Daily Album Digest: July 12 - 25, 2015

Carrying on February's Music Writer's Exercise (#MWE), each day I listen to a new album and tweet a brief review of it. Then every two weeks compile those tweets here with some extra thoughts.

7/12: Miles Kane's Colour of the Trap: Portions sound like a 60s spy movie. I dig it. Highlight: "Happenstance"

Why? Spotify recommended it to me.

Additional Thoughts: This album presents a problem for me. I really like it, but at the same time I don’t feel like I have much to say about it. I think the 60s spy movie comparison is a pretty good summation, though maybe an oversimplification. There are other sounds going on here, such as the bouncy “Quicksand,” but, still if you’re not into 60s style stuff it might not be for you. 

7/13: Phoenix's Bankrupt!: The title track is among the most noteworthy, particularly the line "Self-entitled portrait."

Why? I have a list of discographies I want to get through; I decided to round out Phoenix.

Additional Thoughts: Honestly, I’m still not sure how I feel about this album overall, but as I said, I think the title track is interesting. The line “Self-entitled portrait” stuck out to me, because it’s one of those lyrics that seems like it might have a lot to unpack or it only wants to appear that way. I’m not sure which category it sits in though. I need to think on it a bit more.

7/15: Jessy Lanza's Pull My Hair Back: Minimalist electronic/R&B, but that restraint works both for and against it.

Why? Her featured performance on Caribou’s “Second Chance” made me curious.

Additional Thoughts: Jessy’s performance on “Second Chance” was one of the few moments I felt Caribou’s Our Love sprang to life, so the restraint of this record came as a bit of a disappointment. The beats and atmosphere are good, but I wish she’d push through more. Her lovely voice is allowed to just fade into the background. I get that much of it is going for a breathy Janet/Aaliyah sort of vibe and that’s cool, but it feels detached.

7/18: The Staple Singers' Be Altitude: Respect Yourself: "I'll Take You There" is a classic, but "Who" should be as well.

Why? While listening to songs discusses in my Rolling Stones course, I listened to another track of theirs and figured I’d just give a whole album a listen as well.

Additional Thoughts: This is some uplifting and passionate soul. It saddens me that years of commercials can make one forget that in regard to “I’ll Take You There,” but it’s so recognizable (and therefore useful for such things) for good reason. 

7/19: Jessie Jones' Jessie Jones: "Quicksilver Screen" reminds me of the Fiery Furnaces, especially "Here Comes the Summer."

Why? NPR featured it in First Listen.

Additional Thoughts: I want to like this album, but I’m not feeling it, at least not right now. Many of my favorite records so far this year have gone down a psychedelic route, so one would think this would be up my alley. I don’t know, though, in some ways this record feels like checking beats off a pschedelia checklist, such as in the Middle Eastern influenced track “Lady La De Da.”

7/20: Phoenix's United: Fantastic debut, though more rock orientated than more recent work. Highlight: "Funky Squaredance"

Why? I have a list of discographies I want to get through; I decided to round out Phoenix.

Additional Thoughts: The first Phoenix records I listened to were Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and It’s Never Been Like That, which I guess counts as their mid period work (as of now.) Those records are a bit more atmospheric and have a more electronic bent, so the rock presence on United caught me by surprise. I was also shocked by how varied the record is, while still having underlying joy that made me love Wolfgang. And “Funky Squaredance” is a blast! It’s this great mix of a country, old school hip-hop, funk, and rock that on paper probably shouldn’t work, but it does.

7/21: Wilco's Star Wars: The dad rock label seems appropriate yet dismissive. Solid, but might need to grow on me.

Why? 2015 release. I’ll be honest the title and cover were what intrigued me the most.

Additional Thoughts: The first time I heard the term “dad rock” was during a discussion about the Black Keys. I was going through my usually thing about them not doing anything wrong, per se, just not having much of anything there to grab onto and this person referred to them as dad rock. It seemed a perfect fit. Dad rock, to me, evokes bands that love 70s guitar rock, but don’t really do anything with it and as a result end up kind of boring to anyone but dads nostalgic for that time. While parts of Star Wars do fit that description, I do think there’s good in it, such as “You Satellite,” “Pickled Ginger,” and “King of You.”

7/22: The Elwins' Play for Keeps: Unabashedly sunny pop/rock. Refreshing in its seeming lack of cynicism.

Why? Spotify recommended for me.

Additional Thoughts: Some might wish for more grit to break up the sunniness of this record and while I can certainly understand that view, I don’t know that I agree. It’s refreshing to find a record that isn’t bogged down in angst or too-cool-for-the-room posturing. Is it for everyone? Probably not. But it’s good to know such a record can still exist.

7/23: Phoenix's Alphabetical: Rides a nice groove throughout, but lacks the variety and effervescence of other work.

Why? I have a list of discographies I want to get through; I decided to round out Phoenix.

Additional Thoughts: This seems where they started trying to go a more atmospheric route. I don’t know that it really works here, but they eventually do get it right and so I can’t rag on this record too much.

7/24: Ducktails' St. Catherine: Quite a chill album that also has a sense of humor and the ability to move ("Medieval.")

Why? New release.

Additional Thoughts: Ducktails is a side project led by Matt Mondanile, guitarist for Real Estate. I don’t know much Real Estate, but I quite liked Atlas. Also, the names of this project and the first track of this album (“The Disney Afternoon”) gave me a laugh, so I figured I’d check it out. The line between something being chill and being comatose is difficult to walk and probably a matter of personal taste, but I liked this. It’s not totally lifeless, like some mellow music can feel. As I tweeted, there is humor here, mainly in the previously mentioned “The Disney Afternoon.” Also, I think “Medieval” is moving and heartfelt. It seems to be about the fleeting thoughts one can sometimes have post-break up, thoughts that aren’t necessarily regretful but just curious, even after a very long time. “It’s all in the past, my feelings for you. And once in a while it goes away, the thought of you, it fades.” But I might sit on this one for a while and see if I can make a full post about it. 

7/25: The Rolling Stones' Out of Our Heads: The UK version consists mostly of covers; the best likely being "Cry To Me."

Why? I’m currently taking a course called The Music of the Rolling Stones, so it’s going to reflect in my album choices for a while.

Additional Thoughts: These early Stones records are difficult for me to judge given the amount of covers present. I’m not knocking that in any way. Everyone does covers and the prevalence of the practice was especially common in the 50s and 60s. The Beatles first few records consisted mainly of covers as well and I certainly don’t look down on them at all. It’s just difficult to gauge an artist’s identity when most of their material is covers. Covers speak more to what they are able to play and what they like, not the full potential they might hold. Anyhow, I also really liked this album’s cover of Sam Cooke’s “Good Times,” but my favorite track is the original “Gotta Get Away.” Why that wasn’t included on the American release is beyond me.

7/25: The Rolling Stones' Out of Our Heads (US): Yeah, sure, "Satisfaction" is here, but "The Last Time," man.

Why? The UK version was a bit underwhelming, so I figured I’d give this one a shot.

Additional Thoughts: Honestly, this is the first of these early Stones records that I’ve actually enjoyed. And yes, most of that might be due to “The Last Time,” which is a killer track. But this feels much tighter than other early records, which just feel kind of like compilations. Though, granted, back then albums were just compilations and afterthoughts when compared to singles. 

All albums available to stream on Spotify. 

If you'd like to suggest an album, comment on this entry or tweet me. 

Daily Album Digest: March 29 - April 11, 2015

Carrying on February's Music Writer's Exercise (#MWE), each day I listen to a new album and tweet a brief review of it. Then every two weeks compile those tweets here with some extra thoughts.

3/29: Big Giant Circles' The Glory Days: Proof that chiptunes don't need nostalgia value to be affecting and awesome.

Why? A recommendation from LoadingReadyRun’s Best of 2014 podcast(s).

Anything else? In case you don’t know, “chiptunes” are a form of electronic synth music. Also called 8-bit music due to its close association with (or attempt to recreate) old school video game soundtracks. To further drive this association home, Big Giant Circles an album called Imposter Nostalgia, which The Glory Days is a sort of sequel to (the album was Kickstarted with the subtitle Imposter Nostalgia 2.) Since I grew up with that era of video games, I do have a fondness for chiptune scores, which might make me more receptive to this album. However, I don’t think one necessarily needs that background to appreciate it. For one thing, while the songs have chiptune sounds they are very full and complex. It’s a lone melody like old game music. It’s almost orchestrating big arrangements with chip sounds. Each track is so distinct and the album covers so many emotions and moods. It can be very tense and exciting one track and very somber and beautiful the next (like “A Rose in a Field”.) I definitely think it’s worth checking out.

3/30: Sparks' Balls: Who knew a song called "How To Get Your Ass Kicked" could be sung so sweetly?

Why? Still plowing through Sparks in preparation for FFS.

Anything else? One of the downsides to the size of Sparks’ catalog is that some albums will eventually get lost in the shuffle and not always due to any of their own shortcomings. Case in point, this album happens to come after the one-two punch of Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins and Plagiarism and before the one-two of Lil’ Beethoven and Hello Young Lovers.  It’s almost a given that this will be overshadowed, but it has plenty of its own charm, such as the aforementioned “"How To Get Your Ass Kicked" and the drama of tracks like “The Calm Before the Storm” and “Scheherazade.”

3/31: Ringo Starr's Postcards From Paradise: Feels like friends getting together and jamming just for the fun of it.

Why? New release and it’s Ringo, so why not?

Anything else? I can’t necessarily see this converting anyone into a fan, but it’s a solid record. Ringo has well passed the point where he has to make music or, well, do anything really. It’s definitely made by people who want to make music and want to do it with each other.  I can always admire Ringo’s positive outlook, which comes through. And yet despite that (or maybe due to it) some of the most memorable moments are the more somber ones, like “You Bring the Party Down” and “Right Side of the Road.”

4/1: Sparks' Lil' Beethoven: The almost Python-esque absurdity of "Suburban Homeboy" is nothing short of magical.

Why? Still plowing through Sparks in preparation for FFS.

Anything else? Before anything else it must be said, this is not entry level Sparks. Even for Sparks this album is strange and I would not suggest most people wanting to get into the band start here. That isn’t a mark against it, it’s just not as accessible as some of their other work. After multiple albums of techno and synthpop, Beethoven’s heavy reliance on classical sounds (though not totally unprecedented in their work) feels like welcomed whiplash. And while the classical aspect could be alienating to some listeners, the lyrical content is what takes the album into avant garde territory. Much of album is built on constant repetition of minimal lyrics; the title of “My Baby’s Taking Me Home” repeats over a hundred times and opener “The Rhythm Thief” consists of a handful of lines that layer over each other. In any other hands it would be tedious or lazy, yet as AllMusic suggests “the mantras themselves become a pulse of sorts” in place of more traditionally achieved grooves and beats. Lyric-as-beat is quite an ambitious idea and I think it works for them.

4/2: Sparks' Hello Young Lovers: To call it a "rock opera" seems an oversimplification. It's fearless genius in action.

Why? Still plowing through Sparks in preparation for FFS.

Anything else? This album felt like Sparks took Lil’ Beethoven and mashed it with the glam rock of Kimono My House and Propaganda and then blew it all up as big as it could get. Generally, I’m not a fan of when people describe a piece of music “rewarding.”  It reeks of gatekeeping and almost makes the piece sound like a hazing or endurance test that reflects badly on one if they failed. Though I suppose it has a more positive connotation than calling a piece “difficult” or something similar. That said, I would probably put Hello Young Lovers in such a category, because it felt like getting chased by a runaway train. It’s an album that can take a lot out of you and much of it isn’t an easy or necessarily pleasant listen. For instance, the repetition of Lil’ Beethoven carries over onto this record, but instead of it serving as lyrics-as-beat it makes the songs’ narrators sound increasingly unhinged as the accompaniment builds in drama and hard rock ferocity (see “Dick Around” and “The Very Next Fight.”) Still, amid the craziness there are moments of fun (like “(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country”) and beauty (such as “Waterproof” which is one of the loveliest songs about a total asshole since John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy.”) Sparks themselves don’t like variations on the term “rock opera” used in regard to their work, which I empathize and agree with. Unfortunately, that’s the only term to even begin to describe and contextualize what they’re doing, though it can’t fully encapsulate it.

4/3: Ben Frost's Aurora: One listen doesn't feel enough to grasp all that goes on in this tense, menacing electronica.

Why? A recommendation from LoadingReadyRun’s Best of 2014 podcast(s).

Anything else? I’ll confess I’m not really sure how to write about this album. I get the chiptunes that Big Giant Circles works in, so I have a way into the work. Along with electronica, this album is labeled as industrial and noise, two genres that I don’t think I have the vocabulary to do justice to at present (especially the latter.) That’s just a shortcoming on my part, though. The album itself is interesting, intricate, and well-constructed. When I first started hearing “noise” used as a genre I figured it would be something that isn’t for me (given the connotations of the word), but this album makes me rethink that stance. I’m curious and willing to give it a shot now. Even if it takes some time for me to verbalize it properly.

4/4: ABC's The Lexicon of Love: The band succeeds in their desire to be "danceable, memorable, intelligent."

Why? A blog I follow put this on a recent list of recommendations.

Anything else? What stunned me most about this was how many Greatest of the 80s/All-Time lists it’s been included in. Not because the album is bad by any means (it’s damn good), but because I don’t recall ever noticing this album on such lists before. Of course that’s probably due to most “All-Time” lists I’ve seen being US based and 60s heavy. Or it got lost in the shuffle because I didn’t recognize the name. Either way, I’m glad it eventually found me, because it positively sparkles. 

4/5: Sparks' Exotic Creatures of the Deep: Maybe more accessible than the previous two albums, but doesn't click fully.

Why? Still plowing through Sparks in preparation for FFS.

Anything else? I’m not thrilled with the tweet for this album. “Accessible” was the wrong word to use. As strange as they can be, Sparks have a pop sensibility that makes them immediate and their ambition not alienating (with the perhaps exception of Lil’ Beethoven.) And they’ve explored so many genres, I do think most people could find a way into them. I think this album was easier, in a way, to take in because it didn’t have whiplash gear change of Lil’ Beethoven or the hard rock-classical explosion of Hello Young Lovers. Exotic Creatures occupies a similar vein, so the previous albums prepared me well enough. I feel like Exotic Creatures is to Hello Young Lovers what Propaganda was to Kimono My House in expanding and refining some of what preceded it. Also like those two albums, which one you like more may depend largely on which you heard first. There’s a lot of great stuff on this record; the humor of “Good Morning” (“I hope it's just your laugh that is infectious”), the swagger and stomp of “I Can't Believe That You Would Fall for All the Crap in This Song” and “(She Got Me) Pregnant,” and the divine harmonies of “Likeable” and “The Director Never Yelled ‘Cut.’” 

4/6: Foxes' Glorious: Some solid tracks like "White Coats" and "Echo." Great voice, but her enunciation can be muddled.

Why? This album’s been sitting in my Spotify queue since her feature on Fall Out Boy’s “Just One Yesterday” intrigued me.

Anything else? Though I stand by my tweet, I’m willing to give Foxes the benefit of the doubt and put some of the enunciation issue on lyric transcriptions possibly being messed up. Still. It was distracting at times.

4/7: All Time Low's Future Hearts: I don't really see the story said to be here, but it's some sincere pop-punk.

Why? New release and I don’t think I’ve ever heard their work before, so I thought I’d give it a go.

Anything else? According to ATL’s lead singer there’s a story being told on this record, but I didn’t pick up on it at all. If it does indeed contain a story, it’s not very overt about it, which can work. It’s often considered a strength for a work to unfold more with repetition. The songs themselves are fine overall. “Kids in the Dark” and “Dancing with a Wolf,” in particular, are quite good. I don’t mean this as any sort of knock against them, but it’s also quite apparent how much these guys have listened to Plain White T’s and Fall Out Boy. “Kids in the Dark” seems like it might be right at home on Save Rock & Roll.

4/8: Sparks' The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman: Gripping and moving. Some moments stand out, but it's definitely full piece.

Why? Still plowing through Sparks in preparation for FFS.

Anything else? The album is very much a musical that needs and deserves one’s full attention when listening. It’s funny; through a portion of it I didn’t think it was really grabbing me, until a Spotify commercial made me groan in frustration.  I was also surprised by how “Oh My God” and “Garbo Sings” gave me goosebumps. I wanted to enjoy this, but I still somehow ended up being surprised by how much it got to me.

4/9: Tears for Fears' Songs from the Big Chair: The songs have been so enduring a true "first impression" is difficult.

Why? It was in the queue.

Anything else? I realize I pretty much bailed when it came to that tweet, but I really didn’t anticipate literally half the album containing songs I already knew well. (Hopefully the rest of their discography will yield more genuine first impressions.) That said, in spots it felt jazzier than I expected and I love the trio of “Broken” and “Head Over Heels / Broken (Live).”

4/10: Phoenix' It's Never Been Like That: Exudes a joyful feeling that can only be described in silly spring metaphors.

Why? I’ve been meaning to check out their other albums since I really liked Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and this was in my queue.

Anything else? Yeah, the best way I can describe this album is that it sounds the way breathing in cool spring evening air feels. It’s a subtle joy, not the take-off-down-the-street-“Dog Days Are Over” style of happy, but a subtle joy that stop you in your tracks if you let it.

4/11: The Strokes' Room On Fire: Disappointing. The vocals mostly sound bored or like he's singing through a sore throat.

Why? In the queue and I wanted to get through more of their material.

Anything else? I remember really digging Is This It, so I was disappointed by this one. Although, I’m not too surprised, since I have read critics say the Strokes are an example in diminishing returns. I’m not ready to count them out, though, or even this record. It could very well be that I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to get into it. Musically I can dig a lot of it, but the vocals often kill any affection I could possibly muster. I don’t know if there’s some kind of effect on Casablancas’ voice or what, I just know that whatever is going on doesn’t work for me. But “Reptilia” still kicks ass. 

All albums available to stream on Spotify.