Author Topic: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #41 A little known indie artist  (Read 3406 times)

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Offline senecadawg2

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #49 A shorty enters the mix
« Reply #35 on: April 18, 2023, 06:39:08 AM »
Hell yeah. This is just my speed. I definitely hear the Ludovico Einaudi comparison, and I love it.
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Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #49 A shorty enters the mix
« Reply #36 on: April 18, 2023, 07:35:42 AM »
Super glad you dug it seneca :tup

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #48 Visiting the park
« Reply #37 on: April 20, 2023, 01:16:29 PM »
48. Matthew HalsallFletcher Moss Park



Every week I typically skim through the Discovery playlist that Spotify gives me. 90% of it is stuff that I don't really care for, 5% are covers of the "Pyramid Song" by Radiohead, and the other 5% is usually good enough for me to explore further. One track popped up years ago that really perked my ears up that that was "The Sun In September" by Matthew Halsall, intrigued I took a listen to the rest of the album.

This album defines easy listening to me. It's the perfect coffee shop album but it isn't in the same realm as muzak, it's soulful, thoughtful and a perfect addition to list, especially as a preemptive response to the much heavier stuff coming up later in the list.

The album starts off with "Cherry Blossom", beautiful cascading chords before the mood is stripped down some brushed drums and wonderful horns. The casual, feel continues in to the album's second song, the title track. One thing becomes immediately apparent to me and that is how the melodies are delicate but also intricate. There is real meat here and it's engaging to which some of the credit goes to the obsoletely stellar mix this album has.

The pace picks up with "Mary Emma Louise" with a spirited walking bass line that carries the tune forward before giving you a little break with "Sailing Out To Sea" which brings a heavier use of strings to the track before going right into another walking bass line with "Wee Lan".

Finally we reach my favorite track and the one that sparked my love for this album, "The Sun In September". You really should listen to this track yourself and experience it, the year I discovered this song it was one of my top 10 tracks of that year. The vibe of the tune is warm and the flute brings in some new textures that weren't really as prevalent in the previous tracks. Half way through the trumpet takes the lead and gives a little more cutting edge to the song before handing it off to the flute again as a reprise and closure to the song. Finally the album finishes with the most abstract track "Finding My Way". The piano and drums really carry this final tune, the piano provides a more structured focus while the drums have some space to explore and try different rhythms.

One of the many things I enjoy about this album is that with every tune there seems to be something new added while still staying thematically true to it's overall presentation and feel. Shamefully I haven't checked out any other stuff from Matthew but I'll remedy that sometime soon, just a lot of music to discover on my plate. 


Give “The Sun In September” a spin!

Album Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/3vtqNv0pHpl2ESUfSITiB6?si=Meoi7_IdRNO_oyxY4cpy-Q

Offline Pappy

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #48 Visiting the park
« Reply #38 on: April 20, 2023, 01:53:09 PM »
A gnat went up my nose just looking at that album cover lol.

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #48 Visiting the park
« Reply #39 on: April 20, 2023, 01:57:56 PM »
Always down for something I have no preconceptions of, it's queued up  :tup

This was real nice. Another album that is perfect for a certain mood. I want to be relaxing, at the end of the day, beer in hand and a gorgeous view in front of me. Just sit back and soak it in.

Admittedly, life is generally too hectic for me to get to relax like this very often. Next time I do though (hopefully next time I take the kid camping) I'll put this on.

Incidentally, last time I went camping, the album I stuck on after getting the kid to sleep, beer in hand watching the sunset, was Wish You Were Here. It was glorious!
« Last Edit: April 21, 2023, 09:23:53 AM by twosuitsluke »

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #48 Visiting the park
« Reply #40 on: April 23, 2023, 03:05:36 AM »
I was crate digging at one of my local record stores yesterday, and found this record. I was very tempted to pick it up, and may do when I get paid, it's the perfect kind if Sunday morning record.
« Last Edit: April 23, 2023, 03:15:46 AM by twosuitsluke »

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #48 Visiting the park
« Reply #41 on: April 23, 2023, 07:36:24 AM »
That's awesome, when writing this up I kept saying to myself that I needed to check if there is a vinyl of it out there, I'm glad there is.

Update later today!

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #47 Breakout the glowsticks...
« Reply #42 on: April 23, 2023, 05:00:19 PM »
Another EP and with this one things get a little more exciting. If I were to guess this is probably going to the be the most unpopular of the albums on this list (are any of these albums popular here? :lol). There was a few years of my life where I was huge into EDM/dubstep music, I've been to a bunch of shows, EDC in vegas and really got into the scene.. I think it largely came from just exhaustion from listening to the same genres do the same thing and dubstep was just so new to me. As time went on I slowly came back to the material I was listening post-edm obsession but always had a soft spot for electronic music.

I still listen to electronic music just not as often anymore, much like the metal/rock/acoustic genres and sub-genres I was listening to prior to my edm phase I just sort of burnt myself out. My brother is still very much into the genre and still sends me recommendations to which this is one of them:

47. EkcleYoja



To start this stuff is pretty out there, even by dubstep standards. It's heavy, disjointed, and abstract at times but with repeated listens you find these melodies to really sink your teeth into. The EP starts off with the track that I was introduced to, "Within the Palms of a God". It's brazen and off-putting at first but what stuck with me was the later half of the song which is simply gorgeous, probably the best bit of music on this entire list. I found it so compelling I kept playing that part over and over and then the song over and over and finally started listening to the rest of the album.

"Totemfire" is the second song and after that little acoustic break in "Within the Palms of a God" you get teleported back to a realm of electronic music. The rhythm is slowed down here letting a lot of the ambient sound design do the heavy lifting gradually building in a nice little climax. "Moonstone" picks up the pace a bit here with what sounds like little raindrops of samples being dropped throughout the track before going into a chorus. Next up we have my second favorite track of the album, "Clandestine". This track probably has the most cohesive song structure of the whole record. It starts slow and just keeps building and is very reminiscent to the straight-forward dance music I first got into, again the sound design is just killer. Finally the album ends on a fast note with "Crafted in Ice". It's like a rollercoaster ride and as it builds up the tempo keeps getting quicker and quicker leading to nice little breakdown and a slow exit out.

For those of you who have six minutes to spare I've linked "Within the Palms of a God", if you check it out give the whole track a spin as it's pretty unique and has a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde thing going on. If you're interested I've also linked "Clandestine"

Give “Within the Palms of a God” and "Clandestine a spin!

Album Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/7lFylJXhCo9ScGJFWLCTDr?si=XzvGymmDTXWLbFfk90Jj6Q
« Last Edit: April 27, 2023, 05:18:31 AM by ReaperKK »

Online twosuitsluke

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #47 Breakout the glowsticks...
« Reply #43 on: April 25, 2023, 01:53:27 AM »
I've got to be honest, this really doesn't sound like my thing, but I'm willing to put my ears in your hands, as it were. Wish me luck ...
« Last Edit: April 25, 2023, 02:27:53 AM by twosuitsluke »

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #47 Breakout the glowsticks...
« Reply #44 on: April 25, 2023, 01:23:18 PM »
I think you sent me something from this artist in my roulette, right? It was cool

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #47 Breakout the glowsticks...
« Reply #45 on: April 25, 2023, 03:03:38 PM »
You know what, this wasn't bad. I've left this, and the Matthew Halsall, album in my main rotation playlist on Spotify. I'll be revisiting both in the next week or so.

I don't even know how to fully define dubstep but this definitely had elements I enjoyed. And dubstep (I assume) elements didn't totally over power the record, there were some nice little breathers.

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #46 The saga continues
« Reply #46 on: April 26, 2023, 06:41:02 PM »
46. Wiz KhalifaThe Saga Of Wiz Khalifa



Rewind a few years ago and my buddy calls me up from LA telling me he caught a little bit of a break in the music biz, he is going to be producing on the new Wiz Khalifia record. I said awesome and he starts sending me some demo tracks. I'm pretty new to the R&B/Rap scene, I don't have the knowledge like I do for prog or metal acts but once my buddy sent me the track "Bammer" and I was hooked, it was just a fun track and I couldn't wait to hear more.

Wiz Khalifia has been around since I was in college but I never paid that much attention to him until this album.  The beats are fresh, the rhythms flow, and this is just a fun album to listen to (especially on some jazz gummies)

The album I listed is the deluxe edition, there are some extra tracks here that round off the album in my opinion. The album opens with "What's the Move" and "Millions" which are set to sort of hype you up for the journey you're about to check into to. Next up you have "On Top" which is great hip hop tune with a really catchy chorus. "POV" launches into a more traditional rap tune with great flow from Wiz followed by "This Time Around" which has a great guitar sample in that carries throughout the tune.

"Trap Nap" follows up and really provides the theme for the record. It's a great laid back trap vibe, lean back in your chair, pour a drink and just vibe.  That vibe carries onto "Villa". We then reach on of the most interesting tracks on the record. I surf a lot of music forums and a lot of them will shit on hip hop or R&B but I think that this is a great example of how well the genre can be executed. Per my buddy the plan was to have a boisterous rap in a lower tone and then have more introspective lines auto-tuned and in the upper register. Listening to the lyrics you really see how this effect really works here.

The album keeps going with "Still Wiz" with a classic sample from Dr. Dre, it isn't gratuitous and instead provides a different flavor from what you're used to. "Contact" and "Y U Mad" provide some decent mid-tempo tunes before going into the acoustic "High Today". This is another fantastic tune simply for the relaxed vibe that ebb's and flows through out. We have a few more mid-tempo tunes before we get to the final song of the album and the first single from the album "Bammer". I fucking love this song. I love the acoustic horn that is recorded as is, I love the beat, and I love the lyrics about smoking weed :lol.

This album is just flat out fun. It's no surprised that Wiz is touring with Snoop this year because I think that Wiz is the modern age Snoop. Smoking weed, great trap beats, and hypnotic hooks are the name of the game with this record.

Give “Above Average” and "Bammer a spin!

Album Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/7GmwwE2wcNtyq7nlsrYVuD?si=ddkOckypQAqhpbF9MTN9GA
« Last Edit: April 27, 2023, 05:18:38 AM by ReaperKK »

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #46 The Sage Continues
« Reply #47 on: April 26, 2023, 06:44:39 PM »
I think you sent me something from this artist in my roulette, right? It was cool

I think I have!

You know what, this wasn't bad. I've left this, and the Matthew Halsall, album in my main rotation playlist on Spotify. I'll be revisiting both in the next week or so.

I don't even know how to fully define dubstep but this definitely had elements I enjoyed. And dubstep (I assume) elements didn't totally over power the record, there were some nice little breathers.

Dubstep is an interesting genre for me. I like bands or artists that push things to the edge and dubstep dj's certainly fall in that criteria. I think what attracted me to the Ekcle record was how abrasive it was yet there were things in it that just kept bringing me back. There is a metal band I'm going to have later on in the list that has the exact same effect.

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #46 The saga continues
« Reply #48 on: April 27, 2023, 03:00:29 AM »
I'll give this one a spin as well, but literally every post so far has been further and further out of my wheelhouse.

I don't like to judge music without giving it a go though, so I've queued it up for today.

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #46 The saga continues
« Reply #49 on: April 27, 2023, 04:42:51 AM »
So, it's a 3-way tie for #48?  :lol
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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #46 The saga continues
« Reply #50 on: April 27, 2023, 05:08:57 AM »
So, it's a 3-way tie for #48?  :lol

The best Top 50s are actually Top 100s

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #46 The saga continues
« Reply #51 on: April 27, 2023, 05:20:07 AM »
So, it's a 3-way tie for #48?  :lol

It's all 48 :lol.

I'll give this one a spin as well, but literally every post so far has been further and further out of my wheelhouse.

I don't like to judge music without giving it a go though, so I've queued it up for today.

Hopefully things steer back into the wheelhouse with the next few coming up

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #46 The saga continues
« Reply #52 on: April 27, 2023, 07:18:29 AM »
I'll give this one a spin as well, but literally every post so far has been further and further out of my wheelhouse.

I don't like to judge music without giving it a go though, so I've queued it up for today.

Hopefully things steer back into the wheelhouse with the next few coming up

Yea I tapped out of this one, couldn't make it past the first few songs. I was huge into rap and hip hop as a 17 year old, but can't get on board with this current stuff (I am very aware of how old I sound  :lol ).

On the plus side, listening to that Ekcle EP again, and I'm really enjoying it, as it's so different to most of what I listen to.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2023, 07:32:08 AM by twosuitsluke »

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #46 The saga continues
« Reply #53 on: April 27, 2023, 08:29:38 AM »
I'd like to get more into hip hop, as some albums are among my very favorites, so I'll give this a go.

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #45 The newest addition
« Reply #54 on: May 01, 2023, 06:19:47 PM »
45. Lucy RoseNo Words Left



This is the newest addition to this list. I only discovered Lucy Rose through a Spotify recommendation of the song Question It All. I was sitting at work and stopped what I was doing when I heard the song. This hypnotic fretless bass comes in with some atmospheric guitar work that was reminiscent of Kaki King. Lucy's voice came in and just tied everything together.

I get super excited when I discover a song I love by an artist I'm not familiar with. I immediately dive in and start consuming everything I can find and truth be told it's usually a let down. I'd say a majority of the time the song I discover is the one song that's an outlier in the discography and the rest is kind of forgettable, not the case here! Going through her work I notice that she started as a more traditional singer/songwriter but with every passing album I saw more experimentation that had her stand out from a sea of singer/songwriters. Finally we arrive to her most recent full length album:

No Words Left starts off with "Conversation" which is a more traditional, delicate tune. You're greeted with a fragile voice over soft instrumentation that takes a little bit of an off kilter vibe towards the end. That continues into "No Words Left - Pt. 1" which sounds like something Steven Wilson could be involved with, it's both haunting and melancholy. For me the album peaks at "Treat Me Like A Woman" & "The Confines Of The World". The orchestration here is simply beautiful. There isn't a moment where she overpowers the song with her voice and instead takes the center stage when needed.

There is another interlude with "Just A Moment" before we get into a slightly more upbeat "Nobody Comes Round Here". The chorus is a little more structured and catchy which I think would make a great radio single. As we near closer to the end of the album we have "Save Me From Your Kindness" which has some interesting background vocal work that carries into "Pt. 2". We finally reach the end of the album with "Song After Song", a slight brighter tune that wraps up this 34 minute album.

This album has a lot going for it. It shares some of the same DNA as other artists I really enjoy like Feist or Kings Of Convenience but still establishes it's own identity

Give “Treat Me Like A Woman” and "The Confines Of This World a spin!

Album Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/7pmpIBfTUQFC5jTd6VgV22?si=PSVvDcAAQQ2egnttzeHvXg

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #45 The newest edition
« Reply #55 on: May 03, 2023, 09:27:47 AM »
I checked out that Matthew Halsall album and really dug it.  Glad I happened to check this list out.

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #45 The newest edition
« Reply #56 on: May 03, 2023, 12:21:07 PM »
that's awesome Bill, I'm glad you dug it :tup

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #44 this isn't going to go over well
« Reply #57 on: May 05, 2023, 11:21:50 AM »
44. Limp BizkitThree Dollar Bill, Y'all$



Alight so I've gotten very little response to the albums posted here so far so with this one I expect zero response :lol. Over the years I've sort of become obsessed with hearing new music, with that I rarely go back and listen to stuff I grew up with. With that realization I've been trying to go back and listen to some albums from my childhood this album was one of those.

I will argue up and down that Limp Bizkit has some great musicians who write some stellar music. Wes Borland is one of the most creative nu metal guitar players around, John Otto and Sam Rivers form an incredibly tight rhythm section one that is akin to Chad and Flea from RHCP. The problem lies with the backwards hat, JNCO jean wearing elephant in the room that goes by the name Fred Durst. He is a passable front man but his lyrical contributions range from ok to terrible, often leaning to towards the latter. That said though, listening through this album as a middle aged man and not a angsty middle school kid I'm surprised at how well it all holds up. If bad lyrical writing was the sole qualifier for a good album than most music on this forum wouldn't make the cut.

Tree Dollar Bill, Y'all is Limp Bizkit at it's heaviest and rawest, often that's the case with debut releases of bands. The album starts with brief Intro track before launching into "Pollution" and "Counterfeit". It's immediately apparent that the album is heavy, it's fast moving and relentless with the opening tracks. Wes, Sam, and John fucking slay on these songs. Moving into "Stuck" the bass line is more reminiscent of something you'd find on the first couple of Korn records. This carries through "Nobody Loves Me" and gets into "Sour" which has DJ Lethal take more more of the stage.

Moving on we get to "Clunk" which is one of favorite tracks off this record. The powerful bassline propels the song forward through it's interesting song structure, the song is perfect representation of the album. "Clunk" is followed by the only clunker of the album (see what I did there?!?!?!) "Faith". The George Michael cover that was everywhere, or at least that's how I remember it, which is ashame because I feel like it's really the only skippable track IMO. It feels like the band is trying to capture the popular trend of punk bands covering pop music. Things pick back up with "Stink Finger" and the album reaches it's conclusion with "Everything", a 16 minute track that has some post-rock sensibilities.

Looking through my list I feel like this album is the one that made it most on nostalgia so it's hard to separate myself from those memories of hearing it but I think that's also why I have to include it. It still rocks and brings me back to a time when I was really starting to explore music that wasn't contained to the collection my parents had.

Give “Pollution” and "Clunk a spin!

Album Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/3I34EprFC0rlAO4pKNeX1t?si=ecKG6TdbQD6TKjZcuj7WcA

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #44 this isn't going to go over well
« Reply #58 on: May 06, 2023, 02:15:40 PM »
Reap, I did give No Words Left a spin, but forgot to post about it. It was fine, but as with a lot of easy listening albums like that, it kinda washed over me. It's something my wife would like though for sure.

Onto the Bizkit. You know, I revisited a load of Limp Bizkit albums a few months ago, including Three Dollar Bill, Y'all.

I missed this album at the time it came out, and only really became aware of the band when the song Take a Look Around came out (I even taped it on cassette, off the radio). 17 year old me loved Chocolate Starfish, and that was definitely partly due to how huge Rollin' was, and that they used it (and My Way) on a few WWF Promos around that time.

My interest in the band dropped off as I got into other heavy bands, and I never went back through their catalogue as I had no interest. So yea, I only heard this album, in it's entirety, for the first time this year. Yea it's not bad, and as you said it's Durst who's kinda the weak link.

In the interest of this thread I've queued it up to listen again, either tonight or tomorrow.

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #44 this isn't going to go over well
« Reply #59 on: May 08, 2023, 07:06:26 AM »
44. Limp BizkitThree Dollar Bill, Y'all$



Alight so I've gotten very little response to the albums posted here so far so with this one I expect zero response :lol. Over the years I've sort of become obsessed with hearing new music, with that I rarely go back and listen to stuff I grew up with. With that realization I've been trying to go back and listen to some albums from my childhood this album was one of those.

I will argue up and down that Limp Bizkit has some great musicians who write some stellar music. Wes Borland is one of the most creative nu metal guitar players around, John Otto and Sam Rivers form an incredibly tight rhythm section one that is akin to Chad and Flea from RHCP. The problem lies with the backwards hat, JNCO jean wearing elephant in the room that goes by the name Fred Durst. He is a passable front man but his lyrical contributions range from ok to terrible, often leaning to towards the latter. That said though, listening through this album as a middle aged man and not a angsty middle school kid I'm surprised at how well it all holds up. If bad lyrical writing was the sole qualifier for a good album than most music on this forum wouldn't make the cut.

Tree Dollar Bill, Y'all is Limp Bizkit at it's heaviest and rawest, often that's the case with debut releases of bands. The album starts with brief Intro track before launching into "Pollution" and "Counterfeit". It's immediately apparent that the album is heavy, it's fast moving and relentless with the opening tracks. Wes, Sam, and John fucking slay on these songs. Moving into "Stuck" the bass line is more reminiscent of something you'd find on the first couple of Korn records. This carries through "Nobody Loves Me" and gets into "Sour" which has DJ Lethal take more more of the stage.

Moving on we get to "Clunk" which is one of favorite tracks off this record. The powerful bassline propels the song forward through it's interesting song structure, the song is perfect representation of the album. "Clunk" is followed by the only clunker of the album (see what I did there?!?!?!) "Faith". The George Michael cover that was everywhere, or at least that's how I remember it, which is ashame because I feel like it's really the only skippable track IMO. It feels like the band is trying to capture the popular trend of punk bands covering pop music. Things pick back up with "Stink Finger" and the album reaches it's conclusion with "Everything", a 16 minute track that has some post-rock sensibilities.

Looking through my list I feel like this album is the one that made it most on nostalgia so it's hard to separate myself from those memories of hearing it but I think that's also why I have to include it. It still rocks and brings me back to a time when I was really starting to explore music that wasn't contained to the collection my parents had.

Give “Pollution” and "Clunk a spin!

Album Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/3I34EprFC0rlAO4pKNeX1t?si=ecKG6TdbQD6TKjZcuj7WcA


Look, I listen to what moves me, and don't spend a lot of time on the extraneous stuff, but while I agree Wes is a really good player, there's something... false about Limp Bizkit.   It kinda seems to me they want to be sort of Slipknot, but they're not... Fred wants to be a music mogul, but he's not...  he's hard to get past.  I don't know if it is or not, never really bothered to find out, but he just screams "poser".  It all seems so planned and calculated. 

Plus - and I'll try to find a time stamp - but Durst does this annoying thing, I call it the "hip-hop thing" where he sings in this sing-song-y voice and it's the same little riff every time. I feel like it's in every song.  (Found it:  The melody to the line "Look into these eyes" at about 0:33 seconds).

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #44 this isn't going to go over well
« Reply #60 on: May 08, 2023, 08:30:21 AM »
I recently listened to a podcast with Fred Durst and it was a pretty interesting listen. He went on about how his dream was always to be a director not a singer, how at the start when Limp Bizkit was starting to get successful he was going to leverage that popularity into film making but that part of his career never really took off.

Offline Fonzie

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #44 this isn't going to go over well
« Reply #61 on: May 08, 2023, 09:14:46 AM »
‘Results May Vary’ was their best IM. No Borland, but I’m not sure how important that is.
‘Boiler’ from Starfish is their best track. As you say, Otto is a good drummer. Very underrated.

Offline LithoJazzoSphere

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #44 this isn't going to go over well
« Reply #62 on: May 09, 2023, 03:41:56 PM »
Yeah, I think Otto is even more key to their sound than Borland, who is usually the first candidate for the "hey guys, Limp Bizkit isn't actually that bad, it was just Durst's fault!" parade.  His grooves and kit sound on tracks like "Just Like This" and "Rearranged" are excellent.  I especially love the slowly increasing reverb on the kit at the end of the latter after the heavy guitars fade.  I actually think nu-metal like them and others heavily influenced me a few years later in terms of the metal I came to love.  The downtuned, bass-heavy sound of nu-metal guitars just has such a satisfying impact even if the songwriting and vocals from those bands is often shaky, to say the least. 

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #43 One of two acoustic records
« Reply #63 on: May 10, 2023, 06:39:01 PM »
w00t w00t update time!

43. GodsmackThe Other Side



I wouldn't classify myself as a Godsmack fan, I've heard a few hits on the radio, didn't hate them, didn't really think to investigate further. One of my buddies who I would jam out with suggested this album, he knew I loved acoustic albums especially of the unplugged variety.

When I gave this record a spin I was pretty surprised just at how tight the song writing and performances are. Not really a Godsmack fan so I recognized a couple songs and the ones that I didn't recognize I figured they were just renditions of songs I wasn't familiar with, it turned out I was wrong and this album does something that Nirvana's unplugged did which is to take the concept a little bit further than simply trading the Strat and Les Paul for a couple of Taylors. In addition to painting some of their singles with an acoustic brush they wrote some new tracks and reworked one entirely.

The first song "Running Blind" is one of those tracks. You're struck the raspy voice of Sully Erna blended perfectly between guitars, bass, and really great sounding drum kit. "Re-align", "Keep Away", and "Spiral" are straight ahead renditions of their radio hits, however the more obscure tracks like "Touche", and "Voices" are really the stars of the show. The former has a few guest performers, John Kosco and Lee Richards. Kosco add a lot of depth to the song and provides the perfect call to Sully's response. The 7-track album wraps with a bleek reworking of "Awake" in a track called "Asleep". The lyrics are altered, the tempo is much slower and Sully's voice is haunting.

Over time I did get around to listening to some Godsmack records but none of them captured my attention like this EP, I return to it frequently.

Give “Voices” and "Touche" a spin!

Album Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/13qGRN8tCEARDYxmMPdX35?si=DlEo9sWvTJWSq_zmGVTarQ

Up Next! Another acoustic record!

Online nick_z

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #43 One of two acoustic records
« Reply #64 on: May 11, 2023, 05:13:49 AM »
I do enjoy some Godsmack music from time to time, and I agree that this acoustic setting works pretty well…incidentally, Sully Erna’s solo record, Avalon, is pretty cool too. Quite different.

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #43 One of two acoustic records
« Reply #65 on: May 11, 2023, 07:08:08 AM »
I didn't realize Sully did a solo album, I'll give it a spin soon!

Offline Lonk

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #43 One of two acoustic records
« Reply #66 on: May 11, 2023, 07:32:37 AM »
Catching up with some of these. I've been listening to the albums I don't know just haven't commented on them.

46: Wiz Khalifa - There was a time when I would've enjoy this, but it just isn't for me anymore. There's very little I get out of this style of music. Side note, if I were to do a top 50 album, Eminem would probably make the list (maybe twice).

45: Lucy Rose - I enjoyed this, and it is quite beautiful. However, Similar to #46, there is very little I get out of this style of music, since the songs seem to blend in together (For me at least).

44: Limp Bizkit - Nothing against this album, but I always enjoyed Significant Other a little more. Plus, SO has what I believe to be Limp Bizkit best song (Not that it says much) in Re-Arranged.

43: Godsmack - I never been a huge fan of Godsmack, but whenever I do listen to their stuff I enjoy it. I did not know about this acoustic album and is pretty good  :tup
Vmadera has evolved into Lonk

Offline Stadler

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #43 One of two acoustic records
« Reply #67 on: May 11, 2023, 09:15:01 AM »
I'm not a huge Godsmack fan, but I like Sully's voice, and a good number of these bands - I don't know what the terms is, 'nu metal'? - have talent.  Staind is big up here in the northeast (they're nominally from the city right over the border into Massachusetts) and Aaron Lewis does acoustic shows down at the casino and elsewhere (like radio stations) and they are usually pretty highly regarded.  I know I like them.

Online Kwyjibo

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #43 One of two acoustic records
« Reply #68 on: May 11, 2023, 09:19:56 AM »
Big fan of Godsmack from the debut up to IV, including this one. I really like the reworked versions in an acoustic setting and the new songs too. Only downside is that it's relatively short, more like an EP.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: ReaperKK's Top 50 Albums v.2: #42 Two of two acoustic records
« Reply #69 on: May 13, 2023, 12:16:53 PM »
42. KissMTV Unplugged



I wouldn't classify myself as a Godsmack fan, I've heard a few hits... wait this is for the next album.

Well a lot of similar stuff can be said about Kiss that I said for Godsmack. Growing up I was never really familiar with their work and when I went to listen through their catalog I honestly didn't like a vast majority of it. I often wonder if the reason I like this album as much as I do is because my dad had it on laser disc and would play it frequently.

That said I think out of all the unplugged shows I've listened to this is one of the most fun to me, a lot of the songs translate really well live and, in my opinion, are superior to the electric counter parts. The whole gang seems on fire and really grooving well together. Bruce is a great soloist and Eric keeps everything together with a cool confidence.

The only stain on this record for me personally 2,000 Man. From what I've heard from Ace I never though he was great (although I won't deny his impact on guitar players) and his vocals on this track make it an instant skip. Despite that this album gets a lot of play time.

Unlike the other records on my list I'm going to forego the track breakdowns. I'm not really familiar enough with the source material to comment on the differences. I am curious though how this album is received by Kiss the community.

Give “Comin' Home” and "Goin' Blind" a spin!

Album Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/5rf66ReWkobYT88G0Ky52y?si=1i5H56sNRoej_BtGwQjdwg