Search Results for: concept album

Blood Mountain

By R.J. | Published: November 20, 2008

Band: MastodonAlbum: Blood MountainBest song: “The Wolf is Loose” is pretty great. “Siberian Divide” is strong, also. But, “Colony of Birchmen” is the best song on the album and one of the band’s best tracks (in a catalog full of great tracks, by the way).Worst song: There isn’t really a bad song on the album, […]

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Fragile

By R.J. | Published: November 20, 2008

Band: YesAlbum: FragileBest song: “Roundabout” is a fantastic record.Worst song: “We Have Heaven” isn’t great. One of the rituals did for DJs at KCOU during training was the music staff training meeting. As the PD, I ran this meeting, which was intended to explain KCOU’s format to DJs. Part of the ritual was to have […]

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Winners Never Quit

By R.J. | Published: August 18, 2008

Band: Pedro the LionAlbum: Winners Never QuitBest song: “Bad Things to Such Good People” is great.Worst song: “To Protect the Family Name” is too long. One of the things the Internet has spawned (along with a curious amount of ytmnd sites) is the more specific niches within music genres. “Indie rock” now has little to […]

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Carrie & Lowell Live

By R.J. | Published: July 21, 2021

Band: Sufjan StevensAlbum: Carrie & Lowell LiveBest song: “Fourth of July” is perfect, but “Should Have Known Better” is a close second. Worst song:I guess I originally said “Drawn to the Blood” is the least strong song on the record, but I know think it to be “No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross” […]

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Electric Messiah

By R.J. | Published: June 9, 2021

Band: High on FireAlbum: Electric MessiahBest song: The title track totally rips.Worst song:“Drowning Dog” isn’t great. I broadly don’t believe in the idea of “cancelling” someone, but for the thought experiment that bad faith arguers believe it to be, I’ll bite and take another shot at explaining my own thinking when it comes to delineating […]

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Didn’t It Rain

By R.J. | Published: February 2, 2021

Band: Songs:OhiaAlbum: Didn’t It RainBest song: “Blue Factory Flame”Worst song: “Cross the Road, Molina” I am hardly the first – and I will not be the last – to note that the last year of the pandemic has felt like a wheel spinning in place. Time has both flattened out and felt extended. For kids […]

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Purple Mountains

By R.J. | Published: September 8, 2019

Band/Artist: Purple Mountains Album: Purple Mountains Best song: “Margaritas at the Mall,” hands-down. It’s one of Berman’s best songs in his catalogue. Worst song: “Maybe I’m the Only One for Me” is a good song, but the record’s weakest. In the Conservative American Judaism I grew up with – even the different branches of Judaism, […]

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The Life of Pablo

By R.J. | Published: February 15, 2016

Band: Kanye West Album: The Life of Pablo Best song: “No More Parties in L.A.” Worst song: “I Love Kanye West” is dumb. The Life of Pablo was finally released Sunday — two days after it was supposed to be released and three days after a pretty weird fashion show/listening party at Madison Square Garden — and […]

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Blurred Lines

By R.J. | Published: March 28, 2014

Band: Robin Thicke Album: Blurred Lines Best song: I didn’t listen to the album. Worst song: See above. This piece is adapted from a series of emails, social media postings, notes and the like from the summer of 2013. I’m not enumerating anything anyone else already said more eloquently elsewhere — really, though, that’s the entire nature […]

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In Utero

By R.J. | Published: March 11, 2014

Band: Nirvana Album: In Utero Best song: “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” Worst song: Probably “Milk It” There’s a saying that any single person’s favorite Saturday Night Live cast is the one from when that single person was in high school. I tend to think that fits with music, as well. We’re 14 years out of the intensely […]

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  • About Me

    I'm Ross Jordan Gianfortune. I am not a writer, but I sometimes write here about music and my life. I live in Washington, DC.

    I used to review each of Rolling Stone Magazine's top 500 albums of all time. Now I'm writing about albums I own.

    My work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Gazette, The Atlantic, Sno-Cone and a bunch of defunct zines.

    You can contact me at rjgianfortune at gmail dot com.

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