Another Question

Today I listened to ‘Animals’ by Pink Floyd. And you may ask why I was listening to an album from 1977 and I honestly don’t know why.

It was at number 5 in the charts this morning when I listened to it. On a side note, Friday charts still don’t feel right to me. Sunday is when I should know the number one!

Animals is a concept album based on the book ‘Animal Farm’. There are 5 tracks and it lasts about 40 minutes.

Like Animal Farm, ‘Animals’ is a social commentary about the political situation in the 70s in Britain.

No idea why it’s back in the charts now…it couldn’t possibly be linked to the current political situation, could it?

It has been remixed and re-released but obviously, it’s found an audience.

I’ll be honest, most of this album appears to be people saying ‘ahhhhh’ and the sounds of birds and random animals.

It’s conceptual right but I’m not convinced it’s speaking to the brexit, destroy the pound, support the rich, situation we find ourselves in at the moment. But perhaps, people will listen and remember that we shouldn’t follow the pigs.

Ripped

Today I listened to (Self-Titled) by Marcus Mumford which is currently number 4 in the UK album chart.

I was looking forward to listening to this album for 2 reasons. Firstly, I like Mumford and Sons. Little Lion Man is an excellent song! Secondly, because I’ve heard things about this album!

Marcus Mumford has been talking about the abuse he suffered as a child and how he used that experience to write the songs on this album.

The album is just under 40 minutes and has 10 tracks, however, in its honesty and story-telling qualities, it reminded me of Psychodrama.

It’s difficult to listen to but also, you can’t not listen to it.

I hope it wins lots of awards and has a bunch of reaction videos on YouTube.

Hell

Today I listened to someone else I haven’t heard of before but it’s not as bad as yesterday because ‘Hold The Girl’ is Rina Sawayama’s second album.

Apparently, her first album was more experimental but she decided that she’d make some music for this second album.

That’s harsh! I didn’t hear her first album. But you know my feelings on experimental albums.

Anyway, this album is very not experimental and is classic girl band pop. Good for you Rina! Sing what sells!

In the lead single from this album ‘This Hell’ she claims that she’s going to hell if she keeps on being herself and then decides that she’ll go anyway because ‘hell is better with you’….but Rina, you didn’t keep on being yourself did you? You stopped your experimental albums and you made normal girl pop.

Makes me sad. Keep being yourself! Don’t let people tell you that God isn’t going to send you to hell for being yourself! God made you! However! if you were in hell, you’d be listening to experimental albums for sure!

Britpop

If you asked I would tell you that I’m generally a Britpop fan.

I have opinions about Oasis – I’ve written about them often during this blog. I like Blur. I like Pulp. If I have to choose a millennium-based song, I’d pick ‘Disco 200’0 over ‘Party like it’s 1999’ by Prince or ‘Millennium’ by Robbie Williams.

However, today I listened to Suede who apparently became part of the Britpop ‘Big Four’ along with Oasis, Blur and Pulp. I honestly thought they were some sort of 70s band.

I haven’t heard of any of their singles. I honestly don’t know of them.

And I know I was young and mainly into the music of Paul Poulton and Take That in 1994 but I managed to catch up on three out of four of the big four.

Today’s album, which is number two in the current album charts, is Autofiction by Suede.

And this isn’t a Britpop album either.

Apparently, this is a nostalgic album which is no good if you never knew the thing that is being remembered.

However, it makes sense that it’s high in the albums. All the Britpoppers who knew all four of the Big Four will be loving remembering the 90s.

Ah, the 90s! Weren’t they great times? Music was real music. Lying was something you lost your political career for. Phones only existed in homes or in boxes on the streets. And the computer lesson was the worst lesson in school because you had to sit in a hallway with your computer partner and put clothes on a teddy bear or guide a frog around a board. Man! Computers were rubbish in the 90s.

As far as I know, Suede did not soundtrack any of my 90s life.

Sobbing

Today I decided to listen to the 2021 album by John Mayer ‘Sob Rock’. I wondered what had changed 20 years after that debut album that I listened to yesterday and last year.

Honestly, not much.

It’s another good album that’s not great.

Good to listen to at the time and then very much forgotten once it’s gone.

I did like catching up on the new stuff from a 2001 artist. I’ve done it a few times when artists released an album in 2011 or 2022 that happened to chart and there were a bunch of times last year when I said I wanted to check out other music by an artist.

For No One

Today I was back in 2001 listening to ‘Room for Squares’ by John Mayer.

This continues to be a good album but I don’t think it’s a great album so it will not remain as part of the playlist. To be honest, it did well to remain on until the end of last year because I was unsure about it.

Last year, when I listened to this album I also made some predictions about which albums would definitely make it to the end of the year – Muse, System of a Down, Blue, The Rasmus, Catatonia, Blu Cantrell, Katatonia and Paul Poulton.

Out of that list, all made it to the end of the year and all except Katatonia have made it to 2022 playlists as well.

Black Pink

‘Born Pink’ is the first number one album by Black Pink.

It’s got 8 tracks and doesn’t reach half an hour. What is the point, Black Pink?!

The thing I do like about this album is that at the beginning of many of the songs they say their own name which is always helpful when you’re listening to the radio or a playlist and you don’t recognise the song.

James Acaster¹ says that when you see someone on the street who you think you know you should shout your own name. Then if they know you, they’ll look and know who is shouting.

Black Pink has clearly been listening to James Acaster.

I recommend that if you listen to Born Pink, you then listen to a James Acaster audiobook. You’ll have plenty of time.

¹I really hope that I don’t have to explain why James Acaster is mentioned again.

Nutty

Number 25 on the top 100 of 2022 (as of this morning and out of the top 100 by this afternoon) is KT Tunstall’s album ‘Nut’.

I enjoy the song ‘Suddenly I See’ by KT Tunstall. I enjoyed her Jools Holland performance.

Apparently, this album is the third in a trilogy of albums about the soul, body and mind. ‘Nut’ refers to the mind.

Perhaps, it is because I haven’t heard the other two albums that I didn’t enjoy this one but either way, I didn’t enjoy this.

Money and Vibes

Today I listened to ‘Mr Money and the Vibes’ by Asake. This is currently number 22 on the UK album charts and it may be one of the best albums I heard from the 2022 album charts.

It’s short with 12 tracks and only one hitting more than 3 minutes and it’s a remix!

And Asake has set a whole bunch of records by entering the US charts. Good for him!

Super excellent album.

Heaven Find Me

Today I listened to the current number 5 album ‘How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?’ by Amazons.

The answer of course is that you can sure in your salvation because Jesus completely paid the price. So you don’t have to worry.

It is possible, that this album is not a theological question and they just thought it sounded a bit emo.

I liked this album, it was a sensible length even though the songs are short. It was interesting but not experimental. It’s a good album.