Album Rating: 2.0

you just don't get the RHCP, man. SMDH.

Flag, name an album similar to Benji?

Name someone writing lyrics like on Benji this decade?

Pick another album because you'll get me eventually but not on that album lol - Benji's more distinctive and original than Carrie & Lowell and that's not a debatable opinion (C&L doesn't need to be majorly original to be a great album of course) :/

Album Rating: 2.0

"name an album similar to Benji?"

The obvious and easy answer is everything else Kozelek did.

I think there are artists who are a bit flakey but hang around so the critics get the hump because they sort of want to canonize them in the Rock n' Roll Critics Favourite hall of fame...so they're waiting, just waiting with keyboard primed, for them to refine their song writing to the point they make a half decent album that's consistent-ish front to back.

This is that album - it also ticks the boxes of almost being a concept album and supposedly being the most emotionally revealing too, so there you have it. Free of absolute clunkers/snore-fests and relatively engaging as a set of songs - CANONIZED CLASSIC {stamp}, job done, critical darling certified as genius, AOTY, reflected glory for everyone

Album Rating: 4.5

Wait are you serious? Instrumentally there is nothing special about Benji, it sounds like any other folk album with picking guitar strings. Mark's voice is pretty damn bland compared to other folk singers like Joanna.



As for the lyrics, they are nice, hence why I like the album, but other people have tackled death this decade too and better imo. A Crow Looked At Me, for example.



It's your opinion tho, whatever, it's just funny to me you think this is bland and non-inventive, but that is.

'The obvious and easy answer is everything else Kozelek did.'

Nah, Benji only sounded like a few songs from Among the Leaves - the amount of uproar for his change in style tells you he had never written anything quite like it before. Biggest style departure of the decade near enough and not everyone was happy.

It sounds totally unlike Admiral Fell Promises which was how he opened the decade

Crow Looked at Me is nowhere near as sophisticated in its approach and intentions as Benji - fair enough, that album was just an emotional dump and that's ok because the bloke's wife died.

Benji is much more explorative and actually revealing about the life and character of the man - Crow is (and I'll get in trouble for saying it) 'Any Man Who's Wife Just Died'. Really harrowing, uncomfortable...but I never listen to it any more. Also that is an album that really does still sound musically a lot like other Phil Elverum releases

Album Rating: 2.0

A lot of the stuff on Benji is similar to stuff he did before and after. That doesn't mean Benji wasn't transitional.

It sure was because the album split his fanbase in half near enough - name other artists to do the same this decade? Not many.

So really it's as close to a risk taking career curveball as the 10s served up.

Album Rating: 2.0

That sounds hard to believe but i'll take your word for it.

it's the Dylan goes electric of the decade bruh, 'Kozelek decides to talk over every song from now on and references his lunch every other lyric'

He's quite antagonistic about it - to paraphrase, 'I'm bored of my old shit, I don't wanna release another 'Admiral Fells', I wanna do this, deal with it'

The music industry these days really doesn't take kindly to artists changing approach

You can only really get away with it if you're Kanye or you have the thick hide of a rhino like the Koz - or if you release your own stuff independently

Album Rating: 2.0

lana del rey has always finessed this weird feeling of everything she does musically being enclosed within quotation marks but this is the first time I really feel like the chords and melodies completely enforce that sense. "venice bitch" is awful for that reason. how can anyone listen to the chord progression lining "You're in the yard, I light the fire / And as the summer fades away / Nothing gold can stay" and feel like "yeah this is genuine" idk idk



I miss born to die and ultraviolence, there was always really bad stuff on her albums but those had really good stuff too at least, and it was cool that everyone hated on her lol, made it fun to try and see the virtues. I guess that's the definition of being a contrarian but :shrug emoji:

Album Rating: 2.0

I'm not a huge fan of Benji, but it's far better crafted than A Crow Looked at Me. Literally the whole of Crow's appeal (if you can call it that) is that it's barely crafted at all. Benji churns through narratives; Crow flogs a dead horse from start to finish



Seconded everything in robertsona's post, good good take

Album Rating: 2.0

"The music industry these days really doesn't take kindly to artists changing approach"

" these days "

lol

Album Rating: 2.0

Crow and Benji both great. Probably prefer Benji by a tiny bit

well, 'even less than before' I guess is more accurate

or you're just ripping on my old man-isms

Album Rating: 2.0

both

the 1-2 suckerpunch

Album Rating: 4.0

Not today pb