Apr 21, 2025 at 9:42 PM

193. David Bowie - Let's Dance (1983) [April 21st, 2025]

I did not enjoy this album. Like, I only enjoyed 1/8 tracks on here. I'm usually not the type of person who cries about artists "selling out" or whatever, but this is the start of Bowie's commercialized period that I am not a fan of. This was already noticeable in some parts of Scary Monsters, but it's taken up to 11 on here.

"Modern Love" is a great intro, and I was hyped for the rest of the record. I was very disappointed though. "China Girl" is an inferior version of the Iggy Pop original, and the rerecorded version of "Cat People" is incredibly weak compared to the original version. "Let's Dance" is mostly good, but the album version stretches out way too long for my taste. At least we get some good Stevie Ray Vaughan playing on it though. The other 4 tracks are incredibly forgettable, and I have nothing to say about them. Overproduced 80's schlock.

This record proved to be incredibly cathartic for me. I love many of Bowie's 70's records, and they hold such a big place in my heart. Like, I literally can't listen to "Heroes" without crying. But this? Its just not for me, at all. I thought about checking out some of Bowie's other 80's albums, but I'm gonna steer away from them for now.

 

Apr 22, 2025 at 10:46 AM

194. Run the Jewels - Run The Jewels 2 (2015) [April 22nd, 2025]

Not as politically charged as RTJ4, but this is still a stellar record. It's been years since I listened to the first RTJ album, but the evolution from that record to this one is nuts.

"Jeopardy" has to be one of the best album intros of the 2010's. Both El and Mike k--- it. The next 3 tracks are absolutely stellar as well, with "Blockbuster Night Part 1" being the album's big highlight imo. The rest of the album is great as well. "Angel Duster" is a great outro with a stellar beat. EL-P's production on this record is so f---ing tight man. Like theses beats work great in the gym and s---.

While I'm still a bit more of an RTJ4 guy, Run the Jewels 2 is still a great record, and it still hold the title for being the duo's first amazing project.

 

Apr 22, 2025 at 11:17 AM

195. Nas - NASIR (2018) [April 22nd, 2025]

NASIR is a very strange album. Due to being part of the 2018 Wyoming Sessions, its frequently pitted against the rest of the records, and I don't think its an unpopular opinion to say that its the weakest.

Production wise, I think that the record is pretty good, with "Cops Shot The Kid" and ESPECIALLY "White Label" being highlights. Lyrics-wise though? Its fine. Some strange lines on the intro, but aside from the 2 aforementioned songs, there aren't really too many high points for me.A lot of people criticize this record for the conspiracy and anti-vax lines, but if I'm being honest, I'm not too put off by them. I mean, this is nothing too uncommon for a rap album (looking at you, Royce). NASIR is not a bad album, but it just really doesn't have anything too interesting for me, at least. "White Label" is still a b-----r though.

 

Apr 22, 2025 at 12:40 PM

196. The Isley Brothers - 3 + 3 (1973) [April 22nd, 2025]

Definitely more of a Funk record than Go For Your Guns was, but still an amazing time. The Guitar solos on "That Lady" and "Summer Breeze" are f---ing killer.

 

Apr 22, 2025 at 12:40 PM

Does Revival count

 

Apr 22, 2025 at 10:18 PM

Redux #1. Burzum - Filosofem (1996) [April 22nd, 2025]

Time for this thread's first Redux Review. Filosofem and Burzum in general is very hard to discuss. Similar to post-InfoWars Kanye, any discussion of Varg's work automatically brings his hateful ideology to mind. The good thing about Burzum records (atleast in the 90's, I don't know much about the post-prison works) is that they don't really have any hateful lyrics. Its kinda weird that arguably the poster child for being a problematic artist, centers almost ALL of his ideology outside of his work. Plus, the lyrics are in Norwegian, so I couldn't understand them anyway.

If I had to describe Filosofem with one word, it would be evil. Like seriously, this albums just f---ing sounds malicious. I won't speak on lyrics, since I don't speak Norwegian, but the albums instrumentation...dear God. "Dunkelheit" is an incredible opener, with one of the sickest riffs I've ever heard. "Jesus' Tod" and "Erblicket..." continue the f---ing energy masterfully. Both parts of "Gebrechlichkeit" serve great as atmospheric tracks as well. But the highlight for me, has to be "Rundtgåing av den transcendentale egenhetens støtte". A 25 minute ambient track in the middle of a black metal record might seem odd to some, but I loveeee it.

Seeing as Burzum is literally "darkness" in the language of the LOTR elves, its no surprise that this record just feels like LOTR. Like, this just feels like Sauron, as corny as it might sound. Despite Varg's bs, I think that Filosofem is great, and its arguably the definitive black metal album in my eyes.

 

Apr 23, 2025 at 10:46 AM

197. MF DOOM - MM...FOOD? (2004) [April 23rd, 2025]

I remember getting really into DOOM around the start of the pandemic. Madvillainy was my first record, and although I love that record, MM...FOOD? is the album that REALLY got me into his records. The opening of "Beef Rapp" hooked me right in, and I listened to "Hoe Cakes" more times than I can count.

I think that MM...FOOD? shows DOOM's production work at its best, with this especially being notable in tracks like "Fig-Leaf Bi-Carbonate" and the absolute classic "Rapp Snitch Knishes". Madlib absolutely kills the beat for "One Beer", although my favorite beat on the record has to be the PNS-produced "Kon Queso".

The food theme, and all of the samples make MM....FOOD? a very fun album, and it rivals Vaudeville Villain for my top spot. Overall, this is a stellar record, and I love revisiting it.


P.S: If you've only heard the streaming version of this record, I HEAVILY recommend checking out the original version of "Kookies", it's much better.

 

Apr 23, 2025 at 3:36 PM

198. Aphex Twin - DrukQs (2001) [April 23rd, 2025]

DrukQs is a very strange record in the greater Aphex Twin discography. Its long (not SAWII levels though), and very, very diverse. The main story that gets thrown around by fans, is that RDJ lost an iPod full of songs on a plane, so he rushed this record out to prevent a leak. I don't know if that's true, but if it was, I wouldn't be surprised.

Similar to SAWII and ICBYD, DrukQs succeeds due to its atmosphere. The piano tracks on here are masterful, and its no surprise that "Avril 14th" and "Penty Harmonium" have become so famous. I do want to give a shoutout to the closer "Nanou2" as well. There are some great, dark tracks on here too, with some highlights for me being "Gwety Mernans" and "Prep Gwarlerk 3b". Overall, DrukQs is a very varied record, and although I wouldn't say that its perfect (far from it), its still a good time. I would not recommend this to people who aren't already into Aphex Twin though.

 

Apr 23, 2025 at 3:47 PM

199. Aphex Twin - Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments Pt 2 (2015) [April 23rd, 2025]

The "sequel" to DrukQs. That's basically all it is. As someone who liked DrukQs, I think that there are some good tracks on here, but its far from an essential release.

 

Apr 23, 2025 at 3:48 PM

Album #200 coming soon @Minato ...

 

Apr 23, 2025 at 9:29 PM

200. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012) [April 23rd, 2025]

I remember the first time I heard this album. I liked it, but I didn't fully grasp it. I know that this is a very unpopular opinion on this forum, but I found To p---- A Butterfly to be the better album back then. For context, this was during the great Kendrick drought of 2019-2021, so GKMC and TPAB were basically in a league of their own (d---. is underrated though!!!). Eventually, GKMC clicked, and I can confidently say that its one of the greatest records ever made.

Even though it isn't part of the album, the promo single "The Heart Part 3" sets the stage for this record perfectly. Nearly 5 minutes of Kendrick spazzing out with some incredible bars, and it concludes with the following:

"The angry, the adolescent, the reason I ask this question
Will you let hip-hop die on October twenty second?
Will you let hip-hop die on October twenty second?"

And oh boy, did Hip-Hop live on October 22nd. There are countless articles, blogs, posts, etc. discussing GKMC's story, so I won't be focusing on that in this post. Sonically, the whole record flows seamlessly. To have an album that has tracks like "Sherane...", "Backseat Freestyle", and "Sing About Me I'm Dying of Thirst" all in the span of 68 minutes is honestly insane. Every single track on this record is ripe for analysis, and the replayability for some of these tracks is off the charts. "Poetic Justice" will forever be the sundress summer anthem I swear. "The Art of Peer Pressure" has one of the greatest beat switches ever, and "Money Trees"...dear God. Every feature does great, but I have to give a shout out to MC Eiht on "m.A.A.d city". Compton's Most Wanted deserved more love!!!!!

At this point, I honestly can't decide if I prefer this to TPAB or vice versa. These two records are frankly incredible, and I can't fault anybody for having one over the other. This is an album that I will likely continue loving for decades, and I couldn't think of any other record that deserved the 200th spot, than this one. I can't wait to see what Kendrick comes up with next.

 

Apr 24, 2025 at 10:36 AM

201. Death Grips - The Money Store (2012) [April 24th, 2025]

I was gonna play this on a whim, and then I realized that today is The Money Store's 13th anniversary, so its funny how things worked out. This log also marks 2 months of this thread's existence, so I think it works as a semi-milestone as well.

Alongside Yeezus, I don't think there's any other record that defines the early-2010's music community than The Money Store. Seriously I'd argue that outside of In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, that this is the definitive /mu/ (RIP) record. After dropping the landmark mixtape Exmilitary the previous year, Death Grips decided to follow up that tape with one of the most striking debut albums ever made.

Seriously, starting a record album with "Get Got" has to be illegal, because its an incredibly chaotic song, and its incredibleeeee. This album is filled with absolutely incredible tracks, with "The Fever (Aye Aye)' and "I've Seen Footage" probably being the closest things to hits that the group have ever made. Gotta give a shout out to the Arabic sample at the beginning of "Punk Weight" as well.

The standout track would have to be "Hacker" however, and without exaggeration, I think it might be one of the best tracks of the entire century so far. Mixing lyrics about WikiLeaks and Vietnamese style sandwiches, with one of the greatest instrumentals I've ever heard...It's perfect. The Money Store is a landmark release, and I recommend it to everyone.

 

Apr 24, 2025 at 11:01 AM

202. Teyana Taylor - K.T.S.E. (2018) [April 24th, 2025]

The final record from the 2018 Wyoming Sessions. Those sessions are pretty strange looking back, since the first 3 records are still very well regarded, while the last two are often forgotten. This log won't be too long, so I'll cut straight to the point. K.T.S.E. is a good R&B album. Some great tracks on here like "No Manners", "Gonna Love Me", "Rose In Harlem, and "WTP". As a whole I didn't really connect with this record that much, but I still had a decent time with it. Better than NASIR

 

Apr 24, 2025 at 2:32 PM

203. Kino - Kino (Black Album) (1991) [April 24th, 2025]

A much darker record than Blood Type. This was released after Kino's frontman Viktor Tsoi died in a car accident, so this whole album feels very funeral-ish. Except for "When Your Girlfriend Is Ill", that one's pretty lighthearted. I know that language barriers can get in the way of appreciating foreign music (I don't speak/understand Russian myself), but I recommend checking out some Kino albums to anybody who's into 80's New Wave.