The more time that passes between now and that what was once Animal Collective, the more convinced I become that this is drug music. Not that you have to take drugs or that you should to appreciate this, but that the music is like…“hey drugs!” Is this the kind of semi-surreal stuff that flows through the average tripping brain? Anyway, the music is pretty catchy and experimental overall, and though it’s a bit disjointed in spots, overall it holds together.

I really know nothing about this guy, but I like what I hear. Side A grabs me and holds my interest enough to carry me through good-but-not-as-good side B. The Russian folk elements found in the accordion, mandolin, violin, and cello set a small fire beneath the more contemporary folk phrasings.

This arrived today. The original 1973 pressing, and everything is in excellent condition!

That’s Boris Grebenshchikov. He’s a very major figure in Russian rock.
He also had a popular band called Aquarium that had as a member, the great, Sergey Kuryokhin.

Are those your pics? Do you have black walls?

Yeah. I painted my walls black a couple years ago.

To make them look bigger?

No, for two reasons: (1) my kids and their grubby paws all over everything, and (2) candle soot.

Not much synthpop in my collection, and this one seems to be an album pretty much disregarded by music nerds. Too bad, because it’s chill, fun, and beautiful. It’s not some amazing, engaging piece of art like a lot of the albums in my collection, but sometimes it’s nice to spin something that requires nothing more from me than to mindlessly relax and enjoy.

Candle soot? From you having a glass of wine in your bubble bath?

I love this record. Even though it’s a 2015 release I think of it as a definitive part of what made 2016 so special for pop music. I like it more than Shrines. I predict it will become more and more beloved over the years.

Yes.

Elliott is one of those artists who you often see referred to as a life-saver, as in his music helped people out so much that it helped them make sense of their pain and alienation, etc etc, and perhaps put them on a healthier life path. Despite my rough childhood, growing up without love or empathy, I’ve never been able to say that music has saved my life. Elliott is an excellent songwriter, however, with so much pathos and honesty packed into every track, so I guess I can see how some people have looked to him as their savior.

Part 1: In this more synth- and electronic-driven prog-rock opera, Lucassen picks up the narrative where Ayreon, thwarted by Merlin, failed to save humanity. Now it's 2084, and the final war on Earth has wiped out everyone except for one last human living in a Martian colony. He uses the Dream Sequencer machine to go back and visit different eras of human history. This album is yet another essential element in the overarching mythology.

Part 2: Much heavier than its companion, this album couches itself in a power metal feel straight from the beginning, working in prog elements, like strings and flutes, sparingly. The narrative continues with the final human stranded on Mars. Getting a bit more curious/ambitious, he decides to set the controls of the machine to take him back to before the beginning of time, and there he witnesses the birth of the cosmic soul, called the Universal Migrator. The machine overloads, killing the man inside, but he lives on as he merges with the cosmic soul, thus becoming the new Migrator.

This has at least three iconic folk rock songs direct from the popular hippie free-love consciousness of the end of the 60s. Pretty good stuff overall and a fine album to mellow out to. The trio really benefited from collaborating with Young, and vice versa, since based on the popularity of this album all their solo stuff sold better.

Putting this album on first thing this morning was just right, as it was cold and misty outside. This music clings to you like dead, wet leaves on the frosty ground. Just looking at the genres, I think anyone can guess how atmospheric this album is, drawing on specific cultural sounds to evoke a mood that, although not completely authentic, is beautiful and ethereal.

Your reviews are really interesting.

Why thank you!


Side A is an epic exploration of how one can soulfully rock out within a Christian liturgical framework, and after that, Polish Van Morrison stumbles in and takes over.

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And the ones in the not a good idea thread can be pretty hilarious. You have a knack for compact to-the-point reviews, it reminds me a little of Robert Christgau

https://www.google.com/amp/s/genius....ng-dick-lyrics

Hell yeah

Newsom expertly weaves imagery like brocade, bringing anecdote, metaphor, allegory, and literary allusion into her beautiful harp music, couching all her charming storytelling in a most excellent, educated diction that cannot help but delight the enlightened listener as she renders the mundane magical.

I totally agree. Unless you have an alcohol allergy or have some other medical reason why you don’t drink, I will never trust you and will consider you a bad person if I offer you a drink and you refuse. There’s something seriously wrong with a person’s soul if he doesn’t drink.

At nine tracks, this is a rather long EP, but three of the tracks are covers brilliantly done: "This Must Be the Place" by Talking Heads, "A Sunday Smile" by Beirut, and "Twilight" by Electric Light Orchestra (and Mr. Ishibashi shows sense to include “Prologue”). The other six tracks are pure Kishi Bashi in all their beauty, creativity, and, surprisingly, sadness. This EP swings from the dark humor of "Unicorns Die When You Leave" (spoiler: he murders the unicorn) and the death-bed regret of "Conversations at the End of the World", wherein Kishi Bashi uses a breathing machine as part of the musical fabric of the track.

straight edge straight to hell

...is that approval?

Indeed.