2025 in 2025: Day 156

Ring Ring - ABBA

This is the least memorable ABBA album. Making your wife sing a song like I Am Just a Girl, with lyrics like "I am just a girl, not the kind of woman men would like to meet/Just another girl no one looks at in the street/" and then about how she is meant to love her man, is a form of abuse.

Highlights: Ring Ring, Rock'n Roll Band, He is Your Brother, Nina Pretty Ballerina

7/10

RIOT ON THE GRILL - ELLEGARDEN

This is the Summer album for all Summers. If you are looking for shelter in a Sharknado, come find me... and I will be too busy air-drumming to this album to help. Possibly the greatest album ever made that makes me smile so much I want to cry.

Highlights: 虹, Missing, モンスター, BBQ Riot Song, Marry Me, I Hate It, Red Hot

100/10

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - David Bowie

Absolute peak 70s Bowie. Glam art rock with poptastic hooks. My opinion that Suffragette City is his best song still stands.

Highlights: Suffragette City, Moonage Daydream, Ziggy Stardust, Rock'n Roll Suicide

8/10

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars: 30th Anniversary Edition - David Bowie

This is the bonus disc, which features some demos and b-sides. The b-sides are as great as the demos are bad.

Highlights: Moonage Daydream (New Mix), Velvet Goldmine, John I'm Only Dancing, Round and Round

7/10

Rise Up 2.0 [Single] - Six60

I guess the 2.0 thing means it is a remix or something? I guess this is like dubstep or something? I do not know. It is kinda groovy.

7/10

River of Dreams - Billy Joel

In parts, Joel and band go pretty hard on this. There is a certain ferocity to No Man's Land that you do not often find in a Billy Joel song, and a few other tracks have some real driving feel to them. The rest of the album just feels like middle of the road radio/record label pleasing tunes.

Highlights: No Man's Land, All About Soul, The Great Wall of China, The River of Dreams

7/10

Road To Rouen - Supergrass

This is such an anomaly in the Supergrass discography; more serious rock, no fun at all to be had anywhere. Much of an artistic kind of approach, focused on good riffs. 

Highlights: Tales Of Endurance (Parts 4, 5 & 6), Road to Rouen, Kick in the Teeth, Low C

7/10

Rock 'n' Roll - John Lennon

John Lennon does a lot of cocaine and records some of his favourite rock'n roll classics to avoid getting sued. There are so much horns it almost sounds more like The Blues Brothers or something. Not a bad thing.

Highlights: Rip It Up/Ready Teddy, Stand By Me, Slippin' and Slidin', You Can't Catch Me

7/10

Rock and Roll Over - Kiss

Hells yes. Great album, RIP Ace!!!

Highlights: Take Me, I Want You, Calling Dr. Love, Makin' Love

8/10

Rock Dust Light Star - Jamiroquai

This is a bit more lowkey but straight-up electronic influenced. Wild to listen to this so soon after Return of the Space Cowboy - like a completely different band.

Highlights: All Good in the Hood, Goodbye to My Dancer, She's a Fast Persuader, Hey Floyd

6.5/10

Rock in a Hard Place - Aerosmith

Wait - so this is the album without Joe Perry or Brad Whitford and that people thought was terrible? Because I like this more than half of the albums Aerosmith did with Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. 

Highlights: Jailbait, Rock in a Hard Place (Cheshire Cat), Bolivian Ragamuffin, Jig is Up

7/10

Rock N Roll - Ryan Adams

I can never decide if this album is the ultimate in his douchery or it is actually as brilliant as it sometimes feels. Because today it feels the latter.

Highlights: 1974, The Drugs Not Working, Hypnotixed, Do Miss America

8/10

Rock N Roll B-Sides - Ryan Adams

These are not nearly as punk rock as the main album. But actually more enjoyable than I remembered.

Highlights: Red Lights, I'm Coming Over, Luxury

7/10

Rock Show [Live] - Run-D.M.C. & Third Eye Blind

This is the performance on David Letterman. I am not really sure why have this, because Stephan Jenkins is not a great live singer. But it still kicks serious butt.

8/10

ROCK-STAR - Stray Kids

More boombastic crazy stuff from JYP's favourite protégés. I mean, I do not really know if they are his favourites, but they sure make him a lot of money!

Highlights: Social Path, MEGAVERSE, COMFLEX, LALALALA

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1440

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2025 in 2025: Day 136

O(+> - Prince and the New Power Generation

This is probably one of my favourite Prince albums; it is not perfect, but he just went so hard with the new jack swing on this. And the funk. And the power ballad stuff. It starts off with a sermon on a mountain and just never lets up. Epic stuff. Also, Tony M gets a bad rap - he really was great on this album.

Highlights: Love 2 the 9's, My Name is Prince, The Morning Papers, Sexy M.F., 7

8/10

Obsessed - Mariah Carey

Mariah sends Eminem to the burn ward! Or something... she sure does not really sing on this like she used to; very heavy autotune and no fancy stuff. Honestly, sounds more like Lady Gaga!

Highlights: Obsessed

7.5/10

ODDINARY - Stray Kids

Fairly straight-forward big beat hip-hop K-Pop styles from these guys. And I mean that is quite different for Stray Kids; usually their stuff can get unnecessarily complicated! 

Highlights: Waiting For Us, MANIAC, Lonely St., Charmer

7/10

Odelay - Beck

I think Beck is rap for white people that pretend to like hip-hop. 

Highlights: Lord Only Knows, Where It's At, Jack-Ass, High 6 (Rock the Catskills)

7/10

Odelay [Bonus Disc] - Beck

Well this was.. pointless. Like spending my money on Beck!

Highlights: I legit could have bought a few meals instead of these Beck albums

4.5/10

Odyssey Number Five - Powderfinger

I do not have the full album - just a couple of decent songs. Which is a gawdam relief right now.

Highlights: My Happiness, My Kind of Scene

8/10

OE: Brazil - Various Artists

NZ dub and similar musicians do Brazilian style dub? Something like that, I think. So it is terrible in two countries? Just kidding - it is not that bad. Good background music, particularly the more bossa nova tracks.

Highlights: 2 4 1 - Barbatuques & Maaka Phat & P. Digsss, Embrace This Place - Funk Como le & Recloose & Tyna

5.5/10

Off The Soundboard: Live In Donington 1996 - Kiss

Reunion tour Kiss! Like most reunion tour Kiss concerts, it rocks; Gene sings like he has eaten razors, Peter drums with inconsistent tempos, Paul continues being a rockstar frontman, and Ace is Ace. I especially love the way he misses his line in Shout it Out Loud, but then jumps in and tries to make it fit. Very badly. And the beauty of being a music festival is we are talking a 90 minutes concert here - so it is just hot fire Kiss slamming it down!

Highlights: Love Gun, Black Diamond, 100,000 Years, Rock and Roll All Nite

8/10

Off The Soundboard: Live in Tokyo 2001 - Kiss

The last Kiss concert! For all of a year. The last Kiss concert with the original lineup! Except one of them got fired before the last bunch of concerts. Regardless, Eric Singer was awesome on drums and this concert kicks the big butts. Why could they not have made this Alive IV?

Highlights: Detroit Rock City, Deuce, Firehouse, Let Me Go Rock & Roll

8/10

Off the Wall - Michael Jackson

MJ with the disco fire! Take away She's Out of My Life and this would be a perfect album of banger after banger. Still a hell of a disco jam as it it.

Highlights: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Get on the Floor, Rock with You, Burn this Disco Out

8.5/10

OLest - Charisma.com

And speaking of bangers, it is everyone's favourite OL duo. Big beats, funky rhythms, catchy rapping and hooks. 

Highlights: 超絶に胸が痛んでいるあなたの上司, こんがらガール, アラサードリーミン, やれよ。

8/10

On a Day Like Today - Bryan Adams

For as much as I like Bryan Adams, this album is a bit of a weaker effort. There is a sequel of sorts to One Night Love Affair - or at least I like to think it is, because otherwise it just comes across as BA ripping himself off. And the man is way too self-aware to do that. I think maybe the whole thing is missing one of those big ballads he always seemed to pull out. Instead, outside of a few rocking tunes and that awesome duet with Melanie C, a lot of the songs are just kind of middle of the road. That duet with Melanie C sure is awesome, though.

Highlights: When You're Gone, Before the Night is Over, On a Day Like Today, Cloud Number Nine

7/10

On How Life Is - Macy Gray

I would not say no to hearing the rest of this album, but for now I will settle for only having Still in my library. Beautiful song. I still maintain that Macy Gray is the worst actor I have ever witnessed. I should watch Fuller House again...

9/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1210

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2025 in 2025: Day 123

The Masterplan - Oasis

I used to find the record label spiel about these dudes doing I am the Walrus live so dishonest; they would always brag about how "The Beatles never attempted to play it live" and I am like, sure - because they quit playing live before they had even written the song, so they never had the chance. Some of these songs are very good, and some are vey much deserving of just being a b-side. And there were so many better songs left off that LOGMAN had to make his own compilation of them.

Highlights: Acquiesce, Talk Tonight, Stay Young, The Masterplan

7.5/10

Mata Leão - Biohazard

It was a shame to drop an awesome guitarist, but it did mean that just being a trio these dudes churned out a fast and furious hardcore piece of awesome. This is just the most no-nonsense album they ever made. And I think I stole some of the liner notes from this album to pad out the credits of The Return of the Mystery Monks of the Shaolin Temple.

Highlights: Authority, Modern Democracy, Control, In Vain

8/10

Matangi - M.I.A.

Well, this album is... crazy? At least, it starts out fairly weird and then slowly gains some sense of normality. And then back to the crazy. M.I.A. sure likes to shout out of tune.

Highlights: Exodus, Bad Girls

5.5/10

The Matrix: Music From the Motion Picture - Various Artists

Well, I used to have this album, but then I ditched it and only kept Rob D's Clubbed to Death. Because it is a very mean beat. I do not think the rest of the album was worth it.

8/10

MAXIDENT - Stray Kids

These guys are such a conundrum; MASSIVE beats and generally very hooky-hooks, but then they love making silly noises and having sections that just have zero flow. When they do it right, they really do it right.

Highlights: CASE 143, CHILL, TASTE, Can't Stop

7.5/10

Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too - Иew Radicals

No surprises, I only have one song. But it is not You Get What You Give - surprise! It is, of course, Someday We'll Know. Great song. One day I might check out the full album.

8/10

Measure of a Man - Clay Aiken

This is all very harmless mature pop music. Which is probably quite a waste of a singer like Clay Aiken.

Highlights: Invisible, Run to Me, I Survived You, Measure of a Man

6.5/10

The Meat Won't Listen - WereWolph

14 songs. 7 minutes. And 2 songs make up half of that time. The covers are hilarious - even when he covers himself - but some of this is very much not metal. DRA fails, yet again!

Highlights: I would like a full cover of Creed's Higher

4/10

Mechanical Advantage (The Covers EP) - Robot Goes Here

Absolutely hilarious low budget electro covers or rock and punk songs. The programmed vocals on Back in Black are amazing.

Highlights: Back in Black, The Trooper, Live in the Van

5.5/10

megaphonic - YUKI

YUKI finally embracing just being the artpop queen she always had inside her. With a little bit of pop-rock thrown in. Really solid album all around

Highlights: 鳴いてる怪獣, 相思相愛, Hello!, マイ・プライヴェート・アイダホ

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1080

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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