The tale of my fucked up earphones that I still use

So last Wednesday I must have done something to my earphones. Pulled a wire our of place or trampled it's innards in some other fashion. The result of this was having earphones that do not work properly any more. Normally you would put up with it for a bit until you buy some new ones. But I kind of like them as they are.

You see, what happens when you play a track through them is that certain channels (or whatever the correct term is) don't seem to be playing at all. This leaves you listening to various parts of the track in all sorts of different ways. Some songs have no vocals, lead guitar and synth. Others may have backing vocals, acoustic guitar and some reverb. Others seems to be an instrumental containing most of the drum and guitar parts. It goes on really.

I find this quite fascinating. It is a completely new way for me to enjoy many of my favourite songs. For example - I just listened to a few Auteurs tracks, and the way in which that album was mixed leaves my earphones only playing acoustic/not lead guitar, piano and a feint sound of drums and vocals.

I have listened to many of these songs 50+ times and they can become slightly boring, but this has breathed new life into my listening experience whilst travelling to and from work.

I don't know how long I will keep them as my only headphones, and it probably won't be very long, but I will definitely be keeping them around.

G-Man signing out.

I won't be using images in this post because there's more than 10 albums. Takes long enough finding a good picture as it is, but the site limits more than that amount being used.

Eyehategod - Eyehategod (2014)

Now this is a fucking album. Really good shit.

4/5

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Indian - From All Purity (2014)

Fantastically sludgy album.

4/5

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Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings - Give the People What They Want (2014)

Pretty boring.

2.5/5

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Idiot Flesh - Fancy (1997)

This is fantastic. Highly recommend.

4/5

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Sam Smith - In the Lonely Hour (2014)

Really liking this guy at the moment. A few filler tracks but I like most of it.

3.5/5

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Clipping - CLPPNG (2014)

Definitely better than 'Midcity' but I still wish the rapper was less immature/completely average.

3.5/5

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C L E A N E R S - Real Raga Shit Vol. 1 (2014)

This is quite interesting and I do like it, but not enough happens for me to give it a higher rating.

3/5


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Girl Talk & Freeway - Broken Ankles (2014) [EP]

This is the good stuff.

3.5/5

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Death - III (2014)

The singer kind of reminds me of Hendrix... regardless, this is really nice. Truly overlooked album from this year. (though I am aware it wasn't recorded in 2014)

3.5/5

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Decibelle - Tribute (2014)

Nothing of interest here, but not offensively bad.

2/5

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Dutch - The Wind Remixes (2013) [EP]

I really like these remixes, but there's not enough material for me to get all that excited for.

3.5/5

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Now Is Fish - Legendofcockcolabottleinrussia Mixtape (2014) [DJ Mix]

This is pretty nuts and I like it a lot, but there's not interesting things happening for me to give it a higher score.

3/5

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Tord Gustavsen Quartet - Extended Circle (2014)

Just kind of "there". It may be a grower, but I can't see myself giving it that chance.

2.5/5

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Ought - More Than Any Other Day (2014)

I fucking love this album. Great Fall/Talking Heads/TVU/Math Rock hybrid. Album of the year so far.

4.5/5

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Planning for Burial - Desideratum (2014)

Pretty good but I am almost sure I will never listen to it again.

3/5

How the hell you manage to consume such tremendous lots of music beats me.

Glad you liked that new Eyehategod. I personally thought it was pretty damn good too. Seen some people that weren't crazy about it. I wouldn't put it on the level of Dopesick or Take as Needed for Pain but still another very solid EHG album.

Very nice journal. And as Briks said you really take in a lot of new music!!

Funny you guys say that because I used to listen to a LOT more before I got my job. When it's finished and I find something with fewer hours, this journal is going to explode.

I'll also have more time to write better reviews/entries.

Thanks for the comments :)!

Part 1.

Part 2.

CATCH UP CATCH UP CATCH UP CATCH UP

Amen Dunes - Love (2014)

Quite trippy album, but not quite enough going on.

3/5


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Above the Tree & Drum Ensemble du Beat - Cave_Man (2014)

Really hypnotic album.

3.5/5


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Chumbawamba - Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records (1986)

Really nice album. Wasn't expecting it.

3.5/5

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Zoinks! - Bad Move Space Cadet (1995)

Fantastic, and over-looked, Punk album.

4/5

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Sun Kil Moon - Benji (2014)

Okay album. Gets a little boring.

3/5

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A$AP Rocky & Danny Brown - 2 Pills 1 Cup (2012) [Mixtape]

Some tracks I haven't heard, and largely good.

3.5/5

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Riff Raff - Riff Raff (1973)

RiFF RaFF greater than Riff Raff. (70's Psyche-Rock, sort of)

2/5

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Tortoise - TNT (1998)

Very decent album I must say.

3.5/5

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Scissor Sisters - Remixed! (2004) [Compilation]

Some good remixes but it feels like some of the tracks are repeated, with little variation in the remix. Not enough variety.

2.5/5

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Lily Allen - Sheezus (2014)

Just, not very good.

2/5

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The Weeknd - Kiss Land (2013)

Thoroughly listenable, but probably not gonna get many repeat plays.

3/5

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Abyssal Plains - Pictures in Sound (2008)

Pretty decent IDM.

3/5

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Dereck Higgins & Dino Felipe - Properties / Ribbons (2007) [Single]

Defining average.

2.5/5

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Acid Bath - When the Kite String Pops (1994)

Pretty great stoner/sludge record.

4/5

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Billy Childish & Holly Golightly - In Blood (1999)

Good stuff right here. These guys know what they are doing.

3.5/5

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Popcaan - Where We Come From (2014)

Finding it hard to understand the hype some people have for this album. Okay in parts.

2.5/5

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Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See (2011)

The clear low point in their career thus far.

2/5

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Swans - To Be Kind (2014)

Solid album but a little boring in parts.

3/5

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RiFF RAFF - NEON iCON (2014)

Kokayne is a ridiculously good song. Hilariously good album.

3.5/5

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An Albatross - We Are the Lazer Viking (2003) [EP]

This is pretty damn good. Probably under-scoring it at the minute, but need a few more listens to know if it is really great or not.

3.5/5

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The White Panda - Bearly Legal (2013)

I fucking love mashups, so naturally, I loved this.

4/5

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Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You (2009)

I like Lily Allen a fair bit, but a lot of this is completely average to rubbish filler.

2.5/5

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Heroin and Your Veins - Misc. and Free (2011) [EP]

Fantastic EP by one of my favourite bands.

3.5/5

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Solex - Pick Up (1999)

Probably not worth it really.

2.5/5

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Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots (2014)

What an absolute snore-fest.

2/5

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Solex - Solex Ahoy! The Sound Map of the Netherlands (2013)

Nothing brilliant or mind blowing, but a decent/solid album.

3/5

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Solex - Solex vs. the Hitmeister (1998)

This is good. Feels a little too chopped up though, not quite as smooth as some of her better work.

3.5/5

Why does an absolute snorefest still get at least a 2? Is there that one song you like off of it.

Also completely forgot that I have Sheezus. I don't know if I listened to it and just wrote it off or I haven't gotten around to it yet. I may give it a second go.

Like, it wasn't bad. It was just there. I think there's a space below average for nice but boring completely boring music. Anything below that is just bad music.

Yeah, the way I like to think about it is that a 2* rating to me means that I am neutral on the album. Despite listening to it, it didn't have any effect on me. Nothing stood out.
A lower rating would imply that I actively didn't enjoy the album. If I leave thinking 'meh' then it's not the absolute worst reaction I could have to the record.

God, that White Panda album. So much ridiculousness but I can't deny it isn't without its charm.

It's just mint. The last five or six tracks tail off but I can imaginne playing it in full at a flat party and it would bang.

So basically in honor of this album being far and away my favourite of 2014, I thought I would share my RYM review of it. I will probably edit it slightly in the near future, but here it is as of right now.

http://cdn.idolator.com/wp-content/u...ll-400x400.jpg

When I first listened to Born to Die I pretty much disregarded it. Maybe it had something to do with me being heavily into theneedledrop at that time, coupled with my own snobbiness when it came to more popular music.

But over time, I started giving less of a fuck what any critic said, and chose to follow my ears. This led me to re-visiting that album, as well as several others by her, and absolutely adoring them.

There's something about Lana Del Rey that I can't get enough of. Her voice, the elegant production and - in a twisted way - her pretty naff lyrics (though I have never been one who cared too much about lyrics in general). 'Ultraviolence' is no different. Lush voice, serene production and some of the silliest most crud lyrics you are ever likely to enjoy. But I love it. I properly love it. This album is fantastic.

It's far more complete than her previous efforts, with more emphasis on mood, structure, progression and telling a story. Hooks that repeat over and over in my head, endearing little phrases and that voice. My goodness.

Give me Lana Del Rey over any of your shitty bands like Radiohead and Arcade Fire. This is music to me.

**5 STARS FUCKERS COME AT ME AND @ ME FREELY**

Unfortunately this is going to be another one of those catch up posts. I am heading off out and I wanted to get this up todate before I listen to a few more new albums:

PISS SPEARS - Piss Spheres (2014)

Sort of on the same level as the previous PISS SPHERES album on this level, bu this is far less abrasive. Some funny tracks no doubt.

3.5/5

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Mark Crozer and the Rels - Mark Crozer and the Rels (2012)

Ehh it's okay. But stick to Wrestling themes.

3/5

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Amerigo Gazaway - Yasiin Gaye: The Return (Side Two) (2014)

Not as good as the first installment, but still pretty damn good. Mos and Gaye. Can't really go wrong.

3.5/5

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hrmnzr - Rainbow Tip (2012)

Pretty damn bland.

2.5/5

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Actress - Ghettoville (2014)

Thoroughly meh.

2.5/5

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Blue Limits - SHAREHOLDERS OF THE VIRTUAL PAVILI☯N (2013)

Not quite all the way there for me. A nice novelty, but I probably wouldn't listen to it many times again.

3/5

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Days N Daze - Rogue Taxidermy (2013)

This is very very good in parts. I love the instrumentation. Kind of Ska in parts, then more folky and then more punk'y. Good stuff indeed.

3.5/5

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PISS SPEARS - I CREATED PISSCORE (2013)

This shit is straight up fucking bonkers. But I kind of really like it a lot.

3.5/5

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Dereck Higgins - Dereck 2 (2004)

My dude Dereck makes some great music, but I often find he is quite inconsistent. Same here.

3/5

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Gabba - Leave Stockholm (1999)

A novelty that works. Works for me at least.

4/5

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Mac DeMarco - Salad Days (2014)

Really interesting album for me as I have never listened to the guy previously. Could end up loving it.

3.5/5

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Danny Brown - XXX: Chopped and Screwed (2011) [Mixtape]

No, just... why? This is only worth listening to if you are on some kind of major drugs.

1.5/5

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R. Stevie Moore - Phonography (1976) [Compilation]

Really nice and varied album (didn't know it was a comp in fact).

3.5/5

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An Albatross - Blessphemy (Of the Peace-Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite) (2006)

I loved this ****. Unfff, noise.

4/5

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Digital Underground - Sex Packets (1990)

I really dig some of this, but it drags on a little for me.

3/5

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Tortoise & The Ex - In the Fishtank (1999) [EP]

Pretty decent EP right here. Nothing brilliant though.

3/5

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Viper - You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack (2008)

This is just a blissful record.

3.5/5

Mac DeMarco's Salad Days is great, as is his previous album 2. Great summer and driving music.

Right, it's been too long since I updated this. An unfortunate consequence is that I have listened to like, a shit load of albums since then. So I am just going to post the albums I would recommend:

Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence (Acapellas) (2014) [Bootleg / Unauthorized]

Lovely stuff for a Lana fan like myself. Shame about 'West Cact' essentially being anything but an acapella. Hit me up for a DL.

3.5/5

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Blues Pills - Blues Pills (2014)

Fantastically nice blues rock record.

4/5

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Sharon Van Etten - Are We There (2014)

Sharon back with a bang. Really good album, probably better than her last.

3.5/5

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Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden (2014)

Another good release from these guys.

3.5/5

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Merry Clayton - Gimme Shelter (1970)

Ohhh this is fantastic. The lady who sang with The Rolling Stones (on 'Gimme Shelter', surprised?) released this fantastic album in the early 70's. Stellar work. Mainly covers.

4/5

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Moodie Black - Nausea (2014)

These guys are my dudes. Been a fan for a few years (when they were GAHEDiNDIE) and this is another great release. Gonna end up loving it.

3.5/5

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Leo Welch - Sabougla Voices (2014)

81 year old drops his debut and kills the blues game.

3.5/5

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Les Big Byrd - They Worshipped Cats (2014)

Now this is the kind of psychedelic rock I can dig. Fantastic stuff.

4/5

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B L A C K I E - Imagine Your Self in a Free and Natural World (2014)

By far my favourite B L A C K I E album so far. Outstanding.

4/5

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Neil Cicierega - Mouth Silence (2014)

Ahh this is my absolute shit. Loved this.

4/5

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Neil Cicierega - Mouth Sounds (2014)

I thought it was pretty damn good.

3.5/5

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Benjamin Booker - Benjamin Booker (2014)

This dude knows how to rock, but also has some more stripped down tracks too.

4/5

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OFF! - Wasted Years (2014)

I really like OFF! but their albums are always a little too same-y for me to truly love them. Very solid though.

3.5/5

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Speedy Ortiz - Real Hair (2014) [EP]

Really cool indie rock EP. Gonna check more of their stuff out.

3.5/5

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Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything (2014)

Started off amazingly. Tailed off.

3.5/5

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My Disco - Little Joy (2010)

Really liked this. Need to get into the band a little more.

3.5/5

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The Notwist - Close to the Glass (2014)

Liked this quite a bit. Enough variety and fun to listen to.

3.5/5

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People Under the Stairs - 12 Step Program (2014)

Love these guys, and they did it again. Fantastic album.

4/5

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Uncommon Nasa - New York Telephone (2014)

Very neat New York Hip Hop album.

3.5/5

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Various Artists - Kats Karavan: The History of John Peel on the Radio (2009) [Compilation]

Utterly fantastic compilation. It's on Spotify. No excuses.

4.5/5

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Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat - Everything's Getting Older (2011)

I liked this quite a lot. Decent variety and the vocals/lyrics were quite interesting to me.

3.5/5

So... I have given up on this. I listen to far too much music for this to work or be any good. Especially considering I hate writing much of a review.

I am considering starting a video journal though, where I just talk about albums I have listened to or random topics.