2025 in 2025: Day 91

HALFTIME REPORT

Notice I say "time"? Here we are, halfway through 2025 and I have only just finished the "G" albums and am not even 2/5 through everything. In fact, when I break it down by song, I have still listened to much less than half. Apparently I need to listen to 215 albums per month to finish this before the end of the year. Let us see if LOGMAN can pull it together in the next 6 months and make more effort here, but it is hard when I choose to spend my working hours watching WCW instead of listening to music and, you know... working...

Hakkin No Yoake - Momoiro Clover Z

This is purely the song Z No Chikai. It bothers me to no end that these titles are all in romaji, but that is the fault of iTunes being racist or something. This song rules.

10/10

Halcyon (International Version) - Ellie Goulding

This is very likely the first time I have ever listened to this album. I wasn't missing much. Very typical English pop singer that can barely sing and hides behind good production on average songs. It is just Florence + The Machine - Powerful Singing.

Highlights: I Need Your Love, My Blood, Halcyon, Lights

6/10

Halfway Between the Gutter and Stars - Fat Boy Slim

This is purely Weapon of Choice. I am not sure why, because I am sure I did have this full album at one point. Or maybe I am confused? Fun song.

8/10

Hands All Over - Maroon 5

These dudes get a lot of stick, but I genuinely enjoy most of their music and an album like this is fairly harmless; every second song is really good and then every other song is fine, so it is a decent offering of the Maroon 5 brand of pop rock. I am not sure they are the band to be covering Queen, but it was not offensive or anything.

Highlights: Misery, Stutter, Never Gonna Leave This Bed, Just a Feeling

7/10

Hands of Gravity- the HIATUS

This album is probably the most straight-forward/less adventurous from the HIATUS. It does, however, end with the greatest song they ever recorded. Possibly a top five song from 細美さん, even. The drumming and piano really lift it to the next level.

Highlights: Sunburn, Geranium, Drifting Story, Radio

7/10

Happiness? - Roger Taylor

So this must have been Mr. Taylor's first post-Queen album? Why is he pronouncing Nazi like he is American? I find it strangely off-putting. But dude is here singing about people being oppressed in Ukraine like he is some sort of prophet. Or the world has just been a terrible place for a long time. Next thing he will be out there saying Free Palestine or something.

Highlights: Revelations, Touch the Sky, Old Friends

6/10

Happiness... Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch - Our Lady Peace

I have zero idea how someone could listen to this album and think Mike Turner needs to be replaced by someone that is more suited to something like Foo Fighters. Dude had character. So did Raine's voice - his falsetto on Blister is mad. And bah gawd Jeremy Taggart was a beast on the drums - dude had mad feel and added so much power to their songs. In case you missed it, this album fucking OWNS. A little more refined than Clumsy with twice the emotion.

Highlights: One Man Army, Potato Girl, Is Anybody Home?, Waited, Lying Awake, Stealing Babies

9/10

Happy Pills - Candlebox

This album was a staple in my 'jam along' playlist back in like 1998 to 2001. I wonder if I could still play these tracks? I probably won't be rating it as highly now as I would have back then, but it sure is still very good. I am reminded of their interview to promote this album, calling it "good quality shit, right here".

Highlights: It's Alright, A Stone's Throw Away, Sometimes, Step Back

7.5/10

A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles

After a whole bunch of powerful late 90s rock, it is nice to get a smile with one of a great classic rock'n roll album. Which is just a regular day in the office for The Beatles. Lennon's voice on this one is super cool. I can see why it influenced Cobain so much. 

Highlights: A Hard Day's Night, Any Time At All, Can't Buy Me Love, I'll Cry Instead, You Can't Do That

7/10

Hatsukoi - 宇多田 ヒカル

So many cool time signatures and different rhythms and beats going on in here. Whoever produced this album deserves a high five and a bunch of grammys if you feel so inclined, because it is just masterful. Pretty sure the backing vocals are the blueprint for how you want them to sound.

Highlights: あなた, パクチーの唄, 夕凪, 嫉妬されるべき人生

7/10

Haunted - Poe

What Poe lacks in singing ability she certainly makes up for with songwriting, because this album is a completely different beast to her debut (which also is not far away) and lyrically it is just top-tier business. And the tape excerpts between songs add a different dimension to the whole thing. And honestly that last song is just heartbreaking.

Highlights: Haunted, Control, Walk the Walk, Could've Gone Mad, Wild

8/10

Have a Nice Day - Bon Jovi

I always felt this was kind of modern-sounding for Bon Jovi at the time. And after the dour attitude on Bounce, it is all mostly upbeat and good vibes and a bit more what fans like me wanted from them. It rocks. It is fun. But where the hell was Sambora?!?!

Highlights: Welcome to Wherever You Are, Bells of Freedom, Have a Nice Day, Novocaine

7.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 749

FREE PALESTINE

2025 in 2025: Day 32

C-Note - Prince

This is mostly instrumental jams. I'm not sure if they are actually live or just have added crowd noise to make them sound as such, but they are pretty funky and also moody.

Highlights: Copenhagen, Empty Room

7/10

California (Deluxe Edition) - blink-182

Hot take; I think I prefer blink-182 without Tom. With Skiba, they seemed to balance the serious lyrics and fun music really well. San Diego is a perfect example of that. There is still a bit of immature stupid stuff, but it is kept to a minimum with silly little songs, and instead the main focus is actual good songs.

Highlights: Built This Pool, San Diego, California

7/10

Californication S6 (Music from the Showtime Series) - Various Artists

I have never watched Californication. Isn't that a Red Hot Chilli Peppers song? This is not that, either. It is simply Wasted Years by Ryan Adams. Brilliant cover, this one.

7/10

Candlebox - Candlebox

Candlebox were one of those bands kind of between the 80s rock sound and the Seattle/grunge sound of the 90s, so they probably struggled to really catch people. Which is a shame, because they certainly had some good songs here and there. I really wanted to hate on Far Behind today, but nope - it holds up. So does that solo on Change. 

Highlights: Change, You, Far Behind, Blossom, Cover Me

6.5

Cape Goat - The Bilge Festival

Fun fact: LOGMAN did not always have an allergic reaction to New Zealand music. This was a CD I bought probably back around 1994? I remember some of the songs being played on a late night music video show and I thought it was all pretty cool. It is very typical of the New Zealand sound at the time; kind of like the whole grunge thing, just a bit more reverb. At least these songs are short.

Highlights: Wildebeast A Go Go, Lollyscramble, Sick of Renown

5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 267

CRISS (1993)

The Phantom of the Opera was ready for war...

Peter Criss returns!

The Catman hits us with his first bit of music in 11 years. And it's a short EP of songs that sound very much like they are from 1993. The Cat features a funny line about Gene and Paul going up a hill and then he does some screams like he is mocking Paul. Entertaining, for sure. Then Show Me features some other dude singing. What is it with Ace and Peter thinking they need someone else to come in and sing other songs to make things more interesting? Especially here, where this guy has a kind of screamer voice like Peter so doesn't really add much diversity. Except make them sound more like Candlebox or something. Good Times is actually pretty groovy. What You're Doin' is just like that second song, except more forgettable. And then we close off with a nice acoustic version of Beth. I dig that.


Highlights:
Making fun of Gene and Paul

Lowlights:
Coming across as some low-rent Candlebox wannabe band at times



Verdict = 3 Smoking Les Paul Guitars