2025 in 2025: Day 176

Three Imaginary Boys - The Cure

The Cure are one of my favourite bands of all time. Easily in my top 10. They have some incredibly epic albums full of emotion, but also effortlessly switch between pop rock fun and nihilistic despair. This album is nothing of the sort.

Highlights: Grinding Halt, Another Day, 10:15 Saturday Night, Three Imaginary Boys

6/10

Thriller - Michael Jackson

Hot take: this is not MJ's best album. However, Beat It and Billie Jean are just such phenomenal songs that it meant this album sold a bajillion copies. Dangerous and Bad do not feature awful collaborations with Paul McCartney, so they are infinitely better. The worst part is that other song he did with McCartney is actually a good song!

Highlights: Beat It, Billie Jean, Human Nature, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

8/10

Throwing Copper - Live

Every song is either Quiet LOUD Quiet, or Quiet Quiet LOUD. Except for Waitress - which is LOUD Quiet LOUD, for some weird reason. It is all fine and dandy, but nothing overly exceptional that has made me go out of my way to listen to this in the last 30 years.

Highlights: Top, Pillar of Davidson, White Discussion, Iris

7/10

Tidal - Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple is the lyricist Swifties think their cult leader is. I may appreciate her angst and subsequent vocal performance on When the Pawn... more, but boy howdy this album has some pretty deep emotions. 

Highlights: Criminal, Sullen Girl, Never is a Promise, Pale September

8/10

Tiffany - Tiffany

Sadly, I do not have the full album - just I Think We're Alone Now. I am not sure why I do not have at least the other singles. Because I am lame, that is why!

8/10

Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

This is only The Goonies 'R' Good Enough - for obvious reasons! I should watch that movie again one day.

8/10

Timeless: New Recordings Honoring The Music Of Hank Williams - Various Artists

This is just Ryan Adams' cover of Lovesick Blues. He puts on his most irritating fake country voice for this one...

5/10

Tiny Music...Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop - Stone Temple Pilots

I love Weiland's voice on this album - he has gone for a bit more of a raspy glam rock kind of vibe and it really suits the way everything comes together, because musically it has bit of a glam rock vibe as well. Like, total peak art school Led Zeppelin tribute act vibes. And I mean that in the most complimentary of ways.

Highlights: Lady Picture Show, Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart, Seven Caged Tigers, Tumble in the Rough

8/10

To the 5 Boroughs - Beastie Boys

Oh snap the boys are back! Just straight-up NYC hip-hop. War is bad. George W. Bush is a clown. Racism and bigotry are bad. Sampling Sonic Reducer is the greatest idea ever and I will forgive them for using it to tell me how great New York is.

Highlights: An Open Letter to NYC, Right Right Now Now, Rhyme the Rhyme Well, Time to Build

8.5/10

TO THE DREAM - The Tomboys

As indie as ever, but even more catchy. And fun. 

Highlights: Tell Me Why, I GOTTA GO, SATURDAY NIGHT

7/10

The The Extreme - Vanilla Ice

V.I.P. in the house! I unironically love still enjoy the enjoy the bejeebus out of this album; sure, the rhymes are corny, but there are plenty of James Brown samples, fun old school grooves, and Vanilla's silly rapping is part of the charm. I still need to find that third version of Play That Funky Music...

Highlights: Ice Ice Baby, Ice is Workin' It, Dancin', Go Ill

8/10

To Whom It May Concern - Lisa Marie Presley

Lisa Marie's debut album, featuring some pretty standard pop country rock stylings - kind of like a modern take on where her Dad left off, I guess? Some surprisingly decent songs to be found. I need to remember to give this a closer listen again some time...

Highlights: Lights Out, S.O.B., Nobody Noticed It, So Lovely

7/10

Today - George Harrison

Another George Harrison bootleg of randomness. Mostly collaborations and whatnot. And I have most of them on other albums? And I am not 100% convinced he actually performs on some of them. 

Highlights: Power to the People, Your True Love (Live - Carl Perkins' Memorial Service), Horse to the Water

6.5/10

Today (Legacy Edition) - Elvis Presley

One of The King's final albums and highly underrated; still not too dissimilar to the rest of his 70s output, but it is mostly fun and Elvis feels like he put a bit of effort it. The opening track is such an old school rock'n roll kind of groove, I cannot help but love it. The undubbed versions are not too different - except you can hear Elvis getting the giggles during Susan When She Tried.

Highlights: T-R-O-U-B-L-E, Pieces of My Life, Fairytale, Shake a Hand

7.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1714

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2025 in 2025: Day 160

The Scandalous Sex Suite - Prince

Remixes of Scandalous from the Batman soundtrack. One has a big extended guitar solo, one has Kim Basinger talking like Prince is trying to mack on her.

Highlights: That big guitar solo?

6.5/10

Scary Monsters - David Bowie

80s Bowie is just a lot of fun with his oddity. And funky basslines. 

Highlights: Ashes to Ashes, Fashion, Kingdom Come, Teenage Wildlife

7/10

Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters

Is this gayest album of 2004? Turning Pink Floyd into a club dance song would certainly suggest that. The whole thing just constantly switches between Elton John doing 70s pop and late 90s club remixes. 

Highlights: Music is the Victim, Take Your Mama Out, Filthy/Gorgeous, Laura

6.5/10

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Various Artists

Super hipster indie rock all the way, but some of it is pretty good. Especially the songs performed by the bands in the movie. I would totally go to a Sex Bob-omb concert.

Highlights: We Are Sex-Bob-omb - Sex Bob-omb, Black Sheep - Metric, Teenage Dream - T-Rex, Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl - Broken Social Scene

6.5/10

Scoundrel Days - a-ha

More of the usual from these dudes, somewhat darker? It was the mid-90s, so everyone was on that kick, but it is still kind of a mature pop thing.

Highlights: Cry Wolf, Manhattan Skyline, Scoundrel Days, The Swing of Things

7/10

Scream & Shout [Single] - will.i.am

It says Britney Spears is here, but is that her doing the British speaking voice? Repetitive trash. Which could apply to almost every song by will.i.am or Britney Spears.

4/10

Sea Change - Beck

This was the album that got me interested in Beck; it is more acoustic and introspective than anything else he had released to that point, and that was the sort of thing I saw myself doing. There are some good songs, but some of it is a bit... uninteresting. All very chill. Particularly compared to his other work.

Highlights: Sunday Sun, Lost Cause, Lonesome Tears

6/10

Second Sighting - Frehley's Comet

Nothing as catchy as the debut Frehley's Comet album, but still pretty decent Ace Frehley rock album. His style never changes. And that was a good thing. RIP Ace!!!

Highlights: Insane, It's Over Now, Loser in a Fight, Juvenile Delinquent

7/10

Secret - Ayumi Hamasaki

Big beats. Big strings. Big rock guitars. Big hooks. Big ballads. Big feels. Big anthems. If I ever met an Ayu fan that did not love this album, I would be big skeptical of them. 

Highlights: Startin', Born to Be..., kiss o' kill, BLUE BIRD, Beautiful Fighters

9/10

Secret Samadhi - Live

This was Live trying to be a bit darker and edgier and just ending up being noisier and messier. And half these songs genuinely sound the same. Some really lame lyrics and even lamer guitar solos.

Highlights: Graze, Lakini's Juice, Gas Hed Goes West

6/10

SEE YOU - BiSH

Ah I missed BiSH! BiSH is OVER episode something seven? For every great month, there was a really average month. This was one of the latter.

Highlights: I am wasting my time with this marathon when I could be listening to better BiSH

6/10

Seeker Lover Keeper - Seeker Lover Keeper

Three of Australia's top indie folk women unite to make a super group of indie folk women and the result is... amazing lyrics and killer harmonies. I would say it is possibly a little underwhelming, but honestly it is pretty much what it says it is on the box. And I will always have all the heart emojis for Sarah Blasko.

Highlights: Even Though I'm a Woman, Light All My Lights, Bridges Burned, We Will Know What It Is

7/10

Send Away the Tigers - Manic Street Preachers

The most consistent rock album by the Manics. It is just straight up Summer rock, like they have been listening to ELLEGARDEN all Summer like me! Except Summer is only just beginning. And replace actual Summer lyrics with a communist manifesto.

Highlights: Your Love Alone is Not Enough, Indian Summer, The Second Great Depression, Rendition, Autumnsong

9/10

Seventeen Seconds - The Cure

Well, this sure is a change of pace. The REAL first album by The Cure. Lots of dark space and atmosphere and clean guitars.

Highlights: A Forest, Seventeen Seconds, Play For Today

7/10

SEX AND LOVE - Enrique Iglesias

Enrique and every guest artist he could find! And Pitbull just hanging around as usual. Some of this is just by the numbers, but some of it is a full on PARTY! And the ballads are pretty much all perfection.

Highlights: Bailando, There Goes My Baby, El Perdedor, Physical, Heart Attack

7/10

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

I gave a detailed review of this album waaaay back in the day! And I still maintain it is overrated.

Highlights: A Day in the Life, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, With a Little Help from My Friends, Sgt, Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1485

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2025 in 2025: Day 56

Dissident/Live in Atlanta - Pearl Jam

This is such a weird release; they released 3 different versions of the singles - each one with a different selection of live songs from the same concert, and this is basically the 3 singles compiled in to one box set to get almost the full live concert. Pretty dumb to cut out Sonic Reducer. And some of the editing is... questionable. But it is all but one song each from both Ten and Vs, so the songs are solid. And decent enough performances. I know Pearl Jam had some better shows, but this is fine. Makes me somewhat look forward to listening to Ten and Vs... in, like, 6 months...

Highlights: Dissident [Studio Version], W.M.A.

8/10

The Distance to Here - Live

I once gave an acoustic performance of The Dolphin's Cry (just me and a friend on acoustic bass) and I can honestly say it was one of my most memorable performances. I want to do that again. I saw these dudes on tour for this album; in one of the most confusing combinations, Stabbing Westward were the opening act - which should explain to you, reader, why LOGMAN went to this concert. I mean, I do not hate Live or anything (it would be strange if I did, considering I have three of their albums in my iTunes library), but they are not exactly a band that I was ever clamouring to see live. I would, however, beat the snot out of your children to see Stabbing Westward live again.

Highlights: The Dolphin's Cry, They Stood Up for Love, Sparkle, We Walk in the Dream

7/10

DIStopping - Charisma.com

Have I mentioned how much I dig this group? Because this album is flat out good stuff; big beats, cool rapping and sweet production.

Highlights: スーパーガール, ペインオフ, 100%ブービー

8.5/10

Distortion - Rev Run

This is interesting; Run not only just recycles some of his classic rhymes and rhythms, he also samples Sweet Home Alabama - which I'm pretty sure they did on Crown Royal. At least here it is better, because this is just Run being Run, instead of playing second fiddle to a bunch of dorks. Run turns it up to 11 by sampling God of Thunder, and then Joan Jett's I Love Rock'n Roll. Run-D.M.C. and Joan Jett is the combo I didn't know I wanted in 1986.

Highlights: Mind on the Road, Distortion, I Used to Think I Was Run

8/10

Divine Madness - Madness

Madness were one of those bands that I thought were super fun when I was a kid, without actually listening to much of their music. And that all still tracks today, because there are only two songs here.

Highlights: House of Fun, Our House

8/10

Divinyls - Divinyls

This is purely I Touch Myself. I did not get this song at all when I was young. Then it was used in the film Austin Powers, and it just clicked for me; now I consider it an extremely well-crafted pop-rock song. That hook is unbeatable.

10/10

Dizzy Up The Girl - Goo Goo Dolls

Oh boy, I loved this album and this band. Slide is a perfect song for busking - I actually forgot I used to do this song and that the guitar work in it is really fun. Hard to believe these guys were full on dirty indie garage rock before making it big. We (my BFF and I) both hated the bass player back then, but I've grown up and actually totally dig his songs a lot now - even if I do still think his voice is nowhere near as good John Rzeznik's.

Highlights: Dizzy, Slide, Black Balloon, All Eyes On Me, Iris, Hate This Place

8/10

Do I Wait/Darkness [Early NYC Versions] - Ryan Adams

More Ryan Adams singles. I read today he had another meltdown on stage, but this one at least seems to be justified. Anyways, this version of Do I Wait is amazing. 

Highlights: Do I Wait

8/10

Do What U Want [feat. Christina Aguilera - Single] - Lady Gaga

Instead of scrapping this song and hiding it from the world because of R. Kelly, the album should just replace it with this version. Because who doesn't want to hear these divas belting out a sexy tune together?

10/10

Do You Laugh When You Lie? (Pax Am Singles Series, Vol.4) [Single] - Ryan Adams

More Ryan Adams channeling his 80s influences - this time in a kind of R.E.M. college radio vibe. And an acoustic number.

Highlights: By the Way

6.5/10

Doggystyle - Snoop Dogg

Absolute bonafide hip-hop classic. I am pretty sure back in the day this was the only hip-hop album we would listen to, because nothing came close to being as cool. And most of my crew were skate punks, so gangster rap wasn't their total jam. Somehow I find the G-Funk crew rapping about sex far less offensive than one would think. Especially considering the way they rap out it. How great was Kurupt? Whatever happened to that him?? Warren G always was and always will be a very cool dude. Holy balls Gz and Hustlas is funky as hell. 

Highlights: Gin & Juice, Serial Killa, Ain't No Fun, Gz and Hustlas

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 438

日本青年館のフライト、9月9日2017

"If your beard is *this* long, you can't enter the airplane!"

This was a concert from 2 years ago that I found on the interwebs - probably from around when I first discovered PASSPO☆ (I got Cinema Trip in November 2017, but my first exposure was the すてんだっぷガールズ! music video. I think that came out around August/September 2017. It's a bit of a jump as far as my chronology goes, but it's nice to have something between the 2015 live and ラストフライト.

This concert opens with Puti Passpo.
They are NOT PASSPO☆.
Yeah, I'm not watching this nonsense...

So Yellow-Green has since gone, due to health or something. It's a shame, because she had grown on me a lot - she was a great dancer and solid singer. BUT this does mean we're down to the core 7 that make up the PASSPO☆ I know and love.

The show opens with a big spoken-word intro over the speakers. Orange keeps sleeping and there is other hilarity but my Japanese is not fast enough to catch it all. Then Popcorn Bought? kicks in and every　time the crowd join in with the big "HEY!" I get very jealous I'm not there. PASSPO☆ come out wearing the outfits from すてんだっぷガールズ! and I immediately know this will be a good live because those outfits are pure fire! Bah gawd this was peak PASSPO☆ for me.

Oh cool they're going to open with Honey Dish - just what I wanted after having to watch the music video 9 times in a row... Purple then teaches the crowd the dance for すてんだっぷガールズ! and I realise I should learn that on my next day off.

The fact that I never got one of these PASSPO☆ star-shaped lightsticks is an absolute crime and the world should be ashamed. Orange and White clearly enjoying performing 7's Up. But Purple using her solo moment to be silly with a security guard shows how she's become a dam star in this group. With the other 2 gone - and her getting older - she's certainly taking command on stage.

Band PASSPO☆ time already??
Blue is no longer pretending to be a DJ and has traded her Xylophone for guitar. And they even pull out BABY JUMP〜天国への搭乗便〜 to my surprise - I did not expect Band PASSPO☆ to be doing the heavy shit. They follow up with WANTED!!, which I did expect. Honestly, they're lucky Purple and Aqua are actually competent at drums and bass because the guitarists are not quite at Ground Crew level. They even do Love Diary, which is kinda cool. But I do miss the choreography. And then we wouldn't have to make Red attempt a guitar solo. BUT at least this means Orange plays a real whistle instead!

White gives a speech where I believe she was discussing how hard they've worked to be able to do Band PASSPO☆ - Purple points out that doesn't apply to her.

Back to just regular PASSPO☆ now and Purple is talking about their previous songs as Band PASSPO☆. I can't quite work out if she's saying she wanted to keep going as Band PASSPO☆ or she was bummed that she didn't do a song as well as she would have liked.

Time for your in-flight meals! Today's options are Beef or Chicken - get it?
So they wheel out two boards (Beef and Chicken) with 4 different songs and the audience gets to choose which they perform. Where's the Vegetarian option?? The audience can vote using the colours on their lightsticks, but Purple thinks using animal noises is more accurate and given her Cow and Chicken impression, I'm going to have to agree. The crowd are split, so the girls also vote and hilarious it is unanimously in favour of the Chicken menu. Aqua reminds the team that two of these songs require Band PASSPO☆ so they spend another 10 minutes organising the menu and labelling each song with Salad, Soup, Main and Dessert. Girls, you just said this was the "Chicken" menu - I ain't never heard of no chicken dessert!

This is a meal, so before we can partake you must wash your hands and say "いただきます”

Anyway, the result is this:

Mr. Wednesday = Salad
キャンディー・ルーム = Soup
Pretty Lie = Main
くちゃLove = Dessert

I'd actually agree.

In the funniest moment of the night, Purple starts talking about Disney but can't remember Mickey Mouse's name. Then tells the crowd they are full of it when they say they knew it.

Playground is still one of my favourite dance routines they've done. And this was possibly one of the best performances of the night! It's just the Aqua, Yellow and Purple show and they killed it. Then Yellow opens 無題 accapella and it is possibly her best vocal performance of the night. Purple nails her solo part and doesn't break into tears. Then oh shit - they're doing フィルム? And then following with バチェロレッテは終わらない? Well, that's one hell of a way to end the main concert!

Encore time! Buy their goods! I would if I could, believe me!!

Time for the madness that is always STEP&GO. This time Orange tries to lie down, so Purple sits on her. They've got luggage attached to scooters and Red goes across the stage. Then pushes Blue on it, who is not so confident and almost runs over Aqua. As soon as the song ends, they ALL fucking destroy Blue for it. Then Purple shows her how it's done by racing across the stage on the scooter and avoiding everyone.

Purple is queen.

Red announces a concert on 22nd September 2018. They're excited! That would become their final concert performance and last official act as PASSPO☆. Then they do one last performance as Band PASSPO☆- 少女飛行 - then rock the house with Music Navigation before calling it a night.

This was a really fun live. One of the reasons I love this 7 the most is that being less members, they all had a chance to show personality. And they have a lot of it! It might even be just that they've gotten older and more experienced, but whatever. I can sit here and badmouth the singing or the Band PASSPO☆ stuff, but really at least they were trying their best to do something different.

Highlights:
Playground, the luggage riding incident, Purple making cow and chicken noises

Lowlights:
No vegetarian meal option

5 / 7 Glowsticks