As part of my "Best of The Aughts" post, I had mentioned that Dance Yrself Clean by LCD Soundsystem was one of the best opening songs ever on album. The minute clicked publish, I started to think about some other legendary opening tracks. So, done on a moments notice are some of my favorite album opening songs ever (at least while I'm writing this)
Dance Yrself Clean: LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
Battery: Metallica - Master of Puppets
Excursions: A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Among the Living: Anthrax - Among the Living
IOU: The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me
Smells Like Teen Spirit: Nirvana - Nevermind
London Calling: The Clash - London Calling
Rocks Off: The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
New Day Rising: Husker Du - New Day Rising
Bring The Ruckus: Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)
Teenage Riot: Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Baba O'Reilly: The Who - Who's Next
So What: Miles Davis - A Kind of Blue
Linoleum: NOFX - Punk in Drublic
Waiting Room: Fugazi - 13 Songs
The Devil's Taking Names: The Lawrence Arms - Oh Calcutta
Radio Free Europe: REM - Murmur
Spirit of Radio: Rush - Permanent Waves
Tell Em: Sleigh Bells - Treats
Yours is No Disgrace: Yes - The Yes Album
Worm of the Senses....: Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
Blitzkrieg Bop: Ramones - Ramones
Thursday, December 5, 2019
The best o' the oughts
It's been a while since the last post but, since this is the end of the decade that I started this blog thing, seems fitting that I hop back in the saddle to close the aughts out. Despite the objection of more than a few of my acquaintances, there really was some compelling music released over the past decade.....a lot of it!! It's provocative, controversial, fascinating art to match the times that we are living in. While (insert your streaming service name here) has blast accelerated the mixtape mentality (of which I'm totally guilty), listening to an album start to finish has, was, and will always rule. Enough yapping here - here are my fave albums of the past 10 years (in no particular order):
Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: Easily one of the most bats##t crazy, over the top albums ever made. Brilliantly produced (even featuring samples from totally non-hip acts like Yes and King Crimson), more than a few psycho, cringe worthy, truly gonzo rhymes, and a lengthy list of cameos ranging from Jay-Z to Bon Iver to an album stealing performance from Nikki Minaj on the song "Monster".
https://open.spotify.com/album/20r762YmB5HeofjMCiPMLv?si=atdg4YuIQeeACA-D9Vlabg
LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening: It was supposed to be the final LCD album and the lyrics definitely reflected it. It has all of the dance grooves that you came to expect from James Murphy and crew but there is a sense of closure throughout. And, by the way, Dance Yrself Clean is one of the greatest opening songs on an album ever. They did reunite 7 years later (and make another excellent album) but this was quite the farewell album...albeit a temporary one. https://open.spotify.com/album/4hnqM0JK4CM1phwfq1Ldyz?si=8gyDdW1kQBmVaFyUoyPJWQ
Deafheaven - Sunbather: In a decade where bands such as Converge, High on Fire, Kylesa, and Neurosis(not to mention legends like Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Judas Priest, and Metallica) have been in peak form, few bands have changed the face of the genre like Deafheaven. Equal parts Norwegian Black Metal and English Shoegaze, Deafheaven specializes in 10 plus minute epics that start you in the middle of a hurricane while finishing drifting down a calm river. https://open.spotify.com/album/2kKXGWaCEl06EKZ4DxBJIT?si=EH24j-OLQxGDfy9J3GhmgA
Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City: Having perfected their quirky, world-music, alt rock style on their first two albums, NYC's Vampire Weekend knocked it out of the park on their third album. Every song has a very distinct vibe and, in the case of "Unbelievers" and "Diane Young", come close to perfection.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2Qi2SySN2ePZwMLDSv9Krn?si=UB60SSZPQryq-Xw-JF-Y4Q
David Bowie - Blackstar: The ultimate shape shifter threw one more change-up at us on that cold January morning in 2016 with the release of this bizarre, brilliant album. No "Five Years", "Let's Dance", or "Rebel Rebel" here but this album is one last work of art from one of rock's most creative and iconic artists.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2w1YJXWMIco6EBf0CovvVN?si=3ABAhpS3QLm1aNVrBxLgUA
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly: If there was ever an artist who falls into the category of "we'll still be talking about him in 20 years", Kendrick Lamar. While any of his last three albums could have made this list, "Butterfly" with his powerful rhymes and jazzy beats, this is definitely one for the ages.
https://open.spotify.com/album/7ycBtnsMtyVbbwTfJwRjSP?si=Hu5UBuXsSDGNqcXOI1FGiA
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream: I wasn't the biggest fan of the War on Drugs before or after this 2014 album but Lost in the Dream has this stickiness that I can't shake. The opening track "Under the Pressure" might be the dreamiest 9 minute song Bob Dylan never made. Not too often bands can somehow mix electronica with Americana and get away with it but the War on Drugs manage to on this album. Also an awesome album to listen to on long rides.
https://open.spotify.com/album/14xxjLlbGy8ACm4MorBjD5?si=PXRjWIbHROK21H0bpmcxSw
Japandroids - Celebration Rock: Quite simply, this is the best, full-on ROCK album of the past ten years. This Canadian duo starts fast and never lets up on their sophomore effort. This an album with some very thoughtful lyrics but is meant to played very loud. "The House That Heaven Built" is the closest thing a rock anthem that came out this decade. It's air guitar time, kids!!!
https://open.spotify.com/album/2sY9WYVH022ulyAYaqvXLW?si=CuchqR71Qe-8ZVmF2Nw8-g
Rush - Clockwork Angels: A weird thing happened to Toronto's favorite sons over the past decade - they became slightly hip. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, made it onto mainstream magazine covers, and were even the subject of not one but two different movies. In addition to all this, they released what would be their final album. Yet another concept album, "Clockwork Angels" is the perfect close to their 4 decade career -amazing chops, great songs, and, of course, some occasionally head scratching lyrics. Cheers boys!!
https://open.spotify.com/album/744i0LypfMwHHrKhzsqAx0?si=r8wyelAJQFGPoWVmTtDv0w
A Tribe Called Quest - We Got it From Here....: The rift between Q-Tip and Phyfe Dawg that broke up ATCQ in the late 90's were fairly legendary but their occasional reunion shows gave us some hope that maybe some new material was in the plans. Sadly, Phyfe's shocking death in 2016 ended those dreams....or so we thought. Fortunately, they had been recording and there was enough material in the can. "We Got It From Here" is a powerful, relevant hip-hop album that holds it's own next to their legendary work from the 90's. RIP Phyfe Dawg!
https://open.spotify.com/album/3WvQpufOsPzkZvcSuynCf3?si=8eaZxgPkToy-O9toshM_BA
Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: Easily one of the most bats##t crazy, over the top albums ever made. Brilliantly produced (even featuring samples from totally non-hip acts like Yes and King Crimson), more than a few psycho, cringe worthy, truly gonzo rhymes, and a lengthy list of cameos ranging from Jay-Z to Bon Iver to an album stealing performance from Nikki Minaj on the song "Monster".
https://open.spotify.com/album/20r762YmB5HeofjMCiPMLv?si=atdg4YuIQeeACA-D9Vlabg
LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening: It was supposed to be the final LCD album and the lyrics definitely reflected it. It has all of the dance grooves that you came to expect from James Murphy and crew but there is a sense of closure throughout. And, by the way, Dance Yrself Clean is one of the greatest opening songs on an album ever. They did reunite 7 years later (and make another excellent album) but this was quite the farewell album...albeit a temporary one. https://open.spotify.com/album/4hnqM0JK4CM1phwfq1Ldyz?si=8gyDdW1kQBmVaFyUoyPJWQ
Deafheaven - Sunbather: In a decade where bands such as Converge, High on Fire, Kylesa, and Neurosis(not to mention legends like Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Judas Priest, and Metallica) have been in peak form, few bands have changed the face of the genre like Deafheaven. Equal parts Norwegian Black Metal and English Shoegaze, Deafheaven specializes in 10 plus minute epics that start you in the middle of a hurricane while finishing drifting down a calm river. https://open.spotify.com/album/2kKXGWaCEl06EKZ4DxBJIT?si=EH24j-OLQxGDfy9J3GhmgA
Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City: Having perfected their quirky, world-music, alt rock style on their first two albums, NYC's Vampire Weekend knocked it out of the park on their third album. Every song has a very distinct vibe and, in the case of "Unbelievers" and "Diane Young", come close to perfection.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2Qi2SySN2ePZwMLDSv9Krn?si=UB60SSZPQryq-Xw-JF-Y4Q
David Bowie - Blackstar: The ultimate shape shifter threw one more change-up at us on that cold January morning in 2016 with the release of this bizarre, brilliant album. No "Five Years", "Let's Dance", or "Rebel Rebel" here but this album is one last work of art from one of rock's most creative and iconic artists.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2w1YJXWMIco6EBf0CovvVN?si=3ABAhpS3QLm1aNVrBxLgUA
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly: If there was ever an artist who falls into the category of "we'll still be talking about him in 20 years", Kendrick Lamar. While any of his last three albums could have made this list, "Butterfly" with his powerful rhymes and jazzy beats, this is definitely one for the ages.
https://open.spotify.com/album/7ycBtnsMtyVbbwTfJwRjSP?si=Hu5UBuXsSDGNqcXOI1FGiA
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream: I wasn't the biggest fan of the War on Drugs before or after this 2014 album but Lost in the Dream has this stickiness that I can't shake. The opening track "Under the Pressure" might be the dreamiest 9 minute song Bob Dylan never made. Not too often bands can somehow mix electronica with Americana and get away with it but the War on Drugs manage to on this album. Also an awesome album to listen to on long rides.
https://open.spotify.com/album/14xxjLlbGy8ACm4MorBjD5?si=PXRjWIbHROK21H0bpmcxSw
Japandroids - Celebration Rock: Quite simply, this is the best, full-on ROCK album of the past ten years. This Canadian duo starts fast and never lets up on their sophomore effort. This an album with some very thoughtful lyrics but is meant to played very loud. "The House That Heaven Built" is the closest thing a rock anthem that came out this decade. It's air guitar time, kids!!!
https://open.spotify.com/album/2sY9WYVH022ulyAYaqvXLW?si=CuchqR71Qe-8ZVmF2Nw8-g
Rush - Clockwork Angels: A weird thing happened to Toronto's favorite sons over the past decade - they became slightly hip. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, made it onto mainstream magazine covers, and were even the subject of not one but two different movies. In addition to all this, they released what would be their final album. Yet another concept album, "Clockwork Angels" is the perfect close to their 4 decade career -amazing chops, great songs, and, of course, some occasionally head scratching lyrics. Cheers boys!!
https://open.spotify.com/album/744i0LypfMwHHrKhzsqAx0?si=r8wyelAJQFGPoWVmTtDv0w
A Tribe Called Quest - We Got it From Here....: The rift between Q-Tip and Phyfe Dawg that broke up ATCQ in the late 90's were fairly legendary but their occasional reunion shows gave us some hope that maybe some new material was in the plans. Sadly, Phyfe's shocking death in 2016 ended those dreams....or so we thought. Fortunately, they had been recording and there was enough material in the can. "We Got It From Here" is a powerful, relevant hip-hop album that holds it's own next to their legendary work from the 90's. RIP Phyfe Dawg!
https://open.spotify.com/album/3WvQpufOsPzkZvcSuynCf3?si=8eaZxgPkToy-O9toshM_BA
Monday, December 28, 2015
Rest In Power Lemmy
He didn't sell hundreds of millions of records, lived in a small apartment in Hollywood by his beloved Rainbow Bar and Grill, and generally played smaller venues but the influence of the late,great Lemmy Kilmister is immeasurable. Starting in 1975 and not letting up for the next 40 years, Lemmy took his love for Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and the Beatles turn the volume up to 100 and played it at an amphetamine fueled pace that no one quite ever heard before. Motorhead was one of the very few bands who were as influential to metal bands such as Venom, Metallica, and Anthrax as they were to punk bands like Nirvana, Black Flag, and too many more to mention.
Today we lost Lemmy to a very aggressive form of cancer. Despite suffering from a number of health issues over the years, Motorhead still released a number of solid records and toured fairly frequently including at Riot Fest back in September. I was fortunate enough to be at that show and while it was obvious that Lemmy wasn't well, he strapped on his trademark Rickenbacker bass and barreled through.
So pour yourself a tall one and raise your glass to Lemmy!!
We are Motorhead and we play Rock and Roll!!!!!!
Born to Lose, Live to Win
We are Motorhead and we play Rock and Roll!!!!!!
Born to Lose, Live to Win
Thursday, December 17, 2015
The new Rock and Roll HOF Inductees -
Lots of bad names, insults, characterizations, etc have been lobbed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame over the years, and the vast majority are completely justified. Their blatant disregard for anything not deemed worthy by the Rolling Stone top brass was beyond reproach. The fact that entire genres like Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, any punk band formed after 1977, were generally frowned upon was really, really insulting.
Deep Purple: Save for Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, no other band had an influence on heavy metal than Deep Purple. Only a couple of million bands mimicked Ian Gillan's soaring vocal style and Richie Blackmore's blistering, over the top guitar solos. And we haven't even begun to discuss the millions of air guitarists that "Smoke on the Water" has spawned over the past four decades.
NWA: "You're about with witness the strength of street knowledge" - the opening line that changed everything. NWA brought the brutalities of life in Compton, CA to the masses with their epic, no holds barred, 1988 album Straight Outta Compton. The rhymes of Easy E, Ice Cube and MC Ren backed by Dr. Dre's beats enlightened many and enraged many others. Hip hop, and rock music in general, was never the same after Straight Outta Compton.
Chicago: Once you look past their insanely sterile, over produced, dull output that has dominated the latter part of their career, Chicago's very own was actually once a pretty amazing band. Over the course of their first 5 or 6 albums, they seamlessly mixed jazz, rock, and blues into a very, very combustable mix. For that, this is a well earned entry. As for everything else, not so much
And while on the topic, here are some suggestions for future R and R HOF entries while I have the podium:
Yes
Roxy Music
King Crimson
Iron Maiden
Motorhead
Judas Priest
Black Flag
Minor Threat
The Descendents
The Smiths
The Cure
The Replacements
Big Star
Television
A Tribe Called Quest
De La Soul
Brian Eno
Kraftwerk
Just sayin!!
In the past few years however, things begun to change. In 2012, the process of selecting who was inducted was transferred from the stuffed shirts at Rolling Stone and other industry types the people who matter most - the fans. The benefits were instant as the one and only Rush were finally inducted. While still not perfect, it's at least taken a step in the right direction.
The class of 2016 is another positive sign of this change. Thanks to the fans, some extremely influential bands who have been on the outside looking in for many years are finally getting their getting that recognition. One can still say that the R and R HOF is still a bit of a farce, but at least they're trying.
Cheap Trick: Rockford's finest sons - Cheap Trick mastered the art of hard edge power pop in the seventies and 80's and influenced everyone from Big Black to Smashing Pumpkins to Foo Fighters. Rick Nielsen may be one of the most under appreciated songwriters of all time. Bonus points - they only wrote Surrender - one of the greatest songs ever.
Deep Purple: Save for Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, no other band had an influence on heavy metal than Deep Purple. Only a couple of million bands mimicked Ian Gillan's soaring vocal style and Richie Blackmore's blistering, over the top guitar solos. And we haven't even begun to discuss the millions of air guitarists that "Smoke on the Water" has spawned over the past four decades.
NWA: "You're about with witness the strength of street knowledge" - the opening line that changed everything. NWA brought the brutalities of life in Compton, CA to the masses with their epic, no holds barred, 1988 album Straight Outta Compton. The rhymes of Easy E, Ice Cube and MC Ren backed by Dr. Dre's beats enlightened many and enraged many others. Hip hop, and rock music in general, was never the same after Straight Outta Compton.
Chicago: Once you look past their insanely sterile, over produced, dull output that has dominated the latter part of their career, Chicago's very own was actually once a pretty amazing band. Over the course of their first 5 or 6 albums, they seamlessly mixed jazz, rock, and blues into a very, very combustable mix. For that, this is a well earned entry. As for everything else, not so much
And while on the topic, here are some suggestions for future R and R HOF entries while I have the podium:
Yes
Roxy Music
King Crimson
Iron Maiden
Motorhead
Judas Priest
Black Flag
Minor Threat
The Descendents
The Smiths
The Cure
The Replacements
Big Star
Television
A Tribe Called Quest
De La Soul
Brian Eno
Kraftwerk
Just sayin!!
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Let's get back to this...The Best Albums of 2015
After a very long siesta, it is officially back. With such a lengthy break, have many ideas percolating but those can wait until next year (no Cubs pun intended). Let's start with the easy stuff - since 2015 is thankfully drawing to a close, here are the records that I listed to over and over and over this year:
Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp A Butterfly - I get that this one is totally predictable and that everyone had this as their album du 2015 but there's a reason....it's a hip hop album for the ages. Kendrick has made an album that is passionate, angry, and brutally honest. The beats - sampled and those from his smoking band, keep the vibe going throughout. Won't be shocked if we're speaking about this album in 20 years the way we do about The Chronic or Illmatic in 2015.
Deafheaven: New Bermuda - It's a tall order to top what this band did with their genre defying, shape shifting 2013 epic Sunbather, but San Francisco based Deafheaven trumped it with this release. With it's five tracks ranging between 8 and 10 minutes each and encompassing equal parts Black Metal and more atmospheric, shoe gaze, New Bermuda is brutal and lush at the same time. Looking forward to seeing them on tour with Anthrax and Lamb of God in 2016
Viet Cong: Viet Cong - Other than their soon to be former, controversial name, this Canadian quartet didn't get nearly the attention that they deserved with their first full length album. Viet Cong's debut is equal parts post punk, low-fi noise rock, with some Joy Division in the mix. Their songs extract melody and tunefulness from vast walls of noise. They also played a great set on day 3 of Pitchfork which I think you can find on You Tube.
Failure: The Heart is a Monster - Failure continued their out of left field comeback in 2015 with the crowd funded continuation to their 1996 classic "Fantastic Planet". Like it's predecessor, "The Heart is a Monster" carries on with it's mix of prog and hard rock and leveraging lead singer/songwriters Ken Andrews' melodic touch. It's that rare instance that despite a nearly 20 year gap between records you could play them in sequence and it feels seamless - see below.
CHVRCHES: Every Open Eye - For a band that is only on their second album, Scotland's CHVRCHES has mastered their brand of synth pop. While slightly more rigid than the light but powerful the Bones of What You Believe it still miles ahead of most of the pop stuff out there. Supporting data for their position in my top 10, their totally awesome video for Empty Threat. Goth day at the water park anyone?
Armored Saint: Wins Hand Down - While there's nothing glamorous or revolutionary about this album, the first release in 5 years from veteran, brutally under appreciated, rockers Armored Saint is as solid a hard rock/metal release as you can get. They blast out of the gates with the title track (featuring some really cool Thin Lizzy style harmonics) and never let up across the remaining 9 tracks. And, John Bush is still one of the best singers in rock and roll.
Run The Jewels: Meow The Jewels - A formula for enhancing what was an already great album like Run The Jewels 2. First, enlist legendary remixers like Dan The Automator, Prince Paul, and Massive Attack to offer a different perspective. Second, leave some some milk, Friskies, and catnip in the backyard to attract new vocalists.
Iron Maiden: The Book of Souls - When lead singer Bruce Dickinson was diagnosed with cancer last year, the was serious concern about the future of Maiden. Fortunately, Bruce responded to treatment and is cancer free, and 2015 saw the release of an epic Maiden album. Despite their exalted status and well into their fourth decade, Maiden doesn't take the easy route. "Book of Souls" features classic Maiden style tunes while venturing into some new territory, particularly with the soaring 18 minute finale, "Empire of the Clouds".
Rush: R40 Live- Because they're Rush and they rule over all!
Refused: Freedom - Under the category of why be boring...Swedish hardcore legends Refused decided to enlist Taylor Swift (not a typo) producer Shellback as one of the collaborators for their follow-up to the classic "The Shape of Punk To Come". Ambition not withstanding, "Freedom" definitely falls based on the standard that Refused has set. However, it's not a total dud. "Freedom" has a few excellent moments including "Elektra", co-written and produced by Shellback and the vicious "Dawkins Christ".
The Best of the Rest:
Faith No More: Sol Invictus
Lamb of God: VII: Sturm and Drang
Blur: The Magic Whip
Wilco: Star Wars
Grimes: Art Angels
Sunn O))): Kannon
John Coltrane: A Love Supreme - The Complete Masters
Godspeed, You Black Emperor: Asunder, Sweet, and Other Distress
Purity Ring: Another Eternity
Teenage Bottlerocket (RIP Brandon): Tales from Wyoming
Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment: Surf
A Tribe Called Quest - Peoples Instinctive Travels.. (25th Anniversary Edition)
D'Angelo and the Vanguard: Black Messiah
Slayer: Repentless
Swans: The Gate
Led Zeppelin: Presence, In Through The Outdoor, and Coda reissues
Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp A Butterfly - I get that this one is totally predictable and that everyone had this as their album du 2015 but there's a reason....it's a hip hop album for the ages. Kendrick has made an album that is passionate, angry, and brutally honest. The beats - sampled and those from his smoking band, keep the vibe going throughout. Won't be shocked if we're speaking about this album in 20 years the way we do about The Chronic or Illmatic in 2015.
Deafheaven: New Bermuda - It's a tall order to top what this band did with their genre defying, shape shifting 2013 epic Sunbather, but San Francisco based Deafheaven trumped it with this release. With it's five tracks ranging between 8 and 10 minutes each and encompassing equal parts Black Metal and more atmospheric, shoe gaze, New Bermuda is brutal and lush at the same time. Looking forward to seeing them on tour with Anthrax and Lamb of God in 2016
Viet Cong: Viet Cong - Other than their soon to be former, controversial name, this Canadian quartet didn't get nearly the attention that they deserved with their first full length album. Viet Cong's debut is equal parts post punk, low-fi noise rock, with some Joy Division in the mix. Their songs extract melody and tunefulness from vast walls of noise. They also played a great set on day 3 of Pitchfork which I think you can find on You Tube.
Failure: The Heart is a Monster - Failure continued their out of left field comeback in 2015 with the crowd funded continuation to their 1996 classic "Fantastic Planet". Like it's predecessor, "The Heart is a Monster" carries on with it's mix of prog and hard rock and leveraging lead singer/songwriters Ken Andrews' melodic touch. It's that rare instance that despite a nearly 20 year gap between records you could play them in sequence and it feels seamless - see below.
CHVRCHES: Every Open Eye - For a band that is only on their second album, Scotland's CHVRCHES has mastered their brand of synth pop. While slightly more rigid than the light but powerful the Bones of What You Believe it still miles ahead of most of the pop stuff out there. Supporting data for their position in my top 10, their totally awesome video for Empty Threat. Goth day at the water park anyone?
Armored Saint: Wins Hand Down - While there's nothing glamorous or revolutionary about this album, the first release in 5 years from veteran, brutally under appreciated, rockers Armored Saint is as solid a hard rock/metal release as you can get. They blast out of the gates with the title track (featuring some really cool Thin Lizzy style harmonics) and never let up across the remaining 9 tracks. And, John Bush is still one of the best singers in rock and roll.
Run The Jewels: Meow The Jewels - A formula for enhancing what was an already great album like Run The Jewels 2. First, enlist legendary remixers like Dan The Automator, Prince Paul, and Massive Attack to offer a different perspective. Second, leave some some milk, Friskies, and catnip in the backyard to attract new vocalists.
Iron Maiden: The Book of Souls - When lead singer Bruce Dickinson was diagnosed with cancer last year, the was serious concern about the future of Maiden. Fortunately, Bruce responded to treatment and is cancer free, and 2015 saw the release of an epic Maiden album. Despite their exalted status and well into their fourth decade, Maiden doesn't take the easy route. "Book of Souls" features classic Maiden style tunes while venturing into some new territory, particularly with the soaring 18 minute finale, "Empire of the Clouds".
Rush: R40 Live- Because they're Rush and they rule over all!
Refused: Freedom - Under the category of why be boring...Swedish hardcore legends Refused decided to enlist Taylor Swift (not a typo) producer Shellback as one of the collaborators for their follow-up to the classic "The Shape of Punk To Come". Ambition not withstanding, "Freedom" definitely falls based on the standard that Refused has set. However, it's not a total dud. "Freedom" has a few excellent moments including "Elektra", co-written and produced by Shellback and the vicious "Dawkins Christ".
The Best of the Rest:
Faith No More: Sol Invictus
Lamb of God: VII: Sturm and Drang
Blur: The Magic Whip
Wilco: Star Wars
Grimes: Art Angels
Sunn O))): Kannon
John Coltrane: A Love Supreme - The Complete Masters
Godspeed, You Black Emperor: Asunder, Sweet, and Other Distress
Purity Ring: Another Eternity
Teenage Bottlerocket (RIP Brandon): Tales from Wyoming
Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment: Surf
A Tribe Called Quest - Peoples Instinctive Travels.. (25th Anniversary Edition)
D'Angelo and the Vanguard: Black Messiah
Slayer: Repentless
Swans: The Gate
Led Zeppelin: Presence, In Through The Outdoor, and Coda reissues
Friday, November 20, 2015
Just don't call this a comeback.
After a lengthy, lengthy, really lengthy absence, the blogmaster general has returned. Let's get this next generation started off right. Boys.....
New stuff coming very soon!!!
New stuff coming very soon!!!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
SURPRISE!!!! The Sudden Reappearance of David Bowie and My Bloody Valentine'
The Beatles and The Smith's notwithstanding, the chances of a band reuniting at one point or another is pretty much even money. The allure of a payday equivalent to the GDP of a third world country will generally cure all that ails even in the most dysfunctional of bands. Anyone who has seen The Eagles documentary on Showtime knows that they spent the latter portion of their initial run finding new ways how to hate each other but when the opportunity to fully fund the 401k's for their great grandchildren's DNA, they couldn't start harmonizing to Desperado faster.
However, the financial motivation behind most comebacks generally neuters any semblance of creativity that may still exist. While bands such as Mission of Burma or Wire have come back all guns blazing with albums that either matched or, in some cases, exceeded the works of their storied past, most just seem as nothing more than a contractual obligation. Going back to my Eagles example, the drive and dysfunction that wound up smothering them in the 70's also gave us the iconic "Hotel California". The modern day version of said band brought us "Long Road Out of Eden" - a smarmy, over the top piece of shit so pretentious it makes Yes' infamous "Tales From Topographic Oceans" sounds like Minor Threat in comparison. In other words, past performance doesn't necessarily guarantee future results.
With the start of the new year, the list of potential IRA padding candidates began to take it's usual form. One more Van Halen run with Diamond Dave, the Stones being carted out for their 50th anniversary, the hope that Axl, Slash, and Duff would finally let bygones be bygones and give us one more chance to enjoy the proper Guns and Roses and so on. But a strange thing happened early on, the unexpected began to occur and a couple of surprise comebacks just appeared out of thin air.
First case: My Bloody Valentine, shoegazers extraordinaire. During their brief run in the late 80's/early 90's, MBV quickly built up a reputation as one of the leaders of the Shoegazer movement in England culminating in 1991's masterpiece "Loveless". One of the most sonically stunning albums of all time, Loveless was an album so carefully constructed and so costly that it nearly bankrupted their record label. "Loveless" was an absolutely potent combination of Kevin Shields' blistering swirling guitars, nearly unintelligible vocals, and some masterful pop hooks.
However, after "Loveless", MBV simply vanished from the face of the earth. Like Keyser Soze in "The Usual Suspects", it was a puff of smoke and that was it. However, the reals story was that the band never actually broke up but bandleader Shields decided to spend the next two decades becoming the musical Captain Ahab and seeking that ultimate prize. As time went by, Shields would occasionally surface to collaborate with artists such as Primal Scream or helping on soundtracks such as "Lost In Translation" and "Marie Antoinette". In 2007, MBV actually reunited for a quick reunion tour that instantly sold out. Then back to the shadows.
First case: My Bloody Valentine, shoegazers extraordinaire. During their brief run in the late 80's/early 90's, MBV quickly built up a reputation as one of the leaders of the Shoegazer movement in England culminating in 1991's masterpiece "Loveless". One of the most sonically stunning albums of all time, Loveless was an album so carefully constructed and so costly that it nearly bankrupted their record label. "Loveless" was an absolutely potent combination of Kevin Shields' blistering swirling guitars, nearly unintelligible vocals, and some masterful pop hooks.
However, after "Loveless", MBV simply vanished from the face of the earth. Like Keyser Soze in "The Usual Suspects", it was a puff of smoke and that was it. However, the reals story was that the band never actually broke up but bandleader Shields decided to spend the next two decades becoming the musical Captain Ahab and seeking that ultimate prize. As time went by, Shields would occasionally surface to collaborate with artists such as Primal Scream or helping on soundtracks such as "Lost In Translation" and "Marie Antoinette". In 2007, MBV actually reunited for a quick reunion tour that instantly sold out. Then back to the shadows.
Candidate #2: the immortal David Bowie. From his days as the androgynous, just slightly flamboyant Ziggy Stardust to his drug addled days with Iggy and Eno in Berlin in the mid - 70's to the megastar Serious Moonlight days of the early 80's - his influence is unparalleled. Even after the mega-success of Let's Dance in the early 80's, Bowie released a steady stream of albums. If you take away his truly awful work from the mid 80's through the early 90's culminating in the head scratchingly bad Tin Machine project, his post "Let's Dance" work has been pretty solid. In fact, his most recent release, 2003's "Reality, was his best album in a long, long time. "Aladdin Sane" or "Low" it may not be but there are some great tracks on there like "The Loneliest Guy" or "Bring Me the Disco King".
However, just as he was starting to regain some momentum around the "Reality" tour, Bowie collapsed backstage at a show of a heart attack and required major surgery. Post surgery, Bowie put his musical career on hold save for the occasional cameo with bands such as Arcade Fire and TV on the Radio (how about that for young, upcoming bands) and with his old pal David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. In addition, Bowie could occasionally be seen at charity events or strolling around his adopted hometown of New York City (I tried to find him there many times over the years but to no avail).
However, just as he was starting to regain some momentum around the "Reality" tour, Bowie collapsed backstage at a show of a heart attack and required major surgery. Post surgery, Bowie put his musical career on hold save for the occasional cameo with bands such as Arcade Fire and TV on the Radio (how about that for young, upcoming bands) and with his old pal David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. In addition, Bowie could occasionally be seen at charity events or strolling around his adopted hometown of New York City (I tried to find him there many times over the years but to no avail).
Set the clock ahead to January of 2013 and as if out of the blue, both of our candidates suddenly burst back into the limelight and with no fanfare whatsoever, unleashed new material on the world. On his 66th birthday on January 8th, Bowie issued a press release announcing the upcoming release of a new album "The Next Day" and dropped a brand new single and video for "Where Are We Now" to a completely shocked public. A few weeks later at a show in London, Kevin Shields announces that not only has MBV finished their long-awaited new album but it would be released within the next couple of days.
After these mammoth announcements, the two artists took much different approaches in regards to releasing their comeback albums. Less than a week later, on a Saturday night, MBV simply announced on the Facebook page that the album, simply titled "mbv" was available for sale on their website - how about that for guerrilla marketing for an album 22 years in the making. In early March, after a couple of months and a more traditional promotional campaign, Bowie released "The Next Day" in early March. But despite their different approaches in promotion, the great thing about both of these albums is that they don't deny or attempt to retread past works.
The first thing you have to remember about "mbv" is that it's not "Loveless", period. It has moments, especially in the first part of the record that evoke memories of that classic but it really is it's own thing. As pointed out by many since it's release, "mbv" can be divided into three parts. And while there are a few slight misses over the course of it's nine songs, this is still an extremely powerful record from a group that hopefully has a few left in them.
The first third of the album that does kind of pick up where "Loveless" left off totally driven by Shields droning guitar work. The opening track "she found now" features a classic Shields' riff over his airy vocals. "only tomorrow" is the first knockout pop track on this record with a sick riff from Shields and co-lead singers Belinda Butcher's dreamy, occasionally soaring vocals.
The second third of "mbv", belongs to Butcher starting with "if this and yes" featuring nothing more than a toy synthesizer sound and her very subtle vocals that appear to drift in and out of the mix. "new you" is probably the most blatant pop song on the record and the only one where it almost feels like Shields is ceding the limelight to Butcher to maximum effect. He even abandons his traditional droning guitar part for a simple rhythm line.
Shields unloads in the final segment of "mbv" and offers some direction as to where the band may go in years to come (if there ever is another album). "nothing is" is a quick, intense 2 minute instrumental featuring a driving repeating riff over a pulsing electronic drum beat. The closing track "wonder 2" is to this album as "Only Shallow" was to "Loveless" - the song that will be remembered for years to come. The song is a sonic tornado where all of the elements are consistently swirling around and occasionally something comes out of the chaos be it Shields vocals, or his blistering guitar licks.
In an era where everybody knows everything about everyone else at any moment, Bowie managed to pull off the nearly impossible. He wrote and recorded an album over the course of two years in New York City in absolute secrecy and the results of this covert activity are simply stunning. "The Next Day" is an amazing record that reaffirms that the Thin White Duke is still a master songwriter with alot left to offer. As opposed to rehashing his past glories, Bowie embraces life as an elder statesman. The cover artwork essentially defaces the cover of Bowie's classic album "Heroes" by throwing a plain white box over the picture of Bowie ("Anti-Heroes" maybe??).
While the first single "Where are We Now?" is a very lush and somber track, the vast majority of the songs on "The Next Day" completely rock out. The opening song and the title track flies out of the gates with some monster riffs and oh so creepy chorus "here I am, not quite dying, my body left to rot in a dying tree". It's apparent that Bowie may have been away for a while but he's not simply fading into the sunset. The next track "Dirty Boys" is a very sinister, sleazy sounding track fueled by an equally unnerving sax part.
The most surprising thing about this record is it's musical diversity. Each song has it's own feel and despite having 14 tracks (and three pretty good bonus tracks) there are no throwaways and Bowie's vocals are in prime form. Also, Bowie's vocals throughout are simply amazing. "Where are We Now" is a lush, somewhat somber track reliving his mid 70's period in Berlin where he made some of his finest recordings. "Valentine's Day" evokes memories of his early 70's phase minus some of the over the top lyrics.
As the album draws to a close, "The Next Day" begins to mellow slightly. "You Feel So Lonely You Could Die" featuring some really sinister lyrics from Bowie and drum part at the end of the song that may be stripped from the classic opening track from "Ziggy Stardust". The closing track "Heat" is an experimental, electronic very dark track that harkens back to his Berlin days of the mid-70's.
If you had told someone in December that not only would David Bowie almost magically reappear with his first new recording in a decade but it also be one of his finest works, you would have laughed me out of the room. But like Bob Dylan did with "Time Out of Mind" and Johnny Cash did with his landmark "American Recordings", David Bowie suspended disbelief and came back with a monster of a record that holds up with his classic output.
And now back to your regularly scheduled, soulless, disingenuous, Daddy needs a new Rolex reunion comeback circuit.
After these mammoth announcements, the two artists took much different approaches in regards to releasing their comeback albums. Less than a week later, on a Saturday night, MBV simply announced on the Facebook page that the album, simply titled "mbv" was available for sale on their website - how about that for guerrilla marketing for an album 22 years in the making. In early March, after a couple of months and a more traditional promotional campaign, Bowie released "The Next Day" in early March. But despite their different approaches in promotion, the great thing about both of these albums is that they don't deny or attempt to retread past works.
The first thing you have to remember about "mbv" is that it's not "Loveless", period. It has moments, especially in the first part of the record that evoke memories of that classic but it really is it's own thing. As pointed out by many since it's release, "mbv" can be divided into three parts. And while there are a few slight misses over the course of it's nine songs, this is still an extremely powerful record from a group that hopefully has a few left in them.
The first third of the album that does kind of pick up where "Loveless" left off totally driven by Shields droning guitar work. The opening track "she found now" features a classic Shields' riff over his airy vocals. "only tomorrow" is the first knockout pop track on this record with a sick riff from Shields and co-lead singers Belinda Butcher's dreamy, occasionally soaring vocals.
The second third of "mbv", belongs to Butcher starting with "if this and yes" featuring nothing more than a toy synthesizer sound and her very subtle vocals that appear to drift in and out of the mix. "new you" is probably the most blatant pop song on the record and the only one where it almost feels like Shields is ceding the limelight to Butcher to maximum effect. He even abandons his traditional droning guitar part for a simple rhythm line.
Shields unloads in the final segment of "mbv" and offers some direction as to where the band may go in years to come (if there ever is another album). "nothing is" is a quick, intense 2 minute instrumental featuring a driving repeating riff over a pulsing electronic drum beat. The closing track "wonder 2" is to this album as "Only Shallow" was to "Loveless" - the song that will be remembered for years to come. The song is a sonic tornado where all of the elements are consistently swirling around and occasionally something comes out of the chaos be it Shields vocals, or his blistering guitar licks.
In an era where everybody knows everything about everyone else at any moment, Bowie managed to pull off the nearly impossible. He wrote and recorded an album over the course of two years in New York City in absolute secrecy and the results of this covert activity are simply stunning. "The Next Day" is an amazing record that reaffirms that the Thin White Duke is still a master songwriter with alot left to offer. As opposed to rehashing his past glories, Bowie embraces life as an elder statesman. The cover artwork essentially defaces the cover of Bowie's classic album "Heroes" by throwing a plain white box over the picture of Bowie ("Anti-Heroes" maybe??).
While the first single "Where are We Now?" is a very lush and somber track, the vast majority of the songs on "The Next Day" completely rock out. The opening song and the title track flies out of the gates with some monster riffs and oh so creepy chorus "here I am, not quite dying, my body left to rot in a dying tree". It's apparent that Bowie may have been away for a while but he's not simply fading into the sunset. The next track "Dirty Boys" is a very sinister, sleazy sounding track fueled by an equally unnerving sax part.
The most surprising thing about this record is it's musical diversity. Each song has it's own feel and despite having 14 tracks (and three pretty good bonus tracks) there are no throwaways and Bowie's vocals are in prime form. Also, Bowie's vocals throughout are simply amazing. "Where are We Now" is a lush, somewhat somber track reliving his mid 70's period in Berlin where he made some of his finest recordings. "Valentine's Day" evokes memories of his early 70's phase minus some of the over the top lyrics.
As the album draws to a close, "The Next Day" begins to mellow slightly. "You Feel So Lonely You Could Die" featuring some really sinister lyrics from Bowie and drum part at the end of the song that may be stripped from the classic opening track from "Ziggy Stardust". The closing track "Heat" is an experimental, electronic very dark track that harkens back to his Berlin days of the mid-70's.
If you had told someone in December that not only would David Bowie almost magically reappear with his first new recording in a decade but it also be one of his finest works, you would have laughed me out of the room. But like Bob Dylan did with "Time Out of Mind" and Johnny Cash did with his landmark "American Recordings", David Bowie suspended disbelief and came back with a monster of a record that holds up with his classic output.
And now back to your regularly scheduled, soulless, disingenuous, Daddy needs a new Rolex reunion comeback circuit.
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