Day 0982 - Two Dancers

 Wild Beasts “Two Dancers” (2009)

The write-up in the book didn’t really give me much to go on this time around.  The blurb was heavy on praise but light on descriptive musical detail.

I quite liked the sound of it from the off.   A kind of gentle rolling bass and tom-tom drum rhythm with clean guitar and keyboards creating almost ambient soundscapes.  More prominent guitar parts pop up to contrast this, seeming to move between percussive funk, and effects laden grooves a la U2’s the Edge.

The vibe I got from the opening track “The Fun Powder Plot” was of a kind of updated take on the Talking Heads, from the funky guitar to the vocal delivery which was reminiscent of head Head David Byrne.   Elsewhere the wild falsetto vocals almost hint at Jeff Buckley.   Having two lead vocalists also gives the band a bit of variety.

I liked this well enough, but I was starting to lose interest by the end, which is surprising as it’s a fairly compact album, with 11 songs and a runtime of just 40-odd minutes.   While there was a definite ‘sound’ across the album, there was a bit of variety that should have kept it from getting too staid.  I guess their songwriting just doesn't quite do it for me (almost but not quite).

Day 0981 - Oracular Spectacular

MGMT "Oracular Spectacular" (2008)

On a couple of occasions over the years, I'd hear my friend playing these guys when I was at his house.  Each time I'd be like "oh this is cool, what is it?" Then I'd hear them the next time and be like "oh this is cool, what is it".   This shows that (a) they must be good and (b) I'm a slow learner sometimes.

The duo met at university and formed the band as a natural evolution of just hanging out talking about music.   Originally they performed and released some songs under the name Management, until they were made aware that another act was using that name, so shortened theirs to MGMT.

The band recorded their debut (as MGMT) with Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann, which probably goes some way towards explaining the dreamy psychedelic pop I find myself listening to.

"Weekend Wars" is a glorious slice of 3rd-wave psychedelic pop.   "The Youth" follows in this vein and is kind of familiar to me on this listen so was maybe one of the ones I'd heard before.  "Electric Feel" I've heard plenty of times either in commercials or just through the usual channels.   "Electric Feel" has a weird 'if disco had still been going strong in the 80s' kind of sound to it.   You could dance to it, but it's a bit lighter and synthier.     Ditto (both on the sound, and me recognising it) with the track "Kids".

"4th Dimensional Transition" takes you into more electronic, yet still psychedelic territory.   Album closer "Future Reflections" bares a slight resemblance to the Dandy Warhols' "Welcome to the Monkey House" album, though possibly that's just because they're both channelling an 80s sound through a 00s indie-pop sensibility.

Day 0886 - Central Reservation

Beth Orton "Central Reservation" (1999) - got it

Another interesting character.  Beth spent time living with Buddhist nuns in Thailand, did catering work and performed in the theatre.   She dated producer William Orbit and they collaborated on music together, including a full release "Superpinkymandy" and working on music that would wind up on their respective solo albums.

Orton's first solo album featured triphoppy beats mixed with a folk sound.   She followed this up with an EP collaborating with singer Terry Callier with a more 'organic' sound and she followed that direction through into "Central Reservation".

This is another situation where I knew Orton's name and had listened to some things she'd done with artists such as Finley Quaye, Orbit, and the Chemical Brothers but wasn't really familiar with her own music.   Luckily my wife had a copy of this album (so by extension, I have it) and I enjoyed being educated.

Turns out I was familiar with the opening track "Stolen Car" though Jenni suggested this might be because she's played it for me before.  The album largely sticks to a folky/alt-country sound.  To my ears, the tracks when she does bring in some beats (in places, courtesy of Everything But the Girl's Ben Watt) such as "Stars All Seem to Weep" it feels kind of jarring alongside the more earthy tracks on the rest of the album.

Day 0850 - When I was Born for the 7th Time

Cornershop “When I was Born for the 7th Time" (1997)

Cornershop was formed in Leicester by Tjinder Singh.  The book suggests that as time went on, Singh started to incorporate elements of Indian music into the band, but I listened to a compilation of their first couple of EPs and that influence was already pretty clear even back then.

"When I was born..." features production from Dan the Automator, and definitely track "Butter the Soul" has his sound all over it with its mix of retro kitsch and unconventional turntablism.

"We're in your corner" in a full on raga drone, while "Indian Tobacco"  takes elements of drone but puts them in more of a triphoppy frame.   "Candyman" is pure funk, but most of the rest of the album is generally a nice beat-heavy form of indie-pop with "Brimful of Asha" being the most known track.

The album closes with a cover of the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" that takes that band's experimentation with Indian music and puts a spin on it by performing the song in Punjabi.

Day 0827 - Walking Wounded

Everything But the Girl "Walking Wounded"

Following Tracey Thorn's guest spot on Massive Attack's "Protection" (see day 776) and the popular remix of EBtG's track "Missing", the group decided to delve into more of an electronic sound.

The sound is only cosmetically differently from where the band was at for previous releases.   Sure there are loops, and beats echoing a range of dance genres; but the songs are still based around sparse orchestration and Tracey Thorn's haunting voice.  

"Single" is a mournful tale of hurt at lost love, "the Heart Remains a Child" almost sounds upbeat with it's major chord melody and peppy beat.   "Mirrorball" with its heartfelt acoustic guitar, laidback beat and lovely melody make it sound like a blueprint for a lot of modern pop.

An updated but familiar sound for the band that placed them more in the triphop camp, and it fits them like a glove.

Day 0769 - Superunknown

Soundgarden "Superunknown" (1994) - got it

This album feels like: if the Beatles were the result of a really good acid trip; this is the flip side.  The bad trip that takes you to dark places... but still in a melodic, imaginative way.

Soundgarden had always had a pretty good mix of Black Sabbath (big fuzzy, sludgey riffs) and Led Zeppelin (skilled, virtuosic musicians, and of course Cornell's Plant-esque wail) but with this album they added a heavy dose of the Beatles.  The title track sounds musically like something that could fit on a modernised version of "Revolver" until the chorus riff kicks in and things get dark and heavy.  "Black Hole Sun" is the most obvious link, with its slightly trippy guitar, drawling drugged vocal and lyrics that are obscure but paint a disturbing picture.  

There's middle-eastern and Indian elements on songs "Half" and "Head Down", and plenty of Soundgarden heavy-riffing on songs like "My Wave", "Spoonman" (featuring a spoon solo, don't cha know) and "Fourth of July" that, with its slow, inexorable riff, sounds like the audio equivalent of the end of the world!

This is a favourite album of mine, and has been since high school.   At its base it is just a great collection of songs that sits together coherently (even its 73 minute running time doesn't really put me off).  This was a band ready to try everything: they'd have different tunings, their songs would be in time signatures ranging from 6/4 to 15/8, they experimented with different overdubs and recording techniques, and all 4 members contributed compositions.

Some people will view the band as being mostly about singer/guitarist Chris Cornell, but that is not fair on any level.  Yes he is a phenomenal singer and a great songwriter, but Soundgarden wouldn't be Soundgarden without Ben Shephard's sludgey, ugly bass; Kim Thayil's riffs and wild and colourful lead guitar, and Matt Cameron on drums.   

I'll chuck a little gush here about Matt because I truly love his drumming.  Like Jimmy Chamberlain from the Smashing Pumpkins, or Mitch Mitchell from Jimi Hendrix's band, Matt is a jazz-influenced drummer who can put some rock power into his playing.  He plays parts that fit the song like a glove without being too showy, and it's only when you listen closely that you realise he's constantly evolving those parts throughout the song and playing quite tricky little bits and pieces.  

Day 0717 - Ingénue

K.D. Lang "Ingénue" (1992) - got it

For Lang's second solo album, she largely left her country sound behind in favour of more of a mix of cabaret, pop, alt-country, tango and a few other flavours.   There are times that the style could almost seem musically a bit 'middle-of-the-road', but it is saved by Lang's amazing voice, her painful honesty, and her brilliant songwriting abilities, such as on album opener "Save me"

This is a relatively short write-up, but suffice it to say, I am very much in love with this album, and will be keeping an eye out for a copy (as you can see above, since writing this, I found one).

I can hear the possible influence from this on artists I enjoy such as Amanda Palmer and Pink Martini.

Day 0615 - Idlewild

Everything But the Girl "Idlewild" (1988)

Everything But the Girl named themselves after a department store advertisement that proclaimed it could provide all your bedroom needs "...everything but the girl".   Despite the skeezy origin of their name, they made beautiful, sultry and soulful music.

I was more familiar with EBtG's later more electronic-tinged music, but this was really nice.  Their soulful tunes are given a vaguely jazzy flavour due to the horn section.   Smooth as silk.