beszpilman

Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams (2005)
Rating:4.brilliant | Favorites: Do You Remember; Staple It Together; No Other Way; Good People; Banana Pancakes; Never Know; Better Together
This is a wonderfully mellow and soothing record. Add earbuds and a hammock and you're in between haiwaiian dreams.

Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales (2001)
Rating:3.decent | Favorites: It's All Understood; F-Stop Blues; The News
I may have more nostalgic memories about this album than In Between Dreams, even though I started listening to it after the latter (this first simmer actually began erratically sometime as late as september but maybe earlier). It has more emotional impact, and while I found a few great and thoughtful tracks, it came out to me as much less well-rounded than the follow-up effort by Johnson. Maybe I gave it both less time and spins to sink in. I'll have to simmer it again somewhere in the future, this debut definitely deserves it.

U2 - U218 (2006)
Rating:4.brilliant | Favorites: Window In The Skies; Elevation; Desire; One; Sweetest Thing; Where The Streets Have No Name; New Year's Day; Pride (In The Name Of Love)
I love the epic atmosphere U2 creates. Coldplay does something similar for me. But I've found no song like Where The Streets Have No Name anywhere else so far. That song does not have a climax, it IS a climax in it's entirety.
This compilation of U2's 18 singles was my first slip up of others in the simmers to be posted. I won't be listening to compilations anymore, not when I intend to buy a band's albums, even if only their best ones. Although on this case I learned later on that no other full length contains "Sweetest Thing", and I love that song. So I'll keep mixed feelings about having listened to this record (and I'm already at work making up for that as of the current simmer). Especially as it was my dad's so no money spent!

Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
Rating:3.decent | Favorites: Amsterdam; Warning Sign; The Scientist; God Put A Smile Upon Your Face; In My Place
A good album, although not all songs are great. The Scientist and In My Place are godlike though. Now that Cold Case's down I need to get Eyes Open to get ER down as well. At least as of the period I was watching them.
Soon I'll be listening to Parachutes, since I already own it, and then X&Y which should be the best of 'em all from the songs I know beforehand.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - By the way (2002)
Rating:4.brilliant | Favorites: Minor Thing; On Mercury; The Zephyr Song; Cabron
This album knocked me out of park. I don't even know why I gave it a chance. For some reason I was expecting straight hip hop out of it. Me and my last year's alienation to music! Well, me and my current alienation to music still.. let's keep going!

A word about my rating system. I like to work with 0-5 because it's simple and widely adopted. But since there's a big chance I'll like the albums I choose, because I do carefully select them, a rating of 5 stars could quickly become banalized and overused. So five for me is a perfect record, it's a complete and intense experience and there are no let downs - of course a subjective rating nonetheless. A quick extended description of each rating:
0.refrained - prefer not to rate/dropped midway.
1.painful - was actively avoided/ignored.
2.bearable - mediocre, just listenable.
3.decent - good to great album, a pleasant listen.
4.brilliant - incredible album in every respect, amongst favorites.
5.masterpiece - grew on me to be a perfect record from first to last!

Also, a rating of 0 is not worse than a rating of 1, it means simply I didn't rate it. Had I rated it, it could well have been a 5 or any other just as much. The worst rating is therefore 1.