What Are You Listening To?

[SteveO]

I'm with you guys...not a big fan of either

i dont get Bon Iver neither...heard this album when it came out....pleasant enough but nowhere nearly as good as the hype so i didnt bother....Fleet Foxes are another one with lots of hype but i cant get into their albums neither!

[CRAZY-HORSE]

RYAN ADAMS "ashes and fire" cd,2011.

a recommendation from Corey last year....
its Adams fourteenth album in around fourteen years...quite prolific.
allmusic write up says he's done pop,rock,country,alt in his career...
this one is slightly country tinged, but not enough to actually call it country IMO,so still slightly alternative i guess...
shade of early 1970s Dylan and Neil young on several tracks.
the guy has a nice warm vocal quality which comes across slightly 'fragile' at times, not in a bad way mind you,more like Neil Young's fragility, and it lacks variation IMO, all too much of a muchness throughout, i started getting a bit sleepy about halfway through then 'chains of love' made me prick up my ears again..quality track IMO,shame nothing else on here quite hits the spot like that one did,
overall not a bad album,but not one to make me seek out his back catalogue neither.
allmusic pro's give this one 3.5/5 or 2.1 on our converted scale here,my score is slightly lower than that,but not that far off that i'd disagree with their score.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: do i wait
best track: chains of love

tracks:

1. dirty rain **
2. ashes and fire **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W3SbhY_5DE live
3. come home *
4. rocks **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szlgxZS8_aI audio
5. do i wait *
6. chains of love ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tL4DdYzcxg video
7. invisible riverside **
8. save me **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK1H8jFIp14 audio
9. kindness **
10.lucky now **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1YYzRwYTSw live
11.i love you but i dont know what to say **

3s=1
2s=8
1s=2

rating: 1.9

[Music Head]

from my library (cd)



First time hearing this entire album. An end of year purchase that I just got to. Had to fill my Coldplay gap. Now I
have a new gap of the most recent one, which I wasn't impressed with on the online listen. But that's another
review. This one almost lives up to their first two, just missing that love mark, with nothing I don't like and five
love tracks. The album went #1 everywhere, not quite equaling sales of A Rush Of Blood. Useless insert booklet here,
with nothing but some faded band pics and more of the crap like the cover. No lyrics, 10 pages and no lyrics. I miss
my lyrics. Can you tell? Doesn't detract from the music though. And I even get a hidden bonus track, Til Kingdom
Come, which was written by Martin and to be recorded with Johnny Cash, who died before that could happen. That would
have been interesting. The song was also featured in The Amazing Spider Man film. I like songs that start out slow
and build up. Coldplay is one of the best at that and there are plenty of them here. The album got the band a Brit
Award and a Juno Award, just missing a Grammy for album of the year, losing out to U2's How To Dismantle An Atomic
Bomb. I would have voted for this over that.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - X & Y

Best Track - Fix You

1) Square One ** - Austin City Limits
live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBMulc0LDJg
2) What If ***
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdD6RMICpfg
3) White Shadows ***
live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUacvnQ-gMs
4) Fix You ***
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI-o25K6B-E
5) Talk **
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0uqLM1uj_k
6) X&Y **
live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjBAQ3QSN4Q
7) Speed Of Sound ***
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TahH7B_aUZc
8) A Message **
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOZUKppndaE
9) Low **
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT6iCiul3D4
10) The Hardest Part *** - a wtf video
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tp0r9197uo
11) Swallowed In The Sea **
live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTbBdfX1moY
12) Twisted Logic **
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7K32bm9x74
13) Til Kingdom Come **
live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Z-0kn28ss

3's - 5
2's - 8
1's - 0

Grade - 2.3
allmusic - 2.4

[CRAZY-HORSE]

very very good album IMO...you mentioned the latest one MH, its good but hasnt grown over time,infact probably sounds a bit dated to me now

i also think Fix You is the best thing on this one

[CRAZY-HORSE]

WEDDINGS,PARTIES,ANYTHING "trophy night:the best of" cd,1998.

Aussie folk-rock group primarily from the late 80s and early to mid 90s...
this cd has been compiled chronologically from their debut single through to their final hurrah....
this is how i like to hear best of sets, so i can hear their progression through the years.
made a lot of very good sinlges back in the day but sadly never recieved the chart success they deserved, their highest charting single here was 'fathers day' which peaked at #35, also released seven or eight albums only cracking the top thirty on one occasion.
read somewhere recently that they were way more populat in Canada( i guess the same could be said for Hunters & collectors also)....
strange how that works isnt it.
anyways, these guys started off reall folky on their first few songs then gradually became more of a folk-rock outfit as the years went on, only to go back to their origins as the nails were driven in the coffin, as you can see, im not a fan of their more folky material, but when they combined elements of rock/pop and folke they were brilliant IMO.
first saw these guys live back in 87-88ish when they were support act for a then folky/protest Billy Bragg(before he went all Judas on us and went fully electric with a band!), remind you of anyone else????
sorry for the lack of links here..they had a lot of poor quality fan made live videos, but not good enough to put up here...but at least they had my favourite track available!!!

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: anthem
best track: fathers day

tracks:

1. away away *
2. woman of ireland *
3. hungry years **
4. scorn of a woman **
5. industrial town ***
6. under the clocks ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZVZeGpD-zk audio
7. roaring days ***
8. sergeant small **
9. ticket in tatts ***
10.a tale they wont believe **
11.knockbacks in hallifax **
12.step in.step out **
13.fathers day ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYKNqftCkSQ video
14.rain in my heart ***
15.mondays experts ***
16.wide open road **
17.for a short time **
18.anthem *
19.traffic goes by *

3s=7
2s=8
1s=4

rating: 2.2 or 7.5/10

[SteveO]

Australia amazes me with their brilliant music and only a small country like Canada !!!!!!...we've got greast music also!


Australia amazes me with all the great music for a small country! like Canada...we have great music also!

WEDDINGS,PARTIES,ANYTHING "trophy night:the best of" cd,1998.

Aussie folk-rock group primarily from the late 80s and early to mid 90s...
this cd has been compiled chronologically from their debut single through to their final hurrah....
this is how i like to hear best of sets, so i can hear their progression through the years.
made a lot of very good sinlges back in the day but sadly never recieved the chart success they deserved, their highest charting single here was 'fathers day' which peaked at #35, also released seven or eight albums only cracking the top thirty on one occasion.
read somewhere recently that they were way more populat in Canada( i guess the same could be said for Hunters & collectors also)....
strange how that works isnt it.
anyways, these guys started off reall folky on their first few songs then gradually became more of a folk-rock outfit as the years went on, only to go back to their origins as the nails were driven in the coffin, as you can see, im not a fan of their more folky material, but when they combined elements of rock/pop and folke they were brilliant IMO.
first saw these guys live back in 87-88ish when they were support act for a then folky/protest Billy Bragg(before he went all Judas on us and went fully electric with a band!), remind you of anyone else????
sorry for the lack of links here..they had a lot of poor quality fan made live videos, but not good enough to put up here...but at least they had my favourite track available!!!

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: anthem
best track: fathers day

tracks:

1. away away *
2. woman of ireland *
3. hungry years **
4. scorn of a woman **
5. industrial town ***
6. under the clocks ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZVZeGpD-zk audio
7. roaring days ***
8. sergeant small **
9. ticket in tatts ***
10.a tale they wont believe **
11.knockbacks in hallifax **
12.step in.step out **
13.fathers day ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYKNqftCkSQ video
14.rain in my heart ***
15.mondays experts ***
16.wide open road **
17.for a short time **
18.anthem *
19.traffic goes by *

3s=7
2s=8
1s=4

rating: 2.2 or 7.5/10

[CRAZY-HORSE]

UNCUT "for the turnstiles" cd,2012.

this is a "freebee" that came with last month's UK music magazine "uncut"
i guess they called it "for the turnstiles" because the featured artist in the magazine for the month happened to be Neil Young.
the music has nothing to do with NY though.
its a disc of new music by sixteen artists whom i have never heard of,except Nenah Cherry, and i havent heard of her for years now.
these discs are always interesting as they generally feature new artists who have just released their first or maybe second album(but thats not always the case).
on the other hand though, i find there is generally a lot of rubbish on the discs and this one is no exception for me....but when i find tracks i really love then that does make it worthwhile(even though they are free).
there is usually no common thread between tracks and artists on these cds, but occasionally they do, do a tribute covers album for whatever is relevant at the time.
i guess ive got a hundred discs like this over the years, very rare for me to investigate an artist further from these, but Band Of Horses were the exception a while ago.
i will be checking out one artist from this one...Rich Hopkins & Luminarios as i have fallen in love with their track "friend of the shooter" already.

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: HOT CHIP "flutes"
best track: RICH HOPKINS & LUMINARIOS "friend of the shooter"

tracks:

1. HOT CHIP "flutes" *
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjGtizXQ-64 video
2. DONOVAN WOODS "no time has passe *
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h76DXjsmitM audio
3. DELICATE CUTTERS "you want her" *
4. DREAMING SPIRES "strength of strings" *
5. TY SEGAL BAND "i bought my eyes" *
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAXONGchVtc audio
6. SUN KIL MOON "sunshine in chicago" **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLpX1yKYatM audio
7. BARK BROTHERS "deacon's son" *
8. WELCOME WAGON "i know that my redeemer lives" *
9. EAMON & McGRATH "instrument of my release" **
10.LEE BAINS III "choktaw summer" **
11.GO-KART MOZART "retro-glancing" **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_JCN7TEiBo audio
12.RICH HOPKINS & LUMINARIOS "friend of the shooter" ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaiQMqnKKy4 live
13.ADMIRAL FALLON "beetle in the box" **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_NfgOP9c_0 audio
14.MISSION OF BURMA "semi-psuedo-sort-of-plan" **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGV_CigT4M4 video
15.SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE "a thousand birds" **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LBkUpfdBdA audio
16.NENAH CHERRY & THE THING "dream baby dream" **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpXGIPv29QE audio

3s=1
2s=8
1s=7

rating: 1.6 or 5/10

[CRAZY-HORSE]

SKYHOOKS "the latest and greatest" cd,1990. #1 AU.

Music Head did a review of one of their studio albums a while ago, from memory he wasnt too keen on it??!!
this is their best of set from 1990...
these guys were an Australian glam rock outfit from the 1970s,split,reformed in the early eighties,split then reformed again in 1990(of which the first and final tracks are from).
pretty sure there were five of them in the band originally and all except one of them are deceased i believe...and from memory cancer was the cause of their deaths, except singer Graeme 'shirley' Strachan who died in 2001 aged 49 when his helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain in Tasmania.
ok, these guys had a long string of hits here between 73-78,including two #1's, three #2's and numerous other top20 hits,,had another #1 hit in 1990 with Jukebox In Siberia.
the three best tracks here happen to have a slight 'country' flavour to them.
the track 'women in uniform' was the only single that made the UK charts,pretty sure it made the US charts also from memory,but dont hold me to that!
ive never been a big fan of these guys,not sure why, but their music doesnt really gel with me...but three tracks here are what i'd call 'classics from that era, and several just dont cut it neither,including the worst track 'bbbb boogie'...yep, its that stupid word again!!!!
they were fun to watch i guess,and as long as you dont take the lyrics too seriously,they are fun too...all up though, a dissapointing score for a so called 'best of' collection!

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: bbbb boogie
best track: blue jeans

tracks:

1. jukebox in siberia **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS9Qfk6jhRs live
2. livin' in the 70s **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C26VOdXan4 live
3. you just like me 'cos im good in bed **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Brqlx-nMjs live
4. balwyn calling *
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu0lBJPFERE live
5. horror movie **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7l8rlnMpCI live
6. smut **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE7kY6uQHAA live
7. all my friends are getting married ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P273o0m1AFw live
8. ego(is not a dirty word) **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UduuxKdPt9Q live
9. million dollar riff **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6pW5_PKMvY live
10.this is my city *
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5QhKNERB54 live
11.bbbb boogie *
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZj9_0gM3TA audio
12.crazy heart ***
13.blue jeans ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnXfuDDBUP8 video
14.party to end all parties **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik7DakMVtg0 live
15.women in uniform **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Scn934CwsM video
16.tall timber **

3s=3
2s=9
1s=4

rating: 2.0 or 6.5/10

[Music Head]

from my library (cd)



Another of my eoy purchases that I'm just getting to. This one a reco by SteveO if I remember correctly, but don't
hold me to that. Think it showed up on some end of year best of's also. A little too far out there for me. EMA is
the stage name for South Dakota native Erika M. Anderson. Only her second album, so plenty of growth potential.
Maybe not the album, but the artist. Too much of that art rock stuff. I'm not very arty at this stage. I'm still
Garfunkely, just not arty. The girl got the media attention, from Pitchfork, NME and Rolling Stone. Formerly with a
band called Gowns which I have never heard. Four singles were released from this nine track set, none of which
charted, nor did the album, but the press liked it. She cites Lou Reed as an influence, and that's funny, as I got a
Patti Smith vibe, which were similar artists back in the day. Can't see having much interest in a follow up to this,
even with a push from SteveO.

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Coda

Best Track - Butterfly Knife

1) Grey Ship **
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dPIK9Qe7K4
2) California **
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjSOcoDJYQg
3) Anteroom *
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwsZvEz_7SA
4) Milkman *
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZrKAR32WKU
5) Coda *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEHq1fd_rAY
6) Marked **
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaP0gLYDXBE
7) Breakfast *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM0pYFyZ4Uk
8) Butterfly Knife **
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=072LZJ2Gwos
9) Red Star *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFgbRvtMlB8

3's - 0
2's - 4
1's - 5

Grade - 1.4
allmusic - 2.4

[SteveO]

Oh no....... :frown:

from my library (cd)



Another of my eoy purchases that I'm just getting to. This one a reco by SteveO if I remember correctly, but don't
hold me to that. Think it showed up on some end of year best of's also. A little too far out there for me. EMA is
the stage name for South Dakota native Erika M. Anderson. Only her second album, so plenty of growth potential.
Maybe not the album, but the artist. Too much of that art rock stuff. I'm not very arty at this stage. I'm still
Garfunkely, just not arty. The girl got the media attention, from Pitchfork, NME and Rolling Stone. Formerly with a
band called Gowns which I have never heard. Four singles were released from this nine track set, none of which
charted, nor did the album, but the press liked it. She cites Lou Reed as an influence, and that's funny, as I got a
Patti Smith vibe, which were similar artists back in the day. Can't see having much interest in a follow up to this,
even with a push from SteveO.

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Coda

Best Track - Butterfly Knife

1) Grey Ship **
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dPIK9Qe7K4
2) California **
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjSOcoDJYQg
3) Anteroom *
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwsZvEz_7SA
4) Milkman *
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZrKAR32WKU
5) Coda *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEHq1fd_rAY
6) Marked **
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaP0gLYDXBE
7) Breakfast *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM0pYFyZ4Uk
8) Butterfly Knife **
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=072LZJ2Gwos
9) Red Star *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFgbRvtMlB8

3's - 0
2's - 4
1's - 5

Grade - 1.4
allmusic - 2.4