Rate The Last Album You Heard

[Doozle]

Augustus Pablo and King Tubby - King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown

[img]http://massagana.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/massagana-blogspot5.jpg[/img]

If you like dub, listen to dis shit

[AK'z]

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/Arcade_Fire_-_Neon_Bible.jpg[/img]

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - 2007

[B]A+[/B]

It's clearly their most accomplished work so far in my mind. There is just amounts of grooves that simply piledrive throughout. It really makes you feel too, this is something quite amazing for the 2000s. Indie Rock needs to look up at this and think.

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ab/Elton_John_-_Blue_Moves.jpg[/img]

Elton John - Blue Moves - 1976

[B]B[/B]

It's a tough album, this was a period in which he was getting bored with being his same old self. He had already laid down some groundbreaking stuff, and his position in pop history was already sealed. But this album is a very confused one, it isn't a normal record of his. It contains a vast number of styles compared to his older stuff and it changes in many ways throughout.

Progressive Pop Rock? Makes sense.

Underrated, but it is a weird one.

[ChestyMcGee]

[img]http://www.soundeternity.com/eMusic/images/Tinie-Tempah-Discovery.png[/img]

[b]8/10[/b]

As far as generic grime goes, this is damn good. There's a couple of terrible tracks with cheesy as fuck writing but it is more than made up for my a selection of tunes that are hugely catchy and memorable.

I don't think I can properly appreciate any deep artistic skill here but I can't pretend that Tempah isn't a great writer. Sure, his stuff isn't deep or meaningful... but it isn't supposed to be.

Sure, you can say a rap album is shit when it's trying to preach or be artistic but falls flat on its face... only [i]Disc-Overy[/i] isn't trying to be like that at all. Generally most of the tracks are just about coping with fame and having fun.

Tempah doesn't pretend or act under the false impression that he is from the "ghetto" or anything like that - he's pretty firmly lower middle-class and this comes across in his references in the writing. This is an entirely good thing. Rap and its various sub-genres should not be confined only to the "ghetto" and those from it. As a white middle-class kid it's interesting to listen to a grime album where, occasionally, I can actually identify with what's being talked about.

The other plus side of the album is his collaboration with many other artists. One could argue that Tempah himself hasn't done enough work, the majority of the tracks featuring other artists, but it stops the album from getting stale - almost every song is different in style from the last. Some are straight up grime while others are essentially house music. It's interesting.

(as a side note, the tracks on the new US/Canada release are okay... they feel Americanised though. Maybe that sounds stupid but they just feel more 'pop'-like)

----------------------------

[img]http://tonedeff.co.uk/images/stories/articles/chase-status-no-more-idols.jpg[/img]

[b]7/10[/b]

I'm in two minds with this thing. There's a good selection of superb tracks on here that are definitely worth a listen... but there's also a few terrible tracks that I skip almost every time they appear on shuffle.

I guess this is mostly down to the collaborating artists, however, as the album is another large collaboration between mostly British artists. For their part, Chase & Status have done a great job with the instrumentals and mixing on all but one or two of the tracks - I don't think the fault lies with them. There's a few artists in here though, most notably Dizzee Rascal, who really let the album down.

Again, [i]No More Idols[/i] has a great mix of genres going on. The collaboration with Tinie Tempah is essentially straight up hip-hop while other tracks border on nu-metal, dubstep, drum & bass, grime and techno. Sometimes it's like listening to a reinvigoration of The Prodigy and then suddenly you're faced with the complete contrast offered by Plan B.

Some stuck up fucks say there's no heart or passion in the album. Meh. This might be true to a certain extent, but who the fuck cares? It's a cool sound. Regardless, I defy anyone to listen to Tempa T and tell me there's no passion there.

Decent album all round but it is marred by some dodgy tracks.

[Tabarnaco]

[img]http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/me/mecano-aidalai.jpg[/img]

Mecano - Aidalai (1991)
Despite it being pop, [i]Aidalai[/i] does a good job at sounding varied and using different instruments and rhythms. As far as lyrics go most of the songs are standard pop fare about love and such things, although the central song that album takes its title from, [i]Dalai Lama[/i], is a pretty nice summary of the titular character's struggle, while remaining just as catchy as the rest of the album. My favourite tracks, if I had to choose, would probably be [i]Dalai Lama[/i], [i]El 7 de septiembre[/i] and [i]Una rosa es una rosa[/i], but I love every track. As far as pop goes, Mecano is one of my favourite groups, Ana Torroja has a beautiful voice, and it's a nice break from the standard autotuned pop that's prevalent today.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv958EeZXHc[/media]

[b]Fuck numbers/10[/b]

[ChestyMcGee]

[img]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KFd-6kTpL.jpg[/img]

[b]10/10[/b]

Hot damn. Pop at its best. Pop with a full symphonic orchestra.

My only real complaint is that, at 9 tracks and 32 minutes, it's far too short. That said, I'd rather be longing for more than be getting bored.

[i]The Look of Love, Part Four[/i] is genuinely beautiful.

[Splarg]

I feel like I should have done something not as well known, but it's the last thing I heard when I saw the thread. Picked up the vinyl yesterday mostly because it and Kid A have such awesome packaging, hurr.

[img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XOeagKFV-ZM/SYe6usqNgSI/AAAAAAAAADE/3juREo1Di7M/s400/Radiohead+-+Amnesiac.jpg[/img]

I think this is tough for me because I'm trying so hard to draw parallels between it and Kid A. If anyone knows In the Court of the Crimson King/In the Wake of Poseidon they'll know what I mean.

The SOUNDS on the album are awesome, and so is the mix, but from a songwriting standpoint a bunch of tracks aren't all that satisfying. It's like "here's a bunch of great ideas, and...now we're going to wander around for awhile."

Now, "I Might Be Wrong" is basically perfect , and I think it's one of their best songs. The groove is fantastic. "Pyramid Song" is also very nice, even if you don't appreciate it immediately.The chords are wonderful and the staggering meter is somehow very appropriate, and there's lots of awesome shit going on in the background.

Most of the songs have their moments. "Hunting Bears", "You and Whose Army?" and "Dollars and Cents" give me problems. Good album, but I find myself wishing it would have been a solid companion to Kid A.

[b]B/B+[/b]

[Njittie]

[img]http://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/covers/mclusky-do-dallas.jpg[/img]

Honestly one of my favourite albums, catchy songwriting with nice guitarwork and a great sense of humour throughout the entire album.

Honest 8/10.

[AK'z]

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d9/Captainkid.jpg[/img]

Elton John - The Captain & The Kid - 2006

[B]B+[/B]

Very nice followup to the all time classic "Captain Fantastic" album. The thing with this, is that it shows a great image of his later years. Better than most of his later albums anyway.

What's really nice about this one is it's flow. This is supposed to be a concept album, and I personally thought it made more sense than the prequel. That being said, it isn't musically better.
The only one here that can stand the test of the original is the title track. The vocals here are damn good. Reminiscent of his greater days and lyrically, this still works.

[editline]12th May 2011[/editline]

[img]http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/4b72ee91fec4b705bdda1b99c4be9a2e/47155.jpg[/img]

Raphael Saadiq - Instant Vintage - 2002

[B]A-[/B]

Neo-Soul?

Preferred his more "motown" sounding work. This is kind of D'Angelo in terms of being Neo-Soul. But it's his debut, and it is damn good. This reminds me of the days when I enjoyed a good old "quiet storm/funk" album. You can't pinpoint influences here, like his later work... but there is really some creative stuff going on here. And for a debut album, this is outstanding.

Can't wait to hear his new album.

[Goobert]

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/Of-natural-history-cover.jpg[/img]

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Of Natural History (2004)

3.5/5

For some reason I felt like listening to this again.
It ended up being much better for some reason, maybe if I give a few more listens it'll be great who knows

[AK'z]

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/PieceOfStrange.jpg[/img]

CunninLynguists - A Piece of Strange - 2006

[B]A[/B]

Having been accustomed with "Kno's" production style, this wasn't a surprise of how brilliant it was. There is a style to the songs that makes it unique and so creative. I personally may have enjoyed their newest album a bit more, but this is certainly among their very best. Some of the best newer hip hop I've heard, it is a joyful one.
Maybe a bit more of the "hardcore" hip hop fans won't like it, but it's heartless to not dig this.

[Njittie]

[IMG]http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/8380-who-will-cut-our-hair-when-were-gone.jpg[/IMG]

If you enjoy lo-fi indie pop I highly recommend this album, the songwriting is amazingly catchy and the intrumentation is good.
7/10

[AK'z]

[QUOTE=kitteh-nator;29781513][img_thumb]http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/8380-who-will-cut-our-hair-when-were-gone.jpg[/img_thumb]

If you enjoy lo-fi indie pop I highly recommend this album, the songwriting is amazingly catchy and the intrumentation is good.
7/10[/QUOTE]

I need to give it a listen... I think I have it somewhere.

[pie_is_good]

[IMG]http://i54.tinypic.com/2irov8n.jpg[/IMG]

[B]A-[/B]

Pretty cool. Overstuffed with a few useless songs though, but when it shines, I have to put on sunglasses its so fucking shiny.

[Raptor]

[img]http://thestrokesnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/The-Strokes-Angles-Artwork1.jpg[/img]

Last whole album I bought.

All good except for two songs, but all the rest are so good it brings it up. 9/10.

[LedZeppelin]

[QUOTE=AK'z;29780459][img_thumb]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/PieceOfStrange.jpg[/img_thumb]

CunninLynguists - A Piece of Strange - 2006

[B]A[/B]

Having been accustomed with "Kno's" production style, this wasn't a surprise of how brilliant it was. There is a style to the songs that makes it unique and so creative. I personally may have enjoyed their newest album a bit more, but this is certainly among their very best. Some of the best newer hip hop I've heard, it is a joyful one.
Maybe a bit more of the "hardcore" hip hop fans won't like it, but it's heartless to not dig this.[/QUOTE]

I like you

[img]http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/855/cover_140131222009.jpg[/img]

Amon Duul II - Yeti
My first trip through krautrock! I was really impressed, and totally immersed. The Germans around that time were far more psychedelic than any americans were. Lots of intense jams here. Great shit.

[Stizzles]

[QUOTE=kitteh-nator;29781513][img_thumb]http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/8380-who-will-cut-our-hair-when-were-gone.jpg[/img_thumb]

If you enjoy lo-fi indie pop I highly recommend this album, the songwriting is amazingly catchy and the intrumentation is good.
7/10[/QUOTE]

Maybe I will. Could be interesting.

[AK'z]

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/Head_Hunters_Album.jpg[/img]

Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters - 1973

[B]A+[/B]

Funk, relentless, jazz, significant... genius.

[editline]13th May 2011[/editline]

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/12/Charles_Mingus_Mingus_Mingus_Mingus_Mingus_Mingus.jpg[/img]

Charles Mingus - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus - 1963

[B]A+[/B]

In my personal preference, I felt more of a boost from this album than the Sinner Lady album. This is unbelievable, from top to bottom. If you want something that inspires, go with this and Love Supreme. They are two albums that should be considered side by side when jazz is talked about.

[editline]13th May 2011[/editline]

[img]http://99chan.org/b/src/130342210939.jpg[/img]

Bark Psychosis - Hex - 1994

[B]B-[/B]

I completely understand that it's a significant post-rock album. I keep listening to this and experiencing it. Don't get me wrong, this is great music but as an album is doesn't feel particularly creative as people say it is.
I hate to say it, but I've seen this music before.. it just seems to be classed wrongly and given too much of a boost.

It is quite an experience yes, but after "The Loom" do we get much more in terms of thrills?

[Veltar]

[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MTbdRJG6RTg/SZmL8LtDRCI/AAAAAAAAAaw/RL9nN1pBcgc/s320/dwi48.jpg[/img]

first full length. 3,5 / 5.

it's far from bad, but compared to heavier than heaven or no one deserves, this one doesn't hold up as much.

[ThisGuy0]

[img]http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/les%20goupes/D/Dream%20Theater/Train%20of%20Thought/Train%20of%20Thought.jpg[/img]

Dream Theater - Train of Thought

[b]A-[/b]

This contains quite a lot of the heavier style that would later be used for Systematic Chaos, but for the most part I think it works quite well. As I Am is a quite mediocre song bar its very nice sludgey opening, but the rest of the album is very good, especially the last two songs.

[mikeyt493]

I've never been big on their heavier stuff really. never thought it was that great.

Which is one of the reasons i oppose Mangini's position as drummer :argh: He's just gonna make them heavier.

[AK'z]

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e2/GZALiquidSwords.jpg[/img]

GZA/Genius - Liquid Swords - 1995

[B]A-[/B]

Damn good, it involves themes of a religious nature... social nature and it's well written. And it works, just as good as Wu-Tang's albums, this is a great journey. Musically strong and well produced, however it doesn't seem as fiery as the group but it's worthy.

[Goobert]

[img]http://www.behindthenoise.com/covers/GB-TheOddCouple.jpg[/img]

Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple (2008)

5/5

Love this album

[AK'z]

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/PlanetWaves.jpg[/img]

Bob Dylan and The Band - Planet Waves - 1974

[B]B[/B]

It's good, we have plenty of good popular songs here. But as an album, the production doesn't gel with me that much. Of course I enjoyed it but I think Bob should have hired a better producer. It's like a Rick Rubin style rugged production style. This is one artist it doesn't particularly work that great with, so he didn't need it. Songwriting is good, two versions of Forever Young is on it... bit pointless, all in all... it definitely does not sound like an ordinary Bob Dylan record. Reason being, that it's a collaboration album when it clearly isn't. Unlike Basement Tapes which contained some astronomically amazing jam sessions, this is kind of a foolish move into nothingness by him. But one or two songs here will be remembered.

[UberWarri0r]

[img]http://www.metal-archives.com/images/2/5/5/7/255795.jpg[/img]
Raspberry Bulbs - Finally Burst... (2009)

5/5

Lo-Fi Punk with Black Metal or Black Metal/Punk, I don't know or care. What I can tell you it's full of raw energy and simple and repetitive riffs that just work. The vocals go nicely with the lo-fi sound even the song with clean vocals fits the sound.

[Caarle..]

>2009
>casette
the fuck

[mikeyt493]

it adds to the grimness

[UberWarri0r]

Only analog is real :black101:

that and it's hella cheap compared to vinyl or CDs and hard to rip from.

[AK'z]

[QUOTE=Calkkuna;29801024]>2009
>casette
the fuck[/QUOTE]

Cassette is win. I still use them :smug:

[thisispain]

i compose and record music unto cassettes
multi-tracked :smug:

[Cl0cK]

Can I have your autograph?!?