JohnnyoftheWell: well_2023: "NO" albums (1/2)

JohnnyoftheWell 12.31.23	Wow the end is coming soon
Avagantamos 12.31.23	why listen to so much bad music?
Slex 12.31.23	Gotta be honest I think doing this list is sad and weird but bang on with the description for Callous Daoboys
JohnnyoftheWell 12.31.23	"why listen to so much bad music?" this is your brain on the Sput frontpage :[ usually at the end of the year, it's q fun to do a comprehensive overview of the whole damn lot and work out what flavour it's had (not to mention an excuse to rejam a load of stuff I only checked once or twice originally) but ngl something about this year in particular has been borderline joyless (and while half these records can get tae fuck regardless, the way this plays out over the good half is probably bleaker)
Sinternet 12.31.23	the yearly tradition of gloriously shit johnny takes/bait/wind-ups back again you love to see it
anat 12.31.23	this list is joyless and bleak and I will bookmark it to visit whenever I feel an ounce of joy to remind myself that one day I will die
myri14 12.31.23	Great read, glad to see the Actress mention! I am really vibing with it but I have a feeling I'm just one of those fans who will eat up anything he releases lol.
Sabrutin 12.31.23	woah a lot of based (90 :D) but also a lot of hurt!! 28 is one of my favs this year (but it's also my first approach to the band)
bighubbabuddha 12.31.23	The sufjan and thrash gizzard albums are gr8 Johnny. Oh well.
Mort. 12.31.23	thank u for not being too harsh to enter shikari
DDDeftoneDDD 12.31.23	so, 1 is the best of the worst?
JohnnyoftheWell 12.31.23	yep, 1 is a decent record and probably deserved better. top three could probably have been 3.5s in another timeline tbh, but oh well "28 is one of my favs this year (but it's also my first approach to the band)" oh damn, that's weird and cool tbh - peep Ano Santo sometime, think that one has a decent bit in common with Sed (in a good way)!
DDDeftoneDDD 12.31.23	Shit I really shouldn't (I ain't) give Hail the Sun more shots! You that listened practically everything. Whats the hxc, post hxc, core thing of 2023? Happy 2024 to you and everyone.
Azazzel 12.31.23	somebody's got to kick the tires and probe the rectal smoke levels, nobody changes and nobody grows if you're guzzling high-fructose hype all year. discomforting accommodation of dissent is important for dialectics. you either resolve your intuition into stronger belief upon reflection or acknowledge aspects of truthful recognition and grow. the difference between a mere hater and a critic, the well dweller's articulate enough to make it fun and interesting. tricky part is remaining open and receptive to new impressions. I like a lot of the non-core metal here but know there's a kernal of insight to his laments
JohnnyoftheWell 12.31.23	appreciated + am crossing my paws you'll be contented enough with the metal albums in the higher placements to turn on a little extra clemency there ;] @DDD giving HtS another shot is, uh, optional lol but I for one had v much written them off before the new one so maybe it's not hopeless? skip down to the "NASTY SHIT" part of my blog (https://www.sputnikmusic.com/blog/2023/12/14/jaw-music-awards-2023/) for hxc-affiliate highlights (including honourable mentions!) but the fan fav from this year is probs Great Falls or GridLink
Pikazilla 12.31.23	good list thank you for quoting my comment from that swans thread I feel honoured
Manatea 12.31.23	Johnny, i don’t agree with you on some of these but god damn i admire the amount of effort you put into this
robertsona 12.31.23	Animal Collective rule!
MarsKid 12.31.23	This clearly means that Dreamwell was not a 'no' album this year Love to see it
JohnnyoftheWell 12.31.23	Shit, good catch - I hadn't rated Dreamwell and it had missed the draft as such, but this error has been redeemed!!! thank yous Pika/Manananatea < 3 also uh wow the GOOD list is actually going to be ready soon(ish) this is unexpected
YoYoMancuso 12.31.23	the world's least significant R. Kelly
anat 12.31.23	good list better be a mr scrooge tier redemption arc
JohnnyoftheWell 12.31.23	it is longer than this one and contains more good albums idk what more you want from me
MarsKid 12.31.23	"Shit, good catch - I hadn't rated Dreamwell and it had missed the draft as such, but this error has been redeemed!!!" heck yes this is a win The De Staat hate makes me sad but otherwise I feel like our picks are eerily similar and I'm scared
cylinder 12.31.23	“Kenny Segal’s production is reined way in compared to Hiding Places” Odd take. I think it’s the opposite that’s true
JohnnyoftheWell 12.31.23	Feel that Segel is v deferential to Woods throughout re. who gets the spotlight - there are no tracks like, say, Spider Hole where I feel that the prod really makes the song Mars I am hacking your disdain for 2024 sputcore right now and um are you ready
MarsKid 12.31.23	Oh fuck it's about time for new Loathe probably. I'm not ready.
Demon of the Fall 12.31.23	one of the most exciting bands active today in an oversaturated market filled with a dime-a-dozen bands and artists all replicating the “hip” thing in their respective fields
MarsKid 12.31.23	Never gonna listen to that alb, please tell me how to feel about it, ready GO
cylinder 12.31.23	“ Feel that Segal is v deferential to Woods throughout re. who gets the spotlight” Spotlight? Why can’t they both be on point at the same time? Even during Woods’ shining moments on the album, the production is still engaging and innovative. Way more detailed than Hiding Places too How hard do you really hip-hop, Johnny
JohnnyoftheWell 12.31.23	Never suggested they can't be on point at the same time, but the fact that Segel is playing more of a supporting role in the first place is enough to say he's reining it in. If I had one overarching crit for that record, it's that it loses itself in the details whereas Hiding Places had a perfect balance of boldness vs. reserve. Not a particularly hot take tbh "please tell me how to feel about it" one of the most exciting bands active today in an oversaturated market filled with a dime-a-dozen bands and artists all replicating the “hip” thing in their respective fields
cylinder 12.31.23	“ the fact that Segal is playing more of a supporting role in the first place” Not sure what makes you say this. Segal’s production creates the whole environment of the album. It’s exactly what makes it stand out in Woods’ discography. The losing itself in the details part I can get, but I always heard it more as finding itself rather than losing itself
Kompys2000 12.31.23	The only holiday tradition that matters is BACK BABY Lmao @ many of these but especially Wallen
AsleepInTheBack 12.31.23	This is a bewildering amount of effort to put into the albums that you don’t think are good from a year that you don’t think is good I am gobsmacked and pleased and looking forward to part 2
BlazinBlitzer 12.31.23	Great as always! To answer your question on 37, hmm... the title track seems to be written mostly to fit the dream-like psychedelic vibe of the instrumental in a cutesy way. Other than that... yeah, you're kinda right But I love it anyways.
JohnnyoftheWell 12.31.23	prosecco and fireworks for mama komp "always heard it more as finding new nuggets of wisdom in the details rather than losing itself" that makes sense, but depends entirely on whether you think the substance of the record is engaging enough to string along that kind of delivery (and no marks for guessing where i stand on that) "title track seems to be written mostly to fit the dream-like psychedelic vibe of the instrumental in a cutesy way" wait, so the t/t is the space concept bit?
cylinder 12.31.23	That’s true, and it’s clear where each of us stands on that, haha. I just find it a very touching album so I had to say something
BlazinBlitzer 12.31.23	From "The Harmony Codex" music video creators: "We wanted to create an alternate reality version of London, so we added a unique under/overground train system and stations that wrap around the skyscraper, which acts as the centrepiece of the video. We aimed for the video to evoke the same dream-like paranoia and feelings of the characters from Steven’s short story, so many of the visual designs in the video reflect this, as they sport a realistic yet otherworldly aesthetic...We wanted each sequence to place the viewer inside Harmony and Jamie’s lucid dream like experience inside the skyscraper, a physically impossible and infeasible space of reality." With the space-related lyrics, it seems to take in some of both interpretations.
JohnnyoftheWell 01.01.24	Oh damn lol, well I guess that figures - wish there was a video concept to back me up every time I shot from the hip... @cylinder understood haha - and fwiw it's not like I dislike the album or anything, just a bit frustrated it didn't click with me harder :[
Ladron93 01.01.24	The albums you listed didn't click me but at least they were fun: Take me Back to Eden, HOPE, RAT WARS, Fantasy, S.O.S., Goodnight God Bless, I Love U, Delete. Sky Void of Stars (at least Katatonia was trying but it's not working in this current era for me....oh, 2000s), 72 Seasons, Foregone, No Joy, PetroDragonic Apocalypse blah blah, O Monolith, Higher Lonely Power, Love in the Void, Starfucker, In Times New Roman..., Heimdal, Summer Moon, The Harmony Codex, Let Her Burn, Guts, 10,000 gecs, With A Hammer, The Loveliest Time, Oneohtrix Point Never's Again, LXXXVIII Yeah, I'm tired of black metal and subgenres of metal. BUT...... Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, Under Glass, The Land is Inhospitable and so are we, Lovers from the Past, Raven? I personally like them. At least, I respect your lists. It's hard to keep up with the latest albums out there. よいお年を, Johnny-san. Maybe I should listen to The Loveliest Time, Between Heavens again... These were good.
Demon of the Fall 01.01.24	Yeah, I disliked / was neutral to most of the ones I heard here, good takes on HEALTH, Chambered, Better Lovers, Panopticon (it isn’t ‘good’ necessarily but I don’t have strong feelings), King Gizz, The Ocean etc. I did like Sufjan’s album even though it couldn’t quite break into my faves for the year in the end and I dunno that Xiu Xiu release was pretty cool. Understatement isn’t necessarily what you want from those guys so I can see why it might have had little impact though. I don’t revisit it, so maybe this needs revising / reassessing for staying power reasons
JohnnyoftheWell 01.01.24	Raven is one where I get the appeal but don't quite think it's worth the hype for what it is - defs one of the the most palatable though, would never be averse to spinning it again for the hell of it Xiu Xiu on the other hand is one of the few records here that I rejammed in its entirety, and the results were much more nothingburger than I had hoped for. Understatement is fine (and they did great work with that on OH NO) but it doesn't mix at all for me with the dread/gloom/sadthings the new one tries to cultivate あけましておめでとう gang!
JohnnyoftheWell 01.01.24	it is time? for the YES list??
FowlKrietzsche 01.01.24	Based bottom 3, King Gizzard should be lower, I like This is Why
Kompys2000 01.01.24	Well_yes_lets_go
JohnnyoftheWell 01.01.24	it is time um lfg "King Gizzard should be lower" extremely valid complaint lol I am sorry