The best part of this is the production, which carries it, but can only take it so far. It's nice.
**AN IMPORTANT NOTE ON FIRE SAFETY**
Volendam in the Netherlands, The Station in the US, and the recent tragedy in Switzerland all had the same pattern: a small flame, flammable decorations, overcrowding, and then a flashover. A flashover is the moment when heat builds so fast that everything in the room ignites at once. When that happens, you have seconds, not minutes.
If you are ever at a disco and see flames, sparks hitting the ceiling, or smoke starting to build, don't film it for ... read more
![菊池ひみこ [Himiko Kikuchi] - FLYING BEAGLE](https://cdn2.albumoftheyear.org/100x0/album/349124-flying-beagle_194206.jpg)
Fun bit a bit samey, especially as there were no vocals.
P.s. How to spot a Beagle owner in the wild - look for a man or woman walking with a lead, but no dog.
2011.
A relentless parade of overproduced pop, average blockbuster franchises, and the beginning of viral nonsense so stupid it sometimes hurts to watch. At least Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad reminded us that something was doing still being done right.
In that cultural subtext of 2011, Bomb the Music Industry! produced this album. Vocals? Not great. Instrumentation? Delicious. The DIY punk chaos at least shines very dimly through the cultural sludge that was 2011.
In a year defined by ... read more
I am not familiar with this genre.
One of the worst parts of listening to new music is when the tracks are very long, and you don't know if it's worth persisting with. Any longer than 3 minutes 30 is a long time to listen to music you are unfamiliar with. It's also a long time to listen to a track you're not sure if you are enjoying.
Happily, that is not an issue with this album, as all the tracks are enjoyable and short. Another strength is that it is an eclectic mix; if ... read more
Her voice is cinematic, it's so good. I prefer this album to Titanic Rising, which I also liked.
The first listen was immense but over time I've found it much less enjoyable.
This is a cracking album. Fun, beaty and they vary the tempo really well, which makes it so much better when the music does go fast. The only downside, at 55 minutes it's a little long, they could have clipped it and it not detracted from the album. Easily passes the entertainment test though.
For years, YEARS, I have maintained a proud, principled stance against Fleetwood Mac. It wasn't casual dislike, it was a cornerstone of my personality, a defining trait, a hill I was fully prepared to die on.
So imagine my surprise when, while browsing for soft rock albums to sample, I stumble across an intriguing record called Bella Donna by someone named Stevie Nicks. Never heard of her. Interesting cover, decent ratings, why not?
I press play.
Suddenly I am vibing to Bella Donna. ... read more
The drums were fun and became more enjoyable as the album wore on.
I always like a short album with plenty of tracks. I sometimes become fatigued by long albums and long tracks. At 33 minutes, it's the perfect length.
This sound i.e. the drums, the structure, the pitch, etc reminds me a little of The Sex Pistols, The Who and Interpol, so plenty to like.
However, it's not a standout album to me.
A nice album with sometimes excellent sounds and guitar work. The vocals are inoffensive and blend nicely with the music. For this genre it doesn't quite carry enough umph or boogie to reach the top ratings. I also prefer Perfect from Now On. However, it is very good. Effortlessly pleasant is how I would describe it, but not monumental.
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Recent Review Comments
On MARINA - PRINCESS OF POWER
"@HomeSession3 She is only a little older than me, so we have been listening to her since she was a new artist. My friends and I agreed that her progression was incredible, and it was beautiful to see her realisation on stage. She has definitely still got it, her performance was exceptional 👏"
On russky's review of David Kauffman / Eric Caboor - Songs From Suicide Bridge
"Agreed, brilliant album"
On Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
"@MiNeAn I never got around to reviewing it but I listened to that already and I liked it"
On zygote's review of Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself
"Yeppppp and if you ever feel like listening again, give the reissue a go, the sound quality is much better and you can hear more nuance in the melodies than the original 😄 one of my favourite albums, and I feel the same about a couple of tracks"
On Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
"@MiNeAn dunno, a bit of atmosphere, tension, melody, texture, progression or something, nothing happened"
On Nas - Illmatic
"@broker I liked the lyrics I could hear not withstanding a few dated tropes. I suppose I just like my music a little more rhythmic/melodic/bouncy. That said, I didn't dislike this. I loved NY State of Mind, that was a banger, when I was listening to that I thought I might love the whole thing."
On zygote's review of Silvana Estrada - Marchita
"I liked this one a lot too. I was thinking in the car the other day, you love your folk so there's a chance you might like Clube de Esquina or Acabou Chorare, they've really landed for me and I've listened to them loads recently. I also really enjoyed a lot of that album by George Harrison but it was very long"
On Sun Kil Moon - Ghosts of the Great Highway
"@ar9ui 0 is fair, it has destroyed my overall enjoyment of the album and now has zero replay value"
On Milton Nascimento - Clube da Esquina
"@DarkHorse I have Molagre dos Peixes on my to listen list, but I'll investigate the others too, thank you for sharing more detail 😄 It's the melody, rhythm and percussion of Brazilian music that I like so much. My favourite so far has been Jorge Ben, A Tabua de Esmerelda"
On regalitooo's review of Harry Styles - Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.
"Yeaaah, say how you feel 😁😂"
On julessReviews's review of Talking Heads - Remain in Light
"Agreed, I preferred Speaking in Tongues for being for funky all the way through!!"
On zygote's review of Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
"Ahhhh I understand this angle completely.
Glad to read that some tracks have made it into your rotation and that overall you enjoyed it despite some parts you were less fond.
I love how relaxing it is but without sacrificing tempo. I imagine how vocals might be offputting depending on preference 👍"
On zygote's review of Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
"Nooooo 😅 Have you listened to Skeleton? It was on the taster but didn't make the final album for some reason. In my opinion it's as good if not better than the best tracks on the album and should've made the final cut!"
On By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"@jognwiliam I heard what I heard 😁"
On By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"@airis_latte 😂 What's that got to do with it"
On Nujabes - Modal Soul
"@zigote Yes it was right up my street!! Thank you for the recommendation 👍"
On zygote's review of Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
"@zigote there's method in the madness. No worries and no expectations 😁"
On zygote's review of Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
"Thank you for the recommendation you sent me Zigote, it looks great. I have sent back the album that tempted me to listen to this album in the first place, but which I thought was brill!"
On DJZorrit's review of Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
"I also prefer this to Remain in Light and LOVED Stop Making Sense - the quality of it is insane for a live album"
On pearlfm's review of Depeche Mode - Violator
"@pearlfm I love it! But I started off with the very best of Depeche Mode compilation many years ago, it was a nice introduction"
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