Apr 12, 2025

Gonna be doing 2 albums from one of my favorite artists of all time tomorrow

 

Apr 13, 2025

166. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992) [April 13th, 2025]

Possibly one of the most important electronic albums ever made. The title is definitely misleading (this is far from an ambient record lmao), but still this is a brilliant album, and a great entrypoint for people who want to get into RDJ's work. Now I will admit that this album has grown off of me a tad bit, and I would place a lot of other Aphex albums over it, but I still think it's a great time.

 

Apr 13, 2025

167. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994) [April 13th, 2025]

[Sidenote: Tracks are referred to by their fan-names]
If I had to use a word to describe Selected Ambient Works Volume II, it would be "Monumental". Seriously, the 25 track version of this record (which is my preferred experience) runs around 2 hours and 47 minutes. Nearly 3 HOURS.

I recognize that I'm not the best at describing exactly what I like about tracks sometimes (take a shot everytime I say "instrumentation" in my AOTW club reviews lmao), so I'm mainly gonna focus on the feelings I have towards this record. While I had checked out a few records beforehand, THIS album is what got me into ambient music. Some tracks on here are legitimately terrifying. The closer "Matchsticks" legitimately unnerves me when I listen to it, and as a whole this album feels unsettling. That does not describe the entire record however. Some tracks like "Rhubarb" "Z Twig" and ESPECIALLY "Stone In Focus" fill me with so much emotion. It's a record that I truly love.

I want to give a special highlight to the aforementioned "Stone in Focus". Not gonna go too deep into this on here, but I listened to this album various times throughout crucial points in my life, and this track has always meant something deeper for me. 10 Minutes, with very few notes, yet it reminds me of a time that keeps getting blurrier day by day. It might not have been the best time of my life, but as time passes, the future seems darker, and the past, even the bad parts, seems prettier and prettier.

I could gush about this record for hours honestly. I'm not sure if I'd recommend it as a whole to people who aren't into ambient though. I would recommend that people check out a few tracks, but I do recognize that a 3 Hour ambient record isn't for everyone. Still, this record holds an incredibly important place in my heart, and I will likely continue loving it until the day I die.

 

Apr 13, 2025

Came up with an admittedly pretty silly idea. I'm gonna add this retroactively as well, but for albums that i LOVE, I'm going to be putting a next to them. Just to make them stand out a bit more

 

Apr 13, 2025

168. Fishmans - Long Season (1996) [April 13th, 2025]

This is a very pretty album. I don't speak Japanese so I can't speak much about the lyrics, but its a very fun time. Very Dreamy

 

Apr 13, 2025

Not yeat but I’m hoping to get to it soon! Not sure if i wanna go in blind or listen Frailty first though

 

Apr 13, 2025

My spellcheck is so bad that "yet" turned into "yeat" istg

 

Apr 14, 2025

169. g--- Starr - Moment of Truth (1998) [April 14th, 2025]

Checked this one out for the first time a few months ago, and d---, I love it even more. The best thing about g--- Starr for me, is the fact that even though Guru's the only member rapping (this is what sets them apart from a duo like Mobb Deep, since Havoc raps on most of the songs as well) the beats just speak for Premier. Seriously, "Work", "B.I. vs Friendship", "The Mall" and ESPECIALLY "Next Time". Seriously Premier f---ing rules.

As for Guru, I find his monotone-ish voice so f---ing cool. He especially shines on tracks like "JFK 2 LAX". Lots of great features on this project, but of course, I have to single out Scarface on "Betrayal". Great f---ing record, and I should definitely check out their earlier stuff.

 

Apr 14, 2025

170. Miles Davis - Live-Evil (1971) [April 14th, 2025]

Imma be honest chat...I didn't get into this one. Like at all

 

Apr 14, 2025

@Minato the next album is from 2009, and it is probably one of the most influential rap albums ever

 

Apr 14, 2025

I wonder how Minato would feel if I covered the first 4 Canibus albums before any Em project...

 

Apr 14, 2025

171. Lil B - 6 Kiss (2009) [April 14th, 2025]

My first full Lil B experience. Boy, this albums just feels influential. Production-wise it clearly inspired some of my favorite cloud rap projects like Live.Love.A$AP (Clams is pretty prominent on both projects, so not really a surprise) The X-Men sample on the appropriately titled "X-Men" is dope as well. I think everybody and their mother has already spoken about how incredible "I'm God" is, so I won't be beating a dead horse in that regard. "Myspace" was a pretty big highlight as well.

Then there's Lil B himself. To put it simply... Lil B is a funny guy. Like, the way that his voice sounds, and the way he says s--- is hysterical. On paper, some of the lyrics might not be groundbreaking, but his personality makes it so f---ing fun. For example, take a look at the masterfully crafted chorus of "Rolls Royce":

"Rolls Royce
Rolls Royce
Rolls Royce
Rolls Royce, uh-huh"

f---ing brilliant. Overall I had a great time with this tape. It is a tad bit too long (About an hour and a half), but I'd still recommend it to people who might be interested in some late 00's/early 10's cloud rap.