Album of the week

Steven Newman50 said:The poll is only up for 24 hours, just keep that in mind 😉

Thanks for the heads up. I always seem to forget and end up rushing at the last second or just being stupidly late.

Jason Mendoza said:I guess I'll be a gentleman and let this be a Nine Inch Nails album. I'm a huge fan of their early stuff before the album I mentioned earlier, so honestly, I don't really care.

Wow, thanks. I appreciate that. In that case, I'll leave the intro part to you, just in case it actually gets picked.

And I totally agree about 'Filth' and 'Cop.' They have this abrasive, cleansing effect—almost like they revitalize you.
😁

There’s always a bunch of interesting contenders, so picking just one is tough. Still, I’m putting my money on Nine Inch Nails. I gave each album a quick spin, and this time around, they’re definitely the ones I’m most curious to dive into deeper.

I’m personally all about White Light... definitely my favorite Nine Inch Nails album 😁... but I finally got a decent chance to sit down and actually listen to the CIA properly—honestly, I only remembered a few tracks from it.

Lisa Davis46 said:Wow, that’s really nice, thank you. I’ll leave the intro part up to you, just in case it actually gets picked.

I'm right there with you on 'Filth' and 'Cop'—they have this abrasive, almost purifying effect, like they’re revitalizing your whole system.
😁

It’ll happen; people love Nine Inch Nails, they just haven't realized it yet!

So it's official, Nine Inch Nails 👋 Feel free to start a new thread whenever you feel like it. 👍

"Why Nine Inch Nails? Because they're these gorgeous, majestic-looking creatures that just happen to have absolutely hideous temperaments." — that's how Gira describes his biggest, most legendary project. Some of you probably already knew that, but for everyone else, now you know why! 🙂

Awesome!
Jason Mendoza will. 🙂

Honestly, this is one of the most brilliant albums out there. The concept and the atmosphere are just incredible.
But it doesn't get nearly enough credit, I guess. Even 'White Light' gets way more play than this...

That opening track, 'new mind', which was mentioned earlier this week, pretty much lobotomizes you
(right at the start), but even that is just a light intro to what’s coming next.
🙂

Just that one track, "beautiful child"—it’s absolutely top-tier. Anyway, I’m going to try and work through all of this tonight. 👍

👍 for the proposers

Nine Inch Nails seem like a high-quality band worth studying. To me, they feel somewhat similar to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, whose work I know a bit better... I'm not entirely sure, just guessing, but I suspect they both follow a similar trajectory within that alternative rock vein that emerged in the late 80s and carried through the 90s all the way to today. They maintain a certain continuity, with minor stylistic shifts from one album to the next, while keeping a diverse yet recognizable body of work. I imagine they share a similar fanbase too. Honestly, they might even be higher quality than the Bad Seeds, just less famous... hm, why is that? Perhaps they aren't as populist-driven, which naturally makes them less mainstream...

Maybe that’s exactly why they haven't won me over either. I actually heard about them a long time ago—I ended up with some cassette during my college days that I picked up from someone at a party—but I didn't like it one bit. I never got around to discussing that specific album with the person who gave it to me, and now I can't even remember which one it was. It sounded pretty heavy and dramatic, and frankly, I'm not a fan of "tragedy for tragedy's sake" in music unless it's being used ironically. That works occasionally in some genres, but in alternative rock, it just doesn't sit right with me because it rarely feels pleasant to the ear; it usually focuses on the tragic aspects of a theme rather than the comedic ones...

If I had to say, this feels like a band for the teenage, high school, or college crowd—a group whose sound and lyrics are aimed squarely at them. I moved past that stage a long time ago, and I think it's too late for me to start burdening my ears with it now. In other words, I don't have the inclination to listen closely to this album, or the rest of their discography for that matter. That doesn't mean the lyrics aren't worth diving into or revisiting for a deeper analysis, but unfortunately, I am chronically short on time, and I'll admit I lack the expertise. Because of that, I'm actually looking forward to the reviews from other members here who might have both the time and the knowledge to provide those types of critiques—the kind that lean more toward literary analysis than pure music criticism... or perhaps a perfect blend of both to create a truly complete review...

So, there you have it. I'm hoping I might read something about this album, and generally about this band, since you can't find much info on this forum or elsewhere on the internet. Greetings to everyone following this thread... lately, I've been swamped with various obligations, and as things stand, it looks like I'll just be an occasional reader for the foreseeable future...

We can ease our way into a brand new week. Here’s what I’m thinking:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Boatman's Call (1997)

YouTube



Track list

1."Into My Arms" 4:15
2."Limver Tree" 2:56
3."People Ain't No Good" 5:42
4."St. Patrick's Cathedral" 4:06
5."There is a Kingdom" 4:52
6."The One That I've Been Waiting For" 4:05
7."Where Do We Go Now" 5:46
8."West Country Girl" 2:45
9."Black Hair" 4:14
10."Idiot Prayer" 4:21
11."Far From Me" 5:33
12."Green Eyes" 3:32

Alright, here’s my pick for the week:

Tom Waits - Closing Time



Track listing:

1. "Ol' '55" 3:58
2. "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" 3:54
3. "Virginia Avenue" 3:10
4. "Old Shoes" 3:40
5. "Midnight Lullaby" 3:26
6. "Martha" 4:30
7. "Rosie" 4:03
8. "Lonely" 3:12
9. "Ice Cream Man" 3:05
10. "Little Trip to Heaven" 3:38
11. "Grapefruit Moon" 4:50
12. "Closing Time" (instrumental)

Keith Jarrett - Changeless (1989)

Daphni – Jola Mai (2017)



Tracklist:

1. Polyphony 2:18
2. Face To Face 5:43
3. Carry On 3:46
4. Vulture 4:35
5. Xing Tian 4:57
6. Vikram 5:40
7. Tin 4:33
8. The Truth 6:30
9. Hey Drum 6:51
10. Medellin 6:15
11. Jola Mai 4:49
12. Life's What You Make It 3:52

Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998)



01. Wildlife Analysis
02. An Eagle in Your Mind
03. The Color of the Fire
04. Telephasic Workshop
05. Triangles & Rhombuses
06. Sixtyten
07. Turquoise Hexagon
08. Sun
09. Industries
10. Rue the Whirl
11. Aquarius
12. Olson
13. Standing Alone
14. Smokes Quantity
15. Open the Light
16. One Very Important Thought

"An adult meditation on childhood, concerned with play, naïveté and nostalgia, all tinted with rosy pastoralism." -Fact

Nine Inch Nails - Nine Inch Nails (1983)

Hold on, hold on a second... suggestions aren't even supposed to be taken until Thursday, yet we've already burned through six of them between 6:29 and 9:00 this morning.
So, for all you night owls who won't be around until after noon, if you actually want a shot at being part of the competition, you better have your suggestion ready to go right at midnight on Thursday. 😁

...So, here’s that old track from my guy. I’m pretty sure it won't blow up, but hey, at least I get the satisfaction of seeing him in the lineup...

Jakarta - Maska za dvoje (1984)

Locked down. Poll coming soon.

Hey analogbear40, just a heads up that suggestions are usually due on Thursdays. You can always send them in earlier, though I'd rather we didn't make that a habit...

And honestly, there's nothing wrong with jumping into the existing threads to weigh in while you're at it. Just sayin'... 🙂

Alright, here we go, time to vote again! Let's get moving, people!

So, here’s the lineup for this round:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Boatman's Call (1997)
Tom Waits - Closing Time
Keith Jarrett - Changeless (1989)
Daphni – Jola Mai (2017)
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998)
tako - tako (1983)
Jakarta - Maska za dvoje (1984)

If we end up stuck in another three-way tie, are we going to have to deal with three brand new threads? 😁