I see a lot of people are pretty unhappy with this week's lineup. I feel for you, I guess. Personally, though, I’m actually feeling really happy—both about last week and this one. But especially this week. That rotation was insanely strong! And the variety was great. If I had to pick just a few standouts from the menu (which was tough), it would be these:
Aksak Maboul - Onze danses pour combattre la migraine (1977)
That was a pretty wild ride. A little unpredictable, I guess, but I actually kind of dig it!
Bob Dylan - Desire (1976)
I guess Bob Dylan - Desire might still be my absolute favorite, right up there with JWH. Maybe it’s because it’s such an outlier—it feels like a totally different version of him. It’s easily his most passionate work, and honestly, it sits completely outside his usual style when you look at his massive catalog. I definitely went through a phase where I just listened to the whole thing on repeat, over and over.
Can - Tago maga (1971)
This is easily one of the top five albums from this era. It’s a total masterpiece—timeless, really, and way ahead of its time. Honestly, can you even believe this record is fifty years old? It's wild. I'm hoping the OP might drop some more insights on it, though. I haven't actually read much about this specific album myself, I guess.
Gal Halid - Hajde da se drogiramo (1990)
This really blew me away. I hadn't known much about Barrett's little projects before, but man, he never misses. Even when he veers off into some gritty, dark underworld vibe, he just dives straight into the deepest parts of human nature and himself, and he’s totally willing to lay it all bare for us to see. To me, he’s the only artist truly capturing that raw, dirty, full-blooded blues of this country. I guess others had their moments like that, but I've always mostly seen them as more mainstream, sunny-side-up types.
Harumi - Harumi (1968)
Not bad at all. It’s got that chill, Japanese summer vibe going on... I guess it worked for me!
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)
This album is honestly great. I’ve played it through a few times now, and it just doesn't get old. Before someone suggested it, I hadn't actually sat down and listened to it as a full album, though I definitely recognized a bunch of the tracks. Even if it is a pop record with massive mainstream appeal and a huge budget behind it, I guess it still offers something more than that.
Both Tool and My Bloody Valentine albums were on the list here, but there was no way I could vote for all of them. I set a limit for myself at four. None of my top picks are actually among these options...Honestly, this place is the main reason I’ve slowly started coming back to the forum. It’s where I actually felt like having the drive to write, dig around, and listen to new stuff. I’ve discovered so much through certain members here—way more than I ever expected. It’s been great. Anyway, I wanted to check in and let everyone know that I have to freeze my activity for a bit. Between writing and moderating, life just kind of happened, and I need some space to deal with things. I still have a few albums from my old rotations that I really want to revisit over the next few days—stuff like Coltrane, Talking Heads, and Townes Van Zandt—so after that, I’ll officially check in with the bosses to take my break. 🙂
Look, if you’re asking me, I’d probably lock this thread down for a while. Stotka was great. It really was. But I guess all good things have to end—or at least take a breather—while they're still actually good. In the beginning, there was this incredible energy here, right up until maybe the last thirty albums or so. Everything was just constantly building. People were debating with such intensity, both in this thread and in the individual topics. But lately? It’s just gone dry. The curve is dropping, there's no juice left in it, and honestly, I don't see how I can contribute anything meaningful anymore. So, I figure it's better not to force it on my end. Maybe that’s just how it goes, with waves and cycles and whatever... but it feels like the pulse has been missing for quite some time now.
The whole "Album of the Week" concept used to actually mean something. Lately, some of us—myself included, I guess—have been lagging behind, posting intros late, and now everything feels messy. We’ve even got one album just sitting there unclassified and waiting. It’s also pretty telling that lately, people are starting threads for albums that never actually got that official "Album of the Week" tag, so they don't get any of the visibility the selected ones do. It’s a shame, really, but maybe it's just proof that the whole idea is slowly losing its impact. If I were giving advice to Anderlon, I’d suggest adding a new prefix—maybe a yellow one?—just labeled "Album." If that's an option, why not? It might help those threads actually float to the surface instead of getting lost in the sea of everything else.
Album themes are actually pretty great because you can always circle back to them whenever you feel like it. People who never even participate in our weekly album threads will eventually stumble upon them, and after a few years... we’ll have this massive archive. I guess the intro to each thread matters, but what really counts is the actual discussion the music sparks. That conversation can be reopened and expanded on any time.
So yeah, those comments above got me thinking, because at the end of the day, just opening new threads isn't the whole point. It's not like we want everyone to end up with just five posts like poor Terence Trent D'Arby did recently, but still. Anyway, I'm stoked for the hundredth album—I'm so glad it ended up being Can! I really hope it gets people talking. Though, honestly, I bet a Bob Dylan album could do the exact same thing. Maybe that'll prove that the whole "Album of the Week" label is kind of losing its meaning anyway.
Hugs to everyone, looks like I've finally got some again! 🙂
