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12.08.17 It's Been Real, Sputnik 09.19.17 Share Some Singles Vol. 4: Submission T
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"Classics" Marathon

I've always wanted to dedicate more time to older albums instead of sticking to recent stuff, but never got the chance to. I'm going to change that this year, where I'm going to try listen to a bunch of older, more revered albums. I probably won't get to them all throughout the month, but I'll do my best. List is the bands/albums I had in mind, and I'd appreciate some other "classic" album recommendations. Wish me luck! btw, as I listen to each record, I'll update this list with my opinions on each record.
1TV on the Radio
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes


Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes: 3.1/5
Multiple listens through this and I still couldn't fully get on board. I'm left trying to find some form of major cohesion among these 9 tracks, but I can't seem to come out of these with the answer of what makes TV on the Radio themselves. There's the incorporation of a capella in a couple tracks which is neat, but in the end this felt kind of like a smorgasboard. Half of the tracks on here impressed me, and the other half bored me.

Return To Cookie Mountain: 3.45/5
With 'Cookie Mountain', I sense a much more distnict, focused TVotR. There's a real rhythmic emphasis on many of the songs on here, making this an invigorating experience and an overall more entertaining one. It takes a while to really get going, and the closer is a bit of a snoozer, but I'm starting to get a sense of who TV on the Radio are.
2TV on the Radio
Dear Science


Part 2

Dear Science: 3.9/5
I feel confident in saying that 'Dear Science' is a definite sign of evolution, and a huge improvement upon the band's last two records. But it's not like an insane change of pace was taken. Rather, with the addition of influence from Talking Heads and funk music, a few instrumental bells and whistles, and the sharpening of their songwriting skills, 'Dear Science' is just TV on the Radio at their most focused, funky, and fulfilling.
3Talking Heads
More Songs About Buildings and Food


More Songs About Buildings and Food: 3.85/5
A solid set of post punk and art pop tracks that got my hips moving with some incredibly funky bass and guitar grooves. David Byrne's vocals aren't something I'd call my favorite, but they definitely stick out from the crowd, and can be really entertaining at times.

Fear of Music: 3.5/5
While some of the bands' best tracks so far are located on this record, I just didn't find this to be quite as fun as its predecessor. It might have to be with the fact that the grooves on here aren't quite as tight; they're still there, just not as prominent.

Remain In Light: 4.35/5
Absolutely stunning. The first half is filled with complex, yet funky compositions that trump everything else I've heard from the band, and the 2nd half is s chilling descent into dark eeriness. One of the most mystifying things about the record is how well these two sides of the record slide flow into each other. Deserved of it's magnum opus status.
4Massive Attack
Blue Lines


Blue Lines: 3.6/5
For someone who had only heard their latest EP before jumping into this, I was caught off guard by how organic a lot of this record is. On more than a few tracks, electronics take a back seat to some decent bass groves and vocal guests that are usually impressing, but always intriguing. There were a few tracks I wasn't going crazy over, but there are definitely some golden tracks on here.

Protection: 3.9/5
I really appreciated this album for it's laid back tone, especially on the instrumental tracks. Also, I feel that the balance of organic and synthetic elements is pulled off better on here than on 'Blue Lines". Aside from an unnecessary "Light My Fire" cover, this is an incredibly alluring record that I enjoyed more than it's more critically revered predecessor.
5Massive Attack
Mezzanine


Part 2

Mezzanine: 4.1/5
A much more eerie, haunting record than the other two by far. It's a sound change that the group went all out for, and I'd say it pays off. The consistently sedate tempo and uncompromisingly dark production makes this album an absolutely wonderful mood record, with it's share of masterpieces as well.
6The Knife
Deep Cuts


Deep Cuts: 3.2/5
Some of the sounds used on this record feel a bit like paint-by-the-numbers synthpop, but some great songwriting saves these songs from being uninteresting to me. Sometimes it's a bit too weird for it's own good lyrically, but other times they balance eccentricity and catchiness very well. Bring some more successful experimentation to the production on the next record and I'll be a happy guy.

Silent Shout: 4.35/5
Holy. Shit. They really stepped it up with this one! Not only does the production sound greater than ever, but the nighttime aura this album gives made falling in love with this much, much easier.

Shaking the Habitual 4.15/5
Definitely the strangest record I've heard from this marathon. When it hits, it's some of the experimental pop music I've heard in a LONG time. Though I feel like it gets a bit too abstract for me around the second half. It's an album that's pure gold 80% of the time, but 100% intriguing as well.
7Erykah Badu
Baduizm


Baduizm: 3.7/5
A very laid-back debut driven by the engaging personality of Ms. Badu. She proves herself to be a captivating vocalist, and a great songwriter. However, 'Baduizm' starts to lose steam as it goes along with a comparatively weaker 2nd half.

Mama's Gun: 4.4/5
Coming in with more sonic variety, more personality, more beautiful moments, and more everything than her debut, 'Mama's Gun' is a much more fleshed out and overall stronger album than 'Baduizm'. Even though it's 20 minutes longer than it's predecessor, I found this one to go by much faster based on how damn great almost every song on this is.

New Amerykah Pt. 1 (4th World War)
New Amerykah Pt. 2: Return of the Ankh
8The Stooges
The Stooges


The Stooges: 3.4/5
Some fun, catchy garage rock with multiple layers of raw, distorted guitars and the occasionally freaky vocals from Iggy to add some edge to their sound. The sound palette is more on the simpler side, which is to the detriment of the album, but overall a decent debut from The Stooges.

Fun House 4.1/5
Do I think this is a huge improvement on their debut? Totally. The production got thicker, Iggy's performances got wilder, and the introduction of the sax makes the 2nd half absolutely mind-bending. It's fucking fiery, man.

Raw Power 3.7/5
Where did the sax go? Really wish it ventured more musically, but it more hook-heavy and accessible than 'Fun House'. Doesn't result in anything boundary pushing, but still a decent record.
9Pixies
Surfer Rosa


Surfer Rosa: 4.3/5
Personality-filled indie rock with a bunch of hooks, bunch of riffs, and just enough weirdness to keep things interesting. Solid record.

Doolittle: 3.9/5
Found this to be not as amazing as Surfer Rosa, as I liked the rougher feel of their debut. Not quite as weird as their previous effort, but I can see why this is considered the band's classic. Definitely a bunch of classic-tier tracks that measure up to the best tracks on Surfer Rosa.

Bossanova: 3/5
Doesn't measure up to the other two at all, even if it does bring a couple decent tracks. Francis' vocals don't seem quite as wild on here as the previous two, which is what made those first two albums so special and so Pixies.
10D'Angelo
Brown Sugar


Brown Sugar: 4.1/5
This is some super groovy shit that goes down real smooth, elements that I really enjoy in my soul. There may not be a specific point where the album truly explodes in energy except the closing ballad, but D'Angelos talent as a vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist shines through on 'Brown Sugar'.

Voodoo: 4.6/5
If there's one thing that makes 'Voodoo' so special, it has to be the production. It's so damn thick and groovy, the basslines on this record are Grade A. It's albums like this that prove the power of the bass. 'Brown Sugar' may have more accessible songwriting, but 'Voodoo' trumps its predecessor in nearly every other way and still manages to get stuck in your brain like 'Brown Sugar' with a few intimate listens.
11The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground & Nico


The Velvet Underground & Nico: 4.35/5
The Velvet's eponymous debut is the bastard child of rock and roll. The more straighforward rock tracks are sleazy, raw, and don't shy away from the taboo, and more experimental cuts like "Heroin" and "Venus In Furs" are mind-altering, soul crushing experiences that still sound on the fringe after nearly half a century.

White Light/White Heat: 3.7/5
I'm finding it hard to make heads or tails of this. While the debut dabbles in the avant-garde, 'White Light' dives heard first with ear-grating and head-scratching song that I'd hesitate to call compositions because tracks like "Sister Ray" are the opposite of composed. But that's what I love about those tracks, though they seem like things I'd only return to occasionally. In fact, the more conventional tracks like the opener are my least favorites on here, as they sound like ok at best 'and Nico' B-Sides and suffer the worst from the shabby production on this thing.
12The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground


The Velvet Underground: 3.7/5
The yang to 'White Light/White Heat''s ying. While their sophomore effort intrigued based on how goddamn weird it was, the self-titled is satisfyingly simple in its instrumental presentation for the most part. Reed really tries to show off his songwriter talents with a lot of soft ballads, and he manages to impress quite a few times. However, there are moments where the music is so simple to the point where it falls into the background, something I'd never expect from a band like the Velvet Underground. I guess these two VU releases really prove the ying yang theory to be true.
13Stevie Wonder
Talking Book


Talking Book: 3.6/5
A handful of the songs on 'Talking Book' tread on a fine line between a certain sweet spot of sunny, well-written pop, funk, and R&B songs and falling into audible cheese territory. Some songs, like the opener, work; others like "You and I" fumble. Hard. Aside from the occasional cheese, the album is relatively smooth sailing, with a handful of classic-tier cuts.

Innervisions: 4.25/5
I wasn't too crazy about the ballad-centric songwriting of 'Talking Book', so this was a wonderful change of pace for me. 'Innervisions' is a much more visceral record with some great lyrics to boot, especially on the first three tracks that rank as some of my favorite Stevie tracks. Multiple shades of funk, jazz, and soul show up on 'Innervisions', and pretty much all of them land.
14Stevie Wonder
Fulfillingness' First Finale


Part 2

Fulfillingness' First Finale: 3.7/5
It's a nice return to the more ballad-filled 'Talking Book' style, as the improvements Wonder has made over the 2 year span are applied. Less saccharine downpoints and more very emotional moments from Stevie lyrically. However, the harder, funkier cuts don't quite reach the heights of tracks like "Superstition" or "Living In The City", which leaves the album low on major highlights.

Songs in the Key of Life: 4.7/5
The big one, and the best one. Not a single track on here I'd consider bad, which is pretty damn impressive considering the length. The first half is especially impressive, and would be a near 5/5 43-minute effort on it's own. The length does end up become a bit tedious, as there's so much material to go through. However, this could also mean that with more listens the album will get more digestible and soon become an all time fave. But for now, I'd say this is my favorite Stevie.
15PJ Harvey
Dry


Dry: 3.45/5
Based off her debut record 'Dry', it's obvious PJ Harvey has quite the ear for melody, a passionate voice, and can pull off some lyrical gems at times ("Sheela-Na-Gig", "Water"). However, aside from a few tracks, I don't quite see what's so spectacular about this; I just see it as a very decent indie rock/ singer-songwriter record.

Rid Of Me
To Bring You My Love
Is This Desire?
16DJ Shadow
Endtroducing...


Endtroducing... 3.55/5
It's gonna be a grower for sure. There are some absolutely mind-blowing tracks on here like "Stem/Long Stem", "Midnight In A Perfect World", and "Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain". The others are really chill, real nice drums, but nothing that screams "10/10" for me. Then again, I've been coming back to this quite a lot for the past week, so maybe I'm underestimating how much I'm actually enjoying this. Hmmmm....

EDIT: After a while of hoping for a revelation of why this is so beloved, I just can't find it. Some of the tracks on here just feels a bit too bland for me. The tracks that I claimed to be "mind-blowing" still are and the record does a good job of setting the mood it aims for, but it just might not be for me.
17A Tribe Called Quest
The Low End Theory


The Low End Theory: 4.65/5
In light of recent events, I felt it was the right time to check this out. I sure make the right choice. The mixture of these superbly jazzy beats and the likable personalities of Tip and Phife were incredibly rewarding. My love of this isn't anything complex or long-winded, this is just a nearly perfect collection of rap tracks deserve their classic status.

Midnight Marauders: 4.05/5
The Tribe is Back, and they're still throwing out the jazz rap gems. The best songs on here definitely rank up with the best from 'The Low End Theory', and the album is more varied in mood production-wise. However, there are more holes in here that keep it from being an equally amazing release. First of all, it's extremely top-heavy. The 2nd half lacks in stunners that'd keep it from feeling a bit uneventful. I also felt the topics on 'Low End' were much stronger and varied. But other than that, the gang did it again and made a record that failed to fully disappoint.
18Nujabes
Metaphorical Music


Metaphorical Music
Modal Soul
19David Bowie
Station to Station


Station To Station: 4.05/5
While 'Young Americans' had some cheesy elements that kept me from digging it 100%, this one cuts it all out. Instead, he brings the funk hard on this one with tracks like "Station to Station" and "Stay". Also, mark "Wild Is The Wind" down for another tear-jerking Bowie closer. It feels too short though, like a track or two is desperately needed. Other than that, another wonderful record from Ziggy.

Low: 4/5
Some of the tracks on the very underwhelming first half may still have some grooves that 'Station To Station' was filled with, but the inclusion of electronics is the main revelation made on 'Low'. The odd electronic quirks added onto certain give them character, and the ambient 2nd half of the record is the one of the greatest strings of tracks he's ever released.
20David Bowie
"Heroes"


Part 2

"Heroes": 4.5/5
The main problem I had with 'Low' was the inferiority of the rock tracks on side one when compared to the 2nd. '"Heroes"' fixes this problem tenfold with some of the greatest rock tracks to come from the man yet. Yet it still delivers on the ambient goodness that 'Low' came with. The "Sense of Doubt"/"Moss Garden"/"Neukoln" combo rivals the 2nd half of 'Low' pretty closely, taking a much darker tone than the pieces on this album's predecessor. What does all this result in? My new favorite David Bowie album, that's what.
21Sweet Trip
Velocity : Design : Comfort


Velocity: Design: Comfort: 4.4/5
Definitely one of, if not the most unique record I've heard in this marathon. As someone who hasn't delved deeply into the genres this album has been labeled as, shoegaze and IDM, I still found this to be an amazingly textured album that meshes these two genres into a wonderful, glitchy adventure. Even though I found this to be a bit hard to decipher at first because of how much was going on, there were still some very pretty melodies and awe-inspiring moments that kept me hooked through the majority of the 70+ minute runtime. I feel like I could listen to this dozens of times and still find this to be texturally and sonically refreshing.
22The Beach Boys
Smiley Smile


Smiley Smile: 3.4/5
MUCH weirder record than it's predecessor. There's a bunch of crazy ideas that went into this. IDEAS. Some of these songs just seem unfinished and rather are sketches of songs. Though given the record's backstory, I can see why the record is like this.

Wild Honey: 2.7/5
Didn't really enjoy this one. This Rhythm and Blues sound doesn't work well for them; they just sound out of their element. Really sweet melodies save some of these tracks though.

Friends: 3.45/5
Thankfully, this is a decent rebound. Much more harmonious and laid back, perfect summer listen. Sometimes the songwriting is a bit too undercooked, but overall this is much better than 'Wild Honey' and even beats 'Smiley Smile'.

Sunflower: 4.1/5
Best Beach Boys record since Pet Sounds. While some of the tracks don't compare to others, there are some classic-tier song on here. Just an overall wonderful listening experience. "Tears In The Morning" and "Cool, Cool Water" are especially fantastic.
23The Beach Boys
Surf's Up


Part 2

Surf's Up: 3.7/5
Another major success for the group after 'Sunflower'. They bring the quality melodies and harmonies yet again, but the real surprise was that lyrics on some of the tracks go in more of a socially conscious direction. Hearing songs about pollution, protests, and other issues is a nice change of pace. The one thing that keeps me from enjoying this as much as 'Sunflower' is that I felt this album's predecessor had more standout tracks. What this album DOES have is the best Beach Boys track since 'Pet Sounds': "Surf's Up".
24OutKast
ATLiens


ATLiens: 3.85/5
What a wordy album. There's so much lyrical content packed in each songs delivered in such fast flows that it's quite hard to gather it all. It's an extremely cerebral album that during more passive listening just feels like you're missing out on too much. If I'm ever going to to enjoy this album to it's fullest potential, it'd have to be when I make time out of my day to focus on the album solely.

Aquemini
Stankonia
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