Trollheart Listens to Every Album on Wiki's List for 2017

Trollheart · 10-27-2017, 04:28 PM

Album title: Dirty Projectors
Artist: Dirty Projectors
Genre: Experimental Pop/Art Pop/Electronica/Alt R&B
Nationality: American
Release date: February 21
Position in Discography: Seventh
Fear Factor: High
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.03
Sounds more like soul or blues when it starts, which I had not expected. Ah, but some annoying samples thrown in speak to, I guess, the experimental part of their genre tag. Second one is a bit more disjointed, it's kind of like listening to later-era Prince, when he went all experimental with that 3rdEyeGirl or whatever she called herself. Much of it annoys me though, such as “Work Together”, which kind of, well, doesn't. I'm reminded of James Blake. Is that appropriate? I don't know: I just know this fractured, jumpy sort of melody is similar to what he was doing with his voice when I listened to his album, and I didn't like that either. Experimental indeed. Bah.

I will say that “Bubbles” is quite nice, a song they basically leave alone except for, well, the sound of bubbles popping, while “Winner Takes Nothing” is okay too, but this isn't really the kind of music I want to be listening to of choice. I won't bail, as there are only three more tracks to go, but I doubt this is going to get any better for me.* The Autotune on “Ascent Through the Clouds” returns the annoyance level and knocks it up to ten, and the “ascending” vocal chorus in the middle does nothing to help that, then the song seems to become something completely different, which is disorientating, as I thought we had moved on to the next track, but we haven't. So the annoyance level of this is, rather appropriately perhaps, ascending through the clouds, along with my blood pressure. The last track sounds like "Je t'aime" on organ. What the living ****?

* It didn't.

Check out more from this artist? No
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? If I can avoid, then no

Expectation Index: 0

Trollheart · 10-27-2017, 05:01 PM

Album title: Rosebudd's Revenge
Artist: Roc Marciano
Genre: Hip-Hop
Nationality: American
Release date: February 21
Position in Discography: Fourth
Fear Factor: High
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.30
Three tracks in, I'm still waiting for something I like. So far, it's been pretty boring/annoying and reinforcing my original feelings about hip-hop and rap in general. Okay this is just terrible. I still know nothing about hip-hop, but I've listened to some albums that have given me to understand I might get into some small part of it. This isn't one. The man has no presence and seems to be mostly concerned with his, ah, sexual prowess. Pass.

Check out more from this artist? No
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Expectation Index: 0

**Frownland** · 10-27-2017, 05:30 PM

I was wondering what you'd think of that record after seeing you react so positively to other hip hop albums. Personally I think it's great.

Trollheart · 10-27-2017, 05:55 PM

Album title: Re: STUPiD
Artist: BiS
Genre: Pop Punk/Alt Rock/Pop Rock
Nationality: Japanese
Release date: February 22
Position in Discography: Fifth
Fear Factor: Moderate
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: N/A
Decent enough start, good melody on the opening song even if I haven't a clue what they're singing about; she's a good singer too. Third track is a whole lot more powerful, grinding, almost metal in feel. Punching percussion and some nice guitar work there. Exuberant, punkish feel to the next one and then we're kind of in K-Pop territory. Then of course there's a ballad, and yeah, it's a nice one. There's a good mix of hard rock, almost metal, dance, and pop on this. Certainly not generic, and yeah, quite a lot of fun honestly.

Check out more from this artist? Don't know. Probably not.
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Maybe

Expectation Index: 4

Trollheart · 10-28-2017, 10:06 AM

Album title: Vaquero
Artist: Aaron Watson
Genre: Country
Nationality: American
Release date: February 22
Position in Discography: Thirteenth
Fear Factor: Moderate
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? A little
Average RYM Score: 3.50
Sounds like real country when it kicks off with the story of a guy who goes to war and wants to be buried in Texas if he dies; hey, at least he's not singing about bars and chicks! Straight off I like this. My kind of country. Yeehaw! There's a good sense of down-home bluegrass to the music here, the lyrics are what I'd expect from a country (not a country pop) album and there's a real sense of honesty and earthiness about the whole thing. Even the few ballads are far from sappy. There's great energy in songs like “Outta Style”, and then reflective stories told as in the title track and “Texas Lullaby”, as already mentioned. Some great guitar work in “Run Wild Horses” - ah hell. I just love everything on this album. Going to have to get more of this guy's material. Where's me stetson hat?

Check out more from this artist? Oh yeah; I think I've become a fan
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Expectation Index: 10

Trollheart · 10-28-2017, 10:25 AM

Album title: Chapter One: Blue
Artist: Bea Miller
Genre: Pop
Nationality: American
Release date: February 24
Position in Discography: Second EP; third release overall
Fear Factor: Moderate
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? A bit
Average RYM Score: 3.49
Just an EP this time, and only three tracks. Seems like this one is doing the same as William Control, which I reviewed yesterday, and releasing three EPs (to their four) which will form the bulk of her new album. I don't get it: do they expect people to still shell out for nine tracks they already own at this point? Odd strategy, as I already said. Anyway, it's really hard to judge any artist based on three songs. These sound okay, but I wouldn't make any attempt to rate her as an artist until I'd heard more. She has a good voice and the second track is pretty powerful compared to the first one; like the echoey percussion. The idea of using the basic melody and lyric from “London Bridge is Falling Down” is quite clever and the third track is a really nice ballad. Impressive. I'll look forward to more from her.

Check out more from this artist? Yes
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes

Expectation Index: 9

Trollheart · 10-28-2017, 10:51 AM

Album title: The Eternal Reign
Artist: Born of Osiris
Genre: Progressive Metalcore/Deathcore
Nationality: American
Release date: February 24
Position in Discography: Fifth EP; ninth overall
Fear Factor: High
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.24
Not quite sure to make of this. Technically, I probably should have passed on it, as it's a re-recording of an EP released in 2007, and typically I'm only doing new albums here, not reissues, but given that Batty would have called me a pussy or something for avoiding it, and since he's been whining about there being so few metal releases on this list, I thought I'd give it a go. Musically, it's pretty damn fine; these guys know what they're about, but the vocals, for me, again, let the album and the band down. They're not unintelligible or anything, but I just feel the music is well crafted and I can see where the progressive part of their genre tag comes in, and the vocals just don't mesh with what I'm hearing musically. But it is overall pretty good. The second last track contains an unexpected and very beautiful piano outro, with the closer opening on an almost ambient piece on I assume some sort of synthesiser. Weird but really effective. Think I like this.

Check out more from this artist? Possibly
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Maybe

Expectation Index: 8

The Batlord · 10-28-2017, 11:16 AM

Sigh. I kind of can't stand/am indifferent to that style of so-called progressive deathcore (more like ashamed to be deathcore so it tries and fails to sound like something that should be respected), but I can see why YOU might like it. I can give you some recs if you so desire. Just know that I will look down upon you if you like them.

Trollheart · 10-28-2017, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Sigh. I kind of can't stand/am indifferent to that style of so-called progressive deathcore (more like ashamed to be deathcore so it tries and fails to sound like something that should be respected), but I can see why YOU might like it. I can give you some recs if you so desire. Just know that I will look down upon you if you like them.

As if you don't already.

The Batlord · 10-28-2017, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

As if you don't already.

More so.

10-27-2017, 04:28 PM	#721 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Album title: Dirty Projectors Artist: Dirty Projectors Genre: Experimental Pop/Art Pop/Electronica/Alt R&B Nationality: American Release date: February 21 Position in Discography: Seventh Fear Factor: High Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.03 Sounds more like soul or blues when it starts, which I had not expected. Ah, but some annoying samples thrown in speak to, I guess, the experimental part of their genre tag. Second one is a bit more disjointed, it's kind of like listening to later-era Prince, when he went all experimental with that 3rdEyeGirl or whatever she called herself. Much of it annoys me though, such as “Work Together”, which kind of, well, doesn't. I'm reminded of James Blake. Is that appropriate? I don't know: I just know this fractured, jumpy sort of melody is similar to what he was doing with his voice when I listened to his album, and I didn't like that either. Experimental indeed. Bah. I will say that “Bubbles” is quite nice, a song they basically leave alone except for, well, the sound of bubbles popping, while “Winner Takes Nothing” is okay too, but this isn't really the kind of music I want to be listening to of choice. I won't bail, as there are only three more tracks to go, but I doubt this is going to get any better for me.* The Autotune on “Ascent Through the Clouds” returns the annoyance level and knocks it up to ten, and the “ascending” vocal chorus in the middle does nothing to help that, then the song seems to become something completely different, which is disorientating, as I thought we had moved on to the next track, but we haven't. So the annoyance level of this is, rather appropriately perhaps, ascending through the clouds, along with my blood pressure. The last track sounds like "Je t'aime" on organ. What the living ***? It didn't. Check out more from this artist? No Check out more from this genre or subgenre? If I can avoid, then no Expectation Index: 0 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-27-2017, 05:01 PM	#722 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Album title: Rosebudd's Revenge Artist: Roc Marciano Genre: Hip-Hop Nationality: American Release date: February 21 Position in Discography: Fourth Fear Factor: High Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.30 Three tracks in, I'm still waiting for something I like. So far, it's been pretty boring/annoying and reinforcing my original feelings about hip-hop and rap in general. Okay this is just terrible. I still know nothing about hip-hop, but I've listened to some albums that have given me to understand I might get into some small part of it. This isn't one. The man has no presence and seems to be mostly concerned with his, ah, sexual prowess. Pass. Check out more from this artist? No Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Expectation Index: 0 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-27-2017, 05:30 PM	#723 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,548	I was wondering what you'd think of that record after seeing you react so positively to other hip hop albums. Personally I think it's great. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

10-27-2017, 05:55 PM	#724 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Album title: Re: STUPiD Artist: BiS Genre: Pop Punk/Alt Rock/Pop Rock Nationality: Japanese Release date: February 22 Position in Discography: Fifth Fear Factor: Moderate Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: N/A Decent enough start, good melody on the opening song even if I haven't a clue what they're singing about; she's a good singer too. Third track is a whole lot more powerful, grinding, almost metal in feel. Punching percussion and some nice guitar work there. Exuberant, punkish feel to the next one and then we're kind of in K-Pop territory. Then of course there's a ballad, and yeah, it's a nice one. There's a good mix of hard rock, almost metal, dance, and pop on this. Certainly not generic, and yeah, quite a lot of fun honestly. Check out more from this artist? Don't know. Probably not. Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Maybe Expectation Index: 4 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-28-2017, 10:06 AM	#725 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Album title: Vaquero Artist: Aaron Watson Genre: Country Nationality: American Release date: February 22 Position in Discography: Thirteenth Fear Factor: Moderate Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? A little Average RYM Score: 3.50 Sounds like real country when it kicks off with the story of a guy who goes to war and wants to be buried in Texas if he dies; hey, at least he's not singing about bars and chicks! Straight off I like this. My kind of country. Yeehaw! There's a good sense of down-home bluegrass to the music here, the lyrics are what I'd expect from a country (not a country pop) album and there's a real sense of honesty and earthiness about the whole thing. Even the few ballads are far from sappy. There's great energy in songs like “Outta Style”, and then reflective stories told as in the title track and “Texas Lullaby”, as already mentioned. Some great guitar work in “Run Wild Horses” - ah hell. I just love everything on this album. Going to have to get more of this guy's material. Where's me stetson hat? Check out more from this artist? Oh yeah; I think I've become a fan Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Expectation Index: 10 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-28-2017, 10:25 AM	#726 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Album title: Chapter One: Blue Artist: Bea Miller Genre: Pop Nationality: American Release date: February 24 Position in Discography: Second EP; third release overall Fear Factor: Moderate Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? A bit Average RYM Score: 3.49 Just an EP this time, and only three tracks. Seems like this one is doing the same as William Control, which I reviewed yesterday, and releasing three EPs (to their four) which will form the bulk of her new album. I don't get it: do they expect people to still shell out for nine tracks they already own at this point? Odd strategy, as I already said. Anyway, it's really hard to judge any artist based on three songs. These sound okay, but I wouldn't make any attempt to rate her as an artist until I'd heard more. She has a good voice and the second track is pretty powerful compared to the first one; like the echoey percussion. The idea of using the basic melody and lyric from “London Bridge is Falling Down” is quite clever and the third track is a really nice ballad. Impressive. I'll look forward to more from her. Check out more from this artist? Yes Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes Expectation Index: 9 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-28-2017, 10:51 AM	#727 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Album title: The Eternal Reign Artist: Born of Osiris Genre: Progressive Metalcore/Deathcore Nationality: American Release date: February 24 Position in Discography: Fifth EP; ninth overall Fear Factor: High Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.24 Not quite sure to make of this. Technically, I probably should have passed on it, as it's a re-recording of an EP released in 2007, and typically I'm only doing new albums here, not reissues, but given that Batty would have called me a pussy or something for avoiding it, and since he's been whining about there being so few metal releases on this list, I thought I'd give it a go. Musically, it's pretty damn fine; these guys know what they're about, but the vocals, for me, again, let the album and the band down. They're not unintelligible or anything, but I just feel the music is well crafted and I can see where the progressive part of their genre tag comes in, and the vocals just don't mesh with what I'm hearing musically. But it is overall pretty good. The second last track contains an unexpected and very beautiful piano outro, with the closer opening on an almost ambient piece on I assume some sort of synthesiser. Weird but really effective. Think I like this. Check out more from this artist? Possibly Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Maybe Expectation Index: 8 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018