The Syndicate

What is duration doing to be? The OP says 5 weeks, I'm interested if it will be shorter than that

my nomination is The Kinks - Arthur

- Release year: 1969
- [Parent] genre: Rock/pop
- Number of tracks: 12
- Duration: 48:43

each song is split in 2 parts on the vinyl release I think

walterdigstunes was the greatest reviewer in the history of music

After a couple listens I haven't fully gathered my thoughts on the album. I think I like about half the tracks, but I feel like some great songwriting is hurt by overproduction & too much instrumentation

haven't had much time to write words about music lately but this is my favourite album we've listened to so far

it actually kind of reminds me of OM of all things

nutella wrote:I think by OM they mean of Montreal, lol

No I mean the Om that everybody else above already posted

I usually write it in all caps because that's the way it is on their album covers

One of the few modern-era Scott Walker albums I don't have, excited for this one. I love Tilt and The Drift, and am probably the only person on the planet who loves Soused

btw there's an excellent documentary about Scott Walker called 30 Century Man

I'll resubmit Kinks - Arthur

my ratings are
Brine - 3
28.12.98 - 2
World Music - 3.5
Bisch Bosch - 3.5
Crazy World - 4

I'm familiar with most of these songs even though I've never sat down and listened to a Chuck Berry album. Lots of classics here.

I really like the song Around and Around

Alex your rating system is kind of weird and explains why your ratings all skew so high... for me (and I would hazard most reviewers, eg it's the standard we used on PA and MMA), 3* is a good album worth revisiting regularly

Quin wrote:Only in this conversation did I realise that in a scale between 0-5, 3 is not the middle ground.

practically every 5 star system is 1-5 not 0-5

ardbeg is obviously better than lagavulin

I don't care about philosophers but Freud at anything other than 0 can't be right

Arthur, like most of The Kinks' mid-period material, isn't quite a concept album but is full of overriding themes & callbacks to earlier lyrics. I picked it because it also holds some of their catchiest songwriting & none of the tracks really overstay their welcome. A fine album, if not my favourite of theirs, that showcases why I think The Kinks are the most interesting and underrated of the British invasion bands. They came a long way in just 5 years since lyrics like "they call me long tall shorty cuz I know what love is all about"

Shangri-La is my fave track here btw. Also I used to live in an apartment building named Shangri-La

Muswell Hillbillies is great, so is Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround Part One (either that or the self-titled 1964 album would be my favourite)

unacceptable

I thought up until now that this album was called "Whale Stories"







SPLIT YOUR LUNGS WITH BLOOD AND THUNDER WHEN YOU SEE THE WHITE WHALE

It's like GYBE but the actual music never starts

If I wanted to listen to garbage truck noises I would just open my window

edit: no offense I couldn't resist making a joke

On the plus side, between this and Bisch Bosch I feel like I can nominate literally any album I want next round

MovingPictures07 wrote:Option A is fine with me. Though I also wouldn't be opposed to:

Quin wrote:I'd vote C, but I'd also make it so one person can only have one Album in the queue at a time - once their first album finishes, they can submit the next one.

I don't like Option B because I do think it helps to keep folks from clogging up the queue, and I say that as someone who had to wait during this last five-week grouping. Didn't bother me at all.

Clearly this group needs hip hop, so I've decided to nominate my favorite hip hop record, De La Soul Is Dead.

Not Stakes Is High?

I haven't decided between 3-4 5 potential nominations yet

Actually I don't need to pick a nomination yet because I won't be in the next poll anyway

I haven't really been rating anything...

Chuck Berry - no rating (abstaining)
Crowded House - wasn't as interesting to me as I expected, didn't like the vocals much, 2.5/5
Kinks - always liked this album but only maybe my 4th or 5th fave kinks album, 4/5
Vanessa Rossetto - sorry not into it at all, 1/5
deadmau5 - haven't decided yet, it's ok but not my style of music

also FYI I've only been voting for albums I haven't heard in each poll (sorry Echolyn and De La Soul)

they go in the next poll again unless the person changes their nomination

he means do this

I already know Echolyn and it's never really been my thing (too polished I think) but it's alright

Last Dinosaurs is kinda interesting but I wish their singer didn't have the same slightly autotuned sexually ambiguous voice that every modern pop singer has. Sunday Night, Weekend, and Honolulu are the best songs on the album.

2.5 to both

I forgot to rate deadmau5 I'll give it a 2 (must not be feeling charitable today, I blame squats)

ture

Alright, I hate everything about Original Sin. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what's so bad about it, but it sounds like a caricature of music to me. Cheesy melodies, overwrought instrumentation, simultaneously shallow and incomprehensible lyrics, bad 80s overproduction with too much reverb... it's literally the soundtrack to a nightmare. Sorry.

It sounds almost exactly like what Jim Steinman used to look like, in the worst possible way

The meatloaf versions are considerably less awful

Also Safe Sex is probably the worst song ever written

I give it a 0.5, would rather listen to the field recordings album any day of the week

I submit Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt (1969, folk/country)

sorry, I've been away (and will continue to be for the next 3 weeks)

I'll try to get around to all the albums when I return

I'm back now but not all caught up

Always liked Comus and I've listened to this album countless times - 4.5/5
Mariee Sioux - great voice, pretty album, 4/5. Bundles and Buried In Teeth are my fave tracks.

Tears for Fears are decent but a little lighter than I like my new wave. One of the most 80s sounding albums ever with all that reverb.

3*, Head Over Heels is the best track.

Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido - the best parts are the ambient instrumental spacy tracks like the opener, closer & parts of Lies With The Sea. I didn't like the vocals or the electro drums and the whole thing is produced really loud and trebly.

2*

sTOOGES - never been much of a punk rocker but this was a fun listen, it's almost got this chill/low energy vibe to it that most punk doesn't. Sometimes can't understand what Iggy is singing but it fits with the songs. Loose and Dirt are my favourite tracks. strong 3*

Toehider - it's the kind of prog metal I don't like at all (which is virtually all prog metal ), technically impressive but does nothing for me, don't enjoy the compositions or singing. 1.5*

Circlesongs link didn't work for me, still need more listens on the others I've missed

also I swear I posted about Mountain Goats already but don't see anything from me so:

2.5*, I like the instrumentation, ending up not minding the singer's half-talking voice as much as I thought I would, didn't like the "lol I'm so random" lyrics though.

I resubmit Townes Van Zandt

tried a few times but can't get through this one

I forgot about my policy of not voting for albums I already know and voted for Leucocyte

Only heard Cantafabule from Phoenix but I liked it I actually have all 3 of theirs lol

unfortunately youtube quality here isn't great, still a short but sweet favourite of mine

guess I could say a little more than that

I think the reason this album (and to a lesser degree Our Mother The Mountain) stands out to me from TVZ's admittedly solid discography is it's simplicity - stripped down instrumentation, straightforward lyrics (mostly songs he wrote earlier on), at it's core back to the fundamentals of music - that is, storytelling. Some sad stories, some pretty stories about love. I couldn't tell you which is my favourite; maybe Columbine or None But The Rain, or I'll Be Here In The Morning, or Colorado Girl, or Fare Thee Well Miss Carousel...

Some of you might also recognize the song Lungs from season 1 of True Detective

Ratatat is sounding pretty solid but I wish it had vocals or something to change up the tracks a bit