The six hundred and seventy-eighth album: #678 Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual
Ritual De Lo Habitual is an album of energetic rock tracks, that post punk sound with an upbeat rhythm and shouty lyrics that feel quite positive, with the metal influences more restrained and more of a lighter rock feel throughout the tracks. It's more accessible than it could be, with a lot of variations on the basic sound of the tracks, but overall it hits home pretty well regardless of whether it's more accessible alt rock or goes for more of a metal feel.
The two hundred and fourty-second TV show: #663 The Mighty Boosh
How real can a sophomore slump season get? The Mighty Boosh's first season was a fun surreal comedy, with some good recurring bits that pushed it too far every once in a while, but it generally worked. The third season builds on that - slightly more through lines, more different roles for the actors, but the surreal core that still works well. The middle season, howeve,r, doesn't work as well. The setting has less to go on - the zoo of the first season and shop of the third grounds it, but the second season misses a lot of that. The acting is as much of a problem, though. The performances were never the best, but the second season relies a lot more on Michael Fielding's Naboo. While he probably has a bigger role behind the scenes, his quite flat performance works better as a minor side character than carrying large parts of the storylines like in that season. It requires a lot of confidence to pull off the comedy in the show, and while Julian Barrett and Noel Fielding can pull it off, as well as the support of Rich Fulcher and Richard Ayode, there are points in the show where it lacks this confidence, and it is to its detriment.
The six hundred and seventy-seventh album: #677 Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
There isn't necessarily a lot of unexpected music on this gangsta rap album, in that it has the music and sampling you would expect from it. It also feels like a personal album - while it addresses a lot of political issues and the unwillingness to fix problems, it feels based in his own experiences more than anything, which makes for a powerful statement in an aggressive set of music.
The six hundred and seventy-sixth album: #676 Neil Young with Crazy Horse - Ragged Glory
It's amazing in a way how long Neil Young has retained relevance. The country-inspired rock sounds aren't entirely of this time, but even so the tracks don't sound out of place and the album is all pretty enjoyable, there's really nothing to complain about here.
The six hundred and seventy-fifth album: #675 George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1
As much as Listen Without Prejudice has a number of smooth R&B-inspired pop tracks and some tracks that do well on the dance floor, it pays off to listen well to the lyrics of the album. There's something more personal about it, whether it's a deeper love song or struggles with how the expectations of fame evolve.d Knowing his later history, it hits harder, but it's hard to ignore the soulful sound that runs through here in the first place. The tracks really give us a chance to focus on this, for predictably good results.
The two hundred and forty-fifth classical recording: #681 Igor Stravinsky - Symphonies of Wind Instruments
This short piece moves fairly quickly, exploring the various wind instruments well while offering some different sounds. It stands out for this instrumentation - no strings or percussion, just wind instruments, and it shows how good they can work together to create that base. It creates more of an currency at times, and a darker sound that reverberates more, but it's what enhances its impact.
The six hundred and seventy-fourth album: #674 Happy Mondays - Pills 'N' Thrills And Bellyaches
This is a competently made rock album. Most of it is fairly standard rock fare, occasionally with some other influences, Bob's Yer Uncle having a particular foreign influence, but mostly straight forward and fine.
The six hundred and seventy-third album: #673 Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour
While I've obviously enjoyed the Pet Shop Boys' synth pop output, Behaviour feels more melancholic than I usually get from them. While the dance pop feeling is there, it's slower and more thoughtful, lyrically engaging in a way I wouldn't normally expect from them. There's meaning in their lyrics otherwise, but here it takes thaat on far more than when they write more upbeat dance tracks. It works, though, the introspective nature creating that much more introspection.
The six hundred and seventy-second album: #672 Digital Underground - Sex Packets
Sex Packets becomes a standard hip hop album, the happier party beats combined with a lot of songs about girls and partying, but with some more aggressive lyrics mixed into some songs. It's still very rhythmic and colourful. It's a good feeling, if not amazing.
The two hundred and forty-fourth classical recording: #441 Johannes Brahms - Symphony no. 4
Brahms creates a magical world in his fourth symphony, one of adventure and impressions of sights that work well. It's the symphony at its finest, full of beauty and interpretation. It feels triumphant and uplifting, and the performance helps provide that spirit.