Day 0735 - Wild Wood

Paul Weller "Wild Wood" (1993)

Weller had already made a decent contribution to the British music world, having been part of the Jam and the Style Council.  That latter band's star began to wane, until their record label refused to release their last album and the band disbanded.

After taking a year or so off music, Weller toured for a while as 'the Paul Weller Movement' which allowed him to revisit some of the catalogue of his two bands as well as showcasing some new music.  This tour was followed by a self-titled solo album.

With his solo career up and running, Paul released his second album 'Wild Wood.  It almost feels like a compendium of late 60s/early 70s sounds, with hints of Beatles-esque pop, Neil Young rock, Bowie glam and even a touch of Hendrix funk with a few bits of electronic/studio trickery thrown in on occasion to give the music that point of difference from its influences.

It's another one of those albums where I think any one of these songs in isolation would be an enjoyable listen, but for some reason, each time I listened through the album (4 or so times) my interest would wane by the last quarter.

Day 0671 - Rust in Peace

Megadeth "Rust in Peace" (1990)

Megadeth gonna Megadeth.

This is the fourth Megadeth album and features their third lineup, though apparently this one would stick for the next few albums.  As always with Megadeth, the album largely centres around Dave Mustaine, his riffs, his lead guitar, and his voice.  David Ellefson should be given his due though, being one of the most constant members of the band, and providing bass that ranges from nimble and virtuosic; and restrained and interesting.

This album gets held up as one of the highlights of the thrash movement, and I can buy that.  While I've always been more of a Metallica or Slayer fan, this album features some speedy riffs and (as the superlative goes) 'fretboard pyrotechnics' from Dave.  It has enough melody and intensity to it that it almost feels like it sits between thrash, and something more in the 'party-rock' vein like Guns n Roses.

I always felt like Mustaine took himself far too seriously though.  I never felt his music was quite as good as his old band, and he seemed to be stuck repeating what they were doing in their first couple of albums.  Mind you, some metal fans (though not all) appreciate a spot of creative inertia, so....

Day 0606 - Calenture

The Triffids "Calenture" (1987)

I had heard the Triffids' name but had no real idea of what they'd sound like.  This album is almost indie-meets-gospel.  It has a really raw, soulful feel that is admittedly curtailed somewhat by the amount of studio sheen heaped on it.

The musical style, combined with David McComb's deep and declamatory vocal delivery make the music sound like a more upbeat take on early-mid era Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.  Not surprising then that bass-player Martyn Casey would later go on to play in the Bad Seeds.

Definitely enjoyed this and will keep it in mind for further investigation at a later date.