3 Years of Ars
So I didn't make a 1st or 2nd year Sputversary thingy because I forgot/didn't care enough to, but I decided to make one this year because I remembered for some reason. |
| 1 |  | Cocteau Twins
Blue Bell Knoll
Let me start by saying that despite all of the shit I got at first, I hope I to have grown on most of you and if not oh well better luck next year lol. |
| 2 |  | James Chance and the Contortions
Buy
People usually do a shoutout thingy to users on these so why not? Don't feel like putting obvious users like KILL, Potsy, or Reliquished because they make like all of the lists. How boring. Great users though.
Wait... I just mentioned them. Fuck.
I'm going to restrict my list to 10 users so it isn't overly long or something. |
| 3 |  | The United States of America
The United States of America
SandwichBubble - This guy should win best new user of 2016 honestly. He has eclectic taste, is open minded, and a great reviewer. Plus he liked my rec. |
| 4 |  | Pixies
Surfer Rosa
Cl0ver - I feel like I've had a lot of good conversations with Cl0ver and he's a really chill guy. Pretty fucked up that he chose Indy Cindy as his first Pixies album though. God dammit Cl0ver. |
| 5 |  | Smashing Pumpkins
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
DoofusWainwright - I like your 93vs94vswathever things and it's fun debating with you even if you think most of the experimental things I listen to "try too hard" or something. You're also pretty good at taking criticism compared to most users on here which I appreciate. |
| 6 |  | Brainiac
Bonsai Superstar
NeroCorleone80/supercoolguy64 - I paired you guys together because I associate you with each other. You're always on the noise rock threads and both have rec'ed me bands I absolutely adore now (Brainiac/Foetus.) I'll get to Hissing Prigs soon... |
| 7 |  | Talking Heads
Remain in Light
AngryLittleAlchemist - Since most of your favorites albums are recs from me, it's like you're my protƩgƩ or something. You're also following in my footsteps by being a user who frequently makes threads that blow up for no reason... all in all you're a cool dude with good taste. I'm still waiting for that 'first 100 listens list' you promised. |
| 8 |  | Goldfrapp
Felt Mountain
Frippertronics - The way you rec things is fairly annoying and persistent, but so is the way I rec things to other users lol. Although you've rec me things I haven't loved, there's been enough winners where I feel like I can trust your taste. Just go for more Goldfrapps and less Dennis Wilson solo albums I guess. I don't know. I'm picky. |
| 9 |  | Gong
Flying Teapot
sonictheplumber - Wait is this one of those overused choices? Nah you're classic user, but you don't ever seem to be on favorite lists. What a shame, your taste amazing. Well I think? I mean you're frequently on Zappa threads so good enough! Still haven't checked that Gong album. I think I'm gonna make it my next listen actually. I've been putting it off for too long. |
| 10 |  | Can
Tago Mago
JigglyPDiddy - Where have you been? You're like one of the best users ever. I almost left you out because you're not currently active, but like even in your short time on here you've made a big impression. Fun as hell to chat with and open minded. |
| 11 |  | Beck
Sea Change
SharkTooth - An all around great user who I feel like i share a sense of humor with a lot of the time. Also: which Beck album should I check next? I was thinking either The Information or One Foot in the Grave. |
| 12 |  | Ween
Sky Cruiser
Okay now that the circlejerk is over, I have some other things to mention:
I FINALLY SAW WEEN YESTERDAY IN PHILADELPHIA!
It was amazing and here's the setlist: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/ween/2016/festival-pier-at-penns-landing-philadelphia-pa-bfc3d8e.html
"Kim Smoltz" has to be one of their greatest rarities. Wonder why it didn't make The Mollusk...
Fuck it I'm ranking Ween. |
| 13 |  | Ween
Craters of the Sac
#13: Craters is kind of lame, but it's okay because it was an internet only released compilation. It wasn't supposed to be amazing, just a little extra treat for already-Ween-fanatics.
2.5/5 |
| 14 |  | Ween
Friends
#12: The song "Friends" is so fucking funny I'm almost temped to bump it just for that. "I Got to Put the Hammer Down" is great too, but the other 3 songs on this EP are pretty forgettable.
3/5 |
| 15 |  | Ween
White Pepper
#11: Honestly if White Pepper is your favorite Ween album give up with Ween. It isn't a bad album by any stretch of imagination (except "Bananas and Blow" like god...) but most of it's just typical psych-indie rock with some Beatles influence. Kinda bland on the whole in the same way as A Moon Shaped Pool or something. That said, the first 2 tracks and "Pandy Fackler" are amazing and there's some other winners too. Ween tries so hard to be serious here and I'm like "okay..."
3.5/5 |
| 16 |  | Ween
12 Golden Country Greats
#10: Ween made a country album with professional 1950s era country musicians and it's really good. A lot of mini solos from various instruments (anything from steel guitar to clarinet.) It's a cute little album that's pretty funny and creative like the rest of their work, but it's also the most random move they ever made.
3.5/5 |
| 17 |  | Ween
Shinola, Vol. 1
#9: It's a compilation, so of course It's not one of their best, but damn are the songs collected here pretty damn catchy and poppy in a really appealing way. A lot of it's pretty commercial for them like White Pepper, but it's enough of a mixed bag to where it doesn't disappoint
3.5/5 |
| 18 |  | Z-Rock Hawaii
Z-Rock Hawaii
#8: Ween made a collaboration album with Boredoms and it's all over the place. It's like GodWeenSatan, but with way less focus and way more screaming. Oh and some really random applications of traditional Japanese music (like on "The Meadow"(fantastic song by the way.)) The closer is kind of pointless though and the flow's not perfect. It's a clusterfuck, but hey what else do you expect from Boredoms in 1996?
3.5/5 |
| 19 |  | Ween
The Pod
#7: Speaking of clusterfucks, holy shit. Joke prog, noise rock, crazy psychedelic lo-fi, The Stallion (mang) and Pork Roll Egg and Cheese sandwiches. The album has some of the filthiest guitar lines ever an I mean like messy, but in a good way. Sadly, there's a lot of crap interlaced with the brilliance. Like does anyone actually like "Moving Away" or? But with tracks like "Sorry Charlie" "Dr. Rock" "Oh My Dear (Falling in Love)" "Awesome Sound" and the 2 perfect "Stallion" songs I can't help, but count this as a 4.5 in spirit.
3.5/5 |
| 20 |  | Ween
La Cucaracha
#6: This album gets so much hate and I do understand why. Honestly it's really chill tonally for most of it and it was kind of like Ween was going back to their 90s roots and undoing what White Pepper and Quebec progress with, but first of all that's not a bad thing. A lot of the tracks here are still fun, well instrumented and it closes with "Your Party" so I can't help, but love it. Tracks 8-11 aren't so great all of the time though, but tracks 1-7 and 12-13 are basically all classics in my book.
4/5 |
| 21 |  | Ween
Pure Guava
#5: My review for this will say a lot more than this short description, but let me just say that this album is so damn unique. It's odd psychedelic lo-fi that gets called post industrial in areas. Like what? It's probably one of their most quotable albums as well. "Big Jilm" has to be my 2nd favorite Ween song ever. And "Poop Ship Destroyer" is just um... brilliantly something else. Like The Pod, there's some missteps, but less so.
4/5 |
| 22 |  | Ween
Quebec
#4: Ween has always had serious songs on their albums. Even GodWeenSatan has "Birthday Boy," but Quebec does something odd with this: the silliness on the album is actually usually coupled with a serious, and depressing message. "Hey There Fancypants" on the surface is about someone asking their friend to dance and reminisce about their past to silly Spongebob-esque music. By taking a closer look at the lyrics, it's about trying to get over crippling depression and trying to remember back when you were happy. Or "Zoloft" where Gene orgasmically sings about his love for Zoloft... implying a heavy dependance on it. Even the crazy and silly "So Many People in the Neighborhood" is about Gene being unreasonably anxious around people in his current state. I'm glad he overcame his depression and drug addictions but Quebec (and some of White Pepper) really symbolize this and how he'd hide behind humor. -.5 for "The Fucked Jam" because goddammit Ween.
4.5/5 |
| 23 |  | Ween
The Mollusk
#3: It's like Chocolate and Cheese 2.0 with a sea theme. Seriously, the two albums are oddly similar in how they jump around genres from the 70s/80s specifically. While I adore the Mollusk with ever bit of my fiber, every time they deviated from the sea theme the flow got slightly lost for me. Even if those songs were also good. With stuff "The Mollusk" "Mutilated Lips" Waving My Dick in the Wind" and "Ocean Man" the band achieves heights of focus that have eluded them in the past. Then again 12 Golden Country Greats was even more focused... but it's not nearly as good.
4.5/5 |
| 24 |  | Ween
GodWeenSatan: The Oneness
#2: Not having at least 1 album from the lo-fi trilogy in your top 3 is pretty much a punishable offense by the almighty Boognish. With that said, this is fantastic. It's like Butthole Surfers, if they were even more insane, even noisier, and occasionally deviated into funk, folk, prog, and religious hymns... well there's 1 religious hymn and it's to Boognish haha. I swear, sometimes the music sounds as fluorescent pink as the album cover. This album is not for people looking to take it seriously... well except for "Birthday Boy" that song is sad as fuck. A dud here and there, but even less so than the rest of the lo-fi trilogy.
4.5/5 |
| 25 |  | Ween
Chocolate and Cheese
#1: Gee is anyone surprised? This album is just the best of everything Ween did. It has lo-fi influenced tracks like "Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony?" it has country like "Drifter in the Dark" it has serious Quebecy stuff like "What Deaner Was Talkin' About" and it also explores genres the rest of their albums never did like Philly soul, Latin murder ballads, carnival music... oh and a lot of jokes and Dean Ween shredding like a god. Also "Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)" is on here AKA my favorite Ween song ever, it flows really nice for what I'd call another clusterfuck of genres. The feedback solo on "Voodoo Lady" is perfection and even the worst track "Candi" is really musically stimulating to a point where the repetitive lyrics actually work perfectly. Okay that's enough Ween fan-boying for 1 list.
5/5 |
| 26 |  | Patti Smith
Horses
I made one of my New Years Resolutions to review at least 1 album a month and I've so far kept that resolution. I still haven't written my August review though... so I need to go do that. |
| 27 |  | Parliament
Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Also, from my 1st visit Philadelphia seems like a wonderful city and I recommend checking it out.
Um 3 years on Sput... yeah! |
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