479. Juju

Juju
Siouxsie and the Banshees
1981

Tracks
1. Spellbound
2. Into The Light
3. Arabian Knights
4. Halloween
5. Monitor
6. Night Shift
7. Sin In My Heart
8. Head Cut
9. Voodoo Dolly

It was many moons ago that I reviewed Scream, which was Siouxsie and the Banshees' first album on The List.  By "many moons ago" I mean February, but hey, it is hard enough trying to remember albums from the week before, let alone from several months earlier.  I revisited the archives and saw that I had given it a 3 star rating.  I might have been too harsh, because this was some of the best music I have heard in awhile.

This is still dark, but it almost feels like the band isn't taking itself as seriously as anymore.  I know those two statements seem antithetical, but what I mean is they seem more interested in making enjoyable music (that still has a distinct element of gloom) than in creating experimental sounds.

Okay, I may not making a lot of sense as I am seriously burned out from writing my movie blog (hoping to finish that 1001 project tomorrow).  A definite thumbs up, which I desperately needed after Kollaps.

RATING: 4/5

478. Kollaps

Kollaps
Einsturzende Neubauten
1981

Tracks
1. Tanz Debil
2. Steh auf Berlin
3. Negativ Nein
4. U-Haft Muza
5. Draussen Ist Feindlich
6. Hören Mit Schmerzen
7. Jet 'M
8. Kollaps
9. Sehnsucht
10. Vorm Krieg
11. Hirnsäge
12. Abstieg and Zerfall
13. Helga

Well, that was...well that just wasn't music, was it?  Music has notes.  This was noise and sound effects.  I am sure everyone has a slightly different definition of what constitutes music, but you have to draw the line somewhere.  Some of these "songs" sounded like the "musicians" were simply banging pots and pans together (did that sentence have enough sarcastic air quotes?).  And we all eat it up, naturally.

Anyway, I am not trying to make you feel bad if you enjoy this.  I just can't fathom why you would or how any of these sounds could be remotely pleasing to the ear.  Maybe that's the point.  Maybe the anger behind this album shouldn't be dressed up in pretty rhymes and melodies.  Maybe of the point of any music is to communicate an emotion and should feel raw.  

All right, I gave it a shot.  I still think that creating something like this is easy.  Creating something beautiful on the other hand...that's the tricky part.

RATING: 1/5

In case you guys haven't noticed I hate industrial music.

477. Pretenders

Pretenders
Pretenders
1980

Tracks
1. Precious 
2. Phone Call 
3. Up The Neck 
4. Tattooed Love Boys 
5. Space Invader 
6. Wait 
7. Stop Your Sobbing 
8. Kid 
9. Private Life 
10. Brass In Pocket 
11. Lovers Of Today 
12. Mystery Achievement 


I really did not anticipate liking this one, as the way the female vocals were described online made it sound like it was going to be another Slits album.  Fortunately, I really liked this one and some of the songs even managed to find their way on my playlist.  

As soon as the first track played, I knew I was experiencing something special. It is not without its faults; the middle certainly drags on a bit with nothing extraordinary to offer.  Still, I loved "Precious"; it felt so spontaneous, as though she was improvising as she went. I also liked/related to "Stop Your Sobbing" and "Brass in Pocket."

So to the commentator that said I hate everything, while that is mostly true (not just for albums but in general), I am capable of adoration.  Especially when it comes to funky females with unusual voices.

RATING: 4/5

476. Arc of A Diver

Arc of A Diver
Steve Winwood
1980

Tracks
1. While You See A Chance
2. Arc Of A Diver 
3. Second Hand Woman 
4. Slowdown Sundown 
5. Spanish Dancer 
6. Night Train 
7. Dust

So today I woke up to a barrage of new comments on this blog!  The usernames and comments varied, but they all pretty much had the same general "you suck" thesis.  I don't know if someone got some sort of gang together to reply to my blog (presumably you all have Duck Stab t shirts).  First of all, I am flattered that you would take the time out of your day that would normally be devoted to kicking puppies or writing long social media posts about how misunderstood Trump is.  In any case, I suppose I should address some of the delightful insights that were shared with me this morning.  I have now listened to a total of 476 albums.  Yes, I would call that expanding my musical horizons.  I have never pretended to be a musical expert, but I am still allowed to have my own opinions that don't completely match yours.  Especially when we are on MY blog.  If anyone wants to discuss music in a polite way (if you are incapable of doing this yourself, look to commentator Ray for guidance) I am here.  Any more troll comments will be swiftly deleted, so you might want to  just save your insults for Reddit.   Also, as a side note, we have such little time on this planet and such little influence on other people.  Do you really want to waste the tiny impact you can have on others' lives by eviscerating a twenty year old because she didn't like some Residents album?  I suppose that is between you and your parole officers.  Anyway, on to Steve!

I'll be short with the review, as I took up so much space already by being sassy.  I read another review of this album where they compared the songs to "bad sitcom themes from the 80s."  That is a fairly accurate assessment.  But hey, tackiness can be fun and it was actually quite refreshing to hear from a musician that didn't seem to take himself so seriously.  Some of the songs were quite catchy and while I am not sure this album is worthy of its place on the List, it was still an enjoyable forty minutes.

Tomorrow: The Pretenders!

RATING: 4/5

475. More Specials

More Specials
Specials
1980

Tracks
1. Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) 
2. Man At C & A 
3. Hey Little Rich Girl 
4. Do Nothing 
5. Pearl's Cafe 
6. Sock It To 'Em JB 
7. Stereotype/Stereotypes Pt 2 
8. Holiday Fortnight 
9. I Can't Stand It 
10. International Jet Set 
11. Enjoy Yourself (Reprise)

475!  That's kind of a milestone right?  You know you are making significant progress on a project when you start celebrating odd numbers.  Anyway, we are continuing our streak of decent (but not outstanding albums) with More Specials.

Lyrically, this album wasn't as impressive as their debut.  I suppose I should applause them for "pushing boundaries" (i.e. naming random James Bond movies and playing sounds of a plane crash) but really, I was hoping they would be a tad more conventional in their style.  I think they are talented enough musicians that they don't necessarily need gimmicky songs to flesh out their album.  To that end, I enjoyed the songs "Hey Little Rich Girl" and "I Can't Stand It."

Hoping for something brilliant to come along but I guess I should be thankful for the general lack of suckiness lately.

RATING: 4/5

474. Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
1980

Tracks
1. Ha Ha I'm Drowning 
2. Sleeping Gas 
3. Treason 
4. Second Head 
5. Poppies In The Field
6. Went Crazy 
7. Brave Boys Keep Their Promises 
8. Bouncing Babies 
9. Books 
10. The Thief Of Baghdad
11. When I Dream

I had never heard of the Teardrop Explodes before today.  It's not entirely shocking, as I don't believe they are truly musical geniuses or anything.  Still, it was enjoyable album and after all the shit this List has put me through, decent is good enough.

Lyrically, this album is quite impressive.  I was blown away by how sweet the songs were; just a quite glance at the track listing made me think this was going to be intense.  However, it was surprisingly tender.  It actually had me searching to see how good-looking the members of this band were and if any of them are still single.  It's a negative to both those questions if anyone is interested.

Anyway, definitely an improvement from yesterday and worth checking out.

RATING: 4/5

473. Signing Off

Signing Off
UB40
1980

Tracks
1. Tyler 
2. King 
3. Twelve Bar 
4. Burden Of Shame 
5. Adella 
6. I Think It's Going To Rain Again 
7. 25% 
8. Food For Thought 
9. Little By Little 
10. Signing Off 
11. Madame Medusa 
12. Strange Fruit 
13. Reefer Madness

I am not sure there is anyone who actually likes reggae and if there is I am not sure I want to meet them.  I suppose this inclusion on the List has some merit, as the album probably has some notable influence.  Still, doesn't mean that I have to enjoy it.

I even felt a little creepy listening to this one, as though it was something that a sleazy guy would put on in hopes of tempting a woman to have sex with him.  I had it on in the background while I wrote, and it wasn't quite as grating as I expected it to be.  I guess that's a positive although if the nicest thing I can say about an album is that it wasn't quite as obnoxious as I imagined, it's not that great of music.

So a rather steep dip in quality from Tom Waits the other day.  Hopefully, The Teardrop Explodes has more to offer.

RATING: 2/5