1999 in Music

My list of reviews of music released in 1999.

1. Mr. Bungle: California (10/10)

Disco Volante is, for me, the greatest avant rock album in nearly three decades. (Or, at the very least, the greatest post-Zappa avant rock album in nearly three decades.) It’s as if Zappa kicked down the door and few people were willing to go through. And the album (and Bungle) has been surprisingly influential, now that whole horribly named “Rock against rock” thing has become a thing.

But if there was one criticism that could be leveled against Disco Volante, it was a lack of songs. Sure, there are some, but they are interspersed with “compositions” and all sorts of willfully difficult passages breaking those songs into sometimes incomprehensible pieces (or revealing that the songs are merely incomplete song fragments). Not so here.

Bungle take their musique concrete/Zappa razor and use it on pop music: on the Beach Boys, on lounge music, on Do-Wop, on Surf Music. Some of the usual influences appear (metal, world music, film music, etc.) but this time it’s as part of a record that is, at least in terms of Bungle (or the Mothers, for that matter), accessible. I don’t think there’s anything else like it.

And the interesting thing is, in our post genre world, where people borrow heavily from unrelated genres, and where so much commercial (and indie) pop music is cut and paste, this record has become oddly prescient. I doubt any of these current taste-makers have listened to this record, but somehow Bungle saw the future.

This is, in my humble and completely uninformed opinion, the greatest pop record of the 1990s. (This means nothing, as I don’t listen to ’90s pop.) An absolute masterpiece and an amazing way for them to go out.

Read my reviews of Mr. Bungle’s albums.

2. Nigel Kennedy: The Kennedy Experience (10/10)

The problem with “classical” covers of pop and rock music is that they are usually boring orchestral versions of famous pop or rock songs, where the melody is played by the orchestra so we all know what it is.

The problem with jazz covers, if there is one, is the conservatism of the ensemble: jazz covers of pop or rock music are inevitably by piano-based groups.

“Classical” musician Nigel Kennedy avoids both these pratfalls: his covers are (usually) radical interpretations of Hendrix’s music – the kind of radicalism we might associate with jazz interpretations of popular music, if this ensemble weren’t so damn weird.

But weird it is: Kennedy has assembled a bizarre ensemble of guitars, cellos, winds and a bass, backing his violin.

I guess I can understand that some people don’t like Kennedy and I can imagine that, if I knew more about the man, he might rub me the wrong way. But we shouldn’t let that influence our opinions of this music.

And what music: crazy versions of Hendrix that often are unrecognizable (at least at first listen) – Hendrix is transported to another genre, one I don’t really recognize.

This is the kind of interpretative music we should celebrate: musicians taking risks inspired by earlier musicians taking risks. It’s just great stuff.

3. Wilco: Summerteeth  (9/10)

I am a massive fan of Being There, but it’s with Summerteeth that Wilco really became perhaps the most vital of the American indie rock bands to emerge in the ’90s. (As the critics cliche goes, they’re “the American Radiohead” or something…) It’s a fundamental departure from their earlier sound, and so much more of a studio creation than anything they had previously attempted. Before this record, Wilco could still be considered (wrongly) Alt Country. Never again.

And it played a central role in the period of over a decade where they drastically redefined their sound on nearly every release. (Something that I miss from their last decade, I must say.)

All of that ignores the songs, perhaps Tweedy’s best set (or among the very best) and among the better arguments for why he should be considered one of the major American songwriters of his generation, someone who is able to incorporate rather radical musical and lyrical ideas into songs that are catchy and accessible.

This is the album where Wilco became that band you had to listen to. (Again, as much as I love Being There, I’m not sure I could convince too many people of its importance to the ’90s zeitgeist.) It’s a classic.

Read my reviews of all Wilco albums.

4. Sigur Rós: Agaetis Byrjun (9/10)

Sometime after 2005 and I wrote the following:

Sigur Rós sketch out this weird place in: is this dream pop? indie rock? post rock? Their unique [sound] is made even more unique by their invented lyrics.

This record is, to my ears, the perfect distillation of their unique sound (which could really be called Rósian, or whatever). It’s their strongest set of songs and everything after sort of feels like it never quite reaches the heights of this album.

If you’re going to introduce yourself to Sigur Rós, this is the record to do it. But it’s probably as accessible a way into Post Rock as can be imagined, as well. It’s pretty much a classic.

I do think this is the most typical Sigur Rós record and probably the best one. (Or, at least, the most accessible of their early records.) Only one song is actually in their invented language, I think, but Icelandic is still a feature that makes this hybrid dream pop/post rock band unique.

Their sound is indeed utterly distinct and this is the record to try first.

Read my reviews of albums by Sigur Rós.

5.Fantômas (9/10)

There isn’t much precedence for Fantomas’ sound on their debut to my knowledge. It’s like a more purely metal/film score version of Bungle; with hindsight we can view it as the comic book/crime movie album. It’s certainly not for everyone but I think if you’re willing to keep an open mind, it’s a peculiar take on metal that no one else has really tried. It’s more thought-provoking than most metal (not what most want in metal, I know) and it has some pretty great moments.

Read all my reviews of Fantômas albums.

6. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy: I See a Darkness (9/10)

I wrote the following in 2007, before hearing anything else he’s ever done:

There are some really great songs on here. This is my first exposure to Oldham (outside of a Cash cover) and I’m really impressed. The man can just plain write. The vibe of the whole thing (the production, the arrangements) helps too. Great record.

Oldham is a songwriter who is full of compelling melodies but not that many lyrics. Yet, with his sparse lyrics, he is often able to connect to basic human themes, themes which have been expressed in stories and songs since humans could pass them on, if not before. I don’t know what it is specifically about Oldham that works for me – I often find vagueness in lyrics to be a put off – but his songs resonate with me in ways other sparsely written songs often don’t. And, in my experience, this is the best set of them; the Will Oldham album you should listen to if you want to know what the big deal is.

7. Fiona Apple: When the Pawn… (9/10)

I just really, really like this record. Read the review of When the Pawn… Or, why not check out my reviews of all of Fiona Apple’s albums?

8. The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin (8/10)

This is the moment when the old crazy Flaming Flips are gone forever. With the exception of Zaireeka, they had been getting increasingly poppy, and increasingly less “psychedelic” – at least in the psychedelic rock sense of the term – throughout the ’90s, but this is the decisive break. Even when they have fully indulged their weirdness in the years since, they have sounded like a different band, a band where samplers, keyboards, programming and orchestration replace electric guitar noise.

But as much as I want to bemoan this change – as much as it’s a change that I don’t love to the extent that so much of the rest of their fans appear to – I certainly respect the rather ballsy change of direction. (Though they were beat to it by Mercury Rev, which is something that is basically never brought up in discussions of this record as one of the “Best of the ’90s”.)

And though I prefer the sound of the older version of the band, I can’t deny that this is good. I mean, it’s quite good. It’s elaborate and creative and relatively unique.

9. The Beta Band (8/10)

Just a bonkers debut album which is slightly too long and a little too inconsistent for me to pump up the rating to what I want to. Read the review of The Beta Band’s debut album.

10. The Dismemberment Plant: Emergency & I (8/10)

Pretty great indie rock. Read the review of Emergency & I.

11. The Dillinger Escape Plan: Calculating Infinity (8/10)

8/10 with a qualification. Read the review of Calculating Infinity. Or, why not check out all of my Dillinger Escape Plan reviews?

12. Neurosis: Times of Grace (8/10)

I like this record more than the previous one if only because it’s slightly more diverse. Read the review of Times of Grace.

13. John Paul Jones: Zooma (8/10)

This feels like it came out of nowhere as JPJ had been spending most of his post-Zeppelin career working for other musicians. It’s as good a summary of his talent (often underrated) as you’ll hear (though the sequel works as well) and, unlike the efforts of Page and Plant, it’s contemporary – it sounds like JPJ listens to and enjoys contemporary music, something that cannot be said for Jimmy Page or Robert Plant. Moreover, he’s good at this modern-sounding instrumental rock music.

As instrumental rock albums go, this is right up there.

14. Granelli: Music Has its Way with Me (8/10)

This is an audacious mixture of spoken word (posing as hip hop), turntabilism and jazz fusion. It’s certainly a brave thing for a drummer of Granelli’s age to “lead.” When I first heard it, it was the first thing I had heard of its kind and I was rather blown away. I know now that it isn’t quite as unique or forward thinking as I first thought, but it’s still unique enough, and they went down a road that not too many people (to my knowledge) have gone down.

15. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Californication (7/10)

Really well done even though it’s not really my thing. Read the review of Californication.

16. Ben Folds Five: The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner (7/10)

A compelling and relatively diverse piano rock record. Read the review of The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.

17. Kelis: Kaleidoscope (7/10)

If all ’90s R&B sounded like this, I would like ’90s R&B. Read the review or Kaleidoscope.

18. Tom Waits: Mule Variations (8/10)

A good set of songs. Read the review of Mule Variations. Or, why not check out all my reviews of Tom Waits albums?

19. Sleater-Kinney: The Hot Rock (7/10)

I like this slight change in style. Read the review of The Hot Rock.

20. Eminem: The Slim Shady LP (7?/10)

I have no idea what to do with this. Read the review of The Slim Shady LP.

21. The White Stripes (7/10)

They emerge fully formed: so much of what is distinctive about The White Stripes – and so much of what made them complete outliers in the late ’90s – is already here. But it’s less refined (perhaps that sounds odd, given the band, but it’s true) and White would grow as a songwriter. Coming at it from the future, so to speak, it’s easy to see what wasn’t quite working and what was.

Still, who made music like this in 1999? It’s refreshing, to say the least.

22. Rage Against the Machine: The Battle of Los Angeles (7/10)

In 2009, I wrote the following:

Not my thing, but I can respect it…mostly. I hear older songs in some of these ones. The formula gets repetitive. I don’t know why Morello tries to make his guitar sound like a turntable; it’s definitely unique but it comes off as a little odd, given that most of his rhythm playing is traditional.

So: like any band with a formula, the formula gets repetitive and the success of the record depends upon the songwriting. This record contains some of their best songs, as well as songs which recall some of their previous best songs a little too much.

But it is a fine example of what they sound like and why people like them. I like a little more diversity in my music.

23. Built to Spill: Keep It Like a Secret (7/10)

Not my favourite of theirs, but still appealing. Read the review of Keep It Like a Secret.

24. Bela Fleck: The Bluegrass Sessions: Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Volume 2 (7/10)

This is a nice survey of bluegrass styles – covered by the originals and the covers – featuring many of the best contemporary players.

It’s all very pleasant and enjoyable. The playing is stellar. I guess just want more out of life. Something a little more radical or thought-provoking.

Very nice music but it won’t change your mind about bluegrass or anything else.

25. Mogwai: Come On Die Young (7/10)

Pretty Standard post rock. Read the review of Come On Die Young.

26. Fred Eaglesmith: 50-Odd Dollars (7/10)

This continues the obvious alternative rock influence that was all over the previous outing. Only this time it seems Eaglesmith is consciously trying to bring back some of his country roots to mediate that alternative rock thing. The fiddle, mandolin and pedal steel are all more prominent this time out.

It adds enough of a new-old element that we don’t mind so much that this isn’t his greatest set of songs.

27. Jim Hall and Pat Metheny (7/10)

I am not a fan of Metheny, though I’ve never really given him a chance beyond his debut. But I like Hall, now that I know him. And the two fit really well. Someone made a point about how the improvisations sound as “organized” as the standards and originals, and its kind of true. And that’s very impressive. And I like that Metheny keeps switching up his instrument so it keeps things from getting too monotonous, but they do anyway.

That’s the one criticism: despite their clearly distinct styles, the whole thing manages to sound rather blah over the course of the whole disc, with a few exceptions.

It’s exceptional playing, it’s just that I’m not sure they push each other enough. They’re almost too complimentary.

28. Nine Inch Nails: The Fragile (7/10)

If anything, this is even more impressive than The Downward Spiral, in terms of the arrangements and the combination of elements that shouldn’t otherwise work. As a producer (in the sense of arranger / constructor), Reznor has few peers.

However, Reznor seems to have forgotten that other role of the producer – editor – like so many modern artists who pump out album after album of everything they have ever conceived. The producer is supposed to be an editor, and in this Reznor fails. What we get is a double album – really a triple album in LP terms, not unlike Use Your Illusion I and II or Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness from earlier in the decade – which is just way too fucking long. The legendary Bob Ezrin was brought in to sequence this but why not let him edit the whole thing down to one disc or even just an LP length double album? That way it might actually be better than its predecessor, minus the “Hurt” rewrite anyway.

29. Macy Gray: On How Life Is (7/10)

A fairly generic Neo Soul record that is transformed by Gray’s distinct voice. Read the review of On How Life Is.

30. Leo Kotke: One Guitar, No Vocals (7/10)

It feels weird to me to rave about a record that is probably just another Leo Kottke record, so I’ve tried to tone down my enthusiasm.

This is the only Kottke record I’ve ever heard but I generally love it. Sure, it is just a great guitar player playing well but there are a few rather great compositions throughout.

And if I’d get off my ass, I’d hear his early stuff and try to hear him for the first time.

31. Beck: Midnite Vultures (7/10)

Just dripping in Prince. Read the review of Midnite Vultures. Or, why not check out my reviews of all of Beck’s albums?

32. Opeth: Still Life (6/10)

I should like this. But I think I don’t. Read the review of Still Life.

33. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros: Rock Art and the X-Ray Style (6/10)

It’s kind of interesting that so many punks abandon punk once their music tastes expand as a result of being in the music industry for a long time (and hence being exposed to a lot of different music).

This is an interesting mix of different genres. I don’t really get the criticism that this isn’t punk. Should it be? And honestly, some of this does seem like a logical extension of Sandinista!, given time and space and the like.

But I have a bit of trouble excepting the length of some of the tracks. I’m not sure there’s enough to drag multiple track over six minutes, for example. It’s not anywhere near as insanely long as the followup, but it’s still a little too much of a good thing.

I think if the whole thing were a little more focused on styles I like rather than styles I appreciate, I would like it more.

Oh yeah, also the lyrics aren’t great.

34. Fly Pan Am (6/10)

So this is, for the most part, post-rock minimalism at its most extreme, which is significantly different – at least to my ears – than where they went later. (I have stupidly approached this band’s catalogue backwards.)

I get it. I respect it. It’s certainly better than lots of things. But it also belabors its point too much. And unlike other songs that feature excruciating tension, “Dans ses cheveux soixantes circuits” doesn’t go anywhere. I rarely give up on things but was I ever tempted with that track.

Art, definitely. Something I want to listen to regularly? No.

35. Moby: Play (6/10)

An interesting idea for electronica, but uneven in execution and one of those records that sold so much it’s confusing. Read the review of Play.

36. Stone Temple Pilots: No. 4 (6/10)

I first heard this a number of years ago (and apparently didn’t review it) and it’s funny because I don’t remember it at all. I listened to all their other ’90s albums at the time as well (excepting Core) and unfortunately I don’t remember those much either. So I have a hard time comparing this to anything but Core.

At times it is far more ambitious or at least diverse. At other times it seems to strive to be just flat out louder than their normal shtick  And I guess that’s where the problem lies. It’s a little schizophrenic. It really does feel like it’s an attempt at going Soundgarden, but that band balanced the two things (the heaviness and the vaguely psychedelic) much better. They also had better songs.

I’m not trying to say this is bad. It’s still pretty solid. And given the climate that it came out in, it’s still remarkably free of obvious post-grunge polish. But it’s still very clear to me that these guys were always more potential than actual accomplishment.

37. Bill Frisell: Good Dog, Happy Man (6/10)

This feels like more of the same as Gone, Just like a Train. Only the band is bigger – which actually heightens the roots feel and diminishes the jazz feel – and so the palette is a little bigger too.

This is perhaps the least jazz-sounding I think I have heard Frisell. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; I think it would be fine if the performances were a little less low-key, a little less jammy / “We’re just having a good time!” I sort of wish they would dig into this a little more; add a little more grit / oomph / something.

It’s very pleasant, but it’s basically just very well-performed background music.

38. Ghost: Snuffbox Immanence (6/10)

I guess this sounded pretty original to people who had never heard the genuine article. Read the review of Snuffbox Immanence.

39. The Tea Party: Triptych (6/10)

This manages to do a much better job at combining the two disparate styles (i.e. Zep / Doors influenced modern rock and NIN-influenced modern rock). It also sounds better. It still lacks the feel of their earliest stuff.

40. Foo Fighters: There Is Nothing Left to Lose (6/10)

I’d believe him more if the record wasn’t produced to shit. Read the review of There is Nothing Left to Lose.

41. Silverchair: Neon Ballroom (6/10)

A number of years ago, the most talented musician I have ever had a conversation with (as opposed to met) told me this was perhaps the best “modern rock” album of the late ’90s. I was shocked. I didn’t know they still existed at the time.

Over five years later, I have finally heard it. The problem with expectations is that they can never be met. Maybe if I hadn’t been told something so silly about this album, I might be a little more open-minded.

But what I hear is… well, certainly not the best “modern rock” album of the late ’90s. There are moments when the band clearly strives to be more interesting than they have been too date, and I appreciate that. So in that sense they are doing the post-grunge thing much better – though a fair amount quieter, on the whole – than their “difficult second album.”

But these moments are spread out between very obvious attempts to get on the radio. (The most blatantly obvious being that “Anthem” shit, which is as bad as it gets, in terms of screaming “I want to be on the radio!”) I have never been a big fan of bands that obviously want to be on the radio, and so I can’t say I’m a big fan of this. But, as I said before, it is certainly their most interesting record to date, and the odd little touches at least make it listenable, it not anything exceptional.

42. Mariah Carey: Rainbow (6/10)

Mariah Carey is the best signer in pop/R&B with mostly terrible material. Read the review of Rainbow.

43. Dixie Chicks: Fly (6/10)

Go traditional or go pop. Pick one. Read the review of Fly.

44. Destiny’s Child: The Writing’s On the Wall (6/10)

Appealingly feminist but way too long. Read the review of The Writing’s on the Wall. (My girlfriend strenuously disagrees with this take.)

45. Type O Negative: World Coming Down (6/10)

I feel like World Coming Down by Type O Negative is sort of a cross between the goth rock of the ’80s, the sort of post-No Wave of bands like Swans, and metal. And, unsurprisingly, it sort of sounds like it was recorded then. I can’t really understand why they’d do that, but they did.

I feel like on a number of these tracks these guys were like “Swans are awesome but they’re just not catchy.”

But there’s some neat stuff here: especially the influence of choral music. It is frankly too all over the place and too uneven for me to admire it as a fusion of three reasonably disparate genres.

Rather it feels like a bit of a mess, though it is a reasonably entertaining mess.

I would rate it higher except that Beatles medley is just terrible.

46. Slipknot (6/10)

Very competent but derivative of at least three better bands. Read the review of Slipknot’s second album.

47. KMFDM: Adios (6/10)

In 2011, I wrote this snark:

Oh my science! Dance music, lyrics about mega man and anal probes (sung by a girl who wants to be Bjork)!  I’m so intimidated!  It’s so ultra-heavy.

They have a song about leaving, a song about persevering.  Which is it? Are they going or coming?  Hopefully going.

On this album I learned they can spell.

That was more than a little cruel. It does explain why I remember “Witness” though. Still, can you imagine what the members of Throbbing Gristle think about this “industrial” music? We’ve come a long way.

I always got the impression these guys would be so heavy by their art work, but they are basically just loud, aggressive dance music enthusiasts, which is not something I find particularly appealing or intimidating. And the record sounds so much like the mid to late ’90s, it’s not even funny. It’s catchy though, particularly more than some other industrial dance from this ear.

48. Front Line Assembly: Implode (6/10)

This is probably objectively better than Adios, but it’s less catchy and so I paid less attention to it. Read the review of Implode.

49. Sugar Ray: 14:59 (5/10)

At least one track on this record is surprisingly funny. Unfortunately, they cannot decide whether they’re a comedy band or serious. Read the review of 14:59.

50. Incubus: Make Yourself (5/10)

In 2011, I wrote the following:

On paper it’s no doubt a good idea: making post-grunge a little more interesting by adding some turntabilism. But that comes in very small doses, most of the time it’s drowned out by the loud but not too loud (and clean) guitars and and often fretless bass. Then there will be a little turntable fill and you’re like “oh right, that’s what sets them apart.” Or so they thought I guess.

It’s kind of sad when the musician you notice most is the guy sratching a record. I guess the drummer is alright, but the rest of the band is just competent. They’d be better if the guitarists could play better.

Oh and they’d be better – like so many post-grunge bands – if they had a producer that actually let them sound like something that wasn’t recorded to be on the radio.

This feels a little harsh. My understanding is that their earlier records might be a little more interesting. It just feels as though this is an alternative metal or funk metal band gone post-grunge. Certainly, when I think “alternative metal” I think both a lot louder than this and a lot weirder.

51. Smash Mouth: Astro Louge (5/10)

A super retro pop rock record which is so indebted to the ’60s it’s kind of incredible. Read the review of Astro Lounge.

52. Britney Spears: …Baby One More Time (5/10)

Not nearly as bad as I imagined. Read the review of Britney Spears’ debut.

53. Blink-182: Enema of the State (4/10)

The death of pop punk/skate punk. Read the review of Enema of the State.

Note: I think this probably deserved a 5/10 however I listened to it in the midst of a lot of the shittier records of 1999 – they mostly came out in June, mostly – and so I think I just felt so beaten down by shit that I got angrier at this record for not being better. Sorry.

54. Santana: Supernatural (4/10)

Who is this record for? Read the review of Supernatural or read all my Santana reviews.

55. Backstreet Boys: Millennium (4/10)

Heavy on the ballads. Read the review of Millennium.

56. Marilyn Manson: The Last Tour on Earth (4/10)

Before I heard this album, I didn’t want to see Manson live. But you could have given me a free ticket or something. After I heard this album, I really didn’t want to see him live. You’d have to pay me.

57. Limp Bizkit: Significant Other (4/10)

This band is very dumb. Read the review of Significant Other.


Not Ranked:

Compilations, archival releases and new performances of old music.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Joel McNeely: The Twilight Zone by Bernard Herrmann (10/10)

Though not the composer of The Twilight Zone‘s most iconic theme, Herrmann composed music for both the overall show and individual episodes. This album collects the scores for seven of those episodes and includes a couple other pieces Herrmann did for the show.

Read the full review.

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: The Mirror Man Sessions (9/10)

Aka It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper, the first try.
Note: I have not heard the original, 1971 version of this album.

Read the full review.

Vladimir Ashkenazy: Chopin: Piano Sonatas; 24 Etudes (9/10)

2011: I have nothing negative to say about this.

Wow, what a lazy, lazy “review.” I will have to fix this, however it is likely that I will not get around to it for some time. My apologies.

Oliver Knussen: Higglety Pigglety Pop! (9/10)

This is the kind of “children’s music” more children should be exposed to. This is the kind of music that will offend musical conservatives but will delight (and possibly scare) children because they don’t know any better. Oh to have heard something like this when I was a kid in the 80s. It would have changed my life.

As an opera, I doubt it’s really one of the great ones of its era, but I quite like it; it’s got moments that stick with you despite the relatively radical nature of the music.

Skinny Puppy: The Singles Collect (8/10)

I can’t say that I like this particular style of music. It’s like a far more accessible than Throbbing Gristle, and I’ve always only appreciated Throbbing Gristle (especially as a practical joke) rather than liked anything about them. I get it, it’s art. But it’s not my thing.

And so I must feel the same way about a band that sounds awfully indebted to TG and all those other “proto-industrial” (for lack of a better term) “bands” (again, for lack of a better term). But I can’t deny that what they were up to is art: it’s provocative, it’s sometimes clever, it’s certainly relatively unique, especially given the era when they were putting out these singles.

And perhaps that’s the key word; these are singles. I know that in this case it’s merely a matter of format but at one point a single was something designed to get radio play. Gotta admire a band that issues such deliberately unfriendly and inaccessible music as singles.

So I can appreciate this as art, but I can’t say I’m in a rush to listen to it much.

Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Convent Gardens conducted by Bonynge et al.: Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti (8/10)

A 1972 recording re-issued.

So, as with any opera I have never heard before, I am stuck reviewing the opera more than the performance. I have no idea if this is a great performance of this opera, though I suspect it is (after all we have Sutherland and Pavarotti). The opera itself is a little over the top – well it is really over the top. And unlike other operas that are this over the top, I find not all that much of interest here. That being said, it’s hard to ignore, so that is certainly something. And it is less deliberately populist than some French operas that are as popular to this day. Or at least it sounds that way to my untrained ears.

Moscow Symphony Orchestra and Choir conducted by William T. Stromberg: The Egyptian by Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Newman (7/10)

This is a weird one.

Not an actual collaboration between two film composers, this is actually, essentially, two separate scores to the same movie, and one scene is scored by one man, another by the other.

Read the full review.

Sublime: Greatest Hits (5/10)

It’s impossible to judge a band by a compilation, especially something like a clearly arbitrary “greatest hits” comp, but even worse when the arbitrary comp is this short (it is unbelievably short). That being said, I will do it anyway.

Read the full review.

Sir Douglas Quintet: Mendocino (3/10)

Throughout the history of recorded music, there have always been these silly little labels who try to profit off loopholes in music contract regulations, by releasing records or compilations of music that is somehow exempt from copyright protection. This is one of those releases. And I fell for it.

Read the full review.

EPs

1. Godspeed You! Black Emperor: “Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada E.P.” (8/10)

As others have noted on RYM, this EP from GY!BE is a bit of a mixed bag: on the other hand we have one of their very best pieces, on the other we have a piece which, at times, works very well, but is really long and the best elements of it are sometimes lost in the experience of listening to the field recording.

“Moya” is perhaps the best thing GY!BE had recorded to date – though I haven’t listened to the debut in a year or so, I do feel like it shows development from the debut. As others have noted, it is also relatively restrained for this band – that’s a positive for some, not necessarily for others, but it does demonstrate that they do have a little more sophistication than a critic might allege. (At least I think so, but then I am a huge fan of this band.)

The second track is more problematic, featuring moments of incredible… pathos, let’s call it, for the man featured in the field recording, but entirely too much of his ramblings for a piece of music. If you want to here something like this done really well – sort of a musical short story or documentary – featuring some of the same musicians, I suggest “Whaling Tale” from Valley of the Giant’s self-titled release (their one and only). That being said, I still think this pieces works more than it doesn’t, though I have heard it so may times that I’ve likely become immune to its faults at this stage.

Even with the excessive length and dialogue of the second track, I’d still highly recommend this and I consider it part of the band’s required oeuvre, in spite of its faults. I think there is enough here to seek it out, even if it isn’t quite as essential as their albums from this period.

Read my Godspeed You! Black Emperor reviews.

2. At the Drive-In: “Vaya” (7/10)

For years and years I thought this was the At the Drive-In EP because I thought it was the only EP and because I never bothered to look for others. I thought it was canonical because I borrowed it from my brother and he had all their albums so it must be their only, or at least their most seminal, EP, right? So that means I’ve traditionally given it more credit than it perhaps deserves, in part because I have just never listened to any of their other EPs, so I don’t know how it actually compares with those in terms of quality. (I actually ripped it at one point so it was sandwiched next to In/Casino/Out and so these tracks all blend together.)

Ahem.

Many of the things you want in an At the Drive-In record are here: the screaming, the melodies, the willingness to depart both instrumentally and, especially, in terms of songwriting from hardcore conventions. But though there are a few near classic or maybe even classic tracks here, it’s also clear that this material was not their best; that the reason this EP exists is not that they couldn’t fit the material on an album but that they didn’t want to. (I don’t know if that’s actually true but it feels that way.)

It’s an easy record to enjoy if you’re a fan of the band, but it’s hardly essential.

Read my reviews of albums by At the Drive-In.

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