July 30th 2025
I remember in first grade reading the book Matilda by Roald Dahl, think I watched the movie too. Funny enough I actually was six and a half at the time. Anyways, I didn't understand why but I think I lowkey related to her just a little bit as a kid. My parents were cool and I didn't have some evil principal or whatever and I don't have psychic powers and I wasn't reading shit that was TOO much above my level nor was I doing math that only calculators could do. Obviously. It resonated with me metaphorically which clearly was the intention but I feel like there's this increasingly common idea that everything has to be literal or whatever. At least that's something I've noticed recently.
I bring all of this up because I watched the movie again today and it still really speaks to me in some deep way. I think this idea that "no matter how small a person is they can have big ideas" or however the saying goes is being forgotten these days despite how relevant it continues to be. uhh yeah good movie 10/10 lowkey also Danny DeVito is the goat of course.
I just don't have much else to talk about today lol. Maybe I could talk about music. I saw this "About you: music" trend going around on Reddit and decided to hop on it. I feel like I have a lot I could talk about here.
Favorite Album: Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's PartySelf explanatory. Every song on here is a banger. I've called a lot of albums my all-time favorite but this one might be the true holder of that title. This album is partially to blame for my love of Halloween and I first heard it during a time of my life which I didn't know yet but would be the most important. I've talked about it before, but when people talk about "The first day of the rest of your life." November 1st 2019 immediately comes to mind. Ever since that Halloween of 2019 my life has been completely flipped upside down on its head, and I don't think things ever will truly go back to normal as I knew them. I associate this album with that time and I wonder if that's part of the reason I like it so much. Who knows, really?
Best Narrative: My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
I think all of My Chemical Romance's albums tell interesting stories, I'm pretty sure they're also all intertwined in some way but I don't really feel like getting into all of that right now, Gerard Way is incredibly talented as a storyteller, musician, artist, all of it really. Back to Halloween of 2019, I remember the announcement that MCR was coming out of hiatus. I'd never been into them before then, but I decided to give them a chance. I decided to listen to "Welcome to the Black Parade" and I'm not gonna lie, it didn't click at first. I'm not sure why because now it's one of my favorite songs of all time but yeah. It wouldn't be another 3 years before I really got into My Chemical Romance, and I'm so glad I did because they're pretty incredible.
As for some of the other songs on this album
"Cancer" hits hard and it's one I hold back tears when listening to.
"Mama" is one I can kind of relate to? I'm not sure.
It makes sense as to why "Blood" is so underrated, given that it's a hidden track and all, but damn it's pretty good for what it is.
A lot of MCR fans don't like "Teenagers" despite its popularity, but I never understood that to be completely honest.
Favorite Cover: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana
It's nothing too crazy, but I still think it looks absolutely sick. If I were to ever get a tattoo (which I don't intend on getting tattoos, not any time soon at least) I'd probably get this album cover. I don't think I really need to explain what I love about this album art, I feel like just looking at it you can understand. It really speaks for itself. Album itself isn't too bad either. The first 5 songs + Nuclear Fusion are absolutely fucking incredible. Which is a pretty big achievement for an album that's only 9 tracks, y'know?
I'll Listen Someday: Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
I've heard a lot of good things about this album. It's probably the most important and iconic album of all time that I still haven't listened to yet. I've heard all the "classics" so to speak. Thriller, Abbey Road, The Dark Side of the Moon, Pet Sounds, What's Going On, Nevermind, Purple Rain, The Doors, Master of Puppets, etc. Not Rumours, though. Not yet at least. I'm not even sure why I haven't gotten around to it yet. I just haven't.
Personal Impact: The Doors - The Doors
I don't even know how to explain why this album is so important to me, it just kinda is in some weird stupid way. Despite how weird it is, it still has this intrigue to it that makes it feel... is refined the right word? I'm not sure. Someone described this album as "aura farming music" and I guess that's one way to put it lol.
Bad Day Cure: Supertramp - Breakfast in America
This and the personal impact spot are interchangeable I think. When the title track came up in my shuffle I didn't think I knew it but it hit me like a truck when I recognized it. The Doors self titled and Breakfast in America are VERY different albums but they both have the same impact on me with how charming and fascinating they are in their musical and lyrical themes. I feel like both of these albums play an important role as who I am as a person and it's something I don't really understand or know how to put into words, but I'm sure someday I'll find the right words to describe what both of these albums mean to me. I can say this about a majority of the albums on here. Including the ones I previously named like Dead Man's Party and The Black Parade. Some of the upcoming albums are also personally significant to me too, but we'll get to them when we get to them.
You Enjoy But Most Don't: Weezer - Weezer [Black Album]
It's definitely not one I revisit often, and there aren't many standout tracks after the first four, but I don't think there's any particularly bad songs on this album. "Can't Knock The Hustle", and yes, even "Living in LA", are some of my favorites. I've always been into some of Weezer's more disliked songs such as the aforementioned "Living in LA" and "Thank God For Girls," which by the way TGFG is my personal favorite from the white album and there's nothing you can do about it >:3 but I'm getting off topic. Point is, The Black Album really isn't that bad in my personal opinion. I think we can all agree it doesn't come close to some of Weezer's biggest flops like Raditude and Pacific Daydream (I think the former is actually just a tiny bit overhated but I digress)
You Don't Enjoy, But Most Do: Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven
Probably my least favorite of the RYM Top 100. I just don't get it, okay?! It's not a bad album and I'm not gonna pretend like it is, I just don't understand it. Clearly everyone else sees something in this that I've never been able to and I'm really happy for them. I don't get it because I've listened to other GY!BE albums and they were fairly decent but this one has never clicked with me despite being their most popular. I'm not too into Post-Rock in general. Swans and Slint are pretty good, but I've struggled to get into the genre quite a bit honestly. I should've put Soundtracks for the Blind in the "not usually my thing but" spot huh.
Underrated: Cardiacs - A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
I'm indecisive as shit so I'm just gonna say this is another contender for my favorite album of all time. Another one I genuinely think there isn't a dull second of. The opener blew me away when I heard it for the first time. Also, the album cover obviously isn't where my obsession with flowers came from, but it would be funny if that was the case wouldn't it? In all seriousness, I still associate this album with my love for flowers even if that's not where it came from. You can call that association a bit strange and I wouldn't argue with you, but that's how it is lol. I don't remember who recommended this one to me on RateYourMusic but seriously thank you so much for your recommendation because this album absolutely fucks I love it so much. It's another one that is incredibly impactful to who I am as a person. Hell yes.
Overrated: Radiohead - OK Computer
I wouldn't say I'm too into Radiohead in general. They have some songs I love. Idioteque, Everything in Its Right Place, Just, My Iron Lung, and from this album in particular, Karma Police and No Surprises. When I joined RateYourMusic this was the #1 album of all time on there. I think it's good but I don't really...get it? Like even in terms of Radiohead's discography I prefer The Bends and Kid A, (I still have four albums I need to listen to as well though, but I'll get to them.) No Surprises is an incredible song, probably my favorite from them actually but overall I think there's something I'm missing with this album.
Not Usually My Thing: Metallica - Ride the Lightning
I've struggled trying to get into metal as a genre tbh. There's quite a bit of stuff I like but metal is weird in that you have to like certain stuff or you're not a "real fan" of the genre and I always thought that was kinda bullshit. Like ok yeah Sleep Token sucks but I mean I don't get why people who like them get so much shit for it. It's not just Sleep Token, though. Even if you like the well respected iconic stuff like Iron Maiden or Metallica you're not a "real fan" apparently. It doesn't make sense to me. I've tried getting into the more heavy brutal stuff but it's just overall not very interesting to me. I'll stick with Metallica and Iron Maiden thank you.
Best Instrumental: Daft Punk - Discovery
It's not an entirely instrumental album, however:
Aerodynamic, Crescendolls, Nightvision, Superheroes, High Life, Voyager, Veridis Quo, Short Circuit
8/14. I think it's reasonable to put it in this category. Besides, some of those instrumental tracks are absolutely mindblowing. Aerodynamic, Crescendolls, High Life, and Especially Veridis Quo in particular being some of my favorites. In fact, I'd call Veridis Quo my favorite Daft Punk song, probably. Daft Punk has always made banger instrumentals, their first album Homework was full of them in my opinion. There's only two, maybe three tracks that have actual proper lyrics which made it a little hard for me to really appreciate Homework on first listen but there's some great stuff on there. Da Funk, Phoenix, Fresh, and my personal favorite which is High Fidelity.
Point is, Daft Punk rocks.
Best Vocals: Thundercat - Drunk
Thundercat is honestly one of the most talented artists of our generation, God blessed this man with an incredible voice and unmatched bass skills and he uses them to write songs about jerking off and eating pizza. Not all of his songs are like that but still I always thought it was a funny assessment. Also, his work on other artists' projects is fantastic as well. "Wesley's Theory" and "These Walls" are two of the best songs on TPAB (#1 album on RateYourMusic btw) and it's in large part thanks to him. Thundercat is awesome, this album is incredible. Case closed.
Simple, But Fun: Lemon Demon - Dinosaurchestra
Damn Skippy could go here too depending on who you ask but I love the childlike whimsy and carefree silliness of Neil's earlier work. It's something I see a lot of myself in. Neil's talent to make even some of the more depressing tracks on here like "Indie Cindy & The Lo-Fi Lullabies" or "Eyewishes" or "Vow of Silence" fun listens is not talked about enough. Even on some of the bonus tracks such as "It Can Get Lonely In My Mansion" "Birthday (Alligators and Pretzel Makers" "Being Alone on Valentine's Day" "White Bread Boyfriend" and "The Next Dimension" all of which should've honestly ended up on the final album tbh (although it's already long enough tbf) but yknow just goes to show how great this album is even the outtakes are awesome
Best Mixtape: Death Grips - Exmilitary
A friend in 6th grade played Takyon for me and it was the craziest shit to me. I went home and downloaded the album, only listened to the first 5 tracks for the next few years but eventually I'd get really into Death Grips and listen to the whole thing. It's still my favorite release from them and honestly I don't think anything else comes even remotely close to this.
Consistent Discography: Tyler, the Creator - IGOR
Tyler's discography can be considered the opposite of consistent, to be completely fair. But I wanted to fit this album in here somewhere so I decided to interpret "consistent" in my own way and decided "Yeah, Tyler usually consistently releases an album every odd year" (except for 2024's Chromakopia but aside from that he's been consistent with that release schedule for 16 years now.) It's definitely not what the original creator of this template meant with "consistent discography" but hey whatever lets me show this fantastic work of art some love works for me. This is another album that didn't click with me when I first heard it but I'm so glad it clicked eventually because it's another one of my all-time favorites.
Biggest Letdown: Gorillaz - Cracker Island
I know. I enjoyed Song Machine and The Now Now quite a bit actually. I know people say Gorillaz has been on a decline since their comeback with Humanz in 2017 but I didn't really understand what they were talking about until this album came out. It just feels so empty compared to their other releases, which is crazy because they have some awesome features on here. The title track has Thundercat who I've already mentioned is one of my favorite artists of all time. Aside from him though. Stevie Nicks??? Tame Impala??? Beck??? This could've been something great, but it just. Wasn't.
Biggest Surprise: Will Wood - In Case I Make It
A very pleasant and welcome one at that. I've always been a fan of Will Wood for his chaotic energy and lyrics, so I really wasn't expecting to enjoy an album that even before release was advertised as straying away from such, being a more sincere and introspective work. However, that's why it's so great. It's genuine, it's heartfelt, and that works in its favor. If Will's work takes this direction going forward I'd be satisfied, because he's damn good at it.
Best Soundtrack: Jay Tholen - Hypnospace Outlaw
It's this or Touhou for sure. Touhou's soundtracks are always fantastic, but I ultimately went with Hypnospace Outlaw because it's just so varied and every track is utilized nearly perfectly in the game. It's often said that a video game's soundtrack is incredibly important in defining the experience, and I think that's never been more true than it is here.
Most Unique: Kate Bush - The Dreaming
Kate Bush doesn't really get enough credit for just how eccentric she can be at times. Her debut single was a retelling of the Emily Bronte novel Wuthering Heights. On a later album, "The Sensual World" she has a song about a woman who falls in love with a man she later finds out is Adolf Hitler. Her music style and lyrics have always been fascinating and unique and it's never been more present than on this album. The title is referring to a concept in Aboriginal Australian Mythology which unless you were knowledgeable on that very niche and specific topic, you wouldn't be able to devise from it without listening to the album. Aside from the title track, she doesn't really touch on this theme much. There's "Pull Out the Pin" which is about the Vietnam War for what it's worth. Every song is lyrically so unique and interesting any of them could've worked for the title. The album cover itself seems to be an allusion to the track "Houdini" so I honestly wouldn't be surprised if other songs were considered for the title before she settled on "The Dreaming"
Favorite Band: They Might Be Giants - Lincoln
While only my 4th favorite album I feel like it's one of their most important albums and I thought it would fit better on here than John Henry or Self Titled would.
Anyone who knows me even just a tiny bit knows just how much I absolutely adore this band. Everything about them is so fascinatingly awesome to me. From their name to their lyrics, to their uninterrupted career spanning more than 40 years, to their relatively small yet strong and dedicated fanbase to their live shows, all of it is the perfect recipe for a band that I'd have no choice but to fall in love with.
Favorite Solo Artist: Talkshow Boy - Watch As I Perform My Own Tracheotomy
I've said it before, and yes, I do prefer Testosterone, I just think the album cover for Tracheotomy is better.
I know I probably shouldn't be relating to the lyrics of some of these songs, but I do?? I've stated on numerous occasions that Adrian's music made my High School years less hellish, and it's true, but there's more to it than that. The tunes are infectiously catchy and upbeat, with lyrics that feel truly unadulterated and genuine.
Best EP: Lil Ugly Mane - Uneven Compromise
The phrase "literal chills" is cliche as fuck but nothing else quite encapsulates my feelings when I listened to this for the first time. There is a lot going on with this one both lyrically and musically. The first "Act" is terrifying, the repeated phrase "Corrupted by the darkness, now you fall into an endless sleep" perfectly illustrates the tone. Act 2 is largely made up of samples from other artists' testimonies and perspectives on the industry and the shadiness of it all, and while it's arguably the "weak point" of the track but still works really well. Act 3, while nowhere near as sinister tonally on the surface, is just as if not more chilling. The narrator tells a story about an old friend of his, and honestly it's better if you just go and listen to it for yourself, but I think the lyrics "Cuz all I wanna do is see my people live large, I always try to see my people better than they are" sum it up nicely. The final act is a haunting instrumental followed by harsh noise, and while polarizing to most people I've heard talk about this EP, I would argue it thematically a great way to end it off.
Most Depressing: Nick Drake - Pink Moon
I like to think that despite my depression and all, I present myself as incredibly cheery online so I wonder if it's surprising just how much I relate to this album. Songs like "Parasite" to be specific. I'm not gonna turn this into some shitty trauma dump session or whatever, I just want to bring this all up. I'm very cheerful and happy and energetic online but in real life I'm kinda the opposite. I feel moreso like, well, a parasite. I've been trying to open up more to people and letting my true self shine through in real life, but it is pretty difficult honestly. It'll take some work, but I know that eventually, that soon, I'll have the confidence to show myself as the girl I know I am to everyone irl. This got a little too personal, sorry.
Song of the Day: Kate Bush - Babooshka
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLBOSS YOU'RE SO GOATED
Media Log 2025 - July 30th:
95. Tom Lehrer - More of Tom Lehrer
1959 album, [A]wesome
Still can't believe he's gone. 2025 sucks man :(
96. Matilda (1996)
1996 film. [M]agnificent
I don't need to say anything more than what I've already said at the beginning of this post. An instant favorite, I should probably reread the book while I'm at it.
After Writing
97. They Might Be Giants - Lincoln
1988 album. [M]agnificent
Not their most popular album, that title goes to Flood, but still probably their most acclaimed album, by both fans and critics. With iconic tracks such as Ana Ng, Cowtown, Purple Toupee, Where Your Eyes Don't Go, They'll Need a Crane, and Kiss Me Son of God, it's easy to see why. Also The World's Address and I've Got A Match because those are some of my favorites on here and I wanted to mention them.
98. Tyler, the Creator - Chromakopia
2024 album, [O]kay
Oh goodness, here we go... I don't think Tyler has released an album this polarizing since Cherry Bomb. I've heard people say it's one of his best, others say it's one of his worst. Where do I stand? It's okay? The first 10 tracks are pretty cool, but I'm not a big fan of the last 4. Yes, that includes Like Him. I just don't really get it. I'm sorry. Noid and Tomorrow are my personal favorites here. Maybe I'll be able to "get" it after a couple more listens but right now I just don't
Here's my updated album ranking though
- Igor
- Flower Boy
- Wolf
- Call Me If You Get Lost
- Cherry Bomb
- Chromakopia
- Don't Tap the Glass
- Goblin
- Bastard
