Beck - Sea Change

Beck - Sea Change

Published in 2002

Wikipedia

First off, I want to thank my buddy Tobias, who reminded me that I hadn't listened to Beck in forever, a situation I quickly rectified. Tobias is one of the most incredibly talented musicians that I know, a multiple instrumentalist, and a hell of a creative force.  His first album Flesh.Bones.Teeth.Words is out now. Get it.

Sea Change is my favorite Beck album. There is something so genuine and open about the album that it sucks you in and makes you listen.

Let's get specific, my favorite song on the album is Paper Tiger, an incredible mesh of orchestral backgrounds and one of the most underrated voices in rock and roll.

First, we start off with a tiny drum riff, followed directly by a simple melody line, sung quietly over a twangy electirc guitar. This is followed by a responding string section which is the defining sound, to me, of a Jon Brion production.

Future album project and fucking amazing album Extraordinary Machine, by Fiona Apple, introduced me to this aesthetic. Jon Brion is a pretty amazing producer. He develops an incredibly deep sound out of the contrast between pop instrumentation and orchestral instrumentation. Obviously, I quite enjoy it.

This albums power lies in the voice of Beck. There is something meloncholy and sweet about it at times and husky and scarred at times. The songs feature this well, giving his voice time to stretch over long notes, allowing the beauty of it to really come out.

I love this albums introspection, and the amount of time needed to really get into the album is so short that I would suggest that you stop reading this and just give it a try. Who knows, maybe you'll love it.    

The Lonely Island - Incredibad

The Lonely Island - Incredibad

Published in 2009

Wikipedia

One of the thugs that I have noticed is that there are certain genres of music that are more difficult than others. It is easier to make competent music in some areas than others. I want to be clear though, I don't think this music is any easier to make great songs, but just making competent songs is enough sometimes. When I listen to techno, while I can percieve differences, the floor level seems easier to achieve than, say as an extreme example, chamber music.

This may just be because we no longer practice the specific generes and that the more popular ones are more in practice. There is one genere that is incredibly hard to make, and I want to explore why.

Comedy music is really difficult to do well. Quickly, think about comiedians who use song as their primary vehicle for jokes. Here is my list:
Weird Al
Spike jones
Stephen Lynch
Lonely Island
Reggie Watts
Flight of the Concordes
Axis of Awesome
Bo Burnham
Richard Cheese
Tenatious D

If we start looking at comedians who write original songs and music as a side project:
Monty Python
Tim and Eric
Zach Gallifinakis
Ed Helms
Steve Martin

This is off the top of my head, and if I think of more, I'll add them. Although I think it proves my point. In the history of music, the number of exclusive comedy artists is a pretty tiny number. I know that I am focusing on sucessful ones commercially, but that is the best measure I have, because if they haven't been somewhat successful, I wouldn't have heard of them.


This genre is difficult for a few reasons. Let's do it in list form.
1. It's ephemeral.
2. It's timely.
3. It's funny.

On the first point, comedy music is pop music. If it isn't popular, there is no reason for it to exist. It takes the music of the moment and distills it down to it's essence. But, that moment will pass, and for the most part, the comedy passes with it. This is why King Tut is still funny, but some of the more obscure Weird Al tracks have not maintained their popularity.

On the second point, you have things that only work in their time. Someone born in 2000 may have a vague notion about Madonna, but would Like a Surgeon be funny to them?  Who knows?  To a nerd like me, parodies are funny because I seek out what makes them funny, but on a first listen, it would probably just sound like a particularly silly eighties track.

But the third hurdle is the hardest. Every time there is something in the world, you're expected to make the funny version of it. Every time you write a song, there have to be jokes that fit the form, and you are expected to be hilarious. The great artists, the ones you remember, take the ephemeral and make it timeless by making it funny.

The Lonely Island does this better than anyone right now. They do it by co-opting modern trends in music, taking their simple formula, and applying it. They also make very cinematic music, because for the most part, it goes on SNL.  They have a laser focus on the conventions and beats that go into a hip hop song.

Let's take a song at random. Incredibad, the title track, is a parody of the 80's story rap, taken to an extreme. If you don't know this form, listen to the song "Paul Revere" by the Beastie Boys. The pop culture ephemera is there, and their target is the 12 year-old kids who grew up listening to Licenced to Ill (or as we're commonly known, me and every other suburban white kid who liked hip hop at all).

The comedy though, is just in this insane moment of a story song, where the plot goes fucking crazy, and the three friends decide to team up or whatever.

Explaining comedy ruins it. I have trouble writing about music from time to time, and writing about comedy is the same. You cannot know why something is funny and still think it is funny in the same way. In your analysis of comedy, you anihilate what is funny and twist it and turn it into something else.

During college, I thought very hard about writing an essay about jokes and the program. I think that one reason that comedy is so important to groups of people is because it can codify and show members of your tribe at their most open and vulnerable. The communal experience of laughter is one of the few truly open moments, which is why laughing with a group of people in a theater is a different experience than watching something at home.

SJC is an incredibly small community, but the jokes that are told there reflect the miniture nature and the specific purpose. When someone refers to the program ironically or merely quotes a joke from a book, you get an experience that is limited to your people. If one looks at any small group, these short hands for humor will arise.

But our jokes are also incredibly obscure. They speak to us and us alone. I think this is part of the success of The Lonely Island. Their ability to make fun of specific aspects of hip hop culture, even obscure songs like Paul Revere, makes them hilarious to that group, which champions them for the rest of us.

I really like this album, and I genuinely like it musically as well as in a comedic sense. You should pick it up, you'll like it too.

"Oh, he just went up to his room. He's probably whipping the river."
Matt  

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

Published in 1984

Wikipedia

I love the Talking Heads.  I do not love the Talking Heads albums.  I don't know why, but they have never attached themselves to me in the same way that a lot of other albums have.  I think that there is a huge amount of talent in the band, I think the songs are catchy as fuck, and some of the stuff that they create is stronger than most of the stuff that I like, but they have never latched on for me.

This might be the album that I finally get into them on.  I've sampled, here and there, but the ever present pressure of space has overwhelmed any large downloads of their work, and album by album, I haven't found something to get me to fandom.  However, this might be the one.

First off, this one has a killer track list.  Burning Down the house is a dance classic, and can still get people doing rediculous 80's dances to this day.  As LCD Soundsystem so aptly puts it, borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered 80's is in full effect when you play that song.  However, This Must Be The Place may be my favorite off of this album, because it really makes me delighted just to hear it.  It's one of the few songs that never fails to make me stop and sing along.  It lives in eternal earworm company there.

Once in a Lifetime is another of those eternal songs, that you will always listen to and love.  Man, I think the more I listen to this album, the more I come around on it.  Okay, I think this is going on the iPod at this point, and this is my second listen.  This might be the one.

It is a long album, and to justify that, I am listening to the special extended edition to the album.  The length is not wasted, however.  The length augments it, giving it room to breathe, and allowing it to develop into something more, as opposed to finishing the thought too early.

This might be why I haven't gotten into the Talking Heads before this point.  I've always enjoyed economy in my music.  The exceptions being Arcade Fire and Kanye and probably Incubus, but there is something about the economy of music that I really appreciate.  However, I think as I grow older, I come to appreciate the complexity of music, and the layered qualities filter into us more.

This is the rare live album that doesn't treat the audience as another instrument.  It allows the band to play off of the audience without mic-ing them to death, and makes the band create something that is beautiful to hear live, because it is being heard live, but without the enforced fun that a live album can rely on.

This is a good album, and it deserves to be listened to more.  So I will,  I like it, I don't love it yet, but I can see it growing on me.

"How about Cody?" "No, it has to be something regal." "How about Cody II?"
Matt

Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Published in 1993

Wikipedia

There is an aesthetic to great art.

The aesthetic is very important, because what it does is create an atmosphere, and create a world for you to live while appreciating to the art.  That's why great art has an aesthetic, because instead of changing the world that the album lives in, they change the world in which you live.

There was once a time when the aesthetic of the Wu-Tang Clan wasn't the model for everyone. Please, remember back to the first time you heard a Wu-Tang song.

I can tell you exactly when I heard my first Wu-Tang song.  I was watching MTV at some ungodly hour, when I couldn't sleep at my grandmother's house.  I was such a suburbs kid that my parents didn't have TV, so I got most of my music straight off the radio, and from MTV when I could.  One early morning at my grandmother's house, when they show videos on MTV, I was appreciating the incredibly over the top videos that I got to see on it.

The video art is something that I feel has been lost. I know I was watching deep into the video revolution, but I remember distinctly being impressed by some and disregarding others. I became a cinephile for the three minute movies that I got to see on the TV.  So, when something made me sit up and notice, I knew that it was good.

This is what it was.

"Tiger Style. Tiger Style. Tiger Style."

You want a fucking monster hook to your beat?  Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothing to fuck with.  You want something that will make people sit up and listen?  Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothing to fuck with.  You want to make a fucking statement about everything that you want to represent?  Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothing to fuck with.

Seriously, listen to that song right now.  It's so nasty good that it still makes me want to jump up and go crazy.  The production is so strong that everything comes through as the strongest fucking song ever.  The beat is just perfect and it just brings you in.

First off, Wu-Tang loves movies.  Most of their vocal samples are from dubbed Martial Arts movies.  So, when they started making videos, they made movies.  There was a story. There was an idea.  They created a world.  I wanted to live there, and back then, I didn't hold with rap that much.

Over time, my anti-rap stance has softened so much that it has pretty much reversed, but back then, I was pretty sure it was not that great.  I was wrong.  I was so wrong, but the reason I was wrong is a pretty interesting one.  I thought that it wasn't for me.  I thought it was for people who lived harder, who had a harder time than me, and the artists tried to reinforce that distance.  This is why Wu-Tang was a sea change.

Wu-Tang made the world sound like something to which I was able to relate.  The beats were so broken down, and beautiful, that I could completely get locked in on the beat alone.  Then, the flow was so strong that I could completely latch on.  The vocals were strong, distinctive, and filled with character.  Every time I listened to them, I was slowly brought into their fold, and following along was insane.

Everyone in the world knows that you should listen to this album.  If you want to hear the moment that hip-hop changed from straight hardcore gangster to some kind of strange mix of nerd culture, insane flows, and obscure corners, you need look no further than this album.

Seriously, go listen to it now.  I'll be listening to it too.  Crank it up, Wu-Tang for life.

"Diversify your bonds."

Matt

Incubus - Morning View

Incubus - Morning View

I have a vivid memory associated with this album.

This is not new. I have vivid memories associated with lots of albums, but this one is a memory of incredible power to me. I find that I have trouble even listening to this album anymore, because it inspires this memory to be called up.

It is not a sad memory or a particularly happy one. It's just a strong memory. One that is affecting in a way that others aren't.

I come from Maryland. If you've ever lived there, especially in the areas where I lived, you'll know the time of year that I am about to talk about. There is a brief moment of time in Maryland that happens at the end of April and the beginning of May. It is in this brief window that the weather gets to that perfect moment between early, frostbitten spring and early oppresive summer.

As a child, or at least more of a child than I was then and probably am now, I remember this being the time of anticipation and excitement for the onrushing summer break. The moment that the world would open up and be fee for a few months. It was a time of swimming pools, swimming practice, library books and friends. I wasn't in any way popular but my few friends would spend tons of time together, which we can only thank our parents for.

As I grew up, I lost some of this. My job and my friends grew away from the swimming pools and the outdoors and into computer games and preparing for the next year or weekend.

Incubus grew up with me. I was obsessed with their album, Make Yourself, which I associate with early middle school, and with Peter and Zach. I got a copy of SCIENCE and Fungus Amungus a little later, and completely absorbed them.

So, when I heard that Morning View wasn't as good, I was devistated. I actively avoided the album. The singles were good, and the music seemed nice, but if I was going to be disappointed, I wanted no part of it.

This lasted for a while, almost up to the next Incubus album. But, at that moment when the weather was perfect, two events happened.

My Dad's pool opened, and my stepmom had a copy.

So for an entire early afternoon, I cleaned the pool and listened.

If you have ever cleaned a pool, the experience is rediculously boring. The best you can hope for is that the time passes quickly and that you can move on quickly, but it's a bit of a dragging experience.

That is the usual experience, but this time I had a differet one. I got into the groove of it, slowly but surely crating perfectly straight lines of clean pool bottom next to each other, overlapping as little as possible, striving for the perfect unattainable efficency of movement. The smell of the fresh cut grass with the chemical smell of the pool mixed and rose and imprgnated my nose, and I soaked in the experience.

But it was the music that made me fall into that state. I felt perfectly in tune with this album, and it resonated with me. I was completely in the moment, and that moment was perfect. The entire time I was cleanig the pool, I was perfectly satisfied with what I was doing, and I felt as if I was in the right place.

So now, I listen to this album and I think about how perfect that moment was, and I strive for it again, but the experience is never as good, and I wish it would happen again.

The album is a masterpeice of great down tempo rock. The songs are longing and sweet, but never overwhelmingly so. This was an album of a band in transition, and it is so well done that people have misheard it. The band was moving from Make Yourself to where they are today, and Morning veiw was one of the reasons that they have moved so far. It is a perfect early summer album, wen the time stretches before you, and you feel the call of the pool and friends and the outdoors.

"Earth: Harmless"
Matt

Man Man - Six Demon Bag

Man Man - Six Demon Bag

First, Will, Doomsday, and Pat, this one is for you.

Last week, or at least recently, I told you how I was introduced to one of my new favorite artists. The discovery of music is sometimes as interesting to me as the music itself. I think there are three major ways we find new music. The first is the corprate music way.  It is shoved at you every way imaginable, and the music is just sort of absorbed.

The second is the active discovery method. You hear something intreguing and go after it. This is how I found Mr. Watts.

The third, and in my opinion the best, is to be brought into fandom by a friend who is already a fan. I love it when friends introduce me to new music. As is obvious, I guess, from this blog. The moment when someone says, what do you think about (band I have never heard of), I get a bit giddy. Usually, I am introduced to new music this way.

Man Man is one of these bands. I was introduced to them through a road trip that I have remarked upon before. On this trip, I was innundated with music, but this album and Death From Above 1979 were the break out hits from the trip.

Actually, I didn't really like this album at the beginning of the trip. It sounded to me like a way too easy attempt to make "ironic carnival dark music" and it was a bit blah for me. But with the insistance of my friends, I stopped tuning it out and actually listened.

Man Man is some incredibly dark, haunting, beautiful music. The surface is some weird carnival music, but that is just a cover for the deep dark depths that are under the surface. The music is deliciously crafted, often sounding raw and easily sticking in your brain. Every time you listen, you will hear a new sound, noise, or even line in the notes.

My only complaint is that there is a bit of an admission fee. You have to be able to deal with the somewhat distracting and simple theme to plum the depths, and you need to give it some time.  I would suggest that you listen, find a song you like on the album and use it as a seam to get in. Find the moment that you go "this is amazing," and try to absorb that. Personally, my way in was Feathers and Van Helsing Boombox.

Man Man is one of those bands that rewards you for getting involved with them.  You may be turned off by their sound, but if you stick with it, there is real musical treasure to be had here. It's one of those bands that I almost skipped class to go see in Baltimore. Almost. I cannot wait to see them the next time I can, and I hope you, faceless nameless reader will be there with me.

"Act of God, thought Dirk. But which God, and why?"
Matt

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

Published in: 2009

Wikipedia

Years ago (I cannot believe that I can refer to this blog with that, but here we are,) I wrote about FF's breakout self titled album. I was pleased when my favorite New York/Cali hipster friend Grant commented on the album. I was shocked to read what he wrote.

What he wrote was something along the lines that the self titled album was the only one that was good, and that it was too bad the other ones had missed that mark.

I am here today, ladies and gentlemen to disagree with that statement. I think that this album is not as good, but pretty fucking awesome in it's own right. And I shall present a theory about why my tastefilled and totally awesome friend got it wrong. It will be presented thusly.

Grant, you dumb fuck, you are totally wrong and this album is awesome. I agree that it doesn't match the solid consistency of the self titled, but it is not the same kind of record.

This is a dance record, and to view it as anything but that is to make a mockery of yourself and everything you stand for, Grant. If this were a record that had any of the same aims as the slef titled, you might have q foot to stand on, but you don't and you know it.

What they did wrong is interesting to me. I think this is a flatter record as befits a dance record. The album doesn't has the diversity of music that the self titled did, and it doesn't have any sort of single on it. The songs are very wall of noisey and they don't have as much in them as the ones on FF.

However, the songs as judged by me, are pretty good dance songs. They play well, they are very poppy, and the music is highly accessible. The lyrics, while not as good as Michael or 40', are good enough to sustain, the band is tight, and there are some good songs on here.

But the real reason I love this album and you are wrong Grant is because of Lucid Dreams. Lucid Dreams has one of te most epic breakdowns of any song that has been on the project, and it is intensely awesome. You should listen to it again. It actually reminds me of LCD Soundsystem a bit. Ts excellent.

Anyway, Grant, you know you're right. It's not as good as FF, and it never will be, but it isn't a misfire, it's a refocusing of the band to be a more electronic based dance hall band, as opposed to a solid alt rock band, which is ultimately disappointing.

Thanks for being such a downer Grant.

"The spaceship hung in the air in much the same way that bricks don't."
Matt

If anyone is confused, I love Grant and he knows it. I just like being contentious and that wasthe only way this motherfucker was going to get written while I am hanging in the air over the ocean.

Reggie Watts - Simplified

Reggie Watts - Simplified

Published in 2004

Wikipedia

The discovery of music is an interesting thing to me. And if this blogs relative success is any indication (success is measured in how much I am motivated to do what I promised to the 10-12 of you who read my blog and myself who accounts for the other 90 hits a day probably. I hear it is going to be the standard unit of measurement soon.) it interests you too, a bit.

I was first introduced to Mr. Watts by what was then called Comedy Death Ray Radio, which is probably my favorite podcast in existence. It's incredibly funny, especially the ones featuring Andy Daly. But Reggie Watts was probably the breakout star of the show when he first came on, at least for me.

As a somewhat egotistic and narccistic person (could you tell?) I have a constant dialog in my head. When I hear music, I compare it to the way I'd do it if I were inclined/able. This project stemmed from that desire. Also, whenever I am handed a microphone, all bets are off, because, like my mother before me, I will sing scream do voices and generally make a fool of myself. Yes, I love my voice, I love singing and joking and everything, especially when others are forced to listen to me. It's the best.

So when I heard Mr. Watts creating music, it was a very strange feeling, because it sounded as if someone had finally made songs just for a person like me. He used a loop pedal and created some astonishingly complex beats, and as the songs developed, he added jokes, ideas and complexity of wordplay.

It was a revelation to hear someone make music like I wish I could. I immediately went on iTunes and bought his album.

His album was completely different than his comedy, but guess what. It's awesome.

Mr. Watts has the kind of voice that can be at one moment soulful and deep and transition, seemingly effortlessly to a high pitched, lovely bright tone. He's hot the kind of talent that people like me wish their voices could match.

His album is a collection of R & B styles songs, well written and strikingly performed. If this album had come out around 30 years ago, it would have been perfectly situated to take over the radio. It's a updated form that needed some updating. Quite spectacular.

You should pick up this album, and check it out or get on Earwolf.com and check out some of his appearances on there. His first comedy album, which came out a week after this one was purchased by me, is available now as well.

Support artists, get cool records.

"Dude, we've got a whole hour."
Matt

Gorillaz - Demon Days

Gorillaz - Demon Days

Published in 2005

Wikipedia

Wait, Dangermouse made a collaboration with a band Matt likes and he hasn't lead a dead horse to water to force you to read about it while he beats that selfsame dead horse? Well then, we better get right the fuck on that.

Demon Days is a continuation of the tradition that no two albums by the Gorillaz shall sound the same, and that they are going to make some of the ballerest music out there. You know how I know? Cause I said so.

First, let's talk singles. Feel Good Inc. is a masterful stroke of commercial and musical genius. De La Soul literally destroys the song, and the entire production is tight, handling huge tonal shifts with little to no difficulty. Beautiful. The other major track on this album, Dare, is one of those rare rock songs that one can completely surrender ones dancing ass to. You should be honored to know that Dare and your lifetime conicided.

The less well known tracks are quite good too. They have a very electronic music feel, using samples and sound as instrument as Dangermouse is want to do. Throw in some spectacular supporting turns from MF Doom and others, you have a solid album. This is the good.

Then there is the controversial and by controvertial I mean weird and maybe bad. Why is Dennis Hopper on this album? I love the guy, Blue Velvet and Apocolypse Now are like gospel to my insane taste but if there is something that derails your album more than a spoken word story that includes unwinked at and strange references to "happy folk" and "the monkey would stir from it's deep slumber" you may want to retry that.

However, the rest is superior. You need to get it and try it out, you'll like it. The end of the album is a miss or an experiment that sort of doesn't go off, but seriously, Dangermouse and the Gorillaz.

Maybe soon, I'll do their B side albums. Guess whether I like them or not. (I do.)

"Thanks Thom, let's drink until our hearts stop."
Matt

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem

Published in 2005

Wikipedia

First off, I'd like to thank Grooveshark for introducing me to LCD Soundsystem, and for their incredible service. Secondly, when I was feeling like not listening to this anymore, Arianna interveined and told me about how much she liked this group, giving me fresh ears for it. If it weren't for her timely intervention, I might have missed out on this band for another year.

This is an interesting record. I say interesting a lot on here, but this time I mean it in a strict way. I mean that the actual record interests me, but, from time to time, it is difficult for me to remain interested. The more time I spend with it the more I realize how good it is, and yet, I still cannot say that I love this album.

I experience moments in which I am completely inside of the music, but these are not in the same way that I get involved with a Megadeth album. I am never inside the moment with it, but looking at it from the outside with a kind of jaded gaze.

Even the moments in which I am singing along, bobbing my head and such, I feel required to put some space between my animal enjoyment and my intellectual enjoyment.

Musically, this album is right up my alley. It's a deeply produced rock/electronic/hiphop/trance/house mix, which sounds like it would be cacophany, but works well in the moment. The opening track uses it's time to mix styles and build up to a climax, then continues to use the music past that point. It's a great song. Disco infiltrator is a fucking great song, and the beats for the rest of the tracks are this good already.

Lyrically, the songs are strong. Losing my Edge is a triumph for sheer interesting lyrics, and long form musical history. Also, for the criticism of jerk offs like me that delve into the history of music as if we were a part of it, when we are really only observers. It's a classically awesome song.

So far, I'm gushing about this album, and maybe that is because my criticism is so small, but it is a potent one. I don't feel that this album was made for me. I don't think that the band wants me to be their fan. Thy seem to be striving for a fan who is ironically detatched from the world of music and recognizes how derivitive music is as a whole. While I recognize these parts as ironic too, I have to say that they are not as ironically motivated as one would hope.

What I mean is that the aformentioned Losing My Edge assumes that you'll understand his point of view, and look at it through the detatched eyes of someone who thinks these things. I'm not saying that this feeling is false, but the most amazing thing is that the band seems to think that the feeling is false.

It shouldn't though. This is a song about the insecurity and loss that a person can feel. Like when I read a blog that I know is better than mine (look up and to the right) and think about how I am never going to be as good as them. My writing is pedantic, my words are used over and over, and I only write to figure out how to run away from the things that make me feel uncomfortable, and how all I really want is one person out there to recognize how hard I want to be noticed and picked up and invited and to reach the moment where I say something and people listen. But that moment, the one where I an acclaimed and appreciated, will be the moment that I think about the people who wrote those better blogs, and how mine wasn't the best. The insecurity there is a sincere thing, and to play it with detatchment is strange.

Well, this got personal. This is a great album, assuredly. You really should give it a shot, because it is very likely that you'll find at least one song that must be played at a party. And what more could you ask for?

"I'll solve it or my name isn't Mik Dtctiv."
Matt

Ryan Adams - Gold

Ryan Adams - Gold

Published in 2001

Wikipedia

First off, let's all thank Will for his album suggestion. He's good people. 

I'll be the first to admit that I have a have blind spot in my musical knowledge. I'm not the only one, and I certainly try to have a diverse taste in music, but country has largely remained a mystery to me. 

I think the reasons for this are a little interesting, so let's talk about it. First off, in my life time, country music has become a bastion of a certain kind of politics that I personally find distasteful. It's a shame that this even enters into the equasion, but popular country has seemed very right wing, and that rubs me the wrong way. This is not a deal breaker for me, obviously, because the gender and sexual politics of hip hop has not prevented me from finding great appreciation. 

Second, there is a deep undercurrent of religious subtext and overt text in country that doesn't appeal to me, mainly the overt stuff.  However, this is something that many of my favorite artist have that I don't and it isn't the end either. 

Thirdly, in mind and to my ear, it all sounds kind of samey. It just doesn't pull me in at all, and the structures all sound the same. I have gotten into bluegrass, folk, and everything that lives around country, but country is still a frontier for me.

Finally, there is an element of looking down from both sides involved. I think all of the above things somewhat strongly, and think those who write songs about the attractive qualities of farm equipment or putting footwear in the posterior of other human beings as if it is our countries sole contribution to the world are not using their songwriting ability to their highest potential. Then, they call me a liberal elitist snob who doesn't know anything from their giant piles of money, so they at least have the height on their side. It's a contentious relationship.    

This album might be my way in. Maybe. I'm definately a Ryan Adams fan now, so that means that I am into at least one country(ish) artist, but I cannot tell how representative he is of the whole of country music. I simply have not heard country music like this before. 

Will specifically asked me to talk about the second half of the album, so that is what I am going to focus more on, but the beginning of this album is a hit parade. The songs are well performed, massively open, and they are very inclusive. I quite enjoy the first half of this album, but it is obviously the easier side to like. 

The second half of this album is amazing. It's well written, smart, funny and engaging. It's a complex work written by someone who obviously has not pidgeonholed himself into one kind of music. 

If I were to single out a favorite song on the album, I would have to say that Sylvia Plath is far and away my favorite. It's a wildly quiet, with hints of humor and genuine emotion behind it.  It's one of those b sides that yu stumble across and are completely absorbed by. I'm happy to have this album on my iPod just for that song. 

The album is beautifully produced, and doesn't fall into the trap that many fall into of trying to sound a certain way. Some tracks are pure rock, some are ballads and some are more traditional country style songs, but they are wide open.

They're also smart. Just really smart songs. They have an elegance you rarely hear, and that is independent of any other consideration.

This is a great album, you should listen to it right now. Get on it, boys and girls.  Thanks again Will! 

"But enough of my yapping, let's boogie."

Matt

PS: Check out some of the blogs up and to the right. Comment, and tell me more albums. 

PPS. I love Johnny Cash, so any complaints must be filed with that in mind.    

The Stooges - Raw Power

The Stooges - Raw Power

Published in 1973

Wikipedia

First off, thanks to my Dad for suggesting this album.  I'm really glad that you did, and consider your musical influence to be one of the reasons that I have the taste that I do.

Instead of calling this month "What albums can I find that I know that I love the artist but have never really listened to the whole of one of their particularly well loved classic albums?" month, apparently I should have just called it Albums (Sometimes Obliquely) Related to David Bowie month.

Let's get down to brass tacks, gentlemen and ladies.  Raw Power is awesome.  It's one of the most driven, well produced, well conceived albums.  It documents rock and roll and is rightfully called a turning point into punk.  It's simply a great album.

The most interesting thing to me is actually listening to it as someone who grew up knowing that The Stooges were a huge influence on the people that I cared about in rock and roll.  It's one of those quintessential American rock bands that everyone knows about, and was unrecognized in it's own time.  To listen to the Stooges now is an interesting experiment in musical time capsule-ism.

Popular music is generally consumed in two ways.  The first way is to consume it on the short term basis, where a massive amount of people get involved with the music, listen and digest it and for the most part, move on.  This is why popular music stations have a generally quick turn around time for most songs, and the songs that stick around are hugely overplayed, because if they have staying power, people will continue tuning in.

The second way is the fan's way of consuming it.  In general, these are the people like me, who get obsessed with an album, listen to it over and over, at different points in our lives, and try to find the meaning and beauty over and over.  The music is purely there for us to continue listening to it, and we consume it over a long time, drawn out.  Some of these albums you grow out of, but many are the backdrop of continuity that a music fan has in their lives.  

The Stooges seem to be designed for that second kind of consumption.  The popular music crowd would dispose of them quickly, but for lonely young people, looking to voraciously attack an album, make it their own, and understand every moment and subtext, this album would speak to one in a way that most others wouldn't,  The songs have a power that is not just because of the volume or speed, or even lyrically, but because it sounds like the guys are playing at you, not to you.

This album is not perfect by any means, and it is highly derivative.  At times, Iggy goes into a Doors like cover mode, which is perfectly serviceable, but I wish that they had more free reign to go all out on this album.  Some parts slow down too much to get the full power of the sound out of me, and some of the songs are just good, not great.

However, this album has Search and Destroy on it.  If an album has a song like Search and Destroy on it, it is immediately not optional.  Search and Destroy will make you give up writing music, if you go into it thinking that you're better than the Stooges.

Music, by it's nature, moves.  Any style of music that stagnates is going to be cut off, or be celebrated in small circles.  However, the cutting edge of music is also unappreciated.  When Iggy and the Stooges start playing, you can hear where they came from, and you can hear where music is headed.  This doesn't mean that this album is the reason, but it is a signpost of things to come, and that might be the highest praise an album can get.

"And I shall sing the song that ends the world,"

Matt

David Bowie - Hunky Dory

David Bowie - Hunky Dory

Published in 1971

Wikipedia

For the third week in "Why the fuck have I never listened to an album by this artist, what am I slow?" July, I have chosen to disclose one of these albums that is truly shameful. True some people have probably never heard some of my favorite artists, and I am sure my music knowledge is imperfect to most, but this is truly shameful.

You see, I have never owned a David Bowie album. Well, that's not precisely true.

The only David Bowie album I have ever owned is a greatest hits compilation.

I know, boo hiss, boo hiss.  But I have a good reason, and it is due to me getting really into this album. I think I have figured out why albums have never appealed to me for David Bowie. It's because his songs are too good.

Yes, Matt I Write A Blog Glorifying The Art Form That is The Complete Album Butler may be admitting that sometimes singles are better than albums. Sometimes a song is so good that it overshadows that which surrounds it that it is a let down to listen to the rest of it.

Hunky Dory is so trancendent in it's first half that the second half an only be a disappointment. Seriously. Changes, Oh You Pretty Things and Life on Mars on one side of an album? Yeah, the game is over. We all lost. David Bowie cracked the code to the universe and this is what came pouring out of it.

Look, just listen to Life on Mars right now. I'll wait.

That is the moment that the first side of this album leaves off on. What the fuck can you do after that? Where can you go from there?

So, ultimately we get to the back of this album. What do you want me to say?  It's not great, for David Bowie. It could be great not in this context, and I quite like the songs, but compared to where we started, what can one do other than be a little disappointed.

It's still an album by one of the greatest artists of all time. It's still has three of my favorite songs. It's never going to be topped by a Nickleback album. It's just impossible for it to sustain the amazing pace of the first half.

This album is classic and perfect as it is. If you like a single by David Bowie you should be listening to it already, and if you don't know David Bowie, we should hang out and you'll love him.

"The third silence was his"
Matt

Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes

Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes

Published in 1983

Wikipedia

A recent (as of writing this) complaint about the album project has crept up.  Looking through the archives, I have realized that this complaint is a good one. It's difficult for someone like me to admit, but it's definately true.

Out of all the albums suggested to me, I have been negative about one, neutral about two, and think the rest are good.  I have not really let go and torn up someone's favorite album.  I think there is a perfectly valid reason for this.

First, let's just admit it.  I've mainly gotten suggestions from my friends.  My friends are awesome people, and therefore have considerable taste.  That taste extends to music, and therefore they only suggest good things.  These good things vary within good, but for the most part, they're just solid.

Second, I don't go out of my way to listen to shitty music.  It's not like I have a giant wheel of crazy suggestions that I need to get through, so when I am picking an album to do, I try to find a good one that I have something to say about.

Thirdly, I find it difficult to be negative about music.  I find the act of creation and recording to be a somewhat beautiful thing, and the fact that someone has put themselves out there enough to have me listen to things is incredible to me.  Even the shittiest of shitty shit has some redeeming quality that can be drawn out of it by the right artist.  For instance, when Travis covered Britney Spears, he brought out a feeling that the song didn't have.  Whoever did the Bob Dylan cover of Rebecca Black's Friday found something beautiful in the inanity of that song.  There is, for the most part, something inside every act of music that can be nursed into something good.

But, if I get something that actively antagonizes me and makes me crazy, I promise to let go with both barrels. I will unleash the pessimistic hyperbolic nature that lives in tandem with my positive hyperbolic one.

Speaking of positive hyperbole, if you haven't heard the Violent Femmes first CD, you should be dragged through a mine full of those creatures from The Decent and under a parking lot full of moving firetrucks.  It's that good.

Growing up, I never realized how fucked up it was that my parents allowed me to listen to Alternative Radio. Alternative Radio is to clean and wholesome as dancing is to that town in Footloose.  Listening to the albums of my youth for this project has been somewhat eye opening.  Not surprising exactly, but hearing it now, over and over, I get a lot more of them than when I was, say, six years old.

If I were to write an alternative rock song book, I'd divide it into roughly four categories. Anger, Lust, Alienation, Weird.  Not that these are hard and fast categories.  For the most part, every one flows into every other one.  This album covers all the bases.

It's, simply put, spectacular.  The production is solid, the vocals are tight, the sound is different, and the songs are fucking awesome.  The singles from this album, Add It Up, Blister in the Sun, Gone Daddy Gone and Kiss Off are just great songs.  Also, for an album with ten songs, five singles seems like a good indicator that they captured something.

As usual, I am just glowing with praise.  So here we go, some things that I don't like about this album.  One, it is too short, and it should be longer. Two, it should already be preloaded into any computer I buy.  Three, the fact that I have never listened to this album before is a shame that I will have to live with for the rest of my life, and I blame this album for doing that to me.

Seriously, though, pick up this album.  It's not optional.  I love this album. I want this album to play for the rest of my life.  You guys are in charge of that.

"Mike, did we take powerful hallucinogenic drugs?"

Matt


PS. Veg Live If Hip

Lou Reed - Transformer

Lou Reed - Transformer

Published in 1972

Wikipedia

I have determined that July will be "Artists I Love, But Have Never Listened To Their Albums" month, which is not only pithy, but also concise.  I believe that there is some wit in there too.  And, at least in this paragraph, there is a bit of sarcasm as well.  So there is that.

This month is devoted to expanding my musical horizons by picking and choosing things that I already love and writing about them.  "How is this different than any other month, Matt?" you might be asking.  I don't know.

Anyway, on to Lou Reed.  Jesus Christ, I love Lou Reed.  I distinctly remember listening to Walk on the Wild Side as a kid, and knowing that I loved this guy.  Every time I hear his distinctive voice, I am just re-enthralled by it.  So it is somewhat surprising that this is the first time that I have ever heard a full album.

If I had a time machine, I'd do some interesting things with it.  Of course, first choice is to go into the future, download some sort of incredible weapons training, acquire a light saber, and go back in time and extinct a dinosaur singlehandedly, but after doing irreparable damage to an ecosystem, I think I would just hop around from time to time and try to find a good concert.  Yes, I'd be the doctor if I could, but who wouldn't?

What time would draw a lot of my attention?  Well, I'm glad that you asked, 1970's New York, because it is definitely you.  See some incredible bands, stop John Lennon from getting shot, you know, the regular stuff.  I'd also love to see some classic TV, and the birth of SNL, but that is a different post.

Lou Reed is just a fantastic talent who I believe to be too good for this world, which is good, because he is otherworldly in the extreme.  He has the ability to milk his voice for the most desperate connective voice, following it with a detached drone, and never sound like he is trying.  It's fantastically well done, and smart as hell.

His otherworldly voice and style is just one reason that I like him.  I also find his songwriting to be powerful without being overblown, and there are light stakes throughout his songs.  He finds subjects that make a difference to him, and he speaks clearly and truly about them.  His inspiration is on display, and his ability in the weird field is second to none.

You should listen to this album, it's fantastically well done.  However, it is an optional album.  I hope to someday meet Lou Reed and tell him how much I like his music, but if I don't at least I finally listened to one of his albums.

"The fuck did I do?"
Matt

Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

Published in 2008

Wikipedia

"And I haven't even written about the (perhaps) even better sequel yet." - Matthew Butler, The Album Project

At the risk of this blog turning into a all Ceelo all the time festival, I want to talk about this album. As you may have learned from my several essays about his music at thus point, I love Ceelo.

I really want to focus on his voice this time. It's an interesting voice to say the least. It's a sweet and soulful in a way that is different than many artists who have come out recently.

Let's put it this way. If American Idol was looking for the next big artist, they would miss Cee Lo by a mile. If their track record for success is looked at, perhaps this is the reason that they will never match Kelly Clarkson's success. His voice has character and a sound that is completely unique. I have no comparisons for his voice, or the investment he puts into the songs.

That's not precisely true, but it's a big claim that I am about to make, and I needed the momentary open page of the line break to steel myself before writing this semi-insane statement.

I don't know who to compare Cee Lo to in music. I literally have no references. He uses beats to communicate, but he is bot limited solely by production as, say, a Timbaland is. He is a poet, but is not over indulgent to that side, like a Jim Morrison would be. He's not striving to be the be all end all of the band, trying to take the spotlight like an Axle Rose.  He's really not able to be defined in this way.

So, let's get to this album, and stop trying to define his performance style.  Once again, we have a fantastically produced album from Danger Mouse, with some incredible hooks, great songs and a fantastic range.  The album is as eclectic as St. Elsewhere.  But enough about the similarities, let's talk about why I think this album is better.

One:  I think the tone is better.  These songs are much darker than the original album, allowing the whole of them to flow into each other.  The silliness that was Fung Shui and Transformer has been mostly removed from the album, leaving more time for the great music.  With the darker tone, there is more of a coherent message, and more of an enjoyable album.

Two:  The singles, while good, were not overplayed in the same way that Crazy was.  Now, as is obvious, I love Crazy, but the overplayed nature actually made me leave the song for a while.  It was spectacularly great, but variety is the spice of life, and if there is no variety between albums and the radio, life becomes very unspiced.

Three:  The production is tighter, and it seems as if they went in with a much better idea of what a Gnarls Barkley album would sound like.  It's very well constructed, and the songs sound perfectly fit together.  I also think that Danger Mouse, having gotten the experience from his other projects, really stepped his game up for this one.  The cinematic qualities are increased, and the focus is much tighter.

Four: Who's Gonna Save My Soul is the best song you've never heard (unless you watch Breaking Bad or are a big fan of Gnarls Barkley).  Seriously, I think this is one of the greatest musical triumphs of the recent past.  This is one of those songs that deserves to be covered to death, used again and again to make big strides, and still will be considered a classic.  It's well produced, the lyrics are incredible, and the whole thing is just well constructed.  It's one of the most perfect songs ever made, because it displays raw emotion and depth without sacrificing musicality.

If you listen to this album, I garuntee that you will find at least two songs that you love.  Seriously.  The expanse that is covered by the group is huge, and the diversity gives you things like Run and Getting Better on the same album.  This is the kind of album that you will listen to forever, and you will love that you have it.  It is a not optional album in every way shape and form, so make sure you pick it up.

"It's like a koala bear crapped a rainbow in my brain."
Matt

PS. Pive Ghil 5.

Paul F. Tompkins - Freak Wharf

Paul F. Tompkins - Freak Wharf

Published in 2009

Wikipedia

So,  who is Paul F. Tompkins?  Why is he on The Album Project?  Is Matt crazy?

Let's be clear.  Album means Album.  Comedy Albums are just as much of an album as a music album, and having things to say about them is something that I will be able to do, because I love comedy.

You see, I love comedy.  I listen to the Comedy Death Ray podcast, the Pod F. Tompcast, and Sklar Bro Country.  I watch tons of comedy on TV, the [adult swim] being a group of personal favorites.  I constantly quote comedy things, and I love laughing.  So, reviewing or whatever the fuck I do a comedy album is perfectly okay.

Paul F. Tompkins is one of the comedians that I have only been introduced to through podcasts, and have become a huge fan of since.  He is an incredible performer, making insane characters, and his stand up is pretty awesome too.  I cannot wait to go back to the states so I can see him live.  He's very quick, comes up with interesting premises, and his written stuff is very funny.

This album is a great showcase of the two sides of Paul F. Tompkins.  The first side, the improviser and performer is on display during three tracks, called the Riff Suite.  They are really good examples of a performer developing jokes in front of an audience.  Most of the time, he is obviously coming up with new things, and he totally gets involved with them.  He cracks himself up at times, but usually because what he is thinking about is very funny.

The second part is his written material.  Some of this stuff is just golden stuff.  Particularly amazing are The Sink and the Mirror and Cake V. Pie.  Go Ask Alice is off the chains as well, but on a totally different level.

I quite enjoy the way he comes up with new ideas, and uses the basic idea to continue the joke through it.  I find some of the stuff he says just amazingly funny.  It's hard not to just throw quotes at you here, but I would rather you listen to it and enjoy it than for me to tell you all the funny lines.  He cannot get popular enough in my opinion.

Anyway, weird short album project right?  Thanks!

"YOU ARE THE WORST MONSTER EVER!"
Matt

PS. Give Phil Five, pleeeeeeeease!

The Cure - Disintegration

The Cure - Disintegration

Published in 1989

Wikipedia

Dear Mr. Lumsdon,

Due to your lobbying, and the thing which I will not talk about that occurred yesterday, I have acceded to your request to do The Cure.  Do not believe that this incessant lobbying will work every time, but in this case, you have won out.  Also, I will attempt to not make any jokes about how this album must reflect the state of your soul after that which must not be talked about, nor about how the title reflects what happened to your team in said event, nor how, if you were trying to throw me, this album would have depressed me enough to play like shit, but I played like shit anyway.  I'm just the kind of classy bastard to not hide behind these easily alluded to jokes.  I merely point you to Mr. Crabbs' reference to Matthew 20:16, and move along.

Onto The Cure:

Look, you either like them or you don't.  Actually, that's not true, let me start over.

Look, either you're depressed or you're not.  If you are, or have ever been, The Cure is going to sound a lot like what was going on in the deeper recesses of the cesspool that presumably is your mind.  If you're not, and have never been, you're going to need to stop lying to yourself, and think back a bit.

Depressing music, for what it is worth, is something about which I am of two minds. Sometimes, when you are feeling the emotions, or merely want to invoke a response from that part of your brain, it can be the most liberating and beautiful music.  Sometimes, when you are feeling good about life, and the world is not as shitty as it usually is, it can sound like a bunch of pretentious whining.  This is actually where The Cure succeeds, more than most "sad bands".  They make it really enjoyable to listen.  You want to hear more, because the feeling and the sound mesh so well together that you can't stop them, you can only participate.

I mean, I love The Cure, but seriously, I am just sitting here at work getting depressed.  It's some really low sounding music, and while that can be a great addition to a mood, sometimes it's just oppressive   Also, the singles, which are considerably more "upbeat" (it's a relative term in this case) are usually the least sprawling and the tightest of the album.  They are designed to get in and out, which is nice in a pop song.  The sprawl is in the emotional songs.  There is maybe one song on this album that is under 4 minutes.  That's an insane amount of time for some of these songs.

Oh, something weird that I hadn't noticed about The Cure.  At least on this album, a quarter of the song is dedicated to an intro, that slowly introduces all of the background parts, even before the lead guitar kicks in.  That guitar, by the way, plays very simple lines, that are picked up immediately by the vocals.  It's a strange way to do a song, because the lead in makes you really desire the vocals to kick in, then the guitar makes you think the vocals are kicking in, then the vocals kick in, which makes a ton of anticipation part of the beginning of every song.

The album sounds deep.  There is not much space in the songs, mainly due to the effects.  Reverb is The Cure's friend, and echo boxes must have been used a bunch on this album.  It's actually interesting to listen for the times when there isn't a sound on display.

I started out this essay of sorts with a sentence, and I'd like to go back to it.  Either you like it or you don't.  It's one of those divisive bands that either ignites the passions of fandom in you or you go, "What a bunch of emo crap" and I can't say that you're wrong.  There is a part of me that wants to tell the second group that true emo crap doesn't make you feel the way that this does, with it's peaks and valleys, emotional resonance and it's ability to make you feel feelings that are not part of your current state of being, but then I'd be called some sort of derogatory term for saying that.  So, I'll say it this way.  The next time you are feeling low, put on this album, and you might find something that resonates with you.  If you do, you're already a Cure fan, you just didn't know it yet.  But, if you are one of those people, like me, who feels emotions very deeply, do not put this album on if you are depressed.  Because this shit is like heroin.  You'll start feeling super depressed, and completely down, and you'll be dragged into the infinite spaces, as Pascal would say.

So Scott, on this, the day of your epic heartbreak for reasons not to be mentioned, when you have fallen so low from being so high, I would advise you not to listen to this album.  It will not console you, it will only deepen your depression over the terrible events that occurred yesterday.  It was lovely playing with you sir, and I hope we meet in the same situation again, and the result is exactly the same, bitch.

:heart:

"Disintegration is the best album ever!"

Matt

For those of you don't know:

What happened is this.  I'm playing hockey this spring season, and the playoffs started on Sunday.  My team, The Travellers was the number 8 seed going against the number one seeded Black Shaft Revelations.  In a shocking upset, the Travellers took the playoff series and moved on, eliminating the Black Shaft, which is Scott's team.  Afterwards, he told me that it was necessary for the Cure to come out soon.

A-HA - Hunting High and Low

A-ha - Hunting High and Low

Published in 1985

Wikipedia

"We're talking away
I don't know what
I'm to say I'll say it anyway
Today's another day to find you
Shying away
I'll be coming for your love, OK?

Take on me, take me on
I'll be gone
In a day or two"

First off, thanks to Jake. I don't know why I am thanking Jake, because as I saw on a shirt once, he is a Jerk, but I guess I'll thank him anyway, for suggesting this album.

The Album Project Bureau of Jokes and Other Sarcastic-cies has been working hard to research all of the eighties trivia that I need to make fun of because of this album.  The tireless public servants have been researching for hours on the internet about a decade that I was not actually a part of in any meaningful way.  I will refer you to our honorary historical joke director, Mr. William Joel.  He has a pretty good primer on Youtube.  Unfortunately, due to budget cuts and the removal of their collective bargaining rights (timely for four months ago!  Also, probably timely for now, what with the NFL collapsing like a flan.) the department had to be let go, because this album is actually pretty damn good.


You see, when you crack open an A-ha album, you seem to have some prebuilt assumptions.  One, that they are as much of a joke as they have become.  Two, that the other songs are going to be the the eightiesist things that you have ever eighties heard.  And three, that you won't enjoy it.


But this album holds up.  It's surprisingly well written, the songs are good, they don't overly use anything but the drum machine.  The songs are somewhat catchy, and the album is pretty short and sweet.  You are rarely stuck in one song too long, and when they get old, they fade out and go into a new one.


They are no joke too.  They play some pretty on fire new wave, and they do some really cool things with their instrumentation.  They play some pretty damn good music, and while the songs aren't anything spectacularly out there, they are solidly made and produced.


Yes, there is some dating, but actually, it's not as bad as I expected.  It doesn't sound like a parody of itself, it just embraces it's eightiesness in a way that is endearing and not annoying.  They have a pretty solid piece of work here.


I just don't have a lot to say about it.  It's not good enough that I think anything other than Take on Me deserves to be held in high regard, but that song is a pop culture masterpiece, even getting future TAP artists Reel Big Fish to cover the song.  It's one of those songs that instantly gives something a place and time to be tacked on to, like Huey Lewis and the News.


So, thanks again Jake, and hope to get more suggestions from you,


"You can't Fax glitter!" "Well, not with that attitude!" "NOT WITH ANY ATTITUDE!"
Matt


PS. Do something good and Give Phil Five!

Old Crow Medicine Show - Big Iron World

Old Crow Medicine Show - Big Iron World

Published in 2006

Wikipedia

First off, let's all say thanks to Cole, for having an interesting enough life to make a blog about himself, and secondly for suggesting this album.  So, thanks Cole.

As someone who is into music (could you guess), I have noticed something of a conspiratorial air about. Someone out there in the universe has declared that folk music is going to be the new thing for indie kids.  Why this is happening, well I have some theories, but it's happening more and more, and the Freak Folk mantle is being brought up quickly to the in-thing.

As I said in my Mumford and Sons write up, I don't understand 'Freak Folk'.  I understand that people don't want you to confuse old folk with new folk, and it is strange to hear the two versions in the same area, but really, is there such a big difference between classic folk and modern folk?  Both of them deal with subjects that were important to those writing the songs.  I don't think that folk has ever been considered the pinnacle of formulaic art, and actually one of the reasons it is folksy, is because it deals with realistic subjects important at the time of the song's writing.

One reason I think modern folk is doing well is because it is so appealing to a side of people who just want to hear good performers playing simple music.   The nostalgia bumper crop appeals to people who either grew up with this on their radios, or (like me) listened to a lot of Prairie Home Companion as a kid.  There is a certain appeal to this kind of music that sounds down home, and simple, and that is a beautiful thing.  

Old Crow Medicine Show is a group that is making perfectly serviceable folk music.  I mean that in the most neutral way possible.  I don't think they are as good as Mumford and Sons, but that is because I listened to them first.  I think they sound somewhat similar, although Mumford and Sons is a bit darker, and it makes a difference for the listening experience.

The lighter moments on the album though, are some of the best.  I love that they included the singer screwing up on the first verse and the band starting again.  I think that the funnier songs are good, and as a child of the I-95 corridor, good stuff is on this album.  

I cannot say that this album is anything but optional, but if you're a fan of folk music and bluegrass, you should probably pick it up,  it's fun and light and enjoyable.  If you don't really like bluegrass, this could be a way in, but I'd look other places first.

Anyway, thanks again to Cole, I hope I did this album a little justice, and I can't wait to hear how I am wrong about it Mike H. style.  

"Love is about compromises, Zorak, compromising your future to the city council of Bethesda Maryland."

Matt

PS.

Phil! Five? Give Him!? 

Radiohead - Kid A and Amnesiac

Radiohead - Kid A and Amnesiac

Published in 2000 and 2001

Wikipedia - Kid A and Wikipedia - Amnesiac

With OK Computer a resounding success both commercially and critically, there must have been a temptation to rest on the solid ground that they had created, seemingly from nowhere. The experiment in forward moving rock had been a success, and to keep moving further away from what they initally were would, to a casual observer, be an act of madness.

However, a careful observer would dispute this interpretation. Perhaps it would have been easier for Radiohead to continue on the epic album track. Perhaps they would be known as the new Pink Floyd and be able to put out long meditations on whatever struck them. This, however would have been musically unsatisfying.

There is a part of the human experience that drives us to move to new things. There is also a partnthat drives us to stay static. This is the tension in which decisions are made. If you are not bold, you will stagnate in the regularity, but if you change too much, you lose a sense of who you are.

Radiohead, as a creative entity walks down this path. The risk of alienaion of their fans is balanced by the movement into new areas and new fans. By remaining a band that is dictated by creativity over sales, Radiohead has not stagnated and has not lost itself.

Kid A is a record that sounds completely different than any of the previous works of Radiohead. The music has been created with an ear for defying expectations, but also with the intent of creating an album of extraordinary power.  This allows the band to get away with more than most, but it rigidly locks them into producing something good.

I am going to attempt to not go track by track for this one, simply because it is going to sound very similar to my OM Computer review. Let us be clear, there is no bad song on this album, and the great songs are perhaps some of the greatest ever made.

Let's start with The National Anthem. This is a song that is the closest thing to a pure rock song on the album. I am contractually obligated to mention that the bass line was written by blah blah blah who cares. It is a simple bass line, it was written at a young age. It simply kicks ass. The bass line uses it's simplicity in the strongest way possible, by making it a driving force in the song. Every moment that the bass line is going in the song, there is a percieved forward motion that allows the music to sound more urgent than it's tempo.

I am also contractually obligated to mention the horns at the end. Many people have said that this ruins the song, and the use offhe horns is a cheap stunt to create cacophany without any investment. They may have a point, but I like to look at them another way. As the horns enter, we hear the blasting and bleating as a departure from the sound of Radiohead. The music is residing in a space that we had not been in before, and as a reult of this change, we are taken out of passive listening and into active listening. By activating us in this way, we're enticed to compare the sounds to other songs with horns in them. This is not ska, this is not jazz, this is not classical. The musical space is a purely Radiohead defined realm, and the rules are defined by them.

By allowing the horns to attempt to overtly play indiviudual parts, we allow them to be seperated and individualistic. These competeing strains are a call back to the message of the song, which ishat even in a crowd of like minded people, one can feel so alone. By looking at it this way, the end of the song is neither cacaphony nor organized, but a collective effort of individuals attempting to create something beautiful and shared on the form of harmony, missing their mark, and forming a new kind of harmony instead. The distraction of the music is a powerful reminder of the individual.

The triumph of the collective and individual nature is obviously important to this album. Thom Yorke has said that the title is a reference to the first human clone. This achievement would be a triumph of humanity, a collective effort, but perhaps an individual tragedy. The child at the center of it all would not understand why he was what he was, and nit understand that he was important. This person would be detached from humanity by virtue of being one of fhe greatest achievements of the species.

This emotion is perhaps best reflected in How To Disappear Completely.  The use of acoustic guitars, the brishig of the snare and the wandering bass line is incredibly private sounding. The lyrics are from the perspective of someone who is either unnoticed or noticed too much. As the chorus states, I'm not here, This isn't happening. The song itself is an escape for the mind of the singer, whether or not his body is physically able to move or not. The reflected feelings of alienation and wishes of escape and freedom to move freely is completely in the character of this album, and is clearly the point of much of it.

By exploring both of these conflicting sounds, Radiohead opened it's world up to a both a wider and narrower audience. Those who could find one song that they liked was expanded, but those who were locked in and completely taken with the album were narrower.

By actively ignoring the impulse to grow broader, and infact concentrating their efforts in the opposite direction, Kid A is a triumph of a band in transition, not a static band. Where they were going was past the reaches of where they had gone before.



Amnesiac starts with an incredibly percussive beginning, and the first tone is held back until about 30 seconds in. This song is one of the more accessable, but it is remarkable for a couple of things. 1. The guitar has all but disappeared. It has been replaced by synths and percussive sounds. 2. The sounds are both otherworldly and electronic, but there is a deep humanity to the track. 3. It is not rock music, but some kind of hybrid.

The most arresting song of Amnesiac is the next song, Pyramid Song. It is arresting because the song follows a traditional format in an untradtional way. The song has a moving piano line, that makes a huge impression on the listener immediately. The piano, however plays the percussive or bass role in the song, repeating the same chords over and over, and allowing the voice and various other instruments to take the melody.

Pyramid song is one of the few songs that seems delivered straight from another world. The parts seem to be obvious, a stripped down piano that builds to a huge climax and then releases slowly. But the song just slowly eats itself in such a way that the entirety of it is swollowed up, leaving the listener grasping at the end of the song, just to find somewhere to hold onto.

As we move farther into the album, the sonic landscape is taken up by incredibly diverse computerized loops and sounds, giving the impression of a spiky and distopian far future. The sounds of the album are rarely warm and inviting, or at least don't inspire the same level of pathos in you as some off of OK and even Kid A.  Even You and Whose Army uses a vocal effect to put space between the listener and the singer, keeping a dreamy distant feel to the whole affair.

The entire album is incredibly diverse, and a necessary step to their canon. This should be listened to as compainion prices, and should be seen as such. The sheer amount of purely interesting material is a good reason, but the better reason is that the whole band is astoundingly different than their other records, and the experimentation settled in a place of incredible beauty.

Next time on the Catalog Project -
Hail to the Thief, and Why it isn't a good album for beginners.

"Jesus, Krieger, you're still taping bum fights?"
"No, I've moved on to something much . . . darker."
Matt

Megadeth - Rust In Peace

Megadeth - Rust In Peace

Published in 1990

Wikipedia

First up, thanks to Zach for suggesting this album.  

MEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

Sorry, I had to get that out.  Fucking Megadeth is one of those bands that you just purely enjoy if you enjoy any part of metal.  The guitar solos are awesome, the drums are pounding, the vocals are a mix of insane fantasy and UFO lore, and you know you're in for an insane ride the whole time.

Another reason that I am glad that Zach picked this album is because it has Hangar 18 on it.  Hangar 18 is one of the most fucking awesome songs of all time, and should guarantee that all members of Megadeth have VIP seats in metal heaven, surrounded by groupie angels and free "water".

Seriously, go find Hangar 18.  Put it on.  I'm telling you, when I think of a metal song, this is the song I think of more than any other.  Given my tilting toward lists, let me describe how to make a great metal song.

1. Get a kick ass band together.  Make sure your guitarist hasn't gotten laid throughout high school, but practiced arpeggios until his fingers bled, bones broke, and his parents were sued by the people next door to take his amp stack away. The vocalist must be the least talented member of the group, but must be able to wail guitar like back at the guitar, write some crazy D&D vocals and shit, and be humble enough to get the fuck out of the way when solo time comes.  Give the drummer an insane kit, double bass is essential, and tell him that if he gets off time, he's fucking fired.  The bassist must be as technically proficient as the guitarist, but he must be the guy that no one recognizes and most likely make the best financial decisions of the whole band. Also, he will most likely be the one who owns all the equipment you're using, so be nice to him. Whoever's garage you practice in will be your first manager, but will quickly be fired when record companies come calling.

2.  Riffs.  Riffs must be repeated at least a dozen times, and must include as many notes as possible, without breaking strings.  Also, the more powerful the sound the better, and allowing the notes to fade into feedback is a plus.  Make sure the bassist is driving the thing forward the whole time, and the drummer is about to get fired the entire time.  Take whatever you did, and do it faster.  Then faster. Then louder. Then Faster.

3.  Vocals.  Vocals are the part of the song known as "between the solos".  Vocals must reference Tolkien, mythology, paranormal subjects or magic in general, and provide a backdrop against which the guitarist can shred.

4.  Drums.  Fire the drummer, get a new one who is faster.

5.  Solos. arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios, arpeggios.

6. End the song on a resolved power chord.

7. Get a bunch of money, blow it on insane stage props, then make the money back.

8. Don't die of an OD.

And you'll have a successful metal song.  It's just that easy.

This album is insanely good.  I've never listened to a full Megadeth album before today, and I have to say, if this is representative of the whole, the catalog will soon be on my iTunes.  Seriously, it's 10 songs long, and every one of them is well done metal.  It's fun to listen to, and you can seriously bang your head to it.  If you have a metal loving bone in your body, you should pick this album up, and give it a couple of good listens.  If you hear anything you like in Hangar 18, get the album, you'll love it.

"Grandspa's Guitars?"

Matt

PS. Phil. Five. Give.