Micshazam's album and song picks

~~MicShazam~~ · 12-21-2017, 01:57 PM

A Quick Tour Through My Year in New Music - part 3/4
Just these 5 albums, then I'm done for now. There will be a part 4 if I get more 2017 albums for christmas, or otherwise, any time soon.

Mastercastle - Wine of Heaven

We're going to Italy for some pretty uncomplicated, kind of romantic sounding old school heavy metal. I've been a pretty big fan of this band, to be honest.

This new album though... Disappointing to such an extent that I started to question whether I had been wrong about their past albums and that maybe this band just wasn't ever really that good?
I seem to still get into their previous albums, but I can see more clearly than ever where the limitations of this band lie. Wine of Heaven lacks the strong songwriting they've exhibited earlier and the vocalist has never seemed so inadequate. There's just something oddly unappealing about the production too, but I can't pin it down. It just doesn't have the right kind of metal vibe to it.

Basically: Steer clear and listen to any other Mastercastle album instead.

Sarah Slean - Metaphysics

Sarah Slean always drem comparisons to Tori Amos and in my book, that's no bad thing. She's typically been fairly musically diverse and had a flair for making some nicely full sounding songs - often with a sort of baroque flair to them.
2017 continues it's bad habit of making me feel let down, since this album is permeated by a dull adult-contemporary vibe through and through. I'm worrying that this might be the end of the line for miss Slean if she continues down this road. My experience has been that when once an artist goes soccer mom fodder, they don't come back again.

Basically: **** this album.

Tori Amos - Native Invader

I've written a full review of this album a little while back. It's amazing. Album of the year? No contest.

Basically: Tori at her best.

Vuur - In This Moment We Are Free: Cities

The biggest surprise of the year for me. I'm not even a fan of Anneke Van Giersbergen's previous bands or collaborations (notably, Devin Townsend), but the live performances I heard of songs from this album caught my attention in a big way.
Anneke's new band, Vuur, is essentially a very modern sounding metal band of some tough to nail down description, with her soaring vocals front and center.
The guitar riffing is a bit workmanlike, but as each song grew on me, I came to really love how everything plays together on this album. It is perhaps a bit too stylistically uniform across those 11 tracks, but with time, as every song has stuck in my head, my opinion of this album has grown several sizes.
Possibly the second best album of 2017, honestly. Allthough Crystal Viper and Depeche mode provide some strong competition.

Basically: I really hope this band becomes a long term thing. A very strong debut. If you're as into fully sung vocals as I am, you need to check this album out.

Yasmine Hamdan - Al Jamilat

The second album from Lebanese pop/electronic/singer songwriter artist Yasmine Hamdan. Al Jamilat is a gorgeous album, featuring an eclectic bunch of songs with lush production and a lot of interesting sonic details. Her voice is soft, but full of character and I love the way she combines her own language and some Lebanese musical influences with musical stylings that feel very modern and western.
I'm still fairly new to this album, but I really feel like it might just end up being one of the best of 2017, even after I've explored a lot deeper.

Basically: This album is something special. Put on your best headphones, stare out the window late at night and give it a chance. It's that sort of album.

2017 in summation: Some good albums for sure, but I'm not gonna lie; some of the albums I bought were pretty big disappointments. 2016 was a much stronger year in music for me, although I always believe that I've simply missed all the best stuff. 2017, like any year, will redeem itself with time.

Trollheart · 12-30-2017, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

Isn’t your favorite like Abacab or something like that?

You have GOT to be ****ing kidding! I HATE that album! Hate it!

FYI, in order:

Wind and Wuthering
Trespass
A Trick of the Tail
Nursery Cryme
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Foxtrot
Duke
Selling England by the Pound
And Then There Were Three
Genesis (1983)
We Can't Dance
Invisible Touch
Calling All Stations
Abacab
From Genesis to Revelation

The Batlord · 12-30-2017, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

You have GOT to be ****ing kidding! I HATE that album! Hate it!

FYI, in order:

Wind and Wuthering
Trespass
A Trick of the Tail
Nursery Cryme
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Foxtrot
Duke
Selling England by the Pound
And Then There Were Three
Genesis (1983)
We Can't Dance
Invisible Touch
Calling All Stations
Abacab
From Genesis to Revelation

Come on, though. The title track is catchy as ****.

Trollheart · 12-30-2017, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Come on, though. The title track is catchy as ****.

Meh it's all right but I hate the album. Nea and I fight about it semi-regularly. Ever seen a Genesis nerd/proghead fight? It ain't pretty.

The Batlord · 12-30-2017, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Meh it's all right but I hate the album. Nea and I fight about it semi-regularly. Ever seen a Genesis nerd/proghead fight? It ain't pretty.

Ah so you like the Genesis that is a diseased animal orgy, but the odd song that's decent offends you.

Trollheart · 12-31-2017, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Ah so you like the Genesis that is a diseased animal orgy, but the odd song that's decent offends you.

What? Are you drunk? Again?

The Batlord · 12-31-2017, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

What? Are you drunk? Again?

No, but "Abacab" is legit kinda fun and 70s Genesis is in fact not.

Trollheart · 12-31-2017, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

No, but "Abacab" is legit kinda fun and 70s Genesis is in fact not.

You are drunk.
Happy New Year, man!

And to you, too, MicShaz! Sorry to use your journal as our own personal snarkground.

~~MicShazam~~ · 12-31-2017, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

You are drunk.
Happy New Year, man!

And to you, too, MicShaz! Sorry to use your journal as our own personal snarkground.

Happy new year, TH

At least something is happening in my journal!

~~MicShazam~~ · 01-02-2018, 10:58 AM

I'm spending most of my listening time right now on albums that I got for christmas. I'm pretty blown over by how good all seven albums seem to be so far, so I want to share my enthusiasm for this music by posting a favorite track from each.

Album: Barbara Morgenstern - Doppelstern

Track: Barbara Morgenstern - Was du nicht siehst

Album: Billy Childs - Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro

Track: Billy Childs feat Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas - And When I Die

Album: 9Bach - Anian

Track: Llyn Du

Album: Eliza Carthy and the Wayward Band - Big Machine

Track: Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band - Hug You Like A Mountain (feat. Teddy Thompson)

Album: Lydia Ainsworth - Darling of the Afterglow

Track: Open Doors

Album: Shannon Wright - Division

Track: Division

Album: Yasmine Hamdan - Ya Nass

Track: Hal

12-21-2017, 01:57 PM	#71 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,636	A Quick Tour Through My Year in New Music - part 3/4 Just these 5 albums, then I'm done for now. There will be a part 4 if I get more 2017 albums for christmas, or otherwise, any time soon. Mastercastle - Wine of Heaven We're going to Italy for some pretty uncomplicated, kind of romantic sounding old school heavy metal. I've been a pretty big fan of this band, to be honest. This new album though... Disappointing to such an extent that I started to question whether I had been wrong about their past albums and that maybe this band just wasn't ever really that good? I seem to still get into their previous albums, but I can see more clearly than ever where the limitations of this band lie. Wine of Heaven lacks the strong songwriting they've exhibited earlier and the vocalist has never seemed so inadequate. There's just something oddly unappealing about the production too, but I can't pin it down. It just doesn't have the right kind of metal vibe to it. Basically: Steer clear and listen to any other Mastercastle album instead. Sarah Slean - Metaphysics Sarah Slean always drem comparisons to Tori Amos and in my book, that's no bad thing. She's typically been fairly musically diverse and had a flair for making some nicely full sounding songs - often with a sort of baroque flair to them. 2017 continues it's bad habit of making me feel let down, since this album is permeated by a dull adult-contemporary vibe through and through. I'm worrying that this might be the end of the line for miss Slean if she continues down this road. My experience has been that when once an artist goes soccer mom fodder, they don't come back again. Basically: ** this album. Tori Amos - Native Invader I've written a full review of this album a little while back. It's amazing. Album of the year? No contest. Basically: Tori at her best. Vuur - In This Moment We Are Free: Cities** The biggest surprise of the year for me. I'm not even a fan of Anneke Van Giersbergen's previous bands or collaborations (notably, Devin Townsend), but the live performances I heard of songs from this album caught my attention in a big way. Anneke's new band, Vuur, is essentially a very modern sounding metal band of some tough to nail down description, with her soaring vocals front and center. The guitar riffing is a bit workmanlike, but as each song grew on me, I came to really love how everything plays together on this album. It is perhaps a bit too stylistically uniform across those 11 tracks, but with time, as every song has stuck in my head, my opinion of this album has grown several sizes. Possibly the second best album of 2017, honestly. Allthough Crystal Viper and Depeche mode provide some strong competition. Basically: I really hope this band becomes a long term thing. A very strong debut. If you're as into fully sung vocals as I am, you need to check this album out. Yasmine Hamdan - Al Jamilat The second album from Lebanese pop/electronic/singer songwriter artist Yasmine Hamdan. Al Jamilat is a gorgeous album, featuring an eclectic bunch of songs with lush production and a lot of interesting sonic details. Her voice is soft, but full of character and I love the way she combines her own language and some Lebanese musical influences with musical stylings that feel very modern and western. I'm still fairly new to this album, but I really feel like it might just end up being one of the best of 2017, even after I've explored a lot deeper. Basically: This album is something special. Put on your best headphones, stare out the window late at night and give it a chance. It's that sort of album. 2017 in summation: Some good albums for sure, but I'm not gonna lie; some of the albums I bought were pretty big disappointments. 2016 was a much stronger year in music for me, although I always believe that I've simply missed all the best stuff. 2017, like any year, will redeem itself with time. Last edited by MicShazam; 12-21-2017 at 02:07 PM.

01-02-2018, 10:58 AM	#80 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,636	2017 Christmas Presents: Some favorite songs I'm spending most of my listening time right now on albums that I got for christmas. I'm pretty blown over by how good all seven albums seem to be so far, so I want to share my enthusiasm for this music by posting a favorite track from each. Album: Barbara Morgenstern - Doppelstern Track: Barbara Morgenstern - Was du nicht siehst Album: Billy Childs - Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro Track: Billy Childs feat Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas - And When I Die Album: 9Bach - Anian Track: Llyn Du Album: Eliza Carthy and the Wayward Band - Big Machine Track: Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band - Hug You Like A Mountain (feat. Teddy Thompson) Album: Lydia Ainsworth - Darling of the Afterglow Track: Open Doors Album: Shannon Wright - Division Track: Division Album: Yasmine Hamdan - Ya Nass Track: Hal Last edited by MicShazam; 01-02-2018 at 11:03 AM.