Musicwhore.org Music and memory

Beyoncé, RENAISSANCE

I don’t hang out at gay bars, but I’m assuming most of this album is pumping through the PA system of every gay bar on the planet right now.

Ty Herndon, Jacob

I never want Ty Herndon to go through the hell that inspired this album ever again, but holy frak, this album is the most honest art he’s ever produced.

Perfume, PLASMA

I really enjoyed the singles preceding the release of this album, and given that a lot of Perfume albums just collected those tracks into an album, I knew I would like PLASMA. Or perhaps this album is Future Pop: The Apology.

Don Caballero, Singles Breaking Up

Wait, hold up. This is a compilation of singles? Feels like a solid album to me.

Martika, Martika

Radio stations in Honolulu played the hit single from this album, “Toy Soldiers”, to death. So I never perceived much more of this album than that single. How unfortunate. The rest of this self-titled debut is quite the keeper.

Donna Summer, 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

Donna Summer existed on the periphery of my musical upbringing. Yes, I heard her songs on the radio, and of course, I could recognize her voice anywhere. But I never felt much compulsion to explore her work. So this collection of hits reveals a big honking hole in that upbringing. And my 7-year-old self had no idea “Love to Love You Baby” was that naughty.

Missing Persons, Spring Session M

And here’s another hole in my musical upbringing, despite the fact I do like Warren Cuccurullo (and not just because he posed for a Brazilian gay magazine.)

easy life, Life’s a Beach

Who’s the music director for Kia car ads? It’s because of Kia that I own Black Sheep’s A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, and now this album. I stopped short of LMFAO, though.

Omar Apollo, Ivory

Frank Ocean, WHERE YOU AT? Oh, I guess dating Omar Apollo?

Freedy Johnston, Back on the Road to You

I could never quite get into Freedy Johnston’s more boisterous work, but on this album, he’s borrowed just enough from his quieter works to make this rocker of an album quite appealing.

Tags: beyonce, don caballero, perfume, picks, purchase log, ty herndon