Album of the week

Time to dive into some new sonic territory!

Björk - Homogenic (1997)

1. Hunter
2. Jóga
3. Unravel
4. Bachelorette
5. All Neon Like
6. 5 Years
7. Immature
8. Alarm Call
9. Pluto
10. All Is Full of Love
11. Sod Off
12. So Broken
13. Nature Is Ancient

Beth Orton - Central Reservation
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...TTN2qle28CTcV-

quietbison86 said:I had Lana in mind as a suggestion, but I didn't go with Ultraviolence 😁

Why can't we suggest another album? — Is there some unwritten rule against suggesting different albums from the same artist or something? 🤔

Actually, you're totally fine to suggest another album by the same artist in the coming weeks😉

It’s great that you all decided to keep these LP weeks going, but I’ve got a suggestion: let’s bring in a second category—or maybe just start a dedicated thread—for 7", 12", EPs, and mini LPs.

It seems pretty obvious that most folks here are laser-focused on full albums. But, if you ask me, we really ought to dive into these other formats too. There is such a massive catalog of artists who, especially during the mid-to-late 70s and throughout the 80s, mostly put out singles or EPs when that format was still king.
Some of those little gems—especially within certain genres—can actually be much more interesting than their full-length counterparts. They definitely deserve some spotlight.

analogbear40 said:It’s cool that you guys are keeping these LP weeks going—but I’d say we should throw in another category, or maybe just start a separate thread for them—covering 7", 12", EPs, and mini LPs.

It’s pretty obvious most people here are focused on full albums, but—from where I’m sitting—we really ought to look at these other formats too. There are tons of artists who mostly dropped one or two of those types of releases back in the 70s (especially the late 70s—if you follow my logic) and through the 80s, right when singles were absolutely peaking.
Some of those rarities—in certain genres, anyway—can actually be way more interesting than their full-length counterparts, so they definitely deserve some spotlight.

I don't think anyone's really sweating it. For instance, I suggested this underground gem by an indie artist, and it’s got 8 tracks and runs about 25 minutes—which is basically EP/mini LP territory. So, honestly? I’d just say share whatever you think is worth listening to—whether more people want to make it a thing or not isn't really up to me.

So, here’s my little anniversary pitch—kind of a throwback since the 20th anniversary of the album passed a while ago, but we’re also hitting the 20th anniversary of the US version soon. Honestly? I’m not nearly as big a fan of the US cut as I am of the original UK release. The whole reason there are two versions comes down to September 11th—they had to strip out one specific track for the American market because it was deemed too controversial for us. Regardless of that tweak, this record basically defined an entire genre... whether you absolutely love it or can't stand it, there's no denying its impact.

The Strokes - Is This It



1. Is This It
2. The Modern Age
3. Soma
4. Barely Legal
5. Someday
6. Alone, Together
7. Last Nite
8. Hard To Explain
9. New York City Cops
10.Trying Your Luck
11.Take It Or Leave It

Robert Fripp - A Blessing Of Tears (1995 Soundscapes Volume Two - Live In California)







Tracklist

1 The Cathedral Of Tears 6:30
2 First Light 7:59
3 Midnight Blue 6:06
4 Reflection I 6:06
5 Second Light 7:25
6 A Blessing Of Tears 8:37
7 Returning I 4:00
8 Returning II 5:12

Credits

Digital Editor: [Name Redacted], Sound Engineer: [Name Redacted], Mastering Engineer: [Name Redacted], Producer – David Singleton
Assistant FOH Sound: John Sinks, Stage Manager: [Name Redacted], Guitar Tech: John Sinks
Guitar and Producer – Robert Fripp
Additional Support [Hell Boy] – Tom Redmond
Merchandising Support – Mark Perry
Tour Promoter & Manager – Bill Forth
Cover Painting ['Midnight Blue'] – John Miller (22)

Track 1 comes from the second set of the first show at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, back on January 26th, 1995.
Track 2 is the second piece from the first show at Slims in San Francisco, performed February 1st, 1995.
Track 3 was the third piece from the second set of the Los Angeles show at the House of Blues on January 26th, 1995.
Track 4 is the second piece from the second set at Slims in San Francisco on February 1st, 1995.
Track 5 was the third piece from the performance at the Tower Records on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, January 23rd, 1995.
Track 6 is the third piece from a session on January 21st, 1995, during the second Guitar Craft workshop held in Ojai, California, from January 20-25th, 1995.
Track 7 is the second piece from the show at The Coach House in San Diego on January 27th, 1995, played in reverse.
Track 8 is a Tön Pröb remix of the second piece from the San Diego show at The Coach House on January 27th, 1995.
Think of all these Soundscapes as live improvisations. They've had some minor tweaking for technical polish and programming purposes.

The Tour Schedule:
January 23 Tower Records, Los Angeles
January 26 House of Blues, Los Angeles (2 shows)
January 27 The Coach House, San Diego
January 28 The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano
January 31 The Catalyst, Santa Cruz
February 1 Slim's, San Francisco (2 shows)

Captured live via DAT during the California tour run from January 21 to February 1, 1995.
Mastered using Truth Acoustics monitors.
Produced by Tön Pröb for Discipline Global Mobile.
Cover art provided by David Messum Fine Art.
Sleeve design by Bill Smith Studio, London.

"This is a masterpiece of spiritual music—an hour of pure sorrow. From the simple loops and synthesized layers of Mr. Fripp's solo guitar, something truly beautiful and emotional emerges. You can practically feel his internal psyche and that heavy, cathartic sense of mourning."
Review by Eetu Pellonpaa (progarchives.com)

A Blessing Of Tears

This is how we’re doing things from now on.
🙂

If you guys get your suggestions in by midnight on Thursday, Amanda Robinson4 and I will have everything ready by Friday morning or noon at the absolute latest.
We’ll put up a poll... voting is multiple choice and public, just like always. It stays open for 24 hours.

To make my life easier, please stick to this specific format when you suggest something:

Artist Name - Album Title (**** = year)

I want everything unified. No random dots, no weird lowercase titles, no messy formatting. Just keep it clean.

Thanks!

Looks like we've all officially transitioned into the full-time grind, hasn't it? So... 😛 Come on, guys, actually get involved! No matter which album ends up winning the vote, please just give it a spin, leave a quick comment, or something. Let’s actually hang out and talk about the music once the thread opens, instead of just sticking to this suggestion thread where we chat about picking stuff...

Talking Carcass—I’d have to say their previous record, *Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious*, is the standout for me. It still carries that raw, aggressive grit from when they were deep in their death/grind phase, mixed with this incredible sense of groove. That said, it isn't exactly casual listening, and let's be honest, heavier stuff like that can be a tough sell for the average listener. Still, it’s easily my favorite album of theirs, no question about it. Fun fact: Carcass was actually one of the first international bands to tour the States right after we started seeing more global acts hitting our club circuits.

As for Rammstein, I've always been big on industrial music in general, so that was an easy choice. I remember once suggesting someone check out Godflesh or Pitchshifter just to see where Rammstein really pulled their core influence from.

Dennis Hall41 said:I honestly can't bring myself to listen to her, so I'll be happy about this. I don't know what it is about her that turns me off, and maybe I should like her since she plays right in my genre, but I guess it’s just that look on her face—like she thinks she's better than everyone else.

Something used to really bug me about her too, though I couldn't put my finger on it. But now? Honestly, I think her attitude and that smug expression are kind of cool. She turned herself (and her whole image) into a total project, and I guess it worked, maybe even more than people expected. It's funny, because she was pretty unremarkable before all that, and the music stayed solid—didn't change much, really. Her vocals are still killer, you can tell she puts in the work... but then again, maybe that says more about us listening than it does about her.

Like she said, i fucked my way up to the top.

Kraftwerk and Fripp had me hyped.
And a pretty decent comeback week overall!

Honestly, Kraftwerk is one of those rare cases where I actually think their commercial stuff hits harder than those early debut albums.
The *Klingklang* era just slapped me right in the face. 👍

Kraftwerk absolutely earned it—honestly, there’s no music scene today without them, not even Rammstein

I feel for Lana, really, but let’s be real: Ultraviolence isn't her absolute peak. She might actually find more success pivoting to a different sound on her next record
I'm not exactly a superfan like everyone else in my circle, but I'll give credit where it's due—the woman can seriously deliver some hits when she wants to

That was a hell of an opening, gotta admit👍

Look, even *Norman Fucking Rockwell* isn't a bad record. I mean, sure, she basically defined pop culture with "Summertime Sadness" and "Born to Die," and since then, she hasn't really hit those same massive heights again... probably because her newer stuff isn't quite as "radio-friendly" or mainstream, you know? But honestly, I think her later work is way more mature and just better overall.

Listen to this cover, man. I used to blast this thing constantly back when it first dropped.

It’s not exactly the same vibe, but Lorde just released a new album recently. It’s nothing groundbreaking, obviously, but that whole style of hers—and that cheeky little jab at the fake, phony New Age holistic lifestyle craze—is pretty impressive, if nothing else. The only real link to Lana is that dreamy, nostalgic summer pop sound... it just totally reminded me of her.

I was thinking about Norman as her absolute peak—honestly, I’d put it on a totally different level than Born To Die because that record holds such a specific place in my heart

Wait, is Doin' Time a cover? I had no clue

Lorde is also an Antonoff production; let’s be real, without him, we wouldn't even have this new Lana era, which is exactly why their sounds are so intertwined
I gotta admit, I'm feeling pretty meh about the new Lorde stuff—it's just... I don't know, it's not hitting right. Melodrama is still her definitive masterpiece, hands down

So, you really think Lana would ever end up with some girl who’d treat her like total garbage? 😁

Steven Newman50 said:Do you really think Lana would ever end up with a girlfriend who’d actually... you know? I mean, honestly—is that even on the radar? It feels like one of those things where you just stare at the ceiling for twenty minutes wondering if anyone actually sees what's happening right in front of them. Is she even looking? Or is she too busy being herself to notice someone standing there? Just a thought. A weird, rambling thought, sure—but seriously, does it even make sense? She treated me like absolute garbage—just total trash. I mean, seriously, how do you even function as a human being when you act like that? It’s honestly pathetic.? 😁

And you can never really tell what's going on with Lane—it’s always such a complete guessing game, isn't it? 🤣 I mean, let's be real here—it turns out older guys are definitely her type.

Honestly, that’s easily one of my favorite things about Norman—and man, that song was the absolute anthem of that summer.

A bit unexpected, if you ask me.

Since my weekend doesn't actually kick off until late this afternoon, I’ll leave you folks in good hands tomorrow with a truly top-tier illustrator.

I wasn't planning on sharing my votes with everyone, but man, there were some seriously cool and diverse artists this time around. I stumbled upon Beth Orton, who struck me as really gentle and understated at first—which isn't a bad thing at all—but I guess that didn't exactly help her case during the voting process. Still, she’s definitely going on my heavy rotation list for the future.

Looks like the album's back in rotation after a week. I think I'll drop my official take on it sometime next week. Stay tuned. ☕

quietbison86 said:I was thinking about Norman as his absolute peak, honestly. Like, he can take *Born to Die* and just toss it aside—that album hits different for me. It’s got this whole specific vibe and backstory that I just can't shake.

Is "Doin Time" a cover? My bad, I didn't know.

Lorde is basically just an Antonoff project at this point. Without him, there wouldn't even be a new Lana Del Rey era. They’re cut from the exact same cloth when it comes to that sound.
I don't know, man. I can't quite put my finger on this new Lorde record. It’s kind of mid—neither great nor terrible, just... there. Honestly? *Melodrama* was her peak. That’s still the one that hits.

I mean, if you don't recognize it's Gershwin's "Summertime," then what are we even doing here? Seriously.

Call me arrogant if you want, but I honestly think everyone needs to hear this. It’s just common sense.