"The Monkees" Rewatch: Monkees à la Mode

“Monkees à la Mode” starts off at the headquarters of Chic magazine while Madam Quagmeyer and her employees discuss possible subjects for their annual “young America” issue. After Madam Q dismisses staff photographer (and utter snob) Rob Roy Fingerhead’s ideas as stale, writer Toby Willis suggests the Monkees are the “fresh and new” faces she wants. Q claims they are “possible” and “hideous,” but that they can remake the boys in their image. Soon the boys receive a copy of Chic with a letter saying they’ve been chosen as the Typical Young Americans of the year. Toby and Rob Roy arrive at the pad only for the photographer to prance disgustedly around the apartment, insulting it and the boys before leaving in a huff. Mike in particular has reservations about the article, telling Toby, “Well, I mean we are typical young people, but eh… well, young people just aren’t typical anything.” She responds by pointing out what the article could do for their career and ask them to trust her, so the boys reluctantly agree to meet with Madam Q at her office for a photoshoot and collection of background information. When Toby’s story “captures them just the way they are” Quagmeyer rejects it in favor of Rob Roy’s version that paints them out as snobs. Once printed, the article leads to problems with the Monkees’ friends, a sabotaged banquet, and a new editor at Chic.

Much like my previous post on Captain Crocodile, this post will include complaining about a certain character. Because $%*&$# Rob Roy Fingerhead. His face is stupid. His voice is stupid. He's an idiot and an asshole and I'm glad they made him crush his camera and put the poor thing out if its misery. Which... is certainly the character functioning as intended, but whoa boy, they may have done too good of a job with him.

Another thing that bugs me about “À La Mode” is that the band’s friends so readily believed what the article said. I mean, I guess you could say they felt lied to or some such, but surely they’d actually been inside their pad or to a gig and knew they couldn’t possibly afford gourmet food. Not to mention, if they love chamber music so much, then why do they play in a rock band with no such apparent influence. And yeah, I know, the show’s only about twenty-four minutes and the writers can only set up so much, but the lack of fleshing out here still bugs me. Especially considering that two of the angry friends appear to be girls that Davy and Micky are dating, but the article (as read in the show) makes no mention of them being, I don’t know, philanderers or something like that. I feel like I’m just rambling at this point, so I’ll just leave that there. 

Now, despite the things that annoy me (both intentionally and unintentionally) in the episode, the Monkees themselves do a fantastic job in it. They are all just on point, whether it’s Peter making faces in the background, Davy’s attitude (“You wanna get us arrested?” and the telegram), Mike’s dry delivery (“Well, I realize this is probably beyond your scope but I lived there”), or Micky’s physical comedy. And of course the banquet where they accept their trophy is an absolute riot and probably the highlight of the episode, though I do think their interview scene at Chic is a close second. If for no other reasons then “No, I lied, Burbank” and “Well, it all depends what I’ve lost,” but the whole scene is just joke after joke, it’s amazing. It also reminds me, fittingly, of the press conference scene in A Hard Day’s Night and anything that can do that must be doing something right.

"The Monkees" Rewatch: Captain Crocodile

In “Captain Crocodile” the Monkees are set to play on the children’s show of the same name. Unfortunately, convinced they’re an attempt to replace him, the show’s star sabotages their first appearance. When offered a regular spot on the show the boys initially refuse, but accept when executive Junior Pinter guarantees “no more pies in the face.” This change increases the Captain’s paranoia and he conspires to embarrass them or prevent them from playing. Finally, Mike demands he let them play or they quit, he relents, but once done the boys find out they’d been playing off the air. After the TV station receives twenty-seven letters (presumably from the captain), complaining about the band, a meeting is called to determine if they will continue to appear on the show before the final showdown between costumed Monkees and the Crocodile Corps. 

My biggest takeaway from this episode is that Captain Crocodile is a total asshole. He reminds me of The Golden Girls episode “Mister Terrific” where Rose (Betty White’s character) meets and starts to date the titular Mister Terrific, a children’s show host/superhero, who is grumpy and uptight because his producer wants to update the show, even if it means firing him. In both cases, the intent was add to the show, not to “ease [them] out” and their problems were the result of paranoia and resistance to any slight change. The big difference between Captain Crocodile and Mister Terrific is how their respective shows frame them. The Monkees rightly positions Crocodile in the role of a villain, complete with canned hissing and booing lest the audience miss that they shouldn’t like this guy and his “evil thoughts.” The Golden Girls, however, wants the audience to like and sympathize with Terrific, for reasons beyond me. Crocodile’s hubris and asshole-ery costs him his job and show, but even after multiple tantrums and a dangerous publicity stunt Terrific gets his show back, which he only lost in the first place because he didn’t want to have to change anything about it. And maybe it could’ve worked if the actor who played Terrific had approached the role with any kind of warmth or sympathy, but no.

And I’m getting way off track. Sorry.

Anyway. 

Something else worth mentioning from the episode is the sequence wherein the boys fantasize about the TV shows they could be successful doing, which include parodies of Batman and To Tell The Truth, among others. It’s really funny and one of those moments where talking would ruin it, so just watch it:

"The Monkees" Rewatch: Monkees at the Circus

“Monkees at the Circus” begins with the boys sneaking into a closed circus. They fiddle around with some of the props until caught by one of the performers, Victor, who threatens to call the police while throwing knives at Davy. Victor then gathers up the other performers to encourage them to leave, claiming “the circus is dead” due to lack of crowds, payment, and good equipment since the rise of discotheques and rock ‘n’ roll groups. This upsets Susan, the daughter of the circus’ owner (Pop), who tells Davy the difficulties they’ve had maintaining the circus without crowds to perform for. So while Victor tries to rile the performers, Davy rushes the stage to convince them all to stay, saying the kids and crowds will come back as long they are there when they do. His plea only briefly succeeds and when the boys see Victor confront Pop with a petition signed by the other performers they pose as an ambitious circus act called the Mozzarella(i?) Brothers, which excites the performers and leads to a sell-out crowd. However, when worries force the Monkees to come clean about being a rock band and not trapeze artists, the circus’ fate is again in jeopardy. 

I need to be honest and say that I think I waited a little too long to write this post, because one of the topics I put to talk about doesn’t seem like as good of a jumping off point as it may have at the time I wrote it. The prompt, such as it is, in my notes goes like this, “Mozzarella brothers, seriously, wtf is any of this? (at least it’s wtf in a mostly good way?)” And yeah, the Mozzarella/Mozzarelli stuff is funny, don’t get me wrong, but that’s about where it ends. I’m not sure what Past Me thought I could expand on that topic with. 

However, one topic that I think works for discussion that I, funnily, didn’t include in my list of topics is the circus and rock’n’rollers rivalry. I get that The Monkees casts the boys largely in the roles of underdogs and lovable misfits, but even so, circus performers being bitter about rock music and discotheques seems really random. Even the show implies that the circus’s audience skews young, certainly younger than most discotheques allow, since the boys themselves range from seventeen to twenty-one. So what exactly is the problem? Plus, it’s rather funny to me that a circus, a form of entertainment commonly portrayed as a venue for, well, “freaks” is used as a symbol old, stuffy adults when compared to rock’n’roll.

The next topic in my notes reads, “And who’s this Susan when she’s at home? A plank of wood, that’s who.” Again, I’m not sure what prompted the latter bit, but in hindsight I find it rather harsh. She’s not totally wooden as she does show some emotion during the course of the episode and is rather sympathetic. When she does come off wooden I think it’s because her resting face is rather blank. Either way, she feels like much more of a real human than most of the lady leads so far, though Valerie from “One Man Shy” is definitely still my favorite. 

My last note mentions “terrifying clowns,” which feels a little redundant, but here we are. I also don’t have much else to say beyond that. I mean, look at this: 

Shudder

"The Monkees" Rewatch: The Prince & the Pauper

“The Prince & the Pauper” begins with the Monkees waiting at an embassy because they read that “they” might be holding a ball and the group had been lacking in gigs. Soon enough, someone ushers Davy into another room, telling him, “The Count has been looking everywhere for you.” Before Davy can explain the band’s dilemma to the Count, Prince Ludlow walks in and he’s a dead ringer for Davy. Ludlow asks that they be left alone and explains to Davy his own dilemma, which is that he has come to America to find bride, since Peruvian law says if he is unwed by his eighteenth birthday Ludlow’s rule passes to Count Myron. While Davy finds the rule crazy, he also believes the prince shouldn’t have a problem since he’s a prince and has a lot of good qualities. Unfortunately, Ludlow’s shyness hinders him and when Wendy Forsythe comes for a visit, the other Monkees force Davy to impersonate him and talk to her for the prince. After the meeting goes well, Ludlow asks Davy to keep impersonating him for a few days to woo Wendy for him and he agrees. While Davy and Mike stay at the embassy, Peter and Micky take Ludlow back to the pad in order for him to “learn how to act after you got her.” Ludlow’s inexperience isn’t the only problem the band must contend with, since Count Myron and his toadie Max have been plotting against the prince in order for Myron to take the throne.

This episode marks the beginning of, I suppose you could call it, a running gag of the band coming across a doppelgänger of one of the boys. Though, unlike “Pauper” not all doubles serve as the focus of the story for their respective episodes, but we’ll get to that when it becomes relevant. Anyway. Beyond being fairly crucial to the story, Ludlow is definitely a highlight of the episode. Davy’s performance (as in actor-Davy, not character-Davy’s impersonation) as Ludlow is super endearing, if a bit forced at times. One example of such being Ludlow’s stuttering and tugging at his medals when he and Davy first meet, but I feel like I’m kinda nitpicking since most of the time Ludlow is utterly precious. Davy Jones had charm for days, so of course the shy, wide-eyed innocent routine will be a heart-melter coming from him. Or maybe it’s just me. Davy’s scenes with Mike at the embassy serve as the episode’s other big selling point, because the guys play off each other really well. 

As for Micky and Peter, well, after Mick suggests Davy talk to Wendy and they take Ludlow back to the pad, they don’t really have very much to do beyond eating potato chips and watching Ludlow fumble through conversation with some random chick. That’s not automatically a bad thing, by the way, after all, there’s only so much time per episode, so they can’t always all contribute to the same extent. However! I’d like to point out that twenty-one episodes in and still no Micky-centric story. The show freakin’ dual-wields Davy before it focuses even once on Micky. Sigh. Disappointing.

Another disappointment I should mention, I find it vaguely annoying that at one point Ludlow kind of implies that shyness equals shallowness, meanwhile Davy instantly cheers up about Ludlow and Wendy’s marriage after meeting Wendy’s doppelgänger even though the show gave no indication that he was into Wendy until a minute before her double shows up. Obviously, Ludlow and Wendy’s relationship isn’t exactly a love story for the ages, they’re basically on a Disney timeline, but at least they’d, y’know, talked before taking a liking to each other. Yes, Davy falling in love at first sight on a near daily basis is par for the course for the show, but this particular example highlights just shallow it is. Like, “Whoops! I lost this girl I liked, but at least I stumbled upon someone with the same face!” The potential for absurdity makes me wonder how “Pauper” would’ve turned out if it had been made during the even more self-aware, self-deprecating season two.

Daily Album Digest: November 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.

11/5: Chvrches' The Bones of What You Believe: The build and climax of “Tether” gave me genuine shivers.
Why? After enjoying Every Open Eye I decided to finally check this out.
Additional Thoughts: I’m actually really glad that I decided to wait on checking them out until their sophomore, because I don’t think this really lives up to the hype. To be clear, in parts it does, but as whole it does not. Or maybe this is one of those instances where whichever one you hear first you’ll love more, because it’s not a bad album (“Lungs”, in particular, is lovely), it just doesn’t light a fire in me like their follow-up. And while I could take or leave the male vocal track on EOE, here they just drag things down.

11/6: Sara Bareilles' What's Inside: Songs from Waitress: I hope this is just the first of many musicals by Sara.
Why? New release and this will also round out Sara’s discography for now.
Additional Thoughts: I recall reading Sara describe this record as more her “covering” the musical’s songs, but I think the theatrical quality still comes through. It’s really a lovely album; quite jaunty and cute in places (“Opening Up”), but heartfelt when it needs to be (“She Used to be Mine” and “Everything Changes.”) Both of which are to be expected from Sara and places she excels.

11/10: Gabrielle Aplin's Light Up the Dark: Gospel-tinged “Shallow Love” exemplifies the album's thoughtful lyrics.
Why? 2015 release that’s been sitting in my Spotify “queue,” but I’m not sure how it got there.
Additional Thoughts: The opening moments of this album gave me instant Beatles vibes, as do the melodies in “Sweet Nothing” and a bit of “What Did I Do?” Incidentally, when I searched for Gabrielle and Beatles the first result is her doing a cover of “There’s a Place,” which as Beatle tracks go is a deep cut. That said, lyrically and thematically the album reminds a lot of Franz Ferdinand’s “Swallow, Smile,” because there’s a lot about emotional distance or coldness in a relationship, like in “Heavy Heart” or even wanting to fight just to feel something like in “Fool’s Love” when she says “I even miss the fighting.” I have yet to listen to her debut, but I really enjoyed this album. I dig her voice and her sound is an interesting mix of different influences, like the aforementioned gospel and soul.

11/11: Julia Holter's Loud City Song: I appreciate the slow burns and organized chaos, but it feels over my head lyrically.
Why? It was mentioned on the Needle Drop.
Additional Thoughts: When I first heard The Family Jewels I said it was the musical baby of Fiona Apple and Sparks. This album feels like that album’s sister, but not as immediate or as poppy, though it does have accents and weird vocal stuff similar to Marina. I still feel like I’m not quite getting it and maybe this was a difficult place to jump into her work, but with songs like the beautiful “Hello Stranger” I’m definitely willing to keep trying.

11/12: Hanson's Middle of Nowhere: There's a fine line between precocious and pretentious, and they walk it well.
Why? I have a list of discographies I want to get through and chose them.
Additional Thoughts: Like with Backstreet Boys’ early albums a while back, I didn’t go into this record completely blind. Granted, my relationship with Hanson is nowhere near as complicated as my relationship with BSB. I never disliked Hanson, but I never exactly liked them either. In 1997 my brain was all about the Beatles, the Monkees, Spice Girls, and Fiona Apple, there just wasn’t much room for them. But my cousin was suuuuper into them, so I didn’t miss the train entirely. As I alluded to in the tweet, it’s surprisingly sophisticated and mature. I don’t know how much of the sophistication you can attribute to the adult writers and producers who helped, because so many teen acts carried entirely by adults behind the scenes don’t sound as mature. Probably because they sound like what adults think teens sound like, because they either forget or look down on teenagers. Plus, having now listened to their whole discography and seeing that they’ve (SPOILERS) remained fairly consistent throughout, I think maybe it’s like the Beatles/George Martin and Hanson had collaborators who respected them enough to not give them fluff and really listen to their ideas. I think the Jackson 5 comparison made here is very appropriate and most applicable in the outro of “Look At You” and the adorable “Lucy.” But then amongst all that, you have fucking “Yearbook,” man. It caught me completely off guard with its darkness and heavy implications. Though I have to admit that the biggest spot in my heart goes to “I Will Come To You,” it’s damn anthemic and honestly deserves a better place in the 90s classics canon.

11/15: The Both's The Both: Consistent to a fault. It has that catchy power pop bounce, but doesn't really grab me.
Why? Spotify recommended it.
Additional Thoughts: The Both is a collaboration (and album) between Aimee Mann and Todd Leo. It’s the kind of album that while it isn’t so bad or boring that I’d immediately change the station if I heard it on the radio, I wouldn’t seek it out either or tell anyone, “You totally have to listen to this!” Basically, the kind of album critics fawn over upon release, but forget about completely almost immediately. I can certainly see how it’d be a big crowd pleaser, if you’re of the crowd into its sort of music. Generally I am part of that crowd, but for me, it just leaves me meh and wishing I was listening to the stuff it often reminds me of or artists whose vocals I enjoy. That latter bit is particularly important, because Todd Leo’s faux-Dylan affectation is very unpleasant and something even Dylan can barely pull off.

11/16: Hanson's This Time Around: Bright pop with an occasionally harder, bluesy edge, such as ballad “Hand In Hand.”
Why? Currently working through their discography.
Additional Thoughts: Some critics made a thing about the ways Hanson differed from their teen pop contemporaries and sure, they do in certain ways, but it’s also interesting to listen to this record and among the Journey homages, John Popper harmonica, and Jonny Lang guitar hear shades of hip hop and late 90s/early 2000s pop, like in “Can’t Stop.” Plus, they have an undeniable gift for melody and pop craftsmanship, just like other major architects of the teen pop boom (Max Martin being probably the most notable.) And that gift served them well on their debut and continues do so here with tracks like “If Only.” It’s unfortunate that it didn’t see a similar commercial success.

11/17: Alessia Cara's Know-It-All: Her lyrics and performances show such potential, it's a shame bland music backs them.
Why? 2015 release.
Additional Thoughts: Earlier I mentioned Hanson’s ability to walk the line between precocious and pretentious and Alessia Cara walks the same line, though maybe not as well. The worst offender in this regard being her biggest single “Scars to Your Beautiful” and maybe “Here,” which I can’t decide if I like or find the “too good for the room” attitude is too irritating. Ironically, one of the highlights is “Wild Things” which is similar thematically to “Here” (complete with the line “They’re not cool like we are”) and yet I can’t help but like it. Probably because the music of “Wild Things” is uplifting, unlike “Here” which borders on dreary. Another noteworthy song is the vulnerable ballad “Stars.” As I said, she clearly has potential and I really hope she reaches it.

11/30: Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi: The laid back groove of “Say Somethin’” is an absolute highlight.
Why? One Week One Band featured Mariah and it inspired me to get back to finishing out her catalog
Additional Thoughts: What sticks out to me about this record is how fun it is. Mariah has plenty of fun songs, but her albums overall probably couldn’t be described as fun. That’s especially true of Mimi’s predecessor Charmbracelet with songs like “Through the Rain” and “Sunflowers for Alfred Roy” that make a bit more somber and introspective. And while I enjoyed Charmbracelet, it’s easy to see why this record resulted in Mariah’s so-called comeback, because the freedom and joy within it is infectious. Of course the album does have its share of ballads, which are great (as pretty much always with Mariah) like the gorgeous and happy “Joy Ride.” If I have any complaint at all about the album it’s that I really wish Jermaine Dupri wouldn’t babble so much nonsense, like on “Shake It Off,” but that’s apparently a thing with him and man, does it bug me. Either way, yes, great record and mandatory for Mariah fans of all sorts.

All albums available to stream on Spotify.

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

Daily Album Digest: October 18 - 31, 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.

10/18: OOFJ's Acute Feast: Moody electropop with bass and beats reminiscent of Portishead or maybe a strange Bond score.
Why? Spotify recommended it.
Additional Thoughts: So, funny thing, apparently, my comparing Acute Feast to a score wasn’t all that weird, because Jenno Bjørnkjær (one half of OOFJ) composed the score for Melancholia. The Bond comparison is particularly true of “Sailor,” though I can’t put my finger on exactly why, maybe it’s in the horns and strings. Not that I know if any Bond film actually sounds like that, but you know alt-universe Bond, I guess. Unfortunately, the high, breathy vocal style throughout the album alternates between boring and grating, like on “Totally.” I guess I just wish there was some more variety in that area, because I dig the music and mood of it.

10/19: Sara Bareilles' Careful Confessions: Simply wonderful; direct and smart with shades of jazz. Highlight: “Undertow”
Why? I really enjoyed the One Week One Band dedicated to her, so I figured I’d go through her discography.
Additional Thoughts: Something that struck me the first time I listened to this record (after the jazz influence that I didn’t expect) is that so much of it sounds live. And yes, about a third of the album is live recordings, but even the studio recordings feel live. Of course, as wonderful as the music is, with a title like Careful Confessions one might expect as much (if not more) focus on the lyrical content and yes, it appears that Sara most definitely did. Her words show someone smart, honest, and not just relatable, but approachable in a way that other singer-songwriters she might be compared to are not.

10/20: Boy & Bear's Limit of Love: The life and swing of “Man Alone” makes it stand out on an album that's fairly beige.
Why? 2015 release.
Additional Thoughts: I realize calling the album “beige” might sound harsh and I’m sorry for that. It’s not bad by any means, but that’s kind of the problem; it’s some inoffensive pop/rock and just blends into the background. While I appreciate the band’s attempt to record and capture their “powerful live performances,” this record doesn’t come off very powerful to me, in any sense of the word. And that doesn’t necessarily reflect badly on their performances, because there are many examples of records not completely capturing the energy of a great live band.

10/21: Lapalux's Lustmore: Sets out to evoke the transition from waking to sleep, and does - but not in a positive sense.
Why? Saw it on the Needle Drop.
Additional Thoughts: Reminds me of another eternity by purity ring in that it’s very dream-like, but disappears from my memory almost instantly. And I said in the tweet, it does succeed in evoking that state of mind, but it’s just not for me. However, I will say that the guest vocalists are great, especially Andreya Triana. I definitely need to check out her work.

10/22: Sara Bareilles' Little Voice: A major label debut that manages more polish without sacrificing emotion and soul.
Why? Currently working through her discography.
Additional Thoughts: This is a tough one to talk about because six of the tracks also appear on Careful Confessions, so there’s not much for me to say. The versions here are rerecords that, aside from some obvious differences (like the opening of “Fairytale”), mostly just sound a bit more polished than the earlier ones. Most of the changes aren’t very drastic or detrimental. Though I will admit I probably prefer most of the Confessions versions simply because those were the first versions I heard. Of the “new” songs, I think the stand out is the ballad “Between the Lines,” because, ho man, does it hit close to home.

10/23: Vanessa Carlton's Liberman: “Unlock the Lock,” like much of the album, exudes an enchanting, quiet confidence.
Why? New release.
Additional Thoughts: I have to admit that I don’t know very much of Vanessa Carlton’s work beyond her singles, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this record. And yet, something about this feels… inevitable and right. Perhaps that’s down to the aforementioned confidence it exudes and maybe I’d change my mind were I to listen to the rest of the work it follows, only time will tell. Either way, it’s a wonderful record with enchanting atmosphere and insightful lyrics, like “Blue Pool” and “Nothing Where Something Used To Be.”

10/25: Grounders' Grounders: The vibe of “No Ringer” feels like Final Straw era Snow Patrol, which is a great thing.
Why? Spotify recommended it.
Additional Thoughts: Though it’s great to be reminded briefly of my favorite Snow Patrol era gone by, overall, this record doesn’t do much for me. Other reviews describe it with words like “pillowy,” “haze,” “spacey,” and “atmospheric,” which are fitting descriptions and qualities that can work. However, for me, I found nothing to really latch on to among all the haze and that desire made it impossible to let go and drift away with the atmosphere.

10/26: Sara Bareilles' Kaleidoscope Heart: So much to love; from the vocals to the melodies to lyrics like “Machine Gun.”
Why? Currently working through her discography.
Additional Thoughts: In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine says, “Because Bareilles is so naturally commercial, it’s easy to dismiss these gifts, but her effortless music should not be taken for granted; it’s tough to write tunes that play this easy that wind up enduring.” I have to agree with this assessment. Kaleidoscope Heart is overall such an easy and pleasant listen that it could’ve very easily just become dismissible background noise, but Sara is so good at crafting tunes and showing vulnerability (like in the moving “Breathe Again” and “The Light”) that you can’t ignore her. And if tracks like “Let the Rain” are any indication, she isn’t afraid to try new things and expand her sound.

10/27: Chvrches' Every Open Eye: I'm always leery of hype, but “Playing Dead” alone justifies it. (And so does the rest.)
Why? 2015 release.
Additional Thoughts: I’ve been burned by hype trains before (2015 definitely added to that), but luckily that didn’t happen with Chvrches. It’s funny, after listening to the record I made a comment about them being the musical baby of Paramore and Depeche Mode and the literally next day they were announced as part of the line-up for Parahoy. (And they’ve opened for Depeche Mode. Because of course!) Now, I already talked about this album in my 2015 Favorites list and I may expand even more on at a later date. For now, the only thing I wanted to add is about “Afterglow,” which feels like it sits in the church-like opening of U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” and extends it for a whole song. Good call, really, I’ve always begrudgingly liked the opening of that song.

10/28: Ivy Levan's No Good: Serious vocal chops with musical variety and emotional versatility. Highlight: “Killing You”
Why? Spotify recommended one of her singles based on Dumblonde.
Additional Thoughts: The obvious star and center of this album is Ivy’s soulful, killer voice. A close second would be the emotional progression (of sorts) that happens over the course of the record. It starts off with a lot of confidence and bragging (“Biscuit,” for example), but toward the end transitions into more heartfelt tracks, like “Johnny Boy.” And she has the presence and voice to make it all work. The only thing that doesn’t really work is the guest rap verse on “Like A Glove,” which has some… charming lines like, “We got a connection. I got a confession. I got a erection,” and that’s not even the worst of it. Ah, well. No album can be perfect.

10/29: Sara Bareilles' The Blessed Unrest: Shows a lot of growth and new turns, such as the synth infused “Eden.”
Why? Currently working through her discography.
Additional Thoughts: This album shows Sara continuing to experiment and expand, like on “Satellite Call” and the aforementioned (and lead contender for best song on the album) “Eden.” But I must say that it doesn’t start on a good foot, because I deeply, viscerally hate “Brave.” Yes, it’s a lovely sentiment, but something about the way “I wanna see you be brave” hits my ears induces complete and utter rage. I’m sorry, Sara. I am so, so sorry. Outside my rage, though “Brave” does start Unrest’s theme of embracing change and well, bravery, it does so far more happily and upbeat than the rest of the record does. That isn’t a bad thing, necessarily, (vulnerability and heartfelt honesty are some of Sara’s strengths, after all) just an observation.

All albums available to stream on Spotify. 

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

Daily Album Digest: October 4 - 17, 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.

10/4: Baio's The Names: Might not be the most immediate album, but tracks like the breezy "Needs" make it worth a listen.

Why? Spotify recommended it.

Additional Thoughts: The Names is the debut solo project of Vampire Weekend bassist, Chris Baio and though I’ve had my issues with VW’s work, they don’t really come into play here. Baio’s synth/electro-pop is pretty far away his band’s reggae-infused indie rock (except, perhaps, “Sister of Pearl”) and while it can be… unassuming, it doesn’t feel as detached and overly mellow as some VW stuff. I say “unassuming” and bring up the album’s immediacy, because despite being very pop, none of the songs are what I’d call catchy, at least not overtly. The songs don’t hammer their way into your head, but they can slowly wind their way in if given the chance.

10/5: Green Day's Warning: Balanced and full of well-crafted, timeless songs like "Waiting" and "Macy's Day Parade."

Why? I have a list of discographies I want to get through. This time around I decided on Green Day.

Additional Thoughts: Warning has been ranked among Green Day’s best albums, which makes sense as it’s one of their most consistent. It also shows further cultivation of the musical experimentation and maturity found in Nimrod. Though it seems silly or contradictory to use “mature” to ever describe Green Day, it’s difficult to find a better word for songs like “Deadbeat Holiday” and “Hold On.” Plus, as my original tweet mentioned, “Waiting” and “Macy’s Day Parade” are just everything.

10/6: Twin Shadow's Eclipse: Enjoyable vocals, but doesn't feel as cathartic as its grand ambitions suggest.

Why? 2015 release that’s been sitting in my Spotify queue for a while.

Additional Thoughts: This strikes me as one of those albums I want to like far more than I actually do, which is always a shame. It’s just… okay, George Lewis Jr (the man behind Twin Shadow) has a great voice and could probably sing anything and sound wonderful and captivating. Hell, Twin Shadow’s Spotify biography calls him “a born crooner,” which is an apt description. Musically, Eclipse it often tries to sound grand with soaring choruses, but it doesn’t work either due to the production making everything (on the whole and in individual songs) blend together or the fact that there’s just no meat lyrically. Discussing universal topics is great, but these songs feel too impersonal and that makes it difficult for me to really connect to it.

10/7: Drgn King's Baltimore Crush: "Hazy Memories," a song that somehow reminds me of Nine Inch Nails and Vampire Weekend.

Why? Spotify recommended it.

Additional Thoughts: Overall I’d call it a solid rock/pop record. Their Spotify bio describes their work as “psychedelic and electronic-inflected pop.” I think psychedelic part comes through the most clearly at the end of “Alchemist’s Lament” and in the atmosphere of “Solo Harp.” That bio also references their varied influences, which definitely come through in the record. One big example of that being the aforementioned “Hazy Memories” that starts off sounding like NIN’s “Closer” then settles into an indie-reggae-pop bop. Reggae influence also shows prominently on “St. Toms,” but unlike Vampire Weekend, Drgn King never really fall into the trap of feeling laid back to the point of seeming lifeless.

10/8: Green Day's American Idiot: I know I'm a total sucker for stuff like this, but... this is a masterpiece.

Why? Currently working through their discography.

Additional Thoughts: My relationship with this album is a lot like mine with the Backstreet Boys’ self-titled.  Basically, I spent a lot of time watching Bullet in a Bible and Green Day’s comp’d special, but somehow forgot to ever listen to the album beginning to end. (Which really just means I missed out on three tracks.) I love a good concept album and rock opera; give me some recurring musical motifs and I will eat. it. up. But more importantly, American Idiot is the culmination of all these musical ideas and lyrical themes Green Day had been building toward for years and it’s so clever and biting and fucking moving. I don’t much like trying to make predictions, but I think this could be one of the most important albums of the 2000s.

10/9: Alex G's Beach Music: If this is beach music, it's a beach covered in sleet and snow; familiar, but slightly off.

Why? New release.

Additional Thoughts: I realize my tweet may sound odd, but the music really does evoke images of winter, intentionally or not. Either way it certainly doesn’t evoke what most (after decades of the Beach Boys and their influence) would imagine “beach music” to be. That’s not a bad thing, just noteworthy and subversive, in a way, I think. But I think the main reason I’d describe it as “familiar, but slightly off” is that it reminds me of an even quirkier version of thenewno2, which itself feels like an alternate universe project of George Harrison thanks to his son Dhani sounding remarkably like him. The vocal similarities between the Harrisons and Alex G are very apparent, but similarities are also there in the melody and music of a song like “Ready.”

10/11: Chris Walla's Tape Loops: Abstract, but not necessarily obtuse; capable of being enveloping and relaxing.

Why? Featured on NPR’s First Listen. 

Additional Thoughts: Instead of filling this section with observations about how “Kanta’s Theme” has echoes of Pink Floyd’s “Wish you were here” and the like, I want to share a quote from Chris Walla’s interview with Sara Quin (of Tegan & Sara): “Sometimes I really enjoy music that I'm very engaged with and dance to, but I feel like there's a dearth of good music that isn't directive or commanding. I don't think this record is passive, but it's also not commanding; it's not telling you what to think or how to feel. So I guess if there is anything I hope, it's that it can find people who maybe didn't realize they wanted it, or maybe didn't realize they needed it, or maybe didn't realize that what they've been listening to has been screaming at them.” As someone who lives for music with big arrangements and even bigger emotions by some massive personalities, this is the sort of album that I occasionally need as a reminder that there are other ways of going about things, ways that are more subtle and more quiet, and shows that one can have a large presence without being in your face. If nothing else Tape Loops can make one reconsidered how they define boring since this album of quiet, unassuming loops somehow feels less repetitive and less of a slog to listen to than albums with eighty times as much going on.

10/12: Green Day's 21^st Century Breakdown: Upon first listen the story isn't very clear, unlike John Lennon's influence.

Why? Currently working through their discography.

Additional Thoughts: Comparisons are a tricky thing. They aren’t inherently pejorative, but certainly folks interpret them that way and others often intend them to be insulting. I don’t, or at least I try not to. I try use comparisons as a way to describe or contextualize a work or understand possible influences and that’s definitely the case when it came to my tweet about 21^st Century Breakdown. Though John is well-known for getting political in his music, the influence here is more sonic in nature. It’s most apparent on tracks “Last Night On Earth” and “Restless Heart Syndrome,” the latter of which has a vocal melody that just screams John. And you know what? It makes total sense that his influence would be so prominent, especially given that before going in to record Breakdown Green Day recorded a cover of “Working Class Hero” (which is also referenced in Breakdown’s lyrics.) One other thing I found interesting about the album is how sweet and clear Billie Joe Armstrong’s voice often sounds, whereas during most of Green Day’s output he uses that snotty, punk brat voice. It’s a nice change of pace.

10/13: dumblonde's dumblonde: Not sure if their Danity Kane past will hurt or help, but this is an awesomely weird album.

Why? 2015 release.

Additional Thoughts: Duo dumblonde consists of former Danity Kane members Aubrey O’Day and Shannon Bex. I must admit that I don’t really know much about Danity Kane, musically or in terms of the public’s opinion of the group. The only DK song I know is “Damaged” and dumblonde’s debut sounds nothing like it. That’s not an insult, by the way, merely an observation I bring up should the DK connection make some apprehensive. (Plus, I have a stupid amount of love for “Damaged” anyway.) Also, it’s important to note that liking DK might not guarantee one will like it either, because while certainly not inaccessible, most of dumblonde isn’t as immediate as a song like “Damaged.” (The big exception to this idea being the poppy “dreamsicle.”) The Wikipedia page for the album lists one of its genres as “alternative dance” and I think that shows in the diverse blend of influences and creative production. A particular high point of the album is the pair of tracks “you got me” and “waiting on you,” which blend well into each other and have great disco and funk flare.

10/14: Emily King's The Switch: "Aya" is one repeated word with little accompaniment, yet it is so compelling and moving.

Why? Spotify recommended it based on Lianne La Havas.

Additional Thoughts: A solid, well-crafted R&B record. In fact, as a further testament to her craftsmanship, the Songwriters Hall of Fame awarded Emily King with the [Buddy] Holly Award a few years ago. Most of this album’s first half feels laidback. However, after the aforementioned “Aya,” it takes a lot of weird and cool musical terms. For instance, there’s “Out of the Clouds” which sounds like a mix of soul, carnival music, Christmas music, and surges from “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” a mix that sounds like it shouldn’t work and yet it does. Other examples include “Off Center” which builds while maintaining its soft beauty and the snaps and rhythms of “Believer.” “Believer” also has a great chorus: “I’m not a believer, what I see’s usually what I get. I’m not a believer, but I haven’t seen it all yet.”

10/15: Green Day's ¡Uno!: With tracks like "Troublemaker" it proves they are still solid pop craftsmen.

Why? Working through their discography.

Additional Thoughts: Billie Joe compared it to early Beatles and I have to agree. It’s there in the vibes of tracks like “Carpe Diem” and “Fell For You” and lyrics of songs like “Sweet 16.” More than that, it’s in Green Day getting back (in a sense) to their pop craftsmen roots, which for the Beatles was most certainly at a height in their early days. In a way, ¡Uno! might be comparable to Let It Be, the Beatles’ attempt to get back to that more straightforward work before the bells and whistles of ambition took over. I don’t mean that as any kind of insult to the Beatles’ later work or to Green Day’s own American Idiot and 21^st Century Breakdown, to be clear. Ambition’s great, but going somewhat back to basics every so often is a good idea, I think.

10/15: Green Day's ¡Dos!: Among all the energy and volume, "Stray Heart" and "Amy" stand out most for their heart.

Why? Working through their discography.

Additional Thoughts: The second part of Green Day’s trilogy was meant to be more garage rock and a party, according to Billie Joe. With tracks like “Lady Cobra,” I think they do succeed on the later. That is, until “Nightlife” stops the party dead, which is odd considering the album ends with a tribute to Amy Winehouse that, at least conceptually and theoretically, one might think it would be the track to drag the party down. Not to disparage “Amy,” of course, which is one of the best songs on the album. I don’t have much else to say about this one, I’m afraid. It has some great tracks, but doesn’t really grab me overall. 

10/16: Green Day's ¡Tré!: With a few exceptions, I don't think they hit the epic vibe they reportedly aimed for here.

Why? Working through their discography.

Additional Thoughts: I think beyond “Dirty Rotten Bastards,” “The Forgotten,” and maybe “Brutal Love” the album doesn’t hit the epic  heights Billie Joe wanted, which is kind of funny since his summations of ¡Uno! and ¡Dos! were pretty on point. However, I will agree with him on the album’s reflective nature (“X-Kid” and again, “The Forgotten”) and more sonic variation. Either way, their melody work is, as always, on point, like on “Drama Queen.” It’s a good album on its own, but in the context of the trilogy might not be as appreciated.

10/16: Coheed & Cambria's The Color Before the Sun: The mask of fantasy is gone, but the stories and beauty still remain.

Why? New release.

Additional Thoughts: If it had fit my tweet for this album would’ve just been the Oscar Wilde quote, “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” Though, obviously, I vaguely referenced it anyway. And while I do think the quote is fitting, I don’t agree with the simplified assertion that is their first “non-concept” album. It’s certainly their first non-Amory Wars work, but the album is very much about that fact and about Claudio Sanchez learning to write as himself directly, as opposed to writing his thoughts and feelings through the Amory characters. (Of course, it all depends on how one defines “concept album,” which I think is an interesting discussion, but not one for this moment.) A long time ago I saw an interview where Claudio said how much the Amory saga had been influenced by his parents, so again I find it a simplification to say Color Before the Sun is the first time he’s getting personal. He’s just more direct here, as I said. Either way, it’s a great record and a good move on their part. As cool as it sounds to be a band that exclusively does music about a comic saga, realistically they can only do that for so long. The transition to something else would need to happen eventually and if this album is any indication so far they seem to be doing well with it. 

All albums available to stream on Spotify. 

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