#top tier albums

[sonarryx]

elliott smith – XO (review)

i purchased my copy of XO in pretty rough shape, with a few visible scratches on the disc and plenty of wear and tear on the case. it was definitely a risk, but i wanted to listen to this album and this was the only copy i could find (i tend to get all my CDs from local in-person sources, very rarely ordering them online). i'm lucky that the CD played with no issues, because i fell in love with this album right away and only loved it more with each listen.

there's a clear level of care and intention that went into the recording of this album. i can't help but step back and admire when everything about a record goes right. it's just incredible. i could gush about XO all day. elliott smith deserves all the hype he gets and more.

track one, "sweet adeline," is a perfect setup for everything that follows. i love a good slow burn opener that reaches its peak in the back half of the song. the one song i knew from this album, the titular waltz #2, is still a great song, but not a lot has changed on repeated listens—i like it about as much as i did before.

my one and only gripe with XO is what i can only compare to the sound of a recorder in "baby britain," an otherwise good song that was disrupted by the high-pitched, out-of-tune monotone sound in the second half of the second verse. (you can also hear the same instrument in brief isolation at the very end of the song.) the liner notes provided no hints as to what it was (unless it was a particularly unfortunate-sounding flute), and a little poking around on google didn't immediately get me any answers. it seems to sit more toward the front of the mix on the CD from my car speakers than it does on spotify/through my headphones and laptop speakers, so you won't hear it as quite so disruptive if you go test it out for yourself.

a rundown of my favorite songs on this album:

"bled white" is an upbeat little tune with a lyrical structure i just adore. 10/10 driving song. this one could very easily become a comfort song for me, and it's definitely going on my driving playlist!

i am a sucker for a good chord progression, and "amity" is where it's at! it's a short one, and it's probably the heaviest on the album, musically speaking. i just love each and every piece of this song, but especially the swell at 0:53. it's perfect.

"bottle up and explode!" wins affection on the title alone, and the song itself does not disappoint. i'm extremely pleased to have this song in my life. the bridge at 1:50 is a very smooth way of kicking the song up a notch, though it does fall short of actually exploding.

there's a fantastic horn-line groove in "a question mark" that we're prepped for at the end of "bottle up and explode!" with a silly little sax riff. i have to admit, i interpreted the opening lyric as "i've got a question, mark" about some guy named mark, not the actual punctuation, and i think i like hearing it that way better. dunno who mark is but he sounds like a dick to me.

final thoughts: most of what i've heard about elliott smith is all about how miserable his music is, and while i completely understand why that's the narrative, the music is just so well-done that it's hard for me to genuinely wallow in the misery of the lyrics. towards the end of the album it gets a little more dismal, but the main emotion i come away with is satisfaction. it's just a fantastically well-done album, start to finish.

[turtlekidddddd]

Since Bagi got added to Morning crew I finally got the excuse to do this

(I was unable to find the same font they used in the original album and it’s bugging me so much but oh well)

[pageofpenandfables]

Ben Barnes at The Troubadour in Los Angeles 1.29.24

[timechange]

MCFLY JULY ‘24 — pepsi free.

88 (1989)

1:15 AM

Sunshine Girl

Recent History

Strangerland

Erasure

Continuum

Wipe Out

In Flux

FUTURE BOY (1991)

Lightning

Goofy Foot

No Roads, All Roads

Unheard

Lost Memory

Lovestruck

Second Chance, California

City Limits

[kyunsies]

guys idk who needs to hear this but the production on the 'fatal love' album was like ............. insane like how tf did mx do that

[s0ulweed]

i haven’t been able to listen to muse the same since i got into dnp (in a good way lol)

i have an origin of symmetry cd in my car, and i totally get why they like it so much.

anyways, if you haven’t already, go listen to origin of symmetry. shit fucks.

[wexhappyxfew]

currently listening to reputation by taylor swift and putting every SB girlie with her mota man to each song and losing my mind so …. yeah if you’re interested in that i most likely will be posting something with that but i’m actually OBSESSED

[le-agent-egg]

dumbest fucking tierlist i’ve ever made

this is only for main 3 games + warriors of hope

[taylorswiftdebut]

im DRUNK in the back of the car AND i cried like a baby coming home from the BAR (Ow!) said i’m FINE 🙄 but it wasn’t TRUE 😵‍💫 I DONT WANNA KEEP SECRETS JUST TO KEEP YOU ANDi snuck in through the garden gate every night that summer *angelic backing vocal* just to seal my fate (Ow!) and i SCREAM for whatever it’s worse I LOVE YOU ain’t that the worse thing you’ve ever heard! 🤮 HE LOOKS UP GRINNING LIKE A DEVIL

[klapollo]

poptimism was such a mistake what do u mean the sabrina carpenter album is a 10/10 and worthy of an aoty nomination

[leonardcohenofficial]

i have complicated feelings about british blues generally speaking but john mayall really did that for real

[vimbry]

it's a tough competition, because they always complement each other beautifully, but "memo to human resources" might have my favourite harmonies. their voices meld together perfectly.

[enn0s]

m o o n c h i l d

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

my rubber soul tier list. if you even care

[whatashameshesfckedinthehead]

listening to midnights by taylor swift moodboard

[astrobei]

starting off an album with state of grace/red/treacherous as the opening lineup was an absolutely lethal choice btw