Revisiting old albums

[lemonjelly]

Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People
https://open.spotify.com/album/1k2uLH7mwB72zbepvM8rR4

I have a deep love for mogwai, hearing them live on radio one late one night.
Happy songs is an interesting album. Fairly short (under 42 mins), and the shiny silver design looks so different to the rest of their artwork.
I know the song titles were all suggestions from fans made online that the band liked. I think the album title was their choice.
Listening to this album, you can see how and why they have delved into soundtrack work. This displays so many hallmarks of the atmospherics they would come to contribute to films and tv.
It has so much, moody, dark, mysterious, fluid, lilting. And yet in so many ways is that uplifting, transcendent body of music that is soothing.
At the time it felt less abrasive than any of their previous albums. It's such an accessible album, and suits light background music, or being turned up and listened to intently.

 

[lemonjelly]

Bjork - debut
https://open.spotify.com/album/2Fb37JsRMVPASJcl3wwDOa

Didn't realise how prolific Bjork had been til recently. Debut was purchased by the bucket load, with hindsight I suspect by a lot of people who wanted to be seen to be as out there as Bjork is herself, a bit like those people who go to certain gigs to be seen to be there, rather than to enjoy the show.
It's not a bad album by any means. However, this listen made me feel that there are a lot of very similar songs here, making it feel repetitious.
And sometimes it tries a bit too hard I feel. As someone once said, it insists on itself.
There are still some really good tracks on here, however unlike some of the other reviews, it IS the singles which are the tracks which grab your attention. Big Time Sensuality, and Violently Happy are riotous. My cd also ends with Play Dead, which is immense. and still feels timeless. And Venus as a Boy is still a track that can hit you with its sheer beauty.

 

[lemonjelly]

Mercury Rev - Deserters Songs
https://open.spotify.com/album/6MvMOhNSo3bYEu42Wj9c4e

Proper album. Not a series of songs, or a collection. I can't think of this as anything other than the whole.
Holes gets the plaudits for the album, and is likely the track everyone loves and knows. Most albums would struggle if they didn't follow such an opening track with others like Tonite it Shows, Endlessly, Opus 40, and Pick Up if you're there.
But this is fantastic as a way to spend 45 minutes. The whole album has a flow and a feel. The sound pervades, and the instrumentation is so rich.
It almost shouldn't work, but it comes together so well.
Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp is just so good.

 

[lemonjelly]

Ramones - Mondo Bizarro

https://open.spotify.com/album/35A0Y71VAqYw1t7QOsvErQ
It's punky. It's full of riffs. It flies by in just over half an hour. Quirky lyrics abound,, and it's fun.
It isn't their pinnacle. I won't let it happen is fucking woeful. But cabbies on crack is jaunty, and Tomorrow she goes away is ace.
Heidi is a head case is a nod to their history, and touring bops around like a weevil.

 

[lemonjelly]

Spiritualized - Pure Phase
https://open.spotify.com/album/1J5p5XuDMtA49FRmp7UK1a

Ah, spiritualized. Their early days had some proper tunes that many current drone artists dream of.
Pure Phase is a great case in point. Proper album. Hammond organ and psychedlia turned up full.
Medication is a live favourite, and sets a dreamy tone. The slide song moves the trip upwards, sonically of course. All of my tears is classic style spiritualized, and These blues rocks. Let it flow is just superb, with its "woah woah woe" lilting refrain throughout.

Lay back ion the sun, and also good times are ronseal tracks.
The album includes a series of instrumentals that do compliment the running of the album. The most notable is electric mainline, which becomes a 7 minute epic.

Feel like going home is an quality closer.

Full of Jason Pierce's standard themes - drugs, unrequited love, and tons of gospel, blues and rock influences.

Really good album. Really really needs a remastered version to be released.

 

[lemonjelly]

Massive Attack - Blue Lines
https://open.spotify.com/album/5mAPk4qeNqVLtNydaWbWlf
It was very nearl;y mezzanine, but hey ho.
Reggae tinged dub, ska and hip hop beats mix in an album that sounds very much like a sound system.
Added to that, the fact the album uses a collage of voices makes it more special, as the songs come across as being part of a whole. The title track and daydreaming are great examples of how co-operative vocals work. Oddly these tracks feel so much bigger than the just over 4 minutes they last.
Safe from harm is a quality opening track, sliding into a lilting reggae based one love. The album overflows with styles.
Unfinished sympathy is possibly many peoples highlight from this album, but hymn of the big wheel is brilliant in its under stated nature.
Five man army is still huge, and daydreaming is a great track.
The album feels bigger than the whole in a way. It's a nice trip.

 

[lemonjelly]

The Bluetones - Expecting To Fly
https://open.spotify.com/album/3hSEHy0TkvR97XPCBl4F9p
Promising debut from a band who very quickly (for me) disappeared.
It's ok, indeed whilst listening it's very enjoyable. Cut Some Rug and Fountainhead are tunes.
However, it's a bit one trick pony, there's too little variation on any themes, and ultimately, it's a music version of fast food. Liked it whilst the cd was on, but overall it's a bit bland, and after 10 mins I was hankering after something else.

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

Massive Attack - Blue Lines
https://open.spotify.com/album/5mAPk4qeNqVLtNydaWbWlf
It was very nearl;y mezzanine, but hey ho.
Reggae tinged dub, ska and hip hop beats mix in an album that sounds very much like a sound system.
Added to that, the fact the album uses a collage of voices makes it more special, as the songs come across as being part of a whole. The title track and daydreaming are great examples of how co-operative vocals work. Oddly these tracks feel so much bigger than the just over 4 minutes they last.
Safe from harm is a quality opening track, sliding into a lilting reggae based one love. The album overflows with styles.
Unfinished sympathy is possibly many peoples highlight from this album, but hymn of the big wheel is brilliant in its under stated nature.
Five man army is still huge, and daydreaming is a great track.
The album feels bigger than the whole in a way. It's a nice trip.

And thats this mornings listening sorted, a much better album than mezzanine imo absolutely loved Massive Attack during this period.

 

[lemonjelly]

mezzanine was the first album of theirs I got into, and is still a classic and needs revisiting. It's so much darker than blue lines though, which sounds superb still.

Onto today - Josh Ritter - The Animal Years
https://open.spotify.com/album/7qW3WIgUs190iAHid51U6D

Saw Josh first supporting Joan Baez. He strolled onto stage with an acoustic guitar, and had the audience in his palm. Classic storyteller singer songwriter. Full of Americana, Ritter makes melancholy sound upbeat, and happy stuff sound melancholy. Like many other artists I like, he is a quality lyricist.

I dip back into the back catalogue of Ritter occasionally, and he's one of those treats that makes me wonder why I left it so long. And again it was so.

2nd track Wolves is naturally brilliant. Classic line of "I was singing without knowing the words".

Very under-rated artist over here.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I have to say that most of your selections I haven’t listened to, bar Ramones and obvs the REM album. My music taste is less than wide ranging.

Seriously pondering doing a post on here on the Black Album.

 

[sycophantia]

I have to say that most of your selections I haven’t listened to, bar Ramones and obvs the REM album. My music taste is less than wide ranging.

Seriously pondering doing a post on here on the Black Album.

Its a stonking album, my lad got me into it, before that thought they were just noisy thrash but the Black Album is quite melodic.....in a heavy way

 

[lemonjelly]

I have to say that most of your selections I haven’t listened to, bar Ramones and obvs the REM album. My music taste is less than wide ranging.

Seriously pondering doing a post on here on the Black Album.

I recall the Sia conversation :icon_lol:

However, I refer you to the Eagle Has Landed being one of my selections.

you could always give some of them a blast pad. appreciate many might not be to your taste, but you might be pleasantly surprised. Broken by NIN has an epic guitar sound. Equally, there are parts of Girl Talk you'd like (and others you'd hate).

I am trying to avoid some of the obvious choices I could do.

I've listened to a ton of stuff through lockdown, it's kept me sane. Not only have I revisited stuff, but I've loved finding stuff I'd never heard before!

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Its a stonking album, my lad got me into it, before that thought they were just noisy thrash but the Black Album is quite melodic.....in a heavy way

That’s the issue I would be dealing with. I was Old Skool Metallica. First album I bought was Ride the Lightning. I respected the black album but never loved it because it always felt like a total sell out. The production ruled though. Maybe I will write up my thoughts tomorrow.

 

[sycophantia]

That’s the issue I would be dealing with. I was Old Skool Metallica. First album I bought was Ride the Lightning. I respected the black album but never loved it because it always felt like a total sell out. The production ruled though. Maybe I will write up my thoughts tomorrow.

Harsh to say it was a sell out, they just moved on

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

It sort of depends which side of the fence you sit. A lot of the original fan base felt that it was a sell out as it was too commercial. I think that is a little unfair on the band.

James Hetfield said in 1989 “justice is raped, justice is lost, justice is nine and half minutes long. We wanted to be a little more to the point”.

 

[Boozad]

The black album is a classic in it's own right. Every Metallica album is different from Kill 'Em All through to Justice, they were just evolving. Personally I think Justice was their pinnacle, the intricacies of that album are just astounding, but the black album put them into the top bracket and they hit the ultimate heights with it. People's music naturally evolves as they get older and to me that was just Metallica saying "we're in our thirties now" but there is still some brilliant music on it. Plus as you say the production was absolutely spot on whereas Justice sounded like it was recorded in a bin.

 

[Aikiwolf]

Master of Puppets is my favourite studio album, but the Black album is a superb piece of work. Combining metal and melody and some incredibly memorable songs.

If all their work though, I love S&M the orchestra adds another dimension!

 

[sycophantia]

It sort of depends which side of the fence you sit. A lot of the original fan base felt that it was a sell out as it was too commercial. I think that is a little unfair on the band.

James Hetfield said in 1989 “justice is raped, justice is lost, justice is nine and half minutes long. We wanted to be a little more to the point”.

Yeah you're right, I was coming from a more 'classic rock' style so it was still a very heavy album for me although probably more commercial. I do like some of their earlier stuff but for me there isn't a weak track on the Black Album whereas I tend to pick and choose tracks from the others...going to have to dig it out now and have a listen

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I think my order of favourites is Puppets, Justice, Lightning, Black, Kill Em All


Anything after Black except




















St Anger. This excrement is one of the worst albums ever made.

 

[sycophantia]

My lad is a big Metallica fan, he was really looking forward to St Anger but was so disappointed, think they were trying to go back to their roots a bit but failed dismally......never go back