Day 0923 - Bright Flight

Silver Jews "Bright Flight" (2001)

Silver Jews were often written off as a Steven Malkmus side-project, despite having been started around the same time as his other more famous band Pavement, and Malkmus doesn't even feature on this album.   I actually enjoyed this more than Pavement/Malkmus too.

The sound of the album is generally a laid-back alt-country, with almost a touch of the melodic side of Velvet Underground (that impression helped by the laconic drawling vocal of that band's primary singer).   There's some variety though, "Transylvania Blues" an instrumental track with that 'driving down the highway at night' vibe to it that builds to haunted rock.   "Let's Not and Say We Did" has a kind of fun Honky-Tonk vibe to it.

The book mentions that Silver Jews mainstay David Berman had written a book of poetry too so I tried to pay a little more attention to the lyrics than I normally would.   I definitely heard a few lines I enjoyed like "You're the highest apple on the tree" and "they slow-danced so the needle wouldn't skip".
I'd also have to say, the part of me that loves a cheesy pun enjoyed the couplet in "Tennessee":
"Marry me and leave Kentucky, come to Tennessee/because you're the only ten I see".   Sweet, corny, perfect.

Day 0552 - Steve McQueen

Prefab Sprout "Steve McQueen" (1985)

 
Another of the literate/intellectual indie-pop sect of the 80s.  There are occasional hints of bands such as the Smiths and even Pet Shop Boys here, but musically, Prefab are pleasingly all over the map.

The album kicks off with dose of rockabilly, it veers from delicate pop to hot blooded soul-rock (not a million miles from the sound of Crowded House).  There are hints of Elvis Costello here and there, some dreamy pop, even a taste of bossa nova.

If anything, the album's weakness is that it doesn't have much of an identity.  It showcases a variety of sounds, and the songs are enjoyable, but there's nothing here that if I heard it on the radio I'd think "that definitely sounds like Prefab Sprout" like I would with other diverse bands like Ween or even 10CC.

With the album's title, legal action was taken against the band by McQueen's estate, forcing them to release the album under the title "Two Wheels Good" (maybe an Animal Farm reference?) in the US.