2025 in 2025: Day 65

The End of Yesterday - ELLEGARDEN
Nice to start my new year with some ELLEGARDEN. This really is like no other ELLEGARDEN album and at first I was somewhat disappointed. But it actually makes sense when you realise that these dudes were all approaching 50 and their last album 16 years earlier was quite a bit darker than what they had done previously. So there is an element of that in some of the songs, but also some older wisdom. And general awesomeness. Because ELLEGARDEN know no other way. So gawdam happy to have them back!
Highlights: Strawberry Margarita, Firestarter Song, チーズケーキ・ファクトリー, 10:00 AM, Perfect Summer, Goodbye Los Angeles
9/10

Endless Flight - Leo Sayer
Coincidentally, Leo Sayer performing as a clown came up in my socials feed this morning. He was a real character. Still is? This album has character, too. Harmless 70s pop.
Highlights: You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, Hold On to My Love, How Much Love, Endless Flight
7/10

Endless Summer: Donna Summer's Greatest Hits - Donna Summer
When she's doing average pop, I find Donna Summer fairly mediocre. She can sing - and her voice totally reminds me of someone else that is awesome - but these songs are kind of there. BUT when Donna Summer is getting down and giving me disco sass, it is incredibly great. 
Highlights: Last Dance, I Love You, MacArthur Park, Bad Girls, No More Tears (Enough is Enough), On the Radio
7/10

Enema of the State - blink-182
This album is teen sex comedy of music. Except I love it?
Highlights: What's My Age Again?, Dysentery Gary, Adam's Song, All The Small Things
9/10

Enrique - Enrique Iglesias
This is the album that caused Enrique to be a breakout star outside of Mexico/Latin America, right? But... how?!?
Highlights: Oyeme, Bailamos
5/10

Entreat - The Cure
This is actually the reissue/remixed version released as part of the 21st Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Disintegration. It is Disintegration performed in full at Wembley Stadium, instead of the original release which omitted a few songs or something and was not mixed to Robert Smith's liking. I don't know - I never heard the original version. Like Concert, musically it is pretty much exactly the same - just different tempos on some songs - and vocally similar. Missing the harmonies and whatnot is a shame. Just once I would like them to go full Bowie and bring in a bunch of killer backing vocalists.
Highlights: There is a really cool riff between The Same Deep Water As You and Disintegration
7.5/10

Entreat Plus - The Cure
Okay, so the previous album was actually Entreat Plus, but when the the 21st Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Disintegration was released, they also put this live version of the album online. So I saved it in my library using the Entreat Plus name and gave the other live album the original Entreat title. This would appear to be a soundboard recording or something, because the mix is definitely not that great - there is at least one guitar track that is almost completely not in the mix, so songs like Disintegration really sound like they are missing something. At least the tempo on Pictures of You is better? Robert Smith's performance certainly is not.
Highlights: What's with all the screaming during the songs? It is The Cure performing depressing and nihilistic music, not BTS looking hot and pulling off killer dance moves!
7.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 520

2025 in 2025: Day 55

The Diary of Alicia Keys - Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys is a very good songwriter, a skill that is only matched by her ability to sing flat on almost everything. Honestly, her vocals always sound so raw - they could use a bit of reverb. And a lot of autotune. She sounds tired. Also, why is Kanye West always hailed as a producer on this album when he only worked on one song? And this album is too long. But still, great songwriter. 

Highlights: If I Ain't Got You, Heartburn, Dragon Days

7/10

Dig Your Own Hole - The Chemical Brothers

Groundbreaking. Maybe not for real electronic music fans, but this was the first album of its kind to really break mainstream music. And LOGMAN's interest. Seriously, these beats and grooves are just too funky.

Highlights: Block Rockin' Beats, Dig Your Own Hole, Elektrobank, Setting Sun, Get Up On It Like This

9/10

Dim The Lights - MONOEYES

LOGMAN said MONOEYES were good, but not great. He said bad things (jokingly) about Scott Murphy. The more LOGMAN listens to this album, the more he wants to change his mind because this album is absolutely flawless.

Highlights: Free Throw, Two Little Fishes, Borders & Walls, Get Up, 3 2 1 Go

9.5/10

Dirt - Alice In Chains

Teenage LOGMAN didn't really connect with this album at first; he was too grunge, maybe? Which makes no sense, because I always loved glam metal. Might be because I heard it after I heard Jar of Flies, which is so dark and mellow? However, once I got a bit older I was able to fully appreciate how totally badass this album is. It is dark and heavy. And always makes me want to scream along like Layne Stayley. The last 3 songs are especially great for jamming and swinging your hair around.

Highlights: Dem Bones, Rain When I Die, Angry Chair, Down in a Hole, Would?

8/10

The Dirt Soundtrack - Mötley Crüe

The Crüe teaming up with John 5 (this was before he joined full-time) and... Machine Gun Kelly. I'll almost let it pass because he was in the movie... but seriously. I'm trying hard to hold off on swearing in these music blogs, but fuck that guy. Remove his part and The Dirt would be a decent almost pop song! Credit to Bob Rock for making Vince Neil almost sound like he can sing. Except for on Like a Virgin, but the man is only capable of so much.

Highlights: The Dirt (Est. 1981), Ride with the Devil

6.5/10

Disco Christmas - Jay Manero and His Disco Band

I had 3 killer albums in a row, then the sad shell of what was the Crue and now this? I think I actually bought this because we needed Xmas music in my office and demanded we keep it disco. And it was hilariously over-priced. It is everything I wanted the Meco and James Brown Xmas albums to be.

Highlights: It's fucking Xmas music in cheesy disco form

6/10

Discography: The Complete Singles Collection - Pet Shop Boys

Is there another act that is more British than these dudes? These songs defined that 80s synth-pop sound for me. And I was totally obsessed with the video to Heart. Is it impossible to record a bad version of Always on My Mind?

Highlights: West End Girls, What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Always on My Mind, Heart

8/10

Discovery - Daft Punk

The guitar or whatever it is solo on Digital Love is amazing. This is one of those albums that has a few totally killer tracks and then the rest of the album is steady level of pretty great. This whole album is a fantastic disco vibe.

Highlights: One More Time, Digital Love, Harder Better Faster Stronger, Face to Face

8.5/10

Disintegration - The Cure

There was a time I would have told you this is my favourite album. That was also the time I listened to this multiple times a day. I will still rave about it in every possible way. And strangely, I probably did not think much of it at first? Pictures of You contains some of the greatest guitar and bass tone ever committed to tape. What really makes the whole thing stand out, to me, is the space within the songs; there is not a million things going on and not a big essay of lyrics in every song - even if they are 10 minutes long. The songs are actually repetitive musically, but somehow it doesn't get monotonous or boring at all. I mean, Disintegration is pretty much 3 chords over and over for 9 minutes, and it is one of the greatest songs The Cure ever did. Gawdam I still can not catch the ending the first time around!

Highlights: Plainsong, Pictures of You, Fascination Street, Prayers for Rain, Disintegration, Homesick, Untitled

9.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 427