Trollheart Tries Desperately to Keep Up with the Kids

[Trollheart]

I've endeavoured to do this a few times, through different journals and threads, but it has never quite coalesced into anything useful for me. So now I'm going to do the simplest thing I can: take the top 40 albums from this month (or close; got to keep away from those damned Christmas records!) and listen to each of them, giving my thoughts. I've sneered at people like Charli XCX, Ariana Grande and Bruno Mars enough now without giving them a chance to either prove me wrong or right, and as you all know, one thing I hate is to put something down without at least trying it (cyanide excepted, before you all rush out to the chemist waving money at them) so while I fully expect that I'll hate at least 50 percent of what I hear, perhaps there'll be some albums in there I'll like. You never know: stranger things have happened. That horse becoming pope, for one. And Trump being re-elected, for two.

Of necessity, I'll be trying to keep my reviews, such as they are, short though not necessarily sweet, and will also try (no promises) not to slag anyone off too much. But I expect there will be a lot of slagging off. I don't intend this to be a self-torture exercise, but it strikes me that there are artists, never mind songs or albums, out there about whom I know nothing and have heard less, and if nothing else at least this will show me what is considered chartworthy these days.

I will offer my usual get-out clause: if I think an album has nothing for me, I won't force myself to finish it, but I will try to in most cases. Oh, you know my reviewing style by now. So let me have a quick shuftaroo at the current chart and see what's what. Like I said, I may have to go back a little, because around this time you have a glut of fucking Christmas albums jamming up the charts, and my patience has limits, as does my stomach. So let's see what the current chart looks like...

Hmm. You know what? That won't work. I see a lot of "old" albums which have made it into the lower half of the charts, and I don't really want to be listening to re-issued box sets or whatever. I mean, 50 Years of Fleetwood Mac is great, but is no real help to me, understanding new artists. Back to the drawing board. Suggestions welcome.


INDEX

Yo La Tengo - And Then, Nothing Turned Itself Inside-out

[Trollheart]

Okay I'm back. This list looks like an interesting place to start. Comments/Thoughts/Death threats/Requests to fuck off and leave you alone?

[SGR]

This should be interesting. I'll probably keep an eye on this thread if that's the list you're going to follow - though because it restricts it to simply the 21st century, a lot of this stuff is probably not what 'the kids' are listening to so to say - much of it is what millennials like myself, @Lexi Darling, @jimmy jazz, @Marie Monday, and others grew up with in our youth/teenage years. But if you haven't heard much of this stuff before, you'll probably find several interested users here who have attachments to many of these albums.

And don't call us kids and tell us about that time you caught the ferry to Shelbyville. 

[Lexi Darling]

This should be interesting. I'll probably keep an eye on this thread if that's the list you're going to follow - though because it restricts it to simply the 21st century, a lot of this stuff is probably not what 'the kids' are listening to so to say - much of it is what millennials like myself, @Lexi Darling, @jimmy jazz, @Marie Monday, and others grew up with in our youth/teenage years. But if you haven't heard much of this stuff before, you'll probably find several interested users here who have attachments to many of these albums.

And don't call us kids and tell us about that time you caught the ferry to Shelbyville. 

I think you may be greatly overestimating how musically cultured I was in my teen years, haha. That list has nowhere near enough Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance albums to resemble what I listened to back in the 2000s. 

Even now I haven't heard the vast majority of the albums in that list, probably in large part due to me not being a big fan of indie music. Not that I know what The Kids are listening to these days either.

So I'll probably not be particularly insightful, but I do enjoy reading TH's reactions and thoughts, so I'll certainly be following with interest.

[Trollheart]

Hell guys, I'll be floundering as usual with anything beyond the late 1980s, so sure, throw recs my way if you want. There's no time limit on this so I'll be taking my time. Hit me with the albums you liked growin' up. No Fall please, I'm already immersed in their wonderful and frightening world.

[SGR]

Trollheart, before I provide a list, will this negatively impact your ability to cover The Fall?  A man has priorities here.

[jimmy jazz]

Absolutely thrilled to see numbers 6 and 7 make that list. Both of them should be higher even. They were actually innovative, trod new ground and were massively influential. Entirely self produced too, and Dizzee was only 16/17 when he made his.

Number 1 is a sympathy vote imo. If she hadn't died how she did there's no way that would be so highly regarded. It was never considered a genuinely classic album when it was out. Few good tracks.

Anyway that's my opinion (well some of it. Some of the artists included are massively overrated and only have to release a CD of their own farts to get rave reviews) good luck Trolls.

[Trollheart]

Trollheart, before I provide a list, will this negatively impact your ability to cover The Fall?  A man has priorities here.

No it won't. I've taken this on in the full knowledge that I'll be doing a Fall album a day (keeps the doctor away) and also whatever I end up doing in January. So it won't make any difference. Plus I don't have to do one of these a day; no time limit on this. It's just an attempt to get a little more in tune with the current music scene, and when I say that Imean the last twenty or thirty years!

Absolutely thrilled to see numbers 6 and 7 make that list. Both of them should be higher even. They were actually innovative, trod new ground and were massively influential. Entirely self produced too, and Dizzee was only 16/17 when he made his.

Number 1 is a sympathy vote imo. If she hadn't died how she did there's no way that would be so highly regarded. It was never considered a genuinely classic album when it was out. Few good tracks.

Anyway that's my opinion (well some of it. Some of the artists included are massively overrated and only have to release a CD of their own farts to get rave reviews) good luck Trolls.

I'm not worried about the order, in fact I may select at random. It's just to get an idea of albums that are/were popular, that I have never heard. Sort of a variation on my old journal Classic Albums I Have Never Heard, but with a more modern twist. I just notice that I can hear some song on the TV and people are saying oh that's a classic, that's a banger, and I'm just giving the telly a good frowning and going on about back in my day etc.

[Trollheart]

Okay for now I've just rolled the dice as usual and this is what came out of the list.


I'll be back with a review later, or tomorrow. Or maybe the next day. End of the week for sure. Or next week. Before Christmas anyway. Maybe.

[SGR]

Okay for now I've just rolled the dice as usual and this is what came out of the list.


I'll be back with a review later, or tomorrow. Or maybe the next day. End of the week for sure. Or next week. Before Christmas anyway. Maybe.

That's a great record - I think it was someone here (or maybe MB) who recommended Yo La Tengo to me, and that was the first record I listened to...think it was @degrassi.knoll maybe?

[SGR]

Absolutely thrilled to see numbers 6 and 7 make that list. Both of them should be higher even. They were actually innovative, trod new ground and were massively influential. Entirely self produced too, and Dizzee was only 16/17 when he made his.

Number 1 is a sympathy vote imo. If she hadn't died how she did there's no way that would be so highly regarded. It was never considered a genuinely classic album when it was out. Few good tracks.

Anyway that's my opinion (well some of it. Some of the artists included are massively overrated and only have to release a CD of their own farts to get rave reviews) good luck Trolls.

I thought the same thing about Number 1. Parts of the list look like Pitchfork came up with it. The Pitchfork-ification of music journalism, I think. I also think #8, while a pretty decent and enjoyable record, is vastly overrated.

[Lexi Darling]

I thought the same thing about Number 1. Parts of the list look like Pitchfork came up with it. The Pitchfork-ification of music journalism, I think. I also think #8, while a pretty decent and enjoyable record, is vastly overrated.

Lmao, I'm just now noticing the list isn't from Pitchfork, which I think lends a lot of credence to your point about Pitchforkificaton. 

[Trollheart]

[Trollheart]

Album title: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-out
Artist: Yo La Tengo
Year: 2000
Genre: Indie Pop/Dream Pop
Nationality: American (New Jersey)
Chronology: 9 of 17
Have I heard of this artist? Yes
If yes, have I heard anything by them? Yes
If yes, what have I heard? A few songs I think; no albums
Introduction: Unsurprisingly, I always thought these guys were Spanish or Mexican or Argentinian or something; turns out they're American, from Joisey, of all places. Colour me surprised. The guys and girls on Music Banter used to talk about them a lot, sort of in the same way they would discuss My Bloody Valentine and Animal Collective. This is the first of their albums I'll be hearing.

Track-by-track
"Everyday" Nice and restrained and laid back. Reminds me of Low or Slowdive or someone like that. Sounds like there may be birdsong in there? Gentle opener, sort of hypnotic in its way. Some sort of tribal chant too. Organic.



"Our Way to Fall" Nice little track, sort of low organ accompanying it, vocal very low-key too. Nice and relaxing.



"Saturday" More upfront, drum loops perhaps, and some sort of I don't know - vibraphone? Timpani? A slow, droning synth provides the backdrop here.

"Let's Save Tony Orlando's House" Getting more uptempo with a strong organ melody and I think a female vocal this time? Clattering drums are a change of pace, compared to the slow, ponderous pace of the last few songs. Nice to see they also watch my favourite show, as the cryptic title is a reference to one of the many telethons Troy McClure says he hosted (you may remember him from such films as...), though it sounds like it should have been called "Watching Birds".



"Last Days of Disco" Interesting drum patterns on this, must say the male lead singer really reminds me of Lloyd Cole. Not really much to say about this really though.



"The Crying of Lot G" This is much better. Kind of a slow, swinging, waltzy beat, and some of the lyric spoken, nice bit of vibraphone there too.



"You Can Have It All" Apparently this is a cover version of a song by KC and the Sunshine Band, and it's more uptempo than most of what's been on this album so far, with a sort of vocal accompaniment which works fairly well against the organ that carries the main melody. The second one on which the vocal is performed by the female singer.



"Tears Are in Your Eyes" Taking the foot off the pedal, as such, and slowing everything back down to what seems to be the general tempo of the album for a nice little ballad, very pleasant.



"Cherry Chapstick" Much more raucous, with a loud, heavy guitar and driving percussion, something of a shock after all the low-key, relaxed music I've been hearing up to now. A bit chaotic, a lot of feedback and screeching guitar. Off-putting and breaks the mood.



"From Black to Blue" I think it's digital piano starting this one off, with an almost Marillion style guitar melody, nice little song.



"Madeline" Another pleasant little tune, reminds me a little of Deacon Blue. Slightly more uptempo than much of the album, I'd call it a mid-paced tune with nice guitar backing the keyboard main melody.



"Tired Hippo" Think this may be an instrumental? The chimy guitar gives it a kind of western movie feel. Sort of. Yeah it is an instrumental. It's all right.



"Night Falls on Hoboken" 17 minutes of a song not by a prog band? I'm not too sure how I feel going into this, but we'll see. Nice acoustic guitar opening anyway,and the vocal is pleasant. I like the guitar passage - couldn't really call it a solo - and we're almost seven minutes in already. Not getting bored yet. Sounds a bit like a sitar being used there. Probably not.

Kind of get the sense almost of a drone from this, the same basic melody and rhythm going on through the second half of the piece, but with little electronic effects and things added, vocal now long gone. Perhaps getting a bit more experimental in the last few minutes, but overall not bad. Doubt it needed to be this long though.




Overall impression: I think the best word to describe this would be pleasant, maybe relaxing (for most of it). I can't say though that it's left a huge impression, nor would make me a fan.
Would I listen to more? Probably yes
Overall Rating:

[Trollheart]

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