The six hundred and eighty-fifth album: #685 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

While listed as shoegaze, like yesterday's album, the noise and distortion My Bloody Valentine brings to this album creates a completely different, chaotic feeling that hits hard, creating a far less comfortable listening experience. It dominates everything else, to the point where it's hard to notice anything other than the screeching. It's far too much for a lot of it, which drowns out the better parts as well.

The six hundred and eighty-fourth album: #684 Ride - Nowhere

The at times almost droning sounds of the music fit a more downcast album from the indie rock that follows later, with a large amount of sound here that doesn't vary too much. Instead, there's an almost depressed sound that doesn't always come through in the lyrics - although those can be tricky to follow anyway. It's an overwhelming mix of sounds that manages to bring that while simultaneously not bringing the energy, a focus on volume without bringing that much more. It works well and makes for an accessible album, but the contradictions stay interesting.

The one hundred and fifteenth comic: #887 Toys in the Basement

As a short album to try to keep back up with this, Toys in the Basement offers an odd insight into a weird dreamlike world that plays as a more gruesome Toy Story - showing the place where abandoned toys go, with some kids who are in Halloween costumes exploring. It's got this strange, horror-comic slightly unsettling look to it, one that starts with the humans and grows with the visions of the abused toys. It's bizarre, but the storytelling works well - not too detailed, but with so many things to infer that it does elevate the world this takes place in.

The two hundred and forty-fourth TV show: #50 The Rifleman

I doubt this is a revelation from what I've written so far, but westerns don't really land for me. The Rifleman isn't bad, it's got better kid/teen acting than a number of shows I've seen recently, but its stories just washed over me. The rifle is a gimmick that I don't think I ever really noticed, and while in theory I quite like the idea of trying to do the right thing, in more of a moral way than other shows do, but it takes some excitement out of a genre usually built around it. It's not that it's staid, it's not that it's bad, I just never found there was a moment where the show rose above that level.

The two hundred and forty-third TV show: #644 America's Next Top Model

One of the main attractions of a reality TV competition is the display and interrogation of skill. Whether it's Bake off, Project Runway or Drag Race, this is about people trying to do their best work and showing off what they can. And while there's probably some skill involved, none of it is on show in America's Next Top Model. A lot of it revolves around looks, something they can't necessarily do much about - the initial selection and elimination in the first episodes seems to revolve around things they can't do much about it.

Even the challenges come down to doing their make up and sometimes wardrobe, but even a lot of that is done with help or done to them just as often. It feels so much more about drama - from people who feel like they have a bit too much of an overinflated ego, without actually giving any real entertainment.

The six hundred and eighty-third album: #683 Sonic Youth - Goo

Although at its core a solid alt rock album, goo shifts between the simple, Nirvana-like alt rock to the more esoteric and experimental sound collages. It feels like the vocals are on the simpler side - interesting lyrics that address things but keeps it simple, with a singing voice that doesn't stretch things too far, but works to make its point. Then the music underlying that stays simple, but goes bigger outside of it, to have a soundscape when it wants to but not keep it up constantly. It's an effective mix, creating some engaging music while keeping to quite a raw core.

The one hundred and thirty-first book: #1021 Martin Chuzzlewit - Charles Dickens

I am starting to think Dickens isn't for me. I get that there's social commentary and accessible writing in it for its time, but the word count ends up too excessive, tracing a few too many different threads filled with needless detail and verbose conversations I quickly get bored with. Over halfway through, I feel there's still enough I don't know and feel like the story gets pulled in all sorts of directions. Maybe later it comes together, but the book requires too much time to get there.

The six hundred and eighty-second album: #682 A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

The hip hop of A Tribe Called Quest is hitting different somehow, even though it follows from everything before. It has the more upbeat, sample-filled sound of earlier hip hop, including some clear references to other songs, but tones down the 'wackiness' in favour of a more story telling vibe, one that puts a message in place without getting too caught up in one thing, whether it's a tale about a lost wallet or a commentary on safe sex. It's an engaging album that keeps hitting its points.

The six hundred and eighty-first album: #681 Sinead O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

This album is a collection of sweet, sensible folk songs, a poppy mix with some political and societal commentary included. The performance is strong and, most important, intense, with the emotions coming through in every line. It's a challenging album at times, but it's also just as often sweet and lovely to listen to, even if it always feels like there's some sadness and rage there

The two hundred and forty-sixth classical recording: #892 Leonard Bernstein - Serenade

While the connection to Plato's Symposium is a bit too abstract for me, the music of this serenade is lovely, delicate and sweet for the most part, never overwhelming the senses and feeling like they could be the accompaniment to something. 

The six hundred and eightieth album: #680 Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet

Putting aside lyrical content, which is a mix of things I can't comment on and things that I don't agree with, it's the musical accomplishment to focus on here. A lot of the music is heavily condensed samples, in a way that works as a backing track but gets a bit much for more prominent samples. The raps are fairly impressive, the aggression at the right level, but the contrast between the styles of Chuck D and Flavor Flav is quite notable and can clash unnecessarily in some places.

The six hundred and seventy-ninth album: #679 LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out

I'm getting a better feeling for the development of hip hop and rap through this era. While far from the gangsta rap that is coming up, this feels closer to the modern sound, the fun times of a lot of albums replaced by something deeper without going fully dark. LL Cool J's lyrics are articulate, with a lot of variety and more content when the song asks for it, but also with the more 'fun' rap battle rhymes. It's fun and listenable, accessible while still having personality to it.