Crazy's 2023 purchases

[CRAZY-HORSE]

YOUNG FATHERS  "heavy heavy"  

released:  3rd February 2023

format owned:   vinyl

chart stats:   #7 UK,  #2 SCOT

singles:

"geronimo".............no chart action
"i saw"...................no chart action
"tell somebody"......no chart action
"rice".....................no chart action

from Scotland...
fourth studio album, a first for me...
art-pop,hip-hop, avant-pop, lo-fi alternative...
a solid album that sounds really cool,
maybe like if Prodigy was on valium, similar vibe to PiL in places and sampling like Fatboy Slim or Moby...
love the tribal beats and various styles...
album sounds better listening in one sitting as opposed to individual songs IMO
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

side 1:

1:   rice  **
2:   i saw  ***
3:   drum  **
4:   geronimo  **
5:   tell somebody  **

side 2:

1:   shoot me down  **
2:   ululation  **
3:   sink or swim  **
4:   holy moly  **
5:   be your lady  **

3s -  1
2s -  9
1s -  0

rating:   2.1

[CRAZY-HORSE]

PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED  "end of world"

release:  11th August 2023

format owned:  vinyl

chart stats:  #33 UK

singles:

"penge"........no chart action
"hawaii"........no chart action
"car chase"...no chart action

their eleventh studio album...
written in the lead up to and after John Lydon's wife's passing...
a lot of the tracks are a lot more mournful in feel to previous albums and more heartfelt and emotional lyrically too...
haters are gonna hate PiL but this is a welcome return to form IMO and up there with Lydon's best works...
lots of drum and bass, and punk vibes on this 2LP set (recorded at 45RPM)
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

side 1:

1:   penge  ***
2:   end of the world  **
3:   car chase  ***

side 2:

1:   being stupid again  ***
2:   walls  **
3:   pretty awful  **

side 3:

1:   strange  ***
2:   down on the clown  ***
3:   dirty murky town  **
4:   the do that  ***

side 4:

1:   LFCF  **
2:   north west passage  **
3:   Hawaii  ***

3s -  7
2s -  6
1s -  0

rating:  2.5

lead off single:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

GREGORY ALAN IASKOV  "appaloosa bones"

release date:  8th August 2023

format owned:  vinyl

chart stats:  #81 US

singles:  no singles.

from South Africa...
eighth studio album...
a recommendation from the esteemed Music Head...
think americana, country, folk, singer/songwriter stuff...
experts also say it is a "lo-fi" or "lo-fi rock" album...
very emotive and heartfelt lyrics and delivery...
i cant really say 'similar to...' but influences include the late great Leonard Cohen...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

side 1:

1:  the fall  **
2:  before the sun  ***
3:  apooloosa bones  ***
4:  silver bell  **
5:  watchman  ***

side 2:

1:  miles to go  **
2:  terilinga  **
3:  mistakes  ***
4:  one day  **
5:  sweet heat lightning  **
6:  feed your horses  ***

3s -  5
2s -  6
1s -  0

rating:  2.45

fave:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS  "council skies"

release date:  2nd June 2023

format owned:  compact disk

chart stats:   #2 UK, #72 AU

singles:
"pretty boy".....................................no chart action
"easy now"......................................no chart action
"dead to the world"..........................no chart action
"council skies"..................................no chart action
"open the door, see what you find"....no chart action

his fourth post Oasis album...
first album of career (including live and compilations) not to hit #1 in his homeland....
the majority of this does not sound like Gallagher's usual style musically or vocally...
however the Oasis sound does return on a couple of occasions...
lots of strings and orchestrations throughout this one and nothing experimental like his previous solo albums were...
nothing to dislike which is a good thing...
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

1:   im not giving up tonight  ***
2:   pretty boy  **
3:   dead to the world  **
4:   open the door, see what you find  ***
5:   trying to find a world, thats been and gone pt: I  **
6:   easy now  **
7:   council skies  **
8:   there she blows  **
9:   love is a rich man  ***
10: think of a number  **
11: we're going to get there in the end  ***

3s -  4
2s -  7
1s -  0

rating:  2.36

fave:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

THE NATIONAL  "first two pages of frankenstein"

release date:  28th April 2023:

format owned:  vinyl

chart stats:  #14 US, #9 AU, #4 UK

singles:
"tropic morning news"...............#38 ICE
"new order tee shirt".................#14 NZ
"your mind is not your friend"....no chart action
"the alcott"...............................#13 US, #63 IRE, #5 NZ, #90 UK
"space invader".........................no chart action
"alphabet city"..........................no chart action

their tenth...
i only have three so not enough to compare their music too...
a solid album though...
hints of Father John Misty/Fleet Foxes in places...
well crafted 'thinking mans-pop' IMO
three featured artists, Taylor swift, Sufjan Stevens and Phoebe Bridgers...
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

side 1:

1: once upon a poolside (sufjan stevens)  **
2: eucalyptus **
3: new order tee shirt  ***
4: this isnt helping (pheobe bridgers)  **
5: tropic morning news **
6: alien  **

side 2:

1: the alcott (taylor swift)  ***
2: grease in your hair  **
3: ice machines  **
4: your mind is not your friend (pheobe bridgers) **
5: send for me **

3s -  2
2s -  9
1s -  0

rating:   2.21

[CRAZY-HORSE]

MILEY CYRUS  "endless summer vacation"

release date:  10th March 2023

format owned:  vinyl

chart stats:   #3 US, #1 AU, #1 UK

singles:

"flowers"...................#1 US, #1 AU, #1 UK
"jaded".....................#56 US, # 75 AU, #27 UK
"river".......................#32 US, #22 AU, #16 UK

her eighth studio album, only the second i own...
a more mature sounding Miley here (as has been the case over the last three albums...
seems to have a more sultry raspy voice of late than she used to have...
solid collection of songs on here...
side 1 is mainly ballads and slower songs, the second side is more uptempo...
featured artists are in brackets beside the song title below...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

side 1:

1:  flowers  ***
2:  jaded  **
3:  thousand miles (brandii carlile) **
4:  you  **
5:  handstand  **
6:  river  **

side 2:

1:  violet chemistry  **
2:  muddy feet (Sia)  ***
3:  wildcard  ***
4:  island  ***
5:  rose coloured glasses  **
6:  wonder woman  ***

3s -  6
2s -  6
1s -  0

rating:  2.51

favourite (not issued as a single)

[CRAZY-HORSE]

MELANIE MARTINEZ  "portals"

release date:  31st March 2023

format owned:  vinyl

chart stats:   #2 US, #1 AU, #3 UK

singles:

"death"..................#95 US, #67 UK
"void"....................#61 US, #34 UK

from NYC...
third album, a first for me...
a bit art-pop in places and certainly on its own little wavelength also...
Sia would be a good sounds-like throughout this one...
a solid album that gets better with each listen and promises to expose more with each listen...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

side 1:

1:  death  ***
2:  void  ***
3:  tunnel vision  **
4:  faerie soiree  **
5:  light shower  **
6:  spiders web  ***
7:  leeches  **

side 2:

1:  battle of the larynx  **
2:  the contortionist  ***
3:  moon cycle  ***
4:  nymphology  ***
5:  evil  **
6:  womb  ***

3s -  7
2s -  6
1s -  0

rating:  2.53

the video for this one sums up the weirdness of the album:  Melanie Martinez - EVIL (Visualizer) (youtube.com)

my fave:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

MADNESS   "theatre of the absurd presents: c'est la vie"

release date:   17th November 2023

format owned:  vinyl

chart stats:   #1 UK, #1 SCOT,  #73 IRE

singles:  no singles released.

their thirteenth studio album and first ever UK #1 studio album...
they keep popping up every handful of years with another album, this is their first in seven years...
it is as danceable and ska orientated as their earlier material overall but and very tongue-in-cheek Madness...
easily accessible for non-fans and a must for real fans...
a solid collection of likeably songs from 'the nutty boys' but if i had one criticism, i would say it is three or four songs too long..
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

side 1:

-----prologue.
1:   theatre of the absurd"  ***
2:   if i go mad  ***
3:   baby burglar  ***
-----(link) 

side 2:

1:  c'est la vie  ***
2:  what on earth (do you take me for?)  **
3:  hour of need  **
----link
4:  around we go **

side 3:

----intro
1:  lockdown and frack off  **
2:  beginners 101  **
3:  is there anyone out there?  **
4:  the law according to Dr Kippah **

side 4:

----epilogue.
1:  run for your life  *
2:  set me free (let me be)  *
3:  in my street  *
----finale

3s -  4
2s -  7
1s -  3

rating:  2.07

the lead off promo video and best song IMO:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

OLIVIA RODRIGO   "guts"

release date:  8th September 2023

format owned:  vinyl

chart stats:   #1 US, #1 CAN, #1 AU, #1 UK

singles:

"vampire"................#1 US, #1 CAN, #1 AU, #1 UK
"bad idea,right?"......#7 US, #9 CAN, #3 AU, #3 UK
"get him back".........#11 US, #11 CAN, #7 AU, #6 UK

her sophomore album...
more rock sounding than her debut...
alt-rock/pop-rock for the most part with a few slower piano based tracks thrown in the mix..
a solid album with intelligent lyrics for a 20yo...
here's hoping the industry doesnt change her too much...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

side 1:

1:   all-american bitch  ***
2:   bad idea, right?  ***
3:   vampires  ***
4:   lacy  **
5:   the ballad of a home schooled girl  **
6:   making the bed  ***

side 2: 

1:   logical  ***
2:   get him back  **
3:   love is embarrassing  **
4:   the grudge  **  
5:   pretty isnt pretty  *** 
6:   teenage dream  ** 

3s -  6
2s -  6
1s -  0

rating:  2.5

fave:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

LANA DEL REY  "did you know that hteres a tunnel under ocean blvd"

release date:  24th Marh 2023

format owned:  vinyl

chart stats:   #3 US, #4 CAN, #1 AU, #1 UK

singles:

"paris, texas"......#42 IRE, #48 UK

her nineth studio album...
i own six or seven from memory...
very laid back dreamy sound as usual...
lyrics are very good as normal...
think Tori Amos on valium for a comparison LOL...
reviews were mixed as is often the case with her albums and to be honest i have to be in the mood to listen to her which says it all...
all up a good album but just too long for one sitting (77 minutes and double vinyl) 
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

side 1:

1:  the grants  **
2:  did you know that theres a tunnel under ocean blvd?  **
3:  sweet  **
4:  a&w  **

side 2:

1:  judah smith interlude  **
2:  candy necklace  **
3:  jon batiste interlude  **
4:  kintsugi

side 3:

1:  fingertips  **
2:  paris,texas  **
3:  grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep sea fishing  **
4:  let the light in  **

side 4:

1:  margaret  **
2:  fishtail  **
3:  peppers  **
4:  taco truck  **

3s -  0
2s -  16
1s -  0

rating:  2.0

fave features Father John Misty: