Welcome to Bret Helm's Life On This Planet - home of 'Friday On The Turntable.' This channel is all about MUSIC - album reviews, best of lists, Vinyl / CD finds, album rankings and interviews with a special emphasis on 80s & 90s alternative, post-punk, art rock, shoegaze, britpop, synthpop and new wave!
Bret Helm was born and raised in Chicago, but now lives in Arizona where he performs/records in a band called Audra and teaches music.Thank you for subscribing. :)
Check out Audra: www.audramusic.com audra.bandcamp.com
I like Gold Afternoon Fix better than Starfish (did not know that about it being primarily a drum machine on it, which in theory anyway I do not generally prefer over a drummer). Probably my number one album is Blurred Crusade or Seance or Heyday. I generally do not like long songs so chaos (on Preist = Aura), You Took (on Blurred Crusade) and even Is this where you live (on Of Skins and Hearts) generally to me mar an album, even though the last two are decent songs though a bit bloated. My very favorite song of theirs I think is Electric, that guitar line does it for me. Great band but I find that their melodic sense was best in their beginning and middle phases. I've not found much to love on their more recent offerings after Man Woman Life Death Infinity. However the recent perfumed guitar album sounds like a return to form for them and I also may have to pick up it's predecessor, of which it is a part two of sorts I hear. Thanks for the reviews and rankings, I will be listening further.
The Church album the Hynogogue is slowly becoming my favorite record of the past few years. I listened to a lot of music so that is saying something. The Dolby Atmos mix is really great too. So a companion album sounds lovely. Will check it out.
I disagree with you on Sledgehammer. I think it is brilliant. That Bowie record looks much better than the 2024 RSD release. I felt the Bowie RSD release was a rip off.
Hi Bret, recently discovered your channel and subscribed. Agree 100% on Fables. I also agree sledgehammer and Big Time weaker tracks but So overall album solid. The Church I love but really I need to delve into the recent stuff. Great video!
Hey Shawn! Thanks for watching. I'll be doing an updated version here soon, but I did do an album ranking for The Church about 10 years ago, with my friend who wrote a book on Steve Kilbey / The Church. If you're interested, here's the link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4JS5mLnTb04.htmlsi=H0QP_SljDYbWVIl- Thanks for subscribing - just subscribed back. - Bret
Great to see Desperate Journalist getting a mention, I saw them play a couple of times last year supporting Suede... had a chat with their bass player Simon afterwards... top bloke!
Hey Rob! Suede w/ DJ would've been an incredible lineup. Hoping someday that DJ will do a full US tour - it looks like the only time they've played in the States was at South by Southwest in 2022. Great band. Have you checked out their new single? Really good!
Absolutely fantastic! Still really, really should have been included as an EP. If so, Like Frank, it would be my numero dos. Thank you for putting this together and sharing with us Halo heads. 14. Ghosts Vl: Locusts (Run Like Hell, Around The Corner and Right Behind You) 13. The Slip (Discipline, Echoplex and The Four of Us Are Dying) 12. Bad Witch (God Break Down the Door, Shit Mirror and I'm Not From This World) 11. Ghosts l - IV (01 - l, 31 - lV, and 24, lll) 10. With Teeth (Love Is Not Enough, Sunspots and Every Day Is Exactly The Same) 09. Add Violence (The Background World, The Lovers and Less Than) 08. Hesitation Marks (Copy of A, Various Methods of Escape and I Would For You) 07. Ghosts V: Together (Letting Go While Holding On, Still Right Here and Hope We Can Again) 06. Pretty Hate Machine (Sanctified, Terrible Lie and Something I Can Never Have) 05. Year Zero (The Beginning of The End, God Given and Vessel) 04. Not The Actual Events (She's Gone Away, The Idea of You and Burning Bright (Field on Fire)) 03. Wish (Last, Gave Up and Happiness In Slavery) 02. Downward Spiral (Heresy, Reptile and Eraser) 01. Fragile (We're In This Together, The Great Below, Even Deeper) Top 10 Non-Album Tracks: 10. Non-Entity 09. Adrift and At Peace 08. Slipping Away 07. The Perfect Drug 06. Closer To God 05. Home 04. Burn 03. Persistence of Loss 02. Leaving Hope 01. And All That Could Have Been
Hey Matt, thanks for watching and for posting your own list. Frank fought for the inclusion of the Still EP, but at the end of the day it was decided to leave it out as some of the tracks were alternate versions of previously released songs. But nonetheless, and excellent release!
Hey Bret. Nice to see placebo in your review. I remember going to see stabbing westward in ‘99 at the warehouse here in Toronto and being exposed to placebo who were co-headlining that particular tour with SW. I was blown away by this amazing power trio from London. Actually bought their newest cd at that show which was of course ‘without you I’m nothing’. Still my favourite album of theirs. In my opinion they had a really good run until Meds. Even that covers album was pretty good. I definitely feel like I have to give their later stuff some play. Really like debut by Bjork. Super intriguing package by XcX on ‘Brat’. I’ve been listening to copper blue by sugar a bit and the 2 soundtracks from ‘dispatches from elsewhere’ as it was mentioned in your NIN ranking video. They are both full of really great stuff and started watching the show as well. Happy listening! ✌🏼
Hey Yas, great to see you also dig Placebo. Apart from a few tracks, I thought "Battle for the Sun" was a misstep. However, there was redemption on "Loud Like Love" - I really like that one a lot. The latest one was pretty solid, but it's difficult to touch "Without You I'm Nothing" or "Black Market Music."
Well I have to really get listening to the later records of theirs. Another band I discovered just yesterday is ‘harmanos Gutierrez. They were on amoeba ‘what’s in bag?’ I think you’ll like em. ✌🏼
We watched that episode as well. Was unfamiliar with them, but immediately caught some Khruangbin vibes right away - and it made sense when they mentioned being on tour with them. Will be grabbing their latest LP. :)
Great stuff. Love Placebo. I kind of came into them late, but caught on quick lol. I tried spinning that brat the other day and just could not take it LOL. Just not my groove I guess. Love that insert though!!
Finally did a proper ranking: 11) Born Into This (2007) 3/5 10) Ceremony (1991) 3/5 09) Dreamtime (1984) 3/5 08) The Cult (1994) 3.5/5 07) Hidden City (2016) 3.5/5 06) Under the Midnight Sun (2022) 4/5 05) Choice of Weapon (2012) 4.5/5 04) Sonic Temple (1989) 4.5/5 03) Love (1985) 5/5 02) Electric (1987) 5/5 01) Beyond Good and Evil (2001) 5/5 Ratings Scale: 0 stars - irredeemably terrible/insultingly bad/the worst .5 stars - terrible 1 star - bad 1.5 stars - pretty bad 2 stars - weak/mediocre 2.5 stars - meh 2.75 stars - "It's OK, but quit playing it." 3 stars - OK/decent 3.25 stars - pretty good 3.5 stars - good 3.75 stars - really good 4 stars - very good 4.25 stars - very, very good 4.5 stars - excellent 5 stars - plastic fantastic lobster telephone Chronological Order: 1984 - 3.00 - Dreamtime 1985 - 5.00 - Love 1987 - 5.00 - Electric 1989 - 4.50 - Sonic Temple 1991 - 3.00 - Ceremony 1994 - 3.50 - The Cult 2001 - 5.00 - Beyond Good and Evil 2007 - 3.00 - Born Into This 2012 - 4.50 - Choice of Weapon 2016 - 3.50 - Hidden City 2022 - 4.00 - Under the Midnight Sun Notes: * I remember being 14 or 15 watching music videos late at night at my grandparents' house in 1985. I heard R.E.M. for the first time when the "Can't Get There from Here" video came on. Then I heard the Cult for the first time - "She Sells Sanctuary." I became a fan immediately and soon picked up Love. * I was initially repulsed when they switched from alt rock to cock rock on Electric. I eventually ended up with a tape of that album that someone left in my car, and over time, I kept going back to it. It became a guilty pleasure, and eventually just a regular pleasure. They're really on fire on Electric, way over the top and a bit comical. It has camp appeal to me. The bass is pretty much the same thing throughout, but it works. I even dig their "Born to Be Wild" cover. Only now do I put Electric over Love, which would have been unthinkable back in the 80s. Love is great, but a few songs get a little repetitive and perhaps overstay their welcome a teensy bit, while Electric is straight fire all the way through. * As for the debut (which I never heard til years later for some reason), I don't think they quite found their footing. It's got a good sound, but the great songwriting isn't there yet. There's some good songs, but most aren't very catchy. Billy Duffy sounds a bit anonymous. He grew by leaps and bounds between Dreamtime and Love, really coming into his own as a guitar player. People mention Goth when they discuss Dreamtime, but if anything, it sounds more New Wave than Goth to me, at times anyway. * Sonic Temple is sort of a combination of Love and Electric. It's lost a bit of shine for me, but still has a few of their best tunes. For some reason, I quit following the Cult after this album. Just got interested in other things I guess. * From there, their albums tended to veer between hard rock/metal and alt rock. I find they are generally more successful when they're rocking hard. * Beyond Good and Evil was the big find of this exercise. Just a crushing album, the heaviest they ever did. * Cheers mates!!!!!!!!!! Top 10 Cult songs: 10) Ashes and Ghosts - Beyond Good and Evil 09) Memphis Hip Shake - Electric 08) War (The Process) - Beyond Good and Evil 07) Nirvana - Love 06) Peace Dog - Electric 05) Speed of Light - Beyond Good and Evil 04) Aphrodisiac Jacket - Electric 03) Edie (Ciao Baby) - Sonic Temple 02) Sweet Soul Sister - Sonic Temple 01) Love - Love
1 - 3 can change order at any time. 1 Black Celebration 2 M4TM 3 Violator 4 Some Great Reward 5 Exciter 6 SOFAD 7 Ultra 8 Playing the Angel 9 Construction Time Again 10 A Broken Frame 11 Speak & Spell Havent heard the newest few. I love all albums except Speak & Spell which I can't listen to.
This was such a treat! So much to unpack. Being a nine inch nails fan, with no gaps or falling-outs or drifting-aways, since I was around 12-14, with The Crow and “Closer” bringing me in but almost immediately becoming familiar with things like fixed, has been one of the greatest rides of my life. And sharing that journey with Frank has made for many memorable times and endless hours of conversation. I was a bit bummed to miss out on this one at first but when I heard Barrett was joining, I thought ‘Perfect! There couldn’t be a better person to fill out this episode.’ I loved how it was split (like The Fragile?) with intense fans/Lifers on the Left, occasional appreciators on the Right. I loved Barrett’s phrasings about “13 Ghosts II” (also a perennial favorite of mine since 2008) being like breathing made into music (yes, there’s audible breathing in that track which dictates the rhythm, and I’ve used it to self-regulate many times) and a machine becoming aware of itself to describe “at the heart of it all.” His contextualization of songs, singles, and albums within the perspective of nin’s ever-evolving live show and the way the online fan community received certain work when it came out added a lot to the conversation and was a crucial piece of adequately assessing this band’s oeuvre. Greg and Frank poured the love on The Fragile the way it deserves. Frank’s call-outs to various influences and samples was also enriching and deeply informed. I’m glad everyone took time to speak to certain songs and recordings on Still and what makes that release so special in their catalog. Also glad Frank took time to mention The Perfect Drug Versions EP, which I’ve listened to hundreds of times. Bret’s nostalgic storytelling was as warm and wonderful as ever, and I especially loved Bret’s music theory-music teacher perspective (very different from The Meathead Perspective) on interesting time signatures and time signature changes, in songs such as “The Collector” (one that took a lot of time to grow on me) and “Just Like You Imagined” (a ravishing forever-favorite from the first listen the day The Fragile came out). I always enjoyed the unique drumming and time signature and changes on “Please” from Right (and even moreso with “+appendage” on the cassette and Deviations). It was interesting to see what varying mileage the Cold and Black and Infinite-as I think of them-trilogy of EPs and mini-albums got amongst everyone. Partly because they got dropped at the beginning of covid, partly because there was never a physical release (and I have every halo except the “Only” single and Beside You in Time DVD), I’ve barely listened to Ghosts V and VI, Together and Locusts, so the discussion here made me want to revisit them as soon as possible, while also mapping with my memory of them. Sometimes, the not-being-a-fan-all-the-way-through was a fault, in my opinion, in maybe missing the bigger picture of Year Zero and how exciting it was (and I think still is), but sometimes it was welcome, in that, for example, Greg was able to appreciate [WITH_TEETH] on its own terms. Many of us spent a year complaining about “aWITHaTEETHa” and making fun of it (while also listening to it all the goddamn time and going to shows, so it must’ve been pretty great, eh?); I love the album now. Amazing and accomplished on its own terms; a disappointing follow-up to The Fragile six years on and age 23. I also appreciated the love some of “Hesitation Marks” received, particularly “Various Methods of Escape,” one of my favorite later-period NIN tracks. I was surprised no one included “While I’m Still Here,” one of my favorite NIN tracks, full-stop. I also love “Find My Way,” and-in terms of how the album is a response and reflection looking back on the downward spiral, with Russell Mills artwork and all-I love how this later, sober Trent’s spiritual searching lands as track three, which was occupied by “heresy” on the album’s antecedent. I could (ha, autocorrect just “fixed” that to “coil”) bang on about Reznor & Co. all day but I’ll stop. It was a long video! And deserves long comment.
ALBUMS: 5. Speak and Spell 4. Violator 3. Some Great Reward 2. Black Celebration 1. Music for the Masses SONGS: 5. Shake the Disease 4. Little 15 3. Stripped 2. Blasphemous Rumors 1. Never Let Me Down Again These two lists have not changed in my case for the last 25 years, the rest of their albums I can live without...
Fantastic! I first heard it live at my With Teeth show in NYC (Hammerstein) but saw it open quite a few of those NIN/JA and Wave Goodbye shows! I think I caught it once or twice as an encore opener during the Cold Black & Infinite tour. Always a treat! <3
So I was going to watch the NIN countdown but I went for this 1st since it’s less of a time commitment. It was quite a good watch, loved your input and how your rankings differed. Frank’s fondling of his vinyl was amusing!
The Raveonettes really are hard to describe, you are right. Garage, Dream, shoegazy, pop, gothy even. Always changing. I pretty much like everything they've released. I'll have to pick up that new one. They put on a good show, on tour now in the States. Cheers.
Completely agree that Copper Blue is one of the best albums of that decade. I still have the shirt that I hand silkscreened with lyrics from "The Slim" on the front and "Explode and Make Up" (from FU:EL) on the back. Both amazing songs. Got to talk with Bob for a bit after the show and he said he loved it and immediately signed it. He has always been so patient and humble with fans. A brilliant artist and just a really nice guy.
Hey Eric! Good to hear from you. That's a great story about Bob Mould! A friend of mine in the midwest met him a few years ago and he (my friend) happened to be wearing an Audra shirt in the pic. So that's pretty cool. :) Thanks for watching!
Seriously, some very choice pics Not only sugar- agreed very underrated And I never understand why it never got the love it should. Check your head Also, really brought out next level creativity with the little interludes I recommend listening to their book about the making of this album. An amazing listen. Keep up the great content and reminding us of great tunes and giving us new ear snacks!!
Bret, I got Copper Blue on cd when it came out and then about 10 years ago got the complete output in the boxset "A Box of Sugar" which seems to be pretty hard to get now, the Raveonettes looks interesting!!!
Nice picks!going to give sugar a listen. Never heard of them before today. Love anything box. I think it’s the first time you’ve featured a hip hop album on this channel if I’m not mistaken. Who better than the beasties 💯.
@@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlogon my drive to and from work it was all copper blue. You are right about them being underrated. Great band! Great album!
On your previous DM ranked video, i had Ultra at number 1. And it didn't changed. I can't get enough of how great that album is. Yes, Memento Mori its very good
Hi Brett, always interesting to see what you’ve picked up or listening to. A selection from my turntable over the last couple days, the Diamond Dogs reissue, sounds great, Cocteau Twins 4AD EPs (the CD box), Dexy’s Don’t Stand Me Down, Simple Minds Sons and Fascination, The Jesus and Mary Chain Barbed Wire Kisses, DAF Produkt Der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Freundschaft, shambolic noises but strangely satisfying and Alison Moyet Alf. Andy
Hey Andy, thanks for watching. Diamond Dogs is an incredibly important album for me. It's great to see that it got a 50th anniversary reissue. Would love it if they did an expanded version someday in the near future. Sons and Fascination - what an album. Sounds like you had some great listening!
Great picks, Bret. I recently got into Kacey Musgraves, and she's fantastic. I love her voice. I still haven't got those two live Cure albums, but I certainly will, as I've been a huge fan forever. How are you linking Yummy? I have to be honest. I haven't fully connected with it. I remember your first James discography ranking and it was great, so I'll be looking forward to the new one. Hopefully, it'll be soon. Abrazo, Mau
Hello there! Glad to hear you've gotten into Kacey Musgraves! I do like the new James record, but even after several plays I feel like I still need some more time with it. I have the ranking on my to-do list and hope to get that filmed here soon. And let me know if you'd like to make a guest appearance in an upcoming ranking video! - Bret
Hi Bret , interesting you mentioned Deary and Sonic Cathedral. Jesse and I met Dottie from Deary at the Sonic Cathedral stand at the Independent label fair in Kings Cross 2 weeks ago. This was entirely coincidental to the fact we'd seen them in Leeds 2 days previously and intended seeing them that night.(she was delighted that we recognised her!!!) We were both able to pick up the last 2 copies of their mini LP which is otherwise sold out. The Independent Label Fair is almost worth a visit to the UK alone. Some real finds/bargains .......i'll check out the Whitelands album
Hi John, what a coincidence. Did you guys go see Deary, or were they opening for someone else? Dottie makes an appearance on that Whitelands LP. I think you'll enjoy it. It's also mastered by Simon from Slowdive.
@@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog Hi Bret , sorry I missed your reply (i usually watch YT on tv.) Deary supported Cranes in Leeds and Islington. Ive had a look for the Whitelands album it seems to be sold out on Bandcamp . The Brudanhall Club in Leeds is quite small so it was easy to speak to both bands
