chucklefuckmusic

[chucklefuckmusic]

Ya boy is seeing the pillows again and is pumped @idolisnotdead / @kpoppapi

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the pillows

[chucklefuckmusic]

Also the pillows concert from last night (Nagano City, 11-5-2023) was fucking AWESOME I AM SO HAPPY TO HAVE SEEN THEM LIVE

Green Day

the pillows

The Apples in Stereo

My 3 favorite bands 👏👏👏

[chucklefuckmusic]

Update on this blog!!!!

Mostly a message to @idolisnotdead / @kpoppapi

I currently live in Japan on the JET Program and I'm seeing the pillows tomorrow (11/5) in Nagano City!!! Super excited. Looks like most of the setlist is going to be Pied Piper and Little Busters, with B Sides and miscellaneous stuff in there. Super excited!

I will one day make more posts on this blog

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the Apples in Stereo

Elephant 6 Recording

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Every ‘The Apples In Stereo’ Album* Ranked

*with some caveats; more accurately its “Every Main ‘The Apples In Stereo’ CD Ranked”

We all love Neutral Milk Hotel, yeah? Or more accurately, we’re all generally familiar with NMH. If you’ve been in any music group or page on the internet, it’s highly unlikely you haven’t at least seen the cover of NMH’s famous 1998 In The Aeroplane Over The Sea album. Personally, I think it, and the overshadowed On Avery Island are fantastic albums and the talents of Jeff Mangum and co. shine through those two albums, but I think I’ll be the first to admit that literally everyone has talked about Neutral Milk Hotel. Doesn’t matter if you’re on Music Tumblr, Twitter, aesthetic music Instagram accounts or (god forbid) /mu/, but I cannot really say anything about the mighty Mangum and his album about Anne Frank that hasn’t already been said. However, I can talk quite a bit about the man who produced ITAOTS (Robert Schneider; not to be confused with Adam Sandler’s buddy) and his most famous band.

As many of you are familiar, The Elephant 6 Recording Company was quite a significant powerhouse in the mid to late 1990s when it came to lo-fi and psychedelic-inspired indie music. Notable bands from Elephant 6 include the aforementioned Neutral Milk Hotel, the Olivia Tremor Control, of Montreal, Beulah, The High Water Marks, Elf Power, The Minders, and Circulatory System, to name a few. For this ranking, I will be looking at one of the most famous from the collective, and one of the original three bands that formed E6 along with Neutral Milk Hotel and the Olivia Tremor Control: the Apples in Stereo.

I love a lot of bands. Anyone who has talked to me know that I love stuff like Green Day and the pillows, but out of all the bands who entire primary discography I’ve listened to, the Apples in Stereo is one of only a few that are, on average, incredibly consistent with their overall quality. I can listen to (almost) every album of theirs and find myself in a great mood. This band is perfect for when you’re taking a walk on the beach during a sunset, or driving home on a dark night from a long day, or just chilling casually with friends on a nice day. While the Apples in Stereo is one of the more famous bands from E6, I haven’t found that much in terms of writings online regarding a proper ranking with in-depth explanations. The community that exists is super passionate and has a lot of cool shit from throughout the bands existence, but not much new stuff for about a decade. Outside of OG Apples fans, Elephant 6 connoisseurs, or fans of the OG Powerpuff Girls, there’s a strong possibility that many of you aren’t at all familiar with the Apples. That shit can’t stand, so here I shall be taking you on this journey...then you’ll know how it feels to know you’re not real.

Caveats before starting: in this list, I am including all primary Apples albums/LPs, in addition to their EPs released on CD, and one B-Sides/Rarities compilation. Their two debut EPs, Tidal Wave 7″ & Hypnotic Suggestions will be represented collectively under the Science Faire compilation. I will also be combining the EPs Look Away +4 & Let’s Go! in the same ranking to make things easier for me. The Live in Chicago digital album and the two “greatest hits” compilation albums (Sound Effects & #1 Hits Explosion) will not be included.

Additionally, I want to give credit, thanks, and apologies to @kpoppapi/@idolisnotdead due to the fact that I am essentially taking the same format they used on their ranking of every the pillows album. Pls don’t sue.

Got that? Now then, Let’s Go!

1. Fun Trick Noisemaker (1995)

This album, man...this banger album...let me tell you an anecdote, when I first listened to this album I was out at night enjoying the stars. They were particularly bright and plentiful due to a power outage knocking out most of the surrounding light pollution. And the moment it began with that record fuzz noise and that old 1960s Relay 2 Satellite broadcast recording began with its classy yet surreal archaic narration, I was already aware that I was in for a treat. And then, boom, the opening drums and chords kick in for ‘Tidal Wave’. It was the best.

If you talk with fans of the Apples and/or E6 about their best/favorite albums, their debut album Fun Trick Noisemaker will definitely be mentioned. Sound-wise, it encapsulates a raw, genuine sense of lo-fi that you can’t really find anywhere else in their discography, save for the EPs that make up Science Faire. Schneider also clearly is utilizing the Phil Spector technique of the “Wall of Sound” method that lends itself to a dense instrumental which can sometimes be a rough listen to some, but personally I don’t have that issue with this album.

There are so many fucking bangers on this album, and some of the Apples greatest essentials can be found on it. From the reutilized ‘Tidal Wave’ and ‘Glowworm’ from their previous EPs, to more lowkey and lo-fi tracks such as ‘Green Machine’ and ‘She’s Just Line Me/Taking Time,’ to bombastic tracks such as ‘Winter Must Be Cold’ (lyrics courtesy of their first drummer, Hilarie Sidney) and ‘Dots 1-2-3,’ to the dense and beefy guitars of ‘Lucky Charm’ and ‘Show the World,’ this album is a choice listen on a nice day or summer evening. My favorite track from the album, ‘High Tide,’ never fails to put a smile on my face.

There’s frankly not much else to say about this album. Every track on here is fantastic. This is the Apples in Stereo at their pinnacle, and a fun experience all around.

10/10 Top tier shit, right here.

2. The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone (2000)

Okay so...you know how I said I was taking inspiration from the format that @idolisnotdead used on their Pillows ranking? Well...I swear to god that the placement of this album and my feeling towards it, when compared to their placement of the Pillows album Good Dreams and how they feel about it, is completely coincidental. I swear to you.

Anyways with that being said, The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone (which we will shorten to Moone going forward) is my personal all-time favorite Apples album. This is an opinion that I don’t think is super common among Apples fans. While I think that Fun Trick Noisemaker is their best work, I ADORE this album and always have a great time listening to it. Perhaps it’s due to Schneider’s decision to shift away from Spector’s “Wall of Sound” production towards a more loose/raw sounding audio aesthetic, but this album was one that when I first listened to it in full, I immediately listened through it again. And then again.

This one is particular is a bit of a stylistic mix with a common theme of psychedelic pop, which is heavily evident in tracks like ‘What Happened Then’ and the Beatles-esque ‘Submarine Dream,’ along with bombastic guitar melodies in ‘I Can’t Believe’ and ‘Allright/Not Quite’[sic]. Schneider himself has stated that he wanted each song to be distinct with spaces between for the sake of putting your record needle down where you want - akin to the Beatles White Album (albeit, this record has waaaaaaaaay more cohesion). 

Other highlights from this album include the triumphant and upbeat horn section in the opening track ‘Go,’ the more chill nature of ‘Stream Running Over’ and ‘Look Away,’ Hilarie Sidney’s marvelous contributions with ‘20 Cases Suggestive Of..’[sic] and ‘Stay Gold,’ and one of my favorite Apples songs of all time: ‘The Bird That You Can’t See.’ Holy DAMN I love that song. You’ll sometime hear me humming the chorus and melody if you catch me in a good mood. The interlude is stuck in my head as I type this.

Come down, plant your feet into the ground...feel free, plant your mind in mystery...

Anyways! Alongside Fun Trick Noisemaker, Moone would be the first album I’d recommend to someone unfamiliar with the Apples. Fans of psychedelic-pop and lo-fi will get a kick out of this, and I think even those who aren’t super into LPs will get a lot of good feelings out of this one.

10/10 I am biased on this one. Some Apples fans might rank it more like 8/10, but nonetheless, go give this one a listen and have a good time.

3. Velocity of Sound (2002)

HOT DAMN! This is the Apples in Stereo? If one thing is for certain, that title doesn’t lie. Velocity of Sound is perhaps the most unique of the Apples discography in general tone and direction, but by all means this is to the albums benefit. It is just. So. Damn. FUN!!!! The songs in this one are more fast paced, louder, aggressive, electric and dynamic in distorted guitar and bombastic drums. It is definitely a rock ‘n roll album that’ll make you want to dance (or at least, it makes me want to dance).

From the beginning, the opening track ‘Please’ gives us a massive cathartic guitar opening, along with Schneider and Sidney singing like they just won the lottery. I have a strong feeling that everyone had fun with this album, and when I hear it I can’t help but feel that vicariously. ‘That’s Something I Do’ is so fun and cute, and I say it could potentially be considered a pop-punk song...maybe. It certainly wouldn’t be out of place if sung by Blink-182, which is not a bad thing in my eyes. When I listen to it, I think of Mae and Gregg’s friendship in Night in the Woods.

Highlights of this album include the aforementioned opening ‘Please’ and ‘That’s Something I Do,’ alongside bangers such as ‘Rainfall,’ ‘Do you Understand,’ ‘Better Days,’ and ‘I Want’  just to name a few. Bassist Eric Allen even gets a chance to flex his songwriting ability with the upbeat ‘Yore Days.’ 

I should make this quick disclaimer: the American and British versions of Velocity of Sound concludes with the song ‘She’s Telling Lies’ but the former is Bryce [Goggin’s] Mix, and the latter is Robert [Schneider’s] mix. From what I can tell, Robert’s Mix is more distorted and raw sounding, while Bryce’s mix is more polished. Other than that, I think the recordings are generally the same but with different production mixing. (Also, the Japanese release swaps ‘She’s Telling Lies’ with ‘Other,’ but we will get back to that).

Overall consensus towards Velocity of Sound among Apples fans is generally positive, and I completely agree. Might sound like a broken record with this, but this album, like the others, is a fucking banger and an amazing time. It could arguably be interchangeable with any of these top three, or even (some may argue) Tone Soul Evolution and Her Wallpaper Reverie, but when I think of the Apples in Stereo I think of a good time, and this album delivers it hard.

10/10 This one is a forever banger. Play it in a basement with your troublemaker friends, and have fun.

4. Science Faire (1996)

And here we are at the beginning. This one is a compilation of the Apples first two EPs: Tidal Wave 7″ (1993) and Hypnotic Suggestion (1994), along with three miscellaneous tracks at the end which were either unreleased or released on split EPs and other formats. 

I’ll say upfront: Science Faire was the first Apples CD I ever bought. It was sitting in the “used miscellaneous CDs” section of my local record store, and recognizing them from their appearance in The Powerpuff Girls, I was eager to hear more from them. And as a compilation of their earliest, raw, unpolished, unapologetically lo-fi tracks, this was a great introduction. Even with improved production values on all their albums going forward, Science Faire continues to be a blast to listen to. 

Personally, I have a lot of nostalgia and admiration for every song on here. Standout tracks include the heavy ‘Motorcar’ and ‘Hypnotic Suggestion,’ which both feature heavy vocal and guitar distortion, ‘Not the Same,’ which starts out slow and then gets bombastic very quickly, instrumental tracks such as the bubbly ‘Turncoat Indian’ and the slightly ominous ‘To Love the Vibration of the Bulb,’ the earlier, unpolished versions of ‘Tidal Wave’ and ‘Glowworm;’ both of which appeared again on Fun Trick Noisemaker. The final track ‘Rocket Pad’ is also particularly catchy. The original bassist for the Apples, Jim Mclntyre, contributes a couple songs on the compilation: ‘Stop Along the Way,’ ‘Touch the Water,’ and ‘To Love the Vibration of the Bulb.’

However, my absolute favorite from Science Faire and one of my all time favorite Apples in Stereo songs is ‘Haley.’ That guitar and the raw repetition of the song hits differently for me, ya know? I fuckingggggggggg loveeeeeeee it.

With this all being said, some people who are not as accustomed to unpolished lo-fi audio might have a harder time listening to this compared to the rest of the Apples discography, and there are times where the rudimentary production is sometimes distracting, but for me it adds character and soul to the early days of one of my favorite bands.

9.5/10 A killer compilation showcasing the talent that the Apples would sophisticate over time. Pure. Raw. Energy.

5. New Magnetic Wonder (2007)

Here we are in some interesting territory. I will openly admit that, for the longest time, I didn’t really listen much to this album. The first double LP and 2 CD album from the Apples, their first album after five years of inactivity since Velocity of Sound in 2002, and the first Apples album released under a co-venture with E6, Yep Roc Records, and Elijah Wood’s Simian Records, there is definitely a slight change in formula in terms of production and content. At first, this slightly overwhelmed me from listening to New Magnetic Wonder in full, but I eventually got around to it later on (and as someone who has cosplayed both Frodo Baggins, and Wirt from Over the Garden Wall, I will not do Elijah Wood dirty).

And holy hot damn, this album is pretty damn good!

I’ve noticed a lot of appreciation on the internet for this album, even sometime surpassing albums higher in this list in reputation. So what is the gist of this album? Firstly, there is an eclectic assortment of songs, styles, and instruments packed in this baby, and with 24 tracks contained in this baby, only about 14 are “technically” songs, with the rest being “link tracks.” The opening track ‘Can You Feel It?’ with robotic, distorted, Daft-Punk-esque vocals singing Turn up the stereo~ before Schneider breaks into his bombastic, upbeat singing sets the stage for this diverse album. There seems to be a solid mix of clean, polished audio mixing alongside purposefully rough, unpolished, and lo-fi audio. There’s also more general utilization of piano; a first for the Apples.

Examples of variety include ‘Energy,’ a charming standout track that mixes smooth acoustic guitar strumming with distorted singing, electric guitars, and (inexplicably) a cowbell, and ‘Sun is Out’ which starts out with a cute little chiptune and Schneider playing acoustic guitar on audio that sounds like it’s from a demo cassette, before transitioning into a polished mixture of smooth bass, a strong acoustic guitar playing in the left channel, alongside what seems to be the band playing literal woodwind recorders in the background. Fun stuff. This album also introduces tracks that involve the “Non-Pythagorean scale,” which was developed by Schneider in a way which I don’t understand because math is my worst subject, but this hints to Schneider’s deep knowledge and interest in mathematics. 

This album is incredibly eclectic, and although Schneider compared Moone to the Beatles White Album, it’s this one here that I think is closer to that in terms of cohesion. This is not necessarily bad, though! However, to a small degree my biggest criticism of the White Album applies to New Magnetic Wonder: it’s length is partially due to filler, and some of the “link tracks” are frankly forgettable to me. With that being said, it doesn’t harm my enjoyment of the album that much in the grand scheme of things.

This album really does feel like you’re travelling through space. ‘7 Stars’ is particularly brilliant to listen to when sitting out on top of your car on a starry night. It’s got a catchy melody, clever lyrics, and the chorus which honestly is one of the highlights of the Apples catalogue. ‘Open Eyes’ is another good track to listen to at night, but I must admit that it sounds like an Oasis/Liam Gallagher song from the early 2000s. Take that as you will. Other highlights of the album include ‘Joanie Don’t U Worry’[sic], ‘Play Tough,’ ‘Pre-Crimson’ courtesy of Allen, and ‘Radiation.’ Two Sidney songs show up on the album: ‘Sunndal Song’[sic] and ‘Sunday Sounds’ which are both great, and unfortunately are the last we’ll hear from Hilarie Sidney, as she left the band around the time this album came out.

Wow. I typed way more on this album than I thought I would. Par for the course, I suppose. 

A bit much, a bit experimental, but overall I think this album has earned its spot here, and the praise it gets is earned and understandable. It might be long, but I recommend dedicating a couple hours in the evening to listening to this baby in whole. It’s a swell time!

8/10

6. Her Wallpaper Reverie (1999)

I’m not going to lie to y’all, this one was the toughest for me to figure out where on this list it should go. On one hand, this album has some of the most essential Apples songs on it, it’s got some of my favorites, and I listen to it waaaaaaaaaaaay more than New Magnetic Wonder. On the other hand, there are some factors with this album that compel me to put it in this spot below New Magnetic Wonder. I shall explain those now, and then go on to explain why I fucking adore this album still.

Her Wallpaper Reverie is deceptive in its track list correlating to its length. With fifteen tracks listed, one would be forgiven for assuming it’s roughly the same length as Fun Trick Noisemaker and Tone Soul Evolution. The reality of the situation is that this album here sits at a mere 27 minutes in length. This length could warrant a decently-sized EP. So what is the deal? Most of the tracks, notated by roman numerals, are variations of the same melody. Granted, it is a nice melody and the band gets creative with all the various ways it plays it, but since there are more of these melodies than actual songs, it leaves one desiring more. And if I am being frank, some of the melodies such as ‘iv. From Outside, in Floats a Music Box’ and ‘vi. Drifting Patterns’ are long enough in length that when I listen to this album on my iPod, I am compelled to skip them. That's a bit of a bummer. 

WITH THAT ALL BEING SAID, I still fucking love this album. It’s surreal, it’s aesthetic, it feels like I’m floating out in the sea on a dingy boat, or am a merman myself when I listen to ‘The Shiny Sea.’ I’ve noticed that two of my favorite Apples songs are about the ocean...this one and ‘High Tide’ from Fun Trick Noisemaker. Interesting. 

Meanwhile, ‘Strawberryfire’[sic] is beautiful to listen to, and is Sgt. Pepper-esque in its lyrical content and instrumentation. As with Moone, the psychedelic pop is strong with this one. ‘Ruby’ is a cute as hell and catchy as hell, ‘Questions and Answers’ has Hillarie Sidney singing one of my favorite songs of hers with an iconic opening chord and creative lyrics, ‘Y2K’ is, as someone born in late 1999, really funny in retrospect and particularly relevant in terms of how much the United States media is plagued by manufactured consent, and the penultimate and final (song) tracks, “Benefits of Lying (with Your Friend)’ and ‘Ruby, Tell Me’ are both low-key, lo-fi, and generally chill and melancholic to listen to.

I think that, while the length of this album and the prevalence of melody tracks brings it down a bit, to listen to Her Wallpaper Reverie is like enjoying a high-quality dessert. Sure, it might not technically be healthy, but the ingredients that pop out are of high quality, and you get a feeling of honest satisfaction after everything is said and done. I see a lot of people talk about this album as their favorite (especially on the horrific landscape known as /mu/), and I can completely understand it! It might not be my favorite, but it is damn good, and I especially recommend it to anyone who likes the Olivia Tremor Control or Neutral Milk Hotel.

8/10 Some flaws, but what glitters in this one is pure gold.

7. Look Away +4 (2000)

&

Let’s Go! (2001)

Okay okay okay so, this one I am going to cheat a bit. Look Away +4 and Let’s Go! are separately released EPs. The former consists of the track ‘Look Away,’ which would appear on Moone, along with four tracks that were bonuses at the end of the Australian and Japanese releases of Her Wallpaper Reverie. The latter is an EP containing the song ‘Signal in the Sky (Let’s Go)’ from the Cartoon Network classic The Powerpuff Girls in the episode ‘Superfriends,’ where the girls befriend their new neighbor Robin, and which was additionally made into an official Cartoon Network music video that played in between commercials during the early 2000s. The album cover for Let’s Go! even includes caricatures of the band as drawn by Powerpuff Girls creator Craig McCracken! That’s pretty fucking sweet. I love all of his shows.

And yes, it was in the same Powerpuff episode that this joke that every fucking 14 year old on the internet since this episode aired over two decades ago has joked about in their “TOP 10 DIRTIEST ADULT JOKES IN KIDS CARTOONS (NOT CLICKBAIT)” videos:

But enough about that. 

I’ve combined these two as they are only available on CD format, that they are not included in 2008 B-sides and rarities compilation Electronic Projects for Musicians, and, well, because I say so. So that is that. Due to their combined lengths, I will talk about each individual song. There is some “eh” in this collection, but at the same time some of these songs are in my all time favorite Apples in Stereo songs.

Look Away +4 begins with the titular ‘Look Away’ from Moone, which is a great song! I don’t really have much else to say about it here; go back to #2 on this list. ‘Behind the Waterfall’ is a long, trippy song with a lot of distortion and what seems to be...the sound of squishy water?? Schneider alternates between smoothly mixed singing with hard, aggressive guitars and distorted vocals during the vocals. An interesting song, but overall I think it’s pretty good. He really doesn’t want to be like the sun, though. They don’t seem him at all. He stands behind the waterfall. Just thought I’d let you know. Some people be like that.

‘Everybody Let Up’ and ‘Her Pretty Face’ are two of my all time favorite Apples in Stereo songs. I am flabbergasted at how underrated and unknown these two songs are. The former is a catchy, fun song about living se-la-vie and dealing with the ennui of late teenage-dom and early 20s: “I don’t feel like doing shit.” Damn I love this song. The latter is perhaps Sidney’s most beautiful and melancholic song in the bands catalogue. Back then, it made me think about past crushes, and now it makes me think about how it’s bad to treat someone like the idea of them in your head instead of how they are in reality. It also makes me think of GAY. I don’t know. Sad song, but very pretty. Much like her face (it’s all you know).

‘The Friar’s Lament’ is alright. It’s short, and honestly to me it’s just alright. If this is your favorite song, I apologize for my generally apathetic feelings towards it. And that concludes Look Away +4.

Meanwhile, Let’s Go! starts out with a track that I bet most of you have already heard: ‘Signal in the Sky (Let’s Go),’ which is also featured on the Powerpuff album Heroes & Villains. If you’re a fan of The Powerpuff Girls or Cartoon Network in general, this song is up there with ‘Back to the Lab Again,’ ‘My Best Friend Plank,’ They Might Be Giant’s little Courage the Cowardly Dog song (which @waymu asserts is the John’s worst song), and ‘The Incredible Shrinking Day.’ 

And, yeah! It is a good song! It’s fun, it’s catchy, and it’s pretty good for the Apples. To me though, it’s kind of like how I feel about a song like Green Day’s ‘Good Riddance’ or the Beatles ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ in the sense where it was the first song from the band that I heard in my life, and while I love it, I feel like I have matured since then. I love ‘Signal in the Sky (Let’s Go)’ and it will always have a special place in my heart, but I feel like I have matured in my Apples in Stereo since then. There are objectively better songs from the band.

‘If You Want to Wear a Hat,’ meanwhile, is fucking adorable. As the only original track on the EP, it’s a charming song about the wacky and terrifying world of fashion. On the subject of Craig McCracken shows, this song would be fitting if played in Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends. Also, there is a piano interlude in this song so I redact what I said when talking about New Magnetic Wonder...they DID have piano before that album...although one could still argue that it wasn’t yet on an LP of theirs!!

The remaining three tracks are a live cover of the Beach Boys ‘Heroes and Villains’ song, recorded live at a show they did in Chicago in 2000 (which is a cool piece of history and the band plays it good, but the audio on this track is TERRIBLE by fault of being recorded in 2000 on something), an acoustic version of ‘Stream Running Over’ from Moone (which is wonderful), and the demo for ‘Signal in the Sky (Let’s Go)’ (which is pretty cool). Hm. Yep, that’s all I have to say about that.

These two EPs are pretty alright for what you are getting. They’re not perfect, and there are some duds within, but with how much I love some of the songs on Look Away +4 and how culturally important their song from The Powerpuff Girls is in terms of bringing awareness and fans to the band, I’d recommend that anyone looking to listen to all of the Apples discography listen to these. These are good times!

Individually, Look Away +4 gets a 4/5 and Let’s Go! gets a 3/5, which I will combine for a grand collective total of 7/10

8. Tone Soul Evolution (1997)

OKAY OKAY SO this is probably going to be my most controversial placement on this list. I guarantee that an OG Apples fan is preparing their pitch-forks and torches, because when you talk with hardcore fans of the Apples in Stereo and ask them what their favorite albums are, they’ll definitely include Tone Soul Evolution alongside Fun Trick Noisemaker. I completely understand and respect that! So then, why so low on my list? 

Well, I don’t find myself returning to this album individually that often. I don’t know exactly what it is, but a lot of the songs on here are not as catchy and memorable (to me) when compared to its predecessor and successors. Additionally, this was still when Schneider was utilizing Spector’s “Wall of Sound” method with production and audio mixing. While it doesn’t distract me much in Fun Trick Noisemaker, for some reason, it is really evident in Tone Soul Evolution to me, to a point where the guitar in songs such as ‘What’s the #?’ just aren’t as punchy as they would be if produced and mixed differently. The sound is dense, and a bit overwhelming.

HOWEVER,

These are still damn good songs! None of the songs on their own are bad, and some such as ‘About Your Fame’ and ‘Tin Pan Alley’ are some of my favorites from the bands early days. There’s also a plethora of experimentation with this album, such as the twin ‘The Silvery Light of a Dream’ tracks. The first half of the first of these is literally just outdoor night-time sounds, footsteps, clocks, and then it transitions into the seaside. In this case, I think the “Wall of Sound” philosophy actually benefits in immersing you in the environment that the track is presenting. It’s honestly really cool!

Highlight tracks include the opening track ‘Seems So,’ ‘About Your Fame,’ ‘Silver Chain’ courtesy of Sidney, ‘We’ll Come to Be,’ ‘Tin Pan Alley,’ and ‘Coda.’

I feel bad for ranking this one so low. I know it means a lot to a lot of people, but compared to what came before it and what comes after it, while the songs are amazing, the production and sound design keeps it in the lower tier of Apples in Stereo albums.

With that being said, lower tier for the Apples is still pretty damn good. Think of the Pizza scale from Night in the Woods. There is bad pizza, but everything immediately above bad pizza is still really damn good. Anyways,

6.5/10 leaning towards a soft 7/10. Please don’t hurt me.

9. Electronic Projects for Musicians (2008)

Here’s the other outlier in this list: the elusive B-sides and rarities collection, Electronic Projects for Musicians. Released as the second Apples CD through the triple junction of E6, Yep Roc, and Elijah Wood’s Simian Records, this is potentially a companion piece to Science Faire (at least, that’s what Wikipedia claims). Every piece of non-main album content is on here, with the exception of songs from Look Away +4 and Let’s Go! for licensing reasons.

Most of these songs came from additional tracks on the Japanese releases of the albums, through 7″ split singles with other bands, occasional unreleased songs/internet exclusives, and even a cameo from Stephen Colbert himself (in the form of an Apples song...he doesn’t sing in it).

Tonally, this album is all over the place in terms of cohesion by nature of being a B-side and rarities album. I do not fault it for that. However, there is one noticeable thing with this compilation that @waymu and I have talked about.

It’s.

Really.

Fucking.

Loud.

Like, distractingly so. It kind of hurts my ears in a way. This can be alleviated through turning down the volume, but that also makes it harder to listen to the Apples! This is truly the worst of all possible worlds. My understanding is that this album was mastered from various different sources, including flexi-disc and the likes, and I understand that there were potential challenges in making sure they were all at a consistent homogenous level. But...man this hurts my ears. When you have that flaw in an album, it’s a real bummer.

With that being said, there are amazing songs on here! The titular ‘Shine (in Your Mind)’[sic] is catchy and absolutely fits at home with Fun Trick Noisemaker, the ‘Thank You Very Much’ track that follows with Schneider thanking the Japanese listeners for listening to the album is just adorable, ‘Onto Something’ is perhaps, one of the greatest Apples songs ever created, and we get an eclectic mix of titles from ‘The Oasis’ to the French-language ‘Avril en Mai,’ to the concluding track to the Japanese release of Velocity of Sound entitled ‘Other,’ which is a kick-ass song, but I must confess that I think ‘She’s Telling Lies’ is a stronger closer for that album, and the unreleased song ‘Dreams’ intended for Tone Soul Evolution. 

The song written for The Colbert Report ‘Stephen Stephen’ is charming and funny for the show it was made for, but in all honestly I’ve always preferred Conan and John Oliver, so “eh.” Meanwhile, “The Apples Theme Song” which was used on their official website from back in the day is a super adorable song that could’ve been the theme song to a cartoon based on the band (which I would hope was created by Craig McCracken. If I had a choice between that and a third season of Wander Over Yonder...I would still go for more Wander Over Yonder to be honest. Disney did that show dirty...).

Overall this is a good collection of songs, but it is still a bummer that the audio levels are loud to to the point that it distracts. If you are a CD collector or want to own everything Apples in Stereo, go ahead and get this. But if you’re an audiophile or are sensitive to super loud music...maybe just find where these B-sides originally came from. Sorry.

5.5/10 Because my ears hurt. ‘Shine (in Your Mind)’ and ‘Onto Something’ are both solid 10/10 though.

10. Travellers in Space and Time (2010)

As of 2022, this is the most current Apples in Stereo album released. The first in the post-Sidney era. The third of the triple labels of E6, Yep, and Simian. This album is also heavily influenced by Electric Light Orchestra. I am not the most familiar with them, but I do like those ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ memes I see online! With all this in mind, we are at the bottom of the Apple bucket. It’s not necessarily rotten, but...well...we’ll get to that. Here is Travellers in Space and Time, which we will refer to as Travellers moving forward.

Anyways, this album begins with a narrative section entitled ‘The Code’ which is reminiscent of the opening narration of Fun Trick Noisemaker. I couldn’t exactly find where the source of this audio was, but it was neat! 

I won’t beat around the bush, I have a hard time listening to Travellers. 

Maybe it’s nostalgia or familiarity bias that clouds my perception, but this also applied to New Magnetic Wonder and I ended up loving that album! And I also want to make clear, this album is by no means bad. I know bad albums when I see them (sometimes). This is not to the Apples what Father of All Motherfuckers is to Green Day.

It’s just...underwhelming, and it drags at parts.

The opening song after ‘The Code,’ entitled ‘Dream About the Future’ is slightly reminiscent of ‘Joanie Don’t U Worry’ in terms of tone and some of the melodic characteristics, but it’s not as dynamic and admittedly, I think that this song drags. I think that its repetition and structure would’ve worked better if the time was reduced by half. 

The remaining tracks were of similar caliber to me. ‘Dance Floor’ was too long, so was ‘No One in the World,’ so was ‘Nobody But You.’ Those three songs also all feel too similar to me in terms of lyrical content. I am not here to knock love songs or songs about having the hots for someone, as that consists of most of the Apples catalogue, but these songs are just generic and reminiscent of early 1960s pop songs imitating the Beatles first two albums. Honestly, this album feels to me more like what the Beatles ‘With The Beatles” era sound is like. That is by no means bad, but when compared to everything the Apples have created leading up to this album, it’s just disappointing to me.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. I think the best track on here is a legitimately great track: ‘Next Year at About the Same Time’ from our good ol’ Apples basis Allen. He’s always got hidden gems in the Apples catalogue. ‘Floating in Space’ is also a really good track, written and sung by John Dufilho, who replaced Sidney as the drummer.

I don’t really know what else to add to this place. I know some people like this album, and that’s awesome and more power to you all. 

I also am not here to shit on Robert Schneider and where he was at this point in his career. After this album, aside from some supplemental releases and side-projects, he has since become a gosh darn math professor in universities! That is absolutely awesome and I would definitely geek out (in a healthy way) if I ever got the opportunity to meet him. I hope he’s doing good (and also if he reads this post...holy shit hi and I’m sorry if I was mean at all with Travellers). 

But with that all being said, I think that unless you are very curious to hear this album, are a huge Apples fan, or are a completionist...this one is skippable.

4/10 Sorry guys, I still love y’all

Postscript (kinda)

Phew! That was my first album ranked list. I would like to once again credit and give apologies to @idolisnotdead​ for basically utilizing their format verbatim. Thank you all for reading this, I’ll post another one whenever that happens, and if you haven’t yet, please give the Apples in Stereo a listen! 

[chucklefuckmusic]

Reblogging for my music blog

Every ‘The Pillows’ Album Ranked

Alternatively Titled: “I Listened to Every Album by The Pillows so You Will Never Ever Have to Listen to OOPARTS or Smile in Your Life”

Pre-Script: This blog is not coming back. I just have not seen anyone anywhere do this yet and don’t have any better place to write this out. Also happy three year birthday to this blog. I believe the first post was September 22nd?

Edit #1: Hey babes, I’ve since come back almost two years later (dated March 10th, 2020) to make a few adjustments to the list as well as add in their 22nd album Rebroadcast, which I originally wrote this list in anticipation for.

So what’s happened while I was gone? WACK is (actually) shit, OYSM are going on a US tour with Necronomidol, anti-idol became a marketable fashion trend rather than an anti-corporate ideology, Perfume have a new most-hated album, Seiko Oomori finally flopped but ZOC looks pretty sick, Haru Nemuri rules and I’m secretly the one who tipped Fantano off to her, The Pillows are still the greatest rock band to ever live, Galileo Galilei are technically back, my name is Stanley LOONA, Astroworld is album of the year, YESEO’s DAMN RULES is a close second, Vince Staples is the greatest rapper alive and said more with one song last year than Kendrick did with his whole album, Brockhampton didn’t really exist when I last posted here, Wednesday Campanella are doing what Nakata wishes he was…what else? NieR:Automata became the greatest video game of all time and Utada’s newest album isn’t quite as bad as we all thought it would be.

Anyways, with The Pillows 22nd album dropping this week and having just wrapped up their first US tour in almost half a decade, I’ve noticed nobody has ever ranked their albums properly like all those white people music websites always rank the same Beatles albums or whatever shit. S’not fair, man. It’s an underexaggeration to say that there are a lot of Pillows albums, because there are a lot of albums by The Pillows which makes them a terrifying band to get into for an outsider (especially one who hasn’t heard of them via FLCL like so many have), and not a lot of people have listened to every single one to definitively and properly rank them. I, however, have listened to every single album by The Pillows, and I’ve listened to them a lot. And there’s a few of them that are really…really not good. So let’s talk About A Rock ‘n’ Roll Band, shall we?

1. Happy Bivouac (1999)

When you talk to a Pillows fan about the best album, if they don’t talk about the FLCL soundtrack, this and Little Busters are the ones they likely will talk about. Compared to the unique twists of many of their other albums, this one isn’t anything super out of the blue. It’s just definitively, without a doubt, the unadulterated Pillows sound. Rock bands should have stopped trying after Last Dinosaur, it just doesn’t get better than that.

This one is honestly interchangeable with the next two and maybe even Runners High, but overall, when I think of The Pillows, I think about Last Dinosaur, and I think about Beautiful Morning With You, and I think about Crazy Sunshine. Listen to this on a beautiful sunny day and just feel good while you do it. That’s the kind of band these guys are. It’s a perfect ride, on a perfect day. The whole album is the standout track.

10/10, this is it, right here.

2. Good Dreams (2004)

I may sound a little crazy with this one, but hear me out - Good Dreams is actually the best Pillows album. It also happens to be without a doubt the most underrated one. Now listen, I might be just a tiny bit biased because this is the first one I listened to in full, but there is something magic about listening to New Years Eve while watching a sunset. I’m actually tearing up a little bit just thinking about it.

Compared to a lot of other Pillows albums, there’s also a good amount of English on this album; the intense power-pop opener (the ever-important opener, the most important part of hooking you into an album) Xavier is entirely in English; most of the hooks are on the rest of this album. It’s pretty accessible for people less inclined to music not in their native tongue.

Sono Mirai wa Ima is almost a spiritual successor of sorts to Last Dinosaur, musically similar and just as intense. The penultimate two-parter of Bad Dreams into the titular Good Dreams is really something special. Again, nothing out of the blue happening hear, just fantastic, quintessential Pillows.

10/10, most underappreciated Pillows album to date and my personal favorite.

3. Little Busters (1998)

This is the other one people will tell you about. For the third time as well, there is nothing special going on here. It is just definitively perfect rock ‘n’ roll music written and performed by The Pillows. You’ll likely not hear many Good Dreams songs live, but these are some of the most essential songs in their catalogue and you’d be crazy to not listen to this one in full before going to see them in concert. Another Morning, One Life, Hybrid Rainbow, and Little Busters itself are some of their biggest and best songs to date. Just perfect, simple music.

10/10

4. My Foot (2006)

Foot fetishists be warned, this ain’t it.

I’ve been on about My Foot for years and years, and since FLCL Progressive dropped, people are finally starting to appreciate how incredible this album is. This is one of the albums where they really shook their formula up a bit, focusing a lot on the guitar work, particularly in making each guitar track - usually hard panned left and right - dance around each other and work in tandem perfectly.

Sawao said that was the main focus and difficulty in writing and recording this one, getting the guitars just right. The opener, My Foot, is an emotional high point right off the bat, and is thankfully becoming an essential part to their catalogue. The guitar balance shows right away as everything kicks in from the drums and leads into a big jangly, emotional, and pop-centric chorus. It’s not quite as legendary as the string of albums The Pillows released at the tail end of the ‘90s, but My Foot still manages to be as incredible of an album almost 10 years after the gold standard The Pillows are held to.

10/10, this is it, chief.

5. Thank You, My Twilight (2002)

IS LIFE DELICIOUS? Probably. This album sure is. The last of their albums that are finally getting the recent attention they deserve, Thank You, My Twilight (let’s just call it Twilight from here on) does very little to change up the formula they found in the late ‘90s being their second album since Happy Bivouac, but that was a godsend, as the follow-up to Happy Bivouac, Smile, was only so-so and really lacked the hooky goodness that made The Pillows special. Taking a bit of everything, including a bit of the heaviness  and the close-to-your-face vocal mixing from Runners High, Twilight really does a lot in its 41 minutes, but oh boy is it worth it by the end.

The song for which the album is named has always been one of my favorite songs by The Pillows ever, period. It’s emotional chord progression, use of a cute sine synthesizer for its main melody, and blend of English and Japanese in its lyrics, Thank You, My Twilight is a perfect love song with a gigantic guitar solo and explosive ending. That simple change of the first chord during the second to last repeat of the progression at the end is one of the most simple yet emotionally wrenching examples of songwriting in rock music.

9/10

Bonus Album: Another Morning, Another Pillows

While it isn’t technically a studio album, Another Morning, Another Pillows was a double-disc B-side collection released on the same day as Thank You, My Twilight and features some of my personal favorite and most underrated Pillows songs of all time. It even features artwork that serves as a compliment to Thank You, My Twilight’s artwork, with the camera panned over to the right, featuring the band dressed in drag at the next table over.

It’s not the most cohesive album, as is its nature as a B-sides compilation, but it’s an essential for any Pillows fan and still certainly more worth listening to than a lot of the albums towards the bottom of this list.

She Is Perfect has held up to this day as one of my top 5 favorite Pillows songs, and the chorus plays in my head basically any time I look at any woman. I’ll collect my simp bucks and head for the door.

idk, maybe like 5/10. She Is Perfect is a 10/10 song tho

6. Runners High (1999)

While this is one of the most Pillows-sounding Pillows albums there is, it’s also significantly heavier and darker than anything they did before or after it. The second in their three for three run of “essential” albums (Little Busters preceded it and Happy Bivouac succeeded it), Runners High also had music like the opener Sad Sad Kiddie, Bran-new Lovesong [sic], and Instant Music featured in the original FLCL soundtrack.

On top of those, White Ash sees them getting to some of their most aggressive playing even still to date, and Wake Up, Frenzy stands as one of their most underrated songs even from one of their more overrated (read: popular, still fantastic) albums.

10/10, depending on who you ask. Just don’t ask me, cause I think more around a strong 8 to a light 9/10.

7. Moondust (2014)

I guess Stroll And Roll wasn’t a huge surprise when Moondust managed to actually capture a lot of the vulnerable feelings that The Pillows’ late ‘90s albums had. I almost feel like I should put this one a little higher? Okay yeah, let me go back. This was originally #13. This one is actually a lot better than I remember it for. Let’s put this at #10. There we go, that’s much better.

Yeah, so what can we say about Moondust? I don’t know why this one is so underrated. Happy Birthday sounds like it could be a Little Busters B-side, it’s that good. It has a lot of those sweet, emotional, warm-heart-feelings that the trilogy of late ‘90s albums managed to convey so so so well. The only bad thing I could really mention here is Tokai no Alice, which just…doesn’t feel like it belongs. The chorus/hook is a chopped up sample of what it was recorded as and played back stuttered, as if Kanye was triggering the “LOOK AT YA!?!?”’s in Runaway live on his MPC. You know, the thing he did during the Yeezus tour where he made everyone flip with just that first piano note? You know the one.

Anyways, it’s a good song, but it doesn’t fit with the rest of the album, which really all flows like it was the fourth long-lost album that should have come out in 2000 but didn’t. About A Rock ‘n’ Roll Band, the titular Moondust, and Message are other huge standouts that just do what The Pillows hadn’t quite managed to do for a good few years leading up to this. Above all of that, though, Happy Birthday is not only the best song on this album, but one of the best Pillows songs to date.

8.9/10, oh man, should I have ranked this even higher? Maybe this one is better than Stroll And Roll… I have since edited this list and put this much much higher because it truly is one of The Pillows’ best albums to date.

8. Kool Spice (1994)

And here is where the falloff happens, just a bit - this is where people usually stop ranking the albums. And despite being an almost completely indistinguishable Pillows than the one that’s since become so cherished, this album manages to do something so unique and different than the entire rest of their discography and manages to do it damn well.

Very clearly inspired by Kanye West’s “Wyoming Sessions” for which all five albums released were only 7 songs long (I’m joking, obviously), The Pillows’ third album, Kool Spice, too, is only 7 songs long. But it works. This is not The Pillows you’ve just heard in the last seven albums I’ve talked about. This is a formative Pillows, who were running off of the then-colossal Shibuya-kei trend. It’s jazzy, it’s sparkly, it’s smooth, it’s clean. But most importantly, it’s really good, despite the band not really having their own identity yet. And being just a short half hour long, it’s a really easy listen compared to their other formative albums.

Be warned though - this at its core, is a jazz album, almost a bossa nova album, to best describe it for those who’ve never heard a Shibuya-kei song before (please do go listen to Shibuya-kei and help bring it back). Twilight Park Waltz is the real highlight here, for me. It’s so smooth and I can’t help but want to dance with someone and watch the sunset (a pretty recurring theme with these guys’ music).

9/10

9. Penalty Life (2003)

Another really underrated record in their catalogue that’s only now getting the attention it deserves, Penalty Life dropped just a few days under a year before Good Dreams dropped, and gives off a slightly biting edge to it compared to everything they had released up to this point, save for Runners High. This is still definitely The Pillows at its core, though. Freebee Honey, The Sun That Will Not Rise, and Mall Town Prisoner really stand out here, while the former two are becoming staples for them now, once again thanks to the second FLCL.

8.5/10

10. Stroll And Roll (2016)

Holy crap, dude, where did this one come from? Stroll And Roll is a slightly more straight-forward Pillows album, but this is them at their best only like two years ago as of writing this (September 2018). It’s not perfect, but this is The Pillows I grew up loving. Right off the bat, Debris hits you in the face; there is no count-in, it just explodes into the song and the booming doesn’t stop - even the chorus is a huge blast, one of their biggest hooks in years. 

Following that up is the 6/8 (a lovely time signature to hear rock music in) One Flew Under The Cuckoo’s Nest, an emotional banger that surprisingly doesn’t mess up the pace immediately. If anything, it keeps us moving at a brisk one for the third song I RIOT to rush us along even faster. Don’t listen to that while driving though, you’ll get a bit paranoid. You’ll hear why, maybe you can already guess.

8.5/10, how the hell did this happen? 

11. Pied Piper (2009)

Anyways, with the last three albums, we’ve been at a point where people usually stop ranking The Pillows albums. I’d say Pied Piper was a pretty big album when it came out, though. No Surrender offers a fantastic crowd singalong leading into its chorus that a lot of Pillows song don’t usually have. Nothing unique here, just really straight-forward and great Pillows music. Not as legendary as its predecessors, but there are some exceptional standouts like the aforementioned No Surrender, Across The Metropolis, and Ladybird Girl.

8/10

12. Wake Up! Wake Up! Wake Up! (2007)

Two years before Pied Piper, we got Wake Up! Wake Up! Wake Up! (I’ll just say it once from here on out). I like to think of Wake Up! as the lighter but still pretty heavy version of Runners High, but less pop-centric. Or maybe too pop-centric? It just doesn’t have the oomph you’ve come to expect from their other work, but it still manages to capture the exact feeling of what makes The Pillows such a beloved band.

The biggest standout, Scarecrow, still manages to be a cult-like fan-favorite and what I would consider a yet-still essential song in the overall Pillows discography. I actually overheared a few people shouting out for it at the NYC show I went to in July. I also am really partial to The Pleasure Song which has an ultra-infectious hook and upbeat but slightly nostalgic progression and fun hard-panned dual guitar parts that remind a lot of what they did with the guitars on My Foot. Yeah…think of this album like a smoother Runners High, though.

7.5/10

13. Rebroadcast (2018)

Rebroadcast was not yet out when I originally made this list, which I had actually written originally in anticipation of Rebroadcast’s September 2018 release. I’m pleased to confirm that Rebroadcast is, by all means, fantastic. The titular opening track feels absolutely triumphant and full of good energy, almost like a celebration, and it truly is - The Pillows are finally back to making consistently great records after a rough patch consisting of HORN AGAIN and OOPARTS

Rebroadcast doesn’t bring anything new or bold to the table, but it continues to deliver more of exactly what The Pillows are beloved for: really goddamn good rock music that just borders on alternative and punk songwriting. The biggest highlight here is the aforementioned namesake song Rebroadcast, as well as the second to last track BOON BOON ROCK.

7/10

14. Please Mr. Lostman (1997)

This is where The Pillows finally established their signature sound, on album #5. It’s not quite there on each and every song, but it is for most of them, and this is probably their earliest album with essential songs on it. This is where The Pillows finally made their genre transition with no hesitation. The opener, Stalker, is quite heavy, and features Sawao singing with a lot of distortion and some modulation effects on his voice. It sounds a bit like Runners High, actually, which we only had one album between here.

The second track, Trip Dancer, is The Pillows sound that we know and love, and this continues on with most of the album, save for Ice Pick and Girls Don’t Cry (clearly inspired by Frank Ocean’s hit album Boys Don’t Cry [it’s joke]), which are just a slight regressions to the sounds of their previous albums. Standouts are the albums’ namesake Please Mr. Lostman, Swanky Street, Stalker, Strange Chameleon, and Trip Dancer.

7/10, definitely my Pillows.

15. Nook In The Brain

The Pillows’ newest album, Nook In The Brain is actually pretty solid. With three more songs, it’s still the same length as Kool Spice, making it as easy of a listen. It does a lot of what Moondust and Stroll And Roll did, but a little more…I guess stiff is the word? Right off the bat we’ve got a fuzzy song called Envy. The hook isn’t huge, but it’s a solid song to start us off here and overall has some really nice chord choices that you just don’t hear in western rock music. It’s almost a little grunge-y.

Be Your King, the second track, sounds a lot like less well-produced classic Pillows. It has a hook that reminds me a lot of The Third Eye from My Foot. It’s good. Not great, but pretty good. They’ve been doing better. This album is incredibly fuzzy compare to a lot of their other records, and the hooks aren’t quite there but it’s really not bad. Nothing has been outright bad so far, but we might see some glimpses of it further down this list.

Hang A Vulture! is probably the biggest and best song on the album. It’s got a really strong, fuzzy bass and a huge hook that almost has a surf rock mode to it. Another great standout is Pulse. While it doesn’t have much in the way of a big hook going for it, the songwriting itself is phenomenal. It builds for almost the whole time into a chorus that doesn’t do too much, but the feeling of almost the whole song sounding like its the buildup to a drop is very very cool and something you don’t hear in a lot of songs. This record is actually a ways better than I remember it too, but we’ve still got a ways to go on this list, so no more time for regrets or changing the order. Other standouts that are just great songs are Jelanie and Coooming Sooon.

7/10, when it rains it pours, but when it shines it shines bright.

16. Trial (2012)

Trial was alright. It’s actually quite good; a lot better than it gets remembered for. Meaning almost not at all, despite being only a ripe six years old at the moment. It starts a little rough, the opener Revival isn’t fantastic, but it still establishes the album. The second track Rescue, however, is fantastic. It takes the dreamy major seventh chord work that Revival had worked a little more dissonantly with, and put it with the classic Pillows sound.

I’ve been saying that a lot; “classic Pillows sound”, I mean. It’s kind of a thing though. The Pillows truly have their own sound unique of any other band, despite having such incredibly heavy influences that shine very clearly in some songs more than others (you wouldn’t be wrong to think Little Busters’ One Life sounds a bit like Oasis, but Sally can wait for right now, because we’re talking about Trial here). This album actually sounds a bit like their older work in just a slight way. It takes a bit of the bouncier, more Shibuya-kei influence into its songwriting. It’s not super obvious, but you can really hear it in the Rescue chorus and songs like Flashback story.

Trial really doesn’t get the recognition it deserves as an album, because it’s still really good. Standouts are Rescue, Comic Sonic, Trial, and Ready Steady Go!.

6/10, this deserves more credit.

17. Living Field (1995)

Maybe this one should be higher, because it’s certainly an easier listen than Smile, which I originally rated higher than this, but upon relistening to this while writing it, I reordered them (and again, and again, and again, and almost two years later, I edited it once again). It’s actually pretty smooth right off the bat. It’s like Kool Spice but a bit harder, a bit more focused on what they would become. This is also where they slowly start to establish their signature sound. You know the one I’m talking about, baby. That “classic Pillows sound” I’ve been going on and on about. It’s not quite here yet, but it’s slowly being established before Please Mr. Lostman really shows it to us.

It’s pretty nice actually, it’s just a bit long, sitting at a plump 43 minutes. The opener Angel Fish starts off with a really groovy drum beat, a sparkly lead, and some very interesting chords that The Pillows wouldn’t again work much with. It would be interesting to hear them reintegrate these kinds of chords into their current trademark sound. We’ve got a lot of slow jams here, but The Killing Field picks up and shows us just a tiny bit that they’re ready to come out of their shell. Not quite in the way that I Want To Be Sullivan did, but it definitely shows that they wanted to be a bit harder. This album reminds me of something that I can’t quite put my finger on, but I almost want to say the original Sonic Adventure soundtrack. Maybe something in the chord movements or the modes and accidental notes in there. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Anyways:

5.5/10

18. White Incarnation (1992)

We’re in some obscure territory now - this one’s so old I can’t even find higher quality artwork than this. Their second album, White Incarnation does everything wrong that Kool Spice does right, but still manages to do better than their debut album where they really just had no clue what they wanted to be yet. They still don’t have a clue here. It’s pretty jazzy, inspired by the Shibuya-kei movement still, but doesn’t quite pull it off like Kool Spice does.

Surprisingly, I Want To Be Sullivan shows off the potential for the band that they would eventually become and is actually one of my favorite songs by the band. They rerecorded it for an anniversary album in 2009 and started playing it live again shortly, and it really fits in with their newer material. It’s actually quite aggressive, despite the soft mixing and recording quality. But despite this, this 48 minute album is just a bit too long for how variable the enjoyment of each song is. Not too many other standout songs here.

6/10, spoiler alert: they do what this album wanted to do but better on the album that would follow it.

19. Smile (2001)

I have moved Smile down and down all the way to the very bottom now (it was originally second to last but I’ve come back almost two years after writing). We started at 17 with it. I remember it being okay. But man, this one just isn’t good. It’s not bad, but it’s not good.

I had originally put Smile all the way at the very bottom of this list, which was a bit harsh, and it has since made it’s way back up here to 19. I don’t quite know what had gotten into me writing this back in 2018, but coming back two years later to this list I think it’s unfair, because there are a few songs on here that are among my favorite and most essential Pillows songs, even if the back end of this album really starts to slog, and therein lies the problem.

There are hardly any noteworthy hooks here which kind of make or break a song, and it’s 12 song tracklist is really just a bit too long and bogs it down for how little substance each track actually has. I’ve never seen anyone say it, but maybe this one has some sentimental value for some people since it was the first album to come out since FLCL, and I’m sorry if you really like this one.

But it’s just…wew fellas, there is little to speak of here. At times, the album feels almost unfinished, with songs like Winning Come Back serving more like an interlude that they didn’t bother writing more of to be a full song, and Thunder Whales Picnic being another interlude (this time an almost 3 minute long instrumental that sounds like they mixed it down while the vocal track was muted and just said “eh” and left it as-is) that just feels out of place.

All The Way To The Edge Of This World is another solid cut with a pretty classic Pillows sound to it, but its chorus is pretty weak and the chords don’t work super well together during it, while the verse’s chords are so unbearably generic; the solo is cool tho. They wrote a better version of this song called One Flew Under The Cuckoos Nest off of 2016′s Stroll And Roll. You just read about it a little while ago. The namesake song Smile is pretty progressive sounding, but overall just slogs for six. fucking. minutes. in relative dissonance and minor chord downers.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s without it’s strong moments. I’ve retrospectively come to think about how much I like a few songs on this album. In particular, Good Morning Good News is one of my favorite Pillows songs and could fit into any of the three albums that preceded Smile with ease. Vain Dog is also just too weird of a song to not love.

Waiting At The Bus Stop is also great, it’s got a good flow, a cruising bassline, and a pretty solid hook, one of the few on the album.

3/10, and that’s being nice.

4/10, with such a strong opening string of songs, Smile quickly begins to become a bit of a snorefest.

20. Horn Again (2011)

Much like OOPARTS, Horn Again is “classic Pillows” sounding, but kind of lacks. Horn Again isn’t that bad. I think of all of their “trademark sound” albums though, it’s just not as meaty as them, and at that point where you listen to a lot of that sound, it makes the older albums a lot more interesting and changes up the pace, so they’re mostly above this. But this is by no means a bad album. Mmmmmm…mostly. It’ll definitely get your head bopping, but Horn Again certainly lacks big enough hooks to really, y’know, hook you in.

It also feels like a bit more of a decaf version of Nook In The Brain. A bit loose and fuzzy with a bit more riffing guitar work. It almost feels like Sawao was starting to get afraid of big hooks. Sad Fad Love, a fully English song, shows that he’s not entirely hesitant to write big hooks, it’s got exactly what you’d expect from a Pillows hook with a big long, shouted note to start the chorus, but doesn’t quite deliver by the end of it, or maybe in the production of it with not enough background vocals to cover the longer notes in the vocal melody. There is, however, not a single essential song to their discography on this album. Brilliant Crown and Nobody Knows What Blooms also reach about the same height, but with a little more emotional brevity and the latter having this kind of cute horn section that does the opposite of what horns usually do in rock music, which is quite cool. The former is definitely the best song here, but nothing essential, once again.

4/10 tho

21. Moon Gold (1991)

Yo, who the hell is this? This can’t be The Pillows, can it? At the very least, the following Pillows albums would at least have a defining sound that would eventually slowly morph into their signature sound, but Moon Gold almost feels like the sound that became that other sound. It’s a band trying to figure out what they are, and at this point, I think they were trying to figure out how to be a Shibuya-kei band.

4/10, this is the kind of debut for an amazing band with an amazing legacy that shows that it wasn’t always like that. I mean, not like Supercar anyway. Now that’s a debut album. I’d go as far as to say that Supercar’s Three Out Change!! is the best J-rock debut of all time.

22. OOPARTS (2009)

It’s not Oh-Parts or Oooo-parts. I believe it is OOP (as in OOPS when you mess up) and Arts. Oop Arts. Much like the Horn Again album that would follow, OOPARTS is definitely a Pillows album, but not quite to the level that albums that pioneered and solidified its sound are. The opener Dance With God even uses the same first half of the Crazy Sunshine hook, but just doesn’t do anything with it that Crazy Sunshine didn’t do better; it just feels like a cheap imitation of what they were once (and have since OOPARTS, once again become) great at. I think Lemon Drops is the biggest standout here. Not essential to their catalogue, quite a simple song, but definitely a pretty solid one that really pulls the album together nicely from both ends. It’s an otherwise overall forgettable album though.

At a mere 3/10, OOPARTS just has nothing that holds up to its older brothers.

[chucklefuckmusic]

Welcome to this blog where I give my opinions that nobody asked for on an eclectic assortment of music, bands, and albums

I essentially was inspired to make this Tumblr due to my admiration of a post that @idolisnotdead made in which they ranked every album by one of my favorite Japanese rock bands the pillows from the absolute best to the forgettable/shitty. I was really happy to see an in-depth list like that for a band that admittedly doesn’t have that many writings on the internet from passionate English-speaking fans, and I must confess that 80% of the notes on that post are from my main. 

It just seemed like a fun idea for me to do something similar with bands that I love that haven’t really had their albums ranked with much insight or explanation (and some bands that do have a lot of lists online with their albums ranked, but that won’t stop me from doing my own!!!!!11!!!!).

Therefore, welcome to this blog where I will do just that!

For the record, there's probably going to be long periods of inactivity with this blog as it's dependent on my mood and when I'm feeling particularly passionate. Just keep that in mind and have fun!

I don’t anticipate anyone is going to follow this blog unless you know me, but if so....I don’t know how you got here but I hope you have fun!

(Link to the pillows album’s ranked post: https://idolisnotdead.tumblr.com/post/178123804255/every-the-pillows-album-ranked )