Album of the week

Just throwing this out there as a potential topic, but honestly, I think
Undertow is their best Album.

Harley Poe - Satan, Sex and No Regrets

Sex and No Regrets genre: horror folk (punk), black comedy
Year: 2012

1. Still Here 01:22
2. Everybody Knows My Name 03:06
3. Ima Killer 03:53
4. Father McKee 02:44
5. Transvestites Can Be Cannibals Too 04:36
6. The Hearse Song 02:46
7. Taxidermy Girl 04:38
8. That Time of the Month 04:17
9. I Am the Living Dead 03:25
10. Vampire's Night Out 04:12
11. Ouija 03:40

I decided to go with a concept album today, even though it'll probably struggle to gain traction this week given how many all-time classics you guys have been posting lately.
Anyway, Harley Poe are basically morbid poets wrapped in a folk sound. Their lyrics feel simple on the surface, but they avoid the cheap, tacky tropes most bands in this genre fall into. There’s plenty of irony, sarcasm, and social commentary if you don't take everything at face value. Sound-wise, people often compare them to Violent Femmes; it’s smooth and easy to listen to. If you dive in, pay attention to the lyrics—that’s where the real point is.

Personally, I’ve got Ænima at the top of my list, followed by Undertow, then Lateralus. I don't get why you aren't feeling Ænima. There are easily five or six absolute masterpieces on there.

urbanheron4 said:I decided to go with a themed album too, even though it might be a tough sell this week. You guys have been posting some of the greatest albums ever.

It doesn't necessarily mean it won't pass. "Big" albums often struggle because people feel like they've already checked them off their list. Maybe they just didn't click, or they aren't from genres that grab everyone's attention. A lesser-known album can easily outshine a legend if it's actually high quality and interesting.

Amadou & Mariam, Dimanche à Bamako (2004)

Amadou & Mariam are this blind couple from Mali. They’re pretty huge names over in the African music scene. World music. Honestly, such a massive, messy category. It’s basically everything that isn't playing on Top 40 radio in middle America. Some people love it, some people find it pretentious, but I think it's where the real soul lives. If you aren't digging outside your own backyard, you're missing out. Period. Get this—Manu Chao is going to produce the Album. Seriously.

I picked up this album in person back when I was hanging out in New York City. Honestly, it feels way more like a summer record than what we're dealing with right now, but it actually hits pretty hard on those cold days too.
M'Bifé by Mariam Doumbia and Manu Chao—hits at 2:11.
M'Bifé Balafon by Manu Chao—just under two minutes of pure vibes."
Coulibaly (Amadou Bagayoko) — 3:18
Réalité (Bagayoko) — 3:32
Senegal Fast Food (Bagayoko, Chao, Doumbia) — 4:19
Artistiy (Doumbia) — 3:11
"La Fête au Village" (Bagayoko) — 4:11
"Camions Sauvages" by Bagayoko, Chao, and Doumbia hits at the 4:08 mark.
"Beaux Dimanches" by Bagayoko—runs at 3:31.
La Paix by Bagayoko — 4:19
Djanff (Bagayoko, Chao, Doumbia) — 4:13
Taxi Bamako by Chao—3:44.
Politic Amagni (Bagayoko, Chao, Ousmane Cissé, Tiemoko Traoré) — 4:56
"Gnidjougouy" (Doumbia) — 3:45
M'Bifé Blues (Chao, Doumbia) — 5:21

Note Check this Wikipedia link—it actually shows the real album cover! Some random guy uploaded the full album to YouTube, but he totally botched the track order. So, I just had to go in and add the songs one by one myself!

Enjoy yourselves! 🙂

Getting the vocal cords in tune.

United Kingdom, 1977 - Part 2

Brian Eno - Before and after Science

I’ve got a recommendation for a route—one I know inside and out, actually one of my absolute favorites

His Name Is Alive - Mouth by Mouth (1993)

Dennis Martin6 said:For this trip, I’m thinking we should go with one that I know pretty intimately... honestly, it’s easily one of my all-time favorites...

That’s really how it should always be...

David Bowie - Young Americans (1975)



Bowie's sexiest album, honestly. It's just overflowing with soul. This is the record that basically gave birth to his 'plastic soul' era, coming right before the massive shift toward the Berlin Trilogy (and that later work with Fripp and Brian Eno). I guess I went back and forth between this and Ziggy, but I landed on 'Young Americans.' It’s such an influential record, even if it's less famous and gets unfairly overlooked—and criticized—even by the man himself:

"David Bowie has said mixed statements about Young Americans. In late 1975 he described it as \"the phoniest R&B I've ever heard. If I ever would have got my hands on that record when I was growing up I would have cracked it over my knee.\" He would further voice his dislike for the record and describe it as \"a phase\" in a 1976 interview with Melody Maker. David Bowie would later reverse his stance in the 1990s, speaking to Q magazine in 1990: \"I shouldn't have been quite so hard on myself, because looking back it was pretty good white, blue-eyed soul.\"

This album was a huge surprise when it first dropped, and I think Lars von Trier is actually a big fan. 😁
(just for fans...)

Full Album + AllMusic

Mark Cruz15 said:That’s how it should always be!

That’s usually how people do it, unlike our Movie of the Week where we’d much rather pick something we haven't seen yet...

Lisa Davis46 said:And honestly, this album was such a huge shock when it first dropped! Plus, I think Lars von Trier is actually a big fan of it too...😁

It provided such a cool contrast between stuff on the album and those chapters following Matt Dillon through his treks 😁...

Yeah, well, I actually saw that "house" he was building in person back when I was in Copenhagen.
😁

And we can't overlook this closing track—honestly, it’s rare to find something that hits that hard at the end.

...finishing up by 10:00 PM. 🙂

Decided to cast my vote during this quick listening session

The Stone Roses—heard of them before, but first time actually listening, and man, they clicked instantly. Love them.

Kammerflimmer Kollektief... okay, the track Hausen is killer. Giving them my vote. The rest is just cool vibes.

Amadou & Mariam—decided to cause a little controversy here and vote for them.🙂 Haven't touched this album in years, but I dusted it off last weekend to refresh my memory.🙏

David Bowie—yeah, Young Americans and Fama are absolute top-tier. Also checked out Win and it’s pretty solid.

Albums that didn't get my vote

Mistifs—voice is way too high for me. Sounds like if The Smiths decided to play punk.

Psihomodo—looks like a famous album with a few hits, but not for me.

Tool—I’m just not really a metal guy (even if this sounds like something I could actually vibe to). But hey, this is a speed-run listen, so there's not much else to say.

Harley Poe—it just hit me: this is basically like some punk version of a weird carnival act. A bit cabaret for my taste, but honestly, better than I expected.

Brian Eno—it's cool, but I can't vote for everyone.😁 Not bad, definitely not total garbage.😁

His Name Is Alive—is this shoegaze? Personally, the production felt a little too "out there" for me. Cornfield sounds good, though.

Everyone’s voting on this, and honestly, I haven't really sat down with this Bowie album yet—maybe just a few tracks here and there—but it’s pretty cool how much of his voice I managed to pick up. I’ve listened to The Stone Roses before, though I think it might be high time I brushed up on them. Also, Tool has an incredible album with Ænima. It’s not strictly metal either; a lot of people label it as art or prog rock, and I’m totally on board with that. They had King Crimson as an influence, and they brought in David Bottrilla to produce, who has worked with Brian Eno, Gabriel, and Crimson.

I’ll throw my support behind Psihomodo to boost some local rock power, and Eno sounds like a potentially great listen too, especially since I’m big on ambient albums but love pop, so I want to see what he cooked up. I think that’s all from me for now. I wish Misfitse had maybe released an album from their earlier era; world music really needs to hit a certain spot for me, and generally, I’m not someone who falls in love with everything at first listen.

Check this out!



(Click the image to enlarge.)

From the book "this Mississippi River".

I’ve got a quick question for you guys. Maybe not right this second, but down the road, I’m planning on recommending an album that isn't even on YouTube—it's strictly a Spotify thing. It’s a short one, too. Under thirty minutes total.

Can I actually enter the album game if it's only available on Spotify? I suggested an album once before, but some of it was also on YouTube.

Honestly, I don't know how many people here actually use Spotify, but personally, I think it's way better for listening to full albums than YouTube. Plus, it doesn't nag you with ads nearly as much as Deezer does. ☕

What does it even matter where you find the album?

I totally messed up and voted for The Stone Roses when I meant to pick David Bowie instead.

Can anyone who hasn't voted yet—and wasn't planning on picking Bowie anyway—throw a vote his way for me?😁

Dennis Hall41 said:I totally messed up my ballot! I accidentally voted for The Stone Roses when I meant to vote for David Bowie too... oops!

Hey, can someone who hasn't voted yet—and wasn't planning on voting for David Bowie anyway—maybe throw a vote his way instead of mine? Just a thought...!😁

Look, we can add them in! It won't show your name on there or anything, but the vote count will still be updated. But hey, listen... we’ve already jumped in. We aren't going back now to start adding or taking away votes from everyone after the fact... 🙂

redbear12 said:I’ve got a quick question for you guys! Maybe not right this second, but down the road, I’m planning on recommending an album that isn't actually on YouTube, but is over on Spotify instead. It’s a super short one, too... runs for less than thirty minutes total...

Can I actually get my music on an album, or is everything just stuck on Spotify? I remember suggesting my first album once, but I think some of it ended up on YouTube too...

I don't know how many people around here actually use Spotify, but honestly? For me, it’s way better for sitting down and listening to an entire album compared to YouTube... Plus, it doesn't nag you with ads nearly as much as Deezer does! ☕

I mean, honestly, the main thing is just having the album available for free online. Personally, I’m not really a Spotify guy—I just don't vibe with it, and I definitely don't feel like signing up for an account just to listen... but that doesn't mean I won't find a way to hear it if they pick it as the album of the week!

Lisa Davis46 said:Yeah... you know, I actually saw that "house" he was building in person, back when I was visiting Chicago...
😁

I honestly think you’re out there living your absolute best life compared to the rest of us here... seriously! 😁

👍

I don't think I've ever actually sat through that whole album in one go—even though I know every single track by heart.