Day 0964 - Illinois

Sufjan Stevens "Illinois" (2005)

Stevens had started a project which he'd planned to be 50 albums, one for each state of the US.   He started with his home state of Michigan then moved onto Illinois.   The project appears to have petered out, with Stevens himself referring to it as just a publicity stunt.   I wonder if the truth is more that he burnt himself out.

He seems to have researched the album a bit beforehand, reading histories of the state, reading books by authors from that state, engaging with locals online.  This album is over an hour long and as it is he had enough songs left over to release an album of out-takes, "The Avalanche" the year after this.   If he'd carried on in this way, that kind of output would be like a fire hydrant of music.

I don't mind Sufjan, this album could have had a place in my heart if it had been cut the hell down to say 40 or 45 minutes of music.   However, there are lots of enjoyable sounds here, with a pleasing range of instrumentation.  In particular "Chicago" sounded familiar and its mix of horns, strings and layered vocals tickled my music bone.  Overall though, there's just way too much music here and I don't gel with Sufjan's style enough to really fully get on board for an hour and a quarter's-worth of music across 22 tracks.

Day 0909 - Figure 8

Elliott Smith "Figure 8" (2000)

 
The inclusion of some of Smith's songs in the soundtrack for "Good Will Hunting" (which garnered an Oscar nomination for best original song) raised his profile.  He was signed to Dreamworks records, which meant his days of recording his albums at his and other people's houses was numbered.

This album was recorded at professional studios including Abbey Road... which seems apt as Smith's increased budget and big label direction allowed him to make a Beatles-esque baroque pop album.

The stripped down sound of "Either/Or" gives way to a lush layered approach.  Opener "Son of Sam" features some backing vocals that wouldn't be out of place on a mid-60s era Beatles album.   "Pretty Mary Kay" has a certain Lennon (via Pink Floyd) vibe to it.

Strings, layered vocals and bouncy Ringo-styled drums abound.  But while the Beatles' songs were generally uplifting, hopeful, love-focussed; Elliott had struggled with addiction and heartbreak and his songs funnelled that pop sound through a more nihilistic filter.   Not a million miles from the lovely, yet oddly sinister sound of the band Mini Mansions nearly a decade later.

Probably a track or so too long, but with a sound this lush and interesting, I'll let him away with it.

Day 0812 - Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Stereolab "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" (1996)

Knew the name, hadn't really heard the music.

Stereolab was formed from the ashes of the band 'McCarthy' by lovers Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier.  The latter, having become disillusioned with the French pop/rock scene moved to the UK where she met Gane.

Stereolab were named after a division of Vanguard Records who delved into hi-fi effects.

I really loved this album.  In some ways it reminded me of another British band with a French connection, Saint Etienne.   Both bands have a 1960s pop vibe, with a more modern beat and sample-based approach applied.

The book makes comparisons to Nico, (both her solo releases and her work with the Velvet Underground) and I could certainly hear that.   There's a kind of naive, almost childlike 60s pop charm to the vocals and some of the music, but again through that modern filter.

Day 0601 - Darklands

The Jesus and Mary Chain "Darklands" (1987)

With "Darklands" J&MC move from a fuzzed-out 'shoegazer' sound, to something that almost sounds like "upbeat Joy Division".  Their drummer had left to become the lead singer of Primal Scream, so the band opted to replace him with a drum machine.  As a result of this, and I guess their general songwriting style, their songs have zero groove.  It's not necessarily a bad thing, it just means that their songs drift along like a dreamy wave heading serenely for shore, rather than like choppy surf.

I feel as though their previous album "Psychocandy" was the one that the band is better known for.  But I prefer the rolling, pulsing drone pop of "Darklands" over the fuzzy cloud of "Psychocandy".  I listened to this one 2 or 3 times and would happily spin it again.

Day 0560 - Psychocandy

The Jesus and Mary Chain "Psychocandy" (1985)

Much like the Smiths a couple of posts ago, I knew the Jesus and Mary Chain by name more than by their music.  As with the Smiths I'd dipped my toe a few years back but didn't really respond to what I found.

On revisiting the Smiths this time, I didn't mind them too much (more for Marr than Morrisey), but with the J&MC, I haven't really changed my mind on them.  They seek to mix the pop of 50s-60s girl groups and the abrasive wall of sound/noise of the Velvet Underground.  That could have been great, but, to my tastes, it feels like they took the weaker parts of those two sounds to create something that on the whole, falls a little flat.