2025 in 2025: Day 119

Love Again - Ayumi Hamasaki

This is not an album I listen to often - quite likely my least listened to Ayu album, or at least right up there. It is not necessarily bad or anything - there a few awesome songs and the interludes are really great - but I find it a bit... generic. This whole little period post-Power of Music is her most average. Colours was awesome and put an end to that. I should listen to Colours again...

Highlights: snowy kiss, untitled for her... story 2, Ivy, Bye-bye darling

7.5/10

Love and Fear - Jimmy Barnes

Barnesy's usual brand of Aussie rock, but with more of a modern/updated sound. Which, at this point, is now 20 years-old. Big rock guitars, a few big beats. No rapping on this one, but def some R&B on that one song.

Highlights: Time Will Tell, Temptation, Love Gone Cold

6.5/10

The Love Below - Outkast

Or really an Andre 3000 solo album with Big Boi on a couple of tracks. Look, Imma be real with you with all: I find Andre 3000 really pretentious and annoying. And this album is a lot of nonsense and sex, without actually being sexy, if you know what I mean. In the middle are two certified bangers, but they are just surrounded by the stupidest collection of skits and... whatever this is. None of it feels like actual songs.

Highlights: Hey Ya!, Roses

4/10

Love Demolition - Zowie

I think this is NZ pop? I was given this CD by... someone? And they were given it... somewhere? Clearly a heavy influence from Lady Gaga going on here. It is actually mostly decent. Or at least listenable. Hey - that is a very high compliment for me when it comes to New Zealand music!

Highlights: You Treat Me (Like I'm Software), My Calculator, Nothing Else, Ping Ping

6.5/10

Love Gun - Kiss

This album is just what I needed this morning to get back on track! Just about peak Kiss, right here. Well, I mean, they peaked for like 3 years and it was basically downhill after this, but this album rules the schools.

Highlights: I Stole Your Love, Love Gun, Got Love for Sale, Plaster Caster

9/10

Love is Hell - Ryan Adams

No one will ever convince me this album is as good as people try to pretend it is. I am not saying it is terrible - because I listened to The Love Below this morning, so I know terrible - but it is not the amazing triumph that Ryan Adams fans think it is.

Highlights: This House is Not For Sale, Love is Hell, Wonderwall, Please Do Not Let Me Go

6/10

Love is Hell Rarities - Ryan Adams

Some of these songs are fine. Some are better than some of the songs on Love is Hell. Some are just a continuation of the miserable mediocrity found on Love is Hell. And this version of This Is It is the worst I have ever heard.

Highlights: Gimme Sunshine, I Want to Go Home

5.5/10

Love is Hell: New York Sessions - Ryan Adams

I am going to kill myself...

Highlights: I am dead like Charlie Kirk

5/10

Love Live! School Idol Project - μ's

Oh hey, I did a cleanup of this stuff a few years ago. I actually thought it was last Winter, but apparently time goes VERY quickly! Yeah yeah iDOL is SHiT and all that, but this is exactly what I needed after 3 hours of DRA being a black cloud. These girls are the rainbow and sunshine washing his BS away. I need to learn No brand girls on guitar. And bah gawd that bassline in どんなときもずっと is phenomenal.

Highlights: No brand girls, どんなときもずっと, Wonderful Rush, 僕らは今のなかで

8/10

Love Live! Sunshine - Aqours (and others)

Why, yes - I did a cleanup for these songs the day after doing so for μ's. This was more complex, because I had everything still split across like 4 albums and all sub-unit names are being used for the artists, etc. I may have to watch an episode of this show tonight.

Highlights: 勇気はどこに？君の胸に！, 君のこころは輝いてるかい？, SELF CONTROL!!, Landing action Yeah!!

7.5/10

Love Songs - Ayumi Hamasaki

Start the day with Ayu and end the day with Ayu! I always forget this album actually came out before the Power of Music concert - mostly because there is almost nothing from it performed at that show - and I consider it the start of the 'lame' period of Ayu's career. Well, first lame period. The second would be the last 4 or 5 years. Like most Ayu albums, it is a mix of various styles, but country rock is certainly a first!

Highlights: Thank U, Love song, MOON, blossom, sending mail

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1044

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2025 in 2025: Day 22

BETWEEN THE TEN [Disc 1] - YUKI

What better way to start the day than with a chronological compilation of all of YUKI's b-sides? And this wasn't compiled by me. Totally official. It's since been updated (online only) to celebrate her 20th anniversary as a solo artist, so that version is now totally complete (even with a new title and everything), and this album is stuck in 2012. But via iTunes means I would have to have all the romaji in the song titles, and I would rather avoid that plague of silliness. 

Highlights: ありがとう, 17才, 舞い上がれ, 首輪

7/10

BETWEEN THE TEN [Disc 2] - YUKI

Honestly, not much to say here. These are good songs - genuinely nothing bad going on here. Just a mixed bag of styles and varying between folky and dance bops - which is totally par for the course when it comes to YUKI. I think all I'm missing in my collection is a couple of singles and the b-sides on that 20th anniversary release.

Highlights: just life! all right!, 誘惑してくれ, Wild Ladies

7/10

BEYONCÉ - Beyoncé

This has videos as well? I wonder if my iTunes will play those... Anyways, I have never listened to this. Seriously. Was added to my iTunes by someone else and I have no idea why, as I am not a fan of Beyoncé and find her fandom annoying. Not as annoying as Taylor Swift fans, though. Come at me, Swifties. Shiizz, I ain't afraid of you mofos! These songs are too long and just not good. Well, they are somewhat fine musically, but the melodies and vocals and lyrics are just totally naff. Also, Drake is on a song? So I have Drake in my iTunes?!? Yeah, this is going to be a HARD delete. I curse the person that put that MF in my iTunes. At least the videos did NOT play.

Highlights: XO

4/10

Beyond Good and Evil - The Cult

This is only the song Rise. It rocks. It was most welcome after an hour of mediocre Beyoncé.

7/10

Big Band... Small World - Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and Friends

I was sure I had the whole album, but seems to be simply George Harrison performing Horse to the Water. Apparently Harrison's last recorded performance? And he wrote it with his son - that's pretty cool. And so is the song. Because George Harrison was cool.

8/10

Big Boi & Dre Present... Outkast - Outkast

This is a compilation of pre-Hey Ya! Outkast. I must have picked it up cheap at the time, because I really didn't know much of Outkast. In fact, I think I may have disliked them. I certainly could not stand The Whole World - terrible song. B.O.B. however is all kinds of cool. Otherwise... still not that impressed.

Highlights: So Fresh So Clean, Rosa Parks, B.O.B., Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

5.5/10

Big Calm - Morcheeba

This album is typical late 90s UK trip-hop folksy stuff. It's been so long since I last listened to it, that I had forgotten which song it was that caused me to get this album. I dig the instrumentals as well.

Highlights: Blindfold, Bullet Proof

7/10

Big Willie Style - Will Smith

Bah gawd this album is fun. Some of his lines are so corny, it is impossible to hate on it. And just makes me smile. Taking the same sample from a Tupac song and turning it into a fun party song is just the ultimate swerve. Songs about Jada and how he's going to get an Oscar are pretty funny now! And Jamie Foxx doing skits back when he was just the dude on In Living Color. Crazy world. Also, did Eminem steal lyrics from Left Eye on the title track?

Highlights: Gettin' Jiggy Wit It, Candy, Don't Say Nothin', Yes Yes Y'all, Big Willie Style

6.5/10

Bigger, Better, Faster, More! - 4 Non Blondes

Somewhere around the turn of the Century, I discovered how awesome Linda Perry can be. Her voice is so strong and has so much passion. This album is not the best example, as it is certainly very early 90s alt rock, but there are shining moments of greatness. I know most people are sick of What's Up, but it was a massive hit for a reason. It's probably the strongest song on the album, in all honesty. Linda Perry still rocks.

Highlights: What's Up, Dear Mr. President

6/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 183