Day 0432 - Movies

Holger Czukay "Movies" (1979)

I love the genesis of this album: Following the breakup of Can, Czukay would sit at home with his bass and play along to TV shows, ads, and films on his TV, which inspired him to produce this rather soundtrack-esque album.

Czukay had studied under modern composer Karlheinz Stockhausen and followed his lead with various tape loops and musique concrete ideas, including sampling an Iranian singer (who he heard on the radio by chance) and using it in his track "Persian Love".

Day 0395 - The Modern Dance

Pere Ubu "The Modern Dance" (1978)

Ooh, I'm only the opening track at the moment but I'm quite liking it already. Kind of punk but with a whole lot of melody and noise.

...the album seems to be continuing in that vein.  A punky sound and energy, but mixed with melody, humour and a heavy slice of avant garde, from musique concrete to just beautiful horrible noises being injected.

At times this sounds akin to a more interesting version of the 00s' indie music, like one song sounds a bit like Bloc Party... but like 'good' Bloc Party, not like the real Bloc Party...

Just when you think you've got a handle on the band, the penultimate track "Sentimental journey" takes you on what is more like a nightmare journey! With smashing glasses, outbreaks of noise in amongst ambient meanderings.

Highly recommend this one!

Day 0069 - Freak Out

Frank Zappa and the Mother's of Invention "Freak Out" (1966) - got it

This album has hints of the sounds popular at this point of the 60s... but with a huge helping of weirdness on top.  Nowhere near the virtuosic oddball stylings the band would exhibit once Frank fired half the band and ensconced himself well and truly in the driver's seat, but still comfortably 'out there'.

There are one or two pretty solid pop songs here, a direction that Zappa would explore more completely with his doowop album "Cruisin' with Ruben and the Jets".
"Trouble every day" sound suspiciously like it is mocking Bob Dylan... wouldn't surprise me, as Zappa was making fun of EVERYBODY at this point in his career

The last couple of tracks start to investigate some weirder, musique concrete-esque territory (which, again, Zappa would explore more fully in later releases).  All in all a startling and well formed debut.