Remembering David Lynch: Cellophane Memories with Chrystabell

A look back at David Lynch, bringing to bear his unique aesthetic on his final collaborative project with Chrystabell, Cellophane Memories (2024).

Follow this link to David Lynch Theater

2025 Album Showdown Results: Tier 1 Week 6

This post brings Tier 1 to a close with a set of very contentious showdowns.  In most of these cases, there really weren’t any wrong answers.  There were, however, a couple of surprises, as comparative listening changed my mind about several of these albums.  In the end, my list lined up with the Viewer’s Choice selections as well.

Circe Link and Christian Nesmith - Arcana VS. Nik Millevoi - Digital Reaction

Circe Link and Christian Nesmith - Arcana

This was a low-key upset, because I went into this showdown riding really high on the eclectic electro-guitar rock of Digital Reaction.  Like many good progressive rock albums, though, Arcana revealed itself to me at a much slower pace.  Its “ABBA sings for Yes” approach to melody and playful deference to classic progressive rock tropes won me over in the big picture.

Meer - Wheels Within Wheels VS. Clarence Clarity - Vanishing Act II

Meer - Wheels Within Wheels

This showdown followed almost the exact same path as that of Arcana.  I have no small amount of attraction to Clarence Clarity’s jittering electro-pop, and it seemed like its riskier approach would give it the edge over Meer’s polished alternative prog.  In the end, however, Wheels Within Wheels is stacked with memorable moments that emerge with repeated listens.  

Melt-Banana - 3+5 VS. El Michaels Affair and Black Thought - Glorious Game

El Michaels Affair and Black Thought - Glorious Game

I have a lot of respect for Melt-Banana, and I am very interested in delving deeper into their catalog after getting into 3+5.  Glorious Game, however, is a very good example of skilled, well-executed hip-hop, which is underrepresented in my listening this year.  It goes on.

Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded VS. Missing Persons - Spring Session M

Missing Persons - Spring Session M

This was actually way closer than anyone could think.  As great as Spring Session M is, it does have some minor songwriting shortcomings.  Criminal Minded, despite being a bit dated, is a pristine example of late 80s rap.  An argument could be made that it is as important an example of this era of hip hop as Spring Session M is to the new wave era.  I couldn’t deny, however, the ridiculous amount of musicianship and detail hidden below the surface of Spring Session M.  

2025 Album Showdown Results: Tier 1, Week 5

 

Initially, the first few weeks of Tier 1 had us looking at albums with the biggest gap between their respective RateYourMusic ratings.  This difference has narrowed as we have traveled through the showdowns.  Now that we are in the penultimate week of Tier 1, the album’s ratings are very closely matched, which should theoretically mean that the outcomes should become increasingly contentious.  This week’s results reveal that this may actually be the case. 

So far, week-to-week, the Viewer’s Choice and the Prime results have generally matched, but this week shows a 50% divergence.  This is not in any way meant to imply that one is right or wrong, but instead acknowledges the influence of individual taste, experiences, and listening formats.  I’m pointing it out as an area of interest rather than judgement.

 

Prince – Controversy VS. David Gilmour – Luck and Strange

David Gilmour – Luck and Strange

A very, very difficult choice for me.  Prince is musically impeccable here, but his commitment to the “controversy” concept feels distracting.  There are often moments where his intention to disrupt with songs like Annie Christian diverts attention from his obvious musical strengths.  This imbalance was rectified in his future work, however, which makes this album a crucial mark in his long term development.  Luck and Strange is not without its flaws, as well, but I am mesmerized by the way that Gilmour’s guitar tone seems as at home in a jammy blues setting as it is backed by an orchestra.

 

Soft Machine – Bundles VS. Hotline TNT – Cartwheel

Hotline TNT -Cartwheel

This outcome seems to go against my usual prog-rock modus operandi, especially since its most salient feature (a relatively young Alan Holdsworth) shows a guitarist with a remarkably ambitious yet clear vision of the path ahead of him.  From the perspective of musicianship, it is clearly the superior album.  Cartwheel, however, appeals to the part of me that was involved in the Dallas’ indie rock scene in the 90s.  It makes me oddly nostalgic for the times when I would eagerly purchase a CD from the merch booth of a great live band that I had just discovered.

 

Opeth – The Last Will and Testament VS. Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn – Pigments

Opeth -The Last Will and Testament

Pigments would have shut down a good number of albums from Tier 1.  Its an incredibly thoughtful, well-crafted, and emotive mood study brimming over with layered, intentional composition.  I have, however, followed Opeth for decades and I think that this may be their finest work yet.  It seamlessly combines their recent progressive rock ambitions with their extreme metal roots, housing them within an intriguing storyline of deceit and betrayal that suits Opeth’s dark identity perfectly.

 

Count Basie and Quincy Jones – Basie One More Time VS. Kohichiro Minyata – Shakuhachi: The Japanese Bamboo Flute

Count Basie and Quincy Jones – Basie One More Time

Its not surprising that the immediacy of Basie’s unmistakable swing is captivating enough to edge out the contemplative atmospheres of Minyata’s performances.  I would readily argue, however, that given the correct setting, Shakuhachi is every bit the equal of Basie One More Time

 

Viewer’s Choice Results

Prince – Controversy VS. David Gilmour – Luck and Strange

Prince - Controversy

 

Soft Machine – Bundles VS. Hotline TNT – Cartwheel

Soft Machine - Bundles

 

Opeth – The Last Will and Testament VS. Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn – Pigments

Opeth -The Last Will and Testament

Count Basie and Quincy Jones – Basie One More Time VS. Kohichiro Minyata – Shakuhachi: The Japanese Bamboo Flute

Count Basie and Quincy Jones – Basie One More Time

2025 Album Showdown Results :Tier 1, Week 4

Colin Stetson – The Love it Took to Leave You VS. Devin Townsend – Powernerd

Devin Townsend – Powernerd

Inarguably, it is folly to downplay Colin Stetson’s vision.  His maximal-minimalist approach to saxophone technique, composition, and performance is otherworldly and hauntingly effective – but it does have its limits.  Throughout The Love It Took to Leave You, Stetson explores those limits, sometimes at length, and this makes the album seem a bit overlong.  Powernerd, in contrast, feels compact, direct, and memorable.  Its situations like these that make me wonder what a collaboration between these two would produce.

This was in contrast to the Viewer' Choice vote, which went for Colin Stetson. Completely justifiable.  In all others for this week, we are in agreement.

 

Nala Sinephro – Space 1.8 VS. Field Music – Limits of Language

Field Music – Limits of Language

Another really tough call, as Space 1.8 is far more engaging than I initially gave it credit for.  Field Music kinda has home court advantage here, however, as I’ve been following them for years and am looking for a reason to get them back into my ears more regularly.

 

Tyler, the Creator – Chromakopia VS. Timecop1983 – Night Drive

Timecop1983 – Night Drive

As I’ve said elsewhere, I think that Tyler, the Creator is, as he states, creative.  His delivery style, however, doesn’t land too well with me.  Drive’s archetypical synthwave approach gets my vote here, despite being a bit more languid than I had expected.

 

Clutch – Blast Tyrant VS. Gazpacho – Bravo

Gazpacho – Bravo

This was actually a minor upset.  My initial impression of this Gazpacho album fell a little flat, while I’ve been on board with Clutch’s gutbucket rock from the get-go.  But Bravo clicked for me this week, and I’ve been wanting to delve into it a bit deeper.  Clutch will get the pause for now.

2025 Album Showdown Series: March Tier 2 Contenders

 Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to the music of Spring - Tier 2!

And the playlist!

2025 Album Showdown Results: Tier 1, Week 3

After two weeks, we finally see the first differences emerge between the prime results and the Viewer’s Choice.  These differences seem small and insignificant at first, but as we continue through the year, they could result in massive divergences, which I think is interesting. 

This also concludes our first cycle of showdowns!  Next week will be a bye week, with no showdowns but new Tier 2 Album of the Day posts!

Brendan Byrnes – Transfigured Earth I & II VS. Noah Kahan – Stick Season

Brendan Byrnes – Transfigured Earth I & II

Close call between these two.  Noah Kahan’s songwriting and clarity of vision in his songwriting is really compelling.  However, I have been interested in microtonal music for a while, and although I have liked a lot of things I have heard, I haven’t really loved any of it in the long term.  Byrnes’ ability to use microtonal techniques in a relatively accessible songwriting format is fascinating, and worthy of further investigation

 

Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac VS. Restorations – Restorations

Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac

Admittedly, this one is a bit of a blowout.  Although Fleetwood Mac doesn’t represent the pinnacle of what this lineup would accomplish as a musical unit, it does contain several high points that show where they were heading.  This showdown also reveals the dissonance I have experienced with including “classic” albums in the tournament.  For some, Fleetwood Mac is an incontrovertible favorite, and any album going up against it will have to prove itself against the inevitable nostalgia that it brings up.  Inarguably, though, it is a superior album to Restorations.

 

TU-Ner – TU-Ner for Lovers VS. The Tongue of Eden – Fallow

The Tongue of Eden – Fallow

For me, the results of this showdown are bound to the site of listening.  TU-Ner for Lovers is most effective when serving as the backdrop for writing or working late in the evening, but doesn’t sell as well during more engaged activities.  Although Fallow does have potential in intellectually focused settings, it speaks most clearly in the car or when doing housework.  In those settings, its unique cross-pollination of extreme metal and synthwave is arresting.

 

Spellling – The Turning Wheel VS. Jhariah – Trust Ceremony

Spellling – The Turning Wheel

Another showdown with a debatable outcome.  Jhariah is outstanding, but his over-the-top energy works against him on Trust Ceremony.  All of his music seems like any part of it could function as a standalone climax or cathartic bridge.  This seems like it would be a compliment, but a string of back-to-back climaxes in the context a full album feels frantic.  When Trust Ceremony is over, I am done with it.  Conversely, Spellling had the feeling of an album with a lot to give.  Every listen is more revealing, and despite having its own moments of melodrama, I am curious to see what it is hiding.

 

VIEWERS CHOICE RESULTS

Brendan Byrnes – Transfigured Earth I & II VS. Noah Kahan – Stick Season

Brendan Byrnes – Transfigured Earth I & II

 

Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac VS. Restorations – Restorations

Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac

 

TU-Ner – TU-Ner for Lovers VS. The Tongue of Eden – Fallow

The Tongue of Eden – Fallow

 

Spellling – The Turning Wheel VS. Jhariah – Trust Ceremony

Jhariah – Trust Ceremony

The Morse Code Part 4: Spock's Beard's Day for Night

 Part 4 of a six-part series on the early music of Spock's Beard.