Fire Squad's "Give me an album and I'll rate it'" Thread

Started by Fire Squad, Aug 10, 2020, in Music Add to Reading List

  1. Fire Squad
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    Fire Squad Boss Don Biggavel

    Aug 10, 2020
    I've listened to a ton of music over the years and this place has been a nice outlet for me to share what I know. In no way am I a legitimate critique of music like some of our esteemed colleagues here, if anything this is just a nice little corner for me to dish out anecdotes or even listen to something I haven't heard yet.

    So the rules are pretty simple: just name an album/mixtape/whatever you want me to review and I'll write a blurb about it, don't care what genre it is! I'll tag you and I'll even keep a track record of everything I've looked at in the OP as I want this to go on for the long run.

    The List:
    #1: Papa Andy - The Weight Band - World Gone Mad [9/10]
    #2: Grimace - Paul Simon - Graceland [9/10]
    #3: Hargydon - Lowkey - Soundtrack to the struggle [7/10]
    #4: Sign Language - Color Changin' Click - Get Ya Mind Correct [8.5/10]
    #5: Bourbon Ben - PJ Harvey - Rid of Me [10/10]
    #6: Big Country - Andre Nickatina - Conversations with a Devil [8.2/10]
    #7: Joeyp363: Hopsin - Raw [100/10]
    #8: OwI: FKA Twigs - Magdalene [8.8/10]
    #9: Ordinary Joel: Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas [8.3/10]
    #10: Rick James: Classified - Classified [6.7/10]
    #11: BIGFOOT: Onyx - Shut 'Em Down [8.1/10]
    #12: Mraczewsky: The Anxiety - The Anxiety [7/10]
    #13: awhellno: BJ the Chicago Kid - 1123 (Deluxe) [7.5/10]
    #14: the kid on mars: Blu & Exile - Below The Heavens [8.7/10]
    #15: damoi: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willy and the Poor Boys [10/10]
    #16: Winter: The Diplomats - Diplomatic Immunity [8.6/10]
    #17: icecube: One Be Lo - S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M [8.3/10]
    #18: Enez: Swans - The Great Annihilator [8.1/10]
    #19: joeyp363: Tech N9ne - Everready [6.7/10]
    #20: joeyp363: Czarface & MF DOOM - Czarface Meets Metal Face [7.3/10]
    #21: Ordinary Joel: Ric Wilson & Terrace Martin - They Call Me Disco [8/10]
    #22: Bourbon Ben: Fugazi - Repeater [8.9/10]
    #23: Grimace: Alanis Morrisette - Jagged Little Pill [9/10]
    #24: Michael Myers: Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia [8.4/10]
    #25: BIGFOOT: Wiley - Godfather [8.2/10]
    #26: Koolo: Bizarre - Hannicap Circus [.../10]
    #27: Thy: Max B & French Montana - Coke Wave [8.4/10]
    #28: SHUDEYE: Kerser - Roll The Dice [7.6/10]
    #29: King V: Animal Collective - Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished [9.2/10]
    #30: Genysis: A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory [10/10]
    #31: SKUXY BANGS: Lord Finesse - The Awakening [8.2/10]
    #32: Ordinary Joel: Sampha - Process [8.7/10]
    #33: awhellno: dvsn - A Muse In Her Feelings [8.2/10]
    #34: Sav Stanfield: J Hus - Big Conspiracy [8.6?/10]
    #35: Odysseus: Kanye West - Yandhi (BC Edition) [8.0/10]
    #36: Jeans: Daniel Johnston - 1990 [9.1/10]
    #37: Enez: Sweet Trip - velocity : design : comfort [9.0/10]
    #38: Ordinary Joel: Hermit and the Recluse - Orpheus vs. the Sirens [8.6/10]
    #39: The Product: Polo G - Die a Legend [8.4/10]
    #40: The Product: Denzel Curry - Zuu [8.6/10]
    #41: icecube: Pharoahe Monch - Internal Affairs [8.5/10]
    #42: Big Country: Suicide Squad - The Album [4.5/10]
    #43: Rick James: Flavor Flav - Hollywood [3/10]
    #44: Sign Language: HUM - You'd Prefer an Astronaut [8.8/10]
    #45: King V: Ratking - So It Goes [8.4/10]
    #46: Sav Stanfield: Rio Da Yung OG - City On My Back [7.7/10]
    #47: awhellno: GASHI - 1984 [8.1/10]
    #48: Chazi: Compton's Most Wanted - Music to Driveby [8.4/10]
    #49: Genysis: Cypress Hill - Black Sunday [9/10]
    #50: Ordinary Joel: Sade - Promise [8.8/10]
    #51: Ordinary Joel: Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds from Another Planet [8.5/10]
    #52: Winter: Q-Tip - Kamaal the Abstract [7.5/10]
    #53: awhellno: M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming [8.8/10]
    #54: Sign Language: Failure - Fantastic Planet [8.5/10]
    #55: Thy: Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow [8.6/10]
    #56: Jeans: Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues [9.2/10]
    #57: Ordinary Joel: SAULT - UNTITLED (Rise) [8.5/10]
    #58: Bourbon Ben: The Stooges - Fun House [9.5/10]
    #59: Enez: Can - Mago Tago [10/10]
    #60: Enez: Deftones - Diamond Eyes [8.3/10]
    #61: Ordinary Joel: Charles Hamilton - The Pink Lavalamp [8.6/10]
    #62: awhellno: Terror Jr - Unfortunately, Terror Jr [8.2/10]
    #63: Boos: XV - Zero Heroes (Remastered) [8.2/10]
    #64: Sign Language: Pepper - Kona Town [8.4/10]
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2020
    #1
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  2. lil uzi vert stan
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    Aug 10, 2020
    great idea for a thread, heres an album close to my heart. dunno if u like roots rock/americana but peep this. how long ur writeups gonna be, 200-300 words?

     
    Mar 28, 2024
  3. Fire Squad
    Posts: 7,544
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    Fire Squad Boss Don Biggavel

    Aug 10, 2020
    @cpt awesome WPG joint acc
    upload_2020-8-10_17-5-23.jpeg
    #1: The Weight Band - World Gone Mad [9/10]
    You know, I do have a history of appreciation for Bluesy/Roots rock--I mean heck I'm Mexican so I've murdered every drunken La Bamba karaoke session! Some other examples of my fondness for it include Jimmy Page's experimentations with it on Led Zeppelin, Gary Moore & his jaw-dropping guitar work, plus a little bit of early Fleetwood Mac even.

    The one thing that's always struck me about these contemporaries are the tortured, poetic souls that they harbor deep inside. From the moment you hear their wistfulness and unease in that powerful title track, it sets the contemplative tempo for the rest of the record.

    As I've ventured deeper in the album, the themes really struck me. It's a conversation that we ought to be having: Are we losing our societal values? Are our traditions hanging on by a loose thread? Is the world truly going mad? There's this nostalgic sort of Woodstock-ish spirit that lives in the band; a harkening to a significant & transformative time in this country's history. They bare their souls with their instruments, almost like you step into a vintage flashback of their lives when each solo & beat comes into play.

    Nevertheless thank you good sir for recommending me this, I had a great time stepping out of my usual comfort zone for music. I have a strange urge to dust off my acoustic guitar and try to mimic those chords I heard, with a bottle of Jack Daniels somewhere in that picture.
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2020
    #3
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  4. RetiredAccount
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    RetiredAccount Big Time Stuntin Like My Daddy

    Aug 10, 2020
    Paul Simon’s graceland
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  5. hargydon
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    hargydon No investigation, no right to speak

    Aug 10, 2020
    Lowkey - Soundtrack to the Struggle

    or

    R.A. The Rugged Man - All My Heroes Are Dead
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  6. Sign Language
    Posts: 11,696
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    Location: Screwston

    Sign Language We miss you Screw

    Aug 10, 2020
    upload_2020-8-10_19-30-56.jpeg
     
    #6
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  7. Fire Squad
    Posts: 7,544
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    Fire Squad Boss Don Biggavel

    Aug 10, 2020
    @Grimace
    upload_2020-8-10_20-19-0.jpeg
    #2: Paul Simon - Graceland
    Oh d--- I remember this one, it was a late night sometime in I think my 2nd year of my undergrad studies when I went on this insane binge of listening to the 80's classics for the first time. Simon & Garfunkel are staples here in NY (for better...and worse in some cases lol), there isn't one outdoor pizzeria or park in Chelsea & Queens that isn't blaring out S&F come summertime. That same night I also heard U2's The Joshua Tree, which is another album every average American has heard at least one song from. Gotta love Adult Contemporary AM radio & every supermarket!

    The thing however with this album, although it came out in the 80's, it doesn't have a lot of blatant quirks that defined most of the generic pieces of music of that time. Graceland is rich in diverse pop, taking a lot of cues from what David Byrne set out to do with Talking Heads Remain In Light with heavy influences from Worldbeat/African Zulu hums. So we get this really awesome mix of like Jangle-Pop that compliment Paul's vivid storytelling. The B-Side still sounds so ahead of it's time, even now that I've gone back to this, if you don't hum along to Homeless you must have no soul.

    Overall this is easily a classic album, from both the strength of Paul Simon's song-writing & this rich tapestry of African sounds. I highly encourage anyone to at some point in their lifetimes to pick up some snacks, grab your headphones and dive into the past to visit these pristine masterpieces.
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  8. Bourbon Ben
    Posts: 39,239
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    Bourbon Ben Mad pooper

    Aug 10, 2020
    PJ Harvey - Rid of Me
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  9. DKC
    Posts: 23,125
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    DKC hank trill

    Aug 10, 2020
    Andre Nickatina - Conversation With a Devil
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  10. joeyp363
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    Aug 10, 2020
    Hopsin- Raw (serious)

    Such a classic
     
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  11. Fire Squad
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    Fire Squad Boss Don Biggavel

    Aug 10, 2020
    @hargydon
    upload_2020-8-10_21-42-16.jpeg
    #3: Lowkey - Soundtrack to the struggle [7/10]

    I'm not proud to say this is the first time I've listened to a UK Rapper's album in full. It's something I've been wanting to explore, especially considering I've explored most of the known frontiers of Hip-Hop. With that being said, I was pleasantly surprised by the direction this album went: reminded me heavily of the mega-politicized raps of JMT, Dead Prez, etc. (should have seen it coming once I saw an Immortal Technique feature listed). There is no semblance of sunlight here; every line packs vitriol and the skits make this feel like I'm watching an episode of Vice. If you want something completely unflinching and direct to the point, this is it.

    Although It's a bit clunky at times, the problem when it comes to making these kind of records is it can get pretty repetitive regardless of the well-intended meaning of the themes. It's compounded even more by the length, sometimes less is more which in this case it clocks over 90 minutes to those wondering. Still, I am willing to listen to more UK Rap so I am grateful you slid this in my direction!
     
    #11
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  12. Fire Squad
    Posts: 7,544
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    Fire Squad Boss Don Biggavel

    Aug 10, 2020
    @Sign Language

    [​IMG]
    #4 Color Changin' Click - Get Ya Mind Correct [8.5/10]

    Bro thank you for giving me an excuse to revisit this. Actually I want also thank Drake of all people in this. Yes you heard me right, Drake (Soulja voice). My appreciation for Texas rap started around the time So Far Gone dropped and hearing Bun B obliterate his feature on Uptown. By that point we were already past the climax of what was Swishahouse's stranglehold during the mid-2000s, their influence however still permeated in every other corner of the mainstream. Man I uncovered so much music during the Rap Blog-era, coinciding with my Senior Year of high school. This gem, was amongst the many Texas classics I uncovered for the first time 10 years ago.

    There's something so intriguing about that slow-motion outer space sound that Swishahouse had in abundance, juxtaposing with everything else I had known coming from the northeast/midwest. Paul Wall & Cham are both extremely charismatic rappers; Paul having impeccable presence & a knack for catchy phrases with Cham's under appreciated ear for melodies and a razor sharp flow. Together they had one of the best chemistries in rap history if you ask me.

    At 13 tracks--not including the hilarious skits--these two glide over all these minimalistic, jittery sounding instrumentals. The hooks are amazing, the raps are perfect, although it's an album where I would say the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. So shoutout to Texas for giving us under-appreciated gems, shoutout to all of y'all that experienced that same epiphany in high school for diving deep into this d--- genre and shoutout.....to Drake.
     
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  13. Sign Language
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    Sign Language We miss you Screw

    Aug 10, 2020
    @Fire Squad That was very well written! Couldn’t find a thing to disagree with either. Not sure if you’ve heard the chopped version but they added 2 freestyles that were pretty dope.

    Also @Buddha and I are talking with the Houston mayor about renaming the Astrodome the Lew Hawk Dome.
     
    #13
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  14. hargydon
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    hargydon No investigation, no right to speak

    Aug 11, 2020
    d---, that was quick!

    Yeah it definitely suffers from a heavy amount of tracks, it’s a message/writing focused project and it is littered in references of current & historical events that can keep you engaged for plenty of listening sessions, I’ve learned a lot from researching topics on here. You can feel the urgency in the music like it’s a last ditch effort to inform the world of the issues it’s facing. I was conflicted whether to suggest his first project “Dear Listener” which is more personal - less political, but I wanted to see your opinion on something more poignant, then there’s his newer 2nd instalment of Soundtrack to the Struggle after he returned from retirement where he left to travel & educate himself but that is much more dense & less of an enjoyable listen, basically spoken poetry over beats for half of it but they are both some of my favourite writing & projects.

    I also thought there was a chance you may have seen his name or heard talk about him as he blew up worldwide from his song “Obama Nation” temporarily which led to him being blackballed in the industry & further banned from the city of London which he mentions on the project, pretty surreal stuff.

    I’d recommend “Dear Listener” for a more straight-to-the-point, pure hip-hop enjoyable record of his, 12 songs & clocking in under an hour. I have plenty more UK artists to recommend if you’re ever intrigued.
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  15. OwI
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    OwI I was riding on a bike on a very late night

    Aug 11, 2020
    FKA Twigs - mary Magdalene
    thanks
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  16. Fire Squad
    Posts: 7,544
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    Fire Squad Boss Don Biggavel

    Aug 11, 2020
    @Sign Language no kidding I was this close to listening to the blue cover just for the new experience. But yo please honor that legend with that distinction! If I see that in the news I already know who instigated it lmao.

    @hargydon I can tell you have a wealth of knowledge to share on rap in general, I'd even encourage you do some sort of UK Rap thread to put on us uncultured swine. There's a lot more for me to catch up so feel free to s---t me/us any names!

    To everyone else, I'll probably get around to the rest tomorrow. Put keep throwing more titles itt, my hope is that it encourages others to possibly look into these themselves.
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  17. Ordinary Joel
    Posts: 28,743
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    Location: South Australia

    Ordinary Joel Found a new way to flow

    Aug 11, 2020
    Lianne La Havas - Self-Titled

    Truly this thread is a god dream! Hopefully I can get put onto some albums through following these write-ups. :wow5:
     
    #17
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  18. Ricky
    Posts: 39,430
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    Ricky Hip-Hop CEO ™

    Aug 11, 2020
    Man, I'm lowkey worried that's the only album you've been listening since you found out about it lol. I'll check this out as well tho!
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  19. Ricky
    Posts: 39,430
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    Ricky Hip-Hop CEO ™

    Aug 11, 2020
    Also OP: Classified "Classified". Idk if you fucc with canadian rap besides Drake, but Class is my fav rapper out there.
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  20. Bourbon Ben
    Posts: 39,239
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    Bourbon Ben Mad pooper

    Aug 11, 2020
    Ur either gonna f---ing hate Rid of Me or love it :koala6:and its gonna be funny to see the reaction
     
    #20
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