album listens #18 - 3+3 - the isley brothers

 

this album feels like what music is. it's perfect. pure feel good, rock-funk fusion. great songwriting. not a dull moment. so upbeat. just pure sunshine in an album. just amazing 

FAVOURITE SONG(s): That Lady, If You Were There, Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

RATING: 10/10

album listens #17 - histoire de melody nelson - serge gainsbourg

 

this album lives inside ur ear and whispers sweet nothings to you whilst an orchestra plays in the background. great guitar work mixed with the strings, it feels loose yet orchestrated, like a waltz. the way its mixed makes it seem sparse, with the vocals always being at the fore front and everything else taking a backseat, at points it feels like you are literally inside his mouth. however, when the instrumentation is allowed to take centre stage, the only word i have for it is cool. it swings and swishes about, sometimes it's jarring and sometimes it JAMS. cool.

FAVOURITE SONG: Ballade de Melody Nelson

RATING: 7/10

album listens #16 - never for ever - kate bush

 

a very solid pop album. this album feels more like it sets itself within the soundscape that it creates and obviously the star of the show here is kate's voice. some really cool and more experimental songs on here for a pop album, with some songs longer and sprawling, or at least feeling that way as this album is very short at only 37 mins long! the sounds are lush and beautiful and float around in your head, this album is romantic and very pretty

FAVOURITE SONG: The Wedding List

RATING: 7/10

album (RE)listens #15 - lp! / offline! - jpegmafia

 

ok i'm talking about this album even tho i've heard LP! lots of times and is potentially my favourite jpeg release. i've never really understood the difference between these two? i guess some of the songs are extended and more fleshed out ? anyway... i think peggy might be my favourite ever hip hop artist, rapper, producer, singer, he really has it all. sometimes it is a little off putting and disjointed but this album really rides the line of single material and experimental hip hop perfectly. what can i say about this man that hasnt already been said? he really is one of the greats. i'm just gonna group these albums together, i can never remember what the difference between tracks are and most of the versions are very similar but yeah anyway. everything flows so well, the songs are exactly how long they need to be he never stretches out a track so there are a lot of 1 min long experiments. i feel like i cant say much else about how good is he everyone knows it at this point. one of my fav artists ever so cool. 

(this review is so all over the place, im basically reviewing lp my bad but i cant keep track of which track is on which)

FAVOURITE SONG - 

LP!: REBOUND!, WHAT KIND OF RAPPIN IS THIS?, DIRTY!, OG!

OFFLINE!: DIKEMBE!, HAZARD DUTY PAY!, FLAME EMOJI!

RATING: EH IDK ITS HARD TO RANK TWO ALBUMS BUT LP! IS A 9 OR 10 

album listens #14 - keep it like a secret - built to spill

 

90S! FUZZY! GUITAR ALBUM! this album didn't blow me away but i think that's the point of it. the songwriting here is pretty, the guitars are warm and produced really well. there's a lack of other instruments here but they do make up for it with the tones they get out of all the guitar layers. i thought i heard a sax at one point but it was just a distorted guitar which i thought was cool. nice vocals, songwriting, nice sounds, very pleasant on the ears. 90s rock is almost always cool anyway so its a thumbs up from me.

FAVOURITE SONG: Time Trap

RATING: 7/10

album listens #13 - the pilgrim, their god and the king of my decrepit mountain - tapir!

 

a beautiful, pastoral, idyllic but melancholy folk album. wow. i feel like i'm wandering around the countryside, along a coastal scene, teetering on the edge of a cliff facing the sea. its rough around the edges but therein lies the charm and personality of the album. i had never even heard of this band before and i'm so glad i stumbled across them. the vocals are understated and timid but so personal. real folk vibes mixed with the vintage drum machine and warm synth sounds make the album sound like you're listening to it on a tape player which i love. the chord progressions are beautiful and the arrangements are pretty, this is really such a sweet and quaint album that has had a lot of passion put into it. i feel so much love inside me after hearing this album.

FAVOURITE SONG: My God, Gymnopédie, Eidolon, Mountain Song

RATING: 9 /10 (edit: i've been listening to this album none stop and i've decided it's a 10)

album listens #12 - wall of eyes - the smile

 

more new music! the smile's new album is equal parts experimental and beautiful. the main issue i had with the first album was the slower moments (not that they were bad but that they just belonged on a thom yorke solo project) and tom skinner was not being utilised fully in the jazzier aspects. i think that that is still the case to a certain extent on this album but their songwriting has definitely improved. i feel this album in my veins i dont know how else to describe it. two of the slower songs, the title track wall of eyes and i quit are the only two songs on this album i am not certain on, i definitely want to listen to this again and again tho. its fun at points and depressing at others, its mixed beautifully, although sometimes maybe yorke's vocals are a little loud, and the strings make the whole thing really pretty. it's romantic in a lot of ways too, the songs are sort of like wonky ballads with the weird time signatures. but yeah i think this albums really great i like it a lot. :P

FAVOURITE SONG: Teleharmonic

RATING: 8/10