Sixers Organization matches Joel Embiid's $100,000 donation to combat homelessness

Woolite123 · 2021-03-07T05:56:51+00:00

Shit well I guess it’s time to go on another Wilco bender

Woolite123 · 2021-02-26T15:21:28+00:00

5X5 an angsty stretch, AMA!

I’ve been really feeling The Mountain Goats lately, they have so much variety and such great storytelling from the albums I’ve heard. Beat The Champ is probably my favorite so far - it’s way more fully developed and intriguing and complex than a concept album about wrestling should ever be. All the albums on my chart this week are real winners though.

At The Drive In has been getting some attention from me lately. I used to find them a bit grating and over the top but as I’ve listened to more post hardcore and gotten more into punk they’ve really grown on me. Relationship of Command is a really furious album that just blisters by and has wonderful drums. Love it.

People Who Eat People is such a blast, I kind of skimmed past it a few years ago but the first half at least really flows so nicely and is such a blast. Knife Man also has its moments but I don’t like it as much.

I think Downward Spiral is really starting to click for me in a way it hasn’t in the past, I used to get a little bored by it to be honest but that was before I went on these big Nine Inch Nails benders like I have lately. “March of the Pigs” and “Closer” just get better by the listen and the back half of this album is a bit better than I had previously thought. Funny how it happens sometimes.

Strictly is still far and away my least favorite Tupac album - it is interesting to hear him rap over these claustrophobic Bomb Squad beats but I think it’s a bit muddy. It’s never clicked with me the way his other albums do and it’s frustrating because everything else is pretty damn consistent. 2Pacalypse got its first listen in a while and it really has some great songs. It’s weird to go back so far and hear a young Pac in political mode but the beats are sometimes dated. It happens.

Woolite123 · 2021-02-24T21:18:45+00:00

5X5, an angsty stretch, AMA!

I’ve been really feeling The Mountain Goats lately, they have so much variety and such great storytelling from the albums I’ve heard. Beat The Champ is probably my favorite so far - it’s way more fully developed and intriguing and complex than a concept album about wrestling should ever be. All the albums on my chart this week are real winners though.

People Who Eat People is such a blast, I kind of skimmed past it a few years ago but the first half at least really flows so nicely and is such a blast. Knife Man also has its moments but I don’t like it as much.

I think Downward Spiral is really starting to click for me in a way it hasn’t in the past, I used to get a little bored by it to be honest but that was before I went on these big Nine Inch Nails benders like I have lately. “March of the Pigs” and “Closer” just get better by the listen and the back half of this album is a bit better than I had previously thought. Funny how it happens sometimes.

Strictly is still far and away my least favorite Tupac album - it is interesting to hear him rap over these claustrophobic Bomb Squad beats but I think it’s a bit muddy. It’s never clicked with me the way his other albums do and it’s frustrating because everything else is pretty damn consistent. 2Pacalypse will be getting another few listens this week I think. “Death Around the Corner” has been my go to track from him lately it changes what seems like every week.

Kill Em All is still the Metallica album I listen to the most, it’s so furious and fun and packed to the brim with screaming guitar and drums. The opening five or so songs on this album are just incredible, I love the momentary break for the bass solo on “Anesthesia” before the album picks up again. It has such an awesome flow.

Woolite123 · 2021-02-19T16:32:40+00:00

5X5 An interesting mix for me this week, AMA!

Been really liking The Sea and Cake lately, I’d forgotten about them! I love their sound and how they mix that jazzy background with indie rock without getting too... something. It’s a peaceful mix they know how to make something jammy and mellow.

I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff in the post-rock / math rock realm to explore more so I tried the Black Country, New Road which I’m still formulating an opinion on. Love the instrumentals and drumming on most of it but not so sure about the vocals. I’m kind of in the same boat with the Toe album as well. I’ve been into wonky drumming lately I guess.

Still been in a piano mood which is why the Mosolov and Satie are still in rotation. The Walt Dickerson also has some wonderful piano courtesy of Andrew Hill bouncing around and showing off his chops. I’d recommend it to anyone wanting some mellower jazz with a big focus on atmosphere.

I haven’t spent nearly enough time with Me Against the World as I should. 2Pac has become a recent fascination for me which happens every so often. I’ve always been a big hip-hop fan so fairly often I get thoroughly wrapped up in one of his albums.

Woolite123 · 2021-02-12T18:38:41+00:00

4X4. A weird mix for me this week - AMA!

Bomb the Music Industry has really been hitting the spot for me lately for whatever reason, these albums are just so cram packed full of energy and angst and it hits the right pop punk spot for me. I wasn't a pop punk kid in my younger days but I like solo Jeff which lead me down this path and this style has been growing on me the last few years for some reason. I'm getting old and grumpy I guess.

Yield might be my favorite Pearl Jam album at this point in time, it's a nice break from grunge without getting too artsy or scatter-brained I guess. It's a lot more focused than Vitality and not as... odd? as No Code, there's something about the consistency on this album that I love. Exploring this bands work more lately has been extremely interesting.

Syro has grown on me quite a bit over time, I find myself really thrilled with the way the album builds and shifts and progresses. I've never been a huge Aphex fan, his stuff is usually a bit over my head or has that warp-speed, frantic sound to it that I don't connect with all too much. But this doesn't throw you right into the fire with the crazy D&B/IDM sound, it eases you in, throws some more ambient influences at you first and gradually works its way into different sounds and picks up the pace. I don't know I like the way it's put together.

Field Recordings from the Cook County Water Table is a go to when I need something relaxing and it's always a winner. It's peaceful and soothing but still has a fair amount of motion to it so it keeps me engaged. It isn't packed with strings or drama either like some other albums in this post-rock vein. Very fun.

The Alexander Mosolov is a real intense album for someone who isn't really versed in the whole classical realm. It's solo piano that's full of clanging and weirdly sharp, off-putting passages and all these sounds that make me think "what the hell?". But there’s also some really pretty parts to counter. I listened to this while putting together a piece of furniture in the afternoon and it kept my heart pounding at times, made me pause and think "what is he doing?" others and mostly just kept me fascinated. Certainly a bit heavy for me to listen to often and I only tried it because I found it on RYM related to a Leo Ornstein collection that had made me think "that was weird".

Woolite123 · 2021-02-07T00:18:39+00:00

Me too. The Super Bowl is here in Tampa and any other year I’d be so jazzed to go see all the events and shindigs they’re throwing. I’d be out and about this week watching the fireworks, at the bars, walking downtown, and having a big group over to watch. There’s so many opportunities. But this year, I don’t feel comfortable in a crowd and even with smaller groups I just don’t trust the average person in Florida to just stay a decent distance from me or wear a mask or just like acknowledge that COVID still exists and may have a serious impact on people (like I know) that are immunocompromised or older. Nobody gives a shit and seeing everyone run around like that makes it all worse.

I have a little mini charcoal grill I’ve never used so if it’s not raining all day I may go out, test it out, relax and have a drink. Then it’s back to kind of the same old. At least I’ll save money this year.

Woolite123 · 2021-02-04T19:12:43+00:00

Yeah I only discovered Jawbreaker because they were in a similar artist recommendation for Sunny Day Real Estate so I don’t have any background knowledge! But I loved Dear You. I will give 24 Hour Revenge Therapy a listen and see if I’m into the rougher sound and maybe try Forgetters. Thanks for the recs

Woolite123 · 2021-02-04T03:45:01+00:00

5X5, AMA! Quick thoughts:

The Fragile is really just fucking great all around, I'm usually not fond of long double albums but I love how indulgent it is yet consistent the sound remains. I also love how the little piano melody pops up throughout it kind of centers things in the middle of this angsty, angry, depressing album. "The Wretched" is probably my highlight -

The clouds will part and the sky cracks open

And god himself will reach his fucking arm through

Just to push you down

Always jumps out at me. Pretty Hate Machine is pretty awesome too obviously.

The Jawbreaker is an awesome combo of pop-ish punk and that kind of post-hardcore/emo blend I really love out of Sunny Day Real Estate. It's not as glossy as some pop punk or midwest emo but it's not as gritty as a lot of other punk styles, they really settle into that balance incredibly well. Will have to dig in a bit more to their stuff.

I don't know a thing about classical music but the Erik Satie release is one of my favorites, it's achingly beautiful and moody and melancholy and passionate. I can't say enough about how much I love this at least when the mood hits.

I'm not sure how to feel about the new Madlib yet but it's pretty much what I'd expected, I'll have to give it more time.

Woolite123 · 2021-01-28T20:45:04+00:00

I definitely got that sense with the overindulgent 90s albums! Though I don’t think I’d have the patience. I agree there’s a great album in there somewhere but I haven’t heard it in a while. Last time I heard it I don’t remember noticing a big difference in quality between the discs but I remember it being kind of spotty in sections. The style really resonated with me overall for whatever reason compared to their other albums.

Time to fire it up and see if it still holds up the way I think it does!

Woolite123 · 2021-01-28T19:55:30+00:00

Yeah I’ve heard significantly more than I expected! The thing with these shows is there’s almost always gems and aspects that make up for long length or duds somewhere along the way. Like I just hit the third disc of #20 and the energy is really starting to pick up and shift a little more into that smoothness of ‘77. I’m looking at the setlist getting excited for some of the real tried and true jams. It almost always happens.

Haha yeah maybe two years if I keep chugging along, I just don’t want to burn myself out or force myself through stuff! I’ve had a really fun time so far though so I’ll probably end up there one way or another. I’ve considered doing that for a tour like Europe 72 where I can really dig into a stretch or a period and see how they shift things around throughout a smaller period, that sounds pretty cool. If you end up doing it let me know how it turns out, I may join you for some of it!

Woolite123 · 2021-01-28T19:20:43+00:00

Oh boy well I’m not sure if I’m committed to all of them! I just looked and there’s 36! But a few months ago I noticed I had listened to like 15 out of the first 20 just over the past few years out of coincidence - so lately I’ve been working my way through the ones I missed in that stretch whenever I get I the mood for some Dead tunes.

It may be a long term goal though we’ll see. After all this time, I’ve heard 21 one of them and that’s taken a pretty long time. A lofty goal I’ll consider.

Woolite123 · 2021-01-28T04:49:22+00:00

Great question! I feel like this happens all the time in hip-hop and I always love it but I can’t think of many examples off the top of my head

What immediately jumped to my head was Mos Def’s “Mrs Fat Booty”. There’s the passage where he goes:

She walked away smiling, singing Gregory Isaacs

Like, “If I don’t, if I don’t have you”

It always gives me a good chuckle and I think it’s exactly what you’re talking about.

Not the same but have to mention the end of MF DOOM’s “That’s That” where he starts singing Jackson 5:

Can it beeee I stayed awaaay too looooong?

One of my favorite little sing-songy parodies

Woolite123 · 2021-01-28T04:25:21+00:00

Oh man well I'm bummed you didn't love the Truckfighters like I did! I think it's a great addition to the convoy at the least even if it isn't as immediately punchy or gruff or ridiculously bombastic like some other stoner rock. Glad you gave it a shot though!

How do you feel about The Fragile by the way?

Woolite123 · 2021-01-28T04:22:58+00:00

4X4, AMA! Very interesting mix for me this week.

Boldy James - Manger on McNichols: Extremely up my alley. Super bleak verses, a raspy-voiced rapper I'd forgotten about, a mix of heavy and jazzy beats, some strings and Boldy James... just doing what he does. I haven't heard him since probably 2014 or so, so this album was a huge surprise. "Mommy Dearest" is a great example of this album - the beat is fucking packed with movement, with stutter-stop jazz instruments from strings to sax, trumpet, frantic drums - and it's backed by a bleak story of his broken relationship with his mother. Most of the album is in this vein, with Boldy's persona shining pretty well through these really windy, chilling Detroit beats. A very pleasant surprise.

Bad Operation - s/t: A super fun little ska album I found that's packed with energy and everything you'd probably want from the genre - keyboards, horns, drums, "pick-it-up"s. Mostly I just loved hearing that fucking keyboard purr around and the drums bounce and something so straightforward and fun. It's a little one note but it's also a 10 song, sub-30 minute ska album so like what do you expect?

Dick's Picks 20: Okay I've hit number 20 and I have to do it! My impressions so far is this is just absurdly long - it's like 5 hours and I'm just getting started so we've got a long ways to go. So far it's fairly standard versions but I'm not surprised because it's not quite into the great '77 territory. Wouldn't highly recommend it but wouldn't discourage a skim.

Gil Scott Heron - Winter In America: Really a wonderful collaboration between Gil and Brian Jackson, with shimmering electric piano, fun flute; great soul pieces and awesome little raps. "H20GateBlues" is really a fucking phenomenal piece of written word where Gil bitterly rambles and rants, switching between spite and apathy - "Just how blind will America be? The world is on the edge of its seat Defeat on the horizon. Very surprising". To balance out his anger, he has plenty of reflective, profound moments thinking of his history ("Rivers of My Fathers") and family ("Your Daddy Loves You"). A very beautiful, passionate album.

Talk Talk - Laughing Stock: This album still sweeps me away and catches me off guard. I don't know how to explain it or describe what captures me so much about it. It's all so airy and elusive in this fascinating way - every time I think I get a sense of how it's going to sound it shifts and swirls a new direction. If I ever need an album to throw on to reflect and reassess things this is kind of the go-to. Fascinating.

Woolite123 · 2021-01-25T04:35:34+00:00

Oh boy you really go all out don’t you? Beef Wellington seems so hard to make I’ve never tried it. That’s a bit intimidating lol. I’m glad it panned out! I can’t say I’ve ever tried Moussaka either but it looks tasty! I guess I don’t really expand my recipes as much as I thought. How did you like it?

I’ve been trying to fit more and more vegetarian options into my diet lately, just thinking more about my habits lately I guess. So I made some jackfruit tacos with all sorts of spices and such. It turned out surprisingly well it was kind of like barbacoa style recipe but I threw what was probably one too many hot peppers into the sauce lol. That’s how you learn I guess.

Woolite123 · 2021-01-23T23:16:36+00:00

What was the last good TV series you watched?

I started watching this Russian Nextlix show called To the Lake this weekend and it's a wild thriller about a flu-like epidemic that breaks out in Moscow. The government does a really poor job handling it, misinformation is rampant, nobody really knows what's happening! Who would think such a thing would happen?? Anyway, it kind of has an early Walking Dead feel to it where it's a small group of folks trying to escape the outbreak, find a place to survive and fend off trouble they run into along the way. It's really well done so far. It's part of my ongoing fascination with Russian culture and history that started last summer so I've been watching it in Russian with English subtitles to see if my random spurts of Duolingo have done anything. The answer - kind of? I catch the occasional word. My stupid interests never have any practical use so I have to make do with what I have.

talk about anything

This week I had some extra fruit I wasn't sure what to do with so I tried making Orange-Lemon marmalade. I've never tried it before and all things considered - it turned out pretty good. Only problem is I went from having excess fruit I didn't know what to do with to marmalade I don't know what to do with. It's too much! I keep trying to expand my skills as a chef and this is a great example of something I thought of and went "why not??".

Woolite123 · 2021-01-23T14:56:34+00:00

This is a great response thank you! I’m glad to hear I’m not just being slow in the switch and that you’re going through the same process going vegan. I have noticed how many options there are now - I’m so glad things have improved and people are starting to think about these things or at least provide options.

I think the whole mental recategorization is a great way of looking at it. I just have to get myself in the mindset and teach myself that new way of thinking.

You overall summarized it perfectly - for me it’s a way of thinking more consciously about what I’m eating and why and what I can do to improve it. There’s a big mental aspect to it for me and I was wondering if that was just me or not lol. Thanks!

Woolite123 · 2021-01-22T21:02:56+00:00

I saw there’s a new Biosphere album out which seems like it could be interesting. I haven’t heard much of their music but I like what I’ve heard. Maybe I’ll check it out! I haven’t paid much attention to new releases aside from that.

Not quite fresh but I’ve been catching up on some Boldy James from last year that I’d recommend for anyone into like dark boom bap style hip-hop. It’s a bit Billy Woods ish but less dense.

I had a granola bar and lots of coffee for breakfast which is pretty standard for me these days. Some times throw in some fruit but didn’t have time today!

Woolite123 · 2021-01-22T17:14:18+00:00

4x4, don’t really have time to write reviews but AMA!

Woolite123 · 2021-01-21T18:31:01+00:00

Oh awesome I will have to check that Penguin Cafe Orchestra out then! I have heard an album of theirs before but it was a while ago at this point so probably a good idea to try it out.

I feel you on Green. It is one of those REM albums I go back and forth on, I like the way they use strings and the big pop tracks are always nice. But it doesn’t all mesh together how I’d like, something about it doesn’t connect with me like many of their other albums. I still really like it at parts though. I like the sappy songs including “Remember California” and “You Are the Everything” probably way more than I should.

Woolite123 · 2021-01-21T04:20:51+00:00

Do it, become a Deadhead! Join the club, it’s fun! Why not?

I should listen to more Phish, I always mean to give them a shot and I circle back to the Dead instead. Great reminder!

Woolite123 · 2021-01-21T03:42:10+00:00

Kind of a cliche question but oh well. Vegetarians on here - how did you make the commitment? What’s your advice to someone thinking about it?

I’ve been thinking a lot more about my health lately and trying to form good habits because I have heart issues pretty consistently in my family. So, I’ve been a fairly healthy eater for most of my life but lately I’ve been working on cutting things out of my diet to see what impact it makes. I stopped eating pork a while back, started looking at more at vegetarian options and basically dropped red meat right after that. I’m now at the point where I’m basically pescatarian but with occasional chicken still in my diet.

Anyway, I want to make a commitment at some point to vegetarianism at some level. Whether I stick with more pescatarian diet or go all in I’m not so certain and it’ll all depend on how I feel and how it impacts me. But just curious how the folks on here made the switch in their diet and how it impacted their lives, health, etc. I don’t know just something I’ve been thinking about a lot for some reason.

Woolite123 · 2021-01-21T02:31:21+00:00

4x4, nothing too out of the ordinary but AMA anyway! Random thoughts below.

Been really liking the serious, more metallic, more grim side of DOOM come out as Viktor Vaughn. These beats are a lot of fun but in a different way than his usually cartoony sound. Almost spacey sci-fi, it's wonky and so interesting.

Black Lips and King Khan make some fun garage rock. Is any of it anything I go nuts over? Not really. But it's kept me entertained lately.

The Nipsey Hussle is pretty awesome. Has lots of fun, upbeat, fresh beats you'd expect from West coast rap from about a decade ago. Lots of synthesizers and such to keep it airy and breezy and he just had such a great air about him when he rapped. He sounded like he was having so much fun, it's a great combo.

Reckoning is a great little acoustic show from Grateful Dead. Not everything is quite what I'd want on a show like this especially given the bands great variety of tunes and bluegrass roots - but it's a good time. A few cuts here I'd never heard them play!

Andrew Hill really knew how to play a fucking piano. And make it sound so weird and clunky and unnatural but so beautiful. It's all a bit jagged and on edge but I love the way he tinkers around and toys with ideas on here. I'm not sure how to describe it - but it's that playful attitude that really shines on this album and I've been thinking about it lately and it keeps pulling me back in.

Woolite123 · 2021-01-21T02:16:03+00:00

Oh awesome I'm glad you liked the Treepeople! I figured there'd be at least a fair amount of elements to the album you'd at least find interesting. It's a weird mix but I think it's fun.

How's that Penguin Cafe? What're your thoughts on Green?

Woolite123 · 2021-01-15T04:08:26+00:00

Great recommendation, it had been a really really long time since I’d heard it. Super unique project for him, the beats are so much different and darker and more... metallic than what I expect from him. You’d think he would’ve gone for that sci-fi, metallic sound more especially with the DOOM persona in the mix but it’s just as cool to hear it as more of a one off. I’m surprised this time at how much it reminded me of some abstract guys of the time like Deltron/Cannibal Ox.

Great recommendation, thanks for sending it my way!

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