josh's top 2012 albums (finished!)

[nick64]

Never heard it

[josh]

Jan 8, 2013 21:12:09 GMT -5 nick64 said:

Never heard it

Then click the link and listen to the playlist I made. They're not big so I couldn't find the album on YT so used their official audio for the songs and made my own album playlist just for you guys. SOMEONE needs to listen to it for me. :'(

And if you're too lazy for the albums you don't know at least try some of the songs that are my favorites.

[josh]

Halcyon
Ellie Goulding



*This is just the standard edition I'm reviewing.*

Listen to the full album here.

General thoughts:
So basically everything Ellie I hate right away. I hated "Lights" at first, then ended up loving it and having it #1 on my chart. Hated "Anything Could Happen" and now I kinda like it. I got both albums, again, on sale at Amazon lmao. I didn't like this much at first, but a few listens later I'm here now and starting to enjoy it more. I figure it will be like the other two singles, that I need several listens to get really into.

After a few listens, the song that stands out the most besides "Lights" is "Figure 8." I've seen that song thrown out several times by fans, and I can see why. The production is insane on it.

I think I know why I don't like her stuff at first. It's just too different from what I normally listen to. It has plenty of different things that I like in my music: an interesting voice, string instruments (I love violins and orchestration), just more variety with all the instruments. I think it's all just too much at once, but then after a little bit I'm like oh it's all this stuff I like! Yay! I definitely need to listen to her debut album more now as well. :)

Best Song(s) (imo):
Figure 8
Lights

Songs that I charted:
Lights (peak: #1 (1 week), charted 14 weeks)

I give this a B- for now. That's already up from the initial C or C- I was going to give it before listening again to write the review, so you should be happy already Mitchell. And drag too. I don't think I will start stanning for her but I will enjoy her stuff more. :)

[nick64]

Maybe I'll listen

Halcyon's been growing on me as well. "Figure 8" is amazing!

[Deleted]

Yeah, I am happy, josh! Love that album and her!

[Deleted]

I need to give B.o.B's album some more listens too...I did like it (enough to put it in my top 40) but he talks about the pressures of fame in a lot of the songs and it starts to feel repetitive after a while, mainly b/c he doesn't approach the issue from more than one angle.

Overexposed is good but had a high burn rate for me. I'd probably give it a B- because at least I did like it initially, and I still revisit certain songs.

I tired of The Weeknd by the third mixtape so I haven't gotten around to Trilogy (or rather, the three new songs on Trilogy). I really enjoyed the first two, but I guess I started tot think of him as a one trick pony and moved on.

I haven't listened to Gordo Taqueria yet. Or did I? Crap, I can't remember Wait, I think it was Dev's album I listened to and was unimpressed.

Halcyon is in my top ten for 2012 I'm a pretty big fan of Ellie.

[Deleted]

Jan 8, 2013 22:39:33 GMT -5 @cynthiarose said:

Halcyon is in my top ten for 2012 I'm a pretty big fan of Ellie.

You should post in her thread every once in a while! It sometimes feels like I'm the only one in there talking to myself! We (all four of us that are regulars there) would love to have you!

[josh]

Thanks for the comments.

Jan 8, 2013 22:39:33 GMT -5 @cynthiarose said:

Wait, I think it was Dev's album I listened to and was unimpressed.

o. :'(

[Deleted]

Jan 8, 2013 22:43:52 GMT -5 @nightfire said:

Jan 8, 2013 22:39:33 GMT -5 @cynthiarose said:

Halcyon is in my top ten for 2012 I'm a pretty big fan of Ellie.

You should post in her thread every once in a while! It sometimes feels like I'm the only one in there talking to myself! We (all four of us that are regulars there) would love to have you!

lawl, now that I read this back, I sound like somebody that just bought a house and is inviting everyone in the neighborhood over for dinner because they don't have any real friends.

[josh]

good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar



*This is just the standard edition I'm reviewing.*

Listen to the full album here.

General thoughts:
So this is the first artist I can thank Gaga for mentioning and making me check out. I had heard the beginning of "Swimming Pools (Drank)" on the radio, and thought it was annoying, so would always change the channel. I eventually heard it in the middle and kinda liked it. So between that, the amazing praise Kendrick has gotten, and Gaga, I checked out this album. At first I thought it was meh, then decent, then good, now I think it's really good. Maybe even amazing and flawless.

Kendrick's rapping skills are great. I love the effects he uses of moving his voice from the left to the right, back and forth several times throughout the album. He's also got flawless, varying productions throughout as well, all of which keep you very entertained. He also has such stories to tell, much more interesting than all the partying rapping going on now, although those are fun from time to time as well.

"Swimming Pools (Drank)" is flawless, "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" is amazing, I don't care what other people think, and the other songs are wonderful as well. I honestly don't know why I ended up putting this in the "not very many listens" category, because I've listened to this plenty to review it lmao. It's just that good. I definitely need to get the bonus tracks ASAP.

I don't like all the talking at the end of the tracks, though. I did just recently find out that it's all there to help tell his story, which knowing that and paying more attention to all the lyrics, it makes a lot of sense. It still bugs me, though. I'll probably end up shortening all the songs on iTunes. I'm not a huge fan of "Poetic Justice" as the next single (I don't care that much for Drake), but I definitely see the appeal for radio. And I'm glad it's already smashing, even while "Swimming Pools (Drank)" is still smashing itself. Definitely hoping Kendrick can become a radio staple, because he's great. And I need to hear "Partynauseous" already.

Best Song(s) (imo):
Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
Swimming Pools (Drank)

Songs that I charted:
Swimming Pools (Drank) (peak: #13, charted 3 weeks, still charting)

Easily an A, with a HUGE potential to get that + added on soon. Just an amazing album, which everyone needs to check out for sure.

[josh]

Ok so no one thought Strange Clouds, Overexposed, Gordo Taqueria, Trilogy, or Halcyon would be my #1 album. Good thinking.

One person (I think Scotty) thought good kid, m.A.A.d city would at least be top 5, though. Wrong, although it is pretty close at this point.

Good to see most of you know me pretty well so far.

[nick64]

Great review for a great album!! "Swimming Pools" is flawless!

[Deleted]

Thank you for the dedication! Great to see Pound The Joshu at #2!!!

[josh]

#30: Lotus
Christina Aguilera



Listen to the full album here.

General thoughts:
A huge step down from Bionic, imo. I just recently got that album, but I really love it. This, on the other hand, has a ton of s**t in it. Apart from a few good songs, this is mostly bad songs. Most of the production sounds off, dated, or boring. Christina has no voice control most of the time and ends up screaming, and it just makes for a not very enjoyable experience. For example, "Sing for Me" is just terrible. It starts out fine, and she sounds pretty good, but then a little later she starts to scream/screech. Plus "When I ooooooooooopennnnnnnnnnnn my mooooooooooooooouthhhhhhhhhh" really? So much wrong with that. Dirty jokes, fat jokes, etc. Perfect example of her terrible screeching right there. And then "Circles" and "Shut Up" are just laughably terrible.
However, there are a few good parts of the album. At times, Christina sounds beautiful. (No pun intended ) And she has some pretty good songs, with some flaws, like "Your Body" and "Let There Be Love." I'm starting to really like "Just a Fool" now, too, after initially disliking it.
So yeah, I don't really recommend this. It's got some good songs to buy individually, but I wouldn't buy the whole album unless you get a good sale or something.

This gets a C-.

Best Song(s) (imo):
Lotus (Intro)
Your Body
Let There Be Love
Just a Fool

Worst Song(s) (imo):
Sing for Me
Circles
Shut Up

Songs that I charted:
Let There Be Love (peak: #38, charted 1 week)
Your Body (peak: #25, charted 8 weeks)
*Just a Fool (peak: #34, charted 1 week, still charting) (just debuted on this week's chart, shortly after posting this review)

[josh]

oh and lol at 2 people putting that in their 5 choices for my #1

[nick64]

Agree with this album having some shit. You're favorites are great though.

[josh]

Good to know one person reads the thread. :'( I was going to post a 2nd but now I'm reading my psychology book so idk if I will get a 2nd up today or not.

[josh]

#29: Teenage Dream - The Complete Confection
Katy Perry



Listen to the full album here.

*This is only a review of the new tracks*

General thoughts:
The new tracks are not nearly up to par with the original tracks, imo. "Part of Me" was great for a week, then was so tiring and old. "Wide Awake" is decent, but by the time it was a single I was soooooo burned out on Katy Perry that I didn't really enjoy it. "Dressin' Up" is amazing, though. Figures it was the one not to be released.
The remixes are terribly bad, lmao. The E.T. one is fine, but I much prefer the original. Didn't they remove the original and put just the remix? The "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" remix is laughably bad, as is the "The One That Got Away" remix, but they were smart to include the acoustic version instead. The "Megasix" was decent from what I remember.

This gets a C.

Best Song(s) (imo):
Dressin' Up

Worst Song(s) (imo):
Part of Me

Songs that I charted:
None (it predated my chart, otherwise "Part of Me" probably would have charted for a few weeks, and "Dressin' Up" would definitely have charted.)

[nick64]

Agree completely with "Part of Me", "Dressin' Up", and the remixes. I liked "Wide Awake" a lot though

[Deleted]

Lol "Dressin' Up" is the only song from that album (when I say "album" I'm including the original 12 tracks plus the three extra main songs) that I didn't like. "Wide Awake" was my favorite of the new tracks, and maybe even of all of them, probably due to the fact the lyrics really described how I was feeling at the time it was released. I loved "Part of Me" at first but it had a really high burn rate, pretty much after the first week like you said. I disagree with some of your opinion of Lotus as I like most of the tracks, although it wouldn't rank super high for me either, because I think that a lot of the tracks, even though I like them, are super forgettable. I think as a whole it's better than Bionic, which really had some shit packed in it, but the songs I did love from Bionic were much, much better than anything on Lotus.

And I didn't know you could vote for five albums. I think I just voted for one, and it was either Kiss or Warrior. I hope Trespassing makes your top five.

[josh]

I can guarantee Trespassing is (at least) top 20. I will say no more than that, though.

[josh]

#28: Somethin' 'Bout Kreay
Kreayshawn



Listen to the full album here.

General thoughts:
I had no plans of checking this album out. "Gucci Gucci" was a fun little song, but not one I was ever crazy about. However, thanks to Kunt, I heard "Go Hard (La.La.La)" and loved it. I then saw her album thread and saw her album had come out. I listened to the previews on iTunes and thought it sounded so whack, but entertaining as well. So I bought it. No regrets. It's got some amazing jams, especially the two I charted.
It does have a few duds, though, but it's still pretty good. Kinda dumb and a joke, though, but that's part of the appeal.

This gets a C+, maybe a B-. .

Best Song(s) (imo):
Blasé Blasé
Ch00k Ch00k Tare
Twerkin!!!
Go Hard (La.La.La)
Breakfast (Syrup)

Worst Song(s) (imo):
Summertime
BFF (Bestfriend)

Songs that I charted:
Ch00k Ch00k Tare (peak: #1 (1 week), charted 5 weeks)
Blasé Blasé (peak: #4, charted 5 weeks)

[josh]

0 votes for this one. Good job guys. :)

[Deleted]

Love Kendrick Lamar's album. And your comments on the voting too.

[nick64]

Decent album. Kinda dumb, but still fun.

[josh]

Jan 12, 2013 19:37:53 GMT -5 @jjj said:

Love Kendrick Lamar's album. And your comments on the voting too.

Ugh, me too. I had already planned on it not making the real countdown, even though I ended up listening a bunch making the review. It would have been top 5, or at least close. :'(

[josh]

#27: Push and Shove
No Doubt



Listen to the full album here.

General thoughts:
I've always liked several No Doubt singles, but never listened to any of their other material before last year. I ended up getting all of their studio albums, the b-sides album, and the singles collection. I've always loooooved Gwen's solo material, though. Love it so much. This definitely doesn't compare to Gwen's solo material, but it's still pretty good.
At first, I was quite disappointed with several of the songs. However, everything grew on my a lot over several listens. I don't really dislike anything now, but there are still songs that aren't the best. I don't know if it just took me getting more into No Doubt's style or what. This has some flawless gems, though. "Push and Shove" was my first #1 debut, and stayed at #1 for 2 weeks. "Easy" is flawless as well, but for some reason I never charted it. No clue why. "Looking Hot" is great as well, but its non-existent radio performance really hindered it on my chart. I hadn't been into that song, but then it clicked. I don't know why but it suddenly clicked and it's great.
Overall a good album from No Doubt, and it's a shame it flopped. The singles could have been handled much better, that's for sure. It's not my favorite album, but I don't think it's my least favorite album either. I think my favorite (for the time being, anyways; I still haven't listened to all the material a whole lot, yet) is Rock Steady. I guess I'm just unusual, ok?

This gets a B-.

Best Song(s) (imo):
Looking Hot
Push and Shove
Easy

Songs that I charted:
Push and Shove (peak: #1 (2 weeks), charted 11 weeks)
Settle Down (peak: #5, charted 13 weeks)
Looking Hot (peak: #26, charted 7 weeks)



Oh and no one thought this would be my #1. Smart again, people.

[nick64]

Captured this one pretty well too. Definitely not the best, but not really anything wrong with it.

[Deleted]

yay TCC

[josh]

#26: The Truth About Love
P!nk



Listen to the full album here.

General thoughts:
Sorry ry4n. Like No Doubt, I've liked several of P!nk's singles but never listened to anything else prior to this album. I ended up getting all her stuff on sale (love you Amazon MP3 ) and generally like it. Definitely not my favorite artist, but glad I got it all. Still definitely need to listen to it all more... I bought so many old albums last year that I didn't have time to branch out much for the new albums.
This is a fun little album, and has some great songs, but also some duds. The worst is by far the song with Eminem, "Here Comes the Weekend." I just got some of the bonus tracks and some of them aren't too good, either. They're clearly bonus for a reason...
Some amazing songs, though. "Slut Like You" is by far my favorite, and "Try" and "True Love" are great too. So is "Just Give Me a Reason."

A fun little album, but far from amazing. This gets a solid B-.

Best Song(s) (imo):
Try
Just Give Me a Reason
True Love
Slut Like You

Worst Song(s) (imo):
Here Comes the Weekend

Songs that I charted:
Slut Like You (peak: #3, charted 13 weeks)
Try (peak: #7, charted 11 weeks, still charting)
Blow Me (One Last Kiss) (peak: #8, charted 16 weeks)



2 people thought this could be my #1. :'(