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Bobbery's Bombastic 2015 (Favorite Albums: 5-1 NOW)
Member Since: 2/5/2014
Posts: 29,111
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Take You High is definitely euphoric, I love all the vocal effects during the climax. It's definitely one of my favorite Kelly songs.
Black Lake is just incredible. Only Bjork really could put out something so simultaneously captivating, heartbreaking, and beautiful.
I'm more of a I Know There's Gonna Be Good Times stan, but Loud Places is quality also 
Great songs list Admiral. Ready to see what you have on the albums list. I'm sure it will be da bomb 
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Here we are at the beginning of the second countdown I made for 2015!
Favorite Albums of 2015!
Kicking thigs off we have…
Know It All by Alessia Cara
Favorite Lyric: “We fight, we laugh, detox, rehab, letting go of what we had”.
Album Highlights: Here, Seventeen, and I’m Yours.
Alessia Cara really came out strong last year with her debut song Here. Now she’s come out with her debut album and I have to say that it’s pretty solid. This girl’s got potential and there are moments off this album that really show that. Musically this album is pop that’s occasionally flavored by RnB and Urban music. I have to say that the more RnB and Urban flavored songs tend to be the stronger songs.
Lyrically this album is pretty strong. This girl’s songs usually have pretty good lyrics. In fact I’d say that the lyrics are the strongest aspect of this album. This album is written from a very heartfelt place and has a very youthful vibe about it, makes sense considering how young she is. I also really love her voice, she has a very sweet tone and can be quite sassy and sarcastic when she wants to be. Everything she sings sounds like she’s singing with such a sense of wonder that just so every endearing.
However, I think one weakness of this album for me is the fact that it is a bit mid-tempo/ballad heavy. Also, some of the songs in the end of the album really drag. It’s an album of great moments weighed down by a decent number of meh moments. It’s a fairly decent album overall, especially for a debut, as I’ve said before.
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Number 34!
Dark Sky Island by Enya
Favorite Lyric: “Silver and gold, become light”
Album Highlights: The Forge of the Angels, So I Could Find My Way, and Sancta Maria
The queen of New Age Music (even though she really doesn’t want to be labeled as such) came back to us this year with a new album. I have to say I never really gave her much of a shot before this year but I decided why not and I like to say that it wasn’t a waste of time. Enya might not be trying to reinvent the wheel with her music but she does what she does very well and that is creating really atmospheric and relaxing tunes. This album is just a very well-crafted album full of serene moments that just help put me at ease. I can just lay back with this album and just let my imagination run wild with what imagery it makes out of the various moods she delivers here.
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Number 33!
Emotion by Carly Rae Jepson
Favorite Lyric: “Warm blood feels good, I can't control it anymore. Sweet one, you should stop me there, but I keep on talking”
Album Highlights: Run Away With Me, Emotion, and I Didn’t Just Come Here To Dance
Carly’s album is certainly held to a high standard on this website and I can see why, for those who really love pure pop music quite a bit of it is very well crafted. While I do like it, I don’t necessarily love it like some other’s do. This is a very nice album and all but about a fourth of the album is just sleep inducing. I think this album does get by on the strength of its strong tracks, which are very strong so it’s not like it’s that bad of a thing.
From a technical standpoint it’s an album that’s full of catchy hooks and fairly clever lyricism. It’s an album that just pure fun and pure pop without any hit on pretension or aim of being anything more than that. In that sense this is a fairly unique album in today’s music industry where it seems like everyone and their grandmother is trying to be a “real”, “deep” musician, with varying degrees of success at that venture. Like seriously even pop musicians are trying to shy away from being called “pop” by trying to sell their albums as being more than they are. Carly’s album, and the way she was unafraid to call it pure pop is very refreshing and honestly kind of an important statement to be made. It’s ok to just be pop and there’s nothing wrong with that.
My strange rant aside, I love the use of saxophone on this album and just the general 80’s vibe that this album has. Also, I’ve quite grown to like her voice. It’s so sweet and really compliments joyful pop like this well.
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Number 32!
Communion by Years & Years
Favorite Lyric: “Oh, I, I think I'm into you, How much do you want it too, What are you prepared to do?”
Album Highlights: Shine, King, and Real
Here we have a pretty nice debut from an act that has a lot of potential. Communion at its core is a very nice synthpop album. The great moments on this album are great. Like the standout tracks are great and there’s quite a few other really good songs on here too. This album ranks a bit lower than some others because there are a few songs that drag it down and most of the material is not as strong as the three tracks I previously mentioned.
Most of the songs off of this album are nice, but just nice. A lot of the songs do lack a certain oomph to them to make them truly great. I listen to them and really see the potential there. Also, I’m probably going to get flacked for this but honestly the slower balladlike songs on this album are not really good. The only one that I really like is Foundation. When they go slower they just don’t really make as interesting of melodies as they do when they go faster or aren’t trying to be as overemotional. I mean their lyrics are already emotionally charged enough even on their faster songs anyway so why slow down the tempo if you can’t make a more interesting melody when doing so. Also, Olly’s vocals already add a sense of weight and urgency to the words anyway.
About Olly’s voice, I love this guy’s tone. As just stated it just makes everything already sound emotional as crap, when he’s happy you can feel it like with Shine, but if he wants to be more somber then he can be very somber like in Foundation. Also, lyrically this album is very solid, their lyrics are pretty good. In all this album does have a handful of really great material and they do show promise, I just don’t think they’re quite there yet. It’s a pretty nice album but the highlights, and are they HIGH, show that this band is capable of more.
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Member Since: 7/10/2008
Posts: 13,417
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Boy did I ever decide to end tonight on a controversial note…here is number 31!
Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz by Miley Cyrus
Favorite Lyric: “I met someone new and now I'm scared to go all the way, I hear you in my mind and can't let go of what you used to say”
Album Highlights: 1 Sun, Cyrus Skies, and The Floyd Song
Here we have what is probably the most polarizing album on this site of the year. Some consider it to be absolute garbage and some consider it to be absolute brilliance. I’m somewhere in the middle. Well I do consider this album to be good (hence why it’s here) overall however, this album does have some problems. One is the length of its track list. This album is a CHORE to get through for casual listens because of just how long it is. Not only is its length a problem but its general quality control is a problem too. While this album does have quite a few moments of greatness it also has its fair share of clunkers which drag down the album as a hole.
Musically this album is very eclectic. Some songs are very much on the pop side (BB Talk, 1 Sun), some are more like 60’s inspired rock (The Floyd Song and Karen Don’t Be Sad), about half the album is psychedelic rock inspired pop (about half the album) and then whatever the hell Dooo It is. However, despite the range out sounds Cyrus is employing here this is still a very cohesive album overall. As far as lyrics go this seems to be a big source of contention for this album. Many find them to be trash. True they are unpolished it a lot of places, but they are very emotional and a very good insight into Cyrus’ mind while she was writing this album. It almost seems like she was going for a very stream of conscious vibe with this album’s lyrics (though I’m probably giving her too much credit here). Like this album was just supposed to be her emotions in their rawest unchecked form and from that perspective that makes this album kind of brilliant in a way, even if that method can lead to some not so great moments.
Subject wise this album is a bit all over the place, she has some songs about dead pets, some songs about political causes that are important to her, some party songs, but a lot of songs are about a very contentious relationship and trying to heal from it. It’s those more emotional moments in the album that really get to me, as well as some of the more fun ones. She manages to make me truly feel sadness with this album at times (even on the song about a dead fish of all things). This album is far from perfect but I think that the good outweighs the bad overall and does show that Miley does have potential, I just think she needs to find a focus with what she wants to say and what she wants to do.
Anyway, here was the first set of albums! I’ll be starting this again tomorrow same time as usual! Hope you all have a great day.
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Quote:
Originally posted by AshleeSimpsonFan
Loud Places is a good song! Well deserved #1  Ryn Weaver  |
Thanks! Also, welcome fellow Ryn fan.
Quote:
Originally posted by Bloomers
Take You High is definitely euphoric, I love all the vocal effects during the climax. It's definitely one of my favorite Kelly songs.
Black Lake is just incredible. Only Bjork really could put out something so simultaneously captivating, heartbreaking, and beautiful.
I'm more of a I Know There's Gonna Be Good Times stan, but Loud Places is quality also
Great songs list Admiral. Ready to see what you have on the albums list. I'm sure it will be da bomb |
Indeed. Thanks for the all the commentary you've been giving. Also, I agree about the vocals effects on Take You High, it really just ups that song even more. And your right about Bjork, only she could do something like Black Lake.
Sure, just took a glance at your op and I like the format you used for your list. 
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Member Since: 2/5/2014
Posts: 29,111
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Haven't listened to Alessia, but I really want to 
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From a technical standpoint it’s an album that’s full of catchy hooks and fairly clever lyricism. It’s an album that just pure fun and pure pop without any hit on pretension or aim of being anything more than that. In that sense this is a fairly unique album in today’s music industry where it seems like everyone and their grandmother is trying to be a “real”, “deep” musician, with varying degrees of success at that venture. Like seriously even pop musicians are trying to shy away from being called “pop” by trying to sell their albums as being more than they are.
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I really like everything that you stated right here
I love how EMOTION embraces the fact that it is a pop album, and I think that makes it a much better album. The write-up alone makes up for it's relatively low placement 
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Member Since: 5/23/2007
Posts: 65,087
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Know It All is one of my favorite albums too! love her! the lyrics from her songs are just incredible! I'm Yours  EMOTION is good and Communion is one of my fave albums too 
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Member Since: 6/3/2006
Posts: 51,724
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Emotion is soooo good! And I also like Miley's album eventhough it is a downgrade from Bangerz!
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Member Since: 10/13/2003
Posts: 48,022
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Carly
don't think i have commented on your yet
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Welcome back! Today’s countdown begins with…
Number 30!
Traveler by Chris Stapleton
Favorite Lyric: “Now I sold my soul a long time ago I put it in a six string and a sad melody,And I'm sometimes a winner, most times a loser, If the crowd gets into it, it'll all feel the same way to me”
Album Highlights: Parachute, I’d Rather Go Blind Tennessee Whiskey, and Sometimes I Cry
This is a really great old school country album. It’s a great throwback to 1970’s country with some southern rock thrown in for added flavor. It’s an album that feels very folksy at heart. As an album this is a very strong one lyrically, Chris really can tell a good story and set up a good classic mood with his imagery. However, I do think that the thing that really draws me to this album is his voice. It’s just so great. I love his tone and the way he can sell heartbreak and pain with it. He can also be really good at selling passion too as Parachute shows. I think he’s really talented and am happy for him and the success he’s gotten lately. Also, happy for the CMAs? ACMs? (really country has way too many award shows) for introducing him to me.
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Number 29!
Honeymoon by Lana Del Rey
Favorite Lyric: “Because I'm going deeper and deeper (deeper), harder and harder (harder)
getting darker and darker, looking for love, in all the wrong places”
Album Highlights: Salvadore, Music To Watch Boys To, and The Blackest Day
If there is one word that could describe this album it would be lush. The many orchestral arrangements on this album just give this album a very lavish feel to it. It’s not surprising, this is a Lana Del Rey album after all. Lana has always been an artist’s I’ve gone back and forth with. Sometimes I really like her and sometimes I really don’t. With this album though I have to say I do like her here. I think it’s her best album by far. Unlike Born To Die which had lots of high and lows this album is very consistent and unlike Ultraviolence which was consistent this album has more standout material. It’s the best of both worlds.
There are quite a few great moments on the album whether they be interesting melodies or instrumentals. One thing that I really love about this album is just how much Lana’s using her head voice. I’ve always found it to be so pretty so the fact that’s she’s using to so much here is giving her some bonus points with me.
However, this album does have a weakness for me and that’s that the album can blend together a bit at times. It’s not an “every song sound the same” scenario but I do feel that sometimes I’ve felt like I’ve listened to this song before on the album. Also, Lana’s lyricism can be a bit hit or miss at times with some of the strange stuff she likes to put in there like “soft ice cream” (though yes I get what it means in terms of being a metaphor in the context of the song, doesn’t stop it from being a strange metaphor). Despite some of its flaws (which aren’t even that big and are honestly just me being a bit nitpicky) it’s a very nice album.
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Number 28!
The Blade by Ashley Monroe
Favorite Lyrics: Winning Streak, The Blade, and If The Devil Don’t Want Me
Album Highlights: “I let your love in, I have the scar, I felt the razor against my heart, I thought we were both in all the way, But you caught it by the handle, And I caught it by the blade”
This is such a good country album. Great emotional and storytelling lyrics with a good variance of tempo throughout the album and great melodies. And of course it comes with Ashley’s voice. I liked her previous album Like A Rose but this album just blows it out of the water. This album has such a classic feel to it without sounding like it’s trapped in the past. This album deserves much more success than it’s gotten.
Firstly as I mentioned the lyrics here are great. Ashley can strike right to the heart when she wants to and can also be very humorous when she wants too. She’s a very versatile lyricist and that is shown on this album. Sonically this album ranges from lighter numbers such as On To Something Good to darker tunes like I Buried Your Love Alive to just absolute fun energetic songs like Winning Streak (well I did say sound not subject matter).
This album’s got a good mix of fun songs, pensive songs, and heartbroken songs. I really like that throughout the album she displays a good level of maturity and clarity about her breakup. She’s sad but doesn’t let herself get swallowed up by the pain. It makes for a very nice feel to this album.
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Member Since: 7/10/2008
Posts: 13,417
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Honeymoon 
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Number 27!
Storyteller by Carrie Underwood
Favorite Lyric: “Jenny slipped something in his Tennessee whiskey no law man was ever gonna find, and how he died is still a mystery, but he hit a woman for the very last time.”
Album Highlights: Relapse, Chaser, and Heartbeat.
Carrie Underwood returned to us this year with her fifth album. Initially Smoke Break left a bad taste in my mouth and thus I kind of avoided listening to the album for about two weeks but finally gave in and I’m glad I did. This album is great. I’m sorry I deprived myself to it for those first two weeks.
With this album Carrie wanted to concentrate more on writing stories with her songs and went in a more country/rock oriented direction than her last album. I have to say that Carrie does succeed with her aim of telling stories with her songs. I mean she has always done that, a lot of her best songs have always painted really great stories (see Just A Dream, Two Black Cadallics, Blown Away, and Jesus Take The Wheel), but she really does a great job painting great pictures with her lyricism in this album, especially in Mexico and Church Bells.
The decision to go in a more country/rock direction does give this album a bit more flavor than some of Carrie’s past albums which is nice. Of course there are still some more country/pop stuff like Heartbeat and What I Never Knew What I Always Wanted. Because the quality of the songwriting I have to say this is probably Carrie’s second best album. I shouldn’t have to mention this because it’s Carrie but the vocals on this album are great. So many great moments of her just belting her heart out coupled with songs where Carrie just goes for a more gentle approach keep this album from being too one note when it comes to vocals. Carrie really did great with this album.
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Number 26!
The Original High by Adam Lambert
Favorite Lyrics: “I'm a prisoner on the run, I am the moon that reflects the sun, I am unbeaten and I am unwon. Oh, man, I was alone.”
Album Highlights: The Original High, Rumors, and Evil In The Night
I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Lambert. His first two albums gave me around 5-6 tracks that I really enjoyed from each of them, but unfortunately the other half of this albums were always sleep inducing. Thankfully with this album he has corrected this. He has finally given me an album that I can enjoy all the way through. Actually not just enjoy all the way through but also really like. Lambert did a very good job with this album.
Musically most of this album is synthpop with 80’s/90’s flavorings to them. All of the songs off this album are enjoyably catchy. However, there are quite a few standout tracks on this album. A lot of this album just has an extra oomph to it that just keeps me coming back to it. For example the choruses of The Origional High and Evil In The Night are just brilliant whereas the bridge to Ghost Town (though my least favorite off the album) is just an eargasm.
Vocally, it’s an Adam Lambert album of course it’s great from that standpoint. Adam is probably the most talented male vocalist in mainstream music today. This album is just filled with belting, runs, and great moments of him using his falsetto. Lyrically this album is also pretty solid too, though it does have an occasional slip up (looking at you “Cause I’m a grown ass man”). With this album I do believe Adam has finally found his sound and is beginning to perfect his craft as an artist. Here’s to even better albums from him in the future.
Well that's it for tonight! Tomorrow I'll be back with the next set of 5!
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 2,512
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Quote:
Originally posted by Bloomers
Haven't listened to Alessia, but I really want to
I really like everything that you stated right here
I love how EMOTION embraces the fact that it is a pop album, and I think that makes it a much better album. The write-up alone makes up for it's relatively low placement |
Thanks! You should eventually get around to listening to Alessia she's got some really good songs on that album. Also, I do agree about Carly's album. It's the self honesty about what it is that really makes it for me, like it knows it's a good pop album.
Quote:
Originally posted by AshleeSimpsonFan
Know It All is one of my favorite albums too! love her! the lyrics from her songs are just incredible! I'm Yours EMOTION is good and Communion is one of my fave albums too |
Thanks! Alessia is a pretty good lyricist.
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Originally posted by Brandon
Carly
don't think i have commented on your yet |
I don't think you have either but thanks for visiting my thread!
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Originally posted by las3horas220
Honeymoon
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Thanks!
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Member Since: 12/1/2011
Posts: 24,324
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Carly <3 she should be higher tho 
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~ Communion 
