Trollheart listens to every album on Wiki's list for 2023

[Trollheart]

Album title:  Picturesque
Artist: MOLLY
Genre: Dream pop/Shoegaze/Post-rock
Nationality: Austrian
Release date: January 13
Position in Discography: Second
Tracks: 6
Familiar with this artist? No
Heard of this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Somewhat
Average RYM Score: 3.0
Highest chart position: Unknown

First Austrian band on the list! I do like some post-rock and I've grown to also enjoy shoegaze, so we'll see how this goes. Only six tracks, though one of them is eleven minutes long. From what I can hear, though, MOLLY (apparently it's spelled all in caps) do better when they give the singing a rest and concentrate on the instrumental post-rock, such as the  twelve-minute, and quite superb, "Metamorphosis". Oh-oh! Have they just ruined it by throwing in some vox? No, I think they've got away with it: it's only a very short blast anyway so doesn't ruin the overall atmosphere of the piece.  On "The Golden Age", however, MOLLY find exactly the right balance between mature, soulful post-rock and yearning vocals that complement the music. Excellent. The sort of echoey voice behind the shimmering synth line that runs through "Sunday Kid" works really well too. Generally speaking, one of the best fusions of post-rock and slowcore/Shoegaze I've heard in a long time, possibly ever.

The opener of the closer, so to speak, really really really puts me in mind of Pendragon, specifically something off their Men Who Climb Mountains album - I think maybe "Belle Ame" or "In Bardo" or something. Goes into an almost chant against some doomy-sounding music then, guitars reminding me of And So I Watch You From Afar. Think I would have preferred this to be a full instrumental, eleven-minutes long though it may be. Even so, I am amazed that the YouTube of this album has a total of seven listens! Seven! Guess Austrian post-rock is not that popular. Or maybe it's just this video. Hope so, because they deserve a lot more love than they seem to be getting.



Agree with RYM? Very much so; could be even higher
Would I listen to this album again? Oh yes
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist?  Definitely
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes
Score: 8/10

[Trollheart]

Album title:  Dying of everything
Artist: Obituary
Genre: Death Metal
Nationality: American (Florida)
Release date: January 13
Position in Discography: Eleventh
Tracks: 10
Familiar with this artist? I've heard one album
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Some
Average RYM Score: 3.07
Highest chart position: You're fucking kidding, right?

From the sublime the, um, not quite so sublime. I loved the last - and only - Obituary album I listened to, again it was back when I ran my thread in 2017, and like that one it's really not that easy to write in a review way about this, their latest. However, I can confirm that, like most reviewers agree, it slays, it's heavy as the heart of a neutron star, and it doesn't sound like a band who have been making music and also making heads bang and ears bleed for over three decades now. Look, what I know about Death Metal could be scribbled on a post-it in blood and sent as a ransom demand along with a severed finger, but there's no doubting this is what metal fans want. Pump it, play it LOUD, give the finger to the neighbours, and consider buying larger speakers.

I mean, come on! You have to love song titles like "Weaponize the Hate", "Without a Conscience" (but possibly with a hearing aid!) and the utter numbskullery of "War". How funny though is it that as the title track began I thought of Robbie Neville's "C'est la vie"?   I like that Obituary can slow things down when they want to: the closer, "Be Warned", is more like something you might find on a Crom or Wolves in the Throneroom album, total doom. Appropriate I guess.

Agree with RYM? Yeah pretty much
Would I listen to this album again? Sure, if my ears and speakers hold up
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist?  Abso!
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? Yeah I'm not a huge fan of Death Metal but I'd like to get into it a bit more
Score: 7/10

[Trollheart]

Album title:  Prize
Artist: Rozi Plain
Genre: Pop/Indie Pop
Nationality: English
Release date: January 13
Position in Discography: Sixth
Tracks: 10
Familiar with this artist? No
Heard of this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Not indie pop, no
Average RYM Score: 3.20
Highest chart position: Unknown

I do have to admit, anyone who uses the surname Plain, and plays indie pop, does not sound like an enticing prospect. Then I see the RYM rating, so I don't know: maybe it's just all her fans scoring the album. Or maybe it's really good. Never quite saw the point in indie pop though. I mean, I can get indie rock, but indie pop? Sounds like an even blander version of what is often the blandest music on the planet possibly. Anyway let's not cut her down before we've at least listened to her, yes? Then we can cut her down. Fairly pleasant now to be honest when it starts. Is it anything special? I'll let you know.

Yeah, halfway through and it's all right, but nothing dramatic. Quite bland really. Couldn't point to anything that I'll even remember; the music is verging on twee, her voice is not at all distinctive, none of the songs stick, just meh. Honestly, if there weren't only two tracks to go I'd be bailing at this point. Pass.


Agree with RYM? I couldn't disagree more. This hardly deserves to be in the twos never mind the threes.
Would I listen to this album again? No way
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist?  Never
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? Not really
Score: 4/10

[Trollheart]

Album title:  Neon Noir
Artist: VV
Genre: ? but it's actually a mix of Melodic Rock and AOR
Nationality: English
Release date: January 13
Position in Discography: Debut solo
Tracks: 14
Familiar with this artist? No
Heard of this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No idea what it is, even!*
Average RYM Score: N/A
Highest chart position: 1 in Finland, not surprisingly, also 4 in Germany, 19 in Switzerland and 13 in Austria. Hey! How hilarious is it that the Belgian charts are called - wait for this - Ultrapop Flanders! Well, hi-diddley-doodley-do!

Well, if you're going to be stupid/arrogant enough to take as your stage name two consonants, expect not to exactly top the Google search list! In fact, expect not to be found. All I can tell you is that this guy - Viille Valo - was a member of Finnish gothic rock band HIM, about which I know nothing. But as he now styles himself, VV don't make a ripple on RYM or a dent on Discogs, and Wiki doesn't tell me what genre he, or it, is. Actually, RYM has no less than four artists called VV, but none of them are him. Sounds like he's following the route of his parent band really, a sort of mix of maybe gothic and melodic rock? "Run Away from the Sun" has a great hook, almost, but not quite, AOR. Wonder if it was a single? Yeah it was. Well chosen. Wow! No less than FIVE singles taken from this.

I find myself getting both a sense of Asia and Ten from this, and it's honestly a lot better - and much different - than I expected it to be. Trouble is, making yourself look like some sort of male bride in a monochrome photograph on the cover doesn't really give the listener a clue what your music is likely to be like. I know I passed this constantly on my favourite music vendor, and never gave it a second thought. Now I will probably be buying it. Definitely class it as a melodic rock/AOR thing. Very catchy. Good singer. Certainly like everything here so far, and I did not expect to. Sense of eighties new wave in "The Foreverlost", a real hard rock grinder in "Saturnine Saturnalia" and then a sweet instrumental in "Zener Solitaire",  but I like everything here. A lesson to learn, Mister Two V's: if you pose like some sort of French impressionist and title your album so, you're more likely to get potential fans passing you up. I'm one now, but if I hadn't done this thread I would not be. Maybe a smoking guitar next time? More appropriate for sure. Or at least a warm keyboard.

Agree with RYM? N/A
Would I listen to this album again? I certainly will
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist?  This is his debut, but I will be looking out for the next one and I may back-check (is that a word? It is now) HIM to see what they're like
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? One of my favourite genres, now that I know where to place this album
Score: 9/10

* Before I listened to it

[Trollheart]

Album title:  Humor
Artist: Back Number
Genre: J-Rock/Pop
Nationality: Japanese
Release date: January 17
Position in Discography: Ninth (seventh English language)
Tracks: 12
Familiar with this artist? No
Heard of this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.30
Highest chart position: Unknown

Well I must say that is one generic and ugly album cover! Looks like someone puked over it! Let's hope the cover belies the contents, as it were. Oddly enough, the only track listing I can get of this (from RYM as it happens) is in Japanese, so I can't tell you what the songs are. Perhaps it won't matter. Wiki describes Back Number (huh?) as a Japanese rock power trio, so I might expect more of the J-rock than the J-pop but I guess we'll J-see. Sorry. Okay, the helpful YouTube lists the English titles, that's handy. Though they're singing in Japanese. That's not. Yeah it's pretty generic really, definitely more of the pop than the rock, and some of it strays into a kind of lounge pop area? Again, not good. I'm lowering my expectations as we hit the halfway mark.

And those lo expectations are sort of being met, as the album merges with a Japanese variant of K-pop (yeah I know it's J-pop, but this is something else; more fluffy, throwaway, bubblegum, insert adjective here). Not much to smile about here although I suppose I'd resist barfing over the cover, though only just. Can't see how these guys can be characterised as a power trio: about as much power as a dead battery. Okay "Hero Suit", the penultimate track is pretty great, and I do love the closer, but between them they kind of stand alone in a sea of, well, not dross - that wouldn't be fair - but let's say ordinary, unremarkable music.



Agree with RYM? Absolutely not: corporate sabotage! How can they rate this so high?
Would I listen to this album again? No
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist?  No
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre?  No
Score: 4/10

[Trollheart]

Album title:  12
Artist: Ryuchi Sakamoto
Genre: Electronic/Minimalist
Nationality: Japanese
Release date: January 17
Position in Discography: Fifteenth and final
Tracks: 12
Familiar with this artist? A little, yes
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Not too much, no
Average RYM Score: 3.52
Highest chart position: Number 2, 3 and 4 in various different Japanese charts, Number 1 in US Classical and US Classical Crossover, 31 in the UK

The final album from one of Japan's, and the world's most famous and revered musicians, Sakamoto passed away from cancer two months after this was released, and the world lost an incredible composer. I'm no aficionado of his, but between his film scores and his work with David Sylvian I've come to appreciate his genius, and I expect nothing but a superb swan song. Look at how the album is described: 12 has been noted to be an "unhurried" minimalist electronic album that features the "sound of him breathing as though engaged in strenuous activity" overlayed on "sparse piano pieces within electronic soundscapes imbued with a sobering weight." Sounds somewhat like Bowie, doesn't it? Art to the very end, melding your last days with the music you've loved and that your fans have come to cherish? I could almost rate this without listening to it, but let's go through the motions: the man deserves all the attention I can give him.

Of course, it's all beautiful, ambient, relaxing piano music that just lifts you up and lets you drift away on a gentle warm tide of emotion. I know some of Sakamoto's music has been more experimental, perhaps avant-garde, with field recordings and tape loops and things, but this, his last work, is beauty in simplicity, minimalist but moving, taking you slowly and easily down the river rather than crashing the rapids or whatever. It's a gorgeously understated way of saying goodbye, which I assume is what Sakamoto was doing here, as he must have known he was not long for this world. Slightly incongruous, or perhaps entirely appropriate, that the final track is faster and heavier than any of the rest of the album. Perhaps indicating the sort of panic that comes as death approaches? Whatever the case, it's certain that the imprint of his music will echo through our world long after he has departed it. Timeless, immortal, immensely beautiful. Rest in peace, Ryuichi.



Agree with RYM? Yes but it should really be higher
Would I listen to this album again? I certainly will
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist?  Yes I must
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes
Score: 10/10

[Trollheart]

Album title:  We Are Boysgroup
Artist: Boysgroup
Genre: Idol/J-pop
Nationality: Japanese
Release date: January 18
Position in Discography:  Debut and final
Tracks: 12
Familiar with this artist? No, and never will be, nor will anyone else!
Heard of this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 1.71
Highest chart position: Seriously dude?

This HAS to be a joke! Look at their logo! 🤣

And they even have the word "big" in there too! Well, sort of: you can see it. Who designed that logo? They MUST have seen what it looks like!  Oh this is too much! Oh my sides! And they're an Idol group! Well I'm sure they'll sound shit but at least they've cheered up my day bigtime! Ah no! Ah no! Someone or something called WACK is involved! One letter out! Oh please, someone, make it stop! This is wack indeed!

Probably what I'll be saying about the music, no doubt! But at least they've given me a laugh. Oh I needed that. Oh come on now! The debuted in January and disbanded in May! They existed for a total of four months! Even for an Idol band, that's a hell of a short shelf life! And look at the RYM! Probably good reason why they didn't last. This can't be coincidental: the English titles I see of the songs - "Vibes Vibes"? "Wack boyz"? "Feeling?" How did this get past the censor? And yes, the music is as poor and unremarkable and generic as you would expect. Sad rapping, sugary ballads, Autotune by the barrelful and a desperate attempt to be seen as "hard". No, I don't mean in that way! Sounds like they even attempt singing in Italian on one track. Oh mercy! Ah well, you may not have lasted long on this earth, Boygroup, but at least you gave me a lot to laugh about, and that's pretty precious, the gift of laughter.

Oh, and maybe the title should have been changed to We Were Boysgroup! Hardy har har!

Agree with RYM? Absolutely
Would I listen to this album again? No way
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist? There is no more, and they are no more. But even if there were more, no.
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? No
Score: 3/10 (they're only getting a slightly higher rating than they should because they made me laugh)

(Go on: you know you want to!)

[Trollheart]

Album title:  Mountain Banana
Artist: The Cro-Magnons
Genre: Punk rock
Nationality: Japanese
Release date: January 18
Position in Discography: Fifteenth
Tracks: 12
Familiar with this artist? No
Heard of this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Getting there
Average RYM Score: 3.25
Highest chart position: Unknown

Ah, those homophobic jokes just keep coming from the jolly old Japanese, don't they? Is that some sort of euphemism, I ask: Mountain banana? No? Just me then. Well apparently these guys are a punk band, and I think this may be the first time I've ever encountered Japanese punk, so it may be interesting. At least they've been around a smidge longer than our friends Boysgroup: seventeen years longer. And in that time they've turned out fifteen albums, so that's one a year at least. Mind you, going by their band name,  they've been around for a few million years! Oh ho ho Trollheart you are such a card! Why not mail yourself somewhere? Preferably as far from here as possible? Yeah yeah I get it. Alright: let the music do the talkin'.

Weirdly, the only YT I  can get of this seems to be some guy learning the album and playing guitar to it. Well, makes as much sense as anything I suppose. Seems to have a lot of energy and enthusiasm at least. Three tracks in and this is easily the best thing I've heard out of Japan in ages. Rock on, guys! And to be fair, though they can indeed punk it out with the best of them in terms of aggression, energy and just pure dunderheadness, Japanese-style, they also churn out a few decent rocks songs, and no I'm not going to try write them out. Wouldn't make any difference anyway: who here speaks Japanese? Put that paw down, Hello Kitty! Ah they even have a shot at ska punk! Fair play t'yaz lads! Yeah great stuff. Very impressed.



Agree with RYM? Absolutely; this is a blast!
Would I listen to this album again? Oh yeah
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist?  Defs
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? Yup
Score: 8/10

(The weirdest YouTube album video you will ever see, but ignore that and concentrate on the music)

[Trollheart]

Album title:  V
Artist: Hiroyuki Sawano
Genre: Pop/Pop rock
Nationality: Japanese
Release date: January 18
Position in Discography: Fifth duh
Tracks: 12
Familiar with this artist? No
Heard of this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Yes
Average RYM Score: 2.90
Highest chart position: 3,7 and 9 in various Japanese charts

What is it with the Japanese invasion? The last six albums released in January have all been from there! And while we're at it, all have had 12 tracks! Even Sakamoto's! Is there something going on here that I'm missing? Apparently this guy is a well-known composer of film scores, but personally I've never heard of him, not that that means anything. This is the fifth album from a vocal group he put together, with presumably a bunch of singers who are well-known in Asia but whose names mean nothing to me. Wow! Looks like they released literally half the album as singles. Still, nothing really interests me till the weirdly-sung-in-English lush ballad, "7th String", which is just lovely. Yeah you can hear the film composer in this one, all right. How odd is it though that the only (so far) track in English wasn't one of the six singles? And it would have made a very good one, in my opinion.

Sadly, it seems to devolve back into generic pop/synthpop/dance/EDM/Whatever you're having yourself after that, and none of the other tracks so far have even piqued the slightest interest, making "7th String" something of an aberration I feel. Without that, this would just be a bleh album, which is hard to credit when you look at the guy's work on movies and such. I suppose sometimes the lesson is stick to what you're good at and leave the pop to the pop singers. Poor. Very poor. Okay then: "Outsiders" (another song sung in English) has something about it, kind of almost AOR in a way, and the next one is a ballad sung in  Japanese by some lady, and is very fragile and beautiful. Honestly, where this album (rarely) shines is on the ballads, and I really can't consider that a good thing: I've reviewed plenty of albums where all I could say was that the ballads were good, and apart from "Outsiders", that's all I can say about this one too. If it wasn't for the slow songs it would be getting a much lower rating.


Agree with RYM? Not really; I wouldn't put it that much lower, but maybe two and a half?
Would I listen to this album again? No
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist? I might be interested in hearing his scores, but not this stuff
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? Guess
Score: 5/10

[Trollheart]

Album title:  The Power and the Glory
Artist: The Bad Ends
Genre: Indie Rock/Alt-Rock/Power pop
Nationality: American
Release date: January 20
Position in Discography: Debut
Tracks: 9
Familiar with this artist? No
Heard of this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Meh
Average RYM Score: 3.12
Highest chart position: Dunno

I see these guys supported REM on tour (before they disbanded, presumably, which is weird, given that that was years ago. Let me check on that and get back to you) and I'm not that surprised that Stipe and Co wanted them: they sound very like the band they would have been opening for. REM-lite? Maybe. Ah right I see: I read that wrong. They didn't support REM, they ARE REM. Well, one of them anyway: drummer Bill Berry, who here doesn't only hit the skins but also plays a variety of instruments, including guitar, sitar and, um, whistle, and has a hand in writing every song. Finally, a drummer makes good. What? Phil who? Yeah this does sound very much like the second coming of REM, although I'm not as familiar with that band to be able to say that. First thing that came to mind when I heard them though.

Probably unfair to dismiss them as an REM ripoff, but the music does sound similar, and at least Collins had the good (or bad) grace to play entirely different music when he went solo, as did his former bandmate Peter Gabriel. Hell, even Freddie Mercury explored different avenues that Queen would not have walked in the dark probably. This is good, yes, but it's hard to exorcise the ghost of REM leaning heavily over everything like some amorphous cloud. The acoustic "Left to Be Found" does its best to throw off the cloak, and possibly mostly succeeds, though again I can't say - am I reminded of "Everybody Hurts"? No let's be fair: this is only the third track but it's so impressed me that I'm going to pretend I don't know who Berry used to play with and judge the album on its own merits. And that song fucking slays, Bleak, stark sort of western feel to it, bloody excellent.

Now guys don't let me down. I'll push the REM idea to one side, but if you insist on invoking them on the next track you're not helping yourself. I mean, he even sings "This goes to the ones we left behind" and we all know what that sounds like don't we? Dancing on the edge of tolerance here Mr. B! Sure, it's apparently a paean to the lads who died in World War I, but couldn't you have avoided using those exact words? What's next? "Losing my division"? Come on lads: I'm rooting for ya here! Don't let me down. Well they make an effort with a gorgeous orchestral ballad in "Ode to Joe" then kind of punk out with "The Ballad of Satan's Bride", with echoes of the other Prince of Darkness in there. Yeah, Nick Cave would love this.

Oh and then, having gone totally psycho levels of manic (and very well too) they pull it all back with a sumptuous and simple little ballad in "Little Black Cloud". I'm definitely ready to forgive them the REM wink-wink inside jokes now. This is turning out much better than I had feared it would. The steel guitar here is just excellent. And "New York Murder Suicide" reminds me of Strawfoot. All right, I'm sold. Give me more. What do you mean, there is no more?


Agree with RYM? I'd rate it a good bit higher actually
Would I listen to this album again? Oh yes
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist?  I'll be waiting
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? Sure
Score: 9/10

[Trollheart]

Album title:  Indiana Jones
Artist:  Boldly James & RichGains
Genre: Jazzy hip-hop
Nationality: American
Release date: January 20
Position in Discography: Eleventh (almost all collaborations)
Tracks: 17
Familiar with this artist? No
Heard of this artist? In this case, it's these artists, and the answer is still no.
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Not jazzy hip-hop no (hardly really even hip-hop)
Average RYM Score: 2.85
Highest chart position: Unknown

Well if that ain't a two-fer! In fairness, before 2017 I would have said that these were two of my least enjoyed genres, but during the course of the original thread on MB I came to appreciate hip-hop a lot more than I had before I begun. Jazz? I still find it leaves me cold, though I did come across one or two - literally - jazz albums I could say I liked. Put the two of them together, is it a recipe for torture? Or will one overshadow the other? Will one even make me appreciate the other more? So many questions. Let's get some answers.

Okay I get the idea. Slow, trappy-style hip-hop with a more or less laid back rap and blasts of jazz piano and guitar. Can't say I hate this from the off anyway. Got some singing on it too, which is nice. Different rappers (guests?) but no mention of musicians, so I can't say whether the jazz music backing it is played or just samples. Kind of sounds like the latter. Apart from anything else, you ever known a jazz musician to take second fiddle to anyone else? I'll say this for it: it's one of the most relaxed hip-hop albums of the few I've heard, very low-key. Very strange. The third track has a kind of pop/rock song and then the rapper is singing along with it, sort of. Innovative, certainly. Never heard anything like this before. Seventeen tracks, but for once I don't think this is going to be a problem.

Ah yeah this is great. I love how "No Extender" has a sample of a harmonica, and it's just one note. And it really works for some reason. Well I assume it's a sample, unless someone is earning their money as a harmonica player real easy. This guy is the first I've ever heard who raps over - or actually, with - samples of singing. Very effective; I imagine it takes great skill. Funny how the laconic, almost muttering manner of the rap doesn't annoy me like it did on other albums. I guess it just fits in so well with the whole atmosphere of the album. "8 Days" stands out as a real highlight, and the flute sample (!) kills on "Tell it All", but there's nothing here I don't like.  Great stuff.


Agree with RYM? I'd rate it higher, to be honest
Would I listen to this album again? Sure
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist? Aye
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? Definitely
Score: 8/10

Note: this is, as you can see, the first ever time in this - admittedly, hardly begun - thread that I have been "pleasantly surprised" twice in a row.

[Trollheart]

Album title:  The Predator Nominate
Artist: Brainiac
Genre: Synth punk
Nationality: American (Ohio)
Release date: January 20
Position in Discography: Fourth EP
Tracks: 8
Familiar with this artist? No
Heard of this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Never heard of it till now!
Average RYM Score: 3.10
Highest chart position: Unknown

This is weird. Band formed in the 1990s, last album was in 1996, other than a live released in 2020, and this EP is their first studio recording it would seem since 1997. So is it the precursor to a comeback album, or just some unreleased tracks? I can't say, as there's little to no information about them available and I have to make my own guesses. First EP released this year though, as far as I remember. And not a K-pop one! Okay, according to some helpful reviewer on RYM it seems this is "the last gasp of the greatest  band of all time*", songs that were indeed unreleased and that Brainiac have broken up long ago. Thanks for that, ibisbill!

Rather a lot of tracks for an EP I would have thought - eight - but then I suppose it depends on how long their albums were. Certainly drowned in synth here, from boppy buzzing to squelchy, bassy with a vocal that sounds like Matt Johnson has come to guest. The ringing guitars on "Smothered Inside" don't jar at all and fit in perfectly with this band's approach to music, the sort of howl of the singer counterpointing their stark drone, and the arpeggios on "The Game" are right out of a prog playbook. The songs are all very short, some barely managing more than a minute, hence I guess the characterisation of this as an EP rather than an album. I guess, given the band are gone now, EP could very well stand for Epilogue Player. Kind of not really for me though.

Agree with RYM? No I didn't think too much of this at all
Would I listen to this album again? No
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist? No
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? It would seem, on the face of it, to be my best entry into punk rock, but this didn't impress me.
Score: 5/10

* Might be exaggerating just slightly here?

[Trollheart]

Album title:  Small Town Temple
Artist: Ella Hooper
Genre: Pub Rock (No way man: this is folk or country)
Nationality: Australian
Release date: January 20
Position in Discography: Second
Tracks: 11
Familiar with this artist? No
Heard of this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Pub rock? No, but this ain't pub rock, so folk a little yes and country a bit more so also yes.
Average RYM Score: 3.13
Highest chart position: 77 in Australia

A capella intro does not sound like "pub rock" to me, but that's Discogs  for you. Nah, no chance. This is folk or country, straight and simple. Reminds me a lot of Miranda Lambert, Maria McKee  or Nanci Griffith. Good mix of acoustic crooners and faster, more up-tempo numbers, all seems very sincere and heartfelt. Certain sense of gospel on "Words Like These", would have made a good single I feel. The warbly organ on "Love in the Time of Cowardice" is sweet, as is the big breathy sax solo in the middle, while "Get Down Stay Down" has a lot of Janet Jackson or Paula Abdul in it I feel. Pretty honky-tonk, for all that. Love them fiddles, brother!

Even more like Maria McKee is the slowburning, smouldering "Achilles Heel" while Stevie Nicks holds court (her presence anyway) over "The Basics and Stuff" - sounds really similar to Fleetwood  Mac's classic "Dreams" if I'm honest, if slightly slower. Given that she has a relationship with Stevie, that seems a little too much of a coincidence. As is the usage of the basic riff from "Walk on the Wild Side" which forms the main melody of "Long Guilty Road". Oh dear. However I won't hold that against her: a really fine album that should be known better than it is.

Agree with RYM? Yes I would
Would I listen to this album again? Definitely
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist?  Yes
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? Yep
Score: 7/10

[Trollheart]

Album title:  Leaving
Artist: Fran
Genre: Indie Folk
Nationality: American (Chicago)
Release date: January 20
Position in Discography: Second
Tracks: 11
Familiar with this artist?  No
Heard of this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.25
Highest chart position: Unknown

Given that in general, it seems indie folk is one of the most despised genres of music (and from the little I have heard, I would tend to agree), this could be quite the slog. Might even end up being one of the lowest ratings on my thread so far. Well, probably not as low as Boysgroup: going to have to go far to do worse than that! But my spidey-senses are on alert, let's just say.

A literal slow start, just plodding along on an acoustic guitar, though the singer has a very nice voice for sure (is she the Fran after whom the band is named, if it is so named? No. No it is not: there is in fact no Fran in the band) and now we get what sounds like picked banjo coming in with some strings too. Building up in layers? Possibly. We'll see where it goes. All right, after a slow start it's beginning to come together nicely. Got a kind of campfire style about it, very laid back and sparse yet doesn't sound hollow or empty, The a capella intro to "How Did We Go" is just lovely, while somewhat in contrast, the double-tracked vocal (I assume it's so: she's the only female member of the band, unless it's a guest) on the title track is just as superb. Really great stuff.

The blast of guitar feedback at the opening of "Everybody" comes as a total shock though, like hearing Vangelis suddenly spit out a rap or something. Just shows Fran can rock out when they want to. Another string to their bow, as is the West Coast feel of "Winter", to say nothing of the almost hard rock grind of "The Label". Very impressed, I am. Also turned into Yoda, it seems I have. So there is good indie folk after all. Shows what I know. As usual.

Agree with RYM? Oh yes
Would I listen to this album again? Yes
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist? Yes
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes
Score: 8/10

[Trollheart]

Album title:  La La Land
Artist: Guided by Voices
Genre: Indie Rock
Nationality: American
Release date: January 20
Position in Discography: Thirty-seventh
Tracks: 11
Familiar with this artist? A little
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? A little
Average RYM Score: 3.07
Highest chart position: Unknown

I have only heard one Guided by Voices album, and I seem to remember thinking it was alright but nothing special. I will give them credit though for being prolific: 37 albums released since 1987 and this year (2023) they've released no less than three! I don't think they've done that before. So is it a case of having so much good music they needed three albums to contain it, or have they stretched themselves thinner here than someone near a Black Hole and experiencing the spaghetti effect? Let's see. Must admit, if I didn't know they were indie rock I would have said maybe punk? Quite abrasive and guitar-driven. Yeah I'm finding the same reaction I had to their other album, which is it's okay but I'm not really feeling it.

Okay the first song to grab my attention is (not surprisingly for me) the first ballad, "Queen of Spaces", which is really nice with a sort of orchestral backing - ah, I see it is a string arrangement. Really fills the sound out. Unlike the next, and longest, track, the six-minute "Slowly on the Wheel" with a kind of Beatles feel to it, very piano driven on this one. This would probably be the worst one on the album for me, so far, though to be fair there hasn't been much to like, in my opinion. The reflective guitar on "Wild Kingdom" is effective, but I hate "Cousin Jackie" with a vengeance. Only four minutes long but it seems to go on for twice that long. Yeah I really don't think I'm going to get into this band.


Agree with RYM? Not really; wasn't for me and I would have rated in maybe mid-twos?
Would I listen to this album again? No
Of choice, would I check out more from this artist? No
Of choice, would I be interested in checking out more from this genre or subgenre? Maybe
Score: 5/10