2025 in 2025: Day 140

PAiNT it BLACK - BiSH

I have the b-side, SCHOOLYARD, becuase it is seriously awesome and I was on a bit of a mission to complete my BiSH collection... until they one-upped me by releasing their full discography in one big collection. In a pizza box. So, yeah, this is totally redundant now.

8/10

Pandora's Box - Aerosmith

A massive collection of 70s hits, live songs and alternate takes. It is kind of fun to hear the evolution of Steven Tyler's voice - dude sounds like a drunk having a laugh on their earliest recordings - but, otherwise, this is all very redundant. I have all the studio album tracks on their albums. And the live stuff is not that hot. It does have me looking forward to listening to Rocks, though.

Highlights: Sweet Emotion, No More No More, Nobody's Fault, Walk This Way

6.5/10

Panic - Alexei Sayle

Sadly, this is only Didn't You Kill My Brother? Alexei Sayle is very funny AND a full on Marxist as well. Hooray, the fat bastard! (FYI I am not insulting him, it was a song on his sketch show and I am sure zero people would get the reference, hence the disclaimer instead of just writing something else like a normal person).

7/10

Parachutes - Coldplay

Back when Coldplay were kind of a rock band? I would almost argue indie borderline folk rock, perhaps? Not very happy? Anyway you look at it, I have not listened to this album in probably 20 years and I had forgotten that it is actually very good - I have been too distracted by how terrible they have become. Except for that song with BTS. Keeping everything so much simpler would appear to have pushed them a bit more creatively. 

Highlights: Spies, Yellow, Everything's Not Lost, Don't Panic

7/10

Parade - Prince & The Revolution

Bah gawd this album is so bizarre. I can understand why The Revolution bailed on Prince after this; things are fairly minimalist, without having the normal structure and actual music you would expect from a Prince song. That said, there is still some serious funk and great rock to found in here. I would welcome a remix of this album, because I feel like the bass is sorely lacking and that could make a big improvement.

Highlights: Anotherloverholenyohead, Kiss, Sometimes it Snows in April, New Position

7/10

Paradise - Lana Del Rey

LOGMAN: Oh, hey, I have not listened to this in forever. I do not even remember the songs at all. *Cola starts* This song is not bad... *Listens to lyrics* oh... no...

Highlights: Not that

5/10

Paris (Live At Le Zenith 1992 / 30th Anniversary Expanded Edition) - The Cure

This is a very solid performance, and I am going to credit about 80% of that to Boris and his solid drumming - because the tempos is nice and reserved, almost on the beat and not pushing things at all. Also, I can appreciate how different the setlist is to the other live albums I have from The Cure. 

Highlights: Charlotte Sometimes, Play For Today, One Hundred Years, Close to Me

7/10

Party Queen - Ayumi Hamasaki

This album is the absolute nadir of Ayu's career. And I blame Timmy 100% for his terrible songwriting and attempts at rapping. THAT SAID some of the cringe is actually fun? Like, NaNaNa is incredibly tragic, but boy howdy do I love that chorus for that very reason. And then parts of the album - the songs without Timmy - are some of the greatest songs of Ayu's career? Well, top 20 songs, perhaps. So yeah, I do not know what the hell to say. 

Highlights: reminds me, call, how beautiful you are, Letter

6.5/10 (8/10 without Timmy. Maybe even 8.5)

The Passage - Kebee

Our next installment of random K-Pop songs in my library. At least time, I seem to have about half of the album. This is a bit less hip-hop and more R&B compared to some of the other random stuff I have. It is kind of groovy.

Highlights: Where are the Claps?

6/10

Past Masters - The Beatles

I will be honest: this is one of those compilations that I very rarely pay attention to, which is probably very silly. When I do listen to it, like today, I am just a very happy person, because it is mostly very good singles. And then it gets to 1969 and there are a bunch of killer tracks that I absolutely love.

Highlights: Don't Let Me Down, Old Brown Shoe, The Ballad of John and Yoko, Revolution, You Know My Name (Look Up the Number), Day Tripper

8/10

Past To Present 1977-1990 - Toto

I have never really been the biggest fan of Toto. They are seriously brilliant musicians, but maybe there is something too perfect about them?  However, some of their singles are undeniably awesome. 

Highlights: Hold the Line, Rosanna, Africa, Stop Loving You

7/10

Patient!! [BiSH Ver.] - BiSH

I have been waiting for this! The actual end of BiSH and it is exactly the extreme awesome I wanted. I could listen to this again and again and again... Start the day with BiSH, end the day with BiSH.

10/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1260

FREE PALESTINE

2025 in 2025: Day 9

Appetite For Destruction - Guns N' Roses
Fun story time: the first time I heard this album was around when it came out and the local radio station announced they were going to play the whole thing. So I taped it from there and thought 'Yeah, cool, I have the whole album!' and that was how I listened to the album for some time. Of course, I did not realise that there is actually a lot of swearing on here, so a few songs were not played and others were edited. That edited tracklist, though, was total fire! Anyways, this album still rocks hard. For music in this style, it really is hard to beat. And sure is good energy at 4am.
Highlights: Nightrain, Paradise City, Sweet Child O' Mine, Rocket Queen
8.5/10

APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs Of All Time - Various Artists
As a musician from New Zealand, I feel it is my duty to tell you that I am not a fan of New Zealand music in general. Most of it is garbage. Some of these songs are actually good, though. And no, I do not have all 100 songs. I would cancel this whole listening experience if I had to sit through that.
Highlights: Why Does Love Do This to Me? - The Exponents, For Today - Netherworld Dancing Toys
6/10

Around The Fur - Deftones
I had no idea this came out in 1997. I probably didn't listen to it until around 1999, when nu-metal was all the rage. I have always considered Deftones a bit of an exception, but I just never listen to angry music like this anymore. I am already tired and grumpy enough. It is nigh impossible to understand much of what Chino Moreno is screaming about here, and when he teams up with Max Cavalera on Head Up it is an entertaining combination of... noise. Pretty sure the chorus there is "Bwa dip-bo-BAP, dip-dippobap, bow up da-bi-pap!"
Highlights: Around the Fur, Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away), MX
7/10

Around the World in a Day - Prince & The Revolution
Oh my, what a welcome change of pace. Prince was the greatest. This was a very Beatles-influenced, somewhat psychadelic album. In parts. Then there are songs like Temptation where Prince just goes full on sex fiend. Raspberry Beret may well be the greatest simple pop song Prince ever wrote.
Highlights: Raspberry Beret, The Ladder, Paisley Park
8/10

Arrival - ABBA
The greatest pop band with some of the greatest pop songs. Bah gawd, the bass playing on this album is just phenomenal. This actually may well be the best ABBA as well. Just non-stop awesomeness that has me grooving in my chair.
Highlights: Dancing Queen, Knowing Me Knowing You (A-HA!), Money Money Money, That's Me, Tiger
9/10

Art Official Age - Prince
Oh cool - more Prince! I don't think I have actually listened to this album much since it was released. This is kind of classic Prince R'n'B, but with more 'modern' electronicness to the whole thing. Except Prince's idea of 'modern' is about 20 years behind. Regardless, this album slaps. Super funky sexy jams, as always. Andy Allo's voice is hella smooth.
Highlights: THE GOLD STANDARD, FUNKNROLL, TIME
7.5/10

ARTPOP - Lady Gaga
I think this may be the most played Gaga in my iTunes library? It was likely one of the first albums I bought once my previous laptop was stolen and all my iTunes data was lost forever, otherwise I am certain The Fame and The Fame Monster would smoke it. Unlike her previous albums, I feel like this one takes a little to really get going - the opening couple of tracks are just kind of there, but then once we hit G.U.Y. it is just bangers. Working with R. Kelly certainly was a choice. But, sadly, that won't be the only time he appears in my collection! The last half of this album especially is pretty much flawless.
Highlights: MANiCURE, Do What U Want, Fashion, Mary Jane Holland, Dope, Gypsy, Applause
8.5/10

As Day Follows Night - Sarah Blasko
I didn't think too much of this album upon release. And this listen is not changing my opinion at all. Very disappointing, considering how great Blasko's first few releases were. And I think the follow-up album was an improvement - I guess I'll find out some time around June when I finally make it to the "I" albums...
Highlights: We Won't Run, I Never Knew, Night & Day
5.5/10

As Ugly As It Gets - Ugly Kid Joe
Bwahaha I don't know if I have listened to this since... maybe 2001? Really showing my hair metal roots with this one. This can't be a greatest hits compilation, because these dudes only had two: the metal power-ballad cover of Cat's in the Cradle, and the 'funny' Everything About You - which actually still kinda holds up. I bought this for Funky Fresh Country Club and their cover of the Black Sabbath song N.I.B. - which I enjoyed jamming along to. I think we used to jam it a little bit in my first band, because those dudes were totally in to Black Sabbath. I don't think they were in to Ugly Kid Joe.
Highlights: Everything About You, Busy Bee, N.I.B., Funky Fresh Country Club
5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 75

I just did a check and that is now 1,001 songs. Only 23,242 to go!
I might find I'm still getting through all this in 2026...