Day 0936 - A Little Deeper

Miss Dynamite "A Little Deeper" (2002)

The book makes comparisons between Miss Dynamite and Lauryn Hill, suggesting MD helped fill the gap left by Hill's absence from the music scene.   While it's not necessarily always a compliment to label an artist using another's name, being compared to a hugely successful and influential artist like Hill isn't the worst praise to receive.

In places Dynamite has a comparable voice to Hill and this album consists of a similar mix of soul, reggae, hip-hop and RnB.  She cuts her own path though, whether it's the almost loungey (via trip-hop beats) vibe of single "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee", the soul groove of "Brother" or the acapella cry against oppression "Watch over them".   "Krazy Krush" chucks an almost electronic sound into the mix.

I came in not expecting much from the album.  I was familar with "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee" and it didn't necessarily leave me with a favourable impression, but as it was I really enjoyed this one with its simple beats, minimal instrumental arrangements and focus on Dynamite's vocals.

 

Guess I should have looked... a little deeper

  

I'll see myself out.

 

Day 0863 - Mermaid Avenue

Billy Bragg & Wilco “Mermaid Avenue” (1998)

Woody Guthrie’s daughter Nora was looking for someone to put music to a collection of her father’s unreleased lyrics.  After hearing Bragg playing at a Guthrie tribute concert, she contacted him about the project.  Bragg in turn contacted Wilco to help him with the songs and to arrange some themselves.

Bragg and Wilco have both already featured in this list, and the project ‘on paper’ interested me, so I was keen to check this out.

It exceeded my expectations, with a sound that brings to my mind Ween’s country moments.  Interesting lyrics backed with a mix of old timey Americana, and more modern alt-country and bouncy Beatles-esque melodic and arrangement sensibilities (“Another Man’s Done Gone” almost sounds like a McCartney-esque piano ballad).

There’s the rootin’ tootin’ opener “Walt Whitman’s Niece”, the intimate acoustic guitar and voice of “Ingrid Bergman” and “I Guess I Planted” has hints of Elvis Costello circa “My Aim is True”.

My favourite though is “Way Over Yonder in a Minor Key” which features backing vocals from Natalie Merchant and is frankly just a beautiful song.

Two more collections of songs would eventually be produced by Bragg and Wilco under the Mermaid Avenue name.

Day 0831 - Now I Got Worry

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion "Now I got Worry"

Spencer had started off with noise rock band Shithaus and garagey/noise/punk rock band Pussy Galore.   He stated that those bands were about him kicking against rock music but that JSBE was was him accepting and even celebrating the sound a bit more.

It's been mentioned by critics that the bands sound was not very 'bluesy'... I guess you could argue that maybe their sound is not supposed to be blues but rather the aftermath of the titular explosion.   "Now I got Worry" was recorded while the band were also working on the "A Ass Pocket of Whiskey" album with bluesmen R L Burnside and Kenny Brown and it seems to have injected a little more blues to 'Now I got Worry' which features another blues singer Rufus Thomas on song "Chicken Dog".

There is more of a blues vibe but it's still buried amongst a raft of other noisy, off-the-wall sytles.  "F*ck Sh*t up" has a noisy, beat-backed bit of drawling street poetry with miscellaneous noises jumping out at you.   "2kindsa Love" has almost a funk-metal Janes Addictiony vibe to it.  "Get Over Here" has an aggressive alt-rock groove similar to Mark of Cain or Helmet.  "Cool Vee" has a laidback, cruisy vibe with vocal samples being scratched over the top of it.

Day 0807 - Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette "Jagged Little Pill" (1995)

Another of those albums that was EVERYWHERE while I was in high school.

I remember being vaguely aware even at the time that Alanis had had albums before this.   Reading up on it, her self-titled album and "Now is the Time" were Canada-only releases in more of a dancey pop vein.  The release of those two records completed the two-album deal she was signed to and she was free to move to Toronto, get together with producer/writer Glen Ballard to put together "Jagged Little Pill".

A lot of people view it as her debut, and certainly it is her first international release and her first album in the more raw, alt-rock vibe.

Morissette seemed to be up for trying different things.  The single "You Oughta Know" was given to Dave Navarro and Flea (at the time both in Red Hot Chili Peppers) to essentially jam out a new arrangement over the existing beat and vocal.    

My favourite track "Head Over Feet" has fuzzy and acoustic guitars blending over a drum-machine beat that gives it almost a hint of the UK's 'baggy' scene.   Lyrically, Morissette covers topics from sexual guilt, predatory music industry types, hope, a little humour, and that lyrical stalwart: the ex-relationship. 

Yep, let's not even talk about "Ironic" and whether it's actually ironic (don't ya think?)

Day 0581 - Guitar Town

Steve Earle "Guitar Town" (1986)

Another album being given the "birth of alternative-country" badge.  The book outlines Earle's country credentials by pointing out that he was a rebel who ran away from school, struggled with addiction and was married 7 times (including twice to the same woman)... that's enough material for 10 country albums right there.  Certainly he also addressed the nature of addiction when guesting on the tv series 'The Wire' as an addicts-anonymous facilitator and former addict.

I'm not sure that the album earns its alt-country credentials.  To my ears it sounds like a pretty straightforward country album, but then maybe compared to what had come before it, it was a bit of a minor left-hand turn.  There is a little touch of 'rock' going on in places. 

Not a bad album, mind, just not as interesting or good (in my mind) as something like Nanci Griffith's "Last of the True Believers" or the Mekons' "Fear and Whiskey".

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 0487 - Wild Gift

X "Wild Gift" (1981)

 
Punk rock, rockabilly, mixed with almost 1950s-esque pop.  That style, with the combination of male and female vocals makes it feel like a slightly more musical take on the B-52s' sound, or something akin to the wild and woolly retro sound of the Cramps.

An enjoyable album that had my wife and I both bobbing our heads along with it.

The album was produced by ex-Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who also played on some of the tracks (I guess he'd have to really wouldn't he.  You wouldn't want to miss that opportunity).

Day 0447 - Tusk

Fleetwood Mac "Tusk" (1979)

Following on from the gargantuan success of "Rumours", Fleetwood Mac were able to spend a whopping $1 million making this one. Not surprisingly, given the sales of Rumours and the fact that this was a double album, "Tusk" did not fare as well as its predecessor.

It's a pity, because Tusk is far more diverse than Rumours.  Mixing the smooth accessible pop of that album with some even more mellow, laidback tracks, raucous almost honky-tonk rock music, and of course the urgent angular percussive drive of the title track.

The book describes them as drawing on the two Brians (Eno and Wilson) and that doesn't feel too far from the truth, given the harmonic and production boundaries the band play with and push against here.

Day 0422 - Stardust

Willie Nelson "Stardust" (1978) - got it

Riding on the success of "Red Headed Stranger" Willie was given a reasonable degree of freedom by his record company.  But they must have still had their doubts when Willie went outside of his country background to release a collection of covers of classic tin pan alley songs.  It's a musical gamble that works though.  Willie seamlessly blends the jazzy tunes like "Georgia on my mind", "Blue skies", "Somebody to watch over me" and Moonlight in Vermont" with a hint of his country background, similar to the mix of styles that Norah Jones would later toy around with in her first two albums (but then it's known that she's a big Willie fan).

The real star here is Willie's voice.  It's so distinctive, somehow strong and frail at the same time.  He makes these familiar songs come alive in a new way. Will definitely keep an eye out for this one next time I'm out shopping.

*as you can see from the top of this post, I have since found a copy too