Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not

Published 2006

Wikipedia

Weird one today, and also iPod-riffic, so blame it for anything super strange.

... And the time and place album. 

Or a tribute to Dr William Hollingsworth. 

Imagine that you were told a day before that you were going on a road trip. That you would take it with two of your good friends and a guy who you thought was cool, friendly and interesting that you didn't know so well. Imagine that the purpose of this trip was to go to an alien landscape and get very, very ,very drunk with a bunch of other college kids who you have never met and anticipate never meeting again. Imagine that you had a couple hours on the road with an iPod and three other guys. 

This is a recipie for one of two things. Thing one: a ton of awkward picking of weird music to try to out indie each other, or thing two: a group of guys picking awesome music screaming at the top of their lungs about tire fires and how crazy they were going to get. 

This is the situation in which I was introduced to the arctic monkeys. And what an introduction. I probably never would have given this band a shot if it had not been for that introduction.

For a first album, it's suprisingly well put together and obviously well done. This is one of those bands that everyone you know will claim to have known about them first and that you are late to the party. Because all your friends are pricks. Or something. Wait where was this going. 

Oh right. There are albums that exist to be heard in a certain time and place. They must be heard there or they might not flourish into the album that you understand. For an obscure comparison, it's like that flower that mr Wilson cultivates In the Dennis the menace movie, which only blooms every forty years or something. 

This is an album that needs to be heard in the company of people who want to enjoy a good solid rock album. This is not an album to be listened to alone. Which I am violating just by writing this solo, but fuck it right. You need to have some Streets to build on, you need to have some Man Man to follow up with and of course some Death from Above to finish it off. 

These are not the greatest artist ever, but they fucking try to be. They obviously attended the Liam and Noel Gallagher school of becoming brother pop stars, but in this case it is not to be begrudged. They make some really solid songs along the way and want to make some people fucking move. So fucking hats off to the fucking monkeys and don't listen to any of their other albums because they are mediocre as shit. 

Anyway, thank you Will. I still consider you one of the coolest people I know, and I wish that we had more time together. But I guess that is what the next roadtrip is for.    

The Ink Spots - The Very Best of the Ink Spots

The Ink Spots - The Very Best of the Ink Spots

Published (various) 1939-1952

Wikipedia

1. iPod!

So, to get this part out of the way. I first learned about the Ink Spots because of a video game.  The game is called Fallout, and it is one of the finest post apocalyptic worlds that has ever been created. The premise is that shortly after WWII there was a major nuclear incident which was only survived by mutants on the surface and people who lived in Vaults. This alternate history continued using what was popular culture around the time of the incident and the juxtaposition of the destroyed world and the old music is actually quite effective.

Over the opening credits of fallout 1, 2 and 3 an Ink Spots song plays. Each one of them was moving and beautiful. So, I did some searching and found their compilation album.   Now the question should be asked, do greatest hits albums fit the structure of the project?

Probably not, but I have some shit to say about it anyway.

The compilation is both the easiest album in the world and the most likely to go completely off the rails. Here is why: given that you are able to solely pick from your greatest hits, you should be able to construct an album that hits every high note from your career. However it is in no way guaranteed that the nuance of the song will hold up in the new context. For instance, maybe your second hit doesn't hold a candle to your first, and that quickly becomes apparent when you hear them back to back. Or maybe the reason that song was so well received was because of the prevailing musical attitude at the time, and your gimmick no longer works.

Whatever the reason, it is difficult in this context to make your music heard as if both new and interesting. A potential album project and excellent effort is the Rolling Stones, who's 40 licks gives an excellent picture of the band and their development (or lack thereof, if you talk to some) is fully on display.

The Ink Spots get off easy in this case. I mean, I couldn't even find one of their records if I tried, and when I say record I mean record. I have no context for these songs other than the context on this disc and my personal emotional stake in the few songs I knew going in. I'm happy to report though, that the music is spectacular and will make you enjoy the retro nature. These songs, some of which are covers, are, to a song, done well.  They are toe tapping, finger snapping good. They are fun, funny upbeat and even romantic.

What you must remember going into this album is that there was once a time when it was considered inappropriate to tell a woman " you're a crazy bitch, but you fuck so good I'm on top of it".  I know, shocking right?  There was once a time in America when the first thing out of a singers mouth was not "shake that ass".  This was an ancient time when men could say things that may have even approached respect toward a woman without fear of public castration or Justin Beiber comparisons.

This innocence is the source of two things. 1. Grandpa-itis, which makes older men say things like you damn kids don't know what you're doing and get the he'll off my lawn, and 2. Me liking this album. What can insay, I'm a romantic at heart, and hearing "I don't want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in yur heart" pulls a cheap and easy tab on my heart. It's so silly and easy that it seems corny, until you realize how good they are.

The harmonies are on like a large barrel throwing primate. The music, while simple, makes it's presence felt, and gets out of the way. The singing and speaking are very good, and it's all around a great album. However, it should absolutely be optional.

In some songs, it is just too silly for words. Sometimes they get carried away, and some people will just think it's corny crap. However, if Maybe and I don't want to set the world on fire have some effect on you, you should get your heart checked out, tin man.

Nobody to thank this week, so thank you Fallout teams past and present, and the Ink Spots.

How you ever hear yourself thinking with all that sloshing around amazes me, meatbag.
Matt

PS - Arctic Monkeys are up next.

jj - jj n° 2

jj - jj n° 2

Published in 2009

Wikipedia

First off, thanks to doomsday for suggesting this album.

This album landed with a resounding thud on my iPod. I was listening to it going what the fuck is this. Weird etherial electronic rap lady singing insanity? What on earth am I listening to?

I'm writing this without the internets but i'd bet, were I to look up jj on the Internet, they would be some sort of Scandinavian collective of electropop artists based on what I am hearing. It's so ecclectic that it could only be made by white people who were cold and bored.

Look, I don't know if I like this album or not. I literally cannot tell. Some of it is very cool and interesting and makes me want to be a huge fan. But some makes me want to punch someone in the face for sheer pretentiousness. I just want to know why they are trying so hard all the time.

To get a little psychological, I have a feeling that the prophet doomsday suggested this album because it reminded him of theivery corperation. He knows how much I like them, so he gave me this. I think I really like TC because of the wide influences and because it is perfect chill music. Every song takes it's time, allowing the listener to really get involved in the permutations of the sound. This doesn't allow me to do that, perhaps because they are trying to be too upbeat for it.

I come not to bury albums but I cannot say that this is anything but optional for me. The vocals are quite nice, and some of the tracks are good. Nothing seems to just jump put at me, and that means something. It ether means that I just don't have the chops to get on board and I am missing an essential piece of the puzzle, or it means that it just doesn't work for my pallet. I can recognize moments of real beauty and grace, but it seems to be weighed down too much with strange shit.

Patrick, I understand this album, and I can see why you like it, but it just never hooked me, which is trouble. I was looking for something else in there that just wasn't. Maybe this one will grow on me eventually, but it's not working for me right now.  But thanks again for the suggestion man, and keep more coming.

"What do you do man?" "I kill people, professionally."
Matt

PS - Next Week The Ink Spots - The Very Best of the Ink Spots

Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory

Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory

Published in October 1995

Wikipedia

First off, iPod so there is that. Also, thanks to Sarah who asked me when I was going to do this album, unwittingly telling me to get off my ass and get back to work.

(What's the story) Morning Glory is a lot like getting into a time machine and setting it within your own life. Every part of it is familiar and yet you don't really know why but t all feels just a little wrong. Listening to this album reminded me or my childhood, but at 24 I feel like being nosolgic is a little strange. 

The reason that this album makes me pine for days gone by is because there was a time in my lifetime when Oasis was the new shit. I remember kids being excited about them coming to the patriot center and them being in the news. 

In fact, one of the few concerts I attended with my friend Zach was an Oasis and Black Crows concert that we attended because we got free tickets and also for a much more cynical reason. 

I wanted Noel and Liam Gallegher to beat the shit ot of each other on stage in a glorious bottle smashing fist flying melée. What can I say, I was a seventeen year old boy. I'm not proud of wishing that the two of them go all Cain and Abel on each other, but since they were probably going to do it anyway, I was happy to go see the concert and hope.

I'm not sure if I was alone in my desire to see these two fight, and I am pretty sure I wasn't, but I had forgotten how much of a pleasure it had been to see them until I started listenig to this album. They were tight in performance, and if they just could have laid off the sauce and the brotherly love, they could have been one of the formative bands of my youth. Jnfortunately, plagued by the kind of press that slowly destroys your musical cred, they ended up with assholes like me combing to their converts to watch them get biblical on each others asses. 

It's a shame. I really enjoyed this album, and I know the 12 year old me would have really liked it. It's nice and pop rocky, great hooks and super fun and enjoyable. The singles are still resonent and the other songs are tight, well produced and skillful. 

Let's talk about singles for a second. I have some friends who really like to get their favorite single tracks and play a mash of songs. It's not my strategy, but I understand it more and more. This group of songs are singleriffic. I am tempted to skip through and just listen to the songs I remember, because they are so good.

As a collection of singles, this album is the tits. As an album, it's good. It doesn't present a full picture of the band and it is a little to all sounds the same for me. 

I guess what I am saying is if you liked Oasis the first time around, you'll probably enjoy it this time. Don't look back in anger and wonderwall held up extremely nicely. If you were ambivilent or turned off by te image that was presented of them, give it a shot. If you can't stand Oasis, this album isn't for you, and you know that. 

Thanks to Sarah for suggesting this album. It was lovely to listen to and it's been lovely seeing you once or twice a year. 

I like my women like I like my coffee, covered in bees

Matt

PS. Next week jj - jj n*2 (a dooooooooomsday production.)

Nas - Illmatic

Nas - Illmatic

Published in 1994

Wikipedia

iPod warning. Written on an iPod so any mistakes are its fault and not mine. I am absolved!

I hate New York.

Really, I do. I'm jealous of their popularty, I think the city is rightfully the center of the world, and I think their culture is amazing.  I'm sure that at some point I'm going to have to live there at some point just because t is the center ofthe world, but I will always hate New York.

There are several reasons for this. One, New York is the quintessential place that knows exactly how fucking cool it is, and takes a lot of pride in that fact. Two, New yorkers treat the world as if the east coast consists of NYC and other.  But of course, there is an even better reason.

Three, New York is the home of the New York Yankees. While this should be an obvious reason to hate New York and their stupid smug faces, I will explain. I'm from a small town directly between Baltimore and Washington if you know one thing about this area, it is that our sportsteams glory days have been out of style since the late 80's. Actually, I've always maintained several team loyalties because that was the only way to survive.  Here is a list of my local teams and their alternates.
1. The Washington Capitals (who are finally good, but have had no success in the playoffs) - The Detroit Red Wings (family is from Michigan and they are the greatest sports team in history)

2. The Washington Bullets (wizards) - No real alternate, I'd rather watch college ball, but I am currently loving he evil that is the Miami Sith.

3. The Washigton Redskins (to know this teams MO, all you need to know is that their general managers nickname is "chainsaw" Dan Snyder. They are going to the playoffs at the beginning of the season, and by week three, they are back to a rebuilding year.) - once again, college is an option which is why I love Michigan but they have been sucking too. If the skins get Favre, I might defect to the raiders who have always treated me right and are one of my best friends teams.

4. The Baltimore Orioles

And here we come to the true worst. The lowest of the low. I am not the biggest baseball fan in the world, but I must be a masochist because I love the Orioles. They are the pinnicle of teams that you wish you could quit.   They are consistantly having a bad year, aren't doing anything big and try to remind you of the good old days.

I'm twenty four. I can reasonably expect to live another fifty years or so. I don't smoke, I don't drink to excess anymore, and yet, I have a feeling that Peter Angelos will outlive me and the orioles will never go to the playoffs again. There is one good reason for this. That reason is that we are in the most consistantly brutal division in the league. We play against the Red Sox, the Rays and the Fucking New York Yankees.

(I know that this is a music blog and a lot or you don't care about this biut I think it gives a good context for my feelings about Nas.)

I was a younger man once. I had no television in my house except for huge sports events. Thinking about it now it is really strange that we even watched those, because other than my grandfather, we weren't big sports fans. However we watched the olympics over the antenna, we saw Ripkin's 2131, watched Jordan's bulls go buckwild on people, and watched baseball playoff games, but only the O's and the world series. So, one of my most vivid sports memories is when that little yankees fan shit deflected the ball over the wall to turn a 3-2 win for the o's into a 4-3 loss for them. I remember that moment as the moment that I knew the O's were screwed because god hated them and by extetion loved the living avatars of Satan that are the New York Yankees.

Obviously, this shit is emotional for me still. It's one of those ments that can only happen in sports, where your heart is ripped out over something that only matters in your heart. But, if sports has taught me anything, if you want a community to band together and to become something connected and real, give them a sports team, let them make a run for greatness and then either let them win, or rip their hearts out. Steal their team in the night, then make them do it to another city. Give them a taste of collective greatness and you will bind them together.

This is why this album is hard for me. It is deservedly a classic rap album, and it is a totally incredible album. But, it wears it's New York credibility on it's sleeve. And as a hater of New York this is tantamount to worshipping at the temple of Ba'al to Moses.

I love this album. Nas is rightfully called a game changer, and his ability to create flow and wordplay is incredible. Everything he says is in the service of driving the action and his words are quick moving and selected. He rhymes well, powers through when power is needed and hacks off the mic when appropriate.

His beats are as strong as his words are too. In the grand scheme of beats, I would say that his are in general well sampled and are good about getting out of the way of the action. However, they give a great flavor to the words and work wonders with their simplicity.

If I were to talk to Nas, I'd probably be star struck and be unable to talk,  but if I summoned the courage, I'd ask him what he loves about New York. I have a feeling that the reasons I love Baltimore and Washington are in many respects the same and that he is just showing appreciation to the place that was important to him in his youth. But, of course, that doesn't make him right about NYC, because as any decent human being knows, that town Is evil.

Kind of a weird album project, I know, but when I heard this one, I knew exactly what I needed to talk about.  No thanks this week except maybe to the AV club, who's suggestions make me expand my horizions. So keep it up, you guys.

April is the cruellest month
Matt


PS. Next week - Oasis - (what's the story) Morning Glory                      

Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs

Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs 

Published 2005

Wikipedia

First up, thanks to Alex Claxton for suggesting this album. I've been looking to do this one almost since the beginning of the project and I'm glad I finally got to it. 

Second, this was originally written on my iPod because my school decided that they needed me to go on a school trip. This was a mistake on their part. If there is anything in the world that I am not good at, it is sightseeing in Korea. Any major mistakes can and will be used against the iPod at the appropriate time in it's trial on it's warcrimes against humanity.   

Anyway, to the album. I think I'll start out by saying something that is going to sound like the beginning of

a back handed compliment, but I honestly mean it. Andrew Bird would best be described in my mind as technically proficient. I mean this in the nicest way possible. He sincerely plays some of the most technically proficent music that I have listened to on the project thus far. The fact that this is also a performer's album makes it even better. 

What do I mean by a performer's album? Well, I'm glad you asked, person from my brain who asks me to clarify things that I wrote. It's an album type I usually associate with singer songwriter types who to for that stripped down sound. I'm talking the early stuff for these artists, who then go on to do what Andrea Bird does so well. The album is truly a showcase of the artists talent and ideas about music. It's usually a solo and guests only type of deal. 

And this is why I appreciate what Mr. Bird did here. This is a performer's album which sounds and feels like a big band effort. It is exclusively performed by him, but there are a ton of instruments used beautifully and proficiently.

See, I have a multi instrumentalist cousin ( if were being honest, I also have another cousin, two uncles, a grandmother who are multi instrumentalists, and everyone in my family has played instruments and sang), I somewhat understand how much work he has done on his instruments to just be technically proficent.  

So when I say technically proficent, I mean it as a high compliment. He plays beautifully on all of the instruments. The little flourishes are wonderful and the whole album is genuinely well played. The only real problem that I have with it is that I just don't feel enraptured. Not to say that it isn't moving or beautiful, it is, it's just not the kind of thong that I get deeply into.

Musically, it's kind of an indie jazz album. It's good but nothing super special to my ears. The production makes a huge difference.  And knowing that Bird did all of the playing makes a huge difference.   

If you are the kind of completionist who needs to hear this whole album, it's a good one for daytime driving and newspaper reading. I will say sovay is one of my favorite songs off of this album so perhaps you should give that a spin. 

Once again, thanks Alex, I hope that I didn't desparage the name and hope you'll throw more suggestions my way. 

Ooh a big blinking lighty machiney thing. Big blinking lighty machiney things have my name all over it. Well not yet, but give me some time . . . And a crayon. 

Matt

PS. Up next Nas - Illmatic

PPS. Happy New Year