I had never heard of this band so I went into this knowing absolutely nothing and having no idea what I was going to get when I pressed play. A fun thing to do sometimes. Right from the start it's some catchy infectious energetic indie rock of the sort I like from the mid 90s and I suspected I was going to like this. Then after a couple of songs the male vocalist gave way to a female vocalist and the music changed to a more dreamy pop vibe. A nice dreamy pop vibe. Very enjoyable. Then we get the harmonies with both vocalists. After that I gave up on any expecting and just enjoyed the ride. A mix of styles both dreamy and noisy, poppy and rocky, with some infrequent electronic flourishes, reminiscent of many bands from that era I like but with enough of their own identity that I can't say which one/s specifically. The track Sweet As A Candybar was sweet as a candybar, and speaking of sweet I don't recall ever hearing the lyrics like "I'm gonna fuck you up today" sang so nice and peacefully (in the track Neely). That made me smile. In the end a cool little album with a UK/European vibe to it so that I was surprised to find out after that they were an American band, although I wasn't surprised that they were on the 4AD label. I had fun listening to this, thanks!
I liked this a lot. Gave it a couple listens almost compulsively. Couldn’t help but push play again after it stopped.
Previous experience with The Drones was limited to a few tracks from I See Seaweed which got some love and attention the first few months I was on this site. I can’t remember anything about those songs nor my reaction. More broadly I have heard a solo album by Garett Liddiard (lead singer here) and it is great. And I have heard a couple of the 3 Tropical Fuck Storm albums and they are solid and much more weird and experimental than this Drones sound.
This album is a cool mix of shambolic, clattering bluesy garage rock with some noise rock explosions and general drunken somberness which is cool. When the band builds to crescendos and the parts all come together for some explosive rock it’s awesome. And even on the slower songs and build ups, there is a pain and a attention-holding tension in those moments. Really think it’s a cool sound and memorable.
Can’t say I have yet grown to love it even like very much the lead vocal style. They are unique and very slurred and painful. And maybe half the time I like em. The other half of the time I don’t think I would pick em as my preferred vocal style. Not bad, and certainly doesn’t kill the vibe of the music. Hell, perhaps that on-the-verge of going off, unpredictableness vocally actually helps build the aura and atmosphere of this album if a very down and out, lost soul searching for some shred of sense and meaning in the collapsing world around him.
Anyway, I like this a lot. And when I do chart updates it will be high in 2005 and probably will be in strong contention for the 2000s chart. I think this pretty massive “movement” in the 2000s of more raw and rugged blues and garage rock was awesome and this is one of the better examples of that trend.
I didn't have any idea as to what this was going in, and I was pleasantly surprised. About a half an hour of jammy and psychedlic instrumentals. Not much stuck out to me on a first listen, but it did keep me engaged for the runtime.
Wrong-Eyed Jesus by Jim White
Full name: The Mysterious Tale of How I Shouted Wrong-Eyed Jesus. Moody alt country with lots and lots of influences from rock, jazz, blues, psychedelia, goth, slowcore and various folk genres. There isn't a clear highlight or a song that floored me, but it's all around good vibes. I love this quote from an interview with Jim
Quote:
For 20 years I’d written these dark little songs, ” he notes dryly, “Every once in a while I’d play them for someone and they’d shout, ‘Stop! That sucks so bad it makes my ears pop!’, then a thing called alt country came along and, boom, all of a sudden everyone’s hollering ‘Jim, you’re a friggin’ genius!’ I mean, what happened???”
Really shows how a change in trend can highlight the careers of unknown geniuses. While I wasn't the biggest fan of this (although it's a good album), I'm certain that Jim White is a genius, the way he mixes bits and pieces you never thought could coexist is brilliant. I'll try other albums of his, hopefully one will stick even better than this. 7.5/10
I really appreciate this rec, because I don't think I would have ever heard this otherwise. A beautiful piece of minimalism that is heavy on the vibes(?) and strongly reminiscent of Steve Reich, to the point where I can't fully disagree with reviews calling this a Music For 18 Musicians ripoff. Luckily, that's one of my favorite records ever, so even a somewhat inferior rendition of its concept is great. Of course, there are additional touches that set Clear Skin apart, such as subtle vocals and synths. This album could have been improved by trimming 5-10 minutes off the runtime, as that's when it starts to wear out its welcome as far as I'm concerned. Critique aside, it's right up my alley and will end up high on my 1994 chart. I've added their debut to my to-do list. 4/5.
Listen to one of my favorite Joni Mitchell albums:
Ladies Of The Canyon by Joni Mitchell
This is one of the 70s Joni Mitchell albums I've heard a few times but don't know very well. The other one is For the Roses, while I'm yet to hear Don Juan's Reckless Daughter and Mingus (also the debut and maybe some live albums). Those are pretty much all the albums I'm interested in when it comes to Joni's discog. And for someone who is a pretty big fan of her folk years, this is truly outstanding work, which I'm very glad to relisten. The Circle Game is possibly her best album closer, love that song. Morning Morgantown and For Free are an excellent one two punch to start the album, the second being one of her better piano songs. Big Yellow Taxi and Woodstock are her big hits and deservedly so, wonderful cuts. The title track is another excellent song here, I love the lyrics on that one specifically. It's a song about three of her talented female friends, and the name comes Laurel Canyon in Hollywood. There's this great quote by Joni on Genius:
Quote:
When I first came out to L.A. [in 1968], my friend [photographer] Joel Bernstein found an old book in a flea market that said: Ask anyone in America where the craziest people live and they’ll tell you California. Ask anyone in California where the craziest people live and they’ll say Los Angeles. Ask anyone in Los Angeles where the craziest people live and they’ll tell you Hollywood. Ask anyone in Hollywood where the craziest people live and they’ll say Laurel Canyon. And ask anyone in Laurel Canyon where the craziest people live and they’ll say Lookout Mountain. So I bought a house on Lookout Mountain.
I've not been in this much of a Joni Mitchell mood in a long time, might listen to another 2-3 albums now. This one's 8.5/10
I know you're not too big on prog Bay, but I've been listening to this one a lot over the years and revisited it yesterday (still as great as it was on the first listen). It's catchy alt-rock as much as prog, you might like it.
This was a really cool electric blues album where it sounded like he was having a conversation with his electric guitar. He was making it talk man! Then a dialogue with some rocking piano as well. Later he introduced some funk to the blues, and I'm not gonna lie, by this time it had me moving and grooving as if I was on some dancefloor instead of just my wife and I in the backyard at home. Such was its power I was feeling it and couldn't stop myself. Great soulful and passionate vocals, and backed by a tight and interesting rhythm section. Good vibes and a great listen to finish my chilled Saturday night.
I keep coming back to this lately. Give it a go Zep.
Wait, didn't you need to listen to the New Order album. Well bay actually gave me an option to have a different album since I have been gone from this game for a little bit. And it gives me more material to post on my new diary. Shameless advertising aside, lets get on to the main attraction. I quite find this album to be excellent. A very welcoming sounding electro pop from the early 2010's that feels warm to the touch. With it's glimmering synths, optimistic attitude and vocal performances that make the listener feel the conviction. Well hopefully, if the performances hit the listeners particular sweet spot. Though the counterpoint with the album is how the lyrics can be quite sarcastic or dejected. I think those the right adjectives. But you take a track like Love Is Greed with its chorus, and it is pretty noticeable. So, why isn't this higher? I think if the production took the more ambitious song structures on tracks like Mirrored Sea, Cry Like a Ghost and Where We Belong I could see this album getting a higher grade from me. But then again, I tend to get these ambitious notions with Sufjan Stevens electronic records like The Age of Adz and The Ascension.
Grade:90
Though Bay, I got a better album that is often maligned in his catalogue, but I'll give you that when the time comes. Or if you want to pm me, I can give you a bonus record.
Don't Think You Can Escape Your Purpose by Yoo Doo Right
The intro track was absolutely fantastic, the noisy buildup to the 2nd song was even better. Then that post punk riff (which is 10/10) transitions into another huge noisy part which was a bomb as well. All in all, I was mightily impressed with the opening song. Unfortunately, as the album went on it seemed that there wasn't much more to the band's style than what was shown on the first few tracks, also the tracks became much less interesting in the second half imo. It's almost all instrumental, which didn't help with the diversity either. Despite that I dig the style, some kind of noisy post rock with jam/krautrock/psychedelic parts, maybe even bordering on shoegaze with its heavy and thick wall of sound. Reminded me of some 00s post rock with the way compositions are done, but it's still rather unique for a 2021 post rock album. Will probably be near the end of my year chart come December. 7.5/10
Since you're currently in the 90s, let's go with what is possibly my favourite album of the decade. (Folk of the North EP is usually packaged together with the main album on streaming services, it's a fun EP but not as good as the album, just a heads-up)
Though Bay, I got a better album that is often maligned in his catalogue, but I'll give you that when the time comes. Or if you want to pm me, I can give you a bonus record.
If you're talking about Passion Pit, I've heard all the records multiple times and enjoy them all 😄
LedZep, while I'm pretty inexperienced, I've enjoyed almost all of the 70s prog I've heard, the Canterbury scene in particular. But I have listened to very little from after that classic period, and enjoyed what I have a lot less. This is my first time hearing anything associated with Porcupine Tree. And the album is basically a britpop angle on prog, which is not a combo I would have expected or sought out. It works though. Lightbulb Sun is musically well-made and a pleasant listening experience throughout. Unfortunately, nothing resonates with me on first listen. So while I can appreciate the craft, it's just really not clicking at all for whatever reason. This is definitely pretty good, but not something I'm in a hurry to revisit. 3/5.
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