Albums of 2017

Jirin
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

I never liked Sun Kil Moon until Benji, a phenomenon he made fun of on his album with Jesu. Is his previous stuff worth going back to for somebody who adores Benji?
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

Not liking new Sun Kil Moon. Mostly rambling meterless nine minute diary recitations.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Jirin wrote:I never liked Sun Kil Moon until Benji, a phenomenon he made fun of on his album with Jesu. Is his previous stuff worth going back to for somebody who adores Benji?
I'm actually not as familiar with his earlier stuff as I should be. I ought to fix that.
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notbrianeno
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by notbrianeno »

Nick wrote:
Jirin wrote:I never liked Sun Kil Moon until Benji, a phenomenon he made fun of on his album with Jesu. Is his previous stuff worth going back to for somebody who adores Benji?
I'm actually not as familiar with his earlier stuff as I should be. I ought to fix that.
Everything from Ghosts of the Great Highway to Admiral Fell Promises is incredibly melodic, his stream-of-consciousness mode of songwriting is a relatively new trend in his discography that has grown since Among the Leaves.
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Pierre
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Pierre »

notbrianeno wrote:
Nick wrote:
Jirin wrote:I never liked Sun Kil Moon until Benji, a phenomenon he made fun of on his album with Jesu. Is his previous stuff worth going back to for somebody who adores Benji?
I'm actually not as familiar with his earlier stuff as I should be. I ought to fix that.
Everything from Ghosts of the Great Highway to Admiral Fell Promises is incredibly melodic, his stream-of-consciousness mode of songwriting is a relatively new trend in his discography that has grown since Among the Leaves.
Personally I'm more familiar with the early Red House Painters records. I'm not a huge slowcore fan, but I have to admit these albums sound interesting. I should revisit them.

Not selling them well, I know.
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PlasticRam
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by PlasticRam »

Pierre wrote: Personally I'm more familiar with the early Red House Painters records. I'm not a huge slowcore fan, but I have to admit these albums sound interesting. I should revisit them.

Not selling them well, I know.
Yeah I am gonna check those out cos Scaruffi really likes them. In stuff like this I feels like he gives good recommendations generally speaking.

Edit: Of course same thing with AM. The two highest rated albums are Scaruffi's two fav albums by RHP.
I feel like that
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Romain »

Electric Guest - Plural 5,5 Noooooooo, what have they done. Grmph ! In 2012, a perfect album and today this meeeh thing. The first deception of the year.
Talisco - Capitol Vision 7 Melodic and catchy on each song… a good pop album.
Elbow - Little Fictions 9 The first song is magnificent. The third song is magnificent… The sixth song is magnificent... the first punch on the gut of the year.

Elbow - Little Fictions 9
Talisco - Capitol Vision 7
The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody 6,5
Foxygen - Hang 5,5
Electric Guest - Plural 5,5
Bonobo - Migration 5
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by jamieW »

Romain wrote:Electric Guest - Plural 5,5 Noooooooo, what have they done. Grmph ! In 2012, a perfect album and today this meeeh thing. The first deception of the year.
Talisco - Capitol Vision 7 Melodic and catchy on each song… a good pop album.
Elbow - Little Fictions 9 The first song is magnificent. The third song is magnificent… The sixth song is magnificent... the first punch on the gut of the year.

Elbow - Little Fictions 9
Talisco - Capitol Vision 7
The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody 6,5
Foxygen - Hang 5,5
Electric Guest - Plural 5,5
Bonobo - Migration 5
Romain, if I haven't said it before, I just wanted to say that, one of the things I look forward to most in these yearly threads is your album ratings/reviews (as well as those by Nick and others, which I also enjoy reading). What I especially admire and envy about yours is how you can capture your feelings about an album in just a sentence or two, which I've never been able to do myself. I have also found albums I never would have known about otherwise if not for you, and I really appreciate that. Please don't let this tradition of yours ever end! :music-listening:
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Romain »

jamieW wrote: Romain, if I haven't said it before, I just wanted to say that, one of the things I look forward to most in these yearly threads is your album ratings/reviews (as well as those by Nick and others, which I also enjoy reading). What I especially admire and envy about yours is how you can capture your feelings about an album in just a sentence or two, which I've never been able to do myself. I have also found albums I never would have known about otherwise if not for you, and I really appreciate that. Please don't let this tradition of yours ever end! :music-listening:
:romance-kisscheek: superJamie! Blush blush and reblush.

But if I make short sentences, it's essentialy because I don' t write english very well (This is the least we can say
) :mrgreen: Try to make your review in French and you will see that you will make short sentence too :D

But thanks again. Your message give me great pleasure.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by jamieW »

Romain wrote:
jamieW wrote: Romain, if I haven't said it before, I just wanted to say that, one of the things I look forward to most in these yearly threads is your album ratings/reviews (as well as those by Nick and others, which I also enjoy reading). What I especially admire and envy about yours is how you can capture your feelings about an album in just a sentence or two, which I've never been able to do myself. I have also found albums I never would have known about otherwise if not for you, and I really appreciate that. Please don't let this tradition of yours ever end! :music-listening:
:romance-kisscheek: superJamie! Blush blush and reblush.

But if I make short sentences, it's essentialy because I don' t write english very well (This is the least we can say
) :mrgreen: Try to make your review in French and you will see that you will make short sentence too :D

But thanks again. Your message give me great pleasure.
I've always thought you write very well in English. I know from experience how difficult it is to communicate in a second language. My wife is from Laos, and I've tried very hard to learn her language since I met her in 2003 and it hasn't gone so well. All these years later, she's still free to yell at me in Lao whenever she gets mad and I have no idea what she's saying. :P
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Re: Albums of 2017

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jamieW wrote: I've always thought you write very well in English. I know from experience how difficult it is to communicate in a second language. My wife is from Laos, and I've tried very hard to learn her language since I met her in 2003 and it hasn't gone so well. All these years later, she's still free to yell at me in Lao whenever she gets mad and I have no idea what she's saying. :P
Hahaha ! Yes, of course, it's my second name: ze vonderfoul french whou wraite perfaict anglish...hon hon hon hon!

Your sentence reminds me of something:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaU3bE7M2UA
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by jamieW »

Romain wrote:
jamieW wrote: I've always thought you write very well in English. I know from experience how difficult it is to communicate in a second language. My wife is from Laos, and I've tried very hard to learn her language since I met her in 2003 and it hasn't gone so well. All these years later, she's still free to yell at me in Lao whenever she gets mad and I have no idea what she's saying. :P
Hahaha ! Yes, of course, it's my second name: ze vonderfoul french whou wraite perfaict anglish...hon hon hon hon!

Your sentence reminds me of something:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaU3bE7M2UA
LOL, that's hilarious, Romain - I'd never seen that quote before. (I've only seen the first "Matrix.") My wife insists she doesn't actually curse at me in Lao, but I often have my doubts! :P
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JohnnyBGoode
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by JohnnyBGoode »

1. Sampha- Process
2. Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now
3. The xx - I See You
4. Elbow – Little Fictions
5. Jessica Hoop – Memories are Now
6. Julie Byrne - Not Even Happiness
7. Loyle Carner - Yesterday's Gone
8. Ryan Adams - Prisoner
Nick
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Visible Cloaks- Reassemblage

Visible Cloaks are an ambient duo whose latest album, Reassemblage, has been getting some pretty solid reviews, so I decided I'd go check it out. I'm not the world's biggest fan of ambient music, but the band brings something unique to this album. If anything, listening to Reassemblage is the sonic equivalent of being trapped inside of a malfunctioning old school game cartridge. That's not to say that this album is chiptune though, far from it. But the sonic details that Reassemblage holds are distinctly synthetic and distinctly dated, similar in a way to vaporwave. The songs here float by more or less without any real tether, which is a common issue I have when listening to ambient music (and seeing as how this lack of "tether" is, after all, sort of "the point" to the genre, this may be more of a problem with me than anything else). Overall, Reassemblage, while not an especially enjoyable listen, is a fairly unique one, and that always counts for something.

Verdict: Decent/Good
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by notbrianeno »

Father John Misty's Pure Comedy and Thundercat's Drunk have both leaked. Could this be the start of another massive leak season like the summer of 2015?
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Dirty Projectors- Dirty Projectors

There's an expectation that comes with self-titled albums. An expectation that the album is so representative of the artist who made it that it's worthy of bearing their name. If that's true for the Dirty Projectors, then their self-titled album has mainly focused on representing their most middling tendencies.

That's not to say that the album is bad though. Songs like "Little Bubble", "Cool Your Heart", and "I See You" contain all of the pop pleasures that made Bitte Orca and Swing Lo Magellan so enticing. And the band's characteristic art rock/worldbeat/electronic infused style is still present here, giving the album an undeniably unique aesthetic. But there are a number of moments on this album that test both my patience and my eardrums. For example, the song "Ascent Through Clouds" starts off fine enough, before devolving into a series of grating autotuned David Longstreth vocal performances that are only interrupted by what has to be one of the most annoying sounds I've heard on an album all year.

Longstreth, as it turns out, was dating former bandmate Amber Coffman, and their breakup may have contributed to her leaving the band after the release of 2012's Swing Lo Magellan. Coffman also performed lead vocals on what is easily Dirty Projectors' best, and most well known, song- 2009's "Stillness is the Move". Her absence here is, to say the least, missed. Dirty Projectors' self-titled album is a worthwhile addition to their discography, but an inessential one.

Verdict: Good
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by StevieFan13 »

Nick wrote:Dirty Projectors- Dirty Projectors

There's an expectation that comes with self-titled albums. An expectation that the album is so representative of the artist who made it that it's worthy of bearing their name. If that's true for the Dirty Projectors, then their self-titled album has mainly focused on representing their most middling tendencies.

That's not to say that the album is bad though. Songs like "Little Bubble", "Cool Your Heart", and "I See You" contain all of the pop pleasures that made Bitte Orca and Swing Lo Magellan so enticing. And the band's characteristic art rock/worldbeat/electronic infused style is still present here, giving the album an undeniably unique aesthetic. But there are a number of moments on this album that test both my patience and my eardrums. For example, the song "Ascent Through Clouds" starts off fine enough, before devolving into a series of grating autotuned David Longstreth vocal performances that are only interrupted by what has to be one of the most annoying sounds I've heard on an album all year.

Longstreth, as it turns out, was dating former bandmate Amber Coffman, and their breakup may have contributed to her leaving the band after the release of 2012's Swing Lo Magellan. Coffman also performed lead vocals on what is easily Dirty Projectors' best, and most well known, song- 2009's "Stillness is the Move". Her absence here is, to say the least, missed. Dirty Projectors' self-titled album is a worthwhile addition to their discography, but an inessential one.

Verdict: Good
Meanwhile, Amber Coffman's solo work has been very promising. I see a connection.
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
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bootsy
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by bootsy »

Nick wrote:Dirty Projectors- Dirty Projectors

There's an expectation that comes with self-titled albums. An expectation that the album is so representative of the artist who made it that it's worthy of bearing their name. If that's true for the Dirty Projectors, then their self-titled album has mainly focused on representing their most middling tendencies.

That's not to say that the album is bad though. Songs like "Little Bubble", "Cool Your Heart", and "I See You" contain all of the pop pleasures that made Bitte Orca and Swing Lo Magellan so enticing. And the band's characteristic art rock/worldbeat/electronic infused style is still present here, giving the album an undeniably unique aesthetic. But there are a number of moments on this album that test both my patience and my eardrums. For example, the song "Ascent Through Clouds" starts off fine enough, before devolving into a series of grating autotuned David Longstreth vocal performances that are only interrupted by what has to be one of the most annoying sounds I've heard on an album all year.

Longstreth, as it turns out, was dating former bandmate Amber Coffman, and their breakup may have contributed to her leaving the band after the release of 2012's Swing Lo Magellan. Coffman also performed lead vocals on what is easily Dirty Projectors' best, and most well known, song- 2009's "Stillness is the Move". Her absence here is, to say the least, missed. Dirty Projectors' self-titled album is a worthwhile addition to their discography, but an inessential one.

Verdict: Good
I knew there was someone missing from this album. I think I like it for the most part. It's a little odd but good. Amber probably makes this better than good though.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by spiritualized »

Loyle Carner - Yesterday's Gone (9.0) - Debut of the year so far. What a record :) It has immediate catchiness, perfect jazzy beats and great delivery. I thought Jazz Rap was a dead genre, how wrong was I ?

Jesca Hoop : Memories are Now (7.0) Yet another "indie-folk" female - so many of them today, but Jesca Hoop has something more : a sense of menace in what usually is a pretty bland genre. Definitely worth a revisit.

William Basinski - A Shadow in Time (8.0) Good ambient record, the second track (only two on this album) is by far the better. It surclasses Brian Eno's 2017 release.

Elbow - Little Fictions (8.0) I won't share Romain's enthusiasm, but this is a quality release. In fact Elbow never disappoints - but never goes for the kill either. Guy Garvey's voice is getting annoying now though.

Radical Face - SunnMoonnEclippse (9.0) I urge you to listen to Radical Face (aka Ben Cooper) if you don't know his music. With his hypnotic voice, he offers a fantastic mix of piano-driven songs on this EP. Delve into Moonn first. It caught me unaware. Oh and the video is very good too.

Migos - Culture (2.0) From the sublime to the ridiculous. Auto Tune Rap is simply horrible.


EOY 2017 (probably)
Run the Jewels - Run The Jewels 3
Ty Segall - Ty Segall
Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound
Loyle Carner - Yesterday's Gone
Radical Face - SunnMoonnEclippse

Excellent / Very Good
WIlliam Basinski - A Shadow in Time
Elbow - Little Fictions

Deserves another spin
Kid Koala w/Emiliana Torrini - Music to Draw To : Satellite
Mark Eitzel - Hey Mr Ferryman
Jesca Hoop - Memories are Now

Meh
Arovane & Porya Hatami - Organism
The xx - I See You
Wiley - Godfather
Sampha - Process

Avoid at all costs
Migos - Culture

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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Thundercat- Drunk

For the bulk of his career thus far, Thundercat has mainly stuck to the sidelines, but by doing so has contributed to some of the most acclaimed albums of the past couple of years. Flying Lotus' You're Dead!, Kamasi Washington's The Epic, and Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly were all made possible with the help of the elusive bass player.

Thundercat has released albums before, but Drunk is his first proper studio album since the release of those three albums, and as such, is his first chance to really prove himself to the world as a name worth standing alone. And prove himself he does. Throughout the album's 23 tracks, almost all of which come in at under the three minute mark, Thundercat presents us with an effortlessly groovy album, filled with jazz fusion and R&B smoothness. This smoothness comes to a climax on single "Show You the Way", featuring 70s masters of all things smooth, Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. Elsewhere on the album Thundercat displays his indebtedness to hip-hop, with features from Kendrick Lamar and Wiz Khalifa. The fact that so many of these tracks are so short is actually a quality that helps the album rather than detracts from it. When listening to Drunk it's as if Thundercat had tried to present us with every little idea that he had, even if that idea could only manifest itself in a 37 second song, and once the idea was presented, that was it, track over. As such there is very little filler on the album, and the songs glide with ease from one to the next.

If I had to give one criticism of the album though, it's that the style of the songs never really changes that much. The album is cohesive, but to the point where a couple surprises here and there in the sonic landscape are missed. Regardless of this flaw, Thundercat has crafted a groovy, soulful album that isn't afraid to throw in a couple humorous lyrics covering topics such as Mortal Kombat, masturbation, and Dragonball Z's Goku. Drunk is an overwhelming success.

Verdict: Great
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jackson »

Nick wrote:Thundercat- Drunk

For the bulk of his career thus far, Thundercat has mainly stuck to the sidelines, but by doing so has contributed to some of the most acclaimed albums of the past couple of years. Flying Lotus' You're Dead!, Kamasi Washington's The Epic, and Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly were all made possible with the help of the elusive bass player.

Verdict: Great
Try his 2013 album Apocalypse, that's a very underrated that includes two of my favorite 2013 songs (Heartbreaks + Setbacks and Oh Sheit It's X).
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Jackson wrote:
Nick wrote:Thundercat- Drunk

For the bulk of his career thus far, Thundercat has mainly stuck to the sidelines, but by doing so has contributed to some of the most acclaimed albums of the past couple of years. Flying Lotus' You're Dead!, Kamasi Washington's The Epic, and Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly were all made possible with the help of the elusive bass player.

Verdict: Great
Try his 2013 album Apocalypse, that's a very underrated that includes two of my favorite 2013 songs (Heartbreaks + Setbacks and Oh Sheit It's X).
I've heard his 2015 EP The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam and liked it a pretty good amount. I'll have to check out Apocalypse.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by JohnnyBGoode »

1. Sampha- Process
2. Grandaddy – Lost Place
3. Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now
4. Thundercat - Drunk
5. The xx - I See You
6. Elbow – Little Fictions
7. Julie Byrne - Not Even Happiness
8. Jessica Hoop – Memories are Now
9. Loyle Carner - Yesterday's Gone
10. Ryan Adams - Prisoner
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by PlasticRam »

Really liking the new Future album, titled Hndrxx. Some R&B vibes. As opposed to the less commercial album titled FUTURE, which I didn't like very much.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

The year is 1/6th of the way over. Here's how the album's I've heard stack up...

Great tier (8/10)

1. Thundercat- Drunk
2. Sampha- Process
3. The XX- I See You
4. David Bowie- No Plan (EP)

Good tier (7/10)

5. Sun Kil Moon- Common as Light and Love are Red Valleys of Blood
6. Priests- Nothing Feels Natural
7. Neil Cicierega- Mouth Moods
8. Dirty Projectors- Dirty Projectors
9. Foxygen- Hang
10. Cloud Nothings- Life Without Sound

Decent/Good tier (6/10)

11. Visible Cloaks- Reassemblage
12. Japandroids- Near to the Wild Heart of Life

Decent tier (5/10)

13. The Flaming Lips- Oczy Mlody
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Re: Albums of 2017

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Excellent (9/10)
1. Dirty Projectors | Dirty Projectors
2. Blanck Mass | World Eater

Great (8/10)
3. Father John Misty | Pure Comedy
4. Japandroids | Near to the Wild Heart of Life
5. Xiu Xiu | FORGET
6. Bedwetter | Volume 1: Flick Your Tongue Against Your Teeth and Describe the Present.

Good (7/10)
7. Pissed Jeans | Why Love Now
8. Sampha | Process
9. Future | HNDRXX
10. Priests | Nothing Feels Natural
11. Gabriel Garzón-Montano | Jardín
12. The Flaming Lips | Oczy Mlody
13. Allison Crutchfield | Tourist in This Town
14. Angles 9 | Disappeared Behind the Sun
15. Future | FUTURE
16. Information Flash | Ego Murda Sound
17. Migos | Culture
18. Wiley | Godfather
19. Julie Byrne | Not Even Happiness
20. Sun Kil Moon | Common As Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood
21. The XX | I See You

Decent (6/10)
22. Austra | Future Politics
23. Peter Silberman | Impermanence
24. Emptyset | Border
25. Visible Cloaks | Reassemblage
26. Porcelain Raft | Microclimate
27. Brian Eno | Reflection
28. Grandaddy | Last Place
29. Sinai Vessel | Brokenlegged
30. Foxygen | Hang
31. Thundercat | Drunk
32. Dryjacket | For Posterity
33. Flume | Skin Companion EP II
34. Uniform | Wake in Fright
35. William Basinski | A Shadow in Time
36. SOHN | Rennen

Mediocre (5/10)
37. Ty Segall | Ty Segall
38. Cloud Nothings | Life Without Sound
39. Ariel Pink & Weyes Blood | Myths 002 EP
40. Jens Lekman | Life Will See You Now
41. Ryan Adams | Prisoner
42. Bonobo | Migration

Poor (4/10)
43. Big Sean | I Decided
44. Lupe Fiasco | DROGAS Light
45. Neil Cicierega | Mouth Moods
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Re: Albums of 2017

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The XX - I See You 6 Frustrating album. I adore their first album, significantly less their second effort and here… for me, they dangerously flirting with the kind of pop I don't like. If it goes on, they will do us some modern r'n'b on the next album. (Best song: Dangerous)
Max Richter - Three Worlds Music From Woolf Works 7 Two years ago, I fell in love with The Leftovers and the music of Max Richter on the same occasion. The miracle does not reproduce here but the moving minimalism is always of quality. (Best song : In the Garden)
Mr. Elevator and The Brain Hotel - When The Morning Greets You 8,5 If you are a fan of MGMT like me (with big spoon of Beatles and 70's psyché), you can not be insensible to this album. A glorious pop album. Not an only bad song. (Best song : Dreamer / Sunshine Daydream)
The Pigeon Detectives - Broken Glances 9 Alt-j, Django Django, Electric Guest (the first album), Glass Animals, Portugal The Man, Moodoïd… if you like one of these bands, you will likes these new birds! I particulary like the guitarist. (Best song: Munro)


The Pigeon Detectives - Broken Glances 9
Elbow - Little Fictions 9
Mr. Elevator and The Brain Hotel - When The Morning Greets You 8,5

Talisco - Capitol Vision 7
Max Richter - Three Worlds Music From Woolf Works 7
The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody 6,5
The XX - I See You 6
Foxygen - Hang 5,5
Electric Guest - Plural 5,5
Bonobo - Migration 5
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by StevieFan13 »

Charli XCX - Number 1 Angel
I'm bummed. From what I recall, this is just supposed to be a mixtape prior to an actual album, and if so, I hope there's a better album on the way. This is so by-the-numbers in a way that's atypical for Charli XCX, one of the more interesting pop acts of recent years. So many of these songs could've been done by anyone else, and a lot of them just have boring, unremarkable beats. A.G. Cook just isn't an interesting producer, and I don't see why he was apparently so cool that Charli simply had to do an entire mixtape with him. Charli herself sounds like she's on autopilot for some of these songs, most disappointingly on "3 AM (Pull Up)," which really ought to be the most exciting song on the album (given the presence of fellow interesting pop star MØ), but neither give their best performances and both are dragged down by Cook's flat beat. There are a few standout tracks; I really liked "Emotional" and "ILY2." But I liked "After the Afterparty" better than all of them, and that one had Lil Yachty, for fuck's sake. I have high hopes for any future projects Charli involves herself in (the apparent presence of will.i.am notwithstanding - I'm hoping for another "I Gotta Feeling" and not another "Scream and Shout"), but this mixtape lacks both booms and claps, which is why I give it only a C+.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

The Shins- Heartworms

Heartworms is the fifth album by the James Mercer lead band, The Shins. Mercer made his name with the band, but as of late (and late being the last ten years or so), it seems as if he's been trying to detach himself from the label of "that guy from The Shins". After the band put out their 2007 album Wincing the Night Away, Mercer dived into his a collaboration with Danger Mouse (Broken Bells), and a new Shins album wouldn't follow until 2012. Now, five years later, the group have put out a followup to that album.

Heartworms was an album I was worried about, large breaks in between albums have a habit of doing that to me, but is a surprisingly strong release. No, there's nothing here as indelible as "New Slang" or "Phantom Limb" or "Simple Song", but the album is remarkably consistent in quality. There's nothing here that will convince a Shins-hater to give them another chance, and the band does display a puzzling inability to develop (just about all of these songs could've been released back in 2007 and nobody would've batted an eye), but overall Heartworms is a fun, breezy album of indie pop.

Verdict: Good
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JohnnyBGoode
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by JohnnyBGoode »

Top 15 so far
1. Sampha- Process
2. Grandaddy – Lost Place
3. Hurray For The Riff Raff - The Navigator
4. Laura Marling - Semper Femina
5. Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now
6. Thundercat - Drunk
7. The xx - I See You
8. Rose Elinor Dougall – Stellular
9. Elbow – Little Fictions
10. Julie Byrne - Not Even Happiness
11. Jessica Hoop – Memories are Now
12. Nadia Reid – Preservation
13. Loyle Carner - Yesterday's Gone
14. Ryan Adams – Prisoner
15. Allison Crutchfield - Tourist in This Town
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by spiritualized »

Thinking Plague - Hoping against Hope (2.5) - 7th album in 35 years for the avant-prog rock outfit. It is slightly better than their 2003 effort, but it remains squarely stuck in this fusion of jazz and rock which I don't really get.

Tift Merrit - Stitch of the World (7.0) Lively Americana folk-rock which doesn't dwell on the petal steel too much, this is rather enjoyable.

Thundercat - Drunk (6.0) Not fussed by the goofy aspect of this record, it's a bit messy and not exactly enthralling. Leaves an aftertaste of a missed opportunity.

HEALTH - DISCO3 (5.0) Health releases are getting weaker by the day. The brilliant mix of dance and noise/rock was a hit with their debut, but it is starting to fail. These remixes don't touch //DISCO with a bargepole.

Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayers (2.0)Grime / Trap Beats and R&B - pretty much a recipe of what I do not like in today's music. I can get why this is rather critically acclaimed, though.

Ramin Djawadi - Gears of Wars 4 (7.0) After the excellent Westworld soundtrack, I thought I'd lend an ear to another of Djawadi's 2017 release, this time a game soundtrack. Very good background music - loved working with it. Perhaps not something I'd listen to by choice, but wouldn't mind another spin.

Ryan Adams - Prisoner (6.0) 15th album from the alt-country singer/songwriter and the fourth one I listen to in full. Still the same grade : 6/10. I just cannot get into Ryan Adams, not at the beginning of his career or now. He leaves much unmoved and this album is no exception. It's not bad, but I am moving on.

Moon Duo - Occult Architecture, Vol. 1 (9.0) Wooden Shijps's Ripley Johnson other project, Moon Duo, revels in krautrock and psychedelic rock - a very successful blend on this release. Swirling synths, pulsating beats and guitars make for an excellent album - can't wait for Volume 2, also released this year.

Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now (5.0) A very weak first half of this album is not saved by the last few songs. I find his mellow, almost childish pop too cringy to enjoy.

Holy Holy - Paint (7.0) Decent follow up from their debut, Holy Holy offer variations (Prog Rock/80s Pop) on guitar-driven pop rock. Recommended listen.

Peter Silberman - Impermanence (7.0) Labeled "Slowcore" by some, I was expecting an album in the vein of the best of Low, with little production. I was very wrong - it is quite a beautiful record, very slow indeed but none of the lo-fi qualities of the kings of slowcore. It reminds me very much of a quiet, mellow Jeff Buckley.


EOY 2017 (probably)
Run the Jewels - Run The Jewels 3
Ty Segall - Ty Segall
Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound
Loyle Carner - Yesterday's Gone
Radical Face - SunnMoonnEclippse
Moon Duo - Occult Architecture, Vol.1

Excellent / Very Good
WIlliam Basinski - A Shadow in Time
Elbow - Little Fictions

Deserves another spin
Kid Koala w/Emiliana Torrini - Music to Draw To : Satellite
Mark Eitzel - Hey Mr Ferryman
Jesca Hoop - Memories are Now
Tift Merrit - Stitch of the World
Ramin Djawadi - Gears of Wars 4
Holy Holy - Paint
Peter Silberman - Impermanence

Meh
Arovane & Porya Hatami - Organism
The xx - I See You
Wiley - Godfather
Sampha - Process
Thinking Plague - Hoping against Hope
Thundercat - Drunk
HEALTH - DISCO3
Ryan Adams - Prisoner
Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now

Avoid at all costs
Migos - Culture
Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayers

Jirin
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

Anyone know a way to hear 50 Song Memoir without forking over $35? I'm even willing to pay that much if I hear it and it's a great album, but I'm not going to pay that much when I've only heard the third of the songs that are streaming.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by babydoll »

Sampha's Process is amazing. That's all I currently can say about that album.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

I finally found an artist meaner than Morissey.

Ron Gallo - Heavy Meta

'Falling asleep, standing up in the corner, cigarette ash falling into the stroller, WHY DO YOU HAVE KIDS?'
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Duncan Thaw »

I don't know how much mainstream coverage this is getting, but I think it might be one that some of the forum would enjoy.

Dayme Arocena - 'Cubafonia' (released 10th March 2017)

Standout track 'Mambo Na' Ma':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1Z4g0I0Fa4


Full album available to stream at: http://www.npr.org/2017/03/02/517785441 ... t=20170302


There might be more of interest on this list, especially for the Hispanophones on the board:

http://www.lesinrocks.com/2017/03/12/mu ... -11919987/
Last edited by Duncan Thaw on Sat Mar 18, 2017 6:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

So I just went ahead and bought 50 Song Memoir. Given 69 Love Songs is one of my favorite albums ever I probably would have bought it anyway.

Just given that nobody else here has talked about it yet, I bet its streaming unavailability is going to really limit its chances on year end lists even if it is great.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by StevieFan13 »

Jirin wrote:So I just went ahead and bought 50 Song Memoir. Given 69 Love Songs is one of my favorite albums ever I probably would have bought it anyway.

Just given that nobody else here has talked about it yet, I bet its streaming unavailability is going to really limit its chances on year end lists even if it is great.
I know that 1981: How to Play Synthesizer is on Spotify.
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notbrianeno
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by notbrianeno »

Streaming link for 50 Song Memoir below

https://musicmp3.ru/artist_the-magnetic ... emoir.html
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

StevieFan13 wrote:
Jirin wrote:So I just went ahead and bought 50 Song Memoir. Given 69 Love Songs is one of my favorite albums ever I probably would have bought it anyway.

Just given that nobody else here has talked about it yet, I bet its streaming unavailability is going to really limit its chances on year end lists even if it is great.
I know that 1981: How to Play Synthesizer is on Spotify.
Spotify has 'Selections from 50 Song Memoir' which has 17 songs on it. But 17 songs isn't enough to decide to buy a 50 song album.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by PlasticRam »

Jirin wrote:So I just went ahead and bought 50 Song Memoir. Given 69 Love Songs is one of my favorite albums ever I probably would have bought it anyway.

Just given that nobody else here has talked about it yet, I bet its streaming unavailability is going to really limit its chances on year end lists even if it is great.
Has 88 Metacritic atm, so I think it's gonna do fairly well in EOY. Might take a slight hit due to not much streaming.
I feel like that
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by JohnnyBGoode »

Possible new no. 1 for me from Mount Eerie streaming at http://www.npr.org/2017/03/16/520013269 ... oked-at-me

Though having listened to Laura Marling again* my current no. 1 is already different to above.

* main reason I don't give arbitrary scores to albums.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Mount Eerie- A Crow Looked at Me

"Death is real, someone's there and then they're not." This a sentiment that we all know is true. It's also the opening lines to A Crow Looked at Me, the latest album from Phil Elverum. But the way Elverum (recording here under the moniker of "Mount Eerie") sings turns simple truths like this into new revelations. Of course we know that death is real, from a strictly logical standpoint. But how often are we are of the full emotional implications of that reality? What use is simply knowing the statement "death is real" to be truth if that statement lacks the requisite emotional weight?

Throughout A Crow Looked at Me, Elverum wants to make sure that you understand what true emotional weight is. The album functions as an ode to Elverum's recently deceased wife of 13 years, Geneviève Castrée, who died back in July from cancer at only 35. In the process, Elverum became a single parent to a young daughter. The lyrics are the focal point of the album, and they are nothing but masterful, shying away from clichés or platitudes and instead encroaches on a confessional level that becomes truly uncomfortable for the listener, as if you had stumbled upon Elverum's diary and begun to read his most intimate thoughts. Perhaps the most tragic element of Elverum's lyricism is his ability to take the mundane and turn it into the profound. The way he sings about how taking out the trash is different now or how he doesn't want to close the window in the room his wife died even though it's getting cold out is heartbreaking, as it forces us to understand death as something that is no longer a nebulous concept, but something that has an impact on even the most mundane aspects of our lives.

The centerpiece of the album is the third track, "Ravens", a near seven minute description of him and his infant daughter visiting Haida Gwaii (an archipelago off the coast of British Columbia) in order to scatter his wife's ashes. The song is nothing less than haunting, with the album's sole instance of electric guitar kicking in during the song's second half (the bulk of the album's instrumentation is sparse, with acoustic guitar and piano providing the bulk of the music here).

At the end of the album, Elverum and his young daughter go for a walk in the woods, near an area consumed by forest fire a couple months and a couple of songs back. As he mourns for the world his daughter will have to grow up in, "smoldering and fascist with no mother", Elverum hears the sound of a crow. His daughter murmurs "crow" in her sleep as her father reflects on Geneviève. Then he asks his daughter if she's dreaming of a crow and then he closes the album with the line "and there she was". The ending is ambiguous, but it ends up feeling right. A Crow Looked at Me is more than just Elverum's best attempt to depress the listener. It's a love letter to his wife.

Verdict: Excellent (9/10)
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Matski »

JohnnyBGoode wrote:Possible new no. 1 for me from Mount Eerie streaming at http://www.npr.org/2017/03/16/520013269 ... oked-at-me.
Hopefully NPR won't take it down too quickly (like they did with Valarie June's new album) and that I'll find time to check it out.

Happy that they are still streaming Hurray for the Riff Raff's 'The Navigator'. :music-listening:
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

The albums by Rhiannon Giddens, Laura Marling, and Xiu Xiu are all wonderful.

Three that might exceed my current AOTY, Sampha - Process.

I bought 50 Song Memoir on Amazon, don't know why it's not available on Amazon Music for me yet. I've done most of my work listening to Lemonade on Amazon Music.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Anohni- Paradise (EP)

Your enjoyment of Anohni's latest release, an EP called Paradise, will be directly correlated to your enjoyment of her previous album Hopelessness. To me, Hopelessness was a great album, so it's only natural that I view this EP in a positive light. Anohni has always had one of the best voices in indie music, ever since Antony and The Johnsons were cranking out music in the mid 2000s. Her voice is instantly recognizable, and carries a sort of operatic quality to it that few other voices in the world of popular music do. Without getting too much into her gender transition, one of the best things about her voice is that it has always (to me at least) sounded both very masculine and very feminine, a bold and robust voice that manages to carry a certain feminine pathos while still being relatively low in pitch should be a contradiction that doesn't work, yet it does. Rest assured that her vocal prowess is on full display here.

Paradise continues with the social justice message that Hopelessness had, especially on the acerbic "Jesus Will Kill You", with lyrics calling out Christian hypocrisy when it comes to turning a blind eye to poverty. Going back to Hopelessness, it's somewhat quaint how she spends an entire song criticizing Barack Obama, a politician who I'm sure she'd consider a literal saint when compared to a certain orange skinned man with bad hair. With that in mind, it's going to be very interesting to see how this socially conscious message continues to develop in her music in the coming years.

There's nothing on Paradise that can go toe to toe with "Drone Bomb Me" or "4 Degrees" or "I Don't Love You Anymore", though there certainly isn't a bad song among the EP's tracklist. But this release is a great way to savor that same winning aesthetic of Hopelessness as we await her next LP.

Verdict: Good (7/10)
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Spoon- Hot Thoughts

Spoon have been described by many as one of the most consistent bands out there, an apt title for the industrious Texas band. I can't profess to have heard all of their discography, but of the 5 studio albums of their I've heard, I can't say they've made a bad one. Of the ones I've heard (Kill the Moonlight, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Transference, They Want My Soul, and now Hot Thoughts), only Transference is anything less than great, and even that album is at least pretty good.

Hot Thoughts is an album that takes on the classic Spoon sound while making slight tweaks here and there to prevent anything from going stale. One thing immediately noticeable to me is that the album is a groovier effort than some of their past releases, with the title track coming off as almost funky. Another aesthetic of note is the band's commitment to "The Fuzz", that is to say, big fuzzy, distorted guitar tracks that help propel most of the songs here. I'm a sucker for fuzzy guitar riffs, as evidenced by some of my favorite songs of all time (Blur's "Coffee and TV" has some pure, unadulterated fuzz, as does Ya La Tengo's "Sugarcube", as does The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy", as does...), and the addition of that element sets Hot Thoughts apart from the rest of Spoon's discography.

There are two songs here that totally lack any fuzz though, and they're easily the strangest tracks on the album (and not coincidentally, the longest). The first comes in about halfway through the album and is mainly driven by a spacey aesthetic and a xylophone. Its name is titled "Pink Up", and it's a song with a satisfying come up and competently written come down, but lacks a badly needed climax. The last song is called "Us" and its the sonic equivalent of standing on a Manhattan street corner at 2 AM after leaving your favorite speakeasy, which is a bloated way of saying its an instrumental track with an ominous horn solo throughout it. Its surprises like these that keep the band interesting, well into their career.

Verdict: Great (8/10)
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Jirin »

Listening to 50 Song Memoir. I'd put it in the 'Very good' category so far, but I have to seriously question why they put these songs on 5 CDs. The songs are 3 minutes each. Why is this album on 5 30 minute albums? Was somebody just so mathematically neurotic that they couldn't handle having a different number of songs per album? Feels like they're punishing the people who still like having things on physical CDs, making them physically switch CDs twice as often as they should have to.

I like owning things physically just because I don't trust the streaming or download services to have their current selection permanently, but I use streaming for a good majority of my listening. Amazon Music has pretty much every album I bought on Amazon since 1999 but doesn't have this one. Feels like I'm being forced to go to a lot of trouble to get this album reasonably available for modern devices, just because I don't want to pay the same price for just a digital download that I would for a real physical copy.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by spiritualized »

The Magnetic Fields - 50 Song Memoir (8.0) - Another mammoth undertaking from Stephen Merritt. I lost touch with the Magnetic Fields after the appalling "Distortion" although I view Get Lost and "i" as excellent albums. This time, Merritt's hits the jackpot with a sprawling 50 song biographical work. His voice is still occasionnally grating, but overall the quality of the songwriting lifts the album amongst this year's greats with some instantly gratifying songs.

Vibracathedral Orchestra - So Called Texture (7.0) A new live recording in Manchester UK from the very prolific drone / experimental collective, it is composed of five long sections. You get what it says on the tin. Textures abound with a wall of drone layered by chimes. It could sound preposterous but it is actually quite a pleasant listen with enough going on at the same time to keep your interest.

Rhiannon Giddens - Freedom Highway (7.0) This record is so rooted in Americana it could be embarrassing. Blues, Bluegrass, Folk, Country, you name it. But somehow, it works and it will go on my pile of "must listen again".


EOY 2017 (probably)
Run the Jewels - Run The Jewels 3
Ty Segall - Ty Segall
Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound
Loyle Carner - Yesterday's Gone
Radical Face - SunnMoonnEclippse
Moon Duo - Occult Architecture, Vol.1

Excellent / Very Good
WIlliam Basinski - A Shadow in Time
Elbow - Little Fictions
The Magnetic Fields - 50 Song Memoir

Deserves another spin
Kid Koala w/Emiliana Torrini - Music to Draw To : Satellite
Mark Eitzel - Hey Mr Ferryman
Jesca Hoop - Memories are Now
Tift Merrit - Stitch of the World
Ramin Djawadi - Gears of Wars 4
Holy Holy - Paint
Peter Silberman - Impermanence
Vibracathedral Orchestra - So-Called Texture
Rhiannon Giddens - Freedom Highway

Meh
Arovane & Porya Hatami - Organism
The xx - I See You
Wiley - Godfather
Sampha - Process
Thinking Plague - Hoping against Hope
Thundercat - Drunk
HEALTH - DISCO3
Ryan Adams - Prisoner
Jens Lekman - Life Will See You Now

Avoid at all costs
Migos - Culture
Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayers

Last edited by spiritualized on Fri Mar 24, 2017 9:16 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Nick »

Real Estate- In Mind

Real Estate have, over the course of several albums, continued to make the aural equivalent of a lazy river ride, that is to say, languid summery enjoyment. I hesitate to use the word "fun" here because there isn't all too much fun about the music of Real Estate, like there is with, say, Daft Punk. Instead, the band seem content to keep on making albums full of blissful, mellow indie pop/rock tunes.

This, however, is the double edged sword of In Mind. There's something certainly commendable about a group of constant innovators, as the acclaim thrust upon acts like The Beatles or David Bowie or Miles Davis can certainly attest to. But there's also something commendable, though less glitzy, about a group whose only real aesthetic goal is to constantly refine a sound to perfection. But this only applies to bands that are actually getting better with every release, getting closer to that perfect distillation of a singular aesthetic. Real Estate, alas, are not one of these bands. Earlier albums by the band followed the same tired and true formula found here, but at least they had the hooks to back up the sound, as fantastic singles like "It's Real" and "Talking Backwards" can attest to. On In Mind, Real Estate are never bad, but there's little here to be excited about.

Verdict: Decent (6/10)
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Re: Albums of 2017

Post by Romain »

Mick Harvey - Intoxicated Women 7 The fourth album of the Gainsbourg's covers by Mick Harvey (here it's some songs he have written for women), not his best but it's obviously always a pleasure for me to hear these songs on an other language.
Chilly Gonzales & Jarvis Cocker - Room 29 8 A sort of cabaret album, with simplicity and melodic clarity. The work of goldsmith like a sober side of The Divine Comedy. Interesting and growing on me (Best songs: Clara / Bombshell / The Other Side)
Birkin-Gainsbourg - Le Symphonique 9,5 And for the complete luck, another album about Gainsbourg… and a magnificient one. A classical orchestra reinterprete the melodies of Serge or the classicals ones he had chosen for his Jane (fuck, I cry everytime on Baby alone in Babylone and L'aquoiboniste)


Birkin-Gainsbourg - Le Symphonique 9,5
Elbow - Little Fictions 9
The Pigeon Detectives - Broken Glances 8,5
Mr. Elevator and The Brain Hotel - When The Morning Greets You 8,5
Chilly Gonzales & Jarvis Cocker - Room 29 8
Talisco - Capitol Vision 7
Mick Harvey - Intoxicated Women 7
Max Richter - Three Worlds Music From Woolf Works 7
The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody 6,5

Foxygen - Hang 5,5
Electric Guest - Plural 5,5
The XX - I See You 5
Bonobo - Migration 4,5
Last edited by Romain on Fri Mar 24, 2017 9:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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