Album of the week

analogbear40, let's do one album per person. I'll put it under my name, just tell me which one you want.
(but you're the one writing if it actually clears... 🙂)

...here it is above.

Three ties in a row, basically. But hey, there’s still plenty of time for a comeback... 😛

Thought we were skipping Album of the Week this week, but nope, here we go.

Anyway, I’m calling dibs on next Thursday. 🎉

First I’ve ever heard of this Greek group.

I just sat through about 15 minutes of the album. Look, I won't say it's absolute perfection, but man, it sounds world-class. 😲

redbear12 said:I've actually never heard of this band before.

I just spent about 15 minutes spinning their album. It’s not quite my absolute favorite thing ever, but man, the production quality is top-tier—it sounds like a massive stadium rock record. 😲

Well, you know... I'm actually kind of glad I didn't spoil too much for you earlier. It’s like when you go see a blockbuster movie without reading the reviews—you get to experience the magic without any outside noise getting in the way. Keeping that sense of discovery is everything.😁

Honestly, I’m just relieved someone else stepped up to make the call.

I didn't want to just blindly back my usual candidate this time around, especially since none of the other options really sat right with me...

I actually caught them live last year! I don't think they were playing shows constantly, though... but man, the energy was just top-tier. They sound great live 👍

Cohen gave them his verdict, anyway. We'll probably be debating that until the sun goes down (and honestly, there's plenty of other stuff to listen to or chat about in the meantime!) 🙂

I’m not just throwing out albums that I think are flawless; sometimes I suggest stuff because there’s just some other reason behind it.

This time, I'm putting up The Rapture-Echoes (2003).



Revisited this one on Sunday after ages. Look, not every single track is a masterpiece—I could probably nitpick a few flaws if I really wanted to—but it hits exactly what it needs to hit. I was listening to it while chilling out, which is kind of ironic since this isn't exactly meant for sitting still. 😁
I've wanted this one forever; actually had it bought for me back in NYC. When I was 18, I used to dance my head off to this. 🙏 (It definitely messed with my head regarding how I "compose" things, but that's a whole different rabbit hole. 🙂)

Genre: dance-punk, post-punk revival, alternative dance

1.Olio 5:20
2.Heaven 3:47
3.Open Up Your Heart 5:22
4.I Need Your Love 4:39
5.The Coming Of Spring 2:42
6.House Of Jealous Lover 5:04
7.Echoes 3:06
8.Kiling 3:37
9.Sister Savior 3:51
10. Love Is All 4:26
11.Infatuation 5:01

The Rapture-Echoes (2003)-Full album

🎉

Satan Panonski ‎– Rocking the Purple City(1989)



The tracklist for the 2002 reissue:

1. Eyes in the Fog (03:26 min)
2. Behind the Wall (02:09 min)
3. Click It (00:37 min)
4. Handsome Mario (01:35 min)
5. Cut, Slice, Carve (02:13 min)
6. Does the East Think? (01:41 min)
7. Take It, Bitch (01:31 min)
8. My Dear Son (03:30 min)
9. Look at Mom's Blood (03:45 min)
10. Autopsy (02:07 min)
11. Miliana Has Worms (When I Was Seven Years Old) (04:54 min)
12. Prison Life (02:13 min)
13. Terrifying Wolf (03:46 min)
14. My Dear Son (03:19 min)
15. Eyes in the Fog (05:09 min)
16. Nadia (03:18 min)
17. My Right Hand (02:03 min)
18. A Heroic Fucking Epic Folk Song (03:03 min)
19. The Last Dinosaur Dies (04:57 min)
20. The Shepherdess (02:54 min)
21. Selim (01:56 min)

Listen for free / 16-track version available here:
https://satanpanonski.bandcamp.com/a...ubi-asti-ljulj

The holy trinity of virtuosity—Jonas Hellborg, Shawn Lane, and Jeff Sipe. It’s a heavy lineup to drop, isn't it? You have that level of technical mastery where you stop looking at them as mere musicians and start seeing them as architects of sound. It’s almost exhausting just thinking about the sheer precision involved.
The concept of "Paradise" is usually treated as some static, eternal destination—a final stop where time simply ceases to matter. But if we look at it through a temporal lens, it becomes something much more elusive. It isn’t just a place; it’s a specific, fleeting alignment of moments. We tend to chase these snapshots of perfection, thinking they are destinations we can eventually inhabit. In reality, a "temporal analogue of Paradise" is more like that perfect, golden hour in Malibu—that precise, unrepeatable intersection of light, temperature, and stillness. You can’t live in a sunset; you can only witness it before the dark sets in. I suspect our obsession with finding "heaven" is really just a misguided attempt to freeze time. We want to capture the peak of the curve and stay there forever. But the very nature of time dictates that perfection is defined by its transience. If the moment didn't end, it wouldn't be special—it would just be... existence. It's a bit cynical, I know, to suggest that bliss is inherently tied to its own disappearance, but that's the math of it. To find paradise is to acknowledge that the clock is ticking. - 1996.



This jazz fusion record was captured on the road back in the mid-90s—specifically during the '95/'96 tour—by what I consider to be perhaps the most formidable power trio ever to tackle this genre. Most of the tracks are pure improvisation, characterized by these shifting tempos that really showcase the sheer technical mastery of all three musicians. You can particularly feel it in Shawn Lane’s playing—his lyrical phrasing during the slower passages is just something else. There was a reissue put out in 2004, but if you ask me, nothing beats the original release. I’ll leave the link for that version below.

The tracklist:
The first movement—clocking in at 32:18.
The second movement—clocking in at exactly 27:06.

Here’s the link to the album.

Wiki:The history of temporal mechanics—specifically when you start looking at things like "paradoxes of paradise"—is enough to give anyone a headache. It’s that classic, messy intersection where theoretical physics meets the absolute chaos of human desire. You have these thinkers trying to map out how time flows, only to stumble headlong into the terrifying possibility that changing even one tiny thing could unravel the entire fabric of reality. It’s a bit like those old sci-fi tropes we grew up with—the idea that if you go back and fix one mistake, you might accidentally erase everything else that made life worth living. There’s a certain cynicism inherent in the math; it suggests that perfection is a trap. If you actually achieved a "paradise" by manipulating the timeline, would it even be real? Or would it just be a hollow, manufactured simulation of happiness? I find myself thinking about the implications for our own sense of agency. We like to believe we’re driving the car, but if time isn't a straight line—if it's more of a tangled web—then the concept of choice becomes almost laughable. It’s all very much a "be careful what you wish for" scenario, wrapped in complex equations and high-level theory. Honestly, sometimes I think the universe prefers its messiness. Chaos, at least, feels honest.

Mastodon - Remission

1. Crusher Destroyer
2. March Of The Fire Ants
3. Where Strides The Behemoth
4. Workhorse
5. Ol'e Nessie
6. Burning Man
7. Trainwreck
8. Trampled Under Hoof
9. Trilobite
10. Mother Puncher
11. Elephant Man

These are my favorites from them. Figured I'd throw some heavy hitters into the mix. 👍

The Necks - Hanging Gardens (1999)

Pharoah Sanders - Pharoah (1977)

Just spinning this classic today. It’s pure magic. Really captures that soulful vibe perfectly.

A1 "Harvest Time" - 20:15
B1 "Love Will Find a Way" - 14:31
B2 "Memories of Edith Johnson" - 5:40

Mark Cruz15 said: Satan from the Midwest ‎– Rockin' the Purple Rhythm(1989)

Honestly, just hearing that singer's name used to freak me out. Now that I’m actually looking at these track titles? Yeah, no thanks. 😱

I remember asking one of my cousins—he listens to all that punk stuff, or whatever it's called, I don't really follow it—what this Satan guy sounds like or what he even sings about. He just looked at me and said, "Trust me, you're better off not knowing." 😁

redbear12 said:I’ve always been a bit unnerved just hearing that singer's name mentioned. And now, looking at these song titles... it doesn't help... 😱

I remember once asking one of my cousins—he listens to that punk stuff, or whatever you call it, I don't really follow the genre—I asked him what it actually sounds like and what that Satanic band is even singing about, and he just looked at me and said it'd be better if I didn't know... 😁

Honestly, Satan is nothing more than a pale imitation of GG Allin. Give them a listen instead. If you can stomach their stuff without getting nauseated, then you'll find eating Satan for breakfast to be easy...

Myrkur - Folkesange



Tracklist:
1. "Ella" 3:54
2. "Fager som en Ros" 2:50
3. "Leaves of Yggdrasil" 4:00
4. "Ramund" 3:28
5. "Tor i Helheim" 7:10
6. "Svea" 3:26
7. "Harpens Kraft" 3:19
8. "Gammelkäring" 3:28
9. "House Carpenter" 3:38
10. "Reiar" 3:46
11. "Gudernes Vilje" 3:56
12. "Vinter" 3:58

YouTube
Bandcamp
Deezer

Crippled Black Phoenix - A Love of Shared Disasters (2007)



Tracklist (s YouTube, timestamps show where each track starts)

1. "The Lament of the Nithered Mercenary" 00:00
2. "Really, How'd It Get This Way?" 2:42
3. "The Whistler’’ 7:34
4. "Suppose I Told the Truth" 17:24
5. "When You're Gone" 22:31
6. "Long Cold Summer" 28:07
7. "Goodnight, America" 38:46
8. "You Take the Devil Out of Me" 44:55
9. "The Northern Cobbler" 49:23
10. "My Enemies I Fear Not, But Protect Me from My Friends" 56:55
11. "I'm Almost Home" 1:03:33
12. "Sharks & Storms" / "Blizzard of Horned Cats" 1:09:08

Mark Cruz15 said:Satan is nothing more than a pale imitation of Allin's GG. Give them a shot if you want, but if you don't find it repulsive, you'll be eating Satan for breakfast.

Yeah, GG definitely had some pretty revolting performances back in the day. In the end, though, it all caught up to him and he met a pretty grim end.

Kero Kero Bonito - Bonito Generation

Genre: J-Pop, Electropop, Bubblegum Pop, Dream Pop
Released: October 21, 2016
Metacritic: 81/100
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonito_Generation

Track Listing:

01. "Waking Up" 2:57
02. "Heard a Song" 3:19
03. "Graduation" 3:19
04. "Fish Bowl" 1:45
05. "Big City" 2:52
06. "Break" 3:17
07. "Lipslap" 3:39
08. "Try Me" 3:29
09. "Paintbrush" 0:57
10. "Trampoline" 4:03
11. "Picture This" 3:23
12. "Hey Parents" 3:22
13. "Forever Summer Holiday" 3:35

Total Length: 39:63

It’s missing some seriously high-energy Pop, especially stuff with a different vibe.