AKA "Mrs. Waffles listens to random stuff at 5AM and writes about it".
Hello! As I begin my morning tidying and exercise routine, listening to music as always, I thought it would be a fun little project to write a little bit about each of the albums I listen to in my morning routine each day. I'll make a record of everything I listen to and write just a little bit about each. I probably won't update every day, but I do want to log all of my morning listens, so you'll see it all at some point. I want to have a place to put my random musings without it being part of a defined list like my top 100 electronic albums thread. So in addition to my morning music journal, this thread will be a place for all my other assorted reviews if I happen to have a bit of time to write.
So without further ado (and pardon the alliteration, I couldn't resist haha), here's the inaugural entry.
(https://i.ibb.co/F75k2Fy/2574986.jpg)
Constance Demby – At Alaron (1984)
Starting this pensive morning off with this mystical and lovely little slice of live-recorded space music. It alternates between acoustic string instrument pieces and more lush synthesized soundscapes, with a single short but charming lyrical passage in "Chakoor Bird" being a nice little centerpiece of the first part of the album. The second side is where I believe this record truly shines, with an Eastern-inspired symphony of plucked strings on the "Untitled" track followed by the winding and wandering synthesizer drones of "Guru Dev Aja". These tracks are extremely moody and haunting, far from the stereotype of positive, uplifting and soothing wallpaper music that new age has gained over the years. The ethereal wordless vocals toward the end of the album are achingly beautiful. Love this album to bits, and it gets better with every revisit.
(https://i.ibb.co/xCPhZxw/Julianna-Barwick-2011.jpg)
Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place (2011)
Breathtaking album. I first discovered this around seven or eight years ago and I was floored. I would describe it as some sort of new age or ambient music heavily driven by reverb-laden vocal layers, with other instrumentation being largely limited to minimalistic piano and occasional background percussion. As a connoisseur of instrumental music I admit I sometimes overlook the beauty of the human voice as an instrument. The last track is like what I'd imagine the most cliche depiction of heaven to sound like, and it's positively enchanting.
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0430808564_10.jpg)
Nik Pascal - Magnetic Web (1973)
Some cool underground psychedelic electronic music. Today I was just feeling like I needed some tripped out Moog drones in my life. Some of the synth timbres are a bit kitschy to modern ears, but it can certainly get noisy and even feel like a prototype for ambient industrial at some points. But it's never so abrasive that it doesn't work as immersive environmental music. Some of these tracks have several minutes of pure synth sound effects and it's still engaging and does its job of feeling like the soundtrack to an acid trip. Highly recommended.
(https://i.ibb.co/gT3x7kB/Patrick-Cowley-1982.jpg)
Patrick Cowley - Mind Warp (1982)
It's been the opposite of a lazy Sunday morning so far. I've had to increase the amount of time spent tidying the house every morning since we got a cat who just loves to dart everywhere and get hair on the living room chairs and knead the pillows, yada yada yada. So to give me a burst of energy I put on some upbeat electro-disco that really gets me going. Early 80s synthesizer driven pop and dance music has a much rawer sound to me than the cleaner late 80s stuff, and this album is no exception. It's very sweaty, in your face and the opposite of sterile plastic synth music. Fans of Giorgio Moroder definitely should check it out.
(https://i.ibb.co/DQQVzCF/Jon-Anderson-1976.jpg)
Jon Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow (1976)
One of my favorite albums of all time, and one that hits a specific nexus in between prog and new age that really tickles my particular fancy. It's a breathtakingly beautiful record that speaks to my inner zen hippie, or something. Anderson's gorgeous vocals and Yes-like vocal harmonies are very at home amongst the lush instrumentals, with all the twinkly plucked strings that almost hearken back to cliche medieval aesthetics, with Anderson as the enchanting bard. Some excellent synth work here that meshes well with the acoustic instruments. Always a joy to listen to this.
Quote from: Mrs. Waffles on Sep 09, 2023, 12:53 PM(https://i.ibb.co/DQQVzCF/Jon-Anderson-1976.jpg)
Jon Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow (1976)
One of my favorite albums of all time, and one that hits a specific nexus in between prog and new age that really tickles my particular fancy. It's a breathtakingly beautiful record that speaks to my inner zen hippie, or something. Anderson's gorgeous vocals and Yes-like vocal harmonies are very at home amongst the lush instrumentals, with all the twinkly plucked strings that almost hearken back to cliche medieval aesthetics, with Anderson as the enchanting bard. Some excellent synth work here that meshes well with the acoustic instruments. Always a joy to listen to this.
I absolutely love OoSH
(https://i.ibb.co/wLzk5Mr/Snapcase-1997.jpg)
Snapcase - Progression Through Unlearning (1997)
Every now and then I need a blast of aggression in my mornings. I was supposed to be sleeping in today but the cat woke me up at 4AM anyway. This album absolutely bangs, a perfect mix of hardcore and alt-metal that feels very quintessentially 90s but still sounds fresh. I've been getting more into 90s hardcore in general lately, a lot of this stuff sounds close to the vibe my college band Or Lack Thereof was going for but didn't have the talent to pull off. I can see this album being a great introduction to 90s hardcore, it has catchy riffs and amazingly tight drumming without being too insanely abrasive. Highly recommended.
(https://i.ibb.co/XFqwJJJ/Prince-1980.jpg)
Prince - Dirty Mind (1980)
This is my favorite Prince album, an absolutely smokin' slice of slick yet pungent synthfunk from the master. Only a half hour long but not a single minute is wasted. The title track is a masterpiece, "When You Were Mine" is the perfect pop single, the synth solo on my favorite track "Head" absolutely rips in every way, and I prefer the more concise, condensed bursts of funky goodness than something like 1999, which I like but has a few tracks that very much overstay their welcome in my mind. Anyway this album bangs, a pure dopamine hit all the way through.
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3353960280_65)
Paul Tanner - Music for Heavenly Bodies (1958)
I'm feeling oddly giddy today for no particular reason, and when I get this giggly and fluttery I tend to throw on some 50s and 60s lounge music. This album is very on brand for me in many ways, one of them being the electronic elements provided by Tanner's theremin playing, which you've definitely heard if you know "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys as he played on that as well. This album is lovely and charming orchestral lounge music, if that sounds up your alley and you want a unique spin on that genre courtesy of the theremin, this is definitely worth checking out.
(https://i.discogs.com/N8qWc8tZ3iM1561_gr1hQI3c7sxfVcWtQuMNj96tNp0/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:588/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTY1MDU0/ODQtMTQyMDgxODQw/OC0xOTE5LmpwZWc.jpeg)
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (1989)
Was feeling energetic this morning so I put on this classic while walking and exercising. This is my second favorite NIN album, and though I think it's probably the album that sounds the most dated in that catalogue, it's a really well-done, fully formed debut straight out the gate. I have NIN to thank for me getting into synthesizers and electronic music, they mean so much to me and I've been a fan for over 20 years. One thing I've always appreciated was the diversity in Trent Reznor's songwriting styles on here; you have the straight ahead rock bangers like "Head Like a Hole" but I really like the moodiness of stuff like "Sanctified" and the bouncy yet mystical synthpop vibe of "Ringfinger". This album is at an interesting nexus between more aggressive alt rock and late 80s Depeche Mode-esque dark synthpop, it's a winning combination that still charms me two decades after I first heard it.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51IIlnsCGWL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg)
Steve Roach - Structures from Silence (1984)
Wow, has it really been over a month since I updated this? Woof. Well, today I woke up early and decided to throw on one of my ambient all-timers, a gorgeous piece of pure synthesizer music, with gorgeous ambient swells and dazzling twinkles of analog ear candy. I love how textured and lush the album sounds despite being fairly minimalist in terms of overall sonic arrangement. The perfect soundtrack to my tranquil early morning.
I hope you realize you're the log Lady now!
Some interesting picks here and quite a few unknown. Will check out!
Quote from: Guybrush on Oct 30, 2023, 07:53 PMI hope you realize you're the log Lady now!
Some interesting picks here and quite a few unknown. Will check out!
Haha, I know what that's a reference to, but I've actually never seen that show. I do love logs though, they're big, heavy and wood, plus they're better than bad, they're good!
And thank you for reading! I do hope you enjoy the ones that are new to you.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61K+gt1uFXL._AC_UL600_SR600,600_.jpg)
Jethro Tull - The Broadsword and the Beast (1982)
I wrote the original version of this entry this morning but forgot to post it. [annoyed grunt]! Well anyway, this is a pretty underrated Jethro album and one of my favorite examples of prog bands adapting to the 80s. The analog polysynths and 80s style processed guitars don't always mesh that well with the classic Jethro style, and the fact that the meshing isn't perfect is actually one thing I find so enthralling about this album. It feels like part of it wants to be a more classic hobbit rock album like Jethro had always done, and part of it wants to be an 80s new wave album. Either way the songwriting is still sharp, and their transition to a more modern 80s sound does not sacrifice the band's identity. Highly recommended.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71jS6IwbL2L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg)
Gentle Giant - Gentle Giant (1970)
Speaking of hobbit rock, I've been on a big Gentle Giant kick as of late, and this gloomy Monday morning I put on this, my favorite of their albums. This album has a bit of everything I love about GG, from the hard rocking riffs of the opener "Giant" to the whimsical and breezy "Isn't It Quiet and Cold", an underrated classic in my mind. This album is less experimental than what was to come, though they do explore sounds they would rarely touch again, stuff like blues influence on the nine-minute album centerpiece "Nothing at All". Overall this is a wonderful debut, they come straight out the gate swinging with a fanciful assortment of prog rock goodness. I think it's a good entry point for those unfamiliar, listening to this album in its entirety is what made me a fan of the band all the way back in 2009.
^Gentle Giant are great 🙂 so much fun music. To my mind, they have at least 8 good studio albums with Free Hand being my favorite. The best song on that album isn't necessarily On Reflection, but I do think of it as one of those tracks that showcase so many of the things they were able to do.
Nothin At All is beautiful, though I've wondered why they put that long, noodly part in there (roughly from 4:20 to 7:40) with the weird drums 🤔
Quote from: Guybrush on Nov 18, 2023, 08:56 PM^Gentle Giant are great 🙂 so much fun music. To my mind, they have at least 8 good studio albums with Free Hand being my favorite. The best song on that album isn't necessarily On Reflection, but I do think of it as one of those tracks that showcase so many of the things they were able to do.
Nothin At All is beautiful, though I've wondered why they put that long, noodly part in there (roughly from 4:20 to 7:40) with the weird drums 🤔
For sure! I think their entire run from the debut through Interview is stone cold classic, and The Missing Piece has its moments as well.
As far as Free Hand goes I think the title track is my my go-to pick for my favorite, but yeah On Reflection is certainly a masterwork of their more medieval esque style.
Oh, ye gods! My alliteration is RUINED! :laughing:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Mirage_Klaus_Schulze_Album.jpg)
Klaus Schulze - Mirage (1977)
I only got about three hours of sleep last night, so I decided to put on an album that has always given me a dreamlike vibe. I first heard this in the fall of 2010, smack dab in the middle of my journey into 1970s electronic music that had begun with Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. The first of the two massive 30 minute tracks is hauntingly wistful, with synthesizer squeals that echo like foghorns into the ocean of glistening sound waves. The second half of the track introduces a twinkling sequence that really reminds me so much of some kind of acid-tripped music box lullaby. The second track still blows me away with how futuristic it must have sounded back in 1977, with its layers of dancing synth bloops and pings underpinned by fuzzy undulating bass tones. This was very high up in my possibly-ill-fated 100 list, and my favorite Schulze album. Masterpiece.
My favorite Gentle Giant album has always been Acquiring The Taste. As the title implies though...it is a bit out there at times even for prog fans I think. The debut and Free Hand are both stone cold classics too of course. 8)
Quote from: Nimbly9 on Dec 14, 2023, 10:53 PMMy favorite Gentle Giant album has always been Acquiring The Taste. As the title implies though...it is a bit out there at times even for prog fans I think. The debut and Free Hand are both stone cold classics too of course. 8)
I love Acquiring the Taste a lot! It's an album that really did live up to its name as something that grew on me over time, probably more so than any of their others. Wreck is one of my absolute favorite GG songs.
I also think Acquiring the Taste is among their better albums. I probably like Free Hand, Octopus, Acquiring the Taste and their debut the most.