My Listening Hours: November

Given the approaching end of year, I thought I'd be spending November catching up on records I missed earlier in the year, for maximal list-making capabilities. Not so, for whatever reason. I'm just as tuned out as ever, apparently. Only picked up two new-to-me albums this month. Sort of an odd pairing for a blog post, but so be it.

Oneohtrix Point Never: Replica
I spent most of November listening to this album over and over, trying to love it more than I did. Only in the last week or so have I finally been able to admit to myself that, despite the brilliance of Daniel Lopatin's last album as Oneohtrix Point Never, Replica just doesn't do it for me. It's quite different from Returnal—there are more beats, more chopped up sounds, less spacious ambient tracks—and that's okay. I don't mind that it's different, I just want it to be better. Or, I want to connect with it on a more substantive level and I've just been incapable of doing so. In that way it reminds me of albums by the Books (only less humorous); it's odd and screwy and a little IDM-ish and, importantly, interesting... but not compelling. It's just good, not great.

• Oneohtrix Point Never: Child Soldier

Cat Stevens: Tea for the Tillerman
Technically it's only half-new to me, but the half that is new is just as good as the half I've known for twenty-plus years. More thoughts.

• Cat Stevens: Longer Boats

Comments

[Jonathan]

Well said on the Oneohtrix Point Never album, I spent much of the last two days trying to find a way into it... but I'm just not falling for it. Shame, since I had such high hopes for it.