Day 0806 - Timeless

Goldie "Timeless"

Things I learned from this entry:

• Thing the first - Goldie didn't get his name from his golden grill.  He was known as Goldilocks back when he was rocking dreads   
• Thing the second - Goldie has a freakin' MBE
• Thing the third - before he started making music (and possibly after?) Goldie gained a level of notoriety for his graffiti art.
  

Musically this album is enjoyable, but it's a lot.   There's nearly 2 hours of music, and while I could put on any part of this album and get enjoyment from it; it's not something where I'd sit and listen to it in its entirety.

The beats are unconventional and skittish, the bass deep and low.   Some of the tracks are lushly orchestrated and punctuated with some soaring female vocals.

The beautiful "State of Mind" is possibly my favourite.  Though the sprawling title track is well worth a listen too.

Day 0805 - (What's the Story) Morning Glory

 Oasis “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” (1995) – got it

The band were signed to Creation records, released their successful debut “Definitely, Maybe”, fired and replaced their drummer then set about recording this, their second album.
 
The recording sessions went quickly though (as seems to be standard) not without fighting between the two Gallagher brothers.

The band have been accused of possibly wearing their influences a little two prominently on their sleeves with the Beatles being a very obvious influence, touches of David Bowie and even a possible lifting of an REM riff ("the One I love" for the song "Morning Glory").  Regardless of this, Morning Glory remains a great rock record, that takes the band's established swaggering rock ("Hello") and expands out into more melodic areas such as Lennon-esque balladry ("Wonderwall"), to vaguely psychedelic pop ("Champagne Supernova") to acoustic power ballads ("Cast no Shadow").

This album and the debut were everywhere when I was in high school.  The band have never really topped them with subsequent Oasis albums or their other projects, but these two albums are worthy enough to have stood the test of time.

Day 0804 - Brown Sugar

D'Angelo "Brown Sugar" (1995)

D'Angelo is another musical lifer, getting into music as a child, taking part in amateur nights at the Apollo Theatre, and eventually dropping out of school to pursue a music career.

D'Angelo handled most of the production and vocals on "Brown Sugar" himself, crafting a sound that was like a modernised Marvin Gaye.   Similar to (and probably a source of) a lot of current modern RnB but without the now seemingly obligatory rap guest spot.

The sound was dubbed 'neo-soul' and, slowly but surely worked D'Angelo into the public consciousnes.   Love his take on "Cruisin" and his own eloquent "Sh*t, Damn, Motherf**ker".

Day 0803 - Leftism

Leftfield "Leftism" (1995)

 

Formed by two percussionist DJs, Leftfield had previously released a number of singles with various guests.   Though their music is very much in the electronic genre with trancey soundscapes mixing with house synths, they brought in vocalists from other genres like rock (Toni Haliday and John Lydon), reggae (Danny Red, Earl Sixteen) and even a poet (Lemm Sissay).

The duo started their debut album by tweaking and re-purposing some of the tracks they'd released as singles over the previous years then went from there, developing new music.

I heard enough here to enjoy, though I wouldn't say that the album really seized my attention for the duration.    Another "I'll listen to it if someone puts it on, but I won't seek it out" album.

Day 0802 - Different Class

Pulp "Different Class" (1995) - got it

If Blur were drawing on the Kinks, and Oasis on the Beatles, Pulp is like some weird smash together of the Pet Shop Boys and Scott Walker (would later produce their final album "We Love Life").   There are some minimalist keyboardy pop tracks and then some more cinematic mixes of acoustic guitar backed with strings, occasional jabs of rock guitar.

These sounds back singer Jarvis Cocker's stories that reflect both his northern upbringing and his geeky outsider status.  He has a certain theatrical flair to his delivery, moving between sultry whispers and spoken word, from sleepy croons, through to impassioned howls.

Many of his stories are a little downbeat, while still not without a sense of humour and a shrug of the shoulders.  Whether it's his scathing yet amused take on rich twats glamourising working class life in "Common People":

"Laugh along with the common people
Laugh along even though they're laughing at you
And the stupid things that you do
Because you think that poor is cool"

Or this line from album opener "Mis-shapes" which seems to sum up the band's self-image:

"We don't look the same as you
And we don't do the things you do
But we live around here, too"

As I've said a few times, I'm not really much of a lyric fan, but Jarvis has a way with words that I can get behind.   He does seem to be very sex-focussed, but in kind of an awkward, unconventional way.

Another pillar of Britpop/Cool Brittannia.

 

Day 0801- Liquid Swords

GZA/Genius "Liquid Swords" (1995)

The Wu Tang Clan were on a roll.   From their debut "Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)" to solo releases from Method Man, Ol Dirty Bastard and Raekwon.

Like those albums, "Liquid Swords" was recorded in RZA's basement studio.   The album features samples from the film "Shogun Assassin" and GZA said that he was going for a more cinematic approach to the album.

It's kind of like what I was saying about the Smashing Pumpkins in entry 791 - when artists are firing creatively it feels like everything they touch is gold, and it makes sense to mine the vein while that's happening.  While I wasn't a fan of some of Raekwon's rhymes, I have to admit that everything RZA was doing around this time is solid.   I liked GZA's rhymes too, the two work well together.

Multiple other Wu members and affiliates feature, almost suggesting they could have just popped a new Wu album out every month if they'd wanted to.  But nice that they gave each other the space to do their own things without alienating each other.

Day 0800 - A Northern Soul

 The Verve "A Northern Soul" (1995)

 

Okay, I have to admit that my only real experience with the Verve was the "Urban Hymns" album.   This whole psychedelic rock with hints of droney shoegaze took me (pleasantly) by surprise.

There are some almost dance-influenced beats like on "Life's an Ocean", mixed with the noisy wash of guitar that is reminiscent of bands from My Bloody Valentine, Ride and maybe the Happy Mondays.

The long, slow moody mellow atmospheric "Drive you home" is quite dreamy and wonderful.  

The  band broke up after this, but reformed and hit new commercial heights.