The one hundred and fourty-fourth book: #84 Eugene Onegin - Alexander Pushkin
Some forms of works translate better than others - a normal novel, where a translator can adapt the structure a bit to fit their language, becomes easier to read than a poem-like structure like that of Eugene Onegin, where the metre of the poem doesn't translate well to something that's as readable. It felt unnatural, not because of the work, not because the translator couldn't do it well, but because it's hard to do justice to that original feeling. The work is poetic and does feel lyrical, but it feels like the diversion and word choices never translated in a way that worked for me, and it led to a story that got boring because it lost its focus so much.
The four hundred and seventieth album: #470 The Undertones - Hypnotised
Hypnotised is a good, straight forward post punk album - nothing deep, but instead we're deeper in the era of punk bands that make themselves sound a lot happier and accessible. It still has its negative focused lyrics but it doesn't feel that way - and instead it's a happy frenzy I'm glad to be swept up in.
The four hundred and sixty-ninth album: #469 Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
Having grown up with an affection for rock, heavy metal has always been at the edges of my musical consciousness. It hasn't always hit me as much though - some artists go a bit too heavy - but with Iron Maiden's debut album it strikes a good balance. It's heavy, yeah, but there's more shape to it and the vocals stand out as much - the guitar solos won't hit as much but it's built so well that the whole album stays incredibly fun to listen to without being too overwhelming or turning into just noise.
The four hundred and sixty-eighth album: #468 Joy Division - Closer
The dark, gothic rock of Joy Division can also feel incredibly draining, a relentless, unending drone at its most depressing that certainly sets its mood - one that you'd need to be ready for. I enjoyed it well enough but it had a bigger impact on me than I was expecting.
The four hundred and sixty-seventh album: #467 Talking Heads - Remain in Light
There's something irresistible about the mix of influences in Remain in Light. The last Talking Heads album on the list leans more towards their funk side, a mix of influences and sounds that stays hard to pin down and it's not hard to see how they're going their own way even more than before. It's well put together - not always perfectly polished, but the slightly more discordant bits are what make the album more interesting to listen to. It feels like a precursor to other work, although at the same time I struggle to think of bands that end up moving in this direction - it will be an interesting journey for sure, but I may need to listen to the back catalogue instead to get the full picture.
The one hundred and eighty-ninth TV show: #763 Two Days and One Night
Although a preview of Two Days and One Night originally triggered our interest in Korean variety, we ended up watching Infinite Challenge first. We fell in love with it, watch a lot, but took a break to move on to other shows. We missed it, though, so it felt like time to bring Two Days and One Night in.
We weren't sure - it'd be different, so would we like that - but the show quickly won us over. We started from about a year into the first season and it feels like the chemistry is different from the start. The show is looser and Kang Ho-Dong as MC makes for a less constrained feel compared to Jae-Suk's following of roles. Even the interaction with the crew, which feels more (friendly) antagonistic from both sides, works better, especially as it feels like the cast has bonded more over it. There are a lot of fun, unforced moments and having ended on two trips in a row where they clearly changed their plans partway through, it feels more genuine even if a bunch of it is still tightly plotted.
We don't really get the equivalent shows here, but these variety shows really fill a niche that makes it fun viewing, both in its variety and its comfort as you get to know the cast and it did become one of those shows we look forward to watching every week.
The four hundred and sixty-sixth album: #466 Circle Jerks - Group Sex
Group Sex's 15 minute 25 second long album is one of the shortest albums on the list, with a few songs on the song list running longer on their own than this entire album. It's quick, doing its best not to overstay its welcome. The tracks are simply hard and fast punk, with each song feeling reduced to its core. Not that bad an approach really.
The four hundred and sixty-fifth album: #465 Judas Priest - British Steel
I'm surprised with how much the rise of heavy metal has been connecting with me on this run through the ages - I knew I enjoyed the general sound, but British Steel's at times sedated sound works to keep the high energy up without being overwhelming everywhere. It's surprisingly well balanced and I think I want to try to hear more.
The one hundred and sixty-seventh classical recording: #442 Antonin Dvorak - Symphony no. 7
Dvorak's seventh symphony starts big and jubilant, with a larger score that slowly reduces to something more delicate, moving through various movements for a well rounded piece that retains its passion and interest.
The one hundred and fourty-third book: #83 The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo
There's a really good story lurking in this novel... if only it wasn't surrounded by slightly too much period detail and defense of the good old days. Victor Hugo's goal was partially to discuss gothic architecture and make the case for its preservation, but it makes for some long boring chapters where it goes into too much detail about the history of parts of Paris and describing its detail, which means that you get distracted from the story - and I struggled to pick up the thread several times after these diversions. The core story, of various people going through their lives around the Notre Dame as a love story unfolds, is quite interesting. It's a shame that the English title focuses on the hunchback as the French title, Notre-Dame de Paris, it's clearer that he's just a part of the story, and the other characters matter as much. It's what makes it interesting - these separate characters all having their lives intersect and relate to each other, and it creates its deeper plot more effectively that way.