An Album A Day

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I try to listen to them twice (once in the morning and again in the afternoon) but sometimes I only have the time to listen to it once.

Looks like my suggestion of Counting Crows - Recovering the Satellites got lost on the way to your 'listen to' list also. Really curious as to your opinion on it so hopefully you can slot it in there somewhere. Cheers.
 
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Day 24. Wildflower- The Avalanches


The Avalanches bursted onto the scene in 2000 with their album Since I Left You which was both commercially and critically successful. Fans had to wait almost 16 years for their follow up album making it one of the most eagerly anticipated albums of 2016. I've heard a lot about The Avalanches but have never listened to their music because it isn't really my taste of music. The first thing I realised about this album was the continuous flow to it which I really liked. It took my until halfway through the third track to realise that I had already listened to two songs. It was interesting and exciting to really listen to a genre that I've barely listened to before. This album was really well made and interesting but confirmed to me that electronic music is not to my liking although I could listen to this in the background whilst completing housework and enjoy it.


My Top 3

  1. Sunshine- A nice relaxing song with soft vocals blending into a laid back rhythm.
  2. Colours- the acid washed instrumentals mixed with the vocals makes this one of the better tracks on the album.
  3. Because I'm Me- This song features everything from a strings section to a rap verse which is what makes them so interesting and unique.

Gem of the Album

Kaleidoscopic Lovers- This track sounds like it is influenced by the The Beach Boys and has many layers which get you lost within the music.
 
Hey and you didn't add the Ween albums to your "listen to" list????
Sorry I must of skipped your post. I've gone and added one of their albums to the list. If I really enjoy it I'll add some of their other albums also.
 

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Looks like my suggestion of Counting Crows - Recovering the Satellites got lost on the way to your 'listen to' list also. Really curious as to your opinion on it so hopefully you can slot it in there somewhere. Cheers.
I could've sworn I added it to the list! I've added it now
 
Sorry I must of skipped your post. I've gone and added one of their albums to the list. If I really enjoy it I'll add some of their other albums also.

Good choice.

If I was introducing Ween to someone I would start with Quebec or Chocolate and Cheese.
 
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Day 25. Talking Heads- Remain In Light

One of the best albums of the 80s saw Talking Heads teaming up with producer Brian Eno to create a punk and funk influenced album that created a unique style of music that hasn't been replicated yet. I've enjoyed the popular Talking Heads songs that I've heard on the radio but haven't yet delved into their less popular music until now. I really enjoyed listening to this as it was a familiar genre with a twist. The catchy rhythms and layered melodies made this a fun and interesting album.


My Top 3

  1. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)- A fantastic opening track full of random sounds including video game noises. Belew's and Byrne's vocals blend perfectly also.
  2. Once In A Lifetime- The most popular track of the Album has a simple and catchy bass riff to go along with equally catchy vocals.
  3. The Listening Wind- A great song with deep lyrics and fantastic guitar. You can hear the influences of African music in this song.

Gem of the Album

The Overload- This song is a Brian Eno ambient inspired track. The swirling guitar loop combined with the buzzing synthesiser creates a great ending to the album.
 
Who were the dopey campaigners suggesting AM and El Camino instead of WPSIATWIN and... I dunno, Rubber Factory?

Bannable offences, IMO.
 
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Day 26. The Cure- Disintegration

Disintegration was the eighth studio album by The Cure and marked a return to gothic rock. Their last last gothic rock album was their second album 'Seventeen Seconds' and after that The Cure turned to more commercialised pop music after being labelled as a predictable band. I haven't listened to much of The Cure besides the odd song on the radio which I thought were pretty good. This album was one of the most emotional I've ever listened to thanks to the perfect combination of the vocals and the instruments to accompany the deep and dark lyrics.


My Top 3

  1. Disintegration- The title track goes for over 8 minutes but the fantastic vocals and powerful drumming makes it feel a lot shorter and it doesn't drag one bit.
  2. Lullaby- One of the more popular songs on the album probably because it is a lot less dark and gloomy.
  3. Pictures of You- A song of heartbreak with simplistic drums and bass behind swirls of lush guitar and synth. This song makes you feel like you're experiencing the same story that the lyrics are portraying.

Gem of the Album

Untitled- The last track of the album starts off with an interesting keyboard part and has deep lyrics about losing someone or losing love.
 
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Day 27. A Tribe Called Quest- The Low End Theory

I'm continuing on with my exploration of hip-hop, this time with one of the most iconic albums of the 90s. The Low End Theory was A Tribe Called Quest's second album and was one of the first albums to ever incorporate hip hop and jazz. The lyrics are more than just the usual rap lyrics of crime, money and girls which I think gives it great depth. Overall, I enjoyed listening to this album and has been my favourite hip-hop album so far.


My Top 3

  1. Excursions- A great song to start the album. The song starts off with a nice bass line which leads into Q-Tip rapping about excursions in life.
  2. Jazz (We've Got)- The title is an accurate representation of the song. This jazzy song was nice and laid-back making it one of my favourites.
  3. Verses From The Abstract- In this song Q-Tip raps about why he loves doing what he does. This song has the best flow of the whole album.

Gem of the Album

What?- A song where Q-Tip asks questions for the entire song. I thought it was quite cool and unique and didn't find it boring or repetitive.
 

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Day 26. The Cure- Disintegration

Disintegration was the eighth studio album by The Cure and marked a return to gothic rock. Their last last gothic rock album was their second album 'Seventeen Seconds' and after that The Cure turned to more commercialised pop music after being labelled as a predictable band. I haven't listened to much of The Cure besides the odd song on the radio which I thought were pretty good. This album was one of the most emotional I've ever listened to thanks to the perfect combination of the vocals and the instruments to accompany the deep and dark lyrics.


My Top 3

  1. Disintegration- The title track goes for over 8 minutes but the fantastic vocals and powerful drumming makes it feel a lot shorter and it doesn't drag one bit.
  2. Lullaby- One of the more popular songs on the album probably because it is a lot less dark and gloomy.
  3. Pictures of You- A song of heartbreak with simplistic drums and bass behind swirls of lush guitar and synth. This song makes you feel like you're experiencing the same story that the lyrics are portraying.

Gem of the Album

Untitled- The last track of the album starts off with an interesting keyboard part and has deep lyrics about losing someone or losing love.

 
The Prodigy - Music for the Jilted Generation
Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music...Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop
Air - Moon Safari
 
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Day 28. The Doors- L.A. Woman

The Doors were one of the greatest rock bands of all time and it was unfortunate that L.A. Woman was their last album all together as a result of Jim Morrison joining the 27 Club. I've never really listened to The Doors before so I was quite excited to give it a listen. This album was a great mix of blues and rock and really enjoyed the rawness of the record. Even though there were a couple of weaker songs on the album, it still sounds great combined as an album. I'm definitely going to give the other albums a listen as I've heard they are even better.


My Top 3

  1. Riders On The Storm- The thunder and rain provides a chaotic backdrop to this song. The bass line in this song is fantastic and Jim Morrison's vocals are aggressive making it a near perfect song.
  2. Love Her Madly- I love the organ on this song. That combined with the soft crooning of Jim Morrison makes this a beautiful song.
  3. L.A. Woman- The title track has one of the most famous intros ever and includes around 3 minutes of the band jamming which show off their fabulous musical abilities.

Gem of the Album

The Changeling- The opening track contains some magnificent vocals from Jim Morrison and the rhythm change between the verse and the chorus is great.
 
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Day 29. The Decemberists- The Crane Wife

I've never heard of The Decemberists before and after a little research I've found that they are a prog-folk band which isn't really my taste of music. The Crane Wife was The Decemberists fourth album and was made to be more mainstream without losing their previous sound. I respect this album a lot with its clever lyrics and unique music but I didn't enjoy it as it isn't my taste.


My Top 3

  1. The Crane Wife 3- The opening track of the album is an upbeat indie tune and is the highlight of the album for me.
  2. Summersong- The guitar and the piano in this song creates a breeze like feel and makes it a relaxing song.
  3. When the War Came- This song has a powerful vocal performance by the singer and has a pretty cool guitar riff.
Gem of the Album

The Island- A multipart progressive song that goes for over 12 minutes! I found it one of the more interesting and unique tracks.
 
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Day 30- Queensrÿche- Operation: Mindcrime

This album has been one of the most interesting albums I have listened to. Queensrÿche had been a mediocre band until they released Operation: Mindcrime which brought them commercial and critical success. It was a fantastic concept album that told a narrative about a protagonist revisiting snippets of his life. Even though metal isn't normally what I would listen to the music was a lot more enjoyable knowing what was happening. I would recommend this album to any music fan.


My Top 3

  1. Suite Sister Mary- This well organised song is jam-packed with new happenings for the main character Nikki who is told he must kill Sister Mary who he had befriended.
  2. Spreading the Disease- One of the heavier songs on the album. This song came a couple of tracks before Suite Sister Mary and introduces Mary as a prostitute running from home before she turns to religion with the help of Father William.
  3. Revolution Calling- This is the first song where the band is in full motion. It has catchy guitar licks and a great solo.

Gem of the Album

Eyes of A Stranger- The last track of the album has a fantastic string section and is about how Nikki is haunted by his past memories that aren't fading.
 
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Day 26. The Cure- Disintegration

Disintegration was the eighth studio album by The Cure and marked a return to gothic rock. Their last last gothic rock album was their second album 'Seventeen Seconds' and after that The Cure turned to more commercialised pop music after being labelled as a predictable band. I haven't listened to much of The Cure besides the odd song on the radio which I thought were pretty good. This album was one of the most emotional I've ever listened to thanks to the perfect combination of the vocals and the instruments to accompany the deep and dark lyrics.


My Top 3

  1. Disintegration- The title track goes for over 8 minutes but the fantastic vocals and powerful drumming makes it feel a lot shorter and it doesn't drag one bit.
  2. Lullaby- One of the more popular songs on the album probably because it is a lot less dark and gloomy.
  3. Pictures of You- A song of heartbreak with simplistic drums and bass behind swirls of lush guitar and synth. This song makes you feel like you're experiencing the same story that the lyrics are portraying.

Gem of the Album

Untitled- The last track of the album starts off with an interesting keyboard part and has deep lyrics about losing someone or losing love.

This is either my favourite album ever or close to it.

Just a bit of nitpicking their last goth album prior to Disintegration was Pornography in 82 (3rd of a trilogy which included seventeen seconds, faith and pornography). After that Robert Smith went all poppy in 83 with Let's Go To Bed, The walk and the love cats.
Their albums always contained some darker elements though, but they really hit their stride in 85 when they got the classic line up together (which more or less stayed in tact until after wish in 92).

As close as they ever came to a pure pop album was probably The Head On The Door
 
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Day 27. A Tribe Called Quest- The Low End Theory

I'm continuing on with my exploration of hip-hop, this time with one of the most iconic albums of the 90s. The Low End Theory was A Tribe Called Quest's second album and was one of the first albums to ever incorporate hip hop and jazz. The lyrics are more than just the usual rap lyrics of crime, money and girls which I think gives it great depth. Overall, I enjoyed listening to this album and has been my favourite hip-hop album so far.


My Top 3

  1. Excursions- A great song to start the album. The song starts off with a nice bass line which leads into Q-Tip rapping about excursions in life.
  2. Jazz (We've Got)- The title is an accurate representation of the song. This jazzy song was nice and laid-back making it one of my favourites.
  3. Verses From The Abstract- In this song Q-Tip raps about why he loves doing what he does. This song has the best flow of the whole album.

Gem of the Album

What?- A song where Q-Tip asks questions for the entire song. I thought it was quite cool and unique and didn't find it boring or repetitive.

Reading your reviews I thought this album was ideal for a newbie into hip hop as it contains the style but not the typical/stereotypical lyrical content. It's very well produced and shows you how good the genre can be when done well.
 
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Day 31. R.E.M.- Automatic for the People

R.E.M. are a band that I always underrate. I know and enjoy so many songs by them but have never listened to a full album before. This album is one of their darker and moodier albums and is widely considered as their peak album for good reason. It flows perfectly and for me every song well and truly earns it place on the album. I need to listen to more R.E.M. albums as this has been one of my favourite albums I've reviewed so far.


My Top 3

  1. Drive- I love a good opening track and this just sets the mood of the album perfectly. The electric guitar combined with the strings completes the dark feel.
  2. Everybody Hurts- One of R.E.M's most popular songs is about overcoming suicide and probably has the best vocals on the album.
  3. Man on the Moon- This song is about lead singer Michael Stipe's childhood hero, comedian Andy Kauffman. In my opinion, this song is the most catchy on the album and once it's in your head you can't get it out.

Gem of the Album

The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight- This song is the most pop influenced song and is more upbeat compared to the rest of the album.
 
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Day 32. Head Injuries- Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil are one of my favourite Oz rock acts and absolutely loved 10 to 1 but haven't listened to any of their other albums in its entirety. Head Injuries was Midnight Oil's second album and sounds just like they are playing live which I really like. From the front cover you can tell how exciting and intense the album is going to be and is one of the most famous Aussie album covers. Even though this album doesn't have any of their more popular songs it is a complete album and is definitely worth a listen.


My Top 3

  1. Stand In Line- The drums and the bass really make this song about what was happening while Malcom Fraser was PM great. It also has a good guitar solo.
  2. Back on the Borderline- The most famous song on the album starts off with a fantastic drum solo and has a very catchy chorus.
  3. Koala Spirit- This composition of song is erratic and displays great musicality from the band. The musical chorus is the highlight of the song.

Gem of the Album

Naked Flame- This song starts of incredibly with Peter Garrett's high-pitched vocal introduction and while the guitar work is simple it works really well within the song.
 

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