In Rainbows is unique amongst albums in this chart, not just for it's lofty position, but because I don't actually own it. With one eye on the illegal download market, Radiohead decided to release the album in MP3 format two months before its physical release. You could basically pay what you wanted to. I paid £5. I think this is a good idea. I don't like to download music because I think that I should pay for music if I like it because otherwise the bands would not bother releasing music. I know there is an argument that by releasing music they promote their concerts, which is where they actually make their money. However, I understood that 20 or so years ago the situation was exactly the opposite, in that bands played live to promote CDs, where they made money. I suppose that concert tickets have gone up substantially over that period, whereas CD prices have remained fairly static, so maybe it does make sense. On the other hand, once I have bought a CD I quite often burn it and just listen to it on my iPod, so I don't really need to own the CD. I know the argument is that CDs are higher quality than MP3s, but I don't really notice.
The above discussion, just goes to illustrate what happened at the time of release of In Rainbows: all the discussion was about Radiohead's new business model rather than the actual music, which is a shame. Radiohead have been around for so long that their music is no longer really a surprise. They have been through many different phases: the UK grunge of Pablo Honey, the more ambitious Bends, the much more ambitious OK Computer and the electronic re-invention of Kid A and Amnesiac. In Rainbows, like Hail To The Thief, is like a combination of everything that has gone before. Where it differs from its immediate predecessor is in the lyrical content. It is a more human record largely about unrequited love, rather than full of oblique political references. Musically, the electronic elements of Radiohead's more recent efforts are still present, but are not so prominent and mixed with the traditional instruments of their earlier work. I would refer to it as a post-experimental record; the band no longer feel the need to push the envelope at every opportunity, but with the experience of experimentation are now able to paint from a broad palette.
Despite the return of traditional instruments, there are no real moments of the Johnny, Thom, Ed three man guitar assault of yore. The only real rocker is Bodysnatchers. The rest of the record is eerily gentle. It is possibly their most accessible record ever, yet still with more than its fair share of abstract sounds and interesting ideas.
Recommended Track: Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
A00-09 2. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever people say I am, that's what...
Some of the albums in my chart may be deemed to be slightly idiosyncratic selections, but you can really argue that about an album that been deemed by the NME to be the fifth greatest British album ever in the same week that it was actually released, when it also went on to be the fastest selling debut album in UK chart history. It is also very much a product of its time, as is first came to prominence via the internet, although the sites it featured on were created by fans rather than the band themselves using demos given out at gigs. This then improved the actual gigs as the fans were able to sing along to the songs. It is interesting to note that the album remained the fastest selling debut for just over eighteen months when it was overtaken by Leona Lewis, one of the products of the other great music marketing innovations of the decade, ITV's X-Factor. Also, the fact that the tracks from the album had been widely available on the internet for a while before the album's actual release meant that fans were able to form such an elevated opinion on the album in the week of its official release. Obviously hype was a factor too.
So what is about the Arctic Monkey's Whatever people say I am, that what I am not that inspires such devotion? Well it is all up-tempo garage rock songs, mostly about going to nightclubs, with the exception of Riot Van, which is a down-tempo garage rock song about being beaten up by police. You could say that it is retro-sounding, but considering the band's average age was 19 at the time of release, it is evident that their influences were the more contemporary revivalists (The Strokes, The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand) rather than earlier pioneers, although they do make a nod to The Police (Sting and co. not the South Yorkshire Constabulary) on When The Sun Goes Down.
Other than the actual music, where the Arctic Monkey's could really be considered punk is in their attitude. Presumably because they achieved so much success on the back of grass-roots support without the intervention of the music industry, they are reluctant to make any concessions to the man. They refused to allow the industry guaranteed guest list entry to their gigs to allow more space for the true fans and ultimately signed for small independent label Domino, rather than any of the majors keen for their signature, but were keen to alter the band's sound. This anti-industry attitude is heard lyrically in Perhaps Vampires is a Bit Strong But... (not to mention much of the second album). Which brings me on to the song titles. They are often really long (e.g. You probably couldn't see for the lights, but you were staring straight at me). It is as if nobody told them that song titles are supposed to be succinct or more likely that somebody did tell them, but they decided to ignore the advice anyway.
The most obvious manifestation of this independent spirit is the fact that frontman Alex Turner sings in a broad South Yorkshire accent about subjects that fall within his own personal experience. In theory this could limit the appeal if you don't happen to be a teenager from Sheffield, but I find it encouraging that they are being true to themselves and not following advice to make their music and subject as bland and generic as possible for fear of alienating any potential members of their fan-base. Also by singing about that their specific experiences, they do show that certain things despite seeming different on the surface are universal underneath. Who has not witnessed a bickering couple (Mardy Bum) or been embarrassed by the antics of friends they have known 'for a long long time' (A Certain Romance)? Turner puts is better than I ever could in Fake Tales of San Fransisco:
You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham
So get off the bandwagon, and put down the handbook
As well as being true to themselves, singing in his native accent and dialect allows Turner to use the English language in a different way to somebody from London or LA. How else could you get "scary 'un" to rhyme with "totalitarian" or "Ford Mondeo" to rhyme with "say owt"? I also like some of the references he puts into his lyrics: everything from Shakespeare to Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.
It may not break new ground musically, although I personally like re-hashed garage rock, but the Arctic Monkey's have a spirit a lyrical wit that sets them apart from their contemporaries.
Recommended Track: Mardy Bum
So what is about the Arctic Monkey's Whatever people say I am, that what I am not that inspires such devotion? Well it is all up-tempo garage rock songs, mostly about going to nightclubs, with the exception of Riot Van, which is a down-tempo garage rock song about being beaten up by police. You could say that it is retro-sounding, but considering the band's average age was 19 at the time of release, it is evident that their influences were the more contemporary revivalists (The Strokes, The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand) rather than earlier pioneers, although they do make a nod to The Police (Sting and co. not the South Yorkshire Constabulary) on When The Sun Goes Down.
Other than the actual music, where the Arctic Monkey's could really be considered punk is in their attitude. Presumably because they achieved so much success on the back of grass-roots support without the intervention of the music industry, they are reluctant to make any concessions to the man. They refused to allow the industry guaranteed guest list entry to their gigs to allow more space for the true fans and ultimately signed for small independent label Domino, rather than any of the majors keen for their signature, but were keen to alter the band's sound. This anti-industry attitude is heard lyrically in Perhaps Vampires is a Bit Strong But... (not to mention much of the second album). Which brings me on to the song titles. They are often really long (e.g. You probably couldn't see for the lights, but you were staring straight at me). It is as if nobody told them that song titles are supposed to be succinct or more likely that somebody did tell them, but they decided to ignore the advice anyway.
The most obvious manifestation of this independent spirit is the fact that frontman Alex Turner sings in a broad South Yorkshire accent about subjects that fall within his own personal experience. In theory this could limit the appeal if you don't happen to be a teenager from Sheffield, but I find it encouraging that they are being true to themselves and not following advice to make their music and subject as bland and generic as possible for fear of alienating any potential members of their fan-base. Also by singing about that their specific experiences, they do show that certain things despite seeming different on the surface are universal underneath. Who has not witnessed a bickering couple (Mardy Bum) or been embarrassed by the antics of friends they have known 'for a long long time' (A Certain Romance)? Turner puts is better than I ever could in Fake Tales of San Fransisco:
You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham
So get off the bandwagon, and put down the handbook
As well as being true to themselves, singing in his native accent and dialect allows Turner to use the English language in a different way to somebody from London or LA. How else could you get "scary 'un" to rhyme with "totalitarian" or "Ford Mondeo" to rhyme with "say owt"? I also like some of the references he puts into his lyrics: everything from Shakespeare to Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.
It may not break new ground musically, although I personally like re-hashed garage rock, but the Arctic Monkey's have a spirit a lyrical wit that sets them apart from their contemporaries.
Recommended Track: Mardy Bum
Saturday, May 29, 2010
A00-09 3. Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
I still have not really forgiven the Kings Of Leon for making me buy a new CD Player. Their first album the Southern-fried garage rock of Youth and Young Manhood featured some kind of weird copy protection that meant although it was small, shiny and round, it was not technically a CD. Anyway it did not play on my CD player and I thought that in the future all CD would be like that so I bought a new CD player. What actually happened was that the battlefield of music piracy moved to the internet and the new CD protection system never really took hold, so I effectively bought the CD player just to play the Kings Of Leon record. Was it worth it? Not really. It is a pretty decent garage rock record and the singer had a distinctive voice.
I did not buy the second album Aha Shake Heartbreak, because I did not like the songs I heard, the title is stupid, the flower on the cover looks like..... Just grow up boys, OK?
And grow up they did. They came back with the much more mature Because Of The Night. I was first introduced to the album by the single On Call and its excellent vocal hook: 'To be there'. On actually listening to the album the contrast from their debut is immediately obvious: the first track being over seven minutes in length and devoid of chorus. Elsewhere, alongside the powerful vocals of Caleb Followill, sits the complicated drumming of big brother Nathan and the now more ambitious guitar work of little cousin Matthew.
So I was more than a little disappointed when I heard the lead single for fourth album Only By The Night. Why? Because they had decided to call it Sex On Fire and the chorus goes 'Yeeaaah, your sex is on fire!' Why would you give a song such a knuckle-headed title? And it does not not really make sense. How can sex belong to somebody? Maybe he means sex as in gender. So maybe all women are on fire. Is being on fire necessarily a good thing, anyway? Maybe he means that she has some kind of STD. I don't know. I really don't. I later heard that this was originally some kind of place holder lyric, that is something that fitted with the song that he had put in place until he thought of something (anything!) better, but then the rest of the band liked it and told him to keep it. I don't know whether that makes it any better (i.e. all four of the Kings Of Leon are morons and not just one of them). However, if you do the sensible thing and ignore the lyric, it is a great rock and roll song.
Just when you thought they were going to drop all subtelties altogether and have a massive pair of breasts as the cover of the new album, they come through with the second single Use Somebody. A sensitive ballad, albeit one designed to fill stadia and headline festivals, with a chorus full of woo, woos and Caleb's powerful vocals illuminating the verses.
First track on the album Closer shows just how far the Kings Of Leon have progressed musically since their debut. Matthew's guitar, shrouded in digital delay, plays a simple riff then, just as the drums and bass come in, he starts to sing wordlessly into the pickup to evoke the sound of an impending. Then Caleb's vocal comes in just to prove that this a King Of Leon record after all. Second track Crawl comes in with a metallic shudder and features a floor-shaking bass, while Caleb hollers something about US politics.
To say that the Kings of Leon, particular on Only By The Night, divide critics would be an understatement. They are very popular in the UK, but a subject of some derision in the trendier sections of their native US media. Understandably so, given some of the immature lyrical content, but if you ignore the words and concentrate on the music then they have developed into one of the truly great rock and roll bands.
Recommended Track: Closer or Crawl
I did not buy the second album Aha Shake Heartbreak, because I did not like the songs I heard, the title is stupid, the flower on the cover looks like..... Just grow up boys, OK?
And grow up they did. They came back with the much more mature Because Of The Night. I was first introduced to the album by the single On Call and its excellent vocal hook: 'To be there'. On actually listening to the album the contrast from their debut is immediately obvious: the first track being over seven minutes in length and devoid of chorus. Elsewhere, alongside the powerful vocals of Caleb Followill, sits the complicated drumming of big brother Nathan and the now more ambitious guitar work of little cousin Matthew.
So I was more than a little disappointed when I heard the lead single for fourth album Only By The Night. Why? Because they had decided to call it Sex On Fire and the chorus goes 'Yeeaaah, your sex is on fire!' Why would you give a song such a knuckle-headed title? And it does not not really make sense. How can sex belong to somebody? Maybe he means sex as in gender. So maybe all women are on fire. Is being on fire necessarily a good thing, anyway? Maybe he means that she has some kind of STD. I don't know. I really don't. I later heard that this was originally some kind of place holder lyric, that is something that fitted with the song that he had put in place until he thought of something (anything!) better, but then the rest of the band liked it and told him to keep it. I don't know whether that makes it any better (i.e. all four of the Kings Of Leon are morons and not just one of them). However, if you do the sensible thing and ignore the lyric, it is a great rock and roll song.
Just when you thought they were going to drop all subtelties altogether and have a massive pair of breasts as the cover of the new album, they come through with the second single Use Somebody. A sensitive ballad, albeit one designed to fill stadia and headline festivals, with a chorus full of woo, woos and Caleb's powerful vocals illuminating the verses.
First track on the album Closer shows just how far the Kings Of Leon have progressed musically since their debut. Matthew's guitar, shrouded in digital delay, plays a simple riff then, just as the drums and bass come in, he starts to sing wordlessly into the pickup to evoke the sound of an impending. Then Caleb's vocal comes in just to prove that this a King Of Leon record after all. Second track Crawl comes in with a metallic shudder and features a floor-shaking bass, while Caleb hollers something about US politics.
To say that the Kings of Leon, particular on Only By The Night, divide critics would be an understatement. They are very popular in the UK, but a subject of some derision in the trendier sections of their native US media. Understandably so, given some of the immature lyrical content, but if you ignore the words and concentrate on the music then they have developed into one of the truly great rock and roll bands.
Recommended Track: Closer or Crawl
Friday, May 28, 2010
A00-09 4. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires first met at school in St Albans where as fourteen year olds they formed an post-hardcore band called First Day Back. They then went off to university where they lightened up a bit and came back to form a new more dance music influenced band. After several single and EP releases they put out an eponymous debut album.
When they were First Day Back, Ed Macfarlane played bass, but in Friendly Fires he has also taken on lead vocal and synth duties. Drummer Jack Savidge also plays bass on some tracks with programmed beats. So, they have a kind of strange dynamic in that guitarist Edd Gibson consistently plays the same instrument and the other two flit about on stage. One track without any bass is the brilliantly idealistic Paris, which is basically just percussion and a heavily effect laden guitar line.
What is particularly remarkable about the album is that it was all recorded by the band themselves on a laptop in Macfarlane's parent's basement, with the exception of Jump In The Pool (the theme for BBC1's Final Score) produced by indie/dance crossover guru Paul Epworth, but sounds amazing.
On reflection it seems strange to me that this album, which could reasonably be termed post-Klaxons (a band that did not even make my Top 40) is sitting at number four in my chart. It is just that is such an ebullient album that I can't help liking it.
Recommended Track: Lovesick (or Luuuurve.....sik, as he actually sings it)
When they were First Day Back, Ed Macfarlane played bass, but in Friendly Fires he has also taken on lead vocal and synth duties. Drummer Jack Savidge also plays bass on some tracks with programmed beats. So, they have a kind of strange dynamic in that guitarist Edd Gibson consistently plays the same instrument and the other two flit about on stage. One track without any bass is the brilliantly idealistic Paris, which is basically just percussion and a heavily effect laden guitar line.
What is particularly remarkable about the album is that it was all recorded by the band themselves on a laptop in Macfarlane's parent's basement, with the exception of Jump In The Pool (the theme for BBC1's Final Score) produced by indie/dance crossover guru Paul Epworth, but sounds amazing.
On reflection it seems strange to me that this album, which could reasonably be termed post-Klaxons (a band that did not even make my Top 40) is sitting at number four in my chart. It is just that is such an ebullient album that I can't help liking it.
Recommended Track: Lovesick (or Luuuurve.....sik, as he actually sings it)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A00-09 5. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
'Who gives a fuck about an Oxford Comma?' asks Vampire Weekend vocalist Ezra Koenig on the track called, errr, Oxford Comma on the album called, errr, Vampire Weekend. Well presumably he does as he majored in English and wrote a song about it. Anyway the point is that Vampire Weekend like to show of how clever they are. Also in a world where most people in indie bands are resolutely middle-class, but like to give the impression of being from the mean streets. So it is quite refreshing that Vampire Weekend feel no need to lie how much 'coal' they have (why would they lie about something dumb like that). The band met at Ivy League Columbia University in New York's Upper West Side, although they have since relocated to Brooklyn (home of almost every other New York indie band). The band dub their music Upper West Side Soweto. The Soweto bit comes from the fact that there is an African influence on their music, particularly in some of the guitar parts and the occasional use of hand-drums. I am not really an expert on African music, so I can't tell you how authentic it is. It is not that they are the first posh white musicians to take African music as an influence. Think Talking Heads, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel. In fact, Vampire Weekend acknowledge as much in the brilliantly titled Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - 'Feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel'
The more obvious influence on Vampire Weekend's sound is classical music. There is a fair bit of harpsichord, chamberlin and strings arranged by music graduate band member Rostam Batmanglij who also produced and engineered the album. In fact during parts of certain tracks the music can sound like the theme tunes to the kind of TV shows that are only broadcast on Sunday evenings. An up tempo sound track to antique hunting or popping round the vicar's for scones, but in a good way. Also the drums are not always typically rock style, but more classical in style. You could quite easily refer to Chris Thomson as a percussionist rather than a drummer. Also the guitars are intentionally undistorted. Rock clichés studiously avoided.
That is not to say that they just sound like a mix of African and Western Classical music. A-punk for instance, is post-punk influenced. Koenig even yelps.
At times the clever lyrics referencing elements of upper class US culture go straight over my head without the use of a lyric sheet and the internet. Take for example the line from Campus - 'Spilled kefir on your keffiyeh.' I thought it was actually 'Spilled coffee on your cafetiere' I had also listened to the album several times when I realised that there was a track that seemingly referenced a slack bladdered Arsenal winger who wants to get out of Cape Cod tonight (obviously not a fan of Kwassa Kwassa). Although the way he sings it sounds more like 'walk out'. It turns out that Koenig made a film while at Columbia also called Vampire Weekend where he played the lead character Walcott. It seems that in this instance Walcott is a first name rather than a surname. Why he could he not thought of a more down to earth first name like errr Theodore, or something?
When the first four tracks of an album are all released as singles, you might expect the second half of the album to be a disappointment. That is not the case at all. There is not a below par track on the album at all.
Recommended Track: M79
The more obvious influence on Vampire Weekend's sound is classical music. There is a fair bit of harpsichord, chamberlin and strings arranged by music graduate band member Rostam Batmanglij who also produced and engineered the album. In fact during parts of certain tracks the music can sound like the theme tunes to the kind of TV shows that are only broadcast on Sunday evenings. An up tempo sound track to antique hunting or popping round the vicar's for scones, but in a good way. Also the drums are not always typically rock style, but more classical in style. You could quite easily refer to Chris Thomson as a percussionist rather than a drummer. Also the guitars are intentionally undistorted. Rock clichés studiously avoided.
That is not to say that they just sound like a mix of African and Western Classical music. A-punk for instance, is post-punk influenced. Koenig even yelps.
At times the clever lyrics referencing elements of upper class US culture go straight over my head without the use of a lyric sheet and the internet. Take for example the line from Campus - 'Spilled kefir on your keffiyeh.' I thought it was actually 'Spilled coffee on your cafetiere' I had also listened to the album several times when I realised that there was a track that seemingly referenced a slack bladdered Arsenal winger who wants to get out of Cape Cod tonight (obviously not a fan of Kwassa Kwassa). Although the way he sings it sounds more like 'walk out'. It turns out that Koenig made a film while at Columbia also called Vampire Weekend where he played the lead character Walcott. It seems that in this instance Walcott is a first name rather than a surname. Why he could he not thought of a more down to earth first name like errr Theodore, or something?
When the first four tracks of an album are all released as singles, you might expect the second half of the album to be a disappointment. That is not the case at all. There is not a below par track on the album at all.
Recommended Track: M79
Sunday, May 23, 2010
A00-09 6. Super Furry Animals - Rings Around The World
Unusually for an album on this chart, the Super Furry Animals' fifth album Rings Around The World is not my favourite album by the artist in question. That accolade would go to one of their first two albums: Fuzzy Logic or Radiator but they both came out in the nineties and so are not eligible.
In complete contrast to SFA frontman Gruff Rhys' solo album (reviewed here), which was recorded for about £2.50 and a packet of crisps, Rings Around The World is a big money release. It is their first on a major label (Epic) and also the first album to have a simultaneous release on CD and DVD. Actually the DVD does not really add very much. The videos are not particular exciting; there are some remixes and a surround sound mix, but you need to have a very special stereo system to pick up the sub-bass on tracks which can only be heard through a low-frequency subwoofer channel in the surround mix.
Onto the actual music and it is the usual Super Furry Animals mix of, well, just about everything.Often within the same song. Take No Sympathy which starts as a ballad on acoustic guitar and goes into techno meltdown by the end. What hold the album together is the vocals. Rhys sings lead vocals throughout but the rest of the band, apart from bass player Guto Pryce, supply vocal harmonies.
The lyrical matter is also typically diverse. Everything from the mental state of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air to the unfair nature of the housing matter, to Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski to doomsday websites.
It is not short of special guests. From the bass player in Velvet Underground playing piano to the bass player of the Beatles chomping on celery and carrots
The only really disappointing thing about the album is that they did not stick with the original title of Text Messaging is Destroying the Pub Quiz as We Know It
Recommended Track: Sidewalk Serfer Girl
In complete contrast to SFA frontman Gruff Rhys' solo album (reviewed here), which was recorded for about £2.50 and a packet of crisps, Rings Around The World is a big money release. It is their first on a major label (Epic) and also the first album to have a simultaneous release on CD and DVD. Actually the DVD does not really add very much. The videos are not particular exciting; there are some remixes and a surround sound mix, but you need to have a very special stereo system to pick up the sub-bass on tracks which can only be heard through a low-frequency subwoofer channel in the surround mix.
Onto the actual music and it is the usual Super Furry Animals mix of, well, just about everything.Often within the same song. Take No Sympathy which starts as a ballad on acoustic guitar and goes into techno meltdown by the end. What hold the album together is the vocals. Rhys sings lead vocals throughout but the rest of the band, apart from bass player Guto Pryce, supply vocal harmonies.
The lyrical matter is also typically diverse. Everything from the mental state of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air to the unfair nature of the housing matter, to Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski to doomsday websites.
It is not short of special guests. From the bass player in Velvet Underground playing piano to the bass player of the Beatles chomping on celery and carrots
The only really disappointing thing about the album is that they did not stick with the original title of Text Messaging is Destroying the Pub Quiz as We Know It
Recommended Track: Sidewalk Serfer Girl
Monday, May 17, 2010
A00-09 7. Mogwai - Mr. Beast
I think a lot of people make 'art-rock' but forget to actually rock... they're too busy 'arting'. we're a rock'n'roll band that avoids cliches. We don't have choruses. Art forms have to progress.
So claims Mogwai guitarist and occasional vocalist Stuart Braithwaite. The thing is when he actually made this claim in the early part of their career, Mogwai did actually rock, but still spent a large part of their time 'arting'. Compared to earlier releases, Mr Beast is more focused. The songs are not so long and gets to the point a bit more quickly. It does indeed rock when it wants to. Take Glasgow Mega-Snake as an example - three and half minutes of guitar strangulation.
Most of the Mogwai hallmarks are in place. Most of the tracks are instrumentals, so the focus is firmly on the actual music. Conventional song structure is eschewed, as Mr Braithwaite claims they don't have choruses, although I can't see how you could have a chorus in an instrumental anyway. There is a wide dynamic range - from quiet to (very) loud . There may be more piano than on other releases. It is what I would describe as 'classical music with distorted guitars'
There is quite a variety of songs, other than the guitar and FX pedal work outs, Auto Rock is built a piano line and a relentless drum beat, Acid Food features a drum machine, singing and something that could be considered to be a chorus, I Chose Horses features Japanese spoken word vocals courtesy of Tetsuya Fukagawa of Japanese hardcore band Envy.
Recommended Track: Glasgow Mega-Snake
So claims Mogwai guitarist and occasional vocalist Stuart Braithwaite. The thing is when he actually made this claim in the early part of their career, Mogwai did actually rock, but still spent a large part of their time 'arting'. Compared to earlier releases, Mr Beast is more focused. The songs are not so long and gets to the point a bit more quickly. It does indeed rock when it wants to. Take Glasgow Mega-Snake as an example - three and half minutes of guitar strangulation.
Most of the Mogwai hallmarks are in place. Most of the tracks are instrumentals, so the focus is firmly on the actual music. Conventional song structure is eschewed, as Mr Braithwaite claims they don't have choruses, although I can't see how you could have a chorus in an instrumental anyway. There is a wide dynamic range - from quiet to (very) loud . There may be more piano than on other releases. It is what I would describe as 'classical music with distorted guitars'
There is quite a variety of songs, other than the guitar and FX pedal work outs, Auto Rock is built a piano line and a relentless drum beat, Acid Food features a drum machine, singing and something that could be considered to be a chorus, I Chose Horses features Japanese spoken word vocals courtesy of Tetsuya Fukagawa of Japanese hardcore band Envy.
Recommended Track: Glasgow Mega-Snake
Sunday, May 16, 2010
A00-09 8. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Three out of five, three out of five (it's not enough)
Six out of ten
Better luck next time
Not my view on this album.
At Reading Festival in August 2004 I went to see a Bloc Party on the NME/Radio 1 stage on the basis of them being very popular on Drowned in Sound. I was utterly blown away and wanted to go and buy their album straight away. Unfortunately, I had to wait until Valentine's day in 2005 for Silent Alarm to come out.
The basic sound of the record is the post-punk revival, which was popular at the time, but it is more than that as it also incorporates tender ballads such as Blue Light and This Modern Love (features actual xylophone). It is quite a very full sound to quote vocalist/guitarist Kele Okereke
There is a real sense of space and atmosphere that you will hear in a techno-house style [but] you will not hear in a three-minute guitar pop song
He is helped in this by the fantastic high tempo drumming of Matt Tong and the innovative bass playing (and crap backing vocals) of Gordon Moakes. Moakes' bass playing is quite high in the mix and he does not necessarily play all the way through the songs, but comes in to emphasise key points.
The most interesting things musically come from asymmetrically hair-styled lead guitarist Russell Lissack. He uses a lot more guitar effects than was the vogue at the time. Lissack's and Okereke's interlocking guitar patterns in Banquet are a work of genius.
To be honest the album does run out of steam a bit towards the end. Maybe it would have been a good idea to lose a few of the later tracks and possibly include some early songs, such as Little Thoughts, Tulips or Always New Depths. I am essentially nit-picking, though. It is a great album.
They also wear nice polo shirts.
Recommended Track: Like Eating Glass
Six out of ten
Better luck next time
Not my view on this album.
At Reading Festival in August 2004 I went to see a Bloc Party on the NME/Radio 1 stage on the basis of them being very popular on Drowned in Sound. I was utterly blown away and wanted to go and buy their album straight away. Unfortunately, I had to wait until Valentine's day in 2005 for Silent Alarm to come out.
The basic sound of the record is the post-punk revival, which was popular at the time, but it is more than that as it also incorporates tender ballads such as Blue Light and This Modern Love (features actual xylophone). It is quite a very full sound to quote vocalist/guitarist Kele Okereke
There is a real sense of space and atmosphere that you will hear in a techno-house style [but] you will not hear in a three-minute guitar pop song
He is helped in this by the fantastic high tempo drumming of Matt Tong and the innovative bass playing (and crap backing vocals) of Gordon Moakes. Moakes' bass playing is quite high in the mix and he does not necessarily play all the way through the songs, but comes in to emphasise key points.
The most interesting things musically come from asymmetrically hair-styled lead guitarist Russell Lissack. He uses a lot more guitar effects than was the vogue at the time. Lissack's and Okereke's interlocking guitar patterns in Banquet are a work of genius.
To be honest the album does run out of steam a bit towards the end. Maybe it would have been a good idea to lose a few of the later tracks and possibly include some early songs, such as Little Thoughts, Tulips or Always New Depths. I am essentially nit-picking, though. It is a great album.
They also wear nice polo shirts.
Recommended Track: Like Eating Glass
Saturday, May 15, 2010
A00-09 9. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
I remember seeing The White Stripes play Hotel Yorba, and probably one other song, on Later with Jools Holland and being totally blown away. There was something about the energy between Jack and Meg White who were facing each other and the way the camera kept flicking between them, in my memory at least. What was all the more remarkable was that they were playing essentially a Country song, which, in my opinion, is the most boring musical genre known to man, but somehow making it seem exciting and vibrant. Much of the White Stripes other work is influenced by Blues, a genre which I have similar prejudices about, but is equally alive.
The first thing that strikes me about the White Stripes is that there are only two of them (no bass player - shock horror!) and Meg is a very rudimentary drummer - she just hits them hard! So the majority of the White Stripes sound is provided by singer/guitarist (and occasional pianist) Jack White. He is pretty amazing. Although for all his skills a lot of the strength of the White Stripes comes from the simplicity of the songs; Fell In Love With A Girl is one of the first songs I ever learned to play on the guitar. The lyrics of that song like so much of the album tackle the less comfortable side of relationships. He has fallen in love with a girl, but it is definitely not a good thing as she does not seem to be in love with him. I have never been more annoyed by a cover version than Joss Stone's take on the track (renamed Fell In Love With A Boy). She completely misses the point and treats it as a standard loves. One of the features about Fell in Love With A Girl that is true of many of the songs on White Blood Cells is that it does not have a real chorus. There is some ah ah-ing instead. On other tracks it just goes into an instrumental break.
White Blood Cells is actually The White Stripes third album, but I had not hear the first two albums until after White Blood Cells came out, so to me it seems the freshest of their albums and the song-writing is noticeably better on White Blood Cells. The White Stripes fourth album, Elephant, is their most commercially successful album. I don't like it as much because it is not as raw as White Blood Cells and it features a song about a squirrel.
Recommended Track: Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground
The first thing that strikes me about the White Stripes is that there are only two of them (no bass player - shock horror!) and Meg is a very rudimentary drummer - she just hits them hard! So the majority of the White Stripes sound is provided by singer/guitarist (and occasional pianist) Jack White. He is pretty amazing. Although for all his skills a lot of the strength of the White Stripes comes from the simplicity of the songs; Fell In Love With A Girl is one of the first songs I ever learned to play on the guitar. The lyrics of that song like so much of the album tackle the less comfortable side of relationships. He has fallen in love with a girl, but it is definitely not a good thing as she does not seem to be in love with him. I have never been more annoyed by a cover version than Joss Stone's take on the track (renamed Fell In Love With A Boy). She completely misses the point and treats it as a standard loves. One of the features about Fell in Love With A Girl that is true of many of the songs on White Blood Cells is that it does not have a real chorus. There is some ah ah-ing instead. On other tracks it just goes into an instrumental break.
White Blood Cells is actually The White Stripes third album, but I had not hear the first two albums until after White Blood Cells came out, so to me it seems the freshest of their albums and the song-writing is noticeably better on White Blood Cells. The White Stripes fourth album, Elephant, is their most commercially successful album. I don't like it as much because it is not as raw as White Blood Cells and it features a song about a squirrel.
Recommended Track: Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground
Friday, May 14, 2010
A00-09 10. Thom Yorke - Eraser
"I want no crap about me being a traitor or whatever splitting up blah blah this was all done with their blessing, and I don't wanna hear that word solo." wrote Thom Yorke about the album Eraser where he, erm, played all the instruments himself without any help from his Radiohead. Of course this is not the first record where Thom has done pretty much everything himself and this record could be considered the follow up to Kid A (although that was actually Amnesiac (don't forget)). I think Eraser is better than Kid A not least because the expectation levels have been set as it is called a Thom Yorke record, you are not disappointed when you don't hear Johnny Greenwood guitar solos.
That is not to say that Johnny Greenwood does not feature in the album. The title track features piano chords played by Greenwood but cut up and re-arranged by Yorke. Similarly, Black Swan, features a sample from the Kid A sessions. Long-time Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich also works on this record.
So, it basically sounds, as you would probably expect, like something from the more electronic range of the Radiohead musical spectrum. The down-beat sound puts the focus more on Yorke's voices than most Radiohead records.
As you would also probably expect, the lyrics are very political. Possibly the stand-out track is Harrowdown Hill named after the woods where Dr David Kelly, the chemical weapons inspector involved in the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction debacle, committed suicide.
Recommended Track: Harrowdown Hill
That is not to say that Johnny Greenwood does not feature in the album. The title track features piano chords played by Greenwood but cut up and re-arranged by Yorke. Similarly, Black Swan, features a sample from the Kid A sessions. Long-time Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich also works on this record.
So, it basically sounds, as you would probably expect, like something from the more electronic range of the Radiohead musical spectrum. The down-beat sound puts the focus more on Yorke's voices than most Radiohead records.
As you would also probably expect, the lyrics are very political. Possibly the stand-out track is Harrowdown Hill named after the woods where Dr David Kelly, the chemical weapons inspector involved in the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction debacle, committed suicide.
Recommended Track: Harrowdown Hill
Thursday, May 6, 2010
A00-09 11. We Are Scientists - With Love And Squalor
We Are Scientists aren't really scientists. They are Keith Murray and Chris Cain, guitarist and bassist, and when they are not doing stand-up routines at their gigs, they play up-tempo post-punk, like so many of the other artists on this chart. Where it differs from the rest is that it is more poppy and fewer pretensions than some of the others.
The band have had a succession of drummers (in fact Murray was originally the drummer) and a more recently a touring keyboard player, but it is Murray and Cain at the heart of the band. They kind of remind me of an American Young Knives.
For a three piece they make a full sound. This is probably something to do with the fact that the bass does not always follow the guitar. I seem to remember the band coming up with a term for this - something like asynchronous music - but I can't find the actual quote.
To be honest, there could be a bit more variety in the music. It is all unashamedly catchy, though, and I like it.
Recommended Track: The Great Escape
The band have had a succession of drummers (in fact Murray was originally the drummer) and a more recently a touring keyboard player, but it is Murray and Cain at the heart of the band. They kind of remind me of an American Young Knives.
For a three piece they make a full sound. This is probably something to do with the fact that the bass does not always follow the guitar. I seem to remember the band coming up with a term for this - something like asynchronous music - but I can't find the actual quote.
To be honest, there could be a bit more variety in the music. It is all unashamedly catchy, though, and I like it.
Recommended Track: The Great Escape
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
A00-09 12. Beta Band - Heroes to Zeroes
The general consensus of opinion about the Beta Band's third album proper, Heroes to Zeroes, is that is not very good. The reason for this seems to be because it does not sound like their early work. Specifically their first three EPs, which are available on a compilation album, the originally titled The Three E.P.'s. Not to mention their first proper album, slated by the band themselves at the time of release, the equally originally titled The Beta Band.
I have not heard the first album, but the formula for the EPs is long songs with lots of loops layered on top of each other. I think it amazing, as did John Cusack in High Fidelity, but then I am a sucker for looping. It is a bit too long though.
On Heroes to Zeroes, they take a different formula with shorter songs and a more traditional song structure, but still more experimental than most bands. So, I think it is different, but no worse than their earlier work and better than their second album, the R+B influenced, Hot Shots II.
Recommended Track: Assessment
I have not heard the first album, but the formula for the EPs is long songs with lots of loops layered on top of each other. I think it amazing, as did John Cusack in High Fidelity, but then I am a sucker for looping. It is a bit too long though.
On Heroes to Zeroes, they take a different formula with shorter songs and a more traditional song structure, but still more experimental than most bands. So, I think it is different, but no worse than their earlier work and better than their second album, the R+B influenced, Hot Shots II.
Recommended Track: Assessment
Sunday, May 2, 2010
A00-09 13. Gruff Rhys - Yr Atal Genhedlaeth
Gruff Rhys is the lead vocalist of the Super Furry Animals. The rules of my chart prohibit more than one album per artist but I am considering Gruff Rhys and the Super Furries as different artists, so there may be more from them later.
The most obvious difference between SFA and Rhys' solo work is that most SFA songs are sung in English, whereas Yr Atal Genhedlaeth ('The Stuttering Generation') is entirely sung in Welsh. SFA did do an album (Mwng (meaning 'Mane')) in Welsh, but it is not really one of my favorites. It is a bit too folky. Other than the Furries sung a song (Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir (it means something to do with haircuts) on the excellent Radiator album in Welsh. Apparently the reason was that it was such a good pop song that if they had released it in English it would have forced the band into a realm of pop stardom that the band did not want.
On Yr Atal Genhedlaeth, the Welsh language adds to the overall throw-away feel, along with the lo-fi sound of the music. It seems like he has just gone into the studio with a few instruments and laid down a few tracks. It is just great songs, with not much concern about anything else. It is all over within half and hour. I presume he plays all the instruments himself, but it is produced by regular SFA producer Gorwel Owen. Obviously, one of the best things about the Super Furries is the vocal harmonies, which are not present. I can't say I notice that they are missing until I stop to consider it. Gruff does multi-track his vocals, which makes up a bit for his missing band mates.
Recommended Track: Rhagluniaeth Ysgafn ('Light programming')
The most obvious difference between SFA and Rhys' solo work is that most SFA songs are sung in English, whereas Yr Atal Genhedlaeth ('The Stuttering Generation') is entirely sung in Welsh. SFA did do an album (Mwng (meaning 'Mane')) in Welsh, but it is not really one of my favorites. It is a bit too folky. Other than the Furries sung a song (Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir (it means something to do with haircuts) on the excellent Radiator album in Welsh. Apparently the reason was that it was such a good pop song that if they had released it in English it would have forced the band into a realm of pop stardom that the band did not want.
On Yr Atal Genhedlaeth, the Welsh language adds to the overall throw-away feel, along with the lo-fi sound of the music. It seems like he has just gone into the studio with a few instruments and laid down a few tracks. It is just great songs, with not much concern about anything else. It is all over within half and hour. I presume he plays all the instruments himself, but it is produced by regular SFA producer Gorwel Owen. Obviously, one of the best things about the Super Furries is the vocal harmonies, which are not present. I can't say I notice that they are missing until I stop to consider it. Gruff does multi-track his vocals, which makes up a bit for his missing band mates.
Recommended Track: Rhagluniaeth Ysgafn ('Light programming')
Saturday, May 1, 2010
A00-09 14. Elbow - Cast Of Thousands
Around about the turn of the millennium, lots of bands were being touted as the 'new Radiohead', despite the fact that the old Radiohead were still a major force. These bands were all quite different, but all sounded a bit miserable. Elbow were one of those bands. As well as the melancholy, Elbow share some of the musical ambition of Radiohead, which may not be the case with some of the other 'new Radioheads'. Where the bands differ would be in the lyrical content. Elbow tend to concentrate on love, sex and death; whereas Radiohead tackle governmental ideology and economic manipulation, amongst other things.
Elbow's first album Asleep at the Back was essentially a gloomy prog-rock record, which is not necessarily a bad thing. On second album Cast of Thousands, Elbow have essentially lightened up a bit. The musical ambition remains, but it is not quite as 'noodly' as before. They make big music, without it seeming like they are showing off.
Cast of Thousands takes its name from the fact that penultimate track Grace Under Pressure features vocals from the crowd at the band's set at Glastonbury 2002. It is admittedly a bit of a gimmick, but works a lot better than you may imagine.
I have limited myself to one album per artist on this list, but Elbow's fourth album, The Seldom Seen Kid is also very good.
Recommended Track: Fugitive Motel
Elbow's first album Asleep at the Back was essentially a gloomy prog-rock record, which is not necessarily a bad thing. On second album Cast of Thousands, Elbow have essentially lightened up a bit. The musical ambition remains, but it is not quite as 'noodly' as before. They make big music, without it seeming like they are showing off.
Cast of Thousands takes its name from the fact that penultimate track Grace Under Pressure features vocals from the crowd at the band's set at Glastonbury 2002. It is admittedly a bit of a gimmick, but works a lot better than you may imagine.
I have limited myself to one album per artist on this list, but Elbow's fourth album, The Seldom Seen Kid is also very good.
Recommended Track: Fugitive Motel
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
