2025 in 2025: Day 144

Poetree Syndrome - Kebee

And more random Korean hip-hop. Where would my life be without it? This is fairly chill - kind of reminds me of Ayu's Nothing From Nothing. 

Highlights: Fissure

6.5/10

Points on the Curve - Wang Chung

This is only the song Dance Hall Days, which is weird because I do enjoy some Wang Chung and do not even know why I would have this song in particular? Other than it being a really cool lowkey groove.

8/10

Poison - Bell Biv Devoe

These dudes were quite the name back in the early 90s, except I only have the title track and could probably only name you one other song by Bell Biv Devoe. And I do not have that in my library either?

8/10

Pop Goes the Movies - Meco

A big medley of movie themes getting the disco treatment. And there are a lot of them. Some sound better than ever, because they are now disco. Duh!

7.5/10

Pop Life - JUDY AND MARY

YUKI and company with their usual brand of noisey post-grunge fun. I swear, her voice sounds so similar still 30 years later.

Highlights: ジーザス！ジーザス！, Lover Soul, ミュジックファイター

7/10

Pornography - The Cure

One of the darkest and most disturbed releases from The Cure. Robert Smith is super cool, but I cannot help but look at him in the 80s as being a bit of an edgelord. It is crazy that these songs are like 6 minutes long and just have the same drum beat over and over and it does not get boring.

Highlights:

8.5/10

Power of Music - Ayumi Hamasaki

Still my favourite live concert. I could happily watch it every day. It is a shame to miss a few of the performances on this release, but it is also nice having the extra bonus tracks. So I guess it balances out? What is up with the fading between songs when it is not necessary? vogue went straight to Far away and then to SEASONS, yet you need to fade between them all and make the transitions longer?? I am nit-picking, because overall this is just all the feels and genuine POWER of music!!

Highlights: M, progress, Far away, SEASONS, forgiveness

9/10

The Power Source - JUDY AND MARY

More JAM, you say? Very good feel good noise, over here. This one is a little less noisy, I think? I will be honest - most JUDY AND MARY kind of sounds the same. Which is mostly a good thing.

Highlights: KISSの温度, くじら１２号, Happy?, The Great Escape

7/10

The Power Station - The Power Station

This is only their cover of Get It On (Bang a Gong)?!? How do I not have full album?!?! Somebody stop me...

9/10

Prelusive - Sarah Blasko

This was released, I think, around the time I saw Ms. Blasko live in Melbourne. I would not be surprised if she played purely songs from this EP. I should google that... Well, I found the gig, but no setlists. Not even for the headlining act. Gosh, it is almost like we were not terminally online in 2003!

Highlights: Sweet Surrender, New Religion, Follow the Sun, Your Way

7/10

PREMIUM COUNTDOWN LIVE 2008-2009 A - Ayumi Hamasaki

Would you believe I have had this concert on blu-ray since about 2018 and STILL have not watched it? LOGMAN is a weird person. Especially because this CD is very good; it features the most epic version of Heartplace (only to be equalled or possibly surpassed by the performance at the 25th anniversary concert) and there are a number of random older songs as well that I am sure were never performed again.

Highlights: Heartplace, End of the World, Naturally, For My Dear...

7.5/10

present from you - BUMP OF CHICKEN

A big compilation of their b-sides Which is cool for completeness... but they are hardly necessities. 

Highlights: ガラスのブルース (28 years round), プレゼント, スノースマイル ~ringing version~, ラフ・メイカー

6/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1308

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2025 in 2025: Day 127

Mosaic - Wang Chung

Everybody have fun tonight! This is just peak 80s pop in all its glory. And there is a surprising amount of angry swearing at how our capitalist society is destroying our world!

Highlights: Everybody Have Fun Tonight, Let's Go, The World in Which We Live

7/10

Most of All: The Best of - Debbie Harry

Blondie were pretty cool. And Debbie Harry herself is cool. But... her solo work is pretty naff. Outside of a couple of songs, it is all very uninspired and only shows that her voice was pretty average. I am not saying someone like Mariah Carey could have made these songs more worthwhile... actually, her duetting with Iggy Pop would have been wild.

Highlights: I Want That Man, French Kissin' in the USA, Free to Fall, In Love With Love

6/10

Mother Love Bone - Mother Love Bone

These dudes had great riffs. A lot of great riffs. It is just that, in general, the rest of the song did not follow up on said great riff as well as you would want. BUT when they got it right, they really got it right. Despite the hype, I do not think they would have been any bigger had Andrew Wood lived.

Highlights: Stardog Champion, This is Shangrila, Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns, Gentle Groove

7/10

Mötley Crüe - Mötley Crüe

When this came out, I remember people using all sorts of weird genre terms to describe; thrash metal, death metal, grunge... none of them at all accurate. People just looked at images and decided that was the sound. What it DOES sound like, is awesomeness. This is still kinda Mötley Crüe - just with a different singer. And big balls. New (temporary?) singer John Corabi's voice is so different to Vince Neil's, that it always amazes me he was their first choice. It's really a good mix of the heavier/darker songs and a little more radio-friendly rock, plus Droppin' Like Flies is sort of prog? Maybe kinda not really. Smoke the Sky is some sort of ode to marijuana usage - which is odd coming from guys that were supposed to be completely free of alcohol and drugs at this point (I mean, I'm pretty sure I saw Tommy knocking back champagne when I went to his DJ gig a few years back, but whatever). Honestly, when this album came out, I know I bought in to all the negative press around it - being a big fan of the original line-up, it was hard not to. But within a few years, I was able to realise that this album is actually darn awesome. Really darn awesome.

Highlights: Misunderstood, Hooligan's Holiday, Power to the Music, Welcome to the Numb

8/10

Mountain Top [Single] - ELLEGARDEN

When this was first released, it was never going to live up to my expectations; the first single in 16 years, the first piece of recording since their reunion, and just something I never thought would happen in my lifetime. It has since grown on me and definitely appreciate it a lot more. Still sounds kind of generic rock, but at least the lyrics are great. And ELLEGARDEN are back, mofos!

8/10

The Movie - The Shit

This may well be Ryan Adams' best work ever. Certainly his greatest lyrics. A lot of Andy Fiddlesticks, Jo Jo the Parrot and punching in the nuts. KING FUCKING KONG!!!

Highlights: Honky Tonk Ba-Donkey Kong, Jimmy, Blue as a Zoo, Taco Bell in Bed, Problems

9/10

MPLSound - Prince

I only just discovered what the MPLS stands for. I am not American, okay? This is a total solo Prince album and it is just funky pop all the way. By Prince standards, it is... mediocre. Like, he probably just sat down at the computer and pumped this all out in like half a day.

Highlights: No More Candy 4 U, (There'll Never B) Another Like Me, Valentina, Ol' Skool Company

7/10

Mr. Bad Guy - Freddie Mercury

Hard to believe this was his only real solo album. It is almost what you would expect; lots of keyboards, synths and dance beats, but a lot less layered vocals than a Queen album. I get the feeling that is more of a Brian May thing. The songs reworked for Made in Heaven sound better there.

Highlights: Made in Heaven, I Was Born to Love You, Mr. Bad Guy

6.5/10

Mr. T's Commandments - Mr. T

The greatest man ever is here to tell you how to be better. The most important 30 minutes of your life, outside of watching Be Somebody or Be Somebody's Fool.

Highlights: The Toughest Man in the World, Mr. T Mr. T, You Got to Go Through It, The One and Only Mr. T

7.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1120

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2025 in 2025: Day 10

Ashes & Fire - Ryan Adams
It is kind of hard to rate this stuff these days; this is a bit of a reminder that some of this is very good, however everything about the guy is so disingenuous and off-putting. The piano sound on the title track is perfection. And that solo on Do I Wait is awesome. I actually enjoy Adams' acoustic sound on this album. Was this the last album he made where his singing wasn't awful? Hmmm maybe not - his voice seems to be starting to be crap here, particularly on Save Me. That'll teach him to use song titles from Queen. I think I was pretty harsh on this album back during the marathon and I've possibly only listened to it once since then (about 8 years ago), but it seems to be better than I remember. In places.
Highlights: Ashes & Fire, Do I Wait, Chains of Love, Lucky Now
7/10

Ashes & Fire Bonus Tracks - Ryan Adams
The solo on Star Sign is quite good. Very quite good. Weird; I went back and looked at my marathon notes, and I said Darkness was on here. But I've deleted it? I only have 2 other versions instead. That's still more than a normal person should have, but still.
Highlights: Star Sign
6.5/10

The Ashes of Chikara - Various Artists
Chikara were a pro-wrestling promotion based in the USA that kind of based everything on a mix of Lucha Libre and comic book storytelling, pretty much aimed and children and dorks. So it was the best pro-wrestling promotion ever. They did a big story where the promotion was bought by some bad people and shut down, and then spent a year doing youtube and social media campaigns to bring it back, which culminated in the movie The Ashes of Chikara. And this is the soundtrack to that movie. Got it? It is mostly instrumental pieces mixed with some classic 80s artists like Wang Chung and Stan Bush. Oh, and a cover of Believe it or Not. I used to walk to work every day and this album was pretty much the perfect length for my walk. I totally forgot about Whatever Makes You Feel Superior - bah gawd this song is MY JAM! Sadly, dear reader, Chikara closed down for real a few years ago. Life imitating art and all that.
Highlights: Whatever Makes You Feel Superior - Toehider, From the Ashes - Stan Bush
6.5/10

ASTEROID - INKYMAP
I completely discovered this band by accident - was looking for a gig to attend in 広島 and saw something with like 6 bands for under 3000円. INKYMAP were second from the top. They rocked. I bought this album from their merch table (the bass player told me I should, and who am I to argue?). I think they may have just released it or something... anyways, they've since become one of my favourite bands. Definitely one of the best punk rock bands going in Japan today.
Highlights: 白銀の夜に, The Delight, マタアウヒマデ
8/10

Astronaut - Duran Duran
Oooh reunion-era Duran Duran! This is the most harmless dancey Duran Duran album you could possibly ask for. Possibly a bit long? Like, if you're going to make a relatively uninteresting album, you could at least keep it around 40 minutes.
Highlights: (Reach Up for the) Sunrise, Nice, Finest Hour
6/10

Asylum - Kiss
I... actually like this album. Mostly. It's still not the raucous fun of early Kiss, and things only got better from here (until after the reunion), but this album really was the turning point. Bah gawd, does Bruce Kulick shred up a storm on this thing! Having him join the Animalize tour was clearly a bad influence. Gene's singing is garbage. He needed to bring these songs down by like 4 or 5 semi-tones. Or Paul should have sung them. If Trial By Fire had a better chorus, it would be one of the best songs on the album - the verses and whatnot all have a real classic Kiss vibe to them. 
Highlights: King of the Mountain, Who Wants to Be Lonely, Tears are Falling
6.5/10

At Her Very Best And All The Greatest Hits - Yazz
This is purely the single The Only Way is Up. As much of a music nerd as I am (and love 80s music), I have no idea of any other songs by Yazz that could make a greatest hits compilation. I couldn't even make a greatest hits EP.
7/10

At the BBC - Queen
Finally some Queen! I knew it would be some time before I got to them, so I went on a bit of a listen to some albums before starting the iTunes marathon. This album is them "live" at the BBC studios in 1973, so it is far from complete - pretty sure they appeared another 3 or 4 times. Queen have made this album completely redundant by releasing all the complete BBC stuff in a box set, and then again by releasing all the BBC tracks as part of the big box sets they have been releasing. But this is what I was given, so it will do until I can muster up the energy to re-purchase my Queen collection. With all the overdubs and whatnot, it all sounds pretty much exactly the same as the studio recordings. So it's kind of like a 'best of the first album', with very minor differences. Notably Freddie Mercury messing up his overdubs on Keep Yourself Alive (as in, one track sings different lyrics to the other track).
Highlights: Keep Yourself Alive, Liar
7/10

ATE - Stray Kids
LOGMAN joins the 21st Century! Would you believe I actually went to a Stray Kids concert late last year? No joke. It was awesome. And so is this... mini-album?
Highlights: MOUNTAINS, JJAM, Stray Kids
8/10

Atlas - Kinky
Truly an international day here at LOGMAN radio; first some Japanese, then some Korean, and now Spanish! That guitar riff in Presidente always rocks my world. I kind of feel like guitar is a bit more prominent on this album compared to some others, because there are some cool riffs all over the show. The middle loses a bit of steam, but there is not a bad song on this album. Just solid grooves, funky beats, bizarre lyrics, and all-around good vibes. There has to be something to say about a band that does not make slow songs or ballads.
Highlights: Presidente, Minotauro, María José
8/10

Audio Out - Amiel
This is an album that actually influenced me a bit; Josh Abrahams' production and how they worked to shape her songs really made me rethink how I was approaching what I was working on at the time. It didn't really help me, but that's because I'm me. I wish they could have done a follow up to this; Amiel did make a second album, but with a different producer... and then it was scrapped before release and she's disappeared since. At least I can still enjoy her singing "Dolphinarium" on Micallef Tonight!
Highlights: Clair De Lune, Missing the Music, Games We Play
7.5/10

Audioslave - Audioslave
I've never thought too much of this album. Which is strange; I had a lot of love for Chris Cornell and I certainly enjoyed Rage Against the Machine. And the music is still pretty decent; Tom Morello does his weird solos (some are amazing, like in What You Are and Like a Stone), Tim C's bass is beasty and Brad Wilk is as solid as always. But Cornell on this... I don't know. His voice his rough and the melodies aren't that interesting. 
Highlights: the bass tone, a couple of guitar solos, and accepting this album just ain't for me
4/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 87