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cosmic thing - the b-52's (1989) apr 26th
ive ALWAYS had the b-52s in the back of my mind ever since i got into new wave. i LOVE their big signature hits, and always appreciated their general aesthetic, vibe, and artistry. but i never gave them a real try until now. and im so glad i finally did!
i started with this one specifically bcs i really felt like listening to roam. that song makes me really emotional and i really love it, but i didnt want to listen to it too often until i gave the whole album a listen. i think all of the songs stand by themselves really well. i love the lyrics so much and the whole album just feels like a georgian summer in the late 80s. its truly perfect and so satisfying to listen to. i LOVE fred schneider's voice so much and his energy is addictive!!!
overall rating: 10/10
favorite tracks: junebug, roam, dry county
ive ALWAYS had the b-52s in the back of my mind ever since i got into new wave. i LOVE their big signature hits, and always appreciated their general aesthetic, vibe, and artistry. but i never gave them a real try until now. and im so glad i finally did!
i started with this one specifically bcs i really felt like listening to roam. that song makes me really emotional and i really love it, but i didnt want to listen to it too often until i gave the whole album a listen. i think all of the songs stand by themselves really well. i love the lyrics so much and the whole album just feels like a georgian summer in the late 80s. its truly perfect and so satisfying to listen to. i LOVE fred schneider's voice so much and his energy is addictive!!!
overall rating: 10/10
favorite tracks: junebug, roam, dry county
erotica - madonna (1992) mar 28nd
another recommendation from alex! or rather, alex's fiance whos a huge madonna fan.
this one is new for me. genre and all. it was a good listen, but i dont think its for me overall. i appreciate it as an album though, and some tracks were very moving. i dont think id revisit it any time soon.
overall rating: 4.5/10
favorite tracks: deeper and deeper, bye bye baby
another recommendation from alex! or rather, alex's fiance whos a huge madonna fan.
this one is new for me. genre and all. it was a good listen, but i dont think its for me overall. i appreciate it as an album though, and some tracks were very moving. i dont think id revisit it any time soon.
overall rating: 4.5/10
favorite tracks: deeper and deeper, bye bye baby
germ free adolescents - x-ray spex (1978) mar 22nd
another recommendation from alex! though, x-ray spex has been on my radar for awhile. my first exposure to them i think was watching wendell and wild back when it first came out and hearing "i am a poseur" which is a great song. it just took me awhile to actually listen to them beyond that. im glad i finally did though. this is peak early british new wave. its perfect. no notes. i really admire poly styrene and i feel a kind of kinship with her in a way. and her voice is very moving.
overall rating: 9/10
favorite tracks: obsessed with you, warrior in woolworths, age
another recommendation from alex! though, x-ray spex has been on my radar for awhile. my first exposure to them i think was watching wendell and wild back when it first came out and hearing "i am a poseur" which is a great song. it just took me awhile to actually listen to them beyond that. im glad i finally did though. this is peak early british new wave. its perfect. no notes. i really admire poly styrene and i feel a kind of kinship with her in a way. and her voice is very moving.
overall rating: 9/10
favorite tracks: obsessed with you, warrior in woolworths, age
imaginal disk - magdalena bay (2024) mar 21th
a good friend of mine (alex, who shows me a lot of what i listen to) recommended me this after their brother had recommended it to them. not only that, but i saw it mentioned on bluesky and randomly heard it on tiktok. i decided to take it as a sign and give it a listen. my hopes were high, but i came out of it not really caring for it very much. i couldnt really get behind the vocals or the lyrics, but the instrumentation was fairly impressive and nice. just not something id want to return to.
overall rating: 3/10
favorite tracks: death & romance
a good friend of mine (alex, who shows me a lot of what i listen to) recommended me this after their brother had recommended it to them. not only that, but i saw it mentioned on bluesky and randomly heard it on tiktok. i decided to take it as a sign and give it a listen. my hopes were high, but i came out of it not really caring for it very much. i couldnt really get behind the vocals or the lyrics, but the instrumentation was fairly impressive and nice. just not something id want to return to.
overall rating: 3/10
favorite tracks: death & romance
poodle hat - weird al (2003) feb 9th
so far ive listened to every weird al album up until this one. i ended 2024 with running with scissors, which was pretty good i think. poodle hat is a bit of an acquired taste, and i think some of that has to do with the era of music it encapsulates. some songs hit, some really dont. i grew up listening to eminem, so couch potato genuinely cracks me up. same with trash day, for similar reasons. but ebay, and ode to a superhero fall a bit short. and al's originals on this, like wanna b ur lovr or party at the leper colony, are hit or miss. it seems with genius in france al is trying to replicate albuquerque. i havent looked at the track listing for the next few albums so i have no idea how many times hes gonna do this, but i kinda like it to be honest...
overall i do think i like this the least out of all the albums ive heard so far, which i hate admitting! angry white boy polka might be one of my favorite polkas though, just because so many of the songs in it i grew up hearing as a little kid. plus, hardware store is obligatory. its just really good.
overall rating: 6/10
favorite tracks: hardware store, angry white boy polka, couch potato
so far ive listened to every weird al album up until this one. i ended 2024 with running with scissors, which was pretty good i think. poodle hat is a bit of an acquired taste, and i think some of that has to do with the era of music it encapsulates. some songs hit, some really dont. i grew up listening to eminem, so couch potato genuinely cracks me up. same with trash day, for similar reasons. but ebay, and ode to a superhero fall a bit short. and al's originals on this, like wanna b ur lovr or party at the leper colony, are hit or miss. it seems with genius in france al is trying to replicate albuquerque. i havent looked at the track listing for the next few albums so i have no idea how many times hes gonna do this, but i kinda like it to be honest...
overall i do think i like this the least out of all the albums ive heard so far, which i hate admitting! angry white boy polka might be one of my favorite polkas though, just because so many of the songs in it i grew up hearing as a little kid. plus, hardware store is obligatory. its just really good.
overall rating: 6/10
favorite tracks: hardware store, angry white boy polka, couch potato
do it yourself - ian dury & the blockheads (1979) march 18th
a good friend of mine sent this my way, which was precipitated by me hearing the song "hit me with your rhythm stick" by the same artist on my spotify discover weekly. (and soon after seeing vinny vinesauce play the song "sex & drugs & rock & roll" on stream) so for the past few weeks, ian dury has been beckoning me i suppose. im really glad my friend recommended me this, however, because its really fucking good. its right up my alley and appeals to me greatly. ian dury has a very eccentric and awesome personality that comes through this album really well. the album is so funky and dancey in a weird british late 70s way. i will probably have this on repeat all year. no notes!
overall rating: 10/10
favorite tracks: inbetweenies, hit me with your rhythm stick, waiting for your taxi
a good friend of mine sent this my way, which was precipitated by me hearing the song "hit me with your rhythm stick" by the same artist on my spotify discover weekly. (and soon after seeing vinny vinesauce play the song "sex & drugs & rock & roll" on stream) so for the past few weeks, ian dury has been beckoning me i suppose. im really glad my friend recommended me this, however, because its really fucking good. its right up my alley and appeals to me greatly. ian dury has a very eccentric and awesome personality that comes through this album really well. the album is so funky and dancey in a weird british late 70s way. i will probably have this on repeat all year. no notes!
overall rating: 10/10
favorite tracks: inbetweenies, hit me with your rhythm stick, waiting for your taxi