Just what is it that you want to do?

Continuing my trip up The Guardian's Top 50 Albums of 2021

#42 : Fortitude - Gojira

Metal’s potential for thunderous anger makes it the most naturally expressive music to vent the fear, confusion and even shame of the climate crisis. “The greatest miracle is burning to the ground,” laments Joe Duplantier with bafflement and urgency, singing about the Amazon but perhaps also the entire planet. Other songs are direct rallying cries to save Earth (Into the Storm, Sphinx); Another World turns jaded and escapist, but is offset by The Chant, whose hearty chorus is the kind of thing a post-apocalyptic band of survivors would sing while rowing across a flooded city. Fortitude is an album that surveys humanity’s idiocy, but also its tenacity.

Not heard of it or them, but I suspect it's not really going to be my kinda thing.  And no, it isn't really - I didn't hate it and I quite like some of the expansiveness of it, but it all really sounds the same to me, I'm afraid.  With the exception of "Another World" which I actually liked.  And "Fortitude" and "The Chant", which I didn't.  For the rest of it, I will merely say that it's best for me not to comment on such things and leave it to those that can appreciate it - but I'm taking the fact that I liked one track as a win.

Wikipedia has a frankly huge 192 milliPeppers on the album, but the fact that it's been updated to show how many "best of 2021" lists it's appeared on suggests there's a big Wikipedia-updating Gojira fan out there.  This album was considerably more successful than I was aware of - #12 in the US and #6 in the UK - and "Another World" was their first single to chart in the US, so I obviously wasn't the only person that liked it.  It also tells me that the album is encouraging me to be the best person I can be and to face up to my problems - and I can always go along with such advice.

"Customers also listened to" Alien Weaponry, Code Orange and Killer Be Killed - for some weird reason, I suspect they might be on the heavier side of the musical spectrum.  Which isn't my area of expertise, but this seems like a reasonable example and it obviously did very well, so I'm guessing others think so as well.

#41 : Quivering In Time - Eris Drew

The joyous ecclesiastical energy of house enriches your soul on listening to this full-length from the US producer, which also chimes with the desire for optimism and gregariousness amid the waning pandemic. Like a lot of the best underground dance artists in recent years (Skee Mask, Anz etc), she firmly embraces the breakbeat-driven sound of the early 90s – Ride Free even has the same Peter Fonda sample as Primal Scream’s Loaded – and further enriches those busy, cymbal-heavy rhythms with zesty detailing: rave melodies, declarative vocal samples, penetrating bass notes. 

Never heard of album or artist, but from the description above I was expecting some old school house - and that's exactly what we got.  It's not something I would ever search out, but I have nothing against it and it takes me back in time - I feel that if you're a fan of such things then there's going to be plenty here for you to love.  And if you're not, then you're probably just fine as you are.  I will say however, that this is the first odd numbered album on the list that I've preferred out of the two for any given day.

Wikipedia doesn't have anything on the album or artist, but a quick Google tells me she's trans and looks very young - which surprised me because it feels quite a mature album so I was expecting it to be from someone who lived through the 90s.  But then I Googled her age and she's 42, so she did.  Mystery solved!

"Customers also listened to" Leon Vynehall, Anthony Naples and Ross From Friends - never heard of any of 'em.  As with the previous album, this feels like a good example of "that sort of thing" - and this "that sort of thing" is more up my street, even if it's not something I suspect I'd ever specifically choose to listen to.

#44/43 - Do I not like that!?!
#40/39 - Two slightly mysterious ladies