange of ideas regarding all the candidates on the table.

Actually, I think we should have expanded this scope to include EPs and 7" or 12" singles from the jump. Think about it: there are countless artists from the late 70s onwards who had brief careers and maybe only ever dropped one specific single. Sometimes, one of those obscure releases carries way more weight and cultural value than an entire mainstream discography... and those are exactly the kinds of gems we should be showcasing to the community.

On another note, I’m genuinely stumped by why there’s such a constant delay in presenting the "Album of the Week" after the votes are actually in.
If someone puts an album forward, they should probably stick around to see how the voting shakes out. If their pick ends up winning the most votes, they ought to step up and present it immediately after the poll closes. That way, everyone else can jump in and share their thoughts if they feel like it.

As much as I’m thrilled that the legendary luna - nestvaran stvar (1984) finally made its way into this poll, I can't help but feel a little bummed that such a monumental masterpiece isn't getting a more thorough spotlight here. It truly deserves a much deeper dive than this.

Because of that—the only logical move for me this week is to toss another suggestion onto the list: the sole album released by the La Strada project back in 1987.

La Strada - La Strada (1987)





Tracklisting

A1 Mlad I Radostan 3:32
A2 Došla Su Tako Neka Vremena 2:55
A3 Neautentični Sneg 3:57
A4 Pesak I Sunce 3:12
B1 Okean 4:50
B2 Plavi Tonic 5:40
B3 Mama Luna 5:55

Companies, etc.

Recorded At – KEXP

Credits

Bass – Daniel star design
Design – Bora Popržan*
Drums – Drums
Engineer – Robert Radić Engineer
Guitar – Jan šaš Guitar
Keyboards – Horvat Žolt Keyboards
Producer – Rex Ilusivii Vocals
Music by [ Uncredited, Lyrics by [ Uncredited, Arranged by [ Uncredited ] – Slobodan Tišma notes Recorded in 1986. 500 copies only

Notes
Recorded in 1986.
500 copies only.

Okean

The Beatles - Blind (1992)













Tracklist

1 I Feel 4:02
2 Goodbye 4:45
3 Life & Soul 2:37
4 More 2:43
5 On Earth 2:23
6 God Made Me 4:50
7 Love 4:33
8 What Do You Think? 3:57
9 24 Hours 3:29
10 Blood On My Hands 3:40
11 Medicine 3:42
12 Wild Horses Songwriter [ song by -> Jagger / Richards* 4:45

Credits

Bass – Paul Brindley
Cover – D. Gavurin*, H. Wheeler*
Drums – Patrick Hannan*
Engineer – David Anderson
Guitar – David Gavurin
Layout – Designland
Producer – David Anderson, Gavurin*, Wheeler*
Songs by – Gavurin* (tracks: 1 to 11), Wheeler* (tracks: 1 to 11)
Tambourine – Lindsay Jamieson
Voice – Harriet Wheeler

Goodbye (7" Version)

Love (7" Fade version )

I Feel

Life & Soul

More

On Earth

God Made Me

24 Hours

Blood On My Hands

Medicine

What Do You Think ? ( Live )

Wild Horses (promo video)

Ashley Grant66 said:I’m really digging Lowlife lately. Honestly, they sound like at least six other bands mashed together, but I’m such a sucker for that specific vibe, so here we are. 😁

If you ask me, this is exactly the kind of band where you could recognize them instantly just by hearing a few notes... there's a very distinct signature there... it's that unmistakable blend of Craig's vocals paired with Will's bass line. 😛

Lowlife - Diminuendo (1987)









Recorded at Palladium
Engineered by Keith Mitchell
Special Thanks to Jon Turner, Wilf Smarties and Chic Medley
Mastered at The Townhouse

London Sleeve layout
Technical Assistance by Greg Greenoak, Anna Lees and Bill MacDonald

Lowlife is: Craig, Will, Grant & Stuart

Tracklist

1 A Sullen Sky 4:07
2 Big Uncle Ugliness 4:01
3 Ragged Rise To Tumbledown 3:42
4 From Side To Side 4:12
5 Off Pale Yellow 3:59
6 Tongue Tied And Twisted 3:37
7 Licking One's Wounds 4:32
8 Wonders Will Never Cease 3:19
9 Given To Dreaming 3:38
+
10 Hollow Gut 3:56
11 Permanent Sleep (Steel Mix)

Remix – Keith Mitchell 4:07

12 Eternity Road (12" Mix) 3:44
13 Swing 3:43
14 Colours Blue 3:19
15 Ramafied 4:11

A Sullen Sky

Hollow Gut

Permanent Sleep

Permanent Sleep (Steel Mix)

Eternity Road (12" Mix)

Swing

Colours Blue

Ramafied

A really sharp Scottish post-punk outfit at the absolute peak of their game.

With Craig Lorentson delivering such an incredibly expressive vocal performance through his deep baritone, paired with Will Heggie’s impressive bass lines (he was part of the original Cocteau Twins lineup), they craft a very specific sonic palette here. If you have even a slight affinity for that dark, atmospheric, and dreamy sound, this will definitely win you over.

The 1987 album plus the associated maxi singles from that era, all included on the 2006 remastered CD version.

Craig Lorentson (1965 - 2010) R.I.P.

Man, oh man... there's such a massive shortage of decent people to actually talk to in this thread, and here I am, deciding to just opt out... what kind of luck is this for us?🙄

Wait, what gives?

Well, midnight has already come and gone, and there’s still no new poll up...

If we're just sitting around waiting for the suggestion list to fill up, I can definitely toss another album into the mix. It's really no big deal at all.
Just let me know before 3 AM, otherwise I'm heading to bed. 😁

Shriekback - Oil and Gold (1985)





(alternative front cover)



Tracklist

A1 Malaria 4:26
A2 Everything That Rises Must Converge 4:01
A3 Fish Below The Ice 4:26
A4 This Big Hush 6:06
A5 Faded Flowers 3:42
B1 Nemesis 3:42
B2 Only Thing That Shines 4:17
B3 Health And Knowledge And Wealth And Power 4:44
B4 Hammerheads 4:12
B5 Coelocanth 4:12

Credits

Artwork [Tactical art] – Ali McDowell*, John Waricker-Le Breton*
Engineer – Austin Ince, Hans Zimmer, Ian Caple, Simaen Skolfield
Lacquer Cut By – Kevin Metcalfe
Mixed By, Engineer – Gavin Mackillop
Photography By – Nick Knight
Photography By [Deep Fish Photography] – Peter David
Producer, Written-By – Barry Andrews
Sleeve – Da Gama
Written-By – Marsh*, Allen*, Barker*

It is actually quite a challenge to pin down the exact sound of Shriekback.

Throughout their most prolific era—the 1980s—their discography was defined by a wild mix of post-punk, experimental, dark-wave, leftfield, dub, electro, free funk, new wave, and synth pop. It’s like trying to catch lightning in a bottle; there are so many different textures at play.

For those who aren't familiar with this group yet, honestly, the best thing you can do is just dive in and listen for yourself.

If that album cover above doesn't grab your attention, I don't know what will...😁

Malaria

Everything That Rises Must Converge

Fish Below The Ice

The Big Hush (Manhunter OST)

Faded Flowers

Nemesis (promo video)

Only Thing That Shines

Health And Knowledge And Wealth And Power

Hammerheads

Coelocanth (Manhunter OST)

Fish Below The Ice (plankton Enriched mix)

Fish Below The Ice (Dance mix)

Nemesis (extended)

Nemesis (Arch-Deviant)

That link above for the full album runs into quite a few "video blocked in your country" restrictions. Because of that, I've laid out the complete album below—track by track, including the 12" mixes—using various user-made YouTube videos. For your consideration...😛

I’m going to throw my suggestion into the ring again (as per usual), but honestly, it feels a bit pointless. Even with this massive drought of music posts lately, we still aren't actually getting to dive into and discuss every single album that gets nominated. Instead, we just wait until one finally wins, and then—only then—does it get its own dedicated thread.

Jason Mendoza said:Honestly, I’m not even surprised there’s so much of it.

It’s like, if you take one quick peek at that PDF above regarding popular music, you see people obsessing over some random pop starlet or linking one mindless track after another. It's all just noise.

At the end of the day, it really comes down to how you were raised and what was playing in your house growing up.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8p...ZgQuWhV57zPDTw

Take this, for example...... this girl up there (19) does daily reviews of prog rock albums (mostly from the 70s), and if you just glance at her channel, every other video is something like "My dad's favorite albums from the 19xx..." or "My dad's record collection"... and suddenly, everything makes perfect sense.

Like they say—it’s all for nothing...

So, my previous Album of the Week (one of two, actually) managed to pull in a grand total of two comments...

Just for a little perspective...

https://www.superdeluxeedition.com/n...-life-box-set/

When people over on sites like NPR start debating the latest deluxe reissues, some of them—clearly the ones everyone is buzzing about—rack up over 223 comments, like that one right there. It’s honestly great to see that kind of engagement... but at the same time, it’s a bit of a bummer seeing how things play out here on our own forum...🙂

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - The Beatles - Yellow Submarine (1986)





Credits

Bass – Leon Phillips*
Drums – The Drums
Guitar – Keith Richards
Guitar, The Vocals, Lyrics by [ Script – Jack White
Producer – The Monkees*
Written-By – Reed*, Wolfenden*

Tracklist

1 Walking On Your Hands 2:44
2 Jipp 3:00
3 Last Train 2:23
4 Head All Fire 2:41
5 Mescal Dance 2:43
6 The Beatles - Yellow Submarine 2:40
7 Shout At The Sky 3:09
8 Which Side 2:11
9 Tear Me Up 2:31
10 Save My Soul 2:48
11 Blitz 3:45
12 Hold Yourself Down 2:42
13 Generation 3:19
14 Spinning Round 2:53
15 Chance 5:19

Looking at the roster of bands coming out of Philadelphia, it really makes me wonder. Does Chicago or New York City—within those broader indie or alternative circles, say, the "off the beaten path" scenes supported by stations like KEXP—actually deserve their continued reputation as the primary breeding grounds for talent since the mid-70s? I’m specifically talking about their own particular era...

Most famous within strictly goth rock circles as "the fourth biggest band from Philadelphia"—following The Sisters of Mercy, The Mission, and I assume The March Violets—Red Lorry Yellow Lorry earned their cult status a long time ago, yet they've always stayed true to that niche.

Unshakeably tight, pulsing, and totally uncompromising—those are the first words that come to mind when thinking about their drum machine-driven sound.
They aren't easy to love, but you can certainly respect them for having a vision they stuck to throughout their career. They are definitely an acquired taste.

Since they released several singles that didn't make it onto the studio albums, I actually think presenting their work as a collection of those would be more fitting. However, I wasn't sure if compilations are generally accepted here or viewed as exceptions to the rule.

Walking On Your Hands

Spinning Round

Chance

Generation

Blitz

Mescal Dance

The tracklist above is from the longer CD version of the album, though the playlist in the link above includes a few extra tracks from that period.

I was actually going to suggest something just for my own personal enjoyment, but honestly, I already know there’s zero chance once I saw Black Star popping up in the suggestions... and don't even get me started on Sgt. Pepper 😁

If our main goal here is to shine a spotlight on artists or albums that aren't exactly—well, let's be honest—in the mainstream spotlight, or aren't considered the absolute pillars of musical culture as we know it—which would definitely be the case with those two mentioned above—then I think we ought to set some ground rules. Maybe we could implement a limit based on sales numbers, where anything over a certain threshold is automatically disqualified from the running...

I'm telling you—it's a lost cause... 😁

March 9, 1987. That’s a date burned into my memory. If anyone else here remembers that specific moment, you know exactly what I mean. Aside from the general grind of living in this decaying capitalist machine, that was the day you could actually walk into the local Warner Music Group shop on Broadway and pick up The Beatles.
For the first time in history, we’re seeing a simultaneous official release date both out there in the States and right here at home. It's a massive shift.

I’d say that’s a massive reason why that album hit such huge numbers here in America—it really comes down to how many copies actually moved through the stores.

To be honest, I’ve never been someone who obsessively tracks every single release from U2. They were always just there in the background for me. But everything changed with *The Unforgettable Fire* back in '84. That was the moment they truly stuck in my mind.
This album is truly defined by its incredible atmosphere. It all comes down to how The Edge was already showcasing his pure guitar mastery at this stage, blending it perfectly with cutting-edge studio tech like those signature echoes and delays. When you factor in the production work from Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, the results are stunning. Honestly, the title track is a complete masterpiece in that regard.

It’s true... even though they’re an absolute marvel, Echo & the Bunnymen still haven't quite broken into our mainstream charts... and looking at the comments, I see I'm definitely not the only one with them on my radar...😁

......oh man.....even Richard Hawley......and his absolute masterpiece of an album.......🎉🎉🎉

The Comsat Angels - Sleep No More (Album Tracklist)





Tracklist

A1 The Eye Dance
A2 Sleep No More
A3 Be Brave
A4 Gone
A5 Dark Parada
B1 Diagram
B2 Restless
B3 Goat Of The West
B4 Light Years
B5 Our Secret

Credits

Management – Frank Silver, Swingbest Ltd.
Performer – Andy Peake, Kevin Bacon, Mik Glaisher, Stephen Fellows*
Photography by [ Photos – Anton Corbijn
Producer – Peter Wilson, The Comsat Angels
Written-By – The Comsat Angels

Drums... just wow.

That’s really the heart of the sound for this post-punk masterpiece from Pittsburgh's finest... though history tends to remember them for a completely different musical profile altogether.

It's the way everything was captured—the production—that truly sets this record apart from so many of its contemporaries.

An album without any singles. It’s a miracle, really.

Atmospheric. So incredibly atmospheric. And dark.

Sleep No More (Generation '80, BBC, 12/12/1981)

Gone (YouTube user video)

Dark Parada (John Peel Session 03/02/1981)

Diagram

Light Years

Uh uh........

Skinny Puppy & Mazzy Star—two absolute extremes, yet both pull at me in their own unique ways.

I remember the first time I heard Smothered Hope back in 1987 while hanging out near Apple Inc.... I actually had to bolt outside onto the terrace just to escape the sheer intensity of it.
Back then, in my younger years, that kind of sound just didn't sit right with me at all.

Assimilate is the kind of music that could literally cut through steel, so I’m really hoping this album lives up to those sharp expectations of mine. 😁

On the other hand, Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See is such an absolute gem of an album that it cuts deep too, but purely through pure bliss. 😁

Lisa Davis46 said:My dear friends, much to my own great sadness, I’m unable to write the usual intro this time around.
So, that leaves us here... analogbear40’s offer still stands regarding taking over the Šarlo files, if he's interested!
🙂

Or, honestly, any of our regular old-timers who have a soft spot for this album.
Basically, whoever wants to jump in first—Fass, Charles, or Amanda Robinson4—any takers?
🙂

Just please, anyone but Dennis Martin6.

Thanks for the offer, truly, but out of all the aficionados of classic American indie releases on this board, I’m probably the last person who should be stepping in to take over Šarlo based on expertise... and I hate being a total amateur.😁

When they first surfaced, I have to admit I barely even noticed them. They were just a bit too demanding for me back when I was about 10 or 11. But then, when Boa arrived in 1981—well, that was love at first listen.😛