March 2021 Challenge Thread

March 1: It's Monday. Play something to get you excited for the week.

This arrived on Monday, but haven't had a chance to spin anything this week. So time to get caught up...

DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite.jp & Chintam (Blow Up) ‎– Wamono A To Z Vol. II (Japanese Funk 1970-1977)

180g, Mastered and lacquer cut by Jukka Sarapää at Timmion Cutting

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March 2: It might be cool outside but it's about to get warm all up in my jazz. Play a Jazz album.

Sonny Clark ‎– Cool Struttin'

I had this version in my discogs, and was all ready to do a bunch of edits, when I realized I actually have this version. For a Blue Note 75, it sounds great to me.

Mastered by Bernie Grundman, lacquer cut by Chris Bellman, pressed by United Record Pressing.

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March 3: World Wildlife Day - Play something that refers to non-domesticated animals.

Various ‎– A Guide To The Birdsong Of Mexico, Central America, & The Caribbean

I think I've spun one of these guide to birdsongs in a past monthly challenge. This is a really neat project. Birdsong recordings from various countries in Central and South America were mixed in to make humansongs by local artists. 100% of the proceeds from the album were donated to conservation organizations. https://linktr.ee/shikashika

Mastering by Yosi Horikawa

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March 4: Play something that that surprised you. Either you really liked it or really hated it.

The Roots - How I Got Over

So some background on this pick. I grew up in a pretty religious home and I wasn’t exposed to much music outside of Christian stuff. Definitely no rap. It wasn’t until my late teens (around 2007-2008) that I started branching out of that and discovering the amazing and wonderful world of music. That journey has literally changed my life.

However, until 2010, I had a pretty dismissive and ignorant attitude towards hip-hop. I wasn’t interested in at all and thought it was a lesser art form compared to other genres. I can’t recall what compelled me to try out this Roots album, but it was the first rap album I ever sat down and listened to in full.

It blew my mind. And the world of rap and hip-hop was finally open to me. From here I started listening to Kanye West, Jay-Z and OutKast and haven’t stopped exploring since.

This album will always have a special place in my heart. While it may not be the best Roots album, it’ll probably always be my favorite.

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March 04: Play something that that surprised you. Either you really liked it or really hated it.
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
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I have never been a big fan of Free Jazz and as such I figured I would probably detest Bitches Brew, surprisingly I was incorrect. I actually found it quite enjoyable and it actually opened me up to exploring the genre more thoroughly.

 
March 4: Play something that that surprised you. Either you really liked it or really hated it.

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio "Live at KEXP!" (2018 Colemine Records)

I picked up Soul Slabs 2 at RSD 2019. I really liked it so I dug deeper. This is when I discovered this Delvon Lamarr live album. Damn! It's like Jimmy Smith expanding on Root Down. Yes, please! So greasy and funky. This also led me down the Colemine Records rabbit hole (see thread I started on here, LOL).

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March 4: Play something that that surprised you. Either you really liked it or really hated it.

Sunny Day Real Estate - How It Feels To Be Something On

SDRE surprised most everyone by changing up their sound radically on this one- and made my favorite album of theirs in the process.

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March 4: Play something that that surprised you. Either you really liked it or really hated it.

It's not that I hate it, maybe I had the wrong expectations about this album, it starts off great and then the vocals come in on the third track and completely take me out of it.
I've kept it, hoping one day it'll click.
Today is not that day though...

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March 4 - Surprise

I’ve been a Bowie fan for a long time, but always heard that the Tin Machine records were crap. As somewhat of a Bowie completist, I picked this up when it was reissued and was surprised at how good it was. I have plenty of critically panned records that I like, but generally I totally get why they were panned. This one? No idea what’s not to like here.

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D Jilla said:
March 4 - Surprise

I’ve been a Bowie fan for a long time, but always heard that the Tin Machine records were crap. As somewhat of a Bowie completist, I picked this up when it was reissued and was surprised at how good it was. I have plenty of critically panned records that I like, but generally I totally get why they were panned. This one? No idea what’s not to like here.

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Totally agree
 
March 4: Play something that surprised you. Either you really liked it or really hated it.

From the What? Okay. Cool! file.

The follow up to the trippy goth of Love was straight outta the AC/DC playbook. Shock. Acceptance. Love.

The Cult - Electric





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Day 4: Play something that surprised you. Either you really liked it or really hated it.

Picked this up on one of the RSD drops last year. I knew it would be good since it had the surviving members of Soundgarden as backup for Black Hole Sun & Searching W/ My Good Eye Closed, but I didn't expect Brandi to be so strong on the vocals.

Brandi Carlile ~ A Rooster Says

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Day 4 - Surprise
Bas - Too High To Riot

I was never a huge J. Cole fan (probably could've been called a hater at the time 😂) , and by extension his label Dreamville. Had no expectations whatsoever before this album dropped 5 years ago today. I heard "Methylone" a couple weeks beforehand, and pre-ordered the CD without hearing anything else. Arrived on release day and quickly became one of my favorite albums ever. Along with the Earthgang & Spillage Village albums that came out the last couple of years, the label I used to dislike has released 3 of my favorite albums from the last 5 years.
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March 4: Play something that that surprised you. Either you really liked it or really hated it.

Alright... Most of you fine folks are choosing to spin in the "like" surprise category. I don't blame you. I am feeling a bit masochistic, so I will choose to suffer through my surprise "hate" record. Hate is a strong word, but I can safely say this is only the second time that I spun this record. I just am not into Kevin Morby...

Kevin Morby - City Music

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March 4: Play something that that surprised you. Either you really liked it or really hated it.

I'm gonna keep this one positive. I consider myself a fairly big Norah Jones fan, but it's mostly limited to early Norah Jones and her side projects (Little Willies, Puss N Boots, collabs). However, I was bin diving at Bull Moose one day and found that Begin Again was in their clearance bin - I think 25 or 50% off. Figured why not and gave it a shot. It's one of those handful of records that really just transports you and makes you feel like Norah and her band are in front of you. It's a joy to put the volume up a bit and just lay back and let the singles play to you. The darker, more moody feel is a real difference too

Norah Jones - Begin Again

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March 4: Play something that that surprised you. Either you really liked it or really hated it.

My first month of VMP was for the Nils Frahm - Spaces release. From then, Dec 2015 to this release in Nov 2016 I had no problems with any of the releases. Some weren't great, but I was more indifferent to them than a total dislike.

I have attempted to listen to this a few times, thinking I must have been in a bad mood, or just wasn't the music for that time I was playing it. But no. I do in fact hate it. It really is just an annoying sounding album that I want to turn off. I'll put it on every so often to see if it ever clicks.

The Books ‎– The Lemon Of Pink
Temporary Residence Limited ‎– TRR181-VMP, 2003/2016

Cut by Barry Grint at Alchemy Mastering
Pressed at GZ

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