Board 8 > iconsience 2k17: fixing a hole

(+) Yeah! (+)

hello everyone! I miss this topic series dearly, so let's try to get this going again.

couple of questions to get things started:

1) what are everyone's favourite records of the year so far?

nothing has completely blown me away yet (though I dearly hope the imminent Arca record will), but I've been really enjoying the new laura marling, and angles 9 - probably my favourite active jazz group - put out another incredibly banging record. i feel like I have to mention sun kil moon here too - I'm not even sure if I like that record, but it's just so unapologetically weird that it's pretty compulsive listening.

jonwayne, roc marciano, migos, stormzy and your old droog have all released pretty great rap albums too, you should all listen to those!

2) perhaps the main reason that nothing from 2017 has blown me away yet is that I've decidedly to consciously focus on older music this year: fixing the holes in my musical knowledge, so to speak. and so far it's going great! I'm documenting this in an RYM list (https://rateyourmusic.com/list/giggsalot/giggs-takes-on-the-stuff-he-should-really-have-already-heard-canon/), which I'd urge you all to check out.

anyway, to the point: I'm going on holiday this week and want to start my next batch of overlooked classics. so I want recommendations! there's a sprawling to-listen list at the end of the list, so feel free to look through that first, but anything that you think I would enjoy is appreciated. stuff which suits warm weather relaxation and adventuring would be especially awesome (save the black metal for now, perhaps).

welcome back!
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quite like the new mastodon, grandaddy, p.o.s., charismacom and joey bada$$ and woebegone (band featuring Larry and His Flask members)

excited to listen to new laura marling. interested but not hopeful for new spoon, shins.

but i have a TON of catching up to do with 2016 and recently spent my 50 FL tokens at RED to fill some holes with recs from people and am looking forward to digging in

and i'll check out your RYM in a little bit. and actually, giggs, you might be a good person to ask this .. i've been looking for doom/sludge recs from the past year or two. any non-obvious names come to mind?
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It's not technically out yet, but I really dig what I have heard from K.Flay's new album.
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hey digi! I'm not sure what qualifies as obvious in the doom/sludge world anymore outside of like, mastodon and baroness. that said, here's some stuff I enjoyed recently:

subrosa - for this we fought the battle of ages (maybe obvious? i dunno. anyway, these guys are super unique and this album is their most creative yet. almost has a silver mt. zion vibe, which is pretty remarkable for a doom record)
tempel - the moon lit our path (probably the best instrumental sludge album I've ever heard. okay, that's a short list. but these guys are great at what they do.)
thou - heathen (reaching back a bit here, but goddamn this is huge. absolutely crushing and uncompromising, yet somehow still cathartic. I can't listen to this often but it nails its vibe completely.)

the latest inter arma and oathbreaker records got a lot of hype too, though I wasn't so big on them. I really liked the advance single from the new Pallbearer too, despite finding their earlier stuff kind of dull. should check the album out myself!
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i've literally listened to nothing from 2017. kinda stopped following new music years ago.

i should probably listen to that new mastodon album though. don't think they're THAT great but, uh, they're cool.
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I've been thinking about making this topic for the last couple weeks but kept holding back because I don't really have much to say. I haven't been grabbed by much this year, but the list of things I still need to hear is quite large:

Turinn - 18 And A Half Minute Gaps
Omar-S - Hit It Bubba
Shed - The Final Experiment
Luke Hess - Facette
Adult. - Detroit House Guests
Children of Alice - Children of Alice
Mastodon - Emperor of Sand
Freddie Gibbs - You Only Live 2wice
Moon Duo - Occult Architecture Vol. 2
Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me

a bunch of albums I'm looking forward to, though. New stuff from Do Make Say Think, Frankie Rose, Allie X, Forest Swords, Kendrick, maybe feist if that new song is anything to go by??
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I'm liking the Thundercat and Oddisee albums, but those are the only new releases I've listened to this year. Gotta check out the new Jamiroquai at some point, but my expectations aren't super high.

For warm weather rex check out Snarky Puppy's groundUP album if you've never heard of them, best fusion band going IMO. And Vulfpeck, every Vulf vid puts a smile on my face -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41o5QeG-E_Y

and I see your to-do list is in no order but I have to say D'angelo's Voodoo is the perfect place to start.

the title track from that new jamiroquai is a massive banger, easily the best thing i've heard from them in a decade or so. not convinced that they can replicate it in album form these days, but I might give it a listen!
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well, before this album they only put out one album in the last decade. >_> i liked that one but it wasn't anything great.
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let's go with "this century" then. it's been a long while since they sounded that fresh.
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The best thing so far this year is probably Thundercat's Drunk

As for your overlooked albums project, that's interesting. You've already gotten a couple I would have considered throwing at you - Master of Reality, You're Living All Over Me, Turn on the Bright Lights, Station to Station, Paul's Boutique, et al.

So here are some other things

Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else
Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls & Marches
The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde (I feel like you know this one but it's so consistently overlooked that it's worth mentioning anyway)
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger (another one you probably have heard that's criminally overlooked)
Fiona Apple - Tidal
The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth; All Hail West Texas (the latter is very lo-fi)
The Cars - The Cars
Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
Mase - Harlem World (vintage Bad Boy Records)

i'll come back with some more for each one of those you've already given due appreciation to
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awesome, thanks cokes! quick rundown of those:

heard, enjoy:
Bizarre Ride (though Labcabincalifornia is a blind spot, will add that to the list!), Octagonecologyst

I don't like these guys very much:
Cloud Nothings, Soundgarden, maybe the Mountain Goats

the others are good suggestions though, especially Fiona Apple! is that her best gateway album?
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Yes, Tidal is definitely her most accessible album.

As for The Mountain Goats: even if you don't like them (which is reasonable, they are for sure not everyone's cup of tea), you should read the 33 1/3 book that John Darnielle (leader and sometimes the only member of the Mountain Goats) wrote about Sabbath's Master of Reality. It's exceptional.
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some replacement stuff

Gang Starr - Moment of Truth and/or Step in the Arena (another one that I forget where you come down on)
Billy Joel - The Stranger (he gets a lot of shit - some of it deserved - but this is very much a pop canon type album)
The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
The Replacements - Let It Be
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
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those are some fun suggestions! I'm not convinced I would like every one of them, but they definitely all fit the "overlooked" criteria.

weirdly, for Gang Starr, the only full album I've ever heard was Daily Operation, and I found it incredibly dull. SITA doesn't excite me, but I should at least give Moment of Truth a listen.

thanks again!
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I don't love Daily Operation that much tbh. Moment of Truth is probably the one you're most likely to enjoy. Step in the Arena is a little more by the numbers for that era of hip-hop
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I was down on Whiteout Conditions when the New Pornos announced it. a new album without Bejar or Dahle sounds so unnecessary. but after listening to it, I think it might be the best album any of them has made in a decade? case/lang/viers is the only album since Fox Confessor that compares.

more Vancouver sounds - cool new mix for the Astral Plane from x/o:
https://dotheastralplane.com/2017/04/06/xo-mix-for-the-astral-plane/
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A decade includes Middle Cyclone so I won't go that far, but that's still a compelling endorsement. I'll probably listen to it later today.
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(Middle Cyclone is just okay)
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i feel i've lost that passion for music i once had .

i do however quite enjoy dylan brady - dog show from this year .
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iiicon posted...

(Middle Cyclone is just okay)

if you took out Fever, The Pharaohs and Red Tide it'd be much improved, but I love it despite those tracks
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i've never heard anything by any of the members in my life (including new pornos), but I listened to case/lang/veirs last year for some reason and it was exceptionally good.

recommendations?
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Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Neko Case - Blacklisted
Neko Case - Canadian Amp
Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You
Maow - Unforgiving Sounds of Maow
Immaculate Machine - Ones and Zeroes
Immaculate Machine - Fables
The Awkward Stage - Heaven is for Easy Girls
The Choir Practice - Self-titled
Swan Lake - Beast Moans
Destroyer - Thief
Destroyer - This Night
Destroyer & Frog Eyes - Notorious Lightning and Other Works
Destroyer's Rubies
Destroyer - Kaputt
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Icon and I will probably have very different views on much of this

Destroyer: Rubies, This Night
Neko Case: Middle Cyclone, Blacklisted
AC Newman: The Slow Wonder
The New Pornographers: Twin Cinema, Mass Romantic
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If I hadn't limited myself to two each, I would have included Kaputt and The Worse Things Get
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Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is unquestionably the best Neko Case album, and at worst a top three album by any New Pornos alum
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Does Spotify work in Europe? I have pretty solid playlists for Neko Case and Destroyer on my old iPod I can share later
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I have never connected to Fox Confessor the way I have with most of her other albums. There's no denying some of the songs on there are among her very best - Margaret vs Pauline, Star Witness, Hold On, Hold On, Maybe Sparrow, The Needle Has Landed - but I don't have strong feelings about the rest.
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aww yeah destroyer's rubies. listened to that album so much in '06/'07.

iiicon posted...

Does Spotify work in Europe?

it does.
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Kaputt is the best of all listed albums
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Kaputt is also probably the one Giggs is most likely to like, I think
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well I put all of my New Pornos playlists on Spotify. The Destroyer trio was made before Poison Season, I could probably do with freshening those up.

Best of The New Pornos:
https://play.spotify.com/user/jordan.donnelly/playlist/5ntRmtAG25RfIsXNv5ERPd

Best of Neko Case:
https://play.spotify.com/user/jordan.donnelly/playlist/5DNavbc6unStxXFkx1mxJF

Best of Destroyer 1-3:
https://play.spotify.com/user/jordan.donnelly/playlist/1EpCx2CxyTV0khTDmwks7D
https://play.spotify.com/user/jordan.donnelly/playlist/32MZNmpa0p3TDl1ILm4vsW
https://play.spotify.com/user/jordan.donnelly/playlist/6MUaZ180IIH2OFxXeHVBzn
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