Paul Desmond – Desmond Blue
Favorite Track: Desmond Blue, Late Lament
Great easy-listening album. Probably one of the most acc#essable albums on the list. It’s nice hearing jazz with good atmosphere that doesn’t devolve into overly abstract “jazzness”. Whole album is very easy to listen to, with no stand-out overly annoying tracks in it. Sounds like one big song when played from start to finish and continues the vibe the whole way through without much energy turbulence.
Favorite Track: Ill Wind, Desmond Blue
Excellent rich jazz sound with a pleasant and cinematic vibe. I may not be as into honky sax music as much as other genres, but the jazz ensemble accompanying Paul for this album makes for a lush musical soundscape that you can get easily lost in. 4 cigarettes being smoked in the rain with the warmth of a wartime overcoat out of 5
The Artifacts – That’s Them
Favorite Track: Who’s This?
Sounds like a 94 album made in 97. Real old-school cadence on the vocals. Beats are Tribe Called Quest atmospheric esq. Once again, an easy album to listen to front-to-back if you enjoy at least one of the tracks. Pick any random track from this album and it is a pretty good representation of how the entire album sounds. This album made me realize that the non-remixed “Ultimate” version of the track on this album is probably the weakest track there. As far as early 90s sound, probably can’t find an album from this era that has equally as many tracks worth listening to. Almost Illmatic level front-to-back enjoyable without any tracks that you wanna skip.
Machinedrum – Vapor City
Favorite Track: Eyesdontlie
I know Kenny didnt enjoy this album as something to sit down and listen to, but as someone who works to music all day this was a pretty good album for background noise. Pretty unique downtempo dub sound. Some of the songs are a little long for what they provide as the songs are pretty static and have a similar vibe the whole way through. Definitely something I could listen to on repeat while I pack orders or do annoying work. Probably listened to this front to back 4-5 times while I was working this week.
Favorite Track: Overcome
Hard to say if this album is revered for some sort of advance in sound with regards to electronic music and synths, but I found it to be a largely repetitive slog with little redeeming qualities. After the 7 minute first track dragged to a halt, I immediately paused my listening session with this album to listen to something more fun with my $1500 headphones. I could see perhaps putting this album on in some sort fugue working state, but I’m left sour by an album with little sound variation and a largely boring and bloated runtime that doesn’t respect your time. 1.5 out of 5 stars, not a sound to sooth the soul of a working man.
Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
Favorite Track: Coronus, the Terminator, The Protest,
Pretty confusing and disorienting album. Very experimental Jazz like a confusing badbadnotgood album mastered on crack. Pretty hi-fi. Feel like the album didn’t need to be 20 songs long. Probably 5-6 of the songs are confusing filler. First half of the album is really listenable, and then it kinda falls off a bit with the features. The Captain Murphy tracks are awful. Literally deleted them from my library. Fuck snoop dog as well. That song was so fucking weird. Pretty head-ass album.
Foals – Total Life Forever
Favorite Track: Blue Blood, Total Life Forever, Black Gold, After Glow
Solid album. Light-indie album from Foals. Some kinda gay moments on there. A lot of the songs sound pretty gay while the singer drones on for the intro but ends up tying itself together by the end of the song. All the songs are very dynamic and go on a journey through some interesting soundscapes. If you don’t like a song in the first 4 minutes, you probably will like it by the end i.e. “Black Gold” post 2 mins. Song structure usually switches up on tracks “This Orient” is kinda a gay song despite the first 10 seconds being sonically insane. Should have kept that energy. Second half of album definitely weaker than front half. Overall nice to hear a chiller Foals album when compared to their first album I familiarized myself with.
Favorite Track: After Glow, What Remains
A shimmery alt rock album masterfully recorded that shines lightly on your ears and vies for your attention. Admittedly lacks some of the punch of the earlier work from Foals but the dazzling layered guitar riffs are still proudly represented among this softer sound. On repeat listens I could see the groaning soft british lead vocals grow grating but the overall sound is so large I’m inclined to overlook that fact. 4 tears shed for a lover that’s now a memory out of 5
Rush – Fly By Night
Favorite Track: Anthem, Fly by Night, the 10 min track
Pretty foghatty album. Nothing really atmospherically unique about the album aside from some parts of that 10 minute track. Just a Rush classic rock album. Some of the melody choices on this album are a little weird especially in “In the End”. Cant tell if I love it or hate it. Getty Lee’s WoaoahahahYeaaahhhhyeahhh style in this album can kinda get annoying. “Best I Can” sounds like a Rush trying their hardest to make a KISS song. Not very Rush-like, but I guess it’s an older album and they hadn’t really found their style yet. Just pretty un-unique “classic rock” music without many standout moment aside from the entirety of “Anthem”.
Alexander O’Neal – Alexander O’Neal
Favorite Track: If You Were Here Tonight, A Broken Heart Can Mend, Medley: Innocent
Thugass nigga tracks to get head to. Insanely good mastering, very easy to listen to. Probably one of the best examples of this 80s slow magical pop genre. It’s literally a Tatsuro Yamashita album if a black guy made it.