Day 0990 The Archandroid

Janelle Monáe "The Archandroid" (2020) - got it

Monáe had recorded with Outkast for their "Idlewild" album/film and Big Boi suggested to his friend Sean (Puff Daddy) Combs that he check out her music.   Diddy did, listening to her music on Myspace and diddying... I mean digging it.  She was signed to Diddy's Bad Boy Records, releasing "Metropolis: Suite 1 (the Chase)" before following it up with "The Archandroid".   

The album was in the works for a year.   Monáe said that being African American people expect you to stick to one genre "and a boring genre at that".  She clearly wanted to kick against that stereotype. Even setting aside the list of collaborators (from a range of genres), just describing some of the sounds should suffice as a recommendation for the album:

"Suite II" has a classical sound to it
"Dance or Die" is dancey funk complete with horns and wah-wah guitar break
"Sir Greendown" is like 50s or 60s girl-group pop or almost similar to the Bond theme "You Only Live Twice"
"Cold War" almost makes me think of Gnarls Barkley with its Outkast-esque mix of dance beats and psych-rock topped with soaring vocals.   
In fact speaking of Outkast, the very next song features Big Boi from Outkast.
"Neon Gumbo" is a psychedelic tripout instrumental
"Come Alive (War of the Roses)" punky rockabilly with impressive rocking vocals
"Mushrooms and Roses" is psych-rock
"Make the Bus" Prince-esque psychedelic funk rock
"57821" is 60s-style hippy folk
"Say You'll Go" is ethereal strings and reverby vocals
The album closes with "BabopbyeYa" which, with its strings and horns backing Monáe's huge vocals would open any James Bond film with a crash!

Have since picked up a copy, and I'm definitely putting Janelle's other albums on my musical 'to-do' list for once I've finished up the 1001.

Day 0845 - Dig Me Out

Sleater-Kinney "Dig Me Out" (1997)

Though I was aware of the name Sleater-Kinney, they really came on my radar via singer/guitarist Carrie Brownstein's show "Portlandia" with fellow punk-turned-comedian Fred Armisen.

Sleater-Kinney (named for a road in Lacey Washington) formed in the mid-90s and quickly went from a side project for Brownstein and other singer-guitarist (no bass in the band) Corin Tucker to being their main gig.

The band were recognised as being part of the 'riot grrrl' movement, the underground feminist rock movement of the 90s.   The music is mostly raucous punky rock with attitude-laden vocals and duelling guitar parts over propulsive drums.

Short n sweet album, my only real criticism would be that there's not a lot of variety.  Even ballady track "Buy her candy" has a little rock attitude to it.  Leaves me wishing that they'd maybe turn off the distortion pedal for even just one song.

 

Day 0738 - Exile in Guyville

Liz Phair "Exile in Guyville" (1993)

Phair started off with a collection of demos under the moniker 'Girly Sounds'.  After asking acquaintances who the 'coolest indie label' in town was, she approached the co-president of Matador Records.  As luck would have it, he had just been reading a review of her demo and asked her to send in a tape.   The tapes met with a good deal of enthusiasm and Phair was signed up.

The music is largely stripped down guitar and vocal.  It's melodic alt-rock with a little rawness to it, though this is interrupted somewhat by the almost perfect pop-rock song "Never Said" and the dreamy piano of "Canary" with Phair's slightly snarling vocals over the top.

She doesn't tread lightly lyrically, with songs such as "Divorce" and "Fuck and run" or "dance of the seven veils" in which she states "I'm a real c*nt in spring".  

Day 0659 - Club Classics Vol. One

Soul II Soul "Club Classics Vol. One" (1989)

The group started off playing house parties and street parties.   It's apt then that the album is set out like a DJ's club mix with some long drawn-out beat loops and some catchy hooks.   There are touches of jazz, funk, disco and the titular soul, all brewed into a dancey stew.  Probably not my cup of tea overall, but it's listenable.

They released this album before the line-up started to change, with member Jazzie B eventually being the only original member left.

Day 0628 - Shadowland

k.d. lang "Shadowland" (1988)

Lang's previous work with the Reclines had raised eyebrows and left a few country fans unsure of what to make of its mix of styles occasional sense of humour, and Lang's own androgynous style.  Luckily it also attracted the attention of Patsy Cline's long-time producer Owen Bradley.  Bradley came out of retirement to take Lang under his wing and help her fashion her first solo album.

The album is still not a straight country album, "Busy being blue" lives up to its name.  "Black Coffee" also has a kind of jazzy blues to it.  There's the beautiful string-laden country of "Tears don't care who cries them" which recalls Roy Orbison (who Lang has also worked with).  Tracks like "Lock, stock and teardrops", "Sugar Moon" and "(Waltz me) once again around the dancefloor" though have a pleasingly straight-ahead honky tonk country sound to them.

Day 0610 - Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby

Terence Trent D'Arby "Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby" (1987)

Over the first couple of tracks I was a little put off by the staid, sterile 80s production sound on this one, but TTD's amazing voice and strong songwriting turned my opinion right around.

There's the minimalist funk and catchy synth line of "Wishing well", the souful doowop of "Who's Lovin' You", the beautiful acapella "As yet untitled" and plenty of other gems.

Day 0476 - Arc of Diver

Steve Winwood "Arc of a Diver" (1980)

Steve Winwood had previously tried to release a solo album and had somehow accidentally wound up reforming his band Traffic and releasing the album with them instead. Winwood then got out a self-titled solo album but it sank link a stone commercially. This one fared much better with the record-buying public. I'd certainly heard opener "while you see a chance" on the radio a bit in the past.

Winwood crafted his catchy, somewhat funky tracks, more or less entirely by himself... which was no mean feat taking into account the late 70s/early 80s study technology.

Day 0437 - Risqué

Chic "Risqué" (1979)

So, right off the bat the first song is essentially the basis for "Rappers delight", so that's pretty cool. The band were looking to make a fun, good-times album to counteract financial hard times that were going on at the time (kind of like the Black Eyed Peas apparently tried to do with "I've got a feeling" years later).

I still can't totally get on board with the idea that this is "disco", I guess because I have a certain set idea of what that genre is.  To me this sounds more like soft-funk with some slower jams (though, bleak slow-jams) thrown in for good measure. I prefer this album to the previous Chic album (C'est Chic) on this list.

Day 0431 - The B-52s

The B-52s "The B-52s" (1979) - got it

Like a weird mix of 50s rock n roll, 60s surf rock with the directness of punk, the twang of 1960s spy or batman music, mixed together with a whole lot of quirkiness and theatricality.

Prior to hearing this I was mostly familiar with the song 'love shack' that I'd heard at so many school discos and then bars/clubs that the name 'B-52s' was shrouded in commercialism and 'classic rock' radio. In contrast this album is fresh and interesting post-punk with all the ingredients listed above.

Full disclosure, I first checked out this album in the days when I enjoyed Family Guy and saw Peter Griffin perform 'rock lobster' and it seemed too brilliantly ridiculous to be a real song.... still kind of does.

Day 0413 - More Songs About Buildings and Food

Talking Heads "More Songs About Buildings and Food" 1978 - got it

Brian Eno joins the Heads in the studio, bringing his gift of mixing pop with new and interesting production ideas, starting a creative partnership that would help produce some great TH albums, but would also see fractures appear in the group.

The band mixes its skittish brand of art-rock with touches of scratchy funk and danceable disco beats, creating a sound that would be ripped off wholesale (though done very well) by Franz Ferdinand some 25-30 years later.

Byrne sounds like he's recording some of his vocals after drinking several pots of coffee, just a nervous gangly energy to what he's doing.

The husband-and-wife rhythm section of Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth lay down some tight grooves over a mix of styles.

The second-to-last track is a cool-down.  A fairly sedate reading of Al Green's "Take me to the river" that has become a bit of a classic rock radio staple (or at least it has over here).

Day 0391 - My Aim is True

Elvis Costello "My Aim is True" (1977)

 
Costello mixes 1950s-style rock n roll with the dirty production sound, angst and sneer of punk.  In some ways he was anticipating the 1980s’ fondness for all things 50s (back to the future, cry-baby, nu-greasers, plus all of those people who really just wanted a return to the 'golden years' when they could be racist and sexist with impunity (MAGA)).

According to the book, he had not recruited his band 'the Attractions' for these sessions. He recorded the album over six 4-hour sessions in a tiny little 8-track demo studio - which probably helps lend it its gritty sound.

"Welcome to the working week" is a catchy, danceable number, "Mystery dance" is boisterous rockabilly and "Alison" is a more tender track.

"Watching the detectives" (not on the original album but released shortly after and included on the version I listened to) is a little bit of white-boy reggae/ska that mines a similar vein as artists such as the Police and the Specials.