Day 0985 - XX

The XX "XX" (2010)

The band was formed by school friends Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft as a duo but later fleshed out by a couple of extra members.   Oliver and Romy would message each other lyric ideas and the band would work out their song ideas at night, trying not to wake the other people in the household.  Perhaps this approach led to the gentle, stripped down approach.

The band stated they were influenced by some American RnB including the production of Neptunes.  Their sound to me is almost more like stripped-down new-wave.  Some electronic beats, clean guitar and subtle synth parts.  The band have a male and female vocalist which helps provide some variety to their sound, with one or the other taking on lead vocals, or both trading lines back and forth.

The first time I listened to this album was back in 2017; I enjoyed it then and have enjoyed it on this re-listen.  Back then (and it hasn't changed) my favourite track was "Infinity" with its sultry groove and tremolo guitar, bearing some resemblance to Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game".  

Day 0957 - Penance Soiree

The Icarus Line "Penance Soiree"

The album's cover with its streams of red running from the face of a wild-haired mosher kind of hints at the possible aggression of the music within.

At first it sounds quite blunt and aggressive, but as you go on a lot of it sounds akin to some of the 70s garage rock revivalists like the Datsuns, or a wilder version of Jet which is not necessarily my favourite genre.   I could kind of see them inspiring a band like Royal Blood in places.

"Spike Island" and "Kiss Like Lizards"  bear some resemblance the heavier moments of grunge bands like Stone Temple Pilots or Alice in Chains.  "Big Sleep" has a nice slow, moody lead-in that then becomes less interesting as it kicks into more of the same 'raw rock'.   "Meatmaker" has a mix of industrial beats and vocal effects that make it seem like a pleasingly ugly mix of Butthole Surfers and Ministry.

Not my favourite album on here so far but it had its moments.

Day 0573 - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?

Megadeth "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" (1986)

 
Following his expulsion as lead guitarist for Metallica, Dave Mustaine formed Megadeth... and brought along all of his baggage.  Mustaine was ousted from Metallica for (among other things) his issues with alcohol and drugs, which continued, and were shared by others in his new band.  The band's rhythm guitarist and drummer would go on to be fired at the conclusion of the promotional tour for this album for continuing drug use.  The guitarist would later resurface as a session player on a later Megadeth album, which kind of speaks to how the band would essentially go on to just be Mustaine backed with a revolving cast of musicians.  Even stalwart David Ellefson left for a period in the 00s.

Dave also bought to his new band, the original Metallica sound that he had helped craft, but without the sonic development they started undergoing pretty soon after his departure.  He kind of stuck with  his format of speedy riffs and virtuoso guitar solos, but with songs never as memorable as Metallica's, and with much cheesier lyrics.  He seemed for much of his career to be playing catch-up, to the extent that, following the success of Metallica's LOAD albums, Lars Ulrich suggested that Dave take more risks with his sound.  The result was him releasing the imaginatively titled "Risk" with an alt-rock sound that most of his fans hated because they'd always loved that he stuck to a more or less similar sound across his albums.

So anyway, this record is a competent piece of thrash metal, but with few particularly memorable songs.  Some good riffs here and there and some impressive soloing, but not up to the standard of his former band.

Day 0372 - Exodus

Bob Marley and the Wailers "Exodus" (1977) - got it

A bit of a change from my usual "all reggae sounds the same" spiel.  Though there are a few familiar reggae musical devices here; there is also a healthy dose of variety, with everything from scratchy organic reggae through to soul, pop and proto-disco elements finding their way into the mix.

While songs like "One love", "Jamming" and "Three little birds" are definitely reggae, they are also pretty solid pop songs.  Bob does a good job of balancing his political messages with some more universal messages.

It's a surprisingly upbeat record considering that Marley had recently relocated to England after a gunman injured him and his wife in their home during a murder attempt.