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Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison (1968)

Genre: country, outlaw country, rockabilly, traditional country

Length: 45:25

I knew that I'd probably fall in love with this album for some time, but until I actually listened to it, I really had no idea how much I would enjoy country legend Johnny Cash's At Folsom Prison, a live album recorded at Folsom State Prison in California in May 1968. Right from the first song, the listener is brought into the very room with Cash and the inmates at Folsom. His piercing acoustic breakdowns are best experienced in a car, windows down, amazingly loud and, if you're lucky enough, shortly after some kind of negative event in one's personal life, like a heartbreak.

It is a strange feeling to feel as one with the huge band of inmates, whose whoops and cries and yells are recorded alongside Cash's superb delivery of nearly every song. Cash is not alone on this, there are many other musicians and even another vocalist, Jane Carter, who jumps in at Jackson. Cash'll have you a-laughin', as in 25 Minutes to Go, a humorous take on an inmate's perspective of an execution, and he'll have you a-cryin', because almost everyone can relate to the lyrics of I Still Miss Someone. Overall, beautiful, beautiful album, the very definition of a fun time. My favorite on this must be Cocaine Blues for its simultaneously humorous and serious tone and theme.

But I shot a man in Reno Just to watch him die . . .

Links: Spotify | YouTube

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TV Girl - French Exit (2014)

Genre: indie pop, neo-psychedelia, plunderphonics, bedroom pop, hypnagogic pop, indietronica, trip hop

Length: 40:42

I think this album can best be described as delightfully colorful and playful, with a potent tinge of sad-boy-hours-type indie bedroom pop lyrics and feel. Indeed, TV Girl has become somewhat of a pariah in today's popular music scene, if only because the lyrics to most of the songs on French Exit are laden with references to failed romantic and sexual aspirations and the exaggerated (though sometimes quite real) longing toward women specifically felt by the stereotypical young cishet boy of today – or the past 10 years or so, rather.

Still, despite being drenched in this kind of "cringey" incel energy, French Exit is a beautiful plunderphonic pop album that may radically change its listeners' opinions on how sample-heavy a song may be. Playful song themes like an enchanted Vietnam War soldier in Pantyhose (referencing Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried), and the rush of getting away with sexual delinquency in Daughter of a Cop give the album a somewhat lighthearted feel, but they are contrasted by deeply emotional songs like Lovers Rock and envy ballad Her and Her Friend. Overall, a gem of an album and a moment of recent popular music history that should be experienced. Major downside is the lead's voice. My favorite song on this is The Getaway for its excellent use of dialoguing samples.

Links: YouTube | Spotify

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Pretend - Bones in the Soil, Rust in the Oil (2009)

Genre: post-rock, math rock, midwest emo, slowcore

Length: 77:11

This album is just gorgeous and, in my opinion, the near-perfect execution of what that vague term midwest emo seeks to accomplish. Intricate and complex drumming that seems to dance with itself, Luke Palascak's soft and delicate singing, and, yes, all the twinkles. As a post-rock album, too, many of the songs are complete in their orchestration. Sequencing seems to have changed over the years as I've streamed this one, but what appears to be the final version of the album has an excellent buildup and release that comes to a head on the track that the album is named for.

Overall, Bones in the Soil, Rust in the Oil is an amazing midwest emo album that evokes the emotional milieu of modern dilemmas people face nowadays. Enjoyers of American Football or Cap'n'Jazz are sure to find enjoyment of Pretend in equal measure to the legacy of the Kinsella twins. Perfect for rainy days or simply overcast ones. My favorite song on this is Legs to Walk Us, to Drop Us. That buildup and the release at "Forget about the cost of it all..." – sure to cause goosebumps!

Links: Spotify | YouTube

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Молчат Дома - Этажи (2018)

[transliteration: Molchat Doma - Etazhi | translation: Houses are Silent - Floors]

Genre: coldwave, darkwave, synthpop, gothic rock

Length: 33:13

I was surprised to find that RateYourMusic does not consider Etazhi post-punk. It is certainly a genre that I expected to add onto this post when I listened through the album. Some element of postmodern, darkened, synth-infused post-punk was what I had thought I'd listened to. Regardless of naming specifics, Molchat Doma's Etazhi is an excellent exhibition of coldwave punk, deeply mixed with gothic influences.

Belarusian coldwave act Molchat Doma blow listeners away with a cohesive and consistent album across all of its songs. There's the very danceable Танцевать [Tantsyevat' | Dance], contrasted by the ominous vocal performance on Коммерсанты [Commyersant'y | Businesspeople]. The theme of this album seems to be the hopelessness of life in Eastern Europe in the post-Soviet collapse era, but that could certainly just be my dandy Western ears making projections. Overall, my favorite song on this was Фильмы [Fil'm'y | Movies], or maybe the following song for its lovely dramatic vocal performance, Волны [Voln'y | Waves].

Links: YouTube | Spotify

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Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)

Length: 1:14:19

Genre: post-punk, art punk, post-hardcore, funk rock, punk blues

Energetic punk rock from legendary California band Minutemen. Double Nickels on the Dime delivers its listeners to a seaside San Pedro punk show, with leadsingers D. Boon and Mike Watt as their hosts. Youthful, lively, and raw, Double Nickels on the Dime is a classic in the post-punk scene and likely one of its greatest albums of all time.

The album is overtly political, with references to the Vietnam war in Viet Nam, the threat of proletarian revolution in Theatre Is the Life of You, and the great divide between the West and the Communist bloc in West Germany. The theme is simple: get fired up about the system, but enjoy the party while it lasts. While I liked nearly every song, I did not like the song You Need the Glory - it sticks out like the sorest thumb in the middle of the otherwise perfect album. My favorite song on this is Viet Nam for its puncturing lyrics and explosive feel.

Links: YouTube | Spotify

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Seapony - Go With Me (2011)

Genre: dream pop, indie pop, indie surf, bedroom pop, twee pop, noise pop

Length: 37:39

Light, refreshing – like a surf rock version of easy-listening, Go With Me is an enchanting little album. The album is mostly lo-fi surf rock ballads, each led by vocalist Jen Weidl. Weidl's ethereal vocals are backed up by a guitar and drums for simple but savory melodies and rhythms.

The ocean and the sea seem to be huge themes on this, which make for an enjoyable "coastal" feel to the whole record - especially in the song Into the Sea. Some lyrical themes along with the sea are uncertainty in romantic encounters, as in I Never Would, and certainty in others, as in I Really Do. Despite these dramatic themes, the entire album retains a sense of lightheartedness that is refreshing to take in on a nice spring day. My favorite song on this is Always, for its nostalgic and playful melodies.

Links: Spotify | YouTube

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Lola's Pocket PC - Lola's Pocket PC (2019)

Genre: synthpop, electropop, synthwave, indietronica, dream pop, progressive pop, art pop, chillsynth

Length: 31:12

Lola's Pocket PC's self-titled album is a lush and ambient synthpop piece that'll have any listener in deep contemplation. Short, dynamic, ethereal and colorful, Lola's Pocket PC blasts its listeners with a ray of feminine energy right from the start. It's worth noting that Sputnik, the alias of the artist behind Lola's Pocket PC is also known as Weatherday.

Though I had trouble interpreting the lyrics, there is a deep sense of melancholy throughout each song. The opener, Pocket PC, starts with a subtle electronic requiem that expands into a synthetic orchestra, topped by Sputnik's brilliant vocal performance. Beauty to be appreciated in the cascading synth on You Have Telescoping Arms and Fingers (But I Still Love Yooou!). My favorite song on this album is Your Near-Death Experience.

Links: YouTube | Spotify

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Various Artists - The Music of Islam, Vol. 15 - Muslim Music of Indonesia; Aceh and West Sumatra (1998)

Genre: Islamic religious music, Southeast Asian classical music, Indonesian music, rapai dabõih, Minangkabau music

Length: 149:23

Starting off with a ritual song about handling Sumatran tigers, this album manages to strike an odd balance between being hauntingly beautiful and, frequently in the first segment, mind-numbingly repetitive. But I would argue that the hauntingly beautiful parts largely outweigh the dragging repetition that one may feel when listening to the fourth segment of Dol-Tasa drumming.

It's rather difficult to put into words the way the voices of the singers toward the end of the first segment, in Salawek Dulang: Lagu Meriam Penangkis (Song of the Cannon Interceptor) get stuck in one's mind long after the song has played. The drone and warp of the mens' voices are very moving, if one has the ear for it. The second segment of this album is top tier, with female Seudati (a traditional Acehnese dance) singers inundating the listener with a series of beautiful, pseudo-a cappella melodies. My favorite song on this album is Phõ and the subsequent Seudati Inong series, for which I was unable to find a proper translation.

Links: Spotify | YouTube

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Deerhoof - Offend Maggie (2008)

Genre: indie rock, math pop, experimental rock, noise pop, art rock

Length: 43:26

Bright, airy, full of sunshine - the feeling of plans to be made on a nice, crisp weekend morning. That's the kind of life that legendary math rock band Deerhoof has breathed into Offend Maggie, an eclectic record from the mid-2000s. Nearly every song on this album has some indescribably joyful tone to it, and the ones that don't really don't. It makes for a jagged listen, but somehow, Deerhoof manages to pull it off perfectly and deliver a smooth, playful listening experience.

I will admit that Satomi Matsuzaki's voice may take some getting used to for the pickiest listeners. I'm generally a pretty harsh judge when it comes to vocals, but Satomi's voice and its incredible range grew on me as I listened to this album more over time. Eventually, her dramatic moments on Chandelier Searchlight and Jagged Fruit totally captured my heart. I think she'll capture yours, too. My favorite song on this is Snoopy Waves.

Links: YouTube | Spotify

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John Coltrane - Giant Steps (1960)

Genre: jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, post-bop

Length: 37:03

This is the first jazz album I'm reviewing for this page, and it's killer. One of the first jazz albums I had ever heard, John Coltrane's buttery saxophone on Giant Steps gets you dancing right away with a bundle of sway and class.

Difficult to describe the bustling everydayness of the opening song and how perfectly it leads into the rest of the album, Giant Steps – it's more something that ought to be experienced for itself. Preferably at a café or on your way to an airport, perhaps. Between this song and Mr. P.C., the other business-y bop song at the end, the listener is gifted with a legendary array of jazz songs delivered by a master. My favorite song on this is Naima, a delightfully lovely song John Coltrane wrote for his wife.

Links: YouTube | Spotify

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(n.d.) 1יחזקאל ציון - אזמר בשבחין

[transliteration: Yehezkel Zion - Izmar Bashativ 1 | translation: Yehezkel Zion - I Will Sing In Praise 1]

Genre: piyyut, sephardic, Jewish liturgical music

The perfection continues. I was graciously introduced to this album by Spotify's Daylist function, which has slowly become one of my favorite functions of the streaming service. This is because I find strange little albums like I Will Sing In Praise 1 by Israeli piyyut artist Yehezkel Zion.

While I don't know when this album was released, the recording quality and general traditional feel of it seem to indicate that this was recorded sometime in the early 80s. It happens to be my first foray into sephardic music, an interesting coincidence as I myself happen to have sephardic roots. What I found was a beautiful, almost timeless record with varied instrumentation and dramatic, soulful singing.

Listeners of I Will Sing In Praise 1 may find themselves enjoying the contemplative mood induced by songs like the opener, פתיחה אודה ה (pticha odeh Ha' | Opening: I will thank God), or in פתיחה יודוך כל (pticha yoducha kol | Opening: All Will Give Thanks). I sure did. Or, perhaps, some may find more enjoyment in the faster-paced, danceable Middle Eastern rhythms on יה רופאי הודו (yah rofei hodu | Yah, My Healer, Give Thanks) or my personal favorite on this one, חכמה בינה (chokhmah binah | Wisdom and Understanding).

Links: Spotify | YouTube

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Don Caballero - Don Caballero 2 (1995)

Genre: math rock, post-hardcore, noise rock, post-rock, brutal prog, ambient industrial

Length: 58:58

Of all the Don Caballero albums that I've listened to, Don Caballero 2 is certainly the most intense. From the beginning, stressful guitars and a simmering, tensive rhythm delivered by legendary drummer Damon Che take the listener into a chaotic soundscape. The cover of this album is particularly fitting, in my opinion. The various smoke plumes evoke a sense of industriousness, and the fast-paced, rough, but ultimately completely calculated movement of this album reflects in kind. Don Caballero continues to impress listeners with their complexity and orchestral math rock numbers—all while keeping their eclectic and unusual song titles.

The industrial streak hits at least two high points: first, on Please Tokio, Please THIS IS TOKIO, when, toward the end of the song, metal clangs, an unsettling ambient atmosphere, and even some kind of drill tool that sounds like it's cutting through steel become the only sources of sound; then, in the middle of Repeat Defender, when a blaring, high-pitched alarm sound crescendos with Ian Williams on the guitar. Some listeners may find these specific moments irritating. I personally greatly enjoy them. One other worthy mention is Cold Knees -In April, which is a very strange little ambient-tribal sounding song, the softest four minutes on the album. My favorite song on this is No One Gives a Hoot About FAUX-ASS Nonsense, both for its title and its beauty as a song.

Links: Spotify | YouTube

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Héctor Lavoe - A Man and His Music: La Voz (2007)

Genre: salsa dura, guaguancó

Length: 151:09

The sonorous and instantly gripping voice of legendary salsero Héctor Lavoe, commonly known only as La Voz (The Voice) in Latin America, takes you on a trip through the barrios of New York City to introduce you to the sound of the latino working class: salsa! In this wonderful compilation curated by Fania Records, the leading salsa record company throughout the 1970s, the listener is treated to the same everyday songs that my grandma and all of my tías adored in their heydays.

One struggles to describe the blissful nostalgia that can be felt hearing the blare of Willie Colón's trumpet, accompanied by an assortment of backing singers and, of course, La Voz himself. The first track, Aguanilé (watered down), takes strong influences from native tribal and Yoruba vodún ritual music. Quickly ushered back into the world of traditional salsa for the rest of the album, one cannot go without hearing Lavoe's all-time classic, El Cantante (The Singer), or miss the Puerto Rican New Yorker anthem, Mi Gente (My People). No matter how you're approaching this album, you're sampling a piece of Latin American cultural history that has lasted, and will continue to last, generations. My favorite song on this compilation is Periódico de Ayer (Yesterday's Newspaper), probably the greatest breakup song written from the male perspective written in our time.

Links: Spotify | YouTube

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Daedelus - Invention (2002)

Genre: glitch hop, IDM, folktronica, easy listening, lounge, instrumental hip hop, experimental hip hop

Length: 45:19

I enjoyed this album, though I admit that I often found it somewhat underwhelming. Invention by Daedelus is full of light, airy, interesting soundscapes. Occasionally mixed into the ambient soundscapes are samples. Some, like Astroboy, take up the entire song and seem to be telling a narrative of some kind. Personally, I wasn't a fan of any of the larger samples, they seemed to take away from the musical talent being showcased on the album. Daedelus is able to present his ear for eclectic and wispy sounds through this work.

It's no wonder that this experimental exploration of sounds became the basis for some of MF Doom's most famous songs. The background accordion in Doom's Accordion, off of Madvillainy (2004), comes straight from the song Experience on this album. Experience, the song itself, is a touching ambient song that features Daedelus singing a light tune to the stretch of a somewhat highly pitched accordion. Excellent choice by Doom in selecting a backing sample – he had plenty to choose from on Invention.

Links: YouTube | Spotify

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Guerilla Toss - Twisted Crystal (2018)

Genre: neo-psychedelia, zolo, new wave, art pop, dance-punk

Length: 29:32

Of the three Guerilla Toss albums I've reviewed so far, Twisted Crystal has been the most mild and "traditional" in terms of punk music that this group has released. However, that's not saying anything, really. Because, like any other work I've heard by this band, Twisted Crystal incorporates the freedom, explosiveness, and stimulating sound of contemporary zolo.

Twisted Crystal harkens back to the experimental psychedelic sounds of the late 60s to the early 80s in subtle ways. Synthesizers shine brilliantly all throughout. This vintage influence is visible on the cover, but is also very clearly heard in songs like Come up With Me, which almost sounds like an unearthed sped-up ballad from the 80s. Kassie Carlson brings her unorthodox style of singing to the fore, especially in strange songs like Hacking Machine. The band introduces pseudo-spiritual concepts such as what is natural in Meteorological or the cult-like behavior of some Christian communities in Jesus Rabbit. Overall, Twisted Crystal is an enjoyable addition to Guerilla Toss's discography. My favorite song from this album is Meteorological.

Links: YouTube | Spotify

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DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ - Charmed (2020)

Genre: house, plunderphonics, french house, future funk, nu-disco, progressive house, dance-pop, funky house, deep house, synthpop, outsider house

Length: 3:03:53

If someone were to ask me, decades from now, what album described the way life felt like in the early 2020s, I'm nearly certain I would choose this wonderful monolith, this testimony to the human creative experience. DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ's Charmed is a beautiful work of art that will change your perspective on the potentials of club and house music as they are generally known.

Mixing hundreds, maybe thousands, of samples taken from a huge variety of sources, blending them with your standard 4/4 house beat, and throwing in a thematic tendency toward pure love, Charmed does nothing less than leave its listener charmed. Some have described it as the only worthy sequel to the legendary Since I Left You (2000) by The Avalanches. Personally, I think it's even greater. Though quite long at just over three hours, I can attest that every single song is worth a listen, each with its own take on a spectacular concept. The transitions between songs are seamless and playful. The general feel of the album is optimistic, uplifting, happy, something like summer. My favorite song on this album is Love Foundation, specifically its transition through By The Pool and into Pool Party – this sequence has gotten me through some of my hardest days.

I know which album is going to get a full play through at my wedding reception.

You can also follow DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ here right here on tumblr: @djsttdj!

Links: YouTube | Spotify

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Don Caballero - What Burns Never Returns (1998)

Genre: math rock, post-rock, noise rock

Length: 47:29

What Burns Never Returns is the first math rock album I ever listened to by Pittsburgh's legendary Don Caballero. Following my recent review on the world's most famous bossa nova album, I thought I'd jump right into the world's most famous math rock album. I remember when I first heard it, at least 6 or so years ago, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. No lyrics?

But I kept returning and returning, and I eventually molded my ears to the sublime sounds of this endlessly beautiful album. A savory, warm balance of complexity and energy, with hints of playfulness all throughout. I have yet to have burned out my love for it, because every time I revisit it, there's some new phrase that Damon Che's drums throw at me, or a feeling I'd missed while losing myself in Mike Banfield's wavy, bendy melodies, and I just can't be bothered to skip the album even up to the last track with its fitting title, June is Finally Here. Eventually, this album, just like American Don (2000), became another soundtrack to my life, in my ears. My favorite song on this is Room Temperature Suite, a rare song from Don Caballero that includes choir-like vocals in the background of its peak crescendos. Just brilliant.

Links: YouTube | Spotify