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Last Active 04-16-20 11:22 pm
Joined 12-21-13

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 Lists
07.08.17 A Celebration of Musical Shite06.06.17 Quest to 500 Ratings
12.21.16 A Very Festive and Posi 3rd Sputversary10.10.16 Top 10 Meshuggah Songs
08.17.16 Anyone Here Have 100% Orange Juice/Have07.11.16 A Guide to Buying Japanese Music Overse ♦
08.24.15 Best Sputnik Quotes ♦06.07.15 Albums I Bought So Far This Year
05.06.15 My 5's Ranked04.30.15 Selling SGM's Of Natural History
12.13.14 1 Year On Sput!11.16.14 Albums I Own
08.14.14 I'm Going To Uni!!!!!! ♦04.28.14 Time To Kick Some Exam Arse :]
01.26.14 My Top 20 Dillinger Escape Plan Songs12.21.13 Good Day Everyone

Quest to 500 Ratings

Since I'm Snorlax when it comes to checking new stuff Evo and Jas thought it would be fun to make a game out of it. To climax the oh so mighty summit of the 500 ratings mountain (peers over at people with 2000+ ratings and cries inside) and to expand horizons to other gold/classics that everyone should know by now these two lovely people have given me 9 albums to give impressions on. I'll listen to one every weekday (weekends aren't a guarantee) and give impressions on them, who gives the overall best list of albums wins. Here's Jas' list, since he will be doing the same: http://www.sputnikmusic.com/list.php?mode=1&listid=175395#comments
1Triptykon
Melana Chasmata

Evo - We're getting closer to the brown note everyday, this is a nice contribution to this with some of it's nasty tones. Overall a really nice album that did it's job well, creating an atmosphere of overbearing darkness quite effectively with the standouts being the excellently composed solos and the calmer moments. Having the lower howls over the primal drumming I found far more convincing than the standard affair riffs that primarily dominated this album and the manic feeling to the solos give a chaotic edge the album needed. Despite the album's strengths the slightly meandering songwriting making the tracks longer than they needed to be at times coupled with a harsh vocal that didn't do that much for me and the guitar tone being slightly off bring this down from being something special (The production of this is essentially a worse version of Thy Catafalque's Roka Hasa Radio, I wanted a more muffled filthy guitar tone rather than the clarity it presents). A cheeky 3.4/3.5 out of 5.
2Swans
Children of God

Jas
3Chelsea Wolfe
Abyss

Evo - First things first, wow does she have a set of pipes on her. A rather morose and strong voice dominates the proceedings and it makes her instantly recognisable, coupled with the skill of crafting convincing (for the most part) atmospheres makes the album live up to its title if all else. As for the songs themselves, I can imagine the album as a whole being a grower due to its slow and atmospheric nature, because first time round I found it quite one dimensional to the extent finding tracks 3-6 monotonous and struggled to pay attention. Doesn't mean the whole thing goes into a blur however, because there's standouts and clear differences in some songs. Whether it be the doom laden Iron Moon, the tense and climactic Survive and my personal favorite, the closer, bringing an emphasis on a haunting piano and carefully placed guitar backing making this a unnerving closer. Pretty good stuff here, hopefully it'll grow on me later: 3.4/5
4Paul Simon
Graceland

Jas - If anyone listens to this album, I implore you to look up the history on it and read the lyrics because that's easily the album's greatest strength. Interesting stories about either Paul himself, the state of South Africa or anything that comes to his mind always deliver poignant points and makes it a pleasure to listen to. A particular favorite of mine (musically and lyrically) would be the 5th track, which the more African musical influences shine and the charming love story is a winner, having the poor black man dress to impress and eventually wearing the shoes as the woman learns a sense of empathy. Musically however...is where the cracks begin to show for me. It's definitely musically distinct from other albums with the African influences, the fretless bass especially standing out however it just...pleasant for the most part. No times does the instrumentation or songwriting take the lead, it just sets the tone and follows suit. A great 3.7/5 for the themes mainly.
5Obliteration
Black Death Horizon

Evo - This is some modern DM I can get behind, having a edge of filth and at places just being outright evil. The echo on the vocals sounding like they're cries being unheard in the depths of hell, the amazing bass tone giving the guitars a much needed lower end and insane guitar solos wailing over the proceedings like a flock of phoenixes flying over the river Styx. Adding some nicely paced songwriting along with the atmosphere and you have an album masterfully crafted with evident care gone into each song. The only real flaws I can give this is ultimately down to my personal preferences rather than the album itself. It focuses very heavily on atmosphere and is a catatonic wall of madness on the more aggressive parts rather than focusing on particular parts of the band itself and letting the song naturally transition between each member and riff. As someone who loves his Thrash I enjoy the ideas they present less than a more straight forward riff based approach. 3.8/3.9 out of 5.
6The Beatles
Abbey Road

Jas - As a fellow citizen in lovely Liverpool for Uni, I should have done this long ago. As expected even to this day it's a huge part of the city, seeing tons of memorabilia around the city center and of course the Beatles Museum itself. As a first dive into the giant phenomenon I can't say I'm as wowed as the 4.6 average suggests however this is never unenjoyable and has many flashes of brilliance which justifies their legacy. Personally I definitely enjoy side B more than side A, with side B working far better as a cohesive piece due to the songs transitioning well into each other and becoming more fun as it progresses, along with a general higher quality of songs. Examples of such golden moments would be the blissful chilled atmosphere of Sun King with it's guitar jangles and tasteful vocal harmonies along with my personal album highlight, the anthemic Carry that Weight giving such joy after the calmness of Golden Slumbers. British to the core and I'd like to check more: 3.8/5.
7Poets of the Fall
Carnival of Rust

Evo - Don't have much to say about this one, just really rock solid alt rock with a potent amount of balladry and no bad songs. If you like alt rock then you can put it on and have a good time, if not then I wouldn't bother. Special mention to All the Way, Dawn and the t/t for having a sense of grandness which you don't really expect from music like this: Why aren't these more popular? 3.5/5
8Boris
Noise

Jas - Oh boy this was an inconsistent one, can't really tell if that's down more to the album or my mood in general being at home with little to do. On one hand you have the noisy and relaxed Ghost of Romance plus the gigantic Angel which does very well composition wise, to quite banal affair like Taiyo no Baka with lazy vocal melodies and being too much of a drastic shift from the previous track. Despite it all being under the noisy umbrella of rock, there's a bunch of variety and they tried to convey different feelings on each song. However, to a degree this is double edged sword since each approach has varying levels of success. Main example of which would be the first half of Quicksilver, which is a more simplified and less energetic version of the manic frenzied energy that Pink has (plus the production not helping along either, Pink's more fuzzy guitar tone and louder snare helped that album). This goes into the 'listen to another day when I'm back at University' pile: 3.2/5
9Anathema
Judgement

Evo - So far, now 9 albums in this has easily the 2 best songs out of this entire list: One Last Goodbye and the closing track. One being a crushing ballad with grips you with its sincerity while the other is one of the best instrumentals you can hear with its stunning tasteful guitar playing over zen like ambience. The rest of the album is no slouch either, with well written emotionally bleak lyrics and very solid production to boot. Not that often does the quality drop either and the album length is just right, hard hitting Progressive Rock which you can't really go wrong with. Despite some parts going a tad too long and wanting more of the atmospherics to loom over the proceedings more this is really great: 4/5.
10Wu-Tang Clan
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Jas - I'll admit one of the last things I expected from this list is to enjoy this album the most so far, yet here we are because this shit is fire with little duds in the smooth tracklist. Many cool small details amount up to make a really fun listen, with the most noticeable being the album's mood, a love letter to Wuxia type movies while keeping distinctly thuggish. Despite the album for the most part bringing the ruckus or smashing people's testicles on dressers, hints of variety help keep the album fresh and interesting with the album highlight 'Can It All Be So Simple' being the best example of that. Nice beat sending the track off with a light voice saying the title repeatedly, the sudden change in lyrical topic to a more realistic and harsher setting and the 2 minute interview at the end fleshing out the members of the Clan bring it all home to some amazing material. I can't say I'm a fan of Hip Hop but I'm definitely a fan of this: 4/4.1 out of 5.
11Theatre of Tragedy
Aégis

Evo - Without the harsh vocals of the previous outing tarnishing the proceedings, this gets to shine in its dreary beauty. Doing very well in that regard, it gets off to a fantastic start with Cassandra, delivering some of the best vocal passages you'll hear with Liv's parts. The great production does wonders as well, especially that booming snare having plenty of presence in the mix. The first 7 tracks continues to follow this positive trend (with Aoede being the best of the bunch with its stunning atmosphere made by the brooding riff and a more bass lead verse) although all of this is derailed with tracks 8 and 9, in which the album's atmosphere got too monotone and too repetitive. It was painful hearing the amount of repeats in Bacchante and how it barely had peaks or troughs, just essentially laying there in its monotone bore begging me to give a fuck. A really nice album held back from being a exemplary one for its style due to apathetic songwriting in parts: 3.8/5
12PJ Harvey
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

Jas - As with 7, not that much for me to say here really. Solid all round despite being a clear divide between the best tracks and the others, the more quieter tracks are the best ones where it gives the feeling of being alone in an apartment complex in a vast city effectively. If you want good singer songwriter/alt rock stuff this will suit ya fine despite the first track being a bore: 3.3/3.4 out of 5.
13Dead Can Dance
Within the Realm of a Dying Sun

Evo
14Prince
Purple Rain

Jas - I was, very disappointingly, going to tear this album limb from limb on my first listen. Not enjoying any of the compositions, eccentricity of Prince himself, the snare sound...much of anything really. That all changed when I got to the title track. A great soulful track with a whopper tasteful solo to cap it off, so I went back to the album and tried it again, which resulted in a more positive experience despite having still many complaints still. Not a fan of Prince's eccentricities, trying too hard to be sensual and exciting (with his higher 'intense' voice on The Beautiful Ones and his croaking at the start of When Doves Cry being particularly bad) plus I don't find the album to be as fun as it should be. Despite it having some cool moments this is a disappointment: 3/5
15Deathspell Omega
Paracletus

Evo - This sounds like a Black Metal version of Ulcerate to my ears, despite more expert ears probably going mental at that likely ignorant statement. Dissonant to the nth degree, it just crushes you until there's nothing left with barely any room for melody, rhythm or anything of the sort. Much like Ulcerate that pretty much demotes it to be a very technically mindblowing experience but not an enjoyable one to listen to as such. Despite that however occasionally the band lets their songs to have breathing room, such as Dearth and Phosphene which develop the atmosphere and the songs feel more developed as a result. Pretty good stuff but I can't see myself returning to it: 3.5/5
16Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago

Jas
17My Dying Bride
The Dreadful Hours

Evo - I got what I expected here: Dreary lyrics set to solid guitar lead pummeling and the occasional stunning ambience while Aaron rasps with such a fierce bite whilst having the feeling he desires death as he lays wounded...and I wouldn't have it differently. Despite the fact you know what you're getting there's just enough variety and difference to make this stand out, especially with the first half of the album being very strong (the 1st and 3rd being especially poignant where the former's lyrics and the latter's atmosphere make them standouts). However despite the strength of the first side and the second side being definitely weaker, they saved the absolute vile monolith for last as 'The Return to the Beautiful' is a glorious cacophony of the most savage aspects of this band put into one. All of this packed with stellar songwriting amounts this to one of the best songs I've heard and the best on the list. A worthy 500th rating, and a very overdue 4.1/5
18Radiohead
In Rainbows

Jas - This was very pleasant, which is one of its biggest strengths. Despite having depth to how their songs develop, you can also just sit back and let the album wash over you and enjoy it just as much with its calming acoustic guitar and lovely violin uplifting the proceedings on tracks such as Nude and Faust Arp. That doesn't necessarily mean that this is a cheerful walk in the park though, as exemplified by its amazing production and more touching moments, which in my eyes is best shown on Nude. The echo on Thom's voice is just right and the bass feels very warm with earphones, giving the guitar plenty of room to breathe where it sounds more like a live recording in an empty arena than a studio recording. Then just as you're locked into its groove, it opens with a subtle mindblowing violin section, giving visions of grandeur and beauty...quietly disappearing to a slightly more prominent guitar passage until the song drifts off in a dreamy fashion. Stunning: 4.2/5
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