The two hundred and forty-ninth TV show: #655 Reno 911!
Since I had already enjoyed the work of a lot of members of The State, I was looking forward to the lauded Reno 911. The show is set up both as a sketch show, with shorter vignettes that build on jokes well, as well as more long form content that let it build further. They're still true to their characters, but they are messed up enough to let it build, and at the same time having no shame, seemingly not saying no to anything. The show also makes fun of everything - the police portrayed are terrible human being, and the jokes go further than most other shows would go. It's also not the copaganda other shows tend to portray, they are the worst and commonly the butt of the joke. It's fearless, low budget, and incredibly funny at the same time.
The two hundred and forty-eighth TV show: #54 Rawhide
It's probably more telling about me and the time I grew up in that my main knowledge of Rawhide was the scene/song in the Blues Brothers where they perform their version of the theme of the song. And probably to the surprise of nobody, I feel like that's the best part of the show, it's memorable and evocative of its setup. And while there's something interesting about seeing a young Clint Eastwood, he doesn't stand out as much as that might imply. The way it approaches life, the extensive Hayes code focused resolutions and the general conflicts leave it toothless and drifting, the western stories just not having the appeal to me that they ought to have. Even if they aren't my favourite genre, I have watched better western series before.
The seven hundred and fourteenth album: #714 The Lemonheads - It's A Shame About Ray
This is a simple, uncomplicated rock album - quite basic, not quite grunge, not quite garage, but just some alt rock that keeps it soft and simple and incredibly accessible. Short, good, it all works without doing too much else.
The seven hundred and thirteenth album: #713 Baaba Maal - Lam Toro
I struggle a bit with the term world music as the catch-all term for everything that's not western, and even something like 'worldbeat' isn't that much clearer to me. What this album has is a fusion of Senegalese music, which has similarities to its surrounding countries, with a heavy Latin American influence that serves to broaden the appeal of several tracks. Although the original local music shines through, I don't struggle to relate to it as I might have with similar tracks in the past, instead its light fusion elements really bring the strengths to the forefront..
The seven hundred and twelfth album: #712 Morrissey - Your Arsenal
It's tricky to separate the man from the music when the music involves so many personal beliefs and feelings, but here it creates an image of someone just a bit miserable. The music is fine - mostly gentle rock - with a layer of accessible lyrics, opinionated enough but not too strong to have an impact. I think I can see what makes this good in places, but there's something missing to really make me want to engage with it - I'm more inclined to want a bit of distance.
The two hundred and fifty-fifth classical recording: #306 Mikhail Glinka - Ruslan & Lyudmilla
This time I've experienced the opera purely through audio, without looking at the story or any visuals. Instead, it's been good to hear the proper music - dramatic and imposing - with the vocal performances with a lot of depth. This one feels more choral in places than others, the chorus feeling more focused than I feel I often hear and the flutes and small touches adding the fantasy elements of the folk tales this is influenced by. There are also a number of dances - harder to identify the details from just sound, but there's a real lightness in the sound of all of that.
The seven hundred and eleventh album: #711 Koffi Olomide - Haut De Gamme: Koweit, Rive Gauche
As the world reaches a stage where it's increasingly more connected, it's becoming less common to hear world music in the list. Koffi Olomide's album feels influenced by Latin American music, with some rumba influences, but also brings some tracks that sound more traditional in, as well as a chanson-feeling sound in some of its tracks. It's a fusion that works well, even without getting all the meaning and context behind the tracks, it's accessible and listenable.
The seven hundred and tenth album: #710 Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Live of Arrested Development
While we've seen rap lyrics get more aggressive in a lot of the recent albums, Arrested Development takes a different tactic, taking the more upbeat party atmosphere that's been more common with past hip hop. At the same time, it still has depth, with some thoughtful lyrics about religion and a broader context for its lyrics that are otherwise often missing. It's an accessible album that allows for some messages without getting lost in that, something fun to listen to while giving you something to think about.
The seven hundred and ninth album: #709 Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92
These ambient tracks fade into the background by design, making it difficult to attribute too much to the sound. There's a variation between the tracks, but a lot of it is a repetitive base track with the occasional changes thrown in. That's not a bad thing here - it makes for something simple and accessible - but while they have their own identity, the tracks are, for the most part, just there. There are very occasional distorted vocals, but even those don't impart any meaning or do more than add some variety to what you hear on the track.
The two hundred and fifty-fourth classical recording: #176 Joseph Haydn - String Quartets, op. 76
As the last of his string quartets, there's a maturity in its sound. They are solid works of music, sophisticated and complex without being flashy, giving energy while moderating the output. It's an accessible set of movements that doesn't challenge too much, but also has enough depth to lose yourself in as you want to.