U2 and the Magic of The Joshua Tree

Review and discussion on U2's 1987 classic, with a focus on U2's place in the current cultural conversation.

Relevant Links: Rick Beato's breakdown of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

2022 Album Eliminations: Tier 1 Week 6

This is the last week of Tier 1 eliminations!  48 albums have been narrowed to 24 - the first step in a long path to the top 20 albums of 2022!  Here’s the results:

Arushi Jain - Under the Lilac Sky VS. Sault - Nine

Sault - Nine

Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension VS. Tomahawk - Tonic Immobility

Tomahawk - Tonic Immobility

Cynic - Ascension Codes VS. Snail Mail - Valentine

Cynic - Ascension Codes

Daedelus - Invention VS. Tony Kaye - The End of Innocence

Daedelus - Invention

There were a couple of contentious showdowns of note this time around.  I really love that Arushi Jain album, so Sault’s win was a bit of an upset (even though I should not be surprised).  The really tough one was Sufjan Stevens VS Tomahawk.  I really respect Steven’s ambition as a songwriter, and the Ascension is masterfully textured, but it feels a bit overlong.  Tomahawk’s energy and virtuosity won the day there.

The big winner this week was Ascension Codes. I had the opportunity to crack that open a bit this week and got really excited about it. The synth bass on that album is just incredible.

Next week begins Tier 2, which will begin to pit Tier 1 winners against genre-adjacent albums presented in the monthly roundup series. It's about to get interesting....

2022 Album Eliminations Tier 1 Week 5

This week’s eliminations came out like this:

Soccer Mommy – Color Theory VS. The Red Locusts – The Red Locusts
Soccer Mommy – Color Theory

Sharhabil Ahmed – The King of Sudanese Jazz VS. Bad Bunny – YHLQMDLG
Sharhabil Ahmed – The King of Sudanese Jazz

Vanishing Twin – Ookii Gekkou VS. Laurie Spiegel – The Expanding Universe
Laurie Spiegel – The Expanding Universe

Anathema – We’re Here Because We’re Here VS. M83 – Oblivion OST
M83 – Oblivion OST

It was this last one that really caused me the most heartache this week. In many ways, the dynamic and expansive overlap between Anathema and M83 fire off similar parts of my brain, even though they come at it from way different angles. The closing credits “single” from Oblivion, however, really puts it over the edge. Fantastically emotional and explosive.

2022 Album Roundup Series: March Madness (and no, not basketball)

First full roundup of 2022! Including albums by

The Buggles – The Age of Plastic (1980)
Beauty Pill – Sorry You’re Here (2010)
Fire-Toolz – Eternal Home (2021)
Ben Kweller – Sha Sha (2001)
Crying – Get Olde Second Wind (2015)
Damon Albarn – The Nearer the Fountain, the More Pure the Stream Flows (2021)



Relevant links:

An older text post on The Buggles, Yes, and Drama
Another text post on Crying’s Beyond the Fleeting Gales
A bit about Beauty Pill’s Describes Things as They Are
And just for fun, another text post on The Gorillaz

2022 Album Eliminations Tier 1 Week 4

This weeks eliminations came out like this:

Liquid Tension Experiment – LTE3 VS. Limina – Hidden Spaces
Liquid Tension Experiment – LTE3

Common- A Beautiful Revolution pt. 2 VS. Juliana Barwick – Healing is a Miracle
Common – A Beautiful Revolution pt. 2

Parliament – The Mothership Connection VS. Cardiacs – On Land and In the Sea
Parliament – The Mothership Connection

Shadoko – Le Domaine de Seedmills OST VS. The Caretaker – An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
The Caretaker – An Empty Bliss Beyond This World

By far, the hardest choice was Parliament versus Cardiacs. Despite the serious stylistic differences between these two, I felt like they were pretty equal. Parliament’s larger cultural influence edged them out.

Yes, The Ship of Theseus, and The Quest

 Taking a look at Yes' 2021 release, The Quest.

Check the tags below to take a look at the collection of Yes posts and writings that are here.

2022 Album Eliminations Tier 1 Week 3

The eliminations this week played out like this:

Jon Anderson - 1000 Hands VS. Eastman Jazz Ensemble - Live!
Jon Anderson - 1000 Hands

Emma Jean Thackray - Yellow VS. Moor Mother - Black Encyclopedia of the Air
Moor Mother - Black Encyclopedia of the Air

Freestyle Fellowship - To Whom it May Concern VS. Perfect Beings - Vier
Perfect Beings - Vier

The Anchoress - The Art of Losing VS. Tim Reynolds & Greg Howard - Sticks and Stones
The Anchoress - The Art of Losing

This week's most most contentious showdown was definitely the genre clash between the Freestyle Fellowship and Perfect Beings.  Although I really respect and appreciate Freestyle Fellowship's skills and tenacity, I can't ignore the amount of thought and musicality invested in Vier.  Maybe my favorite prog release from tier 1!

If you want to hear more about that, I take requests! Sound off in the comments below.