Day 0939 - The Coral

The Coral "The Coral" (2002)

What the what?!

Another situation where I was familiar with the name but for some reason assumed this band was one of the indie rock groups making the scene at the time; far from it! This album mixes a punky raucousness with melodic sensibility.  Musical control with wild abandon.  The whole thing is smothered in vocal harmonies which is something that (if you're keeping track) I love.

"Goodbye" has jazzy fusiony vamps.  "Shadows Fall" has a Specials-esque bit of moody two-tone with folky vocals that suddenly launch into a burst of hot jazz and plays out with a cool ping-pong vocal thing.  "I Remember When" moves between slow morose alt-rock and bursts into an explosive almost punky rock for the chorus and rounds out on a sort of klezmer section.

It's a definite "all sounds considered" approach that wraps in rock, folk, jazz, balladry, reggae, sea shanty, indie rock.  Music for the sake of music, and I love it!

Day 0888 - The Contino Sessions

Death in Vegas “The Contino Sessions” (1999)

The band were originally called ‘Dead Elvis’, but as it tunred out this was the name of an existing record label.  They changed their name to the thematically similar ‘Death in Vegas’ and used the Dead Elvis moniker for their first album instead.

The Contino Sessions (named for their recording space) is their second album.  The blurb in the book mentioned DJing and electronica and I’d thought that I’d be getting something very much in that musical arena.   I was quite surprised then to hear the opening track “Dirge” that starts with a sparse guitar line and vocals, then eventually builds to a Shoe-gazey wall of guitar noise.  

There are definitely electronic elements here (electronic beats, loops) but the sound veers between the aforementioned shoegazey sound and triphop, with shoe-gaze/wall-of-guitar band Jesus and Mary Chain’s vocalist Jim Reid featuring on one track “Broken Little Sister”.  Actually, that one sounded a bit familiar to me.

The second track “Soul Auctioneer” features a sinister, subdued groove that would not feel out of place on an early Massive Attack album.   Iggy Pop features spoken word vocals on “Aisha”, meanwhile the track “Aladdin’s Story” is a rare burst of upbeat melody amongst the gloom… though even there, it’s deceptive.  The few lyrics are hardly uplifting “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen/Nobody knows my sorrow”.

Day 0725 - Connected

Stereo MCs "Connected"

Stereo MCs had slowly been building their reputation through their first couple of releases.   Tracks backing MC Rob B and vocalist Cath Coffey were largely sample-based.   For "Connected" they upped the ante with several backing singers and a full band.

The tracks mix rap, soul, electronica, dub and pop to create a sound that is catchy, danceable and almost a touch hypnotic.

The album was a huge success, but the band would not follow it up for another 8-9 years.  The intervening time being peppered with some remix work for other artists.

Day 0658 - Repeater

Fugazi "Repeater" (1989)

 
After the dissolution of Minor Threat, Ian MacKaye had played in a few other bands but was a bit burnt out from it.  He decided to focus less on 'being in a band' and more in just finding people he could play with.   He also wanted to combine his punk background with a reggae sound.  Both of these goals eventually led to the formation of Fugazi, though I'll be damned if I can hear a lot of reggae in it.

There's some crystal clear bass and drums, with the repetitive hypnotic approach to basslines being something that Joe Lally would go on to revisit in John Frusciante's band Ataxia.   The guitar is occasionally tight and concise, and at other times is a diffuse wall of noise.   MacKaye and guitarist/vocalist Guy Picciotto provide punky vocals that at times find points of harmony... almost pointing to the catchy pop-punk popularised in the 90s to early 00s (though you couldn't really call Fugazi 'pop').

Day 0647 - Stone Roses

Stone Roses "Stone Roses" (1989)

When I lived in the UK, the music fans whom I knew seemed to rave about the Stone Roses.  I've never been quite able to understand the appeal based on the songs of theirs that I'd heard.   Oddly (given that they appear to only have 2 full-length albums) I had never heard much of the material on this album before.   

I was much more used to their sound being a stripped down almost funky dancy take on rock; but this album seems to have its roots more in 60 pop-rock and folk (even featuring a reworked version of Simon & Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair").   There is a good deal more melody than I was expecting, and some sonic experimentalism with track "Don't Stop" seeming to be the music for previous track "Waterfall" played backwards with different lyrics.    

As a fan of reversed music, I wholeheartedly support this approach.  Reversing a piece of music really does produce an entirely different sound, often with a different mood to it.   When I was younger, I had a Beatles cassette that got twisted.  Once I rolled the tape back in, half of the album played backwards.  It honestly cracked my mind wide open, and I loved it.

Day 0592 - Electric

The Cult "Electric" (1987)

The Cult had started work on their third album but, unhappy with the results, they asked Rick Rubin to remix one of the tracks.   Rubin agreed to work with them, but only if they'd re-record the track with him.  They ended up re-recording the whole album and delving into a more straight-ahead rock sound than on their previous, more gothic and melodic releases.

This is definitely a rock album.  Wall to wall riffs that seem to draw equally from the gene-pools of AC/DC and Led Zep.  I'd have to say too, this the most "Yeahs" I've ever heard in an album.  Obviously we're not just talking about a standard 1 syllable "Yeah"; we're talking about an all caps, 2-3 syllable "YEE-EE-AH"

Day 0586 - Among the Living

Anthrax "Among the Living" (1987)

Of the 'Big 4' of Thrash (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax), Anthrax were the ones I knew the least about, so was quite interested to see how this panned out.  Not bad, as it turns out.

To my mind, the star here is Scott Ian with his cutting, thrashy rhythm guitar.  Drummer Charlie Benante's pounding, speedy-yet-tight beats are also noteworthy.  I found the vocals to be a bit close to the glam style, which sort of clashed a bit with the more punky, angry music.  A few of the lyrics were a touch cringe-worthy too with the benefit of hindsight, such as "Indians", or "I am the Law", which, though it's actually about Judge Dredd, comes off sounding a bit pro-police-brutality.

Solid enough metal album.  Another one of those "if someone puts it on at a party, I'd listen; but I most likely won't buy a copy" albums.

Day 0550 - Songs From the Big Chair

Tears For Fears "Songs From the Big Chair" (1985)

This is something of an 80s pop power-house.  It's an album that featured the hits "Shout", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Head over Heels" and which would go on to help TfF find success in the US as well as continuing their success in their native England.

There is the bombastic power of pop anthems like "Shout", but also the moody, noirish jazz vibe of a track like "I believe" and the low-key, vaguely world-music outro "Listen".  That variety makes for an enjoyable listening experience and stops the album from being anywhere near one dimensional.

The album title came from a film called 'Sybil' about a woman with multiple-personality disorder, who only felt safe while recounting her problems to her therapist while sat in the 'big chair' in his office.

Day 0542 - Ocean Rain

Echo & the Bunnymen "Ocean Rain" (1984) - got it

According to the book, Echo's lead singer Ian McCulloch himself described this album as their definitive statement; I'd have to agree with him.

This is my favourite of the E&tB albums that I've heard.  After the sonic experimentalism of "Porcupine" where they threw everything including the kitchen sink at their songs; for Ocean Rain they stick with one audio embellishment: a string section.

The strings really add the right touch of drama to the gothy, interesting post-punk of E&tB.  They nicely complement McCulloch's voice, whether he's crooning somnambulantly or wailing with emotion.  My favourite here is probably the gothic "Nocturnal Me", but it's all good.

Day 0536 - Out of Step

Minor Threat "Out of Step" (1984)

Minor Threat, a band that only produced around 50 minutes worth of music yet heavily influenced modern punk rock and, through their song "Straight-edge" helped to both christen and kickstart the lifestyle movement of the same name.

This album has all the aggression and speed associated with the hardcore movement, but also the sense of humour and ability to laugh at themselves that bands like the Dead Kennedys displayed.

The band released one more EP after this and then split, leaving Ian McKaye free to form Fugazi and continue his musical explorations.

Day 0525 - Porcupine

Echo & the Bunnymen "Porcupine" (1983)

E&tB's third album was apparently a bit of a chore coming after the ease of their first two.  They were experiencing a bit of writers block, and once they'd finished the album their record company dismissed it, saying that it was uncommercial.  ...Normally this would be the bit in the story where the band kicked against this assessment and pushed for 'their album'.  Instead, they said "Yeah, okay" and used the original album as a jumping off point to create something else.

Some sitar was laid down here and there (apparently against the wishes of much of the band).  A horn section was added to the song 'The Cutter', again, the band weren't happy but begrudgingly admitted that it improved the song somewhat.

This album is certainly a different beast to the previous two albums.  Aside from the different instrumentation, the Bunnymen's usual slow, Gothic groove was accelerated a bit in places.  Would have been interesting to hear what the original album sounded like, but the released version is enjoyable. 

Day 0489 - Dare

The Human League "Dare" (19881) - got it

The Human League had lost two of its founding members Maryn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh who were busy getting Heaven 17 up and running.

Lead singer Philip Oakley recruited two teenage girls as dancers/backing vocalists and set about making the 80s-est 80s album to ever 80s.  The band's previous, more experimental sound is given the odd nod, particularly in selected tracks on side B, but mostly this album is stripped-down, catchy synth-pop finery.

Track "Don't you want me" is one of those big 80s hits that most people know.

Day 0480 - Penthouse and Pavement

Heaven 17 "Penthouse and Pavement" (1981)

I remember listening to this one ages ago (in fact I quickly searched out a review I wrote in 2015 - all I said was that it was a good little pop album with some funky sounds and lighter synth bits). Didn't really remember the music off the top of my head... though I was listening to it during night-shifts back then so that might factor into it.

It remains a good pop album with some funky sounds and lighter synth parts.  A fun album, even though it's lead single "(we don't need this) fascist groove thing", championed by John Peel was banned by the BBC for implying that Ronald Reagan was a fascist.  Some things never change, the BBC have made some terrible censorship decisions in the past.

The band was formed by ex-members of the original line-up of the Human League (before they went extremely mainstream and had huge success with songs like "don't you want me"). That band had a reshuffle and the members who would form Heaven 17 created the company called the British Electric Foundation (BEF) under which the band was based... that idea of band/album as corporate product is illustrated (quite literally) on the album cover with it's corporate promotional vibe.

Day 0468 - Closer

Joy Division "Closer" (1980)

The sonic experimentation of 'unknown pleasures' is set aside in favour of laying the songs bare (other than some well placed reverb). The music remains fairly mechanical and cold but with increasing use of synthesizers, possibly hinting that the New Order direction would have still happened had Curtis survived.

Ian Curtis' lyrics are grim and funereal. He had said to one of his bandmates that he felt the lyrics were essentially writing themselves and that he felt like a weird feeling of claustrophobia and being pulled into a whirlpool and drowning. He was dead before the album was released, which makes the crypt/tomb album cover a rather prescient choice.

Day 0465 - British Steel

Judas Priest "British Steel" (1980) - got it

 
So the development of metal continues.  Priest took the musicianship and thunder of Led Zep and Black Sabbath, added the speed and intensity of punk.  The vocals and lyrics though stay larger-than-life with songs like "Metal Gods" or "Grinder".

Because metal hadn't come of age and the 'rulebook' hadn't been set, there seemed to be no feelings of self-consciousness about belting out an uplifting anthem like "United", engaging in some party rock with "Living after midnight", or even dropping a hint of reggae with "the Rage".

I saw Judas Priest 4 years ago at a metal festival in Auckland, and by golly they could still put on a show! Rob Halford may be in his 60s but he was still able to wail and scream with the best of them. He also did this whole thing where he went off stage partway through one song, there was a loud roaring and he came rolling onto the stage on the back of a motorbike... what a showman.

Day 0462 - Crocodiles

Echo and the Bunnymen "Crocodiles" (1980)

Echo and the Bunnymen: the 80s-ness continues.

I have their album "Ocean Rain" which had a kind of atmospheric, gothic somnambulism to it and I really liked it... however, I'm glad that they sound different here, because variety is the spice of life.

This is much more a dark and jangly album with a definite post-punk  flavour, though still with hints of what their sound would become.

Day 0436 - Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division "Unknown Pleasures" (1979)

Another band where I'd listened to lots of bits and pieces but not an entire album.

Unlike some other artists on this list, Joy Division manages to totally earn the hype that surrounds them. With its mix of electronic and acoustic drums, the pulsing basslines and the various 'found sounds' basically make this a forerunner to a lot of industrial rock.

Ian Curtis' vaguely droney baritone occasionally bursts into a rock snarl, but mostly helps pin the music in a sort of garage-meets-minimalit-shoegazer area. Seems as though it could have been a starting point for bands as diverse as R.E.M, Sonic Youth and NIN.

Day 0393 - New Boots and Panties!!

Ian Dury "New Boots and Panties!!" (1977)

This is mentioned in the book as being part of the punk movement, and there are one or two tracks of brazen rock, one song even opens with the line "arseholes, bastards, fucking cunts and pricks" but most of this smells more of the British musichall tradition with touches of the up and coming ska/reggae movement, definitely a hint of Madness (the band).  There's a bit of cockney rhyming slang and Brit street-talk delivered with not a lot of melody, so I guess it fits in with the 'taking music back to the people' and 'anyone can do it' ideal of punk.

Totally enjoyable.