Posts by brightwolf48

I know it’s not the most popular take, but I honestly think Young’s work is stunning—especially Chrome Dreams II.

Charles Ramos4 said:For me, Harvest Moon from '92 stands out as one of his favorites, even if everyone agrees his absolute peak was that creative explosion back in the 70s.

Regarding what brightwolf48 mentioned—about how artists evolve and change over time—I mostly agree, except I wouldn't exactly point to U2 as the gold standard for that. If you ask me, they tended to chase whatever the current trend was whereas with R. E. M., you can actually hear them refining their specific sound as the years rolled by.😁>

If you look at the trajectory from Boy through to Achtung Baby, there’s a noticeable shift in production and style on pretty much every record. Just listen to War and The Unforgetable Fire back-to-back; the sonic gap between those two is wider than anything you'll find in the R. E. M. catalog.

Dennis Hall41 said:There are certain artists where—for reasons I can't quite pin down—I find myself intentionally cutting ties. Or maybe it isn't even intentional. I don't know why it happens, but it does. For instance, if a colleague hadn't recently suggested Beck's Morning Phase, it wouldn't have even crossed my mind to listen to anything he's done since I heard Modern Guilt back in 2008. The same thing happened to me with R.E.M. after Around The Sun, with Van Morrison after Keep It Simple, and plenty of others. I’m not saying their newer work isn't worth exploring; it’s more like some internal voice refuses to let me listen—as if I feel they’ve already told ME everything they have to say. Even though I know, intellectually, they haven't. Though—it goes without saying—I still find myself reaching for Sea Change, Automatic for the People, Astral Weeks, and those other masterpieces by the legends I've effectively ghosted in their later years.

I say this because the same thing just happened to me with Elverum. It feels as though nothing can surprise me anymore after experiencing The Glow PT, Clear Moon, or the massive, sweeping Crow Looked at Me. I'm clearly wrong, though, because now I see—after just two minutes of those beautiful opening chords on the 2020 "Microphone" track—that it's a purely singular approach.

Of course, you’re entitled to your own take, just like anyone else, but I think we can be far too subjective and overly critical of artists and bands sometimes. I'll use U2 and R.E.M. as examples. For me, after The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum, my first contact with U2 was Under a Blood Red Sky, while with R.E.M., it was Life's Rich Pageant, Achtung Baby, and Out of Time. Back then, Automatic for the People felt like a total disappointment.

Nowadays, Achtung Baby stands out as my favorite U2 album. Just as they felt a need to evolve during that era, we, as "consumers" of their music, change over time too. There isn't a straight line of progression here like there is with metal fans chasing faster and heavier sounds—music isn't athletics. Artists evolve through life, and so does their audience. We lose touch with them, they lose touch with us, and there's a certain beauty in that.

Look, Dennis Hall41, don't go overboard here. The Jayhawks—with Gary Louris’s smooth vocals and those gentle guitar tones—would probably only soothe a fussy infant dealing with colic. If you want to get a reaction out of Dennis Martin6, you'd need something much more intense, like Hotel California.😁

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.

Dennis Martin6 said:😍🎉

I’d probably sum them up with this old line:

Through the tangled, messy brush he makes his run
Where ladies lure and gentlemen lurk from the shadows

My personal pick is 'Dub Housing.' 🙏

There you go—you've got an idea now. Throw out a suggestion next week and I'll see if I can get it on the ballot.🙂

Amanda Lopez50 said:@brightwolf48/">@@brightwolf48 look, we get each other—sorry if I phrased that a bit clumsily 🙂
Warrior, I wasn't criticizing you at all. I only used Jamie Branch as an example because you guys mentioned her earlier; she was just the first person who came to mind. 🙂

I'm having a bit of a hard time finding the right words today 😁

So, consider this one on the house 😘 and honestly, it's great to have more people here. Just a heads-up though—next week I'm planning to suggest some stuff from Pere Ubu, so please let me know how I should best summarize them in a few bullet points. I'm still not even entirely sure which era of theirs the album will cover. 🙂

And who says I’m taking any of this personally—or God forbid, being overly serious? (My apologies if it came across that way.) We're all here on this forum to debate, learn from one another, and swap info. People can listen to whatever they want, but honestly, Google is going to be far more helpful than me typing out a few sentences about my personal take on a subject. For instance, I didn't need to look up Sabbathe, the Department, or Dylan, but when it comes to Fishmans, I did a quick search, realized they might be right up my alley, and—well, they're fantastic. Often, when we're making suggestions, we just don't have the time to sit and type everything out, but if we start using a little shorthand with a few dashes, I'm all for it.

@Larry Martin11
It’s a nice thought in theory, but honestly, it feels pretty impractical in certain scenarios. For instance—take the band I suggested earlier this week—they dropped 18 studio albums between 1995 and 2019, plus 5 live albums, 6 compilations, 2 video releases, 14 EPs, and 18 singles. Given the sheer scale of their discography and how much their style evolved over the years, a single label doesn't really mean much anymore. Besides, we all have Google at our fingertips.😉

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - My Bloody Valentine (2007)



Tracklist:
Bring Me The Head Of Paul McCartney On Paul McCartney (Dropping Bombs On The White House) 6:29
Infinite Wisdom Tooth / My Last Night In Bed With You 6:07
Who's Fucking Pissed In My Well? 4:33
WE ara The Niggers of The World 5:20
Who Cares Why 8:21
Yeah - Yeah 4:30
Golden - Frost 3:44
Just Like Kicking Jesus 4:38
Ljósmyndir 4:08
Automatic Faggot For The People 5:47
Darkwave Driver / Big Drill Car 7:42
Monkey Powder 6:56
Black Hole Symphony 10:20

Album link:

It’s a bit depressing when an album doesn't land the way it clearly should—it just goes to show how easily people who aren't actually familiar with the band can be swayed, simply because I used this one track to tease the release.

I just want to say that I didn't vote for The Doors simply because the album is such a masterpiece that I’m at a loss for words—there isn't much left to say that would be particularly clever. Honestly, I’m just glad Lisa Davis46 reminded me of this record; I had a blast revisiting it, and I still get those same chills during The End. An album of this caliber really doesn't deserve a single negative comment from anyone.

Thanks.👍

Alright then, Amanda Robinson4, just give me back my XTC posts—and look, if you can't recover a deleted post, don't sweat it.

Steven Newman50 said:We’re thinking about making them available more often now—interest is definitely picking up compared to before. So, feel free to throw out a suggestion, whatever you've got. 😉 @brightwolf48/">@@brightwolf48, we can bring yours back too, if you're interested?

Thanks, but the Album of the Week disappeared within seven days—and I suspect I might along with it.😉

urbanheron4 said:Thanks, though it wasn't necessary. XTC is top-tier—I’d definitely cast my vote for them.

It might be better if you just joined us—more voices in the threads makes it much easier when we need to break for a vote.

urbanheron4 said:My bad, I miscounted. Just disregard that last suggestion.

You didn't—I actually pulled my own suggestion so you could stay in the running as the tenth pick for this week.😉🙂

XTC - Drums and Wires (1979)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp-W...eG7Bn2A32t4zKQ

Tracklist
Making Plans For Nigel 4:13
Helicopter 3:54
Day In Day Out 3:05
When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty 3:20
Ten Feet Tall 3:12
Roads Girdle The Globe 5:11
Real By Reel 3:46
Millions 5:37
That Is The Way 2:56
Outside World 2:40
Scissor Man 3:59
Complicated Game 4:53
Chain Of Command 2:30
Limelight 2:35

If the forum software actually allowed it—or if we could just hire Puck to do the math for us—the most logical approach would be this: once the nominations for Album of the Week are set, every voter gets a pool of points ranging from 1 up to whatever the total number of nominees happens to be. It keeps things balanced. Personally, I’d rank my top pick at number four. My first choice would be Fruchtman, followed by Sonic Youth in second, and then New Order in third—though I actually skipped voting for them since I was one of the earliest voters and felt certain they’d breeze through anyway.

Honestly, New York City was the only album of that genre we even heard this week—and yet, somehow, it still managed to be the most famous one among all the suggestions.

I honestly thought New Order had it in the bag, so I didn't even bother voting.😵