So as it turns out, college has left me much more busy than I
had originally anticipated. So much so that Monday chats might actually not
occur every Monday after all… just a quick warning. I’m also planning on only
uploading these on the original blog from now on, simply because it’s much
easier on me and I don’t have to fix formatting and insert images over and over
again. Fortunately I do have a pretty good topic for today, and that is my
current listening roundup.
Over the past few weeks I’ve had little time to consume heavy
focus media like movies of videogames, so I dedicated most of it to listening
to music. New music. Some of it I loved, some of it… not so much. I figured I’d
share a few quick fire opinions on the albums that I’ve listened to, as well as
what I plan on checking out next.
God Tier
Brockhampton – Saturation
My friends have been going on about Saturation for awhile
now, but it was only shortly after the release of Saturation II that I finally
decided to fall into the hype. To be honest, I knew nothing about the album
going in – I didn’t even know that it was a hip hop album. So it came to a
pleasant surprise that it was exactly the type of music I usually really like
listening too; a good mix of modern R&B mixed with group rap. Saturation II
might as well be here too, though I haven’t actually finished listening to most
of that album yet.
Carissa’s Weird – Songs About Leaving
Okay, this one’s a lot more special. I found this album by
complete coincidence – those who know me know that, in addition to jazz and hip
hop, I also listen to a lot of dark music (fits with some of the Monday chat
topics, doesn’t it?). So I was looking through an emo rock thread on /mu/ where
there was only one song posted. I was about to leave this boring thread when I
decided to give the single song on the thread at least a try before I did. That
song was “So You Wanna Be A Superhero” from this album.
Usually most “dark” songs have either one thing going for it:
either really good lyrics and a pretty basic rhythm (a la A Crow Looked at Me) or really shitty lyrics but damn good bangers
(a la The Devil and God are Raging Inside
Me). So I was surprised this song had a good mix of both. So I listened to
another song on the album. And another, and another, and another…
Soon enough I had listened to the whole thing and I could say
I loved pretty much every song on it. This is a pretty special occasion for me
personally because this is the first album which I’d say would fit into my top
25 favorites of all time and yet no one I know has ever heard of it. That
includes my really in depth music fan friends. I imagine there’s probably a lot
of emo rock that sounds like this (I’m not very well acquainted with the genre)
but damn does this album sound really, really
good.
Good Tier
Mac DeMarco – 2
Based on the wide amount of negative criticism Mac DeMarco
gets, I would have assumed I wouldn’t have liked him. However, after listening
to “My Kind of Woman” I decided to give the whole album a shot, and honestly…
it wasn’t that bad. Some of the songs are just generic indiefolk which I hate,
but there’s some decent bangers in there.
Mobb Deep – The Infamous
Though I still think this album is a little overhyped, I’ve
gotten to appreciate it more over time. “Shook Ones” is still one of the best
old school hip hop songs of all, and most of the album has a pretty consistent
quality level.
Mark Ronson – Uptown Special
After being a big fan of Mark Ronson in elementary school, I
kind of skipped out of town after he became famous. I figured Uptown Special would be, for the most
part, a cop out album – however, after finally deciding to listen to it, I can
say it’s actually not that bad. The quality and theme is consistent, and
there’s some nice bangers in there that were simply overshadowed by “Uptown
Funk”.
Slime Girls – Vacation Wasteland
I normally hate chiptune music, but the sort of shoegaze
infusion that occurs in this album is super tantalizing. Probably has one of my
favorite intro preludes ever. Worth listening to even if you aren’t into 8 bit
(or 16 bit? 32 bit??) music.
Meh Tier
The Antlers – Hospice
Not going to lie, this album would probably down into Shit
Tier if it wasn’t for the fact that the main vocalist in this band is really
good. Like, really good. This is
coming from the guy who thinks some of even the best singers in the world sound
kind of cringy. This is the first time I’ve ever listened to a song and
actually said to myself “Oh wow, this guy is actually really good”. It’s worth
listening to at least a few of the songs in here to at least get a grip on how good
this guy is (I recommend “Kettering” and “Wake”). Other than that,
unfortunately, Hospice lacks a whole
lot of substance. The lyrics are pretty meaningless, and the sound is simple.
American Football – American Football
This album is full of pretty nice emo math rock, the only
problem with it is that… well, all of it sounds pretty much exactly the same.
Like, literally, exactly the same. It gets old after awhile.
Shit Tier
Giles Corey – Giles Corey
And now we get to the one album here I really just didn’t
enjoy. The lyrics on this thing are so basic and obnoxious (one of the songs is
just him repeating “I’m going to kill myself” over and over again) and the beat
is so practically non existent that there’s not really much to talk about here.
On Deck
Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t bend! Ascend!
Black Emperor – Yanqui UXO
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
David Bowie – Blackstar
Sufjan Stevens – Carrie and Lowell
Sunny Day Real Estate – Diary
Television – Marquee Moon
Mf Doom – Mm… Food
Slowdive – Pygmalion
Slowdive – Souvlaki
- -
Currently reading: The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee!
Currently reading: The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee!
Currently watching: Narcos Season 3!
Currently playing: Nothing!!
Currently listening: I think you know what I’ve been
listening to.
Well, that’s all for now. Remember to follow Codex of Aegis
on Twitter and Facebook for more updates.
