Trollheart reviews your favourite music

[QuantumSync]

Next up:

i am excited! 

i delete my playlists after the day is over so that nov19th one is gone

[QuantumSync]

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL6aKcXALC1tVMY7XNAhXnW7GEs7l3i0n
this is todays ^

ill leave up for as long as needed

i also have a november 2024 playlist with a few albums i like that I keep all the time

[Trollheart]

Yeah. If you're going to delete a playlist within a day please don't submit it for consideration, or at least keep the details. Otherwise you put me under pressure I'm not prepared to be under. I do these as I get time and as I feel like it, not to anyone's schedule, and if I should go to do yours and it's gone, not only will I be unable to review it, I'll be reluctant to take on others of yours.

[Norg]

sorry bro u know how those old Russian bands are its kinda hard to track down the info   

i got three 4 Stars  from troll ill take that has a W !!!

[Trollheart]

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL6aKcXALC1tVMY7XNAhXnW7GEs7l3i0n
this is todays ^

ill leave up for as long as needed

i also have a november 2024 playlist with a few albums i like that I keep all the time

Right that won't work. There's like 50 tracks or something there. Either choose up to ten or give me another list; I'm not doing anything of that length.

[Trollheart]

And now, in a change to our scheduled programme...



Track: "Private Life"
Artist: Oingo Boingo
Genre: New Wave/Zolo(?)/Post-punk/Dance-punk
From: 2nd album Nothing to Fear
Year: 1982
Personal familiarity (album): None
Personal familiarity (artist): I've vaguely heard of them, but heard nothing from them.
Comments: This sounds like something right out of the 1980s new wave scene all right; kind of an Echo and the Bunnymen/Cure feel about it, mixed in with touches of Icehouse perhaps, the barest tinges of Yazoo? Good and bouncy and quite catchy, good powerful guitar - has an edge of It Bites about it -  and a nice hook. Sweet.
Rating:


Track: "Alex Chilton"
Artist: The Replacements
Genre: Alternative Rock/Punk Rock/Power Pop
From: 5th album Pleased to Meet Me
Year: 1987
Personal familiarity (album): None
Personal familiarity (artist): I think I suffered through one of their albums before, courtesy of Frownland
Comments: Pretty raw and aggressive, which I probably would expect, though not as abrasive as my only other foray into their music. It's not my thing but I guess it's okay. A bit basic for my tastes.
Rating:


Track: "Kandy"
Artist: Fever Ray
Genre: Art-Pop/Synthpop/Post-industrial/Darkwave/Kuduro (?)/ Electropop/Indietronica
From: 3rd album Radical Romantics
Year: 2023
Personal familiarity (album): None
Personal familiarity (artist): None, but I do know of his brother Black Man...
Comments: I think I'd have to say this is okay but it doesn't stand out to me. The synth riff is the most interesting thing about it, other than that it doesn't have much to recommend it, to me anyway. It's not that it's bad, just, well, there.
Rating:


Track: "Girls"
Artist: The Prodigy
Genre: Big Beat/Electroclash (?)/ Grime/Post-industrial
From: 4th album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned
Year: 2004
Personal familiarity (album): None
Personal familiarity (artist): I've heard maybe one or two tracks
Comments: Is it meant to have that drop-out thing, the gap in it? Very annoying. A bit chaotic; almost sounds at times like a Prince song, very funk/soul, but with a beat behind it just this side of techno. Confusing. Not for these ears, son.
Rating:


Track: "Don't Hang Up"
Artist: 10cc
Genre: Art-pop/Progressive pop/Pop Rock/Art Rock
From: 3rd album How Dare You!
Year: 1976
Personal familiarity (album): I've heard it but it was decades ago (my brother was a 10cc fan)
Personal familiarity (artist): Yeah I know them reasonably well, as above
Comments: I must admit, I always loved the cover of Bloody Tourists! - probably wouldn't get away with a title like that today, uptight world that we live in. But this is from their third album, and the one, I think, that built on the success of the previous album, which had taken them out of the realm of obscure British pop band and to international fame. With hits like "I'm Mandy, Fly Me" and "Art for Art's Sake", this shows the band perhaps at close to their best. This is a nice little ballad, typical of Godley and Creme's talent for writing simple love songs (everyone knows "I'm Not in Love", right?) played mostly on piano. Lovely. Takes me right back to that collection of my brother's which he kept in the top half of his wardrobe, and from which I filched my first Genesis album.
Rating:


Track: "Dinosaur"
Artist: King Crimson
Genre: Progressive Rock/Industrial Rock/Experimental Rock/Progressive Metal
From: 11th album Thrak
Year: 1995
Personal familiarity (album): None
Personal familiarity (artist): Some; I've been working my way through their discography, with mixed results
Comments: Ah yes, King Crimson! The band you have to have been into or you can't be a proghead, officially. Well, I never was into them, never heard anything by them until a few years ago, and as noted above, began going through their albums in order, many of which impressed me, some of which did not. This comes from a later period, almost twenty-first century (Schizoid) men at this point, so could be a lot different to what I've heard up to now. I see the tags "industrial" and "experimental", which are usually red flags to me.

So, a track from Thrak! eh? Sounds like the album was named either after an alien bounty hunter or a sound-effect used in comics. "Take that! Whack! Bokko! Thrakk!" Yeah. Anyway, what's it like? Well I certainly like the big orchestral opening, then the guitar riff slicing through it is sweet, and who's singing? Not Wetton or Lake I think - Adrian Belew, it says. Can't say I've heard of him, but he's good. Yes I can see the metal tag being used, but experimental? Industrial? Don't see it. Decent song though. Oddly, reminds me of late Don Henley for some reason. The horn near the end is cool, and the reprise of the orchestral strings very nice indeed. Overall, consider me impressed, if not yet quite a fan. Another step along the road.
Rating:


Track: "Lady Nina"
Artist: Thulsa Doom
Genre: Hard Rock
From: 4th album A Keen Eye for the Obvious
Year: 2017
Personal familiarity (album): None
Personal familiarity (artist): None, other than the connection with Conan
Comments: When I saw this I thought, surely not? A cover of the old Marillion tune from the 1980s? But of course it isn't. Hold on: you're telling me that's not Phil Lynott singing? Well, duh, of course not: the guy is dead. But if he ever needed a change of scene, this guy could join Lizzy and everyone would think it was the iconic Irish frontman. Amazing.

Sorry, I got a bit caught up with how much he sounds like Lynott, so didn't really listen to the song. Now that I do, it's meh. I mean, it's okay, standard hard rock which sounds more like it belongs firmly in the 1970s than the 21st century, but I'm adding a star for the incredible similarity in the voices. Uncanny.
Rating:


Track: "Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut (incorporating Oh What a Lonely Lifetime)"
Artist: Hatfield and the North
Genre: Canterbury Scene
From: First compilation album V
Year: 1975
Personal familiarity (album): None
Personal familiarity (artist): A little; I'm not big into the Canterbury Scene
Comments: Not to be confused with the Metallica prog rock tribute band, Hetfield and the North, these guys were one of the mainstays of a side of prog rock I don't particularly enjoy, the Canterbury Scene. The ridiculously long title was typical of prog rock bands at that time, the likes of Van der Graaf Generator, Genesis and Yes seeming to think really long titles were cool. They're not: they're a pain to type, guys. But there it is. It was, as they say, a different time, when if you presented a prog rock producer with a song that ran for ten minutes they'd shrug and ask you to come back when you had finished it.

As expected, this rambles all over the place, and if you like CS, jazz fusion etc you'll probably love it. I don't hate it, but I sure don't love it. Just not my (Canterbury) scene I'm afraid. Oh. Surprised to find vocals coming in after four minutes; I assumed it was an instrumental. Probably would have been better had it been.
Rating:

So let's see what the average is overall then.

Average rating:

[Guybrush]

Hey, nice! Thank you so much for the reviews, @Trollheart 😊 Well done!

The only 5 star you gave was for 10cc. I will say its a fantastic track. Their songs were always very well produced and this one has a lot going for it, being beautiful, catchy and tongue in cheek melodramatic / funny.

I know I've been going on about Hatfield.. for years and years. I Should shut up about them, but I just find it fascinating that this song wasn't released on any of their albums, instead just ending up on a sampler showcasing some talent that Virgin had signed. So it's a very obscure track from them, but brilliant still.. despite your meagre 3 stars 😄 Also the first part of the title is from a Monty Python sketch. Oh and much of it was re-used in their second album's prog epic Mumps.

I'll shut up now.

Also, Oingo Boingo is Danny Elfman's old band from before he became a movie composer. They are actually great.

Thanks again! 👍

[Trollheart]

Okay that's it till Shhon gets his shhit together. I'm out of selections, so feel free to drop some on me.