scaryblog

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day... 21.07.16  : Hybrid Theory : Linkin Park (2000) An album I bought and liked at the time, I can't say it's one I revisit regularly but I have some of the tracks on my general playlist and enjoy them when they pop up.  I certainly didn't listen to all 80 tracks and 245 minutes of the 20th anniversary version though - obviously no stamina, me.  My channel comment was  There's no way I'm spending half my Friday listening to that.  I'll settle for just saying "I like this album waaaay more than I thought I would" The channel gave it eight headphones, four nices, some positive comments, some negative comments about the length and one "I tried, I really did - but no".  Wikipedia has a massive 434 milliPeppers on the album and I just know it's going to be pointless levels of detail without even reading it.  I was somewhat surprised to see that it got a good critical reception - it feels like something the...

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day... 21.07.13  : Back To Black : Amy Winehouse (2006) And talking of "Valerie" (as we were just yesterday), here comes the slightly  better known purveyor of that song (although Wikipedia reminds me The Zutons version was still top ten in the UK).  I always think Amy's version is on this album - but it ain't, so 10 points to the first person who knows which album it is on.  However, despite this omission, it's still a very fine album and obviously one I've met before , as my channel comment confirms Obviously one I've already written up about.  I like it, but I also know a lot of people who are like "meh".  The channel gave it three thumbs up, six hearts, five raised hands, three black hearts and a few positive comments.  Although I discuss the Wikipedia entry in my previous entry, it's worth pointing its size (597 milliPeppers) which I believe is the second biggest one we've had so far (after, err - ...

The second in a (very) occasional series of musical reviews... I n my previous post in this series, I mentioned that I was generally more of a fan of classic musicals, with three notable modern exceptions - Les Mis, Matilda and Hamilton.  For the last of these I was initially aware of the general fuss coming across the Atlantic, but had generally dismissed it because a) Americans are like that and b) why would I want to watch "a hip-hop musical"?  However, my daughters got into it in a big way so I dipped into it and saw it possibly shouldn't be quite so swiftly dismissed, but didn't particularly get into it until we sat down and watched the original Broadway cast version on Disney+ last year.  Watching that, the intricate staging elevated the impressive content for me and so I was (finally) a proper Hamilton fanboy I And so, in a moment of mid-pandemic financial disregard (and you REALLY have to disregard them finances) we booked a "post-pandemic" (oh, the...

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day... 21.07.08  : Junior : The LaFontaines (2019) I was a bit worried about this for a second until I remembered that it wasn't Fontaines D.C ., so I was probably OK - at least until I heard it anyway.  I recalled not hating it, but also wasn't entirely convinced it was for me - and a quick re-listen suggests I'd need to listen to it a few more times for it to stick.  They've certainly got a distinctive sound - Scottish rap-rock anyone?  My channel comment was Hmmm - it's certainly a different sound, isn't it?  There's all sorts in there!  As apparently the band are keen to say, it "really sounds like it shouldn’t work but it does" - I imagine their gigs are lively affairs! I really hope that's them on the album cover though! The channel gave this no emojis, but a lot of positive comments including a long conversation between some big fans of the band.  There was also a lot of love for singing in your own ac...

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day... 21.07.05  : Cavalcade : black midi (2021) Oooh - my birthday, so I was hoping for something nice but it seems like my present got lost in the post.  Black midi had already been held up as an example of something I would most definitely not like and it's fair to say the channel didn't let me down.  Not for me, I'm afraid - with my comment being Oh yes, I REALLY didn't like that! Although I do quite like the busy album cover.  The channel gave it one headphones and some positive comments from those who like this sort of thing.  Wikipedia has a surprising amount on the album with the critics being very keen on it - apparently " Cavalcade  is an album of extremes, fluctuating between lounging wizardry and an angular, prog-rock nightmare" means that they liked it.  It was also popular with the public - #16 in the US.  It only reached #60 in the UK, but that was down to some "golden ticket" nonsense which meant...

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day... 21.06.30  : New Me, Same Us : Little Dragon (2020) I wasn't aware of the album or the artist before I listened to this, but I remember that I liked it - and then I listened to another Little Dragon album from this list later that day.  However, whilst I remember I quite liked it, I don't remember what it sounded like - so a re-listen is in order.  And yeah, I liked it (and I like the cool album cover as well).  And my channel comment at the time was Yeah, I liked that! so you can see my famed powers of description don't fail me when it comes to Little Dragon.  The channel gave this two nices and a few positive comments.   Wikipedia has a few sentences on the album, all of which are vying with each other to win the award for "least informative sentence" - although I did learn that it got to #55 in the US, which seems surprisingly high to me. I felt sorry for the band having such a useless entry for their latest...

Continuing my trip up The Guardian's  Top 50 Movies of 2020... #17 :   Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am This documentary profile of the celebrated African American author was completed shortly before her death in 2019. Oprah Winfrey, Walter Mosley and Angela Davis are among the heavyweights paying tribute . I'm not massively familiar with Ms Morrison or any of her work, but it strikes me as though she inhabits a somewhat-hard-to-criticise space, so I was expecting this to be some background (which would hopefully educate me somewhat) and a lot of people saying nice things about her (which I was expecting to be less educational).  Two hours though?  Really?!? I was exceptionally pleased to see that it starts with the woman herself and she comes across as a very nice lady - wise and sassy.   Unsurprisingly, she has a nice turn of phrase, both in her books and her conversation -  " Parents have a right to tell their children what books they can read.  ...

Continuing my trip up The Guardian's  Top 50 Movies of 2020... #18 :  Lynn+Lucy Slice of intense British social realism, with Roxanne Scrimshaw and Nichola Burley as childhood friends whose relationship with each other means more than their marriages and children "Intense British social realism".  Hmmm.  I have to admit "means more than their marriages" got me a bit intrigued, but I totally wasn't convinced I was going to enjoy this... And having watched it, I'm not sure how much I can really describe what went on.  Partly because it would give the plot away, but partly because a lot of the time you really don't know what's going on.  But a lot of that is because the characters don't know what's going on - I guess that's social realism for you.  But then it becomes clear and you're like "ah - I was so much happier when I didn't know".  Believe me, no-one is going to be watching this film for a laugh. The acting is ge...

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day... 21.06.25  : Astral Weeks : Van Morrison (1968) One of two his I've previously met - and it's definitely not my favourite of two ("directionless Celtic noodlery") , although I was impressed that most of the music was done in a 3 hour take with no instruction from Van. The channel gave it two green hearts, two nices and a couple of positive comments. 21.06.27  : Z : My Morning Jacket (2005) A band I was previously aware of via a morning Glasto slot but I'd not listened to this album in ages and I remembered it being fine, but not really having enough to drag me back.  My channel comment was  I quite like this one - hadn't heard it in years so thanks for the memory jog.  I saw them at Glasto around the time of It Still Moves their previous album and they were good time rockers who put on a good gig - and then they came out with this which is markedly different (and better imho). so I guess I liked it more than I remembe...

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day... 21.06.22  : Ten : Pearl Jam (1991) One I always thought I didn't like, but then had to listen to it as part of the Rolling Stone marathon and discovered I was totally thinking of something else and I really liked it - so was pleased to revisit here again.  And so pleased to be re-reminded that I liked it that I listened to it again just now.   The channel gave it ten thumbs up, one mic drop boom, two nices but zero comments which somewhat surprised me - it feels like prime nostalgia territory for the channel. 21.06.23  : Sam's Town : The Killers (2006) An album I don't mind, but I'd still pick Hot Fuss over this one - it's definitely variable in quality, but the high points are just so high.  Whereas this has fewer lows, but also fewer highs.  Imeho.  My channel comment was I'd have gone for the first side of Hot Fuss played twice.  I'd not listened to Sam's Town in ages - mostly because it's not Ho...

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day... 21.06.17  : This Nation's Saving Grace : The Fall (1985) I remember this being not as bad as I was expecting - but not good enough to remember or want me to revisit.  My channel comment was That was a pleasant surprise - I didn't utterly, utterly hate it.  I mean, obviously I didn't like it - but at no point did my ears bleed, so it's a vast improvement on other Fall stuff I've heard.  And yes, I may be exaggerating for effect. The channel gave this four thumbs up, one positive comment and some general discussion about how many people have been in The Fall over the years.  Amusingly, Wikipedia runs through the personnel changes around this album with one of the two drummers leaving, the bassist taking paternity leave to be replaced by a classical musician Mark E. Smith met whilst working on a collaboration with the choreographer Michael Clarke (the mind boggles!) and then the bassist returning, so the new bassist s...