I don’t have the context for this record: I’ve never heard their debut album and the only other contemporary spoken word I’ve heard is Gil-Scott Heron, and I’ve only heard records that came out a little bit later. So I really, really don’t know how to judge this.
Tag: Music
Al Green Gets Next to You (1971)
It took me a little big to “get” Al Green. Years ago, I knew “Let’s Stay Together” and maybe nothing else. And the first album of his I heard struck me as “slick” (though, admittedly, only in relation to like Otis or someone like that). Since that time I’ve basically flipped on him, and now …
Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971) by Serge Gainsbourg
I first encountered Serge Gainsbourg through the Great Jewish Music series. (I was probably more aware of his daughter, who I was barely aware of, than I was him.) I liked the Gainsbourg album the least of those records – and I still wish they had made way more – but it did give me …
Calypso (1956) by Harry Belafonte
It’s so hard to know what to do with this album, ostensibly the first LP to sell a million copies. It launched a calypso fad that I’ve literally never heard of before – though I’ve heard some of the aftereffects, notably in the music of the Kingston Trio – but it’s legacy really does seem …
G_d’s Pee at STATE’s END! (2021) by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
From the first moments of Lift Your Skinny Fists, I was in love. I was at the height of my prog rock phase and I had no idea post rock existed. I had no idea Canadians were making ambitious music vaguely in the prog rock tradition at the very time that I was alive and …
Tonic Immobility (2021) by Tomahawk
I possibly anticipated this record too much, despite being sort of underwhelmed initially by Oddfellows. (And I’d say I’ve come to like it more than I did on my first listens, but I haven’t listened to it in forever.) There are things about this record that just aren’t completely working for me right now – …
Any Other City (2001) by Life Without Buildings
This is a fairly straight-ahead indie rock/post-punk revival album that succeeds primarily on the energy of the band and the charisma of Sue Tompkins.
Standards (2001) by Tortoise
I like the title, it’s funny.
Girls Can Tell (2001) by Spoon
There are a lot bands that I’m vaguely aware of, and feel like I should probably listen to but don’t get around to. And one reason I never get around to them is because the little exposure I get does nothing for me. Spoon is definitely one of those bands. I know people love Spoon. …
Stephen Malkmus (2001)
Stephen Malkmus’ first solo album – and, actually his first album with the Jicks but he wasn’t allowed to say so – is very much what you would expect: less weird latter Pavement. And if you like the sound of that you’ll like it.
604 (2001) by Ladytron
I’m sort of mystified by the critical acclaim of this record. It’s two women singing laconically above some electronic beats that don’t vary very much (sorry). It’s pretty long, and it’s very one-note.
The Jester Race (1996) by In Flames
So this is the third album of the holy trinity of Gothenburg-style melodic death metal. It is third because it is the last to be released, a full three months after Slaughter of the Soul and slightly less than that behind The Gallery (which came out a week after the former). I can’t believe I …
All Eyez on Me (1996) by 2Pac
When I was young, I would eat up everything I thought I should like and this included double albums which, in the LP days, meant a maximum approximately 90 minutes of music. (Usually 88 or less, but often much less, such as Exile on Main St.), which is not much more than an hour.) But …
War Master (1991) by Bolt Thrower
I don’t know Bolt Thrower’s history – in fact I’d never heard of them before – so I have no idea of their evolution from grindcore to straight ahead death metal. Maybe that’s something that matters here, but I have no idea.
The Colour of Spring (1986) by Talk Talk
I have come at so many bands backwards, listening to their peak stuff before their early stuff, and it really distorts a band’s evolution. But few bands changed as much as Talk Talk in their somewhat brief existence did and so it’s extra ridiculous that I’ve come at their discography completely backwards and it makes …
Control (1986) by Janet Jackson
I need to preface this by saying that I only know “New Jack Swing” as a name, I don’t really know anything about the genre and its history and have added it as a label to my reviews only when told by someone that “this music is New Jack Swing.” But if it’s true, it’s …
Feels So Right (1981) by Alabama
Alabama are one of the few country bands I sort of knew when I was young. For some reason, my father had a few of their records (not this one as far as I know) and my dad would play them sometimes, so I was exposed to Alabama’s sound before CMT existed (or we got …
Silk Degrees (1976) by Boz Scaggs
My first exposure to Bozz Scaggs was “Loan Me a Dime”, at a time when I was really into blues rock, and he seemed pretty cool to me. I had no idea the course his career took.
Earth Wind and Fire (1971)
Before I get to the music, I just want to say I love the album cover. It’s one of the iconic covers of its era. Is it the best part of the album? It’s possible. Just love the cover.
If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966) by The Mama’s and the Papa’s
Oof. Every so often you come across a hit album, be it a critical success or a popular success or both, which has aged really poorly. And the Mama’s and the Papa’s debut album has aged as poorly as their terrible use of the apostrophe in their band name.
Things We Lost in the Fire (2001) by Low
Low are, to the best of my knowledge, one of those bands that just go out and do their thing over and over and over again. There’s nothing wrong with that necessarily, but it makes dipping in and out of their catalogue a little difficult, because you don’t know which of their albums are really …
J. Lo (2001) by Jennifer Lopez
This is a relatively diverse dance pop/latin pop/R&B record that is sequenced oddly and is just way too damn long.
The Trouble with the Truth (1996) by Patty Loveless
I don’t know Patty Loveless and I must say that, even after watching Country Music, I don’t really know much mainstream country music from this era. I’m familiar with country pop and what I like to call “arena country” (i.e. rock-influenced equivalent of country pop) but I’m not really familiar with what was the more …
Boys for Pele (1996) by Tori Amos
So sure, this is denser than her previous albums but I’m kind of mystified by how it’s viewed as “difficult” by so many people. It’s still a woman with a beautiful voice singing relatively conventional songs. I guess we listen to different things…
Doubt (1991) by Jesus Jones
Full disclosure: I don’t like the alternative dance subgenres (mostly British) which combine dance music and rock music. I don’t like them because I like rock music and I don’t like dance music. So the idea of adding dance beats to rock music doesn’t make much sense to me.
Viva! La Woman (1996) by Cibo Matto
I’m a subtitles guy, I’ll take subtitles over dubbing every single time. (Well, not quite: I’ll watch dubs for laughs.) Similarly, with music, I have strong opinions about listening to people sing in their own language versus singing in English when they don’t have complete command of that. This view appears to be a minority …
Different Light (1986) by The Bangles
I was moderately pleasantly surprised by the debut, having associated this group band mostly with “Walk Like an Egyptian” (on this record) and “Eternal Flame” (not on this record). But whatever surprise I got from the debut has disappeared this time around.
…And Don’t the Kids Just Love It (1981) by Television Personalities
There are some records which really depend upon context for them to be fully appreciated. And I think/fear that this is one of them. A record that is supposedly super influential on C86 specifically and the lo fi aesthetic in general. And that very well might be true, as I don’t know much about the …
Trust (1981) by Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Some critics insist this is the best of the early Attractions albums and among Costello’s very best work. I haven’t listened to any of the other records, recently, however, and so I have a really hard time judging whether or not that opinion is correct.
Little Feat (1970)
I love Sailin’ Shoes. And I generally enjoy the albums that came after it (though not as much as Sailin’ Shoes, which is definitely a favourite of the ’70s). So this first record, the one everyone gets to after they become fans, came as a bit of a shock. (As it always does. Yes, I’m …