my-chemical-wheaties

[my-chemical-wheaties]

Albums That I Listened to in April 2024

This month started out a little slow and then went wicked fast in terms of how motivated I was to listening to albums. I largely attribute this to a depressive episode that I was dealing with starting in late March and going through part of early April. Once I had the energy to actually listen to music, I went through albums in pretty rapid succession, and I was done with listening to all twelve by about halfway through the month (So much for saying that I needed to pace myself in March's post. 😅). Hopefully, I actually take my time more with this project in May.

Here's what I listened to this past month:

Crashlanded - Madeline Edwards (2022)

Love in Constant Spectacle - Jane Weaver (2024)

Spirit of Eden - Talk Talk (1988)

Speaking in Tongues - Talking Heads (1983)

Trail of Flowers - Sierra Ferrell (2024)

Oracular Spectacular - MGMT (2007)

Pamyu Pamyu Revolution - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (2012)

The Colour of Spring - Talk Talk (1986)

Cheese - Stromae (2009)

Fabiana Palladino - Fabiana Palladino (2024)

Under the Pink - Tori Amos (1994)

Come Around and Love Me - Jalen Ngonda (2023)

If I were to rank these albums, here's how I'd do it:

Spirit of Eden: As someone who tends to gravitate towards art pop, I had always meant to get into Talk Talk, but never really delved into any album of theirs until now. Oh my god, was I missing out! This album is an absolute journey from start to finish and the instrumentation and transitions, both within and in between songs, is incredible. I just know when I listened to this that these tracks sounded amazing performed live. On top of that, Mark Hollis (Rest in peace) is a phenomenal singer and lyricist. The emotionality in his voice is palpable and really adds to how powerful these tracks are. Talk Talk is truly an underrated band and anyone who is interested in art pop or is trying to get into more 80s music absolutely must listen to this album. 10/10

2. Under the Pink: Tori Amos is an artist of whom I highly respect and adore, but I also haven't really gotten into a full album of hers before. Only her sophomore album, Under the Pink manages to be sonically cohesive without sacrificing any of the unique personalities of each track. I thought it was interesting how the album goes back and forth between telling fictional stories as vignettes and giving the listener glimpses into Tori's own life. Based on what I've listened to so far, this is definitely among her most underrated albums. 8/10

3. The Colour of Spring: Since I absolutely loved Spirit of Eden when I listened to it, I decided that I should give another one of Talk Talk's albums a try. I think that Spirit of Eden is the better of these two albums, but The Colour of Spring is phenomenal in its own right. I love the little details like the children's choir on "Happiness is Easy" or the harmonica on "Living in Another World." On top of that, tracks like "April 5th" and "Life's What You Make It" are incredible. To me, this is just about at the same level as Under the Pink. Between their two albums, it's clear that Talk Talk were on top of their game in the 80s and are a truly underrated band, at least in North America. 8/10

4. Speaking in Tongues: Talking Heads are revered among both other artists and music enthusiasts, and for good reason. The melodies are solid and all have their own unique grooves to them. I also think that David Byrne's voice complements the instrumentation, too, which sounds like differing types of squiggly lines. I don't really know what else that I could say about this other than it is just bop after bop and a fun album to put on every once in a while. 8/10

5. Come Around and Love Me: I had never heard of Jalen Ngonda before until he was recommended to me on Spotify and I've got to say... this album is really good. Its sound kind of reminds me of Marvin Gaye or something that Motown would put out, which makes the fact that this came out just last year a little shocking. The only real critiques that I have are that it gets a little redundant having nearly every track begin with a drum fill, and I thought that the track "Lost" was kind of half-baked. Overall, listening to this album was a pleasant experience and I hope that Jalen's work gets more exposure. 7/10

6. Trail of Flowers: Sierra Ferrell appears to be a fairly new artist who is combining folk with country music and honestly, I'm here for it. She brings a lot of energy to this album, and I appreciate her ability to paint pictures with her lyrics with the backdrop of some truly beautiful strings-based baroque instrumentation. Even tracks that I felt like needed more work like "American Dream" and "Chittlin' Cookin' Time in Cheatham County" still have a lot of potential. I think that Sierra has the prospectives to become a wildly successful artist, and I am eager to see what she puts out in the future. 7/10

7. Pamyu Pamyu Revolution: For the longest time, I only really knew Kyary Pamyu Pamyu for her song and music video for "PONPONPON" that went viral online in the early to mid 2010s (And also for somehow knowing Charli XCX), but I had never really sought out the full album "PONPONPON" is on until this month. I wouldn't necessarily call it groundbreaking, but each track is loaded with infectiously catchy hooks. This album is really just bop after bop. If you're looking for something in the same vein as Carly Rae Jepsen with a touch of eccentricity, this is definitely a project worth checking out. 8/10

8. Oracular Spectacular: MGMT seems to be a popular band with people around my age (Gen Z-ers), so it only made sense to explore their work more; especially since I listened to their sophomore album Congratulations back in December. I had already heard the three singles from this era before and they're all as phenomenal as always, and the deep cut "Of Moons, Birds, and Monsters" is a lovely acoustic guitar-centered track. I really didn't care for "The Youth" and "4th Dimensional Transition," though. All in all, this is a pretty decent indie album that has held up pretty well. 8/10

9. Fabiana Palladino: Apparently Lorde was recommending this album to people, and it appears to be getting positive reviews, so I thought that I would check it out. There are some great tracks on here, but there are also some that are pretty boring and were kind of a chore to get through. Overall, this album is pretty hit or miss, I would only suggest checking it out if you're curious to know what producer Jai Paul has been up to lately. 7/10

10. Crashlanded: I've been meaning to get around to listening to this one for a couple of months now, and I'm glad I finally did. The production on this album is exquisite and in all honesty, is probably a large part of the reason why I enjoyed listening to it. Madeline's voice is also great and overall, this is a strong country album from one of the genre's newest artists. The only track I didn't care much for is the title track, mainly because it's one of those songs that wants to have a message, but doesn't necessarily have one, and it consequently comes off as a little cringey. Otherwise, a lot of these tracks clicked with me immediately upon listen. "Forehead Kisses" is a particular favorite of mine. 7/10

11. Cheese: Stromae is one of those artists that I keep hearing people praise a lot online, but I haven't heard much from him or heard very many people talk about him in person. This is his debut album, and it sounds so different from the couple of his songs that I have heard. I was kind of expecting a more experimental pop sound, but this is more of an electronic/dance record. It's not bad at all, but I do think this is a situation like Waxahatchee's Cerulean Salt that I listened to earlier in this challenge, where it's clear that this only sounds rougher compared to what I imagine their future albums to sound like solely because it's their debut. Overall, though, it's a decent listen. 7/10

12. Love in Constant Spectacle: I had never heard of Jane Weaver prior to listening to this, I just stumbled upon it while looking for something to listen to on Album of the Year and decided upon cursory glance, that it's something worth checking out. I was kind of under the impression that this was going to be an art pop album, but it's more like an alternative/indie rock album in the same vein as some of Feist's work. Sometimes it can get a little boring while I'm listening to it, and I feel like Jane is trying to have a Julia Holter moment with this album at points. While the aforementioned Julia Holter/Feist-esque aesthetic doesn't really land at all here, I will say that there are still a few good tracks on this album. 7/10

I already have a few albums lined up for next month, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. I think I will be skewering more towards indie and older artists, which should be an interesting listening experience for me.

#music #albums #album ranking #album review #madeline edwards #jane weaver #talk talk #talking heads #sierra ferrell #mgmt band #kyary pamyu pamyu #stromae #fabiana palladino #tori amos #jalen ngonda #country #jpop #indie music

[my-chemical-wheaties]

What tune is he banging out?

#neil banging out the tunes #april 13 #rats #meme #anniversary

[my-chemical-wheaties]

The sound and sight of rain outside my window. 😊

#rain #peaceful #calming

[my-chemical-wheaties]

A basic cropped tank top paired with a cardigan and high waisted jeans is my bread and butter. I cannot think of a better fashion combo. You absolutely cannot go wrong with an outfit like that.

#fashion #women's fashion #crop top #sweater #cardigan #jeans #denim

[my-chemical-wheaties]

Not Jane Weaver using AI in her visuals. 😖

#jane weaver #music #indie rock #alternative music #oof

[my-chemical-wheaties]

Albums That I Listened to in March 2024

This month started out pretty fast in terms of how often I listened to albums (As in, there were two days where I listened to three albums in a row), and then later as the month progressed, I noticed that it was taking me longer to actually get around to listening to something. I think for next time, I need to pace myself more so that I don't get burnout. I also lifted the genre and decade restrictions that I put on myself last month and allowed myself to just listen to any album that I thought I would enjoy upon first glance.

These are the albums that I listened to this month:

Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel (1970)

Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas (2020)

Heard It in a Past Life - Maggie Rogers (2019)

Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends - Coldplay (2008)

Have You in My Wilderness - Julia Holter (2015)

What Now - Brittany Howard (2024)

Adventure - Oohyo (2015)

Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can't We? - The Cranberries (1993)

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow - Weyes Blood (2022)

Michigan - Sufjan Stevens (2003)

The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We - Mitski (2023)

You Forgot It In People - Broken Social Scene (2003)

Here's how I would personally rank these albums:

Michigan: The instrumentation is so unique; I love the usage of different types of percussion (Especially the bells) and a horn section on this album. The subject matter seems to mostly pertain to Sufjan's personal life, but as someone who was born and raised in Michigan, there are some parts that I can relate to and I definitely feel like the album sounds like Michigan, if that makes sense. This is the first Sufjan album that I've ever listened to, and I'm definitely interested in hearing the rest of his discography. 9/10

Heard It in a Past Life: Maggie Rogers has such a unique sound that fits my exact music tastes. This album scratches the itch really well for me and truly is a no skip album. I really like the fusions between house and indie rock on here. 8/10

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow: This album sounds like a deeper, more refined version of Weyes Blood's previous album, Titanic Rising. Like with Heard It in a Past Life, this really is a no skip album for me and I respect Natalie for exploring deeper lyrical topics and themes. 9/10

Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can't We?: This album instantly had me hooked. The instrumentation on it is dreamy and Dolores O'Riordan has such a unique and beautiful voice (Rest in peace). At least in the United States, this is a truly underrated 90s alternative rock album and I'm eager to hear what else this band has put out. 8/10

The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We: I saw Mitski live in concert this past month and so I decided to take it upon myself to listen to her most recent album in preparation. The songs themselves are pretty short, but they are all beautiful and have an almost gothic country feel to them that I really like. Plus, you cannot go wrong with Mitski's lyricism. I can confirm that a lot of these tracks sound as great live as they do as studio recordings. 8/10

Have You in My Wilderness: I feel like this is the objectively better album between it and the Mitski one, but in my head, their placements on this ranking are interchangeable. Some of the songs drag on for a little longer than I feel like they should, but I'm always down for a good art pop album and this one delivers. I especially like the usage of the harpsichord. 9/10

Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends: The only song that I have ever heard from this album was one of the two title tracks, "Viva La Vida," before last month, so I decided out of sheer curiosity to give the whole album a listen. The album overall is pretty solid, and I like some of the switch-ups that happen in the middle of certain tracks. The lyrics could use some work, though. 7/10

What Now: The first I ever heard of Brittany Howard was when I was watching the Grammys some years ago and her former band Alabama Shakes did a live performance. I didn't really seek out any of Alabama Shakes' music, but I did acquire respect for Howard as a vocalist and songwriter. Just last month, she released her second solo album, What Now, and after hearing a brief radio interview that she did, I decided to go check it out. The album is fairly short at about thirty-eight minutes, but it is a wonderful listen all the way through. The soundscape is as colorful as the album's cover. It's still the same alternative rock music that Howard has been making throughout her career, but there are touches of psychedelia and house music mixed in that give this album its own unique personality (The saxophone on "Samson" in particular is just *chef's kiss* exquisite). This also marks the first album that I have listened to in this challenge that was released in 2024, the year in which I am doing this. I will probably be going back to this one. 7/10

Bridge Over Troubled Water: This is a pleasant album to listen to. I love the vocal harmonies, and the tracks manage to all sound different from each other without losing any sonic cohesion. It doesn't really stand out to me as much as some of the other albums that I listened to this month, but I wouldn't mind putting it on once in a while. 8/10

Lianne La Havas: Lianne is an underrated singer-songwriter and musical artist, and I feel like I was overdue for listening to a full album of hers. It's a pretty solid album, but I feel like some of the tracks don't have enough interesting things going on with them. It can get kind of overly repetitive at points. 7/10

Adventure: Continuing my venture into more indie, singer-songwriter Korean artists spurred by my listening of Modern Times by IU last month, Oohyo's sophomore album is a light, smooth pop album with some pleasant electronic elements thrown in for good measure. I wouldn't necessarily say that this project enthralled me as much as some of the other ones that I listened to this month, but it was a nice album to go through. Also, the track "UTO" sounds a little like "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds to me. 7/10

You Forgot It In People: The melodies and guitar work on this album are wonderful and there are some genuinely beautiful moments, but the lyrics come off as extremely pretentious and honestly kind of problematic, if not outright offensive sometimes (For example, there is literally a song that has a homophobic slur in it. To my knowledge, no one credited with writing nor singing this specific track is LGBTQ+. Yikes). Additionally, there are some production choices that I disliked, such as that weird vocal effect they put over Emily Haines in "Anthems For a Seventeen Year-Old Girl." Overall, I feel like this album was mid and severely overrated by the indie crowd. 5/10

I already have a few albums that I want to listen to in April, so stay tuned for when I review those next month! :)

#music #albums #album review #simon and garfunkel #lianne la havas #maggie rogers #coldplay #julia holter #brittany howard #oohyo #the cranberries #weyes blood #sufjan stevens #mitski #broken social scene

[my-chemical-wheaties]

Resisting the urge to just bite into a raw onion.

[my-chemical-wheaties]

Sometimes I think about the fact that Zombie Prom is a musical that exists. Like someone looked at the concept of a teenager who becomes a literal zombie after driving his motorcycle into a vat of radioactive material having to fight his school in order to go to prom in the 50s and was like “You know what? This would make for an excellent musical.”

And they were right.

#zombie prom #musicals #weird #musical theatre #yes this is a real musical #look it up

[my-chemical-wheaties]

Thinking about dinner theatre right now.

#midnight thoughts #theatre #dinner theatre #just girly things

[my-chemical-wheaties]

Do you ever just realize in the middle of the night that you're a barely functioning depressed person? Because same.

#depression #midnight thoughts #i just realized

[my-chemical-wheaties]

I'm sorry, but how the fuck did the husband in Babooshka by Kate Bush not realize sooner that the younger woman writing to him was literally his older wife? Her name was literally "Babooshka????"

#this is a joke #kate bush #babooshka #midnight thoughts

[my-chemical-wheaties]

Albums That I Listened to in February 2024

I noticed that in the past few months that I've done this challenge, that certain albums have been overrepresented in my listening habits. For one, an overwhelming majority of the albums that I listened to in December and January combined were rock albums, and the majority of them were also albums released in the 2010s. Since part of my reasoning for undertaking this is to diversify the music that I listen to, I decided to challenge myself this month to not listen to any rock albums this month and to limit the number of 2010s albums that I checked out.

These were the albums that I listened to:

Norman Fucking Rockwell! - Lana Del Rey (2019)

Modern Times - IU (2013)

Holy Diver - Dio (1983)

Since I Left You - The Avalanches (2000)

Dummy - Portishead (1994)

Joy'All - Jenny Lewis (2023)

Samara Joy - Samara Joy (2021)

Just Another Diamond Day - Vashti Bunyan (1970)

Windswept Adan - Ichiko Aoba (2020)

That! Feels Good! - Jessie Ware (2023)

Dusty in Memphis - Dusty Springfield (1969)

At Last! - Etta James (1960)

Here's how I would rank these albums:

Norman Fucking Rockwell!: This album clicked with me way faster than Lana's most recent album Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard? did (Although I'm still salty about Taylor winning AOTY at the Grammys instead. Talk about being snubbed). The compositions on this album feel older, like they were written in the 1960s or 1970s, but the production is clearly modern and it creates this peculiar sound that Lana had been crafting for pretty much her entire career up to that point. In fact, I think this album is where she has mastered said sound and sort of perfected it. I once heard music YouTuber Mic the Snare describe this album as (Paraphrasing) constantly expanding into this larger, grander atmosphere and to me, that it is perfect description of what this album sounds like. On top of that, the lyrics delving into these vignettes of Lana's relationships with different people read like short stories, and I love when lyricists do that. I could go on about this album, but I will just end this by saying that all of the praise that this album has received is deserved and I truly believe this is among her best work. 9/10

2. That! Feels Good!: Ugh, this album is just immaculate. Jessie Ware is the queen of contemporary house and disco music and you cannot tell me otherwise. Every single track goes extremely hard and is something that I would 100% put on at a party. If you decide to check out any one track from this album though, it has to be "Pearls." That song is perfect and I have been obsessed with it ever since I first heard it. I strongly recommend checking this one out. 9/10

3. Since I Left You: This is definitely one of the most unique albums I've listened to so far, alongside Modern Times. I thought that the usage of samples of dialogue from movies and TV shows combined with samples from older music was creative, especially on tracks like Frontier Psychiatrist where The Avalanches almost use these clips to create these new, elaborate stories. Additionally, I loved how smoothly all of the tracks transition into each other, too, almost as if the album was just one long mashup. This album is definitely an experience to listen to, and if anyone wants to check it out, I recommend listening to it in its entirety from start to finish, because I've found that that's how it sounds best due to the aforementioned transitions. I will definitely be coming back to this one. 8/10

4. Dusty in Memphis: This was the first sixties album that I listened to for this challenge and I actually really liked it. The production is great for an album made during this time and Dusty has a lovely singing voice. The lyrical subject matter is a little simplistic, but not everything has to be deep and profound. Simple can be good, too. I will probably revisit this album at some point. 8/10

5. Windswept Adan: This is such a gorgeous folk album. The instrumentation is light, yet lush, and Ichiko Aoba's vocals are beautiful, and complement said instrumentation well. Listening to this album feels like traveling through the countryside or the mountains, looking out at what feels like miles of greenery and nature as you inhale the fresh air. If any of you enjoy artists like Joanna Newsom or Vashti Bunyan, I highly recommend checking this album out. If you like the Minecraft soundtrack, I also recommend checking this out, too, because some points do remind me a little of that aforementioned soundtrack as well. 9/10

6. Modern Times: This is by far one of the most unique albums I've listened to so far. It's technically a K-pop album, but it mainly blends together jazz, bossa nova, and swing music with modern pop songwriting to create this distinctive blend that's hard to categorize into just one genre. I also think that it's cool that IU writes her own songs and has songwriting credits on this album, given how restrictive and controlling a lot of K-pop labels can be, especially towards their female artists. I'm not much of a K-pop fan, but this album was a pleasant surprise and I'm curious to hear more of IU's discography. 8/10

7. Samara Joy: I don't listen to a whole lot of jazz, so I figured that my mini challenge within a challenge was a good opportunity for me to explore the genre more. I heard a lot of good things about Samara Joy, so I decided to give her self-titled debut album a listen. The tracks all sound good - the instrumentation is rich and Samara has a beautiful alto voice. However, I feel like this is going to be one of those albums that only really clicks for me if I'm in the mood for it. There were some points where it was difficult for me to get through a song as I listened to it because the album generally has some pretty slow pacing. This might work better for me as an album to put on when I'm studying or making dinner. 7/10

8. Just Another Diamond Day: This is a perfectly pleasant seventies folk album. I was curious to listen to it after hearing the story behind Vashti Bunyan's career as a whole and how this album exploded in popularity all of a sudden in the early 2000s after decades of going largely unnoticed. As mentioned earlier, it's a pleasant album to listen to and definitely gives strong cottagecore vibes. I will be putting this on next time I go fishing at a rainbow river or something. 8/10

9. At Last!: This is only the second sixties album that I listened to, both this month and within the challenge as a whole. The brass section and occasional strings on this album are both good, and Etta is a sublime singer, although her vocals can get a little too shouty at points. The lyrics are a bit hit or miss (I am begging, no - pleading with her to stop calling her partner "daddy" on a couple of these tracks), and while I think her voice works well with Harvey Fuqua's, I find it odd that all of their duets are shoved to the end of the album. Although in fairness, that's probably just a time period thing. 6/10

10. Holy Diver: This is the first eighties album I've listened to for this challenge and only the second metal album after King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard's Infest the Rat's Nest and it was pretty solid. The guitar melodies are catchy and really well-written, and Ronnie James Dio is a great singer. The lyrics leave a lot to be desired, though, and definitely need some work. Hopefully if I listen to anything else in Dio's discography, there will be some improvement in that department. 7/10

11. Joy'All: For whatever reason, I have a really hard time getting into Jenny Lewis, both through her solo work and through her band, Rilo Kiley. I feel like I should like most of her work because of how much I like indie music and a little bit of ✨country flare✨, but for some reason, a lot of it isn't clicking for me. Psychos and Puppy and a Truck were good, and while the title track was hard for me to get into instrumentally, I did like the overall message. The rest of it, however, kind of fell off for me. I might go back to this album and give it a second chance, but for now I'm going to say that it was pretty meh. 5/10

12. Dummy: This is another situation akin to when I listened to Heaven or Las Vegas last month where I really don't get why this album is considered a classic and gets so much praise. It's not a bad album per se, but it all of the tracks sound kind of same-y over time and I got bored with it at certain points. I feel like I'd probably have to be in a certain mental state in order to enjoy this and as someone who has dealt with mental health issues in the past and is working to overcome them and be happier in life... yeah, no thanks. 6/10

I'm going to go back to listening to some rock albums next month, so I'm not cutting out the genre entirely. And as always, if any of you have any suggestions for me, feel free to comment them below. 🙂

#music #album review #february #lana del rey #iu kpop #dio #ronnie james dio #the avalanches #portishead #kpop #jenny lewis #samara joy #vashti bunyan #ichiko aoba #jessie ware #dusty springfield #etta james #80s music #60s music

[my-chemical-wheaties]

The best pizza toppings are pepperoni, anchovies, and pineapple on the same pizza.

#pizza #food #hot take #interesting facts #fun facts #just girly things

[my-chemical-wheaties]

Top Ten Video Games of All Time:

Katamari Damacy

Katamari Damacy

Katamari Damacy

Katamari Damacy

Duck Life

Katamari Damacy

Katamari Damacy

Katamari Damacy

Duck Life 2: World Champion

Katamari Damacy

Katamari Damacy

Top Ten Worst Video Games:

Birdemic: Shock and Terror

Sonic 06

I don't know what to put here

#video games #gaming #humor #shitposting #katamari damacy #duck life #top ten #please don't hate me #it's just my opinion

[my-chemical-wheaties]

My nose is plugged, my right sinus is kicking my ass, I have a fever, I keep going back and forth between being too warm and too cold, and I have no real appetite. Needless to say, I am...

...down with the sickness.

OUUUUWAHAHAHAH

#no but seriously #i am ill #i think i have flu #or a cold #hope it goes away soon #disturbed band #down with the sickness

[my-chemical-wheaties]

You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take.

- LMFAO, Party Rock 2009

#incorrect quotes #sorry for party rocking #shitposting

[my-chemical-wheaties]

Albums That I Listened to in January 2024

Last month, I made the first of what I plan to be a series of twelve posts where I share what albums I listened to in the month before then and what I thought about them.

Here are the twelve albums that I listened to this month:

Titanic Rising - Weyes Blood (2019)

When We Were That What Wept for the Sea - Colin Stetson (2023)

3D Country - Geese (2023)

Middle Cyclone - Neko Case (2009)

In Colour - Jamie xx (2015)

Atlanta Millionaires Club - Faye Webster (2019)

Color Me Country - Linda Martell (1970)

Madison - Sloppy Jane (2021)

Marquee Moon - Television (1977)

Heaven or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins (1990)

Fantasies - Metric (2009)

In My Own Time - Karen Dalton (1971)

Here's how I'd rank these albums:

Madison - I decided to give this album a listen purely out of curiosity because of how fascinated I was by the story behind how it got made. For those of you who are unaware, songwriter Haley Dahl and her band Sloppy Jane recorded this album in the Lost World Caverns in West Virginia over the course of two weeks, and for an album that was recorded in a literal cave, it's excellent. The orchestral, art pop compositions are absolutely beautiful, and Haley is a great lyricist whose ability to convey certain emotions and experiences with such visceral imagery and usage of symbolism throughout multiple tracks is something I admire and respect. Going into this album knowing that it was recorded in a cave adds to the atmosphere of the album, too. While listening, I couldn't help but imagine Haley and company playing these songs in a dark cavern in the middle of the night. I could go on about this album and how much I love it for pages, but I these posts are already kind of long as it stands, and I don't want it to be any longer. Definitely give it a listen, especially if you're as big of a Kate Bush fan as I am, because this has her influence all over it. 10/10

2. Middle Cyclone - Ever since I discovered her music last year before I started this personal challenge, Neko Case has quickly become one of my favorite artists and this album only further demonstrates to me why I've come to love her work so much. The way she blends together indie rock and country scratches an itch for me; and much like in her album preceding this one, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Middle Cyclone demonstrates Neko's incredible lyricism, particularly her ability to convey emotional rawness and human vulnerability in such a straightforward, yet eloquently profound way. Given that this is also what I would consider Neko Case's most accessible album, I would highly recommend anyone who hasn't already listened to her work to check this album out - especially if you're a fan of artists like Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, or Adrienne Lenker who I think all owe a part of their sound and success to her. 8/10

3. In My Own Time - Karen Dalton is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated artists of the 60s and 70s and deserves more recognition than what she gets. Only the second album she ever released in her lifetime, there's something especially pleasant about her different covers of these songs (Yes, this is a covers album - Karen didn't really write or record original material). It makes me feel like I am sitting in a living room in a house on the countryside watching the snow fall in the winter or the leave rustling in the breeze in the summer. Not to mention that Karen has a beautiful alto voice. I actually like some of these covers better than their original versions. If you're looking for late sixties/early seventies folk music to listen to, I would recommend checking this album out. 9/10

4. Fantasies - Metric is a band that has been on my radar for a while now, but for some reason, I haven't gone out of my way to listen to any of their albums in full until now. All of the tracks go pretty hard, and I really like Emily Haines' voice. My favorite band Paramore cited Metric as an influence for their most recent album This Is Why, and I can definitely see where they were inspired. If any of you like Paramore or Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I would definitely give this album a listen. 7/10

5. Titanic Rising - This album sounds like walking through an antique store that is faintly playing old obscure 80s music on its loudspeakers as you gaze over the various items decorating each "room" in the store, the scent of vintage goods and old wood wafting through the air. Weyes Blood's voice reminds me of a cross between Eurhythmics' Annie Lennox and Enya, and the instrumentation and production on this album are stunningly beautiful. I was worried going into this album that I wouldn't be able to get into it because the tracks are all on the slower side in terms of tempo, but I actually found myself liking this one a lot. 9/10

6. Color Me Country - Linda Martell is an important figure in country music history who, despite her significance and the barriers she helped break down for black artists in the genre, has been oft forgotten. The first black artist in history to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, she only ever released one studio album - Color Me Country, in 1970. The album consists of pretty standard country music that was common at the time, with lyrical subject matter typical of the genre - but just because an album isn't sonically pushing the envelope, doesn't mean that it can't be good. I don't know what it was, but something lit up in me listening to this album and I really enjoyed what I heard. It makes me wonder what else she would have done had she continued her music career and released more material. Either way, this is a wonderful album from an incredible woman who deserves a lot more attention to her work. 7/10

7. 3D Country - This album sounds like a fusion between The Rolling Stones and Queen and I'm kind of living for it. It's genuinely good, fun, classic-styled rock music that doesn't take itself too seriously and has some really unique qualities to it. St. Elmo has been stuck in my head ever since I first heard it, and little embellishments like the harp on the title track really give this album its own personality. If you're somebody who primarily listens to older music who wants to try something newer or are just looking for more rock bands to get into, I recommend giving this album a try. 8/10

8. Atlanta Millionaires Club - Did you know that Faye Webster and I are the same age? I'm so used to artists either being older or younger than me that seeing someone around my age making music is both surprising and refreshing to me at the same time. This might be part of the reason why I clicked with this album a bit better than some of the other ones that I listened to this last month - Faye and I are in kind of the same place in life and due to us being the same age, and we probably share a similar perspective and experiences. It also helps that Faye is an adroit lyricist, and the chill indie rock instrumentation suits her voice well. The only issue that I have with this album is that the track Flowers near the end sounds jarring given how different it is from the rest of the album. 8/10

9. When We Were That What Wept for the Sea - This album gaslit me into thinking I have synesthesia. No really, I'm serious - I listened to this album while driving at night and I remember during the beginning of either Infliction or Passage I started smelling freshly brewed coffee. I didn't have any coffee in the car with me and I was not in an area where there would be any coffee brewing nearby. It was wild. And then after that it started smelling like the produce section of a grocery store in the beginning of the second half of the album. Anyways, this experimental ambient album by saxophonist Colin Stetson was really interesting to listen to and there are a lot of cool details scattered throughout each song. It wasn't what I was expecting at all, but it was a pleasant surprise. It would probably pair well with the flute album Andre 3000 put out last year. 8/10

10. Marquee Moon - This is a classic album that I see getting a ton of praise, so I figured I would give it a listen. It's a pretty good album, although the tracks sound a little bit samey at times. The two songs that stand out to me are Venus and the title track. 7/10

11. In Colour - The only solo album (As of right now) from The xx member Jamie xx makes for a fairly pleasant listening experience. Jamie seems to be veering slightly away from the indie rock elements of The xx's work and more into electronic and pop, incorporating some hip-hop influences along the way. The featured appearances all fit in nicely, and the album overall sounds like the chill cousin of Daft Punk's Homework. 8/10

12. Heaven or Las Vegas - Please don't take me ranking this album last as some indication that I don't like it. I actually enjoyed it - albeit think that it's overrated. The number of people that I have seen praising this album and talking about how great it is made me think that it was going to be some amazing, mind-altering experience to listen to, but it was really a series of (Super short) shoegaze-y pop tracks that are just good. I don't really get why people hype up Cocteau Twins so much. You would think that they invented sliced bread with the way some people talk about them. 7/10

So far, I've really been enjoying most of the albums that I listen to. I have a few albums in mind that I plan to listen to in full in February, but again, if anyone wants to recommend me anything, you are always welcome to leave a comment. :)

#music #albums #album ranking #sloppy jane #neko case #karen dalton #metric band #weyes blood #linda martell #geese band #faye webster #colin stetson #television band #jamie xx #cocteau twins #january