March of 100 Albums (26-30)

This is so time-consuming.

Crowded House - Crowded House
What is it? pop rock, 80s
How'd I find it? That radio station that plays old music
The fact that they were played on that station, and people I found annoying liked them really put me off this band for a long time. But then I saw a uni friend spamming them on Spotify, so I thought I should give them a go. Thank God for that. Don't Dream It's Over is up there with Wide Open Road and Cattle & Cane, and the rest is pretty good too.

The Go-Betweens - Before Hollywood
What is it? Jangle pop, according to rym
How'd I find it? A bridge in Brisbane
I am so glad that I got into Go-Betweens after high school, and that nobody suggested them to me. It'd be a shame to associate this band with any person who could screw me over at any moment. Plus if nobody knows about this thing they can't say anything bad about it! Cattle & Cane is my number one most favourite song ever. I also quite like Two Steps Step Out and That Way.

Ai Otsuka - LOVE LETTER
What is it? J-pop, female vocalist
How'd I find it? Draw With Me
This might by my favourite mainstream J-pop album. There isn't a single cringey moment on it, except maybe the child saying "koi" on the last track. Rocket Sneaker is another one of those songs I'd want as an anime opening. Also, this album seems to be evidence that Asian pop singers are just putting on the cutesy voice, because there is one fabulous jazzy alto song.

The Dismemberment Plan - Change
What is it? indie rock, kind of emo
How'd I find it? An article about the influence of Pitchfork
Hmm, I used to really like this band. Or maybe I just really liked Emergency & I, I'm not sure. This is okay, not great. There are some good lyrics here (Ellen And Ben) and Time Bomb is a great feel-crap song. Maybe I'm just not feeling this today. I'm more annoyed-angry than sad-angry at the moment.

The National - High Violet
What is it? "sad bastard melodrama", indie rock
How'd I find it? Father heard about it, probably from mX
My father said this was boring. I agreed at first, but after a lot of listens, it eventually grew on me. I was young, impressionable, and more likely to trust reviews. Another factor was that it took forever to even learn the names of the songs, so I had to keep listening through the whole thing to find my favourite ones (Conversation 16 and Bloodbuzz Ohio).