The six hundred and ninety-seventh album: #697 A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory
While coming from a same position as Ice T's album a week ago, this album feels like it works better. The clear lyrics make their points a lot better, the glorification isn't there all the time in favour of a more nuanced approach and critique. The music, focused on enhancing the lyrics, help as well - while not hiding in the background, there's a lot of thought put into when it steps up instead of throwing all sorts of samples at it constantly. The combination is one that works, balanced well enough to bring its message across.
The two hundred and forty-fifth TV show: #609 Perfect Strangers
It's been some time since I've been to a family reunion, and I wasn't of the age to worry about family relationships at that point. Now, I feel like it's being said and I can keep my distance. On the other hand, the reunion of this extended family has a lot more to go on - even if the secrets are at times bad, at times mundane, the show keeps it all believable. Sure, there's some real characters in there, some feeling a bit exaggerated, but other than differences in class, it feels familiar. The various mysteries are presented in an engaging way, with the timeline jumping around in a way that's easy to follow, feeling like they have satisfactory explanations without going too far. It's three long episodes, but they flew by - absolutely worth it.
The six hundred and ninety-sixth album: #696 Public Enemy - Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black
As another hip hop album hits, this plays with the gangster rap feeling while focusing far more on the social issues rather than just the overdone violence glorification that happened in some others like it that we've covered. It's a decent sound, working at the right level, without feeling unnecessarily over the top.
The two hundred and fiftieth classical recording: #651 Ernest Bloch - Schelomo
There's a darkness to this piece that I've found quite appealing. Whether it's in the large, slow and building sounds or the smaller, quieter sections that sound sadder, there's an emotional weight to it that works quite well. I enjoyed it quite a bit, hitting those emotions without being overbearing with it at any point.
The six hundred and ninety-fifth album: #695 Mudhoney - Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
This is a straight forward grunge album, with a lot of shouted lyrics, a lot of noise and different sounds that it's kept simple. It's fine at what it does, but it's hard to get more out of that, proper hits-the-spot music.
The six hundred and ninety-fourth album: #694 Ice T - O.G.: Original Gangster
There's something about this album that doesn't feel quite real - cosplaying as being a tough gangster, more than what is real. It's that feeling you get from a fourteen year old claiming he knows karate and can totally kill you with a look. I'm sure that a bunch of this is taken from his experiences and those around it, but there's so much that it feels like bravado more than reality, and the depth that would sell it on me is completely missing. It doesn't sustain the full 24 tracks.
The six hundred and ninety-third album: #693 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers aren't a band I expect a lot of deep thoughts or heavy themes from. Instead, it's a punky attitude that thrives on its own sound and blunt lyrics, leaning into the sex, drugs and rock and roll vibes. There are some lovely ballads between the harder songs, but it's that high energy performance that works as often. In the end, as much as it is joked about, their style is one that works for me, whether it's the high energy Give It Away or the more raw Under The Bridge.
The two hundred and forty-ninth classical recording: #293 Robert Schumann - Dichterliebe
I feel like it's been a while since I've had a classical recording focus on its vocals, but Dichterliebe really gains its power from it. The love songs in the piece are delicate, here performed with a tenderness that sells it, and having just a piano for accompaniment sells that further. It's simple, but that simplicity is all it needs.
The six hundred and ninety-second album: #692 Jah Wobbie & The Invaders of the Heart
I'm not sure I was expecting this much of an influx of world music this morning. There's a massive amount of different influences at play here, with what sounds like a lot of Indian sounds, African influences, parts of a Caribbean feel, and it creates a fusion of sounds that works incredibly well. It' feels like it's more of a directed project from a lot of collaborators rather than following a single vision, but that diversity is the charm of the whole album, something that is accessible, but not something you commonly hear.
The six hundred and ninety-first album: #691 MC Solaar - Qui Seme le Vent Recolte le Tempo
Listening to MC Solaar's debut album shows me how well French as a language is suited to rap. The tracks flow well, the rhythmic sound of the language fitting the sound of the music. It removes the aggression English brings to it, but the sound holds a lot of power and the contents can still do a lot, with what feels like a lot of focus on political content that can still hold a lot of insight and verbal bite. Most important, though, is that it's just a gorgeous album to listen to.