What I've realized so far is that I really like most of my music. Which is hardly surprising, given how long I've been working on my library, but to see my ratings visualized with such a small amount of poor reviews is a little jarring.
Granted, I've only put up 58 ratings, but it's still pretty telling:
I'm listening to music I enjoy. Which isn't strange in itself, but within the world of RYM, it's downright bizarre. The site seems to be populated almost solely by people who rate music just to disparage it, or who keep up a Scaruffi view on rating music--that there is no such thing as a perfect or 5-star album. (I disagree--to me, 5-stars indicates a "classic" album, but that doesn't mean they're perfect.)
I'm interested to see if this changes as I listen to more music. Only time will tell.
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PLAYLIST:
Louis XIV - Louis XIV
There's not much to "get" with these guys. They may be the purest depiction of cock rock ever. Most of the time, they're literally playing songs about their cocks. Which is fine, and downright fun if you approach it the right way. There are couple winners on their debut ("It's The Girl That Makes Him Sad," "God Killed The Queen"), but they wouldn't reach their peak until The Best Little Secrets Are Kept--after which, they would promptly drop off the face of the Earth. I don't know anybody who listened to Slick Dogs and Ponies and didn't regret it. I skipped it altogether. (3.5 stars)
Social Distortion - Social Distortion
My musical education in high school came almost solely from HFS, the Baltimore-area radio station that billed themselves as "the true alternative." Their playlist consisted of 80s and 90s college rock, some indie, and of course the vaunted "alternative," coupled with whatever new bands they were hyping at the time. Social Distortion was always on their rotation, mainly "Ball and Chain" and "Story of My Life," to the point that it's hard to approach them as real songs and not part of the soundtrack to my adolescence. "Story of My Life" is a bit grating, but I still think "Ball and Chain" is a solid tune. The rest of Social Distortion is solid, catchy rock 'n roll in that strange 90s alt-nostalgia sense, with quite a few great songs along the way. (4 stars)
The Mummies - Never Been Caught
I fucking love the Mummies. There are very, very few garage rock revival bands that don't completely suck, and the Mummies are probably the best of that bunch. They're impossible not to love. They're everything that made garage rock great, infused with an attitude and energy level that even the best bands of the era lacked. Never Been Caught is another batch of sleazy garage rock hits in a career that was nothing but. (4 stars)
Misfits - Static Age
I'm a Misfits purist, so anything that isn't fronted by Danzig isn't really the Misfits. Static Age is among the earliest Misfits material, before Danzig pointed the group toward the horror punk style they were known for, and the result doesn't sound all that much like a Misfits album. Danzig is there in all his glory, but the hooks from Walk Among Us are almost non-existent, and the songs themselves take on a much more rough-edged, punk style that the first couple Misfits albums really lacked. I still prefer the campy shout-along choruses of Walk Among Us, but there's no denying that Static Age is still a classic punk record. (4 stars)
James Brown - 20 All Time Greatest Hits
James Brown is gratuitously funky. This album is so goddamn funky that you almost need to stop it halfway and take a breather from all the goddamn funk. Unlike the spacey techno-funk of George Clinton, James Brown was funky on a fucking primal level. You felt his funk in your goddamn bones. His songs had riffs that were implanted in your goddamn DNA, just waiting to be awakened by his shamanic front-man antics. Fucking essential. (5 stars)
To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - The Patron
I should like this more than I do. It's noise-pop, literally--dreamy vocals over analog noise not terribly far off from Masonna or C.C.C.C. It never gets too intense, but it never gets too catchy either. It floats in that musical netherworld between "pleasant" and "enjoyable." It's a formula that works, and you won't regret listening to it...but it won't knock your socks off either. (3.5 stars)
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(I'm on vacation, far away from my external drive, so no library changes today. Happy Thanksgiving!)
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