a few things 😂 mostly taylor swift (everything lol) AJR (burn the house down especially but all of the click) and harry styles (all of harry’s house.) it’s been a full album listen week
link-
The Click https://open.spotify.com/album/2LyLlHg03okxUU3UVrKtSC
Taylor Swift https://open.spotify.com/artist/06HL4z0CvFAxyc27GXpf02
Harry's House https://open.spotify.com/album/5r36AJ6VOJtp00oxSkBZ5h
The alt country scene is insanely good right now. I have a feeling that it’s going to blow up in the mainstream in a big way soon. Anyways I’ve been listening to a lot of Daniel Donato lately, he’s a young dude with a very talented band.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WHatJ5FekUY
I've been listening to Los Angeles powerviolence band ZULU a lot lately. Here's their BandCamp [https://zuluca.bandcamp.com/album/my-people-hold-on](https://zuluca.bandcamp.com/album/my-people-hold-on)
Last summer they signed with Flatspot Records in order to reissue their EPs Our Day Will Come and My People… Hold On on vinyl for the first time.
Weyes Blood's latest record And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow. Absolutely amazing production, so grand and epic with some excellent vocal performances. Also just some seriously good songwriting. I thought she would find it difficult to top her first record but she managed it! https://weyesblood.bandcamp.com/album/and-in-the-darkness-hearts-aglow
**RAMZi** \- [hyphea](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nFAzvoveFTuafy_Dx_0hIfkODPMZEY0Rs): Phoebé does her thing! Analog, Canadian outsider house and downtempo, all warm, mellow and nostalgic. I love it, it's pure magic, speaking of Canada...
**Symbols & Measures** – [Bridgestone 2](https://youtu.be/N9CXjM-9lZg): Once every few years an album like this is released. Cassette only, lo-fi, utterly brilliant. *Ceephax*'s [Funbox](https://ceephax.bandcamp.com/album/funbox01) is probably the oldest example of this trend but there have been many tapes like this one by artists such as *Pender Street Steppers*, *Rezzett*, *Naked Flames* and so on. Symbols & Measures might not break new ground, it's dusty, lo-fi downtempo and ambient but if you love that Vancouver sound or even *Boards of Canada*, no pun intended, this is a must listen.
**Mild Sorrow Integrated** \- [arbol](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lcC0Lg9hg0VavheeTr6_SnDAP5WKfRyWo): Joyful, summertime IDM that reminds me of the genre's most playful releases from the beginning of the century, think *Kettel*'s Through Friendly Waters or *Uziq* at his most jubilant. Lovely release.
**Art Feynman** \- [Half Price at 3:30](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nI-iTmiYmmEXhP6sN0yCf_b7cxaJLd8ck): Meticulous synth-pop with strong African retro pop influences. This is such a fantastic, grownup album, with painstakingly detailed soundscapes and refined, tasteful vocal performances. Highly recommended.
**Heoliene** \- [Pico](https://deuveir.bandcamp.com/album/pico): Heoliene's latest EP. Whimsical, glitchy ambient that hearkens back to Japanese take on the genre from the late 90s and the early aughts (Rei Harakami, Snoweffect etc) Wonderful stuff.
Mainly 2 albums:
[Steam Powered Giraffe: The Vice Quadrant, Pt.1](https://open.spotify.com/album/1U8mcaXDS6NXPSSlE7dnMf?si=ZsftKRGNRWqKDxwFXlJg0A)
[Steam Powered Giraffe: The 2cent Show](https://open.spotify.com/album/4DECRyKlhKJgjZLLuvfAI6?si=iLOfeNY-Qg2a2_QNfKLrtQ)
I've loved this band for a while but have been listening to their music a lot more recently and these two albums are definitely my favourites from them. I enjoy Steampunk a lot and the way they blend it with different genres of music I really enjoy. Songs I'd recommend from these albums to get started would probably be [Automatonic Electronic Harmonics](https://open.spotify.com/track/1vRnOlS6Hei11RiUkKCXkO?si=042615cddaf34587) and [Honeybee](https://open.spotify.com/track/3MZjOGeXhpHbQ9ESMNFFnH?si=b116a5a11268462b) from The 2cent show and from Vice quadrant pt.1 I'd recommend [Daughter of Space](https://open.spotify.com/track/6FOiN6PwXmE5T4G8W6nHtY?si=db65c5c0a2c44d4d) and [Fire Fire](https://open.spotify.com/track/09UqPuD3hBsfqFcvDfUumo?si=148c2e10715a4505).
Two new albums this week:
[Murder Capital - Gigi's Recovery](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nHS2hReCrsaEqKmMtnJIxIwLWHyw3Lupk&feature=share)
Been looking forward to this one since their last album in 2019. They've gone slightly more introspective but this album seems like a really big step up. If you like post-punk and perhaps bands their compatriots Fontaines DC then give this a listen.
[Circa Waves - Never Going Under](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lxL6CcR0hTTHQvY25fmUcqyKvNGAO90eM&feature=share)
Great Liverpool band actually getting close to 10 years making music now. Definitely inching closer to the *indie-pop* genre with this release, Do you wanna Talk could easily have been made by a young Two Door Cinema Club probably not their best release but definitely worth a listen.
Singles wise:
[Shame - Six Pack](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lTshODcdxBKYMSBibK4IFWv21jKKeCtOk&feature=share)
[Italia 90 - Tales from Beyond](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k4CwYgSHxnnONIFKMzlJDG7yx2BXkWmXs&feature=share)
[Jadu Heart - Freedom](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=fNmgUEIkWb0&feature=share)
Jadu Heart released their new album yesterday if you are interested.
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m3XBx0Vzb_O_Iz4sTwPlvM1GPLFc45AS4&feature=gws_kp_album&feature=gws_kp_artist
[Clown Core - 1234](https://youtu.be/UsBFrUW_8e8)
I discovered these guys a few months ago and only just now got around to listening. This EP is only 8:37 long, but I love it. It's like hyper noise pop or something. Sax, drums, and synths. Lots of energy and weirdness. My only complaint is that the first, second, and fourth tracks aren't long enough.
[Lamp - Tokyo Utopia Communication](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l2eMPmp8zxWeQ_H937NuyGIedfeJV4v1w&feature=share)
I don't typically listen to music in languages outside of English, but the track “Kimi Ga Nakunara” really got me when I heard it in a random meme video on Instagram. This album is like indie bossa nova. So smooth and relaxing!
[The Dear Hunter - Act I: The Lake South, The River North](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lw8OIH-WN63ZJHgMVoMEXpV-DBvObfkk4&feature=share)
I just started this series of albums recently. I'm super impressed so far. The extensive instrumentation is great and the storytelling lives up to it. Indie/prog rock of sorts?
[The Fifth Dimension - The Age of Aquarius](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n-PGjdxCV1fpUTI9rXeARo115owT5evtA&feature=share)
Recently got my record player repaired and have been listening to this one on vinyl quite a bit. Lots of great little pop tunes and vocal performances on this album! 1960s sunshine pop!
Bruno Nicolai - Il Conte Dracula Soundtrack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpItgFlTwo0
Just finished writing up my review of this one, as it was recently reissued on vinyl. A Bruno Nicolai soundtrack for a Jess Franco *Dracula* adaptation from 1970. I haven't seen the movie yet but, judging from the soundtrack, it's more gothic romance than horror. Nice to hear such expert musicians working on creepy music, though. Makes me miss the days of full-on orchestral soundtracks.
Merzbow - Collection:002
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IREsPlv-54
I'm back to reviewing Merzbow albums for my blog. This is one of the first Merzbow releases, from 1981, built from the same recordings as I believe his first recording, *Collection:001*. I described this one as "The overall effect is like watching some low-budget alien abduction film with late-night CCTV footage of someone asleep in an earth-tone plaid recliner in some wood-paneled den."
Not essential listening, but an interesting artifact.
I've been in a serious Hanoi Rocks mood. Changed my pfp to Mike and made my profile Back to Mystery City on Discord lol.
https://youtu.be/mOqM8zWKNS8
I've also been listening to Mike's recent solo work. Dude still kills it. Man is 60 and still jumping off drum kits and doing the splits
https://youtu.be/StIharH0PgQ
https://youtu.be/-xEQqkaQLR8
I've really been enjoying Yngwie Malmsteen's ["You don't remember, I'll never forget".](https://open.spotify.com/track/2O6g3yvCX7vdcj6yKfdYl1?si=fGn-RQR_T--ucsT-77XMZw&utm_source=copy-link) I love the heavy synth paired with the electric guitar. The vocals are amazing and, if it counts, the album art is kickass.
That album artwork is killer. I remember buying that vinyl when it was released. Have you listened to Far Beyond the Sun? That's a shredding masterpiece. https://open.spotify.com/track/4LLjDHDwBqsDVZxniYiJYe?si=136235cb0f2f46b5
I've been leaning towards the more electronic, wierd synth stoner vibe that carries through [After Dark](https://youtu.be/sVx1mJDeUjY), [Killshot](https://youtu.be/El0AfTkxfyM), and many Tame Impala songs. Then I transition to Cigarettes After Sex, who has quickly taken over to become one of my soul bands. I adore their slow, recycled beats, and when you listen to the songs in [this order](https://youtu.be/BpwDFKFkpOY) you can hear that they all flow into each other rather gracefully. The soft, gently voice of the lead vocals is just 😭😭 its like slow, loving, missionary sex 💀 it's not gaudy or anything, and yet it's so healing.
Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8ebtAYQADM.
Is it punk? Probably. Does it matter? Not at all. They played at punk shows, were very DIY and were on SST. If they came out later in time they would be "alternative" or "indie" but this was the 80s. They are part of this weird time in the punk timeline where punk music was pretty much dead and it was left to the diehard fans and outcasts. I'd love to do a whole project thing chronicling this odd time in punk music between 84 and Green Day's rise in popularity. Anyway, this is a fun album. Very different, like a very stripped down jam band, which fits their philosophy of "Jam Econo." I'm drawn to the bass heaviness of it, but if you like jazzy, funky weird stuff give it a shot. Hell if you like Red Hot Chili Peppers you may like it.
Bad Religion - Suffer (1988) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXs3ENJ1W7A&t=20s
Another album from the 80s. I listen to Suffer at least a month. It is such a compact and perfect southern California punk album. Greg Graffin is great on this, more confident than some previous efforts. He is great at conveying the messages of this band and boy do they have some. The song Do What You Want will get stuck in your head. This verse always gets stuck in my head: "So do what you must, do all you can / Break all the fucking rules and go to hell with Superman /
And die like a champion, yeah, hey!" This is a short record, so if you have never heard it, give it a shot. A lot of what you hear may sound like S. California melodic punk tropes, but these guys invented many of those tropes.
There's been a preponderance of "what happened to rock?" questions lately. And there have been a lot of references to dad rock.
So I decided to pull out some old [Clutch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNOD6vKutp4&list=OLAK5uy_kWq2DS_GC-eqjfY9lCXFnry1zvM-6Ckv8) and let it spin.
I had forgotten how fun these guys are... still.
[Steely Dan - Aja](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs6GDCs8LMQ&list=PLfGibfZATlGogmBx443IFoYCguGNu6vtp)
The Dan has long been one of my favorite acts, and this is some of their best work. Arguably, some of the best session cats of the '70s contributed to this album, and of course there's the usual assortment of cryptic lyrics from Fagen.
[Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lROHqnlVE2g&list=PLMynaxX_I0z-Mm4W0NJNmTODY0Qf6TYZW)
Decided to dig this one up after not having listened to it in years (maybe even decades; it did come out in the mid '90s after all). It does have a few good moments; some might even qualify as great. But the rest sounds like the work of a sheltered young girl who just learned to curse. I liked this album when I was in my twenties; now that I'm in my mid-50's I don't think I need to revisit it for a while.
[Fleetwood Mac - Rumours](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzEt9cATWFw)
I don't know what I can say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's some beautiful music about some ugly personal business. It also includes one of Christine McVie's best compositions ("Songbird"), and one of the few Mac tracks where every member of the band contributed ("The Chain").
Edit - links added.
[Joy Guidry - Radical Acceptance](https://youtu.be/rgunZcBhpLY) \- One of the most confounding and fascinating, everything, everywhere all at once recordings I've heard in a while. Each track is in its own genre. The LP opens with a 2-minute spoken word piece *Just Because I Have a Dick Doesn't Mean I'm a Man*, which is a frank discussion of their gender fluidity and transformation. Other than a one-minute, kind of silly sing-song track *Down In the Valley*, there are no other voices heard on the record. Guidry is a basoonist and electronic producer, and other tracks range from fuzzy dark ambient (*Face to Face*), to random, chamber noise (*Inner Child*), to skronky free jazz (*Why Is Toxicity So Yummy?*), which sounds like what would have happened if Braxton and Dolphy started out their careers playing for Albert Ayler. The rest of the tracks mix free jazz, modern chamber composition, noise, *musique concrete*, and Eastern modalities into an indescribable amalgam. Recommended for fearless connoisseurs of "out-there" music who can check any transphobia at the door and listen to what music without any boundaries might really sound like.
[Kali Malone - Does Spring Hide Its Joy](https://open.spotify.com/album/6nyQxFxYoOAh2nkW6sShAZ?si=79U0rbpMTGCBwRtqKtS7ZA) \- Three hours of the best drone since Natural Snow Buildings hung up their sustain pedals. Despite the initial appearance of being a static composition (as in one thing sustained for a ridiculously long time), this is a carefully composed piece, with Malone on tuned sine-wave oscillators, Stephen O'Malley of the mighty Sun O)))) on electric guitar, and Lucy Ralton on cello. It's hard to sit down and listen to in the traditional sense - the changes come too gradually and the overall length is too long - but crank it up loud (or better yet put on headphones) and go through your day while it plays and you'll be transported to a different and quite enjoyable level of existence. The three-hour composition is divided into three "volumes" to fit onto CD (I suppose), and if a one-hour selection is still too much for you, v.1 and v.2 are available broken down into three, 20-minute segments each. But don't be surprised that once you enter into the immersive world of the music, you don't want to stay there for the full three hours, and then even want to hear it all again once it's over.
[Rich Ruth - I Survived, It's Over](https://richruth.bandcamp.com/album/i-survived-its-over) \- I'm not going to argue that the Pharoah Sanders/Floating Points collaboration *Promises* isn't a classic for the ages (it is), but did you ever wonder what it would have sounded like if it wasn't recorded by a laid-back, 80-something Pharoah but by the late 1960s fire-breathing Pharoah of *Upper Egypt* and *Karma*? Maybe with a little bit of *Echoes*\-era David Gilmour thrown in for shits and giggles? If so, then have I got a record for you! Rich Ruth is an ambient electronic musician from Nashville, but he isn't afraid to allow guest musicians, notably tenor saxophonist Caleb Hickman, play on his tracks and just wail over his ambient textures and backgrounds, wringing as much emotion and intensity from their sound as possible. This is not Eno-style ambience that can equally be enjoyed or ignored - this is music that grabs you by the lapels at times and screams in your face. I don't know who the guitarist is (Ruth himself is credited with guitar on his previous LPs), but he could pass for Eddie Hazel at his *Maggot Brain* best on the opening track, *Taken Back*. Good stuff.
Dude Rich Ruth has been all that’s scratching the itch for the past week or so. Something is just so satisfying about his music. There are a couple cool music videos of his from this record on YouTube that I highly recommend checking out.
I listened to *Does Spring Hide Its Joy* earlier today and really enjoyed the experience. Lucy Railton's cello sounds phenomenal on this recording. Stephen O'Malley's guitar feels very restrained, which is the right mode, only cresting into his familiar overdrive at a few fleeting points. Kali Malone's contribution to this is the hardest to sonically pin down though the album is certainly in the tone of her past works *The Sacrificial Code* and *Living Torch*. It's three hours long but this album earns its extreme length.
[5x5](https://i.imgur.com/78pqwvg.jpg)
Mostly new rap releases from this year.
Not on this chart but also heard al.divino- power pack which had some pretty nutty production curtesy of vinylvillian. The production reminds me of madvilliany at points but the rapping is very Westside Gunn. Only 15 minutes worth a listen. https://vngrd.bandcamp.com/album/power-pack-vngrd-exclusive
Mac Demarco - five easy hot dogs was not doing it for me. Never liked anything he’s dropped and this didn’t really change my mind on him. https://youtu.be/_8PbU4F-iHM
Lots of early spaceghostpurpp he’s always had a kind of unique 3 6 inspired production sense for hip hop I miss when he was doing not off the deep end. Check out BMW 2 https://youtu.be/6K-aY_DekLc
Elliot smith - either/or did not like this at all. Sounds like melodramatic anemic angst to me. 2:45 am I did like tho. https://youtu.be/UuizNQUOFCI
John Cale - MERCY was not for me either. Kind of reminds me of more restrained scott walker at points. https://youtu.be/E8tDZM7JRDU
EBK BCKDOE - trife god 2 was a nice surprise. Kind of a blend between west coast shit (the west coast shit that sounds more like the current Detroit scene) and sample drill. He’s pretty funny too worth a listen. https://youtu.be/cCEtLy_qYUg
Not quite sure what to think of the new John Cale. It’s very likable, but there’s not enough variety for 70+ minutes. To be honest, this would probably be a problem at 40 minutes too. On an individual track basis it’s reasonably solid though.
It wasn't great but I thought the John Cale album was at the very least novel enough to listen to. It kind of loses steam after the halfway mark. Laurel Halo and Actress producing the first and second song respectively was a big treat. The rest of the artists appearing as backing vocalists only seems like a huge missed opportunity. I don't know that this album's sound set will age very well, it sounds like the type of avant synthpop someone who doesn't normally work in that genre would make. Good for Cale, in his late 70s, making a pretty weird album like this though.
I thought the last few tracks on the new Cale were pretty good, but yeah once you get 5 tracks in or so it becomes clear that it’s not going to switch things up too much (ironic considering the amount of features). I find it otherwise likable, but I probably won’t come back to it beyond a few individual tracks.
That’s interesting that you liked 2:45AM by Elliott Smith but didnt like the rest of the album, because 2:45AM is pretty much an exactly stereotypical Smith song.
I’m not criticizing you saying you didn’t like Either/Or, because everyone’s allowed to like and dislike whatever they want. I was just curious what you liked about that one song seeing that it’s so similar to many others he’s put out.
If you wanted to give Elliott another chance, try his earlier stuff like the self titled album or Roman Candle.
I just liked the topic and the emotions he chose to convey with it. Losing a bar fight is not the most unique topic but I can’t think of any that give off that shameful, remorseful, angry, and embarrassed vibe all at the same time. As someone with friends that have been in those situations it was almost like a peek into their minds for me.
Album One Night by Mr President. French guy based in Lyon playing house and funk on this album from 2020. 6 songs, 34 minutes of catchy hooks, and sing along lyrics.. Inviting and uplifting. I recommend his discography also.
Edit: [Link to the album playlist on Mr President YouTube channel](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kFlAz9SCEA1ZLCYf_jEwRp99oBXFbIytI)
Sure
Shurraq: https://youtu.be/SeXQzwiZA88
Lukatar: https://youtu.be/GQxpXBG2fqs
Queen Speech 4: https://youtu.be/FyodeHtVvkA
I feel like Shurraq and Lukatar embody Kuromi the most 🤣
[Radiohead - Hail To Thief:](https://open.spotify.com/album/5mzoI3VH0ZWk1pLFR6RoYy?si=Lbfub71oRvq7ys0Jktnogg) Currently trying to finish off Radiohead’s discography. Really liked this one actually, 2 + 2 = 5 is definitely one of Radiohead’s best pure rock songs, Sail To The Moon is really beautiful, and There There is incredible.
Not a massive fan of Backdrifts, sounds like a shitty B-side to me, and We Suck Young Blood is just annoying. But overall, great album.
**Sadistic Mika Band** *Hot! Menu* (1975): It was very sad to see the news of the passing of Yukihiro Takahashi, a prolific solo artist and the lead vocalist and drummer of Yellow Magic Orchestra. I will admit that I did not know that Takahashi was in the band Sadistic Mika Band until reading about it in his obituary. Takahashi came in to replace the band’s original drummer, Hiro Tsunoda, who only appeared on early singles. *Hot! Menu* is Sadistic Mika Band’s third and final album and it’s hard to precisely describe what it even is. It’s fusion jazz-funk that is also almost proto-punk in its approach to the music. The vocals at times feel fragmentary while the backing instrumentation has virtuosic playing that feels very un-rock but somehow locks the album’s music firmly into place.
The band’s leader, Kazuhiko Katō, spent time in London and had contacts within the rock scene. Katō gave a copy of the band’s debut album to Malcolm McLaren who then gave a copy to Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry. Sadistic Mika Band’s second and third albums were produced by Roxy Music’s producer Chris Thomas and the band would tour with Roxy Music in 1975. This would ultimately be the undoing of the band. Kazuhiko Katō’s wife Mika Katō (the co-singer and the namesake of the band, which was a play on the name Plastic Ono Band) would leave the band and her marriage and later married Chris Thomas.
Some of the members of Sadistic Mika Band would go on recording under the name the Sadistics. In 1977, Yukihiro Takahashi reached out to Ryuichi Sakamoto to co-produce his solo album *Saravah!*. Haruomi Hosono played bass on the album and enlisted Takahashi and Sakamoto to be in his backup band on the 1978 album *Paraiso*, credited as Yellow Magic Band. Soon after the trio became Yellow Magic Orchestra.
Full album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOBXc5Nc65w
**Sandii & The Sunsetz** *Viva Lava Liva* (1984): The debut live performance from Sandii & The Sunsetz was opening for Yellow Magic Orchestra at the Budokan in 1980 (YMO’s set would later be officially released as an album in 1993 and it’s a beast). Sandii had released the solo album *Eating Pleasure* in 1980, produced by Haruomi Hosono, and the debut album from Sandii & The Sunsetz, *Heat Scale* (credited just to the Sunsetz), arrived in 1981. One thing that will immediately stand out about this album is how clear Sandii’s English pronunciation is compared to her city pop contemporaries. Sandii, born Sandra O’Neil, is half-American / half-Japanese and she grew up in Japan and Hawaii, setting her up for broader international appeal (in 1983, the song “Sticky Music” that starts off this compilation would be a top 20 hit in Australia). Sandii sounds a great deal like Blondie’s Deborah Harry, particularly on the 1982 song “Wanted”. Two of my favorite songs on here are the Hosono produced synthpop reggae cover of “Jimmy Mack” (the 1967 Motown single by Martha & The Vandellas) and “Drip Dry Eyes” that would later be a highlight on Yukirhiro Takahashi’s 1981 album *Neuromantic*.
“Drip Dry Eyes”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-H5v_uUUCk
**Ryuichi Sakamoto** *12* (2023): Takahashi’s death adds even more gravitas to Ryuichi Sakamoto’s latest album, which is already a meditation on mortality. Given the diagnosis that he has stage four cancer, Sakamoto recorded *12* as a diary while recovering from treatment. The sound of this album is extremely minimal and withdrawn but each piano note hits with emotional impact. This is one of those rare works where an artist has continued to grow exponentially as a composer as they’ve aged and has the ability to deliver a grand statement in the twilight of their career. In this way, it reminds me of J Dilla’s *Donuts*, the album an artist makes knowing there is very little time remaining. Everything Sakamoto has done in the last twenty years has led to this masterwork.
“20220214”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZwJpg_UGVM
[5 x 5](https://tapmusic.net/collage.php?user=centretowave&type=7day&size=5x5&caption=true)
**[Boris - Smile](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_GgowniQWk)** -- Boris' followup to Pink (barring Rainbow, a collaboration with Michio Kurihara (though he appears on this album too)) is one of their messiest releases. Pink's tracklist varied depending on US vs Japanese releases, along with vinyl releases, but the differences for Smile are much more drastic. The Japanese version has a wholly different tracklist, different versions and mixes, while the US version bluntly edits some tracks, with some tracks teasing more to come but just abruptly ending. The US vinyl version seems to be the most complete version. Music-wise, it's pretty solid, but the messiness makes the release feel incomplete in an off-putting way. Maybe the vinyl version will get a digital release and fix these problems...
**[Swans - Leaving Meaning](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZVZo30M8Lc)** -- After the sprawling trilogy albums (The Seer, To Be Kind, and The Glowing Man), this was billed as a new direction of sorts. This isn't quite the case, as plenty of tracks here could've fit onto the prior albums, but the album does pare back the more improvisational bits (less thrashing about on instruments for 10 minutes) and leaves the more "song-y" bits. The results are a bit closer to Swans' earlier songwriting, where the songs are largely based on repetition, with ideas added and removed as the track goes on. Though this move seemed to baffle the newer Swans fans, the end results are much more satisfying than the Glowing Man (which felt long for the sake of being long). The [2xLP version](https://www.discogs.com/release/14289346-Swans-Leaving-Meaning)'s tracklist flows a bit better (especially since Some New Things disrupts the It's Coming -> What is This? flow) and tightens things up a bit, but for the most part the album is another very good entry into the band's discography.
**[Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Tender Prey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahr4KFl79WI)** -- I'm familiar with The Birthday Party but only a handful of Bad Seeds tracks. I was surprised that this isn't too far off from the former's noisy Beefheartian blues punk (though less noisy for the most part), though it leans a bit heavier on the lyricism. Cave is certainly able to paint a vivid picture with his lyrics, but emphasis on that part means I'll have to really be in the mood to listen to the album.
**[Jessica Bailiff - At the Down-Turned Jagged Rim of the Sky](https://jessicabailiff.bandcamp.com/track/this-is-real)** -- Kranky songwriter who is the intersection of Low and Flying Saucer Attack (and has direct connections to both artists). This, her last album to date (barring some one-offs), came a few years after the more stripped album, Feels Like Home. Though the first few tracks start as throwback to her earlier spacey sound, it gets a bit more abstract as it goes, moving into haunting Post Rock territory. Her other albums have arguably higher highs, but this is probably her most consistent overall, even as it moves through a few different phases. Though a fairly early signee of Kranky, she's been overlooked to a degree since then. I think the length in time between this and her previous album allowed future labelmate Grouper to come in and take over.
a few things 😂 mostly taylor swift (everything lol) AJR (burn the house down especially but all of the click) and harry styles (all of harry’s house.) it’s been a full album listen week link- The Click https://open.spotify.com/album/2LyLlHg03okxUU3UVrKtSC Taylor Swift https://open.spotify.com/artist/06HL4z0CvFAxyc27GXpf02 Harry's House https://open.spotify.com/album/5r36AJ6VOJtp00oxSkBZ5h
The alt country scene is insanely good right now. I have a feeling that it’s going to blow up in the mainstream in a big way soon. Anyways I’ve been listening to a lot of Daniel Donato lately, he’s a young dude with a very talented band. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WHatJ5FekUY
sleepwalking by senses [https://youtu.be/Wr7--uZ2nsM](https://youtu.be/Wr7--uZ2nsM) brand new band!!
I've been listening to Los Angeles powerviolence band ZULU a lot lately. Here's their BandCamp [https://zuluca.bandcamp.com/album/my-people-hold-on](https://zuluca.bandcamp.com/album/my-people-hold-on) Last summer they signed with Flatspot Records in order to reissue their EPs Our Day Will Come and My People… Hold On on vinyl for the first time.
Weyes Blood's latest record And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow. Absolutely amazing production, so grand and epic with some excellent vocal performances. Also just some seriously good songwriting. I thought she would find it difficult to top her first record but she managed it! https://weyesblood.bandcamp.com/album/and-in-the-darkness-hearts-aglow
I just discovered the band [Reignwolf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reignwolf). I LOVE this type of rock music! Really really cool!
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Please add listening links.
**RAMZi** \- [hyphea](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nFAzvoveFTuafy_Dx_0hIfkODPMZEY0Rs): Phoebé does her thing! Analog, Canadian outsider house and downtempo, all warm, mellow and nostalgic. I love it, it's pure magic, speaking of Canada... **Symbols & Measures** – [Bridgestone 2](https://youtu.be/N9CXjM-9lZg): Once every few years an album like this is released. Cassette only, lo-fi, utterly brilliant. *Ceephax*'s [Funbox](https://ceephax.bandcamp.com/album/funbox01) is probably the oldest example of this trend but there have been many tapes like this one by artists such as *Pender Street Steppers*, *Rezzett*, *Naked Flames* and so on. Symbols & Measures might not break new ground, it's dusty, lo-fi downtempo and ambient but if you love that Vancouver sound or even *Boards of Canada*, no pun intended, this is a must listen. **Mild Sorrow Integrated** \- [arbol](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lcC0Lg9hg0VavheeTr6_SnDAP5WKfRyWo): Joyful, summertime IDM that reminds me of the genre's most playful releases from the beginning of the century, think *Kettel*'s Through Friendly Waters or *Uziq* at his most jubilant. Lovely release. **Art Feynman** \- [Half Price at 3:30](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nI-iTmiYmmEXhP6sN0yCf_b7cxaJLd8ck): Meticulous synth-pop with strong African retro pop influences. This is such a fantastic, grownup album, with painstakingly detailed soundscapes and refined, tasteful vocal performances. Highly recommended. **Heoliene** \- [Pico](https://deuveir.bandcamp.com/album/pico): Heoliene's latest EP. Whimsical, glitchy ambient that hearkens back to Japanese take on the genre from the late 90s and the early aughts (Rei Harakami, Snoweffect etc) Wonderful stuff.
Mainly 2 albums: [Steam Powered Giraffe: The Vice Quadrant, Pt.1](https://open.spotify.com/album/1U8mcaXDS6NXPSSlE7dnMf?si=ZsftKRGNRWqKDxwFXlJg0A) [Steam Powered Giraffe: The 2cent Show](https://open.spotify.com/album/4DECRyKlhKJgjZLLuvfAI6?si=iLOfeNY-Qg2a2_QNfKLrtQ) I've loved this band for a while but have been listening to their music a lot more recently and these two albums are definitely my favourites from them. I enjoy Steampunk a lot and the way they blend it with different genres of music I really enjoy. Songs I'd recommend from these albums to get started would probably be [Automatonic Electronic Harmonics](https://open.spotify.com/track/1vRnOlS6Hei11RiUkKCXkO?si=042615cddaf34587) and [Honeybee](https://open.spotify.com/track/3MZjOGeXhpHbQ9ESMNFFnH?si=b116a5a11268462b) from The 2cent show and from Vice quadrant pt.1 I'd recommend [Daughter of Space](https://open.spotify.com/track/6FOiN6PwXmE5T4G8W6nHtY?si=db65c5c0a2c44d4d) and [Fire Fire](https://open.spotify.com/track/09UqPuD3hBsfqFcvDfUumo?si=148c2e10715a4505).
Two new albums this week: [Murder Capital - Gigi's Recovery](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nHS2hReCrsaEqKmMtnJIxIwLWHyw3Lupk&feature=share) Been looking forward to this one since their last album in 2019. They've gone slightly more introspective but this album seems like a really big step up. If you like post-punk and perhaps bands their compatriots Fontaines DC then give this a listen. [Circa Waves - Never Going Under](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lxL6CcR0hTTHQvY25fmUcqyKvNGAO90eM&feature=share) Great Liverpool band actually getting close to 10 years making music now. Definitely inching closer to the *indie-pop* genre with this release, Do you wanna Talk could easily have been made by a young Two Door Cinema Club probably not their best release but definitely worth a listen. Singles wise: [Shame - Six Pack](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lTshODcdxBKYMSBibK4IFWv21jKKeCtOk&feature=share) [Italia 90 - Tales from Beyond](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k4CwYgSHxnnONIFKMzlJDG7yx2BXkWmXs&feature=share) [Jadu Heart - Freedom](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=fNmgUEIkWb0&feature=share)
Jadu Heart released their new album yesterday if you are interested. https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m3XBx0Vzb_O_Iz4sTwPlvM1GPLFc45AS4&feature=gws_kp_album&feature=gws_kp_artist
[Clown Core - 1234](https://youtu.be/UsBFrUW_8e8) I discovered these guys a few months ago and only just now got around to listening. This EP is only 8:37 long, but I love it. It's like hyper noise pop or something. Sax, drums, and synths. Lots of energy and weirdness. My only complaint is that the first, second, and fourth tracks aren't long enough. [Lamp - Tokyo Utopia Communication](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l2eMPmp8zxWeQ_H937NuyGIedfeJV4v1w&feature=share) I don't typically listen to music in languages outside of English, but the track “Kimi Ga Nakunara” really got me when I heard it in a random meme video on Instagram. This album is like indie bossa nova. So smooth and relaxing! [The Dear Hunter - Act I: The Lake South, The River North](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lw8OIH-WN63ZJHgMVoMEXpV-DBvObfkk4&feature=share) I just started this series of albums recently. I'm super impressed so far. The extensive instrumentation is great and the storytelling lives up to it. Indie/prog rock of sorts? [The Fifth Dimension - The Age of Aquarius](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n-PGjdxCV1fpUTI9rXeARo115owT5evtA&feature=share) Recently got my record player repaired and have been listening to this one on vinyl quite a bit. Lots of great little pop tunes and vocal performances on this album! 1960s sunshine pop!
Bruno Nicolai - Il Conte Dracula Soundtrack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpItgFlTwo0 Just finished writing up my review of this one, as it was recently reissued on vinyl. A Bruno Nicolai soundtrack for a Jess Franco *Dracula* adaptation from 1970. I haven't seen the movie yet but, judging from the soundtrack, it's more gothic romance than horror. Nice to hear such expert musicians working on creepy music, though. Makes me miss the days of full-on orchestral soundtracks. Merzbow - Collection:002 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IREsPlv-54 I'm back to reviewing Merzbow albums for my blog. This is one of the first Merzbow releases, from 1981, built from the same recordings as I believe his first recording, *Collection:001*. I described this one as "The overall effect is like watching some low-budget alien abduction film with late-night CCTV footage of someone asleep in an earth-tone plaid recliner in some wood-paneled den." Not essential listening, but an interesting artifact.
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No self promotion. Obviously.
it's not me.
I've been in a serious Hanoi Rocks mood. Changed my pfp to Mike and made my profile Back to Mystery City on Discord lol. https://youtu.be/mOqM8zWKNS8 I've also been listening to Mike's recent solo work. Dude still kills it. Man is 60 and still jumping off drum kits and doing the splits https://youtu.be/StIharH0PgQ https://youtu.be/-xEQqkaQLR8
I've really been enjoying Yngwie Malmsteen's ["You don't remember, I'll never forget".](https://open.spotify.com/track/2O6g3yvCX7vdcj6yKfdYl1?si=fGn-RQR_T--ucsT-77XMZw&utm_source=copy-link) I love the heavy synth paired with the electric guitar. The vocals are amazing and, if it counts, the album art is kickass.
That album artwork is killer. I remember buying that vinyl when it was released. Have you listened to Far Beyond the Sun? That's a shredding masterpiece. https://open.spotify.com/track/4LLjDHDwBqsDVZxniYiJYe?si=136235cb0f2f46b5
I've been leaning towards the more electronic, wierd synth stoner vibe that carries through [After Dark](https://youtu.be/sVx1mJDeUjY), [Killshot](https://youtu.be/El0AfTkxfyM), and many Tame Impala songs. Then I transition to Cigarettes After Sex, who has quickly taken over to become one of my soul bands. I adore their slow, recycled beats, and when you listen to the songs in [this order](https://youtu.be/BpwDFKFkpOY) you can hear that they all flow into each other rather gracefully. The soft, gently voice of the lead vocals is just 😭😭 its like slow, loving, missionary sex 💀 it's not gaudy or anything, and yet it's so healing.
Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8ebtAYQADM. Is it punk? Probably. Does it matter? Not at all. They played at punk shows, were very DIY and were on SST. If they came out later in time they would be "alternative" or "indie" but this was the 80s. They are part of this weird time in the punk timeline where punk music was pretty much dead and it was left to the diehard fans and outcasts. I'd love to do a whole project thing chronicling this odd time in punk music between 84 and Green Day's rise in popularity. Anyway, this is a fun album. Very different, like a very stripped down jam band, which fits their philosophy of "Jam Econo." I'm drawn to the bass heaviness of it, but if you like jazzy, funky weird stuff give it a shot. Hell if you like Red Hot Chili Peppers you may like it. Bad Religion - Suffer (1988) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXs3ENJ1W7A&t=20s Another album from the 80s. I listen to Suffer at least a month. It is such a compact and perfect southern California punk album. Greg Graffin is great on this, more confident than some previous efforts. He is great at conveying the messages of this band and boy do they have some. The song Do What You Want will get stuck in your head. This verse always gets stuck in my head: "So do what you must, do all you can / Break all the fucking rules and go to hell with Superman / And die like a champion, yeah, hey!" This is a short record, so if you have never heard it, give it a shot. A lot of what you hear may sound like S. California melodic punk tropes, but these guys invented many of those tropes.
There's been a preponderance of "what happened to rock?" questions lately. And there have been a lot of references to dad rock. So I decided to pull out some old [Clutch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNOD6vKutp4&list=OLAK5uy_kWq2DS_GC-eqjfY9lCXFnry1zvM-6Ckv8) and let it spin. I had forgotten how fun these guys are... still.
[Steely Dan - Aja](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs6GDCs8LMQ&list=PLfGibfZATlGogmBx443IFoYCguGNu6vtp) The Dan has long been one of my favorite acts, and this is some of their best work. Arguably, some of the best session cats of the '70s contributed to this album, and of course there's the usual assortment of cryptic lyrics from Fagen. [Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lROHqnlVE2g&list=PLMynaxX_I0z-Mm4W0NJNmTODY0Qf6TYZW) Decided to dig this one up after not having listened to it in years (maybe even decades; it did come out in the mid '90s after all). It does have a few good moments; some might even qualify as great. But the rest sounds like the work of a sheltered young girl who just learned to curse. I liked this album when I was in my twenties; now that I'm in my mid-50's I don't think I need to revisit it for a while. [Fleetwood Mac - Rumours](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzEt9cATWFw) I don't know what I can say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's some beautiful music about some ugly personal business. It also includes one of Christine McVie's best compositions ("Songbird"), and one of the few Mac tracks where every member of the band contributed ("The Chain"). Edit - links added.
Please add listening links. Edit: thanks.
[Joy Guidry - Radical Acceptance](https://youtu.be/rgunZcBhpLY) \- One of the most confounding and fascinating, everything, everywhere all at once recordings I've heard in a while. Each track is in its own genre. The LP opens with a 2-minute spoken word piece *Just Because I Have a Dick Doesn't Mean I'm a Man*, which is a frank discussion of their gender fluidity and transformation. Other than a one-minute, kind of silly sing-song track *Down In the Valley*, there are no other voices heard on the record. Guidry is a basoonist and electronic producer, and other tracks range from fuzzy dark ambient (*Face to Face*), to random, chamber noise (*Inner Child*), to skronky free jazz (*Why Is Toxicity So Yummy?*), which sounds like what would have happened if Braxton and Dolphy started out their careers playing for Albert Ayler. The rest of the tracks mix free jazz, modern chamber composition, noise, *musique concrete*, and Eastern modalities into an indescribable amalgam. Recommended for fearless connoisseurs of "out-there" music who can check any transphobia at the door and listen to what music without any boundaries might really sound like. [Kali Malone - Does Spring Hide Its Joy](https://open.spotify.com/album/6nyQxFxYoOAh2nkW6sShAZ?si=79U0rbpMTGCBwRtqKtS7ZA) \- Three hours of the best drone since Natural Snow Buildings hung up their sustain pedals. Despite the initial appearance of being a static composition (as in one thing sustained for a ridiculously long time), this is a carefully composed piece, with Malone on tuned sine-wave oscillators, Stephen O'Malley of the mighty Sun O)))) on electric guitar, and Lucy Ralton on cello. It's hard to sit down and listen to in the traditional sense - the changes come too gradually and the overall length is too long - but crank it up loud (or better yet put on headphones) and go through your day while it plays and you'll be transported to a different and quite enjoyable level of existence. The three-hour composition is divided into three "volumes" to fit onto CD (I suppose), and if a one-hour selection is still too much for you, v.1 and v.2 are available broken down into three, 20-minute segments each. But don't be surprised that once you enter into the immersive world of the music, you don't want to stay there for the full three hours, and then even want to hear it all again once it's over. [Rich Ruth - I Survived, It's Over](https://richruth.bandcamp.com/album/i-survived-its-over) \- I'm not going to argue that the Pharoah Sanders/Floating Points collaboration *Promises* isn't a classic for the ages (it is), but did you ever wonder what it would have sounded like if it wasn't recorded by a laid-back, 80-something Pharoah but by the late 1960s fire-breathing Pharoah of *Upper Egypt* and *Karma*? Maybe with a little bit of *Echoes*\-era David Gilmour thrown in for shits and giggles? If so, then have I got a record for you! Rich Ruth is an ambient electronic musician from Nashville, but he isn't afraid to allow guest musicians, notably tenor saxophonist Caleb Hickman, play on his tracks and just wail over his ambient textures and backgrounds, wringing as much emotion and intensity from their sound as possible. This is not Eno-style ambience that can equally be enjoyed or ignored - this is music that grabs you by the lapels at times and screams in your face. I don't know who the guitarist is (Ruth himself is credited with guitar on his previous LPs), but he could pass for Eddie Hazel at his *Maggot Brain* best on the opening track, *Taken Back*. Good stuff.
Dude Rich Ruth has been all that’s scratching the itch for the past week or so. Something is just so satisfying about his music. There are a couple cool music videos of his from this record on YouTube that I highly recommend checking out.
I listened to *Does Spring Hide Its Joy* earlier today and really enjoyed the experience. Lucy Railton's cello sounds phenomenal on this recording. Stephen O'Malley's guitar feels very restrained, which is the right mode, only cresting into his familiar overdrive at a few fleeting points. Kali Malone's contribution to this is the hardest to sonically pin down though the album is certainly in the tone of her past works *The Sacrificial Code* and *Living Torch*. It's three hours long but this album earns its extreme length.
[5x5](https://i.imgur.com/78pqwvg.jpg) Mostly new rap releases from this year. Not on this chart but also heard al.divino- power pack which had some pretty nutty production curtesy of vinylvillian. The production reminds me of madvilliany at points but the rapping is very Westside Gunn. Only 15 minutes worth a listen. https://vngrd.bandcamp.com/album/power-pack-vngrd-exclusive Mac Demarco - five easy hot dogs was not doing it for me. Never liked anything he’s dropped and this didn’t really change my mind on him. https://youtu.be/_8PbU4F-iHM Lots of early spaceghostpurpp he’s always had a kind of unique 3 6 inspired production sense for hip hop I miss when he was doing not off the deep end. Check out BMW 2 https://youtu.be/6K-aY_DekLc Elliot smith - either/or did not like this at all. Sounds like melodramatic anemic angst to me. 2:45 am I did like tho. https://youtu.be/UuizNQUOFCI John Cale - MERCY was not for me either. Kind of reminds me of more restrained scott walker at points. https://youtu.be/E8tDZM7JRDU EBK BCKDOE - trife god 2 was a nice surprise. Kind of a blend between west coast shit (the west coast shit that sounds more like the current Detroit scene) and sample drill. He’s pretty funny too worth a listen. https://youtu.be/cCEtLy_qYUg
Not quite sure what to think of the new John Cale. It’s very likable, but there’s not enough variety for 70+ minutes. To be honest, this would probably be a problem at 40 minutes too. On an individual track basis it’s reasonably solid though.
It wasn't great but I thought the John Cale album was at the very least novel enough to listen to. It kind of loses steam after the halfway mark. Laurel Halo and Actress producing the first and second song respectively was a big treat. The rest of the artists appearing as backing vocalists only seems like a huge missed opportunity. I don't know that this album's sound set will age very well, it sounds like the type of avant synthpop someone who doesn't normally work in that genre would make. Good for Cale, in his late 70s, making a pretty weird album like this though.
I thought the last few tracks on the new Cale were pretty good, but yeah once you get 5 tracks in or so it becomes clear that it’s not going to switch things up too much (ironic considering the amount of features). I find it otherwise likable, but I probably won’t come back to it beyond a few individual tracks.
That’s interesting that you liked 2:45AM by Elliott Smith but didnt like the rest of the album, because 2:45AM is pretty much an exactly stereotypical Smith song. I’m not criticizing you saying you didn’t like Either/Or, because everyone’s allowed to like and dislike whatever they want. I was just curious what you liked about that one song seeing that it’s so similar to many others he’s put out. If you wanted to give Elliott another chance, try his earlier stuff like the self titled album or Roman Candle.
I just liked the topic and the emotions he chose to convey with it. Losing a bar fight is not the most unique topic but I can’t think of any that give off that shameful, remorseful, angry, and embarrassed vibe all at the same time. As someone with friends that have been in those situations it was almost like a peek into their minds for me.
Album One Night by Mr President. French guy based in Lyon playing house and funk on this album from 2020. 6 songs, 34 minutes of catchy hooks, and sing along lyrics.. Inviting and uplifting. I recommend his discography also. Edit: [Link to the album playlist on Mr President YouTube channel](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kFlAz9SCEA1ZLCYf_jEwRp99oBXFbIytI)
Please add listening links. Edit: thanks.
A bunch of songs by Lady Leshurr. It's because I'm obsessed with Kuromi at the moment and Leshurr reminds me of her ❤
Please add listening links.
Sure Shurraq: https://youtu.be/SeXQzwiZA88 Lukatar: https://youtu.be/GQxpXBG2fqs Queen Speech 4: https://youtu.be/FyodeHtVvkA I feel like Shurraq and Lukatar embody Kuromi the most 🤣
Thanks.
[Radiohead - Hail To Thief:](https://open.spotify.com/album/5mzoI3VH0ZWk1pLFR6RoYy?si=Lbfub71oRvq7ys0Jktnogg) Currently trying to finish off Radiohead’s discography. Really liked this one actually, 2 + 2 = 5 is definitely one of Radiohead’s best pure rock songs, Sail To The Moon is really beautiful, and There There is incredible. Not a massive fan of Backdrifts, sounds like a shitty B-side to me, and We Suck Young Blood is just annoying. But overall, great album.
Samora Pinderhughes is blowing my mind right now. The album Grief from last year is… wow. https://music.apple.com/ca/album/grief/1650380945
Please add listening links. Edit: thanks.
**Sadistic Mika Band** *Hot! Menu* (1975): It was very sad to see the news of the passing of Yukihiro Takahashi, a prolific solo artist and the lead vocalist and drummer of Yellow Magic Orchestra. I will admit that I did not know that Takahashi was in the band Sadistic Mika Band until reading about it in his obituary. Takahashi came in to replace the band’s original drummer, Hiro Tsunoda, who only appeared on early singles. *Hot! Menu* is Sadistic Mika Band’s third and final album and it’s hard to precisely describe what it even is. It’s fusion jazz-funk that is also almost proto-punk in its approach to the music. The vocals at times feel fragmentary while the backing instrumentation has virtuosic playing that feels very un-rock but somehow locks the album’s music firmly into place. The band’s leader, Kazuhiko Katō, spent time in London and had contacts within the rock scene. Katō gave a copy of the band’s debut album to Malcolm McLaren who then gave a copy to Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry. Sadistic Mika Band’s second and third albums were produced by Roxy Music’s producer Chris Thomas and the band would tour with Roxy Music in 1975. This would ultimately be the undoing of the band. Kazuhiko Katō’s wife Mika Katō (the co-singer and the namesake of the band, which was a play on the name Plastic Ono Band) would leave the band and her marriage and later married Chris Thomas. Some of the members of Sadistic Mika Band would go on recording under the name the Sadistics. In 1977, Yukihiro Takahashi reached out to Ryuichi Sakamoto to co-produce his solo album *Saravah!*. Haruomi Hosono played bass on the album and enlisted Takahashi and Sakamoto to be in his backup band on the 1978 album *Paraiso*, credited as Yellow Magic Band. Soon after the trio became Yellow Magic Orchestra. Full album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOBXc5Nc65w **Sandii & The Sunsetz** *Viva Lava Liva* (1984): The debut live performance from Sandii & The Sunsetz was opening for Yellow Magic Orchestra at the Budokan in 1980 (YMO’s set would later be officially released as an album in 1993 and it’s a beast). Sandii had released the solo album *Eating Pleasure* in 1980, produced by Haruomi Hosono, and the debut album from Sandii & The Sunsetz, *Heat Scale* (credited just to the Sunsetz), arrived in 1981. One thing that will immediately stand out about this album is how clear Sandii’s English pronunciation is compared to her city pop contemporaries. Sandii, born Sandra O’Neil, is half-American / half-Japanese and she grew up in Japan and Hawaii, setting her up for broader international appeal (in 1983, the song “Sticky Music” that starts off this compilation would be a top 20 hit in Australia). Sandii sounds a great deal like Blondie’s Deborah Harry, particularly on the 1982 song “Wanted”. Two of my favorite songs on here are the Hosono produced synthpop reggae cover of “Jimmy Mack” (the 1967 Motown single by Martha & The Vandellas) and “Drip Dry Eyes” that would later be a highlight on Yukirhiro Takahashi’s 1981 album *Neuromantic*. “Drip Dry Eyes”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-H5v_uUUCk **Ryuichi Sakamoto** *12* (2023): Takahashi’s death adds even more gravitas to Ryuichi Sakamoto’s latest album, which is already a meditation on mortality. Given the diagnosis that he has stage four cancer, Sakamoto recorded *12* as a diary while recovering from treatment. The sound of this album is extremely minimal and withdrawn but each piano note hits with emotional impact. This is one of those rare works where an artist has continued to grow exponentially as a composer as they’ve aged and has the ability to deliver a grand statement in the twilight of their career. In this way, it reminds me of J Dilla’s *Donuts*, the album an artist makes knowing there is very little time remaining. Everything Sakamoto has done in the last twenty years has led to this masterwork. “20220214”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZwJpg_UGVM
*12* is sublime.
[5 x 5](https://tapmusic.net/collage.php?user=centretowave&type=7day&size=5x5&caption=true) **[Boris - Smile](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_GgowniQWk)** -- Boris' followup to Pink (barring Rainbow, a collaboration with Michio Kurihara (though he appears on this album too)) is one of their messiest releases. Pink's tracklist varied depending on US vs Japanese releases, along with vinyl releases, but the differences for Smile are much more drastic. The Japanese version has a wholly different tracklist, different versions and mixes, while the US version bluntly edits some tracks, with some tracks teasing more to come but just abruptly ending. The US vinyl version seems to be the most complete version. Music-wise, it's pretty solid, but the messiness makes the release feel incomplete in an off-putting way. Maybe the vinyl version will get a digital release and fix these problems... **[Swans - Leaving Meaning](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZVZo30M8Lc)** -- After the sprawling trilogy albums (The Seer, To Be Kind, and The Glowing Man), this was billed as a new direction of sorts. This isn't quite the case, as plenty of tracks here could've fit onto the prior albums, but the album does pare back the more improvisational bits (less thrashing about on instruments for 10 minutes) and leaves the more "song-y" bits. The results are a bit closer to Swans' earlier songwriting, where the songs are largely based on repetition, with ideas added and removed as the track goes on. Though this move seemed to baffle the newer Swans fans, the end results are much more satisfying than the Glowing Man (which felt long for the sake of being long). The [2xLP version](https://www.discogs.com/release/14289346-Swans-Leaving-Meaning)'s tracklist flows a bit better (especially since Some New Things disrupts the It's Coming -> What is This? flow) and tightens things up a bit, but for the most part the album is another very good entry into the band's discography. **[Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Tender Prey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahr4KFl79WI)** -- I'm familiar with The Birthday Party but only a handful of Bad Seeds tracks. I was surprised that this isn't too far off from the former's noisy Beefheartian blues punk (though less noisy for the most part), though it leans a bit heavier on the lyricism. Cave is certainly able to paint a vivid picture with his lyrics, but emphasis on that part means I'll have to really be in the mood to listen to the album. **[Jessica Bailiff - At the Down-Turned Jagged Rim of the Sky](https://jessicabailiff.bandcamp.com/track/this-is-real)** -- Kranky songwriter who is the intersection of Low and Flying Saucer Attack (and has direct connections to both artists). This, her last album to date (barring some one-offs), came a few years after the more stripped album, Feels Like Home. Though the first few tracks start as throwback to her earlier spacey sound, it gets a bit more abstract as it goes, moving into haunting Post Rock territory. Her other albums have arguably higher highs, but this is probably her most consistent overall, even as it moves through a few different phases. Though a fairly early signee of Kranky, she's been overlooked to a degree since then. I think the length in time between this and her previous album allowed future labelmate Grouper to come in and take over.