365 Albums in 365 Days- Day 8// United States of Being- Pujol

Album: United States of Being
Artist: Pujol

Score: 8/10
Favorite Song: DIY2K (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6kdSA99Dtc)

I first stumbled upon Daniel Pujol and his band at Lollapalooza last summer on a recommendation from my cousin. On a side stage at 1 in the afternoon on (I believe) Saturday, I was introduced to this group from Nashville and liked them immediately. Their music was hard to track down for the remainder of that year, but with the release of their new album last month (also great, but I listened to it before I started this project), their earlier music became available on Spotify, including this album. This album showcases Pujol's excellent brand of pop-punk, with great guitar work, among other things. It's a fantastic album and a good stepping stone of sorts into the rest of their great catalog.

365 Albums in 365 Days: Day 7// Almost Killed Me- The Hold Steady

Album: Almost Killed Me
Artist: The Hold Steady

Score: 8.5/10
Favorite Song: Hostile, Mass. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fjwaQy1Tjo)

The debut album by The Hold Steady is the only one of theirs I hadn't listened to prior to yesterday, so I decided to give it a spin. You can tell that it's a bit rougher-sounding than their later outputs, but I kind of like it that way. The guitar parts sound as good as ever, and Craig's lyrics are still great. So it's easy to see that the band was headed for great things with this as their first album.

365 Albums in 365 Days: Day 6// Hi How Are You Today?- Ashley MacIsaac

Album: Hi How Are You Today?
Artist: Ashley MacIsaac

Score: 7.5/10
Favorite Song: Sleepy Maggie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRdiNcz3PXA)

I got the inspiration to listen to this song from my friend Conor, the first suggested album of this project, so thanks for that. And to anyone actually reading this, I'd love to hear your recommendations for things to listen to. But enough of that. This album is pretty eclectic, which makes sense because Ashley MacIsaac seems to be quite an interesting guy (check his Wikipedia page for the details). He plays the fiddle very well, which brings a different quality to the album, although it's certainly not unwelcome. He also appears to sing some of his songs in Gaelic, and that's something I'd never heard before, but I definitely liked. Overall this is a very cool album and I plan on repeated listens.

365 Albums in 365 Days: Day 5// Major Arcana- Speedy Ortiz

Album: Major Arcana
Artist: Speedy Ortiz

Score: 8/10
Favorite Song: Tiger Tank (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmEgEPe5GnM)

I'd been meaning to listen to this album for a while, and today it popped up on Spotify recommendations, so it only made sense. It's a great sounding record, with a lot of interesting guitar parts. I also really like the singer's voice. They're playing at Pitchfork this year so hopefully I'll be able to see them because I have a feeling that their music would transfer great to a live setting.

365 Albums in 365 Days: Day 4/ Murmur- R.E.M.

Album: Murmur
Artist: R.E.M.

Score: 7.5/10
Favorite Song: Radio Free Europe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXUkddrnsXQ)

I've wanted to get more into R.E.M. for some time, so it only makes sense that I'd start with their debut album. The album leads off with the song that brought them mainstream attention, "Radio Free Europe" and I have to say that's a fantastic way to start your debut. I really liked the piano I heard on some songs, which I hadn't really heard out of R.E.M. before. You can definitely hear some of the elements that made their way into later albums over the course of this one.

365 Albums in 365 Days: Day 3/ American Football- American Football

Album: American Football
Artist: American Football

Score: 7.5/10
Favorite Song: Never Meant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV0LJ0Dnl7A)

This album is the debut (and only album) of the band American Football. It was released in 1999, the band broke up, and now was just rereleased this past year. I'd seen a lot of buzz on the Internet about this rerelease so I decided to check it out. It sounded a bit different than what I expected, but that's a good thing. It's a pretty down to earth album in my opinion and it's a really good listen. I think it may take another couple listens to really get to the point of this album, but that's not the point of this blog. This album also helped me realize that all math rock isn't necessarily loud, which I hadn't thought of before.

Also, in case anyone was actually expecting a full review of the albums I'm listening to, sorry for the disappointment. I'm probably not a good enough music writer for full-on reviews, so this space is just going to be a little blurb about what I thought about the album

365 Albums in 365 Days: Day 2/ Static- Cults

Album: Static
Artist: Cults

Score: 7/10
Favorite Song: Keep Your Head Up (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPF3k4d1vGk)

I saw Cults open for Vampire Weekend on Thursday, and right before they went on, I realized I hadn't listened to their new album for some reason. I guess I'd just forgotten to. So I went home and did just that. While it's not quite as good as their debut album, it's still definitely a good one. For what it's worth, the songs translated nicely to the stage, and on the album, Madeline's voice didn't seem quite as loud as it did on the first. That's not to say I don't like her voice (I do- quite a lot), but it was just something I noticed. Regardless, Cults followed up their debut with a solid album, and hopefully they keep it up.

365 Albums in 365 Days: Day 1- Sunbathing Animal- Parquet Courts

Album: Sunbathing Animal
Artist: Parquet Courts

Score: 8.5/10
Favorite Song: Sunbathing Animal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igvbkKcRz5o)

I figured I'd start with this album since it came out earlier this week and I've been waiting for it for a while. I first found out about Parquet Courts at last year's Pitchfork Music Festival on a recommendation from a friend that I should see them in the 2:40 time slot. Since I trust this friend's taste in music, I headed over and was absolutely blown away. Parquet Courts was one of my favorite shows of the weekend and soon after the festival, I picked up their album Light Up Gold, which quickly became one of my favorites of 2013. So to say I was excited for this album would be an understatement. It sounds a bit different than their previous effort, but that's far from a bad thing. Andrew Savage and co. slow it down a bit more on this album, but that provides some nice breaks over the course of the album. Some of the songs run a little long, but there are some songs, like the title track, that bring back the power of Light Up Gold, even if this album wasn't recorded in 3 days like its predecessor. Overall, this is a great album and I can't wait for more listens of it as well as seeing Parquet Courts at Lollapalooza in August.

SIDE PROJECT: 365 Days of Albums

So on the way home from work today, I was thinking about music and how at times I get into a habit of listening to the same things over and over again. This is by no means a bad thing, in fact it is almost always a good thing. However, there's a lot of music out there and I really want to get into more things I've never listened to before. Therefore, on this drive (it's not a short drive), I created a challenge for myself. For the next year (365 days), I will attempt to listen to one new album every day. Granted, there will be some days where I won't have access to a new album, so I'm calling this 365 albums in 365 days, not one album every day for the next year. But I digress. I thought this would be a fun way to get into even more new music. I'm laying out the ground rules below:

1. I cannot have listened to the album in its entirety before. A couple songs is fine- the whole album not.
2. I will report each album on my blog, along with a rating out of 10 as well as my favorite song
3. I will be listening to a wide variety of music- from different time periods to different genres

I think that's about it. Hope you all (whoever still reads this) enjoy this. Also, I'd like some suggestions, since 365 is a lot of albums. So feel free to send me suggestions of your favorite albums you think I've never listened to- I'm reachable in the comments here or on Twitter @bjoseph23.

Thanks!