A Century of Music

[Zeeba Neighba]

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (2013)
Kanye West - Yeezus (2013)
One Republic - Native (2013)
Jason Isbell - Southeastern (2013)

 

[axolotl]

My personal ranking would go:
Funeral
The Suburbs
Reflektor
Neon Bible
Everything Now
I know Rick and others would put Neon Bible higher - I really like it. I dunno - perhaps it's position between two excellent albums affects my ranking. Still I appreciate Arcade Fire trying some new directions in Reflektor so I give them points for that.

You have gone above and beyond, Zeeb. I appreciate your response.

My question was more rhetorical, harkening back to the days of semi-robust musical arguments of the MG 1.0.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

My personal ranking for Arcade Fire would be:

Funeral
The Suburbs - Neon Bible (equal)

And everything else is dog shit!

Arcade Fire isn't the only band I liked that James Murphy ruined.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Arcade Fire isn't the only band I liked that James Murphy ruined.

I was there when Arcade Fire released Reflektor in 2013
I'm losing my edge

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away (2013)
Chance the Rapper - Acid Rap (2013)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Day (2013)
Childish Gambino - Because the Internet (2013)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Paul McCartney - New (2013)
Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork (2013)

Wrapping up some 2013 listening. Haven't listened to Macca's 2013 outing probably since it came out, but, as back then, I think it's good...not great, but very listenable.
I'm not sure I've ever played QOTSA's Like Clockwork - nice surprise. Gotta put this on the list to spin again soon - almost a 70s rock vibe, some Bowiesque qualities too.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

After a Monday playlist of 2014 songs, started albums of 2014 yesterday with these:

Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence (2014)
Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes (2014)
Rodrigo y Gabriela - 9 Dead Alive (2014)
The Black Keys - Turn Blue (2014)

With this series, really appreciating Lana Del Rey's voice, vibe of her music
High Hopes is a weak Bruce album, as often is the situation with a hodgepodge collection of older, newer tracks. Does include the electric version of "Ghost of Tom Joad" (with Tom Morello) and the studio version of "41 Shots"

I don't particularly consider 2014 a strong year in music (some more critically acclaimed albums to come) - many groups have done better on adjacent albums - might be Rodrigo y Gabriela's weakest album, but still enjoy them. 5 years until their next album which was better with a great version of "Echoes". Similarly True Blue is probably the weakest of Black Keys albums up to that point - still I'm a bit more accepting of some changes in direction the band made and kind of dig their sound here (granted not enough to have broken the album out in the past 2-3 years)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Today's 2014 albums:
Taylor Swift - 1989 (2014)
Jack White - Lazaretto (2014)
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream (2014)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

St Vincent - St. Vincent (2014)
Sun Kil Moon - Benji (2014)
Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2 (2014)

Actually the first time I'm listening to all three of these albums, all on critical "best-of" lists in 2014
Enjoyed all three even though none are quite my style.
I did not realize (though I've seen the album name for years) that Benji is actually named after the Benji movies of the 70s (aside - haven't thought about Benji in decades)
Also, hilarious discovery (for me, you pros probably already know this): Run the Jewels put out an album of remixes of their second album feature beats created entirely from cat sounds called Meow the Jewels. It has a 74 Metacritic score and allmusic gave it 3 stars.
Album cover:

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

A couple of more for 2014

Spoon - They Want My Soul (2014)
Sharon Van Etten - Are We There (2014)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Monday and starting 2015 - as a "century of music" started way back at 1920, last year will be 2019, so five years left including 2015. The end is so near, I can taste it

Starting with the usual playlist of singles and other tracks of 2015 with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Adele, The Weeknd, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Sufjan Stevens, Alabama Shakes, David Bowie, Fall Out Boys, X Ambassadors, Taylor Swift, Kanye West with Paul McCartney, Leon Bridges, Tame Impala, Grimes.

As the years have gone on, I have listened to less albums with each year - this has been to a busier work schedule, longer album times, and an old fogey's lack of interest in playing what he gauges as weaker albums. Still I have tried to still play 12-13 each year of either critically acclaimed or popular (or both) albums to get an good sampling of each year

As we get to 2015 and I survey the albums of the year, I gotta say, tough finding 10 that I feel the need to spin. Is Carly Rae Jepsen's (at #7 on Best Ever Albums) really of the same pop quality of, say, Adele's 21 (and really, it Adele's 25 of this year even worth it as a consistent album). English DJ Jamie XX's album? What about releases by Beach House, Bjork, Blur, or Joanna Newsom which are all fine but far from the heights of past albums by these artists.
Yes I'm going to play Kendrick's To Pimp a Butterfly, Bowie's Blackstar, Father John Misty, probably Sufjan Stevens but after 5-6 albums, not sure I'm going to be excited about the remaining albums

Does that mean 2015 is a weak year? Or have I just gotten to a recent enough year that I'm kind of bored with the music? Probably a bit of both

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Starting 2015 albums:

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)
Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2015)
Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear (2015)

Lamar's To Pimp... is tremendous, the #1 album of most critics of the year. Hamilton is #2 IMO, a rare recent example of a Broadway soundtrack that crossed over so prominently (even those outside of NYC or couldn't afford high ticket prices could sing the soundtrack).

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Adele - 25 (2015)
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color (2015)
Grimes - Art Angels (2015)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Tame Impala - Currents (2015)
Blur - The Magic Whip (2015)
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell (2015)

 

[Ojai Sam]

Monday and starting 2015 - as a "century of music" started way back at 1920, last year will be 2019, so five years left including 2015. The end is so near, I can taste it

Starting with the usual playlist of singles and other tracks of 2015 with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Adele, The Weeknd, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Sufjan Stevens, Alabama Shakes, David Bowie, Fall Out Boys, X Ambassadors, Taylor Swift, Kanye West with Paul McCartney, Leon Bridges, Tame Impala, Grimes.

As the years have gone on, I have listened to less albums with each year - this has been to a busier work schedule, longer album times, and an old fogey's lack of interest in playing what he gauges as weaker albums. Still I have tried to still play 12-13 each year of either critically acclaimed or popular (or both) albums to get an good sampling of each year

As we get to 2015 and I survey the albums of the year, I gotta say, tough finding 10 that I feel the need to spin. Is Carly Rae Jepsen's (at #7 on Best Ever Albums) really of the same pop quality of, say, Adele's 21 (and really, it Adele's 25 of this year even worth it as a consistent album). English DJ Jamie XX's album? What about releases by Beach House, Bjork, Blur, or Joanna Newsom which are all fine but far from the heights of past albums by these artists.
Yes I'm going to play Kendrick's To Pimp a Butterfly, Bowie's Blackstar, Father John Misty, probably Sufjan Stevens but after 5-6 albums, not sure I'm going to be excited about the remaining albums

Does that mean 2015 is a weak year? Or have I just gotten to a recent enough year that I'm kind of bored with the music? Probably a bit of both

Zeeba, I feel your pain. Like the rest of society, it seems that music has become segmented and polarized. When I feel the urge to pick up on contemporary music, my “go to” source is No Depression, the magazine and the website. This list from 2015 might hold a few items to pique your interest:

Best Albums of 2015 - No Depression

When taking considerations for the best album releases of 2015, this year it came down to vinyl. From Pledge, Kickstarter, local record shops, Nashville road trips, or by mail as far away as Europe and Australia new releases on a vinyl record […]

www.nodepression.com

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion (2015)
Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside (2015)
Chris Stapleton - Traveller (2015)

A wacky mix to wrap up 2015 from synth pop to hip hop to something off Sam's site, Chris Stapleton's country-rock debut.
Gotta admit (though it did get good reviews), I picked Earl Sweatshirt's album based on the great title which seemed appropriate during this Covid 1 year out point

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

2016 is here - starting as always with Monday singles playlist
A lot of pop including artists like The Chainsmokers, Sia, Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Drake, Childish Gambino, The Weeknd, Kanye West
Some interesting albums this year, many of which are new to me. I must admit aside from a few albums (like albums from Bowie, Childish Gambino) I clearly have not been keeping up with music of the past 5 years compared even with the early 2010s

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Childish Gambino - "Awaken My Love" (2016)
David Bowie - Blackstar (2016)
Beyonce - Lemonade (2016)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here...Thank You For Your Service (2016)
Frank Ocean - Blond (2016)
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)

Some nice surprises this year with first listens of Beyonce's Lemonade (which is a great mash up of several styles) and A Tribe Called Quest's final album (have always enjoyed their early stuff but hadn't checked this one out).