Album of the week

Mark Cruz15 said:Over time, this has become my absolute favorite thing they've ever done.

It's definitely better than the original!

It immediately made me think of Carcass. Here's a little bit of trivia for your mental calendar: Carcass was actually the first foreign band to play a show in the newly independent US back in '92, performing out in San Diego.

I'll stop spamming the thread now. 😁

Steve Reich - Drumming (1987)





...And this was one of those CD gems I stumbled upon back in '98. It’s the perfect way to shake off the mental fog and stretch out those brain muscles during these lethargic, sweltering summer days.

The new poll is even worse. 🙂

You guys are great 👍
I’m giving my vote to Kruleta since I just can't seem to get through the album, even though everyone is raving about it... honestly, I dabbled in music stuff ages ago, but nothing really stuck. So now, I’m actually pretty curious.

I've listened to Goodnight Saigon by Dax Riggs from start to finish, so this definitely piques my interest.

Edit: I tried giving Daxu a shot, but it's just not happening... I guess you have to pick both options right away if you want it to work. :/
But seriously, kudos for starting this!

Just a heads-up, I'm not sure if it's showing up on your end: I set this poll to allow multiple votes so we don't end up with another tie at the last second... so it would be great if someone could test it out (and see how it actually works). How many times can we vote, and can we change them later? Let's see how this round plays out.

Also, start sketching out the thread's landing page. A colleague and I put together a little visual overview of all the albums released so far, just to make it easy to see what we missed and maybe inspire some re-listening...

I'm running behind on commenting on the last three albums, but I'll catch up starting tomorrow. 🙂

edit: Tested it. Try to vote for a maximum of two suggested albums.

I don't know, I gave Krulić a fair shot despite all the critics, but he didn't exactly blow me away.

Did you listen to the first album too?

Ashley Grant66, thanks, I just realized you can't go back and vote now, sorry! I guess I didn't catch that the poll let you pick multiple options, and I got distracted by something else in the meantime... we'll see if there's even any point in letting people pick two or more albums next time.

Not yet, but I will.

I'm asking because I felt like I needed to let '6 feet beneath the moon' sink in first. It’s way smoother and more accessible—more ambient, you know? Like this... everything here feels more stripped down with clearer genre lines, but you can already hear those heavy hints of that authentic alien sound he nailed on the second album. 'The OOZ' is tied together by these invisible threads, this connective tissue where he somehow managed to blend all sorts of crazy genres into something experimental yet uniquely his.

The new third one is great—it actually sounds happy!

Jason Mendoza, you always come through with the unexpected stuff. I just finished listening to this whole Dax Riggs catalog, and man, it is seriously good! I’d never even heard of him before; what a total find. I would’ve voted for him too, but I totally messed up today's poll... I noticed Matt Sweeney produced that first album, and I’ve always been a huge fan of his guitar style (to stick with the blood and love theme), especially considering that polished album with Oldham: 'superwolf'

Next up, I'm diving into some serious mental cleansing and stretching to Steve Reich... 😁 and then I'll tackle the leftovers.

I checked out Kruleta a few years back after some buddies recommended him following their trip to Minneapolis... I definitely recognize his style, but he just hasn't quite made it onto my permanent playlists yet. Still, I'm giving him my vote because honestly, that kind of sound feels like exactly what I need right now...

I actually did something similar with Sade in a previous poll like this.

I've been taking another look at the other options too. There are definitely a few I’d give a chance, just maybe not at this exact moment...

Lisa Davis46 said:I’m asking because I really needed to sit with '6 feet beneath the moon' first. That one is way smoother, more accessible, and definitely more ambient. Take this, for example... everything feels a bit more stripped back here, with clearer genre boundaries, yet you can already hear those strong hints of that authentic alien sound he nailed on the second record. With 'the OOZ', he used these invisible threads to weave together all sorts of wild genres—it’s experimental, sure, but it's uniquely his.

The new third one is great, and honestly, it sounds much happier!

I’ve listened to plenty of experimental stuff, from free jazz to electronic music, but the thing about experimental tracks is they either hit the mark or they just don't. It all comes down to those tiny details in how they approach it, especially when they're trying to fuse different styles together.

So, you're saying the vocals aren't working for you? 🙂

Amanda Robinson4, I've got something for you...

For those who might not be aware, I thought I’d share a little bit of trivia regarding the album I suggested earlier...

Mark Cruz15 said:For anyone who isn't in the loop, here’s a little trivia about that album I suggested.

Haha, there’s definitely a pattern with them! My old roommate used to blast them all the time, and I know he had some wild fun facts about this specific record. Something about the album cover being controversial or whatever... I can't quite recall right now. Honestly, everything they do seems to stir up drama with the mainstream crowd. It doesn't really shock me though, but regardless, that sound just never quite clicked for me...

Lisa Davis46 said:Amanda Robinson4, sending you something...

Sure thing, I'm waiting! 🙂

Steven Newman50 said:Haha, there’s definitely a common thread with them. My old roommate used to listen to them quite a bit, and I know he had some random trivia about that specific album... something about the controversy surrounding the cover art or something similar, though I can't quite recall the details right now. Then again, everything they do seems controversial to the mainstream. Personally, it’s hard for me to be shocked by any of it, but regardless, their music just never really clicked with me...

They aren't actually that controversial; they're just heavy mainstream acts, kind of like Metallica.
This scene is even better, but they didn't end up including them in the movie.

Sade was actually on my shortlist for album of the week—felt like the right kind of summer vibe—but I either totally blanked or just got too buried in work to actually post it. Luckily, the USA is here to read my mind 😁

Mark Cruz15 said:They aren't even that controversial, you know? They aren't heavy mainstream like Metallica.
The scene is actually way better, but they left it out of the movie.

I mean, I was talking about how they dive into all those dark, morbid themes. And honestly, I had no clue there was a deleted scene! Though, let's be real... who's actually sitting around watching the uncut version of Ace Ventura? 😁

Lisa Davis46 said:So you're just not feeling the vocals? 🙂

The vocals are definitely unconventional. But honestly, even Wu-Tang Clan had that unique vibe they were famous for, and I dug it. With Kurt Cobain, I wouldn't say what he does is "bad," it just didn't grab me enough to keep him on my rotation.

Charles Ramos4 said:Sade was actually on my shortlist for Album of the Week since she’s such a great summer vibe, but I either forgot or got too swamped with work to suggest her. Luckily, Gerald Jackson48 is here to read my mind. 😁

Sade has a one-of-a-kind voice. Perfect for chilling out on a deserted island. 🙂

The band is just as brilliant. Those bass lines are pure gold, right up there with Thriller.

Great vocals, now I’m actually curious about Sade. I don't think I've ever listened to her before.
Someone should probably add another vocalist to the mix so we can pit her against Archy. 🙂

Like I mentioned before, there just aren't enough female artists on these weekly albums. I have no idea why. Out of the 15 albums we've done so far, there's only one—PJ. And then maybe a couple of suggestions here and there...

Amanda Robinson4, we’re going to have to start doing themed weeks. 🙂

Lisa Davis46 said:Such a beautiful voice, now I’m actually curious about Sade. I don't think I've ever really listened to her before...
Someone needs to throw another vocalist into the mix so we can weigh her against Archy... 🙂

And like I mentioned somewhere else already, there are just far too few female artists featured on these weekly albums, and honestly, I'm not even sure why it's like this. Out of the fifteen albums we've done so far, there's been only one—PJ—and maybe a couple of other suggestions...

Amanda Robinson48, we really need to start implementing themed weeks... 🙂

Last week I suggested Dolly Parton, and you didn't seem to be tearing your hair out over her. ☕ And if anyone in this country knows how to sing, she definitely does...