Colour Coded Album Reviews!
RED
- STANDARDS TORTOISE 8.5
- '77 TALKING HEADS 7.4
- IN BATTLE THERE IS NO LAW HEAVEN SHALL BURN - --- --- ON HIATUS!
- ADVENTURE TELEVISION 8.0
- REAL GONE TOM WAITS
- TROUT MASK REPLICA CAPTAIN BEEFHEART AND HIS MAGIC BAND
- RADIO CITY BIG STAR
- IF YOU'RE FEELING SINISTER BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
- RATHER RIPPED SONIC YOUTH
- ENTERTAINMENT! GANG OF FOUR
- DISCIPLINE KING CRIMSON
ORANGE
- THUNDER, LIGHTNING, STRIKE THE GO! TEAM 9.3
- LOW DAVID BOWIE 9.6
- MERCATOR PROJECTED EAST OF EDEN 4.9
- SOURCES TAGS & CODES ... AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF THE DEAD
- CLOUDS TASTE METALLIC THE FLAMING LIPS
- GREEN R.E.M
YELLOW- THE BIZ THE SEA AND CAKE 7.5
- SKA-MOTION IN SKA-LIP-SO THE HILTONAIRES 4.8
- EMPEROR TOMATO KETCHUP STEREOLAB 9.6
- WE'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION
- NOW, MORE THAN EVER JIM GUTHRIE
- FOLD YOUR HANDS CHILD, YOU WALK LIKE A PEASANT BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
- BOY IN DA CORNER DIZZEE RASCAL
- NOUNS NO AGE
- VIVIAN GIRLS VIVIAN GIRLS
GREEN
BLUE- THE ICEMAN COMETH JERRY BUTLER 7.2
- NOWHERE RIDE 8.7
- SILENT SHOUT THE KNIFE 9.0
- AN ANSWER CAN BE FOUND CKY
- LET IT BE THE REPLACEMENTS
- HOW STRANGE, INNOCENCE EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY
- #1 RECORD BIG STAR
- WHIRLPOOL CHAPTERHOUSE
- FUTURE DAYS CAN
- BLUE TRAIN JOHN COLTRANE
- SIREN ROXY MUSIC
- NEVERMIND NIRVANA
- WEEZER WEEZER
- PEOPLE... HOLD ON EDDIE KENDRICKS
INDIGO- WHEN IT FALLS ZERO 7 5.7
- LOVELESS MY BLOODY VALENTINE 10
- 2ND AGITATION FREE 7.8
- BERMUDA TRIANGLE BUCKETHEAD
- THE MOON & ANTARTICA MODEST MOUSE
VIOLET- DISTORTION THE MAGNETIC FIELDS 7.5
- YOU'RE A WOMAN, I'M A MACHINE DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 7.8
- WOLFGANG AMADEUS PHOENIX PHOENIX
- WIDOW CITY THE FIERY FURNACES
My username is Roygbiv, right? I’m sure you’re not surprised this happened. Also, I can prove you’re interested: you’re still reading.
So here’s how it works:
Albums with
red,
orange,
yellow,
green,
blue,
indigo, or
violet (aka pink) covers will be reviewed in their own segments. Eventually I want to do a PRISM (silver) coloured segment because all colours in a spectrum are within one ray, a-la Dark Side of the Moon (you can tell I'm no scientist).
The albums will have a
rating out of 10.
I will also upload videos to youtube with song clips on them, so that you can decide whether you want to check the band out or not. I'll post them after they're processed.
I am taking recommendations for reviews, so don’t hold out if you have a red album that you’d like me to review.
Here we go!
Standards Tortoise
A friend of mine calls this
Tortoise’s hip-hop album. No, they don’t rap. What he means is that the beats are so defined and patterned someone out there must have sampled them at some point.
This is saying a lot for Tortoise. An album ago they were
unapologetic minimalist krautrock. This time around they’re more
post-rock, more danceable. Momentum is very important in post-rock, mostly because the accepted practice is a
lack of vocals. If that’s the case, Standards doesn’t do a good job. If you’re planning to listen to this album from beginning to end, be prepared for it, for it flirts with becoming
background music sometimes. If you listen to each song as a self contained entity, however, you’ll be very entertained. The album is filled with memorable beats (Seneca, Eros, Benway, Six Pack, Eden 2) so if you want an album that will convince your friends that Tortoise are cool and that they do have fun, Standards is it. Also, it’s a great album to dance to.
That said, you get the feeling that the band is having the time of their lives this time around, compared to the seriousness of Millions Now Living Will Never Die and the general laid-backness of TNT. They are also more influenced with
jazz, lounge and hip-hop, so you get a more diverse package (within their studio albums).
There are some great moments in this album, but don’t be surprised (or feel bad) if you can’t finish it everytime you turn it on. An album for the iPod generation.
PREVIEW "SIX PACK"
8.5