The 1001 Album Generator Project Thread

Should we do a group project

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Teenager Of The Year


i'm not sure i've ever listened to any of the frank black records that came out before dog in the sand, so i was looking forward to this listen. i'm not sure there is anything on here that broke new ground at the time, but if songs like the psych-reggae sound of fiddle riddle are any indication it definitely feels like frank was enjoying branching out a bit. this album also feels far more slickly produced than anything pixies had done. there's still several tracks that very well could have fit right in on a pixies record, but i think the biggest compliment i can give this album is that i never once thought that i'd rather be listening to pixies. those devil eyebrows frank's got on the album cover freak me out a little bit, though.
 
AndySlash said:
Teenager Of The Year


i'm not sure i've ever listened to any of the frank black records that came out before dog in the sand, so i was looking forward to this listen. i'm not sure there is anything on here that broke new ground at the time, but if songs like the psych-reggae sound of fiddle riddle are any indication it definitely feels like frank was enjoying branching out a bit. this album also feels far more slickly produced than anything pixies had done. there's still several tracks that very well could have fit right in on a pixies record, but i think the biggest compliment i can give this album is that i never once thought that i'd rather be listening to pixies. those devil eyebrows frank's got on the album cover freak me out a little bit, though.
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"Headache" was my very first exposure to Frank Black/The Pixies back in grade 9
 
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kinda like my history with frank black albums described above, i've never listened to a blur record that came out before 13. i don't really remember hearing girls & boys frequently but i very much recognize it and it's a pretty stellar way to start off the record, and the rest of it definitely makes me question what i might be missing in these early albums. this is a low at the end of the album hits the same musical sweet spot for me that tender does and i can see playing that one on repeat a few times the more i listen to this. the only song i didn't care for is parklife, which i'd heard before and is quite possibly one of the reasons i never bothered with this album in the first place.
 
avecigrec said:
Day 61 - Oooops...

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This is actually yesterday's, but I'm saving it for tomorrow because the idea of listening to this in the work truck amuses me greatly.
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While I've listened to the title track countless times, as well as a couple of the other singles here, this is the first time I've listened to any Britney Spears album in full, and I imagine it will be the last time for this one. I've got love for Britney herself, but less for most of these songs. Besides that tinges of discomfort brought about by lines like "hit me, baby, one more time" and "sometimes I run, sometimes I hide, sometimes I'm scared of you" I have a really hard time taking songs about deep love and intense heartbreak seriously when they're being sung by a teenager who has doubtfully experienced much, or any, of either. But such is the pop machine and, obviously, the formula works. Max Martin's music by numbers and the corporate buyers that snap it up have certainly made a cultural impact.

As for the music itself, "Soda Pop" is a horrid attempt at blending bubblegum Britney with contemporary reggae sounds, "Sometimes" suffers from some unsettling lyrics and "I Will Still Love You" is a wee bit vomit-inducing but I was pleasantly surprised by the cover of "The Beat Goes On."

"...Baby One More Time" is an absolute belter. "(You Drive Me) Crazy" doesn't reach the same stratosphere but is a perfectly enjoyable pop song.

The rest of the album was quite a bit of "whatever."

2/5
 
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save for the very last track, this seems one of those records that's easy to put on, have a cocktail/smoke, and just chill out to see where the music leads you. it lies in the jazz fusion/funk/soul space but none of it is far out or super adventurous where it takes you on a ride, rather it lets you float along and feel the space around you. the only misstep (if it should be called that) is the last track, which is a sharp departure from everything that comes before it in that it primarily features tribal drumming and vocals (there are none on any of the previous tracks), with the piano and winds coming in at different points later in the track. it's not bad or anything, but with it being the last song and so sonically different from everything previous, it was a weird way to end what overall was a very enjoyable listen.

i'll probably have no other reason to post this anywhere else, so i will here- here is hugh guesting on dave matthews band's song proudest monkey in 2013, one of my personal favorite dmb songs.

 
Lee Newman said:
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I spent some time with this in the past year or so because of The Opus. This is one of those widely loved records that I just do not get. I’ll give it a listen while working in the kitchen today though.
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Yup. I don’t get it. It’s fine. I’m not turning it off when it comes on the radio. It’s all a little sad sack and as I get older, I realize I may have filled up my sad sack card.

3 stars
 
Day 62

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I had outright never even heard of this band before it came up. And I thought I was pretty up on my early UK and NY punk!
I don't have a lot of specific thoughts about this album other than it's right in the wheelhouse of some of my absolute favourite punk. I will be revisiting this one for sure!

4/5 out the gate, I suspect that may go up once I've spent more time with it.
 
Day 63

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My first time listening to a full Beach House album and this is exactly one of those not turning the radio off but not turning it up albums for me. It was fine, but nothing particularly stood out for me. Other than my wife being utterly convinced it was some secret weird Vampire Weekend album. From the two or three Beach House songs I'd ever sampled before this is pretty much exactly how I expected this one to go. Other than my wife's Vampire Weekend bit. 3/5
 
avecigrec said:
Day 64 - now I'm caught back up to yesterday!

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Pretty good excuse to pull out the box set later today. Looking forward to it!
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The kids and a sick wife kept me from digging into the box set yesterday, but I did stream this twice in the car on the 2-hour round trip to take my son to his mom's place.

I love it. I'm not really familiar with any NEU! material that came later, but this seems like a perfect ending to their original trilogy of albums with the A side expanding on what was and the B side showcasing what could/might be. The proto-punk of "Hero" seems jarring at first but it's anchored in its depths by a groove that feels quite at place with all that came before. The whole album still gets better every time for me. There are a couple of brief vocals I find myself at odds with on the A-side, otherwise, this is nearly a perfect album for me. 4.5/5, round up.
 
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