2025 in 2025: Day 107

Kill Bill Vol. 1 - Various Artists

This is, in fact, only Battle Without Honor or Humanity by Tomoyasu Hotei. It is a very, very cool instrumental track.

10/10

KILL MY DOUBT - ITZY

There is a song on this EP called Psychic Lover, which I can only assume is an ode to one of the greatest Japanese rock bands. For sure.

Highlights: Kill Shot, CAKE

7/10

KiLLER BiSH - BiSH

The major label debut with still a strong alt. idol flavour, and the intent is loud and clear from the opening track; get ready for destruction! Lots of madness and screaming with KiLLER hooks. Helluva consistent album, this one.

Highlights: DEADMAN, summertime, Throw away, 本当本気

8/10

A Kind of Magic - Queen

This is the album that made me buy all the 2011 reissues; I had the 1991 remaster most of my life and it was so terribly compressed it was almost unlistenable once I got proper ears. I always get in my head that this album is not that great, but it really is only 2 songs. The rest is absolute perfect examples of Queen; big rock, massive ballad, triumphant pop.

Highlights: One Vision, Friends Will Be Friends, Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme), A Kind of Magic

8/10

KiND PEOPLE / リズム - BiSH

Oooh a double-dose of BiSH this morning. The most average of 'rock' songs with an awesomely massive power ballady-type thing.

Highlights: リズム 

7.5/10

King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime - Faith No More

This was such a departure compared to Angel Dust. Less keyboards. No rapping. No "gay disco". Much less fun. Even Mike Patton's vocal stylings are way different. I remember a friend of mine at the time of release wondering if he had been replaced. It varies between wannabe thrash metal and lounge jazz and just straight-up schlock before ending with some almost gospel.

Highlights: Ricochet, The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, Cuckoo for Caca, Just a Man

7/10

King of Rock - Run-D.M.C.

This is certainly not my favourite Run-D.M.C. album, but they sure have some killer rhymes going on. Because I have the bonus tracks, I will add that the Beastie Boys version of Slow and Low is actually superior. Somehow.

Highlights: King of Rock, Can You Rock It Like This, Darryl and Joe (Krush-Groove 3), You Talk Too Much

8/10

KINGDOM - SPYAIR

More epic rock. Less memorable than anything on their BEST album, which probably makes sense? It still rocks. Genuinely need more SPYAIR.

Highlights: Don't Look Back, Brand New Days, RAGE OF DUST, スクランブル

7/10

Kingdom Come - Jay-Z

This album is best enjoyed by ignoring everything Jay-Z is rapping about. Because it is all so much more vapid than usual; like, the dude always raps about being rich and what not, but it just feels even more egregious here. Particularly when he raps about being friends with Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow. Boy, that line has aged poorly.  I would say the same about this album, but I do not believe it was even considered good back in 2006.

Highlights: Beach Chair, Kingdom Come, Do You Wanna Ride, Show Me What You Got

6/10

Kinky - Kinky

I love Kinky, but this album is their least memorable and outside of the absolutely brilliant Cornman, there is nothing that sticks. I will say, though, that it is consistently groovy overall. Probably because 90% of the songs sound the same.

Highlights: Cornman, Ejercicio #16, Tonos Rosa, 

6.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 928

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2025 in 2025: Day 18

Begin to Hope - Regina Spektor

I only first heard of Regina Spektor when I read an interview with Jeff Lynne praising her as a songwriter, which certainly piqued my curiosity. My initial reaction was that this album was way overhyped and I tended to gravitate to her earlier work. Boy, was I wrong! This album is just as clever and pretentious! And seriously fantastic. Not sure how I missed all this before. 

Highlights: Better, Après Moi

8/10

Begin to Hope [Bonus Disc] - Regina Spektor

Of course I bought the deluxe edition with a bonus disc! Who do you think I am? Some sort of novice? Plus, if I remember correctly, it was actually cheaper than the regular version. I miss when The Warehouse sold music and movies. Definitely not as strong as the album itself, but that's not really a surprise.

Highlights: Summer in the City, Uh-Merica

6/10

Beside You - Dave Dobbyn

A best of Dave Dobbyn? This is not something I wanted... Admittedly I do think Be Mine Tonight is a fantastic song. But I already have that in my iTunes *checks iTunes lilbrary* two other times? I have this song 3 times in my iTunes library?? I don't know what else this dude has ever done that might interest me, especially when it appears he has re-recorded some of these "hits". So, crappy songs made worse by being sung by an old man that sounds like a drunk playing at the local pub? Holy hell this album is 90 minutes long. I'm sure this MF has talked about weather in about 80% of the songs I've listened to so far. You know what the funniest part of this is? Numerous times I looked at this album in my iTunes library and thought to myself 'Should I delete this? No, there are a couple of songs I might want to keep' and if I had just checked I would have found ALL of those songs in my iTunes library on other compilations and then I wouldn't be here listening to this MF croon about kisses being like rain. Sounds wet. Who the hell kisses like that?!?!

Highlights: Be Mine Tonight, Slice of Heaven

3.5/10

A BEST - Ayumi Hamasaki

Talk about a palette cleanser! This was the first Ayu album I bought - for $1 at the opshop. Bargain. I've held on to it purely for the re-recorded songs and Love: Destiny, which I believe is not found anywhere else? I'm not really sure. But it is also good to have this little compilation, because it may be the only Ayu my wife will allow outside of Power of Music. My first impression of this album, and thus Ayu, was that maybe I had wasted $1; I didn't think much of her voice and thought the songs sounded very dated. My opinion has certainly changed somewhat... 

Highlights: A Song for xx [New Vocal & Mix], Depend on you [New Vocal & Mix], Who... and all the other awesome songs

9/10

BEST - SPYAIR

Look, I'll be real here; most of SPYAIR's songs sound the same. Half of this album genuinely sounds so similar that I have a hard time telling the songs apart. Luckily, it's a darn great song so all these songs sound like a good time. And the ones that actually sound different? Well, they are mostly EVEN BETTER. 

Highlights: 虹, Beautiful Days, サムライハート (Some Like It Hot!!), ジャパニケーション, Last Moment

8/10

BEST [Bonus Disc] - SPYAIR

I have not listened to this very often; the opening track is absolutely worth having the disc and there is nothing terrible, but this one gets even more same-samey than the main disc.

Highlights: Trust your anthem, MOVIN' ON, Just Like This

6.5/10

Best Fiction - Namie Amuro

Ayu's main rival! And I know a lot of people that seem to prefer Amuro and her R&B styles. I haven't listened to much of her work outside of this album. And even then, I have not really given this more than a few passing listens. It honestly reminds me of Aaliyah and wouldn't feel out of place in a movie like Cradle 2 tha Grave or Romeo Must Die. I don't associate R&B with Jet Li, but that just seemed to be how Hollywood tried to place him. I need to give this another run one of these days.

Highlights: Put 'Em Up, Alarm, Funky Town

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 153