We'll continue the run-down of 2007 with a list of my top 10 favourite songs of the year. The MP3 files will stay up for a week and then they will be removed. Please give them a listen; if you enjoy them, please purchase them legally.
10. Manic Street Preachers - Send away the tigers [Song link removed]
With the benefit of hindsight, I can now comfortably say that 2004's Lifeblood album was a bit of a disappointment. It did have some good songs on it, but it just didn't feel right; it felt like a too-deliberate attempt to try something different and I felt they should have tweaked their existing formula in subtle ways rather than attempting such a radical reinvention. Props to them for giving it a go, but in my opinion it wasn't entirely successful.
Their new album Send away the tigers is a much more solid album, easily their most consistent effort since This is my truth tell me yours from 1998. These Welshmen have been going about their business for almost 20 years now, and some would argue that they've been going about 10 years too long. If they can keep churning out corkers like this, the opening self-titled song from their latest, then they won't be embarrassing themselves in the short-term.
One could argue that this is Manics-by-numbers, and I wouldn't disagree here. It starts out with a few simple chords before the lead guitar riff and drums come in, and then the (still excellent) lead vocals of James Dean Bradfield take centre stage. The lyrics are the typical fusion of personal and politics that dominate most of their songs. But this song, like most great Manics tunes, is all about the chorus. And when it first comes in at 1:05, you can't help but smile, close your eyes and pretend that it's 1996 all over again.
9. The Shins - Australia [Song link removed]
From a band (the Manics) who once recorded a song called Australia back in 1996, to another (albeit completely different) song from 2007 also named after the place we call home. It starts out very strangely, this song, with one of the band members saying something that I can't understand in a language that appears to be German (Ed: I just looked this up on the internet, and he is saying Time to put the ear googles on. Hmmm.) This soon gives way to a great bouncy riff, a few shouts of "la la la" from James Mercer, and then a moment later, the real vocals and the gorgeous melody kick in.
The best Shins songs are always about the vocals of frontman James Mercer, and as good as the music is here, it is his voice which carries the fantastic melody and turns the song into an absolute Shins classic. I don't really know what the song is about, as Australia isn't even mentioned in the lyrics, but it doesn't really matter. This song is up there with the finest songs from their 2003 masterwork Chutes too narrow, and I can't give it a much bigger compliment than that.
8. Spoon - The underdog [Song link removed]
If you've ever seen the 1991 Bill Murray movie What about Bob?, you'll understand the concept of "baby steps". It's a way of dealing with problems, and the basic premise is that you shouldn't be too ambitious in tackling problems, but try to reach your goal by taking small, or baby, steps.
Sometimes I feel that Spoon use the same philosophy with their music. Each of their albums is a subtle tweaking of their formula; not too subtle that you would ever accuse them of repeating themselves, and not too much of a step that they will lose sight of what makes them such an amazing band.
The underdog is a perfect encapsulation of this subtle re-invention on their latest album: take the Spoon formula (minimalistic rock music with Britt Daniel's amazing nasal vocals), add some baby steps (in this case, some well-placed brass instrumentation and handclaps), and you have yourself another Spoon classic that is so identifiably Spoon while still sounding like nothing else they have ever recorded. That the lyric has a certain charm of its own (especially the line about having a pipe and slippers set out for you) doesn't hurt either.
7. The Good, The Bad & The Queen - 80's life [Song link removed]
Some songs are so special that they can capture the feeling of a particular era so aptly that they become almost a musical time capsule. Despite the misleading title, this song is not about the 80's, even though Damon Albarn draws parallels between the current day and some of the darker times in the 80's.
Like much of the album from which this song is taken from, this song has a very cinematic, almost film noir quality to it. It starts out with a tinkling piano riff which continues throughout most of the song, before the guitar and some other hard-to-identify instruments join the mix. Shortly after, Damon Albarn's world-weary vocals come in, and he's not a happy chappy; it sounds like he's had enough of all the bullshit he's being fed on a daily basis and this song is his catharsis.
What elevates this song above a lot of the others on this line-up's sombre debut is the melody in the chorus, which is propelled by some superbly-placed "oooh oooh" backing vocals. Doo-wop has never sounded as dark as this.
6. Crowded House - Pour le Monde [Song link removed]
Pour le Monde (literally, "For the world") is to me the emotional centrepiece of the excellent new Crowded House album Time on earth. While Neil Finn has never said this, whenever I listen to it I assume it is about the late Crowded House drummer Paul Hester who tragically took his own life in 2005. This elevates the song to another emotional plane for me; even if isn't about him, isn't music interpretation in the eye (or ear) of the beholder?
Lyrical interpretation aside, nobody can deny that this song still has one of the most emotionally affecting melodies on the album, and deserves pride of place next to previous Crowded House classics. That Neil Finn can still write songs as stunning as this 30 years after he first joined Split Enz is a true testament to his songwriting genius.
5. Spoon - You got yr cherry bomb [Song link removed]
I love how when Britt Daniel sings, he sounds like he needs a Kleenex. That quality alone elevates Spoon above so many other rock bands. Yes, they wouldn't be where they are without the rest of the band, but oh that stuffy nose. I wish Spoon all the success they deserve, but I hope they are always shy of the funds to buy that elusive tissue box.
What can I say about this song? Well, it's a Spoon song, and the baby steps I mentioned in my review of The underdog are also present here. Some well-placed brass, a great blue-eyed soul nasally performance from our good man Britt, and a real sense of space between the instruments that give it a real live feel. It feels like a studio outtake masquerading as a polished studio number, and this only adds to its considerable charms.
4. Super Furry Animals - Run-away [Song link removed]
This song is based on a true story. Which would be fine, if it wasn't auto-biographical.
Gruff Rhys, circa 2007
So begins Run-away, the finest song from 2007's Hey Venus! album, and an SFA classic for the ages. From the get-go, the Phil Spector drums and wall of sound kick in (think Be my baby), and Gruff puts on his best white soul man impersonation. The melody of the chorus is absolutely gorgeous, possibly in the top 10 SFA songs if we are just talking about pure songwriting.
I'm on my second spin within the space of five minutes as I write these words, and the more I listen to it, the more I realise that this is one of those timeless songs which could have been written in any era from the mid-60's to now; it has this magical quality that makes it sound familiar even when hearing it for the first time. It takes a special type of artist to write and perform a song as beautiful as this one. It's now over ten years since their debut album, and these quirky Welshmen continue to impress.
3. Radiohead - Jigsaw falling into place [Song link removed]
Younger Radiohead fans who started out on their naughties (Kid A onwards) material probably don't realise that they were once a band who were able to rock your socks off. While their previous album Hail to the thief had a few rockier songs, In rainbows had two absolute belters on it. Bodysnatchers is a great song in itself, but this one (named after yours truly) is an absolute corker.
It starts out with some great finger-picking and cymbals before the bass and drums kick in. Like many songs on In rainbows, this song is dominated by the rhythm section, with the guitar providing necessary embellishments when required. Oh yeah, and we can't forget Thom Yorke's vocals, which suffer from multiple personality disorder throughout this song. He starts out singing like he is half asleep, and within a few minutes he is rockin' away and then wailing like a hyena. Like many great songs, the last minute delivers the money shot, where everything gels together perfectly and you can't help but smile. I need to hear this song live.
2. The Arcade Fire - Intervention [Song link removed]
A time may come when The Arcade Fire's formula outstays its welcome, but right now I'm happy for them to milk it for all it's worth. If we were to represent their music as a chemical reaction, it would go a little something like this. Organ-based dense wall of sound + Over-emotive vocals + Dark obscure lyrics + Inflated sense of self-importance = Musical bliss.
This song ticks all of the boxes, and that alone makes it the highlight of their excellent new album Neon bible. This is the type of song which could turn even the most hardened cynic into a true believer. Sing hallelujah!
1. Radiohead - Reckoner [Song link removed]
It's amazing that a band who have been around for as long as Radiohead and have released so many amazing songs can still write a song which practically re-defines who they are and where they are heading. But this is one such song, and even though LP8 has yet to be released, I cannot help but interpret it as a mission statement for their musical future.
Reckoner is a predominantly percussion-driven song with unintelligible wailing from frontman Thom Yorke, and an amazing string breakdown in the middle of the song where Thom croons like a man possessed. It doesn't matter one bit that I find it difficult to decipher a single lyric in the song, as his amazing voice and the music speaks for itself.
While many of the other songs on In rainbows have their ancestral roots in previous Radiohead songs, Reckoner sounds unlike anything they have recorded before. It's not rock, indie, electronic or dance -- it's just Radiohead, a band who are synonymous with "radical reinvention". And it's my song of the year.
UPDATE: Song links removed.
Tuesday, 25 December 2007
Monday, 24 December 2007
2007: A Year in Music [Part 1: Overview]
I can't believe how quick this year has come to a close. It seemed like only yesterday when I was writing my analysis of the music of 2006, and here we are again.
In usual Wireless Cranium tradition, my summary of all that was music in 2007 will be broken up into 6 posts for your reading pleasure:
Part 1: Overview
Part 2: Top 10 songs of the year
Part 3: Cutting room floor
Part 4: Top 5 albums of the year
Part 5: Musical discoveries of the year
Part 6: Re-evaluation of 2006 list
I have taken a hybrid approach this year, combining aspects of my 2005 and 2006 lists. In 2005, I did a top 10 albums list as well as a top 10 songs list. Last year, because I hadn't purchased as many CDs from 2006 at the time of writing, I only did top 5 albums and top 5 songs lists. This year, the number of CDs purchased from 2007 still doesn't justify doing a top 10 albums list. But I'll still be doing a top 10 songs list.
Without further ado, it is time to start this 6-part extravaganza. I hope you enjoy reading this, and I encourage you to comment with your opinions about what made this year great/not so great for you in the realm of musical appreciation. You don't even need to talk about music that was released this year; just chime in if you have something to contribute.
2007 was a year which started out with a lot of promise. After the disappointment that was 2006 (at least at the time of writing up my overview of the year), 2007 seemed like it had the potential to be a great year in music, at least judging by the list of artists who had albums scheduled for a 2007 release.
Did the year live up to the high expectations that I had set for it in late April? Well, the answer is yes and no. Yes in that many of the artists who did release albums in 2007 failed to disappoint, and many exceeded my already high expectations. No in that many of the artists who were supposed to release albums in 2007 slipped their release date into 2008. It's good to see that the software development industry is not the only one prone to release date slippages.
Oasis, Noel Gallager (solo), Blur, Doves, Massive Attack, The Notwist, The Streets, The Wrens, Wolf Parade, The Cure, The Pixies, Portishead. All great artists and bands who disappointed not with a poor album, but no album at all. Maybe 2008 will be the year for them to happily shine or sadly disappoint. At least we are going into the new year with a large backlog of upcoming albums in the pipeline.
The subsequent posts in this 2007 extravaganza will go into more details about which artists/songs pushed my musical buttons this year, so I won't go into specifics here. What I'd like to ramble a little bit about is how my own personal music tastes have evolved this year.
While I had already started heading this way musically last year, 2007 was the year in which my tastes become both older and more mainstream. Allow me to clarify this - I don't mean mainstream in a modern sense; while I admitted that I went to a Robbie Williams concert in late 2006, I am not about to invest in his back catalogue. Nor am I about to proclaim my love for the misunderstood genius that is Fergie. Quite frankly, she can keep her lovely lady lumps all to herself, and she should probably get those lumps checked out to ensure that they aren't malignant.
I say my musical tastes became older in that I really started getting into a lot of music roughly covering the era from the late 60's to the early 80's. Not that I hadn't been into music from these bygone eras in a big way before, but my appreciation for the music from these years skyrocketed this year.
I say my musical tastes became more mainstream in that I started getting into some fairly popular (by my tastes anyway) artists/bands through the purchase of some excellent compilation CDs and movie soundtracks. I have talked in the past at great lengths about my dislike of best-of compilations, but my opinion on this topic really changed this year. One reason for this is that, with the iPod changing the way I listen to music, I have a much greater appreciation for the power of the song. While I still appreciate a good album (and would still call myself primarily an album fan), I can now appreciate that a well-made compilation CD by a great artist/band is not only a great way to get into that artist, but a great way to quickly get a heap of their best songs on to the iPod and into some playlists. Also, I have discovered that there are good and bad compilation CDs; making a bad one is all too easy, but making a good one is almost an artform of its own. (I will dedicate a future blog post to some of my favourite compilation CDs of all time.)
Some great compilation CDs that I have purchased this year are by Tom Petty, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Pet Shop Boys. This is what I mean when I say more mainstream (and for the record, I'm not ashamed to say I have a Pet Shop Boys compilation in my collection -- it honestly contains some of the finest pop songs I have ever heard and I will not let musical snobbery change my opinion of this).
Some great soundtracks that I have purchased this year are the disco-rific Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (almost a Bee Gees compilation) and more recently the superb Jackie Brown soundtrack. How Quentin Tarantino is able to uncover so many hidden gems from the 60's and 70's is beyond me, but his ability to compile a great soundtrack is up there with his stupendous writing and directing skills.
No discussion of 2007 would be complete without a mention of the fantastic marketing event that was the digital release of Radiohead's 7th album In rainbows. Firstly, a message on their blog on October 1st saying that their album was being self-released in digital format on October 10th. That was exciting enough, but then there was the news that people could choose what they wanted to pay for it. From all reports, it sounded like this worked fantastically in their favour, raking in an average price of £3 - £4 per download. With very little in terms of overheads, they raked the money in while simultaneously sticking up their middle fingers to dirty money-grabbing record companies like their former EMI. But what was the album like? You'll have to read the following posts in this series to find out.
There was sad news this year when my favourite music website Stylus Magazine ceased publishing. In the days since its closure, I have come to the sad realisisation that no other music website will be able to take its place. Ahh well, one day maybe.
It was a fairly quiet year on the gig front, with only 3 live concerts - Rodriguez in April, Something For Kate in September and Crowded House in November. The highlight? Well, seeing Rodriguez probably took the cake here, because he's just a cult hero who I never thought I'd get to see live, let alone meet and speak to. A very exciting night all round.
I've also recently been reading up on the depressing music industry practice of dynamic range compression after this fantastic article on Stylus Magazine triggered my interest. Take a look; it truly is a fascinating read and it will change the way you think about and listen to modern music. Let's hope that something positive is done to steer away from this nasty practice soon!
I hope you enjoy the rest of the posts in this series!
In usual Wireless Cranium tradition, my summary of all that was music in 2007 will be broken up into 6 posts for your reading pleasure:
Part 1: Overview
Part 2: Top 10 songs of the year
Part 3: Cutting room floor
Part 4: Top 5 albums of the year
Part 5: Musical discoveries of the year
Part 6: Re-evaluation of 2006 list
I have taken a hybrid approach this year, combining aspects of my 2005 and 2006 lists. In 2005, I did a top 10 albums list as well as a top 10 songs list. Last year, because I hadn't purchased as many CDs from 2006 at the time of writing, I only did top 5 albums and top 5 songs lists. This year, the number of CDs purchased from 2007 still doesn't justify doing a top 10 albums list. But I'll still be doing a top 10 songs list.
Without further ado, it is time to start this 6-part extravaganza. I hope you enjoy reading this, and I encourage you to comment with your opinions about what made this year great/not so great for you in the realm of musical appreciation. You don't even need to talk about music that was released this year; just chime in if you have something to contribute.
Part 1: Overview
2007 was a year which started out with a lot of promise. After the disappointment that was 2006 (at least at the time of writing up my overview of the year), 2007 seemed like it had the potential to be a great year in music, at least judging by the list of artists who had albums scheduled for a 2007 release.
Did the year live up to the high expectations that I had set for it in late April? Well, the answer is yes and no. Yes in that many of the artists who did release albums in 2007 failed to disappoint, and many exceeded my already high expectations. No in that many of the artists who were supposed to release albums in 2007 slipped their release date into 2008. It's good to see that the software development industry is not the only one prone to release date slippages.
Oasis, Noel Gallager (solo), Blur, Doves, Massive Attack, The Notwist, The Streets, The Wrens, Wolf Parade, The Cure, The Pixies, Portishead. All great artists and bands who disappointed not with a poor album, but no album at all. Maybe 2008 will be the year for them to happily shine or sadly disappoint. At least we are going into the new year with a large backlog of upcoming albums in the pipeline.
The subsequent posts in this 2007 extravaganza will go into more details about which artists/songs pushed my musical buttons this year, so I won't go into specifics here. What I'd like to ramble a little bit about is how my own personal music tastes have evolved this year.
While I had already started heading this way musically last year, 2007 was the year in which my tastes become both older and more mainstream. Allow me to clarify this - I don't mean mainstream in a modern sense; while I admitted that I went to a Robbie Williams concert in late 2006, I am not about to invest in his back catalogue. Nor am I about to proclaim my love for the misunderstood genius that is Fergie. Quite frankly, she can keep her lovely lady lumps all to herself, and she should probably get those lumps checked out to ensure that they aren't malignant.
I say my musical tastes became older in that I really started getting into a lot of music roughly covering the era from the late 60's to the early 80's. Not that I hadn't been into music from these bygone eras in a big way before, but my appreciation for the music from these years skyrocketed this year.
I say my musical tastes became more mainstream in that I started getting into some fairly popular (by my tastes anyway) artists/bands through the purchase of some excellent compilation CDs and movie soundtracks. I have talked in the past at great lengths about my dislike of best-of compilations, but my opinion on this topic really changed this year. One reason for this is that, with the iPod changing the way I listen to music, I have a much greater appreciation for the power of the song. While I still appreciate a good album (and would still call myself primarily an album fan), I can now appreciate that a well-made compilation CD by a great artist/band is not only a great way to get into that artist, but a great way to quickly get a heap of their best songs on to the iPod and into some playlists. Also, I have discovered that there are good and bad compilation CDs; making a bad one is all too easy, but making a good one is almost an artform of its own. (I will dedicate a future blog post to some of my favourite compilation CDs of all time.)
Some great compilation CDs that I have purchased this year are by Tom Petty, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Pet Shop Boys. This is what I mean when I say more mainstream (and for the record, I'm not ashamed to say I have a Pet Shop Boys compilation in my collection -- it honestly contains some of the finest pop songs I have ever heard and I will not let musical snobbery change my opinion of this).
Some great soundtracks that I have purchased this year are the disco-rific Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (almost a Bee Gees compilation) and more recently the superb Jackie Brown soundtrack. How Quentin Tarantino is able to uncover so many hidden gems from the 60's and 70's is beyond me, but his ability to compile a great soundtrack is up there with his stupendous writing and directing skills.
No discussion of 2007 would be complete without a mention of the fantastic marketing event that was the digital release of Radiohead's 7th album In rainbows. Firstly, a message on their blog on October 1st saying that their album was being self-released in digital format on October 10th. That was exciting enough, but then there was the news that people could choose what they wanted to pay for it. From all reports, it sounded like this worked fantastically in their favour, raking in an average price of £3 - £4 per download. With very little in terms of overheads, they raked the money in while simultaneously sticking up their middle fingers to dirty money-grabbing record companies like their former EMI. But what was the album like? You'll have to read the following posts in this series to find out.
There was sad news this year when my favourite music website Stylus Magazine ceased publishing. In the days since its closure, I have come to the sad realisisation that no other music website will be able to take its place. Ahh well, one day maybe.
It was a fairly quiet year on the gig front, with only 3 live concerts - Rodriguez in April, Something For Kate in September and Crowded House in November. The highlight? Well, seeing Rodriguez probably took the cake here, because he's just a cult hero who I never thought I'd get to see live, let alone meet and speak to. A very exciting night all round.
I've also recently been reading up on the depressing music industry practice of dynamic range compression after this fantastic article on Stylus Magazine triggered my interest. Take a look; it truly is a fascinating read and it will change the way you think about and listen to modern music. Let's hope that something positive is done to steer away from this nasty practice soon!
I hope you enjoy the rest of the posts in this series!
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Crowded House gig [8th Movember* 2007 @ Rod Laver Arena]
It has been 22 years since Crowded House formed from the ashes of Split Enz, 11 years since they broke up for the first time, and I have finally seen them live.
Crowded House reformed in 2005 in the wake of former drummer Paul Hester's death. What originally started out as a Neil Finn solo outing turned into their reunion album Time on earth, which was released earlier this year to generally positive reviews. While many reunion albums can spell "cash-in" and "disaster", Time on earth was a very solid Crowded House album even if it didn't quite live up to the lofty expectations set by the outfit's previous albums.
With a reunion album comes the inevitable reunion tour. I was fortunate enough to secure 4th row tickets to the gig at Rod Laver Arena, which is by far the closest I have ever sat to the stage at a venue as large as this. I equate this with flying business class instead of cattle class; will I ever be able to go to another gig now that I have been spoilt with these great seats?
Interestingly, as good as the seats were, there were also a few downsides to sitting so close at such a large venue. Sure, you get to see and smell the band by being so close, but you also lose the sense of enormity of the venue. This makes the concert a lot less epic in nature, and although it almost felt like a private show being played in my living room, there's a real sense of excitement in looking at the stage from afar and taking it all in.
Augie March (one of my favourite bands) played support. It was probably about the 10th time I've seen them live, and they played a solid set, even though the excitement of seeing them live has long since passed. Frontman Glenn Richards wasn't quite into it, excusing himself by saying that he wasn't very well and felt like he was going to be sick.
Crowded House took to the stage shortly after, opening the gig with the superb Private universe from their (IMHO) best album Together alone from 1993, which was their swansong from the original line-up. While there is no denying that it is one of their best songs, I don't think it really worked well as an opener. They rocked it up a little bit from the album version, and I'm sure it would have worked better as a lighter-waving ballad at the tail end of the gig.
The rest of the set uncovered a few small surprises -- Whispers and moans from Woodface (one of my favourite CH cuts) was great to hear even if it didn't quite reach the heights of the version on the live album, and the epic Hole in the river from their eponymous debut sounded really good live. They covered a good cross-section of their first 4 albums; interestingly, 2nd album Temple of low men was under-represented with only 2 songs. They also played about half of their new album Time on earth. The sigh was the most surprising inclusion from this album, and it worked really well live.
I'll admit that I was feeling slightly disappointed as the first set came to a close; Don't dream it's over had come too early in the set, and I was expecting it to be the lighter-waving closer just as it had been at their original farewell gig at Sydney Opera House in 1996. Also, many of their classic hits had yet to be played, and I was wondering whether I was going to hear them.
Luckily, the 2 encores changed all of that. All the hits came out one after another, and it was a joy to behold. Neil had everyone stand up for Distant sun, which is still in my top 5 Crowded House songs and possibility a perfectly written song. For the rest of the set, we were all boogeying like it was 1996. World where you live, Something so strong, Weather with you, Fingers of love, Locked out...the hits kept on comin'. Neil poignantly had the house lights turned down, with only a single lamp illuminating the stage, and dedicated Four seasons in one day to the late Paul Hester, the Melbourne man. They closed with Better be home soon, which closed Temple of low men, and is one of their most well loved songs.
Crowded House are a band that demand respect, and they are one of the few bands where people from all walks of life, with different tastes in music, can find common ground. They have a formidable catalogue of classic songs, and it would be asking too much for them to play all of my favourites. It would have been good to hear Sister madly, which goes off in a live setting. Or perhaps Not the girl you think you are, a song released only on their best-of compilation Recurring dream. I also read that they played the Hester-penned Italian plastic in Sydney, which would have been great to hear as an alternate tribute to him.
In the end, it's just splitting hairs. The fact of the matter is, Crowded House are the sort of band where I can play their entire catalogue on shuffle on my iPod, and the first 10 songs that come up will most likely be classics. They are one of the great bands of our generation, and I'm just glad I got to see them live.
And now for the inevitable bootleg media:
A few shots of Crowded House in action.
Greyhounds who came on stage at the start of the 2nd encore. This was to raise awareness for greyhound adoption programs.
Many greyhounds are put down yearly when they are too old to race anymore.
Many greyhounds are put down yearly when they are too old to race anymore.
Farewell to the world - Take 2?
Glenn Richards from support band Augie March.
Crowded House performing "Whispers and moans".
Crowded House performing "She called up".
Support act Augie March performing "There is no such place".
* sic
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Stylus Magazine is closing!
Just a quick note that my favourite music review website, Stylus Magazine, is ceasing publishing from today (31st October 2007).
This is a very sad day for me. I am an avid reader of online music publications, and Stylus Magazine has always stood out from the crowd. Their website had a real sense of community about it, with the comments section (for each article) allowing everyone to have their say. While this was sometimes to the detriment of the site when some flame wars were flared up (sometimes amusingly), it always separated them from their peers like Pitchfork Media.
But it was probably their features sections which made them my website of choice. Staff Top Ten, Playing God, On First Listen, On Second Thought...these sections were Stylus inventions and they always made fascinating reads. Stylus Magazine has been one of the major reasons why I have such a passion for music, and was also probably the biggest influence on this blog (which I'll admit has been kind've quiet lately).
I'll miss you guys! I'm looking forward to a great spinoff website from some of your very talented writers (my favourite being the fascinating Nick Southall, but I'm also a fan of Ian Mathers' work). I'm hoping all of the great Stylus articles are archived somewhere for prosperity, but we can always resort to the Internet Archive I guess.
And just to show that I'm not just jumping on the Stylus Magazine bandwagon now that they are closing down, here's a blog post from over 3 years ago where I named them as one of my favourite music websites.
This is a very sad day for me. I am an avid reader of online music publications, and Stylus Magazine has always stood out from the crowd. Their website had a real sense of community about it, with the comments section (for each article) allowing everyone to have their say. While this was sometimes to the detriment of the site when some flame wars were flared up (sometimes amusingly), it always separated them from their peers like Pitchfork Media.
But it was probably their features sections which made them my website of choice. Staff Top Ten, Playing God, On First Listen, On Second Thought...these sections were Stylus inventions and they always made fascinating reads. Stylus Magazine has been one of the major reasons why I have such a passion for music, and was also probably the biggest influence on this blog (which I'll admit has been kind've quiet lately).
I'll miss you guys! I'm looking forward to a great spinoff website from some of your very talented writers (my favourite being the fascinating Nick Southall, but I'm also a fan of Ian Mathers' work). I'm hoping all of the great Stylus articles are archived somewhere for prosperity, but we can always resort to the Internet Archive I guess.
And just to show that I'm not just jumping on the Stylus Magazine bandwagon now that they are closing down, here's a blog post from over 3 years ago where I named them as one of my favourite music websites.
Thursday, 11 October 2007
Radiohead - "In Rainbows"
Got hold of the new album In rainbows last night. This is a huge musical event -- the internet is buzzing with excitement that only a band like Radiohead can generate. Do a blog search for the album name, and you'll see blog posts and comments pouring in from all around the globe.
One listen through and it sounds very promising. It's hard to pick standout tracks at this stage, and I'm sure it will need about 3-4 listens before I can comment on the album as a whole. I guess the track which stood out for me on first listen was the haunting ballad Faust arp, which has a great cello (I think?) part throughout. Despite sounding like a cousin to I will (from 2003's Hail to the thief), it also sounds unlike anything they have ever released.
The album starts out with an Amnesiac-esque burst of electronica, which I'll admit did get me a little worried; I can now safely say this is probably their least electronic album since OK computer. Not to say it's a retread to more guitar-based territory, just that the experiments of the last few albums (Backdrifts, The gloaming, Pulk/pull revolving doors) seem to have been toned down in favour of actual songs.
I must admit that I cheated a little bit with the album - last week I previewed live versions of these songs which were available on this website. I was in two minds about doing this; I didn't want to ruin the experience of hearing these tracks for the first time, but at the same time I just had to hear them. I can now say (after listening through In rainbows once) that they really fleshed out these songs in the studio, and my first listen of the album proper wasn't tarnished at all by previewing the live versions first.
A lot of people are complaining that the pre-release (digital) version of the album was available only in 160kbps (albeit DRM-free) MP3. This doesn't bother me one bit, as this is the bitrate that I rip my music at anyway. It's also much better than the 128kbps DRM versions that you get on iTunes.
Oh, and how much did I pay? Knowing full well that I will purchase the official CD when it becomes available (tentatively scheduled for January 2008), I paid £1 for the pre-release digital version of the album. With the 45p transaction fee, this added up to $3.41 AUD. I don't feel guilty about this at all; I will purchase this album when it comes out on CD, as I always do. I am generally against paying for digital downloads; I like having the artwork and I also like having something tangible, which also works well if I decide I don't like something and want to sell it on eBay. Paying $16 (or whatever you pay on iTunes thesedays) for a digital version of an album is just ridiculous when I can usually buy the real CD, DRM-free and with artwork, for about the same price (or cheaper). And for an album that's been out for longer than 6 months, I can almost always find it on eBay for around the $10 mark.
One listen through and it sounds very promising. It's hard to pick standout tracks at this stage, and I'm sure it will need about 3-4 listens before I can comment on the album as a whole. I guess the track which stood out for me on first listen was the haunting ballad Faust arp, which has a great cello (I think?) part throughout. Despite sounding like a cousin to I will (from 2003's Hail to the thief), it also sounds unlike anything they have ever released.
The album starts out with an Amnesiac-esque burst of electronica, which I'll admit did get me a little worried; I can now safely say this is probably their least electronic album since OK computer. Not to say it's a retread to more guitar-based territory, just that the experiments of the last few albums (Backdrifts, The gloaming, Pulk/pull revolving doors) seem to have been toned down in favour of actual songs.
I must admit that I cheated a little bit with the album - last week I previewed live versions of these songs which were available on this website. I was in two minds about doing this; I didn't want to ruin the experience of hearing these tracks for the first time, but at the same time I just had to hear them. I can now say (after listening through In rainbows once) that they really fleshed out these songs in the studio, and my first listen of the album proper wasn't tarnished at all by previewing the live versions first.
A lot of people are complaining that the pre-release (digital) version of the album was available only in 160kbps (albeit DRM-free) MP3. This doesn't bother me one bit, as this is the bitrate that I rip my music at anyway. It's also much better than the 128kbps DRM versions that you get on iTunes.
Oh, and how much did I pay? Knowing full well that I will purchase the official CD when it becomes available (tentatively scheduled for January 2008), I paid £1 for the pre-release digital version of the album. With the 45p transaction fee, this added up to $3.41 AUD. I don't feel guilty about this at all; I will purchase this album when it comes out on CD, as I always do. I am generally against paying for digital downloads; I like having the artwork and I also like having something tangible, which also works well if I decide I don't like something and want to sell it on eBay. Paying $16 (or whatever you pay on iTunes thesedays) for a digital version of an album is just ridiculous when I can usually buy the real CD, DRM-free and with artwork, for about the same price (or cheaper). And for an album that's been out for longer than 6 months, I can almost always find it on eBay for around the $10 mark.
Monday, 1 October 2007
New Radiohead album!
Many music fans (myself included) were punk'd on the weekend when this website featured a ticking clock countdown, hinting that Radiohead LP7 was being released after the time expired (sometime on Sunday here in Australia). Salivating fans who visited this site quickly learned that it was, sadly, a hoax.
But now, in a new twist, Jonny Greenwood posted this on the official Radiohead blog. It looks like this one is for real!
They are releasing the album (called In rainbows) as a digital download on October 10th, where you get to pre-order it and specify the price you'd like to pay for it. Let me repeat that. You name the price you are willing to pay. For old-fashioned types (like me) who want the real CD, it's being released in December.
These guys are freakin' legends. Every album that have released since OK computer has been an exciting event, and they have really outdone themselves here. What they have done here is spit in the face of the corporate money-grabbing record labels, and in true genius have also helped to deal with illegal BitTorrent leaks by essentially releasing it for free anyway. They have brought the black market into the mainstream. Sure, there will be a minority who will put down $0 as the price they would like to pay, but they have such a dedicated fanbase, that this is a move that will surely pay off for them.
Radiohead truly are the Beatles of our generation, not only in their immense talent, but in their ability to drum up excitement with every album release. I'm sure being alive in 1967 when Sgt Peppers came out would have been very exciting, but in my life, Radiohead will have to play that part for me.
Let's hope the music lives up to the great marketing and PR job ;-)
But now, in a new twist, Jonny Greenwood posted this on the official Radiohead blog. It looks like this one is for real!
They are releasing the album (called In rainbows) as a digital download on October 10th, where you get to pre-order it and specify the price you'd like to pay for it. Let me repeat that. You name the price you are willing to pay. For old-fashioned types (like me) who want the real CD, it's being released in December.
These guys are freakin' legends. Every album that have released since OK computer has been an exciting event, and they have really outdone themselves here. What they have done here is spit in the face of the corporate money-grabbing record labels, and in true genius have also helped to deal with illegal BitTorrent leaks by essentially releasing it for free anyway. They have brought the black market into the mainstream. Sure, there will be a minority who will put down $0 as the price they would like to pay, but they have such a dedicated fanbase, that this is a move that will surely pay off for them.
Radiohead truly are the Beatles of our generation, not only in their immense talent, but in their ability to drum up excitement with every album release. I'm sure being alive in 1967 when Sgt Peppers came out would have been very exciting, but in my life, Radiohead will have to play that part for me.
Let's hope the music lives up to the great marketing and PR job ;-)
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
Something For Kate gig [7th September 2007 @ The Forum]
On Friday night, Melbourne band Something For Kate played an excellent set covering the first 12 years of their discography at the superb Forum venue on Flinders Street. The gig coincided with the release of their latest best-of double-album The Murmur Years; the title references their Sony subsidiary record label Murmur, while also being a sly nod to the similarly titled R.E.M. best-of The I.R.S. Years, a band whose debut (and arguably best) album was itself entitled Murmur. Get it?
The gig started with frontman Paul Dempsey performing a solo acoustic version of Impossible, from their 2006 album Desert lights. This wasn't a track that had really stood out for me on Desert lights (which was not one of my favourite albums of 2006), but the track really grabbed me live and hearing it in this setting (and also as an acoustic number) gave me a renewed appreciation of it. It's always good when a live version of a song allows you to appreciate it in ways that you hadn't before.
The rest of the band took to the stage shortly after, and performed for a solid 90 minutes covering a good cross-section of their first five albums, from Elsewhere for 8 minutes (1997) through to Desert lights (2006) (although 2003's underrated The official fiction was a bit under-represented with only Deja vu making the cut).
They also threw in a couple of covers, and while this itself wasn't surprising (they have never been shy of a few well-placed covers during a show), the selection of covers were pleasantly surprising. They did a great version of the Elliott Smith classic Waltz #2 (XO), with the piano/guitar riff of the original performed on violin by touring 2nd guitarist/multi instrumentalist Phillip 'Pip' Branson. Credit has to go to the late Smith for writing such a fantastic song, but the band certainly did the song justice. It was the second time I had seen Paul Dempsey perform an Elliott Smith song live, the other being the stripped-down Needle in the hay at an Elliott Smith tribute gig at the Corner Hotel in late 2004. He must be a fan, and has therefore earned even more respect from me.
The band also covered the excellent Cold Chisel cut When the war is over, but this didn't work quite as well as the Elliott Smith number. In terms of SFK song selection (after all, this was an SFK gig ;)), the highlights for me included a great version of Pinstripe from Elsewhere, The Astronaut (from their excellent 2nd album Beautiful sharks and one of my favourite SFK cuts) and the slow-building epic Back to you from the same album.
The ended the gig with an encore of two of their absolute classics: Monsters from 2001's Echolalia and Captain (million miles an hour) from Elsewhere. All in all, an enjoyable (and thanks to the new anti-smoking laws, smoke-free) gig from these great Melbournians.
Here are some videos I took:
Paul Dempsey playing 'The astronaut'. I think the people in front of me were high on something because they couldn't stand still, hence the hands constantly waving in front of me, obscuring my vision.
The 'Waltz #2' Elliott Smith cover. This video cuts out before the end of the song, as my camera ran out of memory. The focus also wasn't very good on this one.
Friday, 13 July 2007
Top 10 consistently overrated albums
As you may have established if you have been a reader of this blog, I am a list-o-holic. I love reading lists. I love writing lists. I love lists.
And "best albums of all time" (and all its variations) is one of my favourite types of lists. I recently purchased the book 1001 albums you must hear before you die. This makes 3 oversized books in my possession which are all completely dedicated to discussing great albums and lots of them.
As the year comes to an end, I quiver in anticipation awaiting the top albums of the year lists from Pitchfork, Stylus Magazine, PopMatters and all the other music websites that I read regularly.
Because I quite regularly read top album lists, I am constantly exposed to entries in these lists which baffle me. Sometimes the lists include an album by an artist who has done so much better on another album which doesn't even get a mention. Sometimes the albums in question are simply not representative of the artist or band's best work. In some cases, they are simply mediocre albums.
Here is my top ten list of the most consistently overrated albums.
10. Neil Young - Harvest (1972)
This is Neil Young's most commercially popular album, spawning a few hits with the title track, Heart of gold and Old man. It's an extremely consistent country-folk album which sounds like lots of music that came out of the States and Canada in the early 70's.
Would I call this his best album? Well, it's certainly his most polished and maybe even one of his most consistent. But this album doesn't represent what Neil is about, and it can very easily give the wrong impression about the man. This is MOR all the way, and Neil Young was famously quoted as saying "traveling [down the middle of the road] was really boring so I headed for the ditch." Nobody has summed up their career as well as Neil did here. Some of his other albums from the mid-late 70's, including the raw/bluesy Tonight's the night and semi-live Rust never sleeps defined his work so much better.
Buy instead: On the beach (1974), Tonight's the night (1975), Rust never sleeps (1979)
9. The Who - Who's Next? (1971)
Old-skool rockers will flame me for this one. Let me get this straight from the start -- this album does have its fair share of classics on it. I love Baba O'Riley, Won't Get Fooled Again and Behind Blue Eyes as much as the next guy.
But I still think its overrated. Those 3 classics make up about 40% of the album's running time, and while there are some other really good songs (John Entwhistle's My wife always amuses me, and it's got a great tune), the entire album doesn't completely gel with me. There's something about it I can't quite put my finger on, but I think it feels too calculated, too custom-made for stadiums. I prefer my music with more of a personal touch, and I would recommend the underrated The who by numbers as the better Who album. It's almost a singer-songwriter album, and Pete Townshend's lyrics steal the show.
Buy instead: The Who By Numbers (1975)
8. The Jam - Sound Affects (1980)
Frontman Paul Weller names this as his favourite Jam record and I just don't get it. It's certainly their most 60's sounding album, where they really embraced their Beatles influence and strayed away from their punk roots. And while it does have its fair share of classics (That's entertainment, the Taxman-ripping Start!, the Kinks tribute Man in the corner shop) there's also a helluva lotta filler (Music for the last couple, anyone?)
All mod cons is also considered one of their best albums, and for me it will always be their definitive statement (how could any album that ends with Down in the tube station at midnight fail?). I'd also pick Setting sons as another very solid Jam album, even if it does have a small amount of filler itself.
Buy instead: All Mod Cons (1978), Setting Sons (1979)
7. Big Star - #1 Record (1972)
Hopefully these guys (well, what is left of them) will get some overdue recognition soon. They are one of the most popular "cult" bands of all time (was that an oxymoron?). While The Who, Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones were knocking off blues riffs in the early 70's, Big Star were practically inventing power pop. They influenced bands and artists like R.E.M., The Feelies and Matthew Sweet, and in their 3 original albums they have left an outstanding legacy.
This, their debut album, contains its fair share of classics including the stunning The ballad of El Goodo (still possibly my favourite Big Star song) and gorgeous Thirteen (covered by Elliott Smith, Wilco and countless others). Excellent moments aside, there is way too much filler on this album to make it a solid listen all the way through (especially on the second half). Their 2nd album Radio city (without founding member Chris Bell, as he had left the band by this point) is a much more consistent album overall; their 3rd album Third/sister lovers is a tortured masterpiece which needs to be heard by as many people as possible. I haven't heard their reunion album In space, but from what I have read it is best avoided.
Buy instead: Radio City (1974), Third/Sister Lovers (1975)
6. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (1971)
The four albums the Stones released between 1968 and 1972 are all excellent in their own way. Sticky Fingers is usually the album which gets named as their definitive release. Like its predecessors Beggars Banquet and Let it bleed, it has its fair share of Stones classics (Brown sugar, Wild horses, Dead flowers). But it's also got Bitch, which never really did a lot for me (despite a great riff) and You gotta move is just a cover gone wrong.
My vote for the best Stones album is its successor Exile on Main St. The production is murky and there's lots of filler. But wait a second, I just bagged Sticky fingers due to a few filler tracks! That's true, but the filler on Exile on Main St just works. It's good filler. It's a double album (well, on vinyl anyway). Like many double albums, the filler adds to the the charm. And it's got that unbelievable vibe to it. Just trust me on this one, this is their definitive statement.
Buy instead: Exile on Main St. (1972)
5. The White Stripes - Elephant (2003)
Yeah look, I have never really understood how the White Stripes still manage to consistently get such critical acclaim each time they release an album. This one baffled me the most, with many critics calling it the best album of 2003. I just don't get it. It's got Seven nation army, and that's a great song. Ball and biscuit is a pretty good, albeit derivative blues number. Hypnotize is a great rocker that doesn't outstay its welcome. But there's some songs that I could quite happily not hear for a long time. Why are critics (and fans) constantly raving about There's no home for you here? I find it just annoying.
Interestingly enough, I like the album that they released prior to this (White blood cells). Maybe it's because they took the time to write some really good tunes rather than just knock off boring blues riffs. And maybe it's because they were yet to hit the big time and their egos didn't get in the way of creating great music.
Buy instead: White Blood Cells (2001)
4. Beck - Odelay (1996)
Multi-layered. Textured. Seminal. Patchwork quilt. Masterpiece. These words and more have been used to describe Beck's apparent magnum opus Odelay. What these reviewers fail to mention is that Derelict is just an annoying song, Novacane is just a shout-fest, and what's this crap about rockin' the catskills? No thanks. There are some excellent moments on this album, including the folky Jack-ass, hip-hop influenced Where's it at? and almost-title track Lord only knows. But does it all work? Not quite.
The sober break-up album Sea Change is simply stunning; he couldn't really get more different from Odelay if he tried.
Buy instead: Sea Change (2002), Mutations (1998)
3. U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)
Bloody Joshua Tree. Bloody top-loaded Joshua Tree. Just look at those first three songs - Where the streets have no name, I still haven't found what I'm looking for and With or without you. That's tracks 1-3 for you. Have you ever seen a more shameless attempt at selling records than that? Kid goes into store in 1987, picks up Joshua Tree. Hey, I know track 1. Wait, I know track 2 as well. Wait a minute...track 3! Sold!
Those 3 were top-loaded to make this album sell. The fact they they are some of the most overplayed U2 songs on the radio doesn't help this album's cause either. You turn on Gold 104.3 and there's a pretty good chance you'll hear one of them within an hour. They have lost any emotional power they may have once carried through over-familiarity. What about the rest of the album? Well, there's some good songs on it. But there's also some merely okay ones on it as well. Let's leave it at that.
Achtung baby also has a lot of U2 classics on it, but they really changed their direction on this album, going for a more industrial/dance sound. All you can't leave behind was their "return to form" album after they went all experimental in the mid-90's; some songs may eventually be killed by overplay here, but at the moment I consider it a very solid album.
Buy instead: Achtung baby (1991), All that you can't leave behind (2000)
2. The Beatles - Revolver (1966)
This is a fantastic album by the greatest band of all time. The only reasons I am including it in this list are:
a) It is considered by many to be the best Beatles album;
b) It is considered by many to be the best album of all time;
c) The word "perfect" is often thrown around when discussing this album.
I'm sorry, but any album that has Yellow submarine, Doctor Robert, I want to tell you or Love you to can't possibly be praised as the best album of all time. Not that those songs aren't good in their own ways; I can appreciate the sonic innovations they introduced to popular music, but some of them just aren't that great. Maybe if I was alive in 1966 to hear this album for the first time, my opinion would differ.
Buy instead: Rubber Soul (1965), The Beatles (1968), Abbey Road (1969)
1. R.E.M. - Document (1987)
This was their last independent release on the I.R.S. label before they jumped on board to Warner Brothers. Why did they get a major label deal? Four words - The one I love. And to a lesser degree, It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine).
With the exception of those songs, and the jangly guitar gem Welcome to the occupation, this album offers nothing to me. I don't like the tunes. I don't like Michael Stipe's whiney vocals. And now that I can hear the lyrics, they don't particularly impress me either.
R.E.M. released 4 excellent albums prior to this one, with their debut Murmur being a masterpiece and still their best album. After Document, they released a few hit-and-miss major label albums with Green and Out of time before they recovered with the stunning Automatic for the people and the late-career gem New adventures in hi-fi.
Document stands out in their catalogue as the only time they were able to extend a double A-side over the course of a 40 minute album by padding it with as much filler as possible.
Buy instead: Murmur (1983), Automatic For The People (1992), New Adventures In Hi-Fi (1996)
And "best albums of all time" (and all its variations) is one of my favourite types of lists. I recently purchased the book 1001 albums you must hear before you die. This makes 3 oversized books in my possession which are all completely dedicated to discussing great albums and lots of them.
As the year comes to an end, I quiver in anticipation awaiting the top albums of the year lists from Pitchfork, Stylus Magazine, PopMatters and all the other music websites that I read regularly.
Because I quite regularly read top album lists, I am constantly exposed to entries in these lists which baffle me. Sometimes the lists include an album by an artist who has done so much better on another album which doesn't even get a mention. Sometimes the albums in question are simply not representative of the artist or band's best work. In some cases, they are simply mediocre albums.
Here is my top ten list of the most consistently overrated albums.
10. Neil Young - Harvest (1972)
This is Neil Young's most commercially popular album, spawning a few hits with the title track, Heart of gold and Old man. It's an extremely consistent country-folk album which sounds like lots of music that came out of the States and Canada in the early 70's.
Would I call this his best album? Well, it's certainly his most polished and maybe even one of his most consistent. But this album doesn't represent what Neil is about, and it can very easily give the wrong impression about the man. This is MOR all the way, and Neil Young was famously quoted as saying "traveling [down the middle of the road] was really boring so I headed for the ditch." Nobody has summed up their career as well as Neil did here. Some of his other albums from the mid-late 70's, including the raw/bluesy Tonight's the night and semi-live Rust never sleeps defined his work so much better.
Buy instead: On the beach (1974), Tonight's the night (1975), Rust never sleeps (1979)
9. The Who - Who's Next? (1971)
Old-skool rockers will flame me for this one. Let me get this straight from the start -- this album does have its fair share of classics on it. I love Baba O'Riley, Won't Get Fooled Again and Behind Blue Eyes as much as the next guy.
But I still think its overrated. Those 3 classics make up about 40% of the album's running time, and while there are some other really good songs (John Entwhistle's My wife always amuses me, and it's got a great tune), the entire album doesn't completely gel with me. There's something about it I can't quite put my finger on, but I think it feels too calculated, too custom-made for stadiums. I prefer my music with more of a personal touch, and I would recommend the underrated The who by numbers as the better Who album. It's almost a singer-songwriter album, and Pete Townshend's lyrics steal the show.
Buy instead: The Who By Numbers (1975)
8. The Jam - Sound Affects (1980)
Frontman Paul Weller names this as his favourite Jam record and I just don't get it. It's certainly their most 60's sounding album, where they really embraced their Beatles influence and strayed away from their punk roots. And while it does have its fair share of classics (That's entertainment, the Taxman-ripping Start!, the Kinks tribute Man in the corner shop) there's also a helluva lotta filler (Music for the last couple, anyone?)
All mod cons is also considered one of their best albums, and for me it will always be their definitive statement (how could any album that ends with Down in the tube station at midnight fail?). I'd also pick Setting sons as another very solid Jam album, even if it does have a small amount of filler itself.
Buy instead: All Mod Cons (1978), Setting Sons (1979)
7. Big Star - #1 Record (1972)
Hopefully these guys (well, what is left of them) will get some overdue recognition soon. They are one of the most popular "cult" bands of all time (was that an oxymoron?). While The Who, Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones were knocking off blues riffs in the early 70's, Big Star were practically inventing power pop. They influenced bands and artists like R.E.M., The Feelies and Matthew Sweet, and in their 3 original albums they have left an outstanding legacy.
This, their debut album, contains its fair share of classics including the stunning The ballad of El Goodo (still possibly my favourite Big Star song) and gorgeous Thirteen (covered by Elliott Smith, Wilco and countless others). Excellent moments aside, there is way too much filler on this album to make it a solid listen all the way through (especially on the second half). Their 2nd album Radio city (without founding member Chris Bell, as he had left the band by this point) is a much more consistent album overall; their 3rd album Third/sister lovers is a tortured masterpiece which needs to be heard by as many people as possible. I haven't heard their reunion album In space, but from what I have read it is best avoided.
Buy instead: Radio City (1974), Third/Sister Lovers (1975)
6. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (1971)
The four albums the Stones released between 1968 and 1972 are all excellent in their own way. Sticky Fingers is usually the album which gets named as their definitive release. Like its predecessors Beggars Banquet and Let it bleed, it has its fair share of Stones classics (Brown sugar, Wild horses, Dead flowers). But it's also got Bitch, which never really did a lot for me (despite a great riff) and You gotta move is just a cover gone wrong.
My vote for the best Stones album is its successor Exile on Main St. The production is murky and there's lots of filler. But wait a second, I just bagged Sticky fingers due to a few filler tracks! That's true, but the filler on Exile on Main St just works. It's good filler. It's a double album (well, on vinyl anyway). Like many double albums, the filler adds to the the charm. And it's got that unbelievable vibe to it. Just trust me on this one, this is their definitive statement.
Buy instead: Exile on Main St. (1972)
5. The White Stripes - Elephant (2003)
Yeah look, I have never really understood how the White Stripes still manage to consistently get such critical acclaim each time they release an album. This one baffled me the most, with many critics calling it the best album of 2003. I just don't get it. It's got Seven nation army, and that's a great song. Ball and biscuit is a pretty good, albeit derivative blues number. Hypnotize is a great rocker that doesn't outstay its welcome. But there's some songs that I could quite happily not hear for a long time. Why are critics (and fans) constantly raving about There's no home for you here? I find it just annoying.
Interestingly enough, I like the album that they released prior to this (White blood cells). Maybe it's because they took the time to write some really good tunes rather than just knock off boring blues riffs. And maybe it's because they were yet to hit the big time and their egos didn't get in the way of creating great music.
Buy instead: White Blood Cells (2001)
4. Beck - Odelay (1996)
Multi-layered. Textured. Seminal. Patchwork quilt. Masterpiece. These words and more have been used to describe Beck's apparent magnum opus Odelay. What these reviewers fail to mention is that Derelict is just an annoying song, Novacane is just a shout-fest, and what's this crap about rockin' the catskills? No thanks. There are some excellent moments on this album, including the folky Jack-ass, hip-hop influenced Where's it at? and almost-title track Lord only knows. But does it all work? Not quite.
The sober break-up album Sea Change is simply stunning; he couldn't really get more different from Odelay if he tried.
Buy instead: Sea Change (2002), Mutations (1998)
3. U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)
Bloody Joshua Tree. Bloody top-loaded Joshua Tree. Just look at those first three songs - Where the streets have no name, I still haven't found what I'm looking for and With or without you. That's tracks 1-3 for you. Have you ever seen a more shameless attempt at selling records than that? Kid goes into store in 1987, picks up Joshua Tree. Hey, I know track 1. Wait, I know track 2 as well. Wait a minute...track 3! Sold!
Those 3 were top-loaded to make this album sell. The fact they they are some of the most overplayed U2 songs on the radio doesn't help this album's cause either. You turn on Gold 104.3 and there's a pretty good chance you'll hear one of them within an hour. They have lost any emotional power they may have once carried through over-familiarity. What about the rest of the album? Well, there's some good songs on it. But there's also some merely okay ones on it as well. Let's leave it at that.
Achtung baby also has a lot of U2 classics on it, but they really changed their direction on this album, going for a more industrial/dance sound. All you can't leave behind was their "return to form" album after they went all experimental in the mid-90's; some songs may eventually be killed by overplay here, but at the moment I consider it a very solid album.
Buy instead: Achtung baby (1991), All that you can't leave behind (2000)
2. The Beatles - Revolver (1966)
This is a fantastic album by the greatest band of all time. The only reasons I am including it in this list are:
a) It is considered by many to be the best Beatles album;
b) It is considered by many to be the best album of all time;
c) The word "perfect" is often thrown around when discussing this album.
I'm sorry, but any album that has Yellow submarine, Doctor Robert, I want to tell you or Love you to can't possibly be praised as the best album of all time. Not that those songs aren't good in their own ways; I can appreciate the sonic innovations they introduced to popular music, but some of them just aren't that great. Maybe if I was alive in 1966 to hear this album for the first time, my opinion would differ.
Buy instead: Rubber Soul (1965), The Beatles (1968), Abbey Road (1969)
1. R.E.M. - Document (1987)
This was their last independent release on the I.R.S. label before they jumped on board to Warner Brothers. Why did they get a major label deal? Four words - The one I love. And to a lesser degree, It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine).
With the exception of those songs, and the jangly guitar gem Welcome to the occupation, this album offers nothing to me. I don't like the tunes. I don't like Michael Stipe's whiney vocals. And now that I can hear the lyrics, they don't particularly impress me either.
R.E.M. released 4 excellent albums prior to this one, with their debut Murmur being a masterpiece and still their best album. After Document, they released a few hit-and-miss major label albums with Green and Out of time before they recovered with the stunning Automatic for the people and the late-career gem New adventures in hi-fi.
Document stands out in their catalogue as the only time they were able to extend a double A-side over the course of a 40 minute album by padding it with as much filler as possible.
Buy instead: Murmur (1983), Automatic For The People (1992), New Adventures In Hi-Fi (1996)
Monday, 4 June 2007
Eye fillets #001
I have a playlist on my iPod called Eye fillets, which has all of my 5-star rated songs in it (geddit...choice cuts?). There are currently 301 songs in this playlist, from a total library of approximately 13,000 songs. That's about 2% of my collection* which I consider to be prime quality, and worth paying $34.99 / kilo for. Okay, that's enough meat analogies for now...
* NB: I am continually adding songs to this playlist as I see fit, so more may appear in the future!
This is the first entry in a new type of post which I like to call Eye fillets. This is a similar idea to the random mixtape post, except for the following:
Suede - The asphalt world [Link removed]
This is the penultimate track from Suede's superb 1994 album Dog man star. It's pretentious, epic and utterly brilliant. Many people look back on Suede as a has-been Britpop band, and they did eventually become that. But DMS was and still is an excellent album, an excellent artifact from the Britpop era that was different to everything else being released at the time, and has aged much better because of this. This song is one of its finest moments, a Bowie influenced epic which feels a lot shorter than its 9:25 running time. I have always said to myself that if I was ever going to make a movie, this song would have to feature in its soundtrack.
Elvis Costello - The beat [Link removed]
Elvis Costello's 2nd album (and first with the Attractions) This year's model was one of the first albums of his that I purchased, and is still my favourite album by the man. This is him at his punkiest; while the classics Pump it up and (I don't want to go to) Chelsea make up the core of the album, minor nuggets like this one made me realise that he was a songwriter to be reckoned with. This is a brilliant toe-tapping tune which for many lesser artists would be a hit, but for Elvis was merely tucked away as a lost album track.
Al Green - Let's stay together [Link removed]
Sentimental value here, as this is "our song" for Lorin (my wife) and me. In fact, this was the song we [tried to] dance to for our bridal waltz at our wedding. Most people will know it, as it was on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece Pulp fiction. A beautiful song.
The Jam - Down in the tube station at midnight [Link removed]
Now here is a real eye fillet - possibly one of my favourite songs of all time. This is the final song on their excellent album All mod cons from 1978; a good decision, as nothing could really top it. The bassline at the start sets the urgency, and then Paul Weller sings a chilling tale about a bunch of skinhead thugs beating up a helpless Pakistani man who had bought a "take-away curry" and was bringing it back home to his wife. The song still gives me chills, from a lyrical and musical standpoint.
When I was in London last year, I was actually down in the tube station at midnight. I didn't listen to the song on my iPod at the time (it probably wasn't the best place or time to bring out expensive electronics), but I did give All mod cons a listen while walking around London a few days later. A potently powerful song.
Neil Young - Powderfinger [Link removed]
A song so good it inspired a band name (I wish I could say the same about the song Radio head by Talking Heads, but that is the topic of another thread. Or a band as mediocre as Pretty girls make graves stealing a great Smiths song title. Okay, enough now.)
This is one of my favourite Neil Young songs. Opening up the "electric" side of Rust never sleeps, this song has some of the Mr. Young's finest axe work. It's catchy, it rocks and it seems to have something deep to say lyrically (although, not really being a lyrics person, I have yet to interpret them). Great song.
UPDATE: Song links removed.
* NB: I am continually adding songs to this playlist as I see fit, so more may appear in the future!
This is the first entry in a new type of post which I like to call Eye fillets. This is a similar idea to the random mixtape post, except for the following:
- The tracks chosen will all come from my Eye fillets playlist;
- I will only choose 5 tracks instead of 10;
- I will post temporary MP3s of each song so you can listen and enjoy.
Suede - The asphalt world [Link removed]
This is the penultimate track from Suede's superb 1994 album Dog man star. It's pretentious, epic and utterly brilliant. Many people look back on Suede as a has-been Britpop band, and they did eventually become that. But DMS was and still is an excellent album, an excellent artifact from the Britpop era that was different to everything else being released at the time, and has aged much better because of this. This song is one of its finest moments, a Bowie influenced epic which feels a lot shorter than its 9:25 running time. I have always said to myself that if I was ever going to make a movie, this song would have to feature in its soundtrack.
Elvis Costello - The beat [Link removed]
Elvis Costello's 2nd album (and first with the Attractions) This year's model was one of the first albums of his that I purchased, and is still my favourite album by the man. This is him at his punkiest; while the classics Pump it up and (I don't want to go to) Chelsea make up the core of the album, minor nuggets like this one made me realise that he was a songwriter to be reckoned with. This is a brilliant toe-tapping tune which for many lesser artists would be a hit, but for Elvis was merely tucked away as a lost album track.
Al Green - Let's stay together [Link removed]
Sentimental value here, as this is "our song" for Lorin (my wife) and me. In fact, this was the song we [tried to] dance to for our bridal waltz at our wedding. Most people will know it, as it was on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece Pulp fiction. A beautiful song.
The Jam - Down in the tube station at midnight [Link removed]
Now here is a real eye fillet - possibly one of my favourite songs of all time. This is the final song on their excellent album All mod cons from 1978; a good decision, as nothing could really top it. The bassline at the start sets the urgency, and then Paul Weller sings a chilling tale about a bunch of skinhead thugs beating up a helpless Pakistani man who had bought a "take-away curry" and was bringing it back home to his wife. The song still gives me chills, from a lyrical and musical standpoint.
When I was in London last year, I was actually down in the tube station at midnight. I didn't listen to the song on my iPod at the time (it probably wasn't the best place or time to bring out expensive electronics), but I did give All mod cons a listen while walking around London a few days later. A potently powerful song.
Neil Young - Powderfinger [Link removed]
A song so good it inspired a band name (I wish I could say the same about the song Radio head by Talking Heads, but that is the topic of another thread. Or a band as mediocre as Pretty girls make graves stealing a great Smiths song title. Okay, enough now.)
This is one of my favourite Neil Young songs. Opening up the "electric" side of Rust never sleeps, this song has some of the Mr. Young's finest axe work. It's catchy, it rocks and it seems to have something deep to say lyrically (although, not really being a lyrics person, I have yet to interpret them). Great song.
UPDATE: Song links removed.
Saturday, 19 May 2007
Important announcement
Hi Everyone
Just thought I would hijack the Wireless Cranium to let everyone know that tonight, Saturday May 19, sbs will be repeating the episode of Rockwiz that featured Wireless Cranium's very own Jiggy!!!
For those of you that missed it first time around, hopefully you can catch it tonight.....
Jiggy, sorry for placing a post on your blog without informing you first!!
Just thought I would hijack the Wireless Cranium to let everyone know that tonight, Saturday May 19, sbs will be repeating the episode of Rockwiz that featured Wireless Cranium's very own Jiggy!!!
For those of you that missed it first time around, hopefully you can catch it tonight.....
Jiggy, sorry for placing a post on your blog without informing you first!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
