MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday

Operation: Doomsday is the debut album of one hip-hop's best emcees, MF DOOM. This is the first proper solo album by DOOM I've heard, and it was quite a delightful experience. The instrumentals (some of which I had heard before) are silky smooth and very soulful. The skits, which from what I can tell are from superhero cartoons from maybe the early 70's, help break up the album and keep it feeling fresh while also providing the narrative. DOOM's flow is punchy and smooth at the same time, which is always a nice quality for a rapper. Overall it was a fun hip-hop workout.

Calories: 488.9
Distance: 3.80mi

Daedelus - Invention

Having heard some of Daedelus's later work, I was surprised that Invention was of a different breed musicly. Where as his proceeding albums would involve heavy hip-hop beats infused with lively samples, this album relies on soothing orchestral samples that sound like something from a 50's era movie soundtrack. Beats are actually few and far between in the first half, almost entirely composing on the velvety piano and wind instrumentals. The second half is where the album really comes into full swing, becoming a lot more beat-centric and the electronics begin to take over in a sense. The second to last track brings the album to its climax before the album ends on a slightly quieter note. It's a beautiful album that I would definitely recommend.

Calories: 297.9
Distance: 2.31mi

Isolée - We Are Monster

Clocking in at just under an hour and just ten tracks, We Are Monster sounds like it would be a disastrous album to workout to. This is not the case at all, in fact with its phat beats and funky rhythms I felt as though this album wasn't as long. The spliced vocals of many of the songs add a certain wordless class that you just don't find on many albums.  It's hard to really quantify why else I think this album was perfect, it just ended up pushing me to my limit.

Calories: 517.7
Distance: 4.00mi

Women - Public Strain

The first thing that came to me about Public Strain is that it reminded me heavily of Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest, but that is the closest comparison I can make for Women. Women seem to tend to have quite a bit less vocals then Deerhunter, and when there are they are getting drowned out by the woozy guitars. The album's second half is more melodic than the first half, and it sort of saved the album for me. It was an admirable workout, but not exactly what I was looking for.

Calories: 317.9
Distance: 2.56mi

Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity

Friend Opportunity is a really weird album. With elements post-rock, indie rock, psychedelic, and sometimes chiptune combining together, it's uncanny to hear it all combine almost seamlessly. This album is also packed to the brim with a wide variety of just plain strange sounds, with the last track being completely composed of them. Even though the last track does drag quite a bit, the rest of the album far makes up for it.

Calories: 324.0
Distance: 2.50mi

Bear In Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth

Bear Rest Forth Mouth is an engulfing experimental rock record that really shocked me. I was expecting it to be just another experimental rock album, but was surprised with its use of electronic flourishes and its amount of indie rock choruses. I can't easily pin down any other describable styles; you'll just have to trust me when I say its an empowering record. I felt compelled to give this workout session my all, and this record delivered perfectly.

Calories: 360.0
Distance: 2.81mi

Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread

The most surprising thing about Goodbye Bread  is how Ty Segall presents guitars. They seem to come in strong on almost every song, but also present themselves as woozy and distorted. Even though I couldn't understand a single word that was sung other than the opener, I still enjoyed trying to belt along and make it up as I went along. The slower pace of the album never really hurts the album, because the guitars are so overpowering that it is quite an exciting experience.

Calories: 289.3
Distance: 2.25mi

Beirut - The Flying Cup Club

I was honestly surprised with how well The Flying Club Cup translated to working out. This being my first foray into Beriut I didn't really know what to expect. I came away getting a handful a very well produced folk tunes that sometimes remind me of almost gypsy tunes. The accordions and stringed instruments provide interesting sounds while the booming bass drum pushes it forward. Overall I quite enjoyed this album.

Calories: 325.1
Distance: 2.50mi

Gang Gang Dance - God's Money

The only way I can really describe Gang Gang Dance to new possible listeners is that they sound like an Indian experimental rock band. With its heavy elctroclash influence, God's Money comes off as very psychedelic but also quite heavy in beats. The end result is a accessible album that can be enjoyed by fans of electronic music and experimental rock alike. As far as working out, it exceeds far past my expectations of the band. Even when the beat is almost completely lost and it  starts spiraling out of control, it still maintains a interesting ability to keep up one's motivation.

Calories: 323.4
Distance: 2.51mi