Album of the week

I can already tell I’m going to be voting for a whole lot of things 😁

I'm kicking this week off with an artist and an album that are... let's just say polarizing. There is absolutely no middle ground here—you either live for it or you just can't wrap your head around it. No in-between. 😁

Animal Collective - Merriweather post Pavilion (2009)



1.in The Flowers
2.my Girls
3.Also Frightened
4.Summertime Clothes
5.Daily Routine
6.Bluish
7.Guys Eyes
8.tast
9.Lion in a Coma
10.more Runnin 11.
11.Brother sport

I absolutely live for my Girls!!!

But yeah, honestly, Animal Collective just has that "hate it or love it" vibe. For me, only Strawberry jam in The Flowers and MPP really hit the spot—everything else just didn't do it for me.

cosmiccobra2 said:I absolutely adore my Girls!!!

But yeah, Animal Collective definitely has that "love it or hate it" vibe—it’s polarizing as hell. For me, only Strawberry jam in The Flowers and MPP really hit the mark; the rest of their stuff just didn't grab me.

Sung Tongs is actually a pretty interesting listen, though let's be real, it isn't exactly catchy pop like MPP or Strawberry jam in The Flowers.
Personally, I think In The Flowers is one of those all-time great openers—it's got that signature sound right from the jump.

Their latest single really caught my ear, and honestly, I am dying to hear the new album. 🍿

If it weren't for that local pub trivia night, I probably would have never even heard the name quietbison86. Honestly, you never stop learning things while you're alive.👍

Sukora - Tower (1998)



Sukora - Tower (continued) (1998)

Tracklisting

1 Untitled 58:13
2 Untitled 0:07
3 Untitled 0:07
4 Untitled 0:07
5 Untitled 0:07
6 Untitled 0:09

A quick heads-up for anyone interested...

If you aren't using high-quality headphones, trying to experience this thread will feel like an impossible mission...

It's just... something else...

😛

cosmiccobra2 said:Yeah, true—Animal Collective definitely has that "love it or hate it" vibe. Personally, only Strawberry jam in The Flowers and MPP hit the mark for me; the rest just didn't do it.

'spirits' and 'danse manatee'—especially that second one—are top-tier psychedelia. Honestly, they’re some of the most original interpretations out there, so those are the two I'd put money on. 😁 There was massive hype around MPP at one point, mostly fueled by those killer live recordings leading up to it, but the actual album? Total letdown, IMO.

I was spinning that MPP record again yesterday—and man, I honestly can't remember the last time an album fell so hard on me during a rewatch. It’s just this shallow electro-pop vibe that feels like someone tried to modernize the Beach Boys for some sterile millennial crowd obsessed with being woke, and in the process, they stripped away all the actual melody and soul.

Jason Mendoza said:If it weren't for that pub trivia night, I honestly would have never even heard of quietbison86. Man, you just never stop learning things, do you? 👍

A total mess—basically the "it" girl of the sixties. 😁

She went ahead and covered both Clapton and Harrison. 😉

Dennis Hall41 said:I was spinning that MPP record again yesterday, and man, I honestly can't remember the last time an album felt this much like a massive letdown upon second listen. It’s just this mindless electro-pop—it sounds like someone tried to "modernize" the Beach Boys for a bunch of soulless millennials following every woke trend under the sun, and in the process, they stripped away any actual melody or life from the music. Just total emptiness.

Hey Fassa, that was an insult not just to Animals, but to the entire Reddit community.

Honestly, that's my absolute favorite Animals album—but man, things get pretty dark there, just like the rest of that obscure Baltimore scena.

Have a wonderful week, everyone! Animal Colllective, Gang of Youths, and Mötley Crüe really stood out to me this time—though I had to throw some votes toward Isaak and Elton too, since I absolutely adore them (I've known those albums for ages, so they aren't exactly "new discoveries" like the others)... plus, there are some gems on that Goldfrapp record, so they got my vote as well.

All in all, I really think Isaak has this in the bag—honestly, it would be totally deserved 👍

Happy Monday, everyone. It's honestly a bit weird seeing Reich score so low here. I mean, the work is incredible. You can clearly see how much Aphex Twin drew inspiration from him during his Saw II era, so I was definitely expecting a higher rating.

I was right on the fence about voting for Animal Collective, but I'll pass. Honestly, they deserve credit for how they utilize the SP-404 sampler. People used to dismiss it as just a toy for kids until someone actually turned it into a serious tool. It's the exact same thing that happened with the Microkorg—suddenly every cool kid in the scene is using one.

I actually feel bad for The Residents—they’re one of those rare hardcore experimental acts that actually has the chops to back up all that eccentricity. In my book, they managed to perfectly marry genuine songwriting talent
with pure experimental madness, which are basically the two rarest things you'll find in the music scene. I don't know what I was thinking by skipping them initially—I guess I just thought their first listen was too much and figured they must have had better stuff out there.

Anyway, this has been one of my weaker weeks so far—at least on the first pass—but hey, try listening to 15 albums in just three days.

Dennis Hall41 said:Honestly, this feels like one of my slower weeks so far—at least at first glance—but hey, try listening to fifteen whole albums in just three days!

Please. Your "big" week is when you stumble upon three indie folk guys that maybe five people have actually heard...

Steven Newman50 said:Nah. For you, a "big week" is finding three indie folk guys that maybe three people have actually heard of.

That’s just a decent week—nothing special. A real big week is when ten different folk acoustic acts drop at once.😁

If you're already this hyped after only three weeks of acoustic stuff, man... brace yourself, because the future looks pretty bleak.😒

Jason Mendoza said:1 Suite-Pee 2:32
2 Know 2:57
3 Sugar 2:34
4 Suggestions 2:45
5 Spiders 3:35
6 Ddevil 1:43
7 Soil 3:26
8 War? 2:41
9 Mind 6:16
10 Peephole 4:04
11 CUBErt 1:49
12 Darts 2:43
13 P.L.U.C.K. (Politically lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers.) 3:38

I love System, and honestly, this is their best album without a doubt. Everything else they've done just feels like garbage compared to this.

Toxicity is actually way better

I really thought I’d be voting for this album, but after not touching it for over 10 years, I can't bring myself to give it any points—I just can't stomach metal anymore. 😢I used to be obsessed with Korn, but now? I have to turn it off halfway through every single track. 🤷

For me, metal is like that one expensive perfume you absolutely loved for years, until one day it just starts smelling revolting and you realize you can never go back to wearing it again.

Gerald Jackson48 said:Have a good week. It’s a bit surprising to see such a low score for Reich, considering it’s an incredible piece of work that even inspired Aphex Twin during his SAW 2 phase, so I was expecting something much stronger.

Animal Collective was right on the edge for my vote, but whatever—if nothing else, they did a great job using the SP-404 sampler, which people usually dismiss as a toy until someone actually makes something serious with it. Kind of like how everyone treats the Microkorg before all the "cool" kids start using them everywhere.

Thanks for explaining why they sound so childish.

Golden Boy sounds like a mix of Daft punk and Aira to me, pretty interesting stuff. 👍

Unfortunately, Raich just doesn't hold my attention, unlike say, Goldfrapp.
I actually had to Google Goldfrapp's vocals because they sounded masculine to me, though I was almost certain it was a woman—and I was right! 🤣 It reminds me of that Gonzalez guy from Cigarettes after Sex, just with a wider range.
Goldfrapp is actually a total discovery for me, wow. 😍

Chris Isaak definitely deserves it. 👍

The band got my vote even though I think the album is way too long and full of filler; I still dig their sound.

Ugh, I totally forgot to vote. 🤦 Looks like some of you haven't either... (where are all you guys hiding? 😒)
Anyway, if I had to pick based on who's actually worth listening to, the order would be: Reich, The Residents, Goldfrapp, and Sukora!
Maybe throw Elton John in there too, just to keep things exotic and varied, though he’s really not my style.

As for my own pick—man, this Chris Isaak album is just powerful. I'm literally playing it right now, but honestly, I wasn't sure if it would pass the strict judgment of our club members! I'm working on a project today that has a deadline for entries tomorrow, so expect a (massive) intro sometime late Tuesday night. The album has such a late-night vibe anyway, so that's when it deserves the attention... honestly, I'm pretty stoked to write about Isaak. I think he's one of those artists who gets unfairly overlooked, and he still does...

Why isn't Elton John getting any credit here? I’m not trying to start anything—just genuinely wondering. Why does it feel like people take a dig at me every single time I mention listening to him—especially from folks who actually know he did way more than just pump out pop hits? Like, why is it totally fine to love The band, when he basically pulled off the exact same vibe on Tumbleweed Connection?

3 votes 🎉 Look, I know better than to expect much of a turnout for that album 🎉

But for za slijediti put, I've got something fresh and actually interesting cooking up. Honestly, I have a feeling it might pull more than just 3 votes, but hey, we'll see 🎉

Dennis Hall41 said:Why not give the vote to Elton John? I'm not trying to be provocative, I'm actually asking.

I'm not denying the quality, he'd get my vote, I respect it on one hand, but on the other, it just doesn't hit me (not in the way it should). Like I said, it’s just not really my kind of music—it's a bit too kitschy for me (though I guess I can appreciate that kitsch on different levels if everything else, like the songwriting, is solid, which it is here).

You know I lean more toward that stripped-back, raw sound... and when it comes to English artists, nothing gets more bare-bones than someone like Nick Drake.

Lisa Davis46 said:I'm not questioning the quality—it definitely gets my vote and I respect it—but it just doesn't hit me the way it should. Like I said, it’s just not really my vibe; feels a bit too kitschy for me (even if I can appreciate that kitsch on a deeper level when the songwriting is this solid).

You know I lean more toward that raw, stripped-back sound... especially when it comes to English artists—just totally barebones (like Nick Drake).

That isn't kitsch, though—that's just perfectionism and being unapologetic. By that logic, you could call Bryter Layter—one of my upcoming 1971 picks—kitschy too.
For some twisted reason, punks started acting like anything well-produced and melodic was a crime, but thank God there are still people like us who know better.

I actually dig this definition from Wikipedia: "Kitsch is low-value creativity that pretends to be art while aiming for mass appeal. It usually caters to undeveloped tastes and certain human needs that sit right on the edge of being morally or aesthetically unacceptable, yet carry a massive emotional punch."

Read that carefully and decide for yourself whether Madman Across The Water or never Mind The Bollocks fits that description better.