Day 0953 - Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand “Franz Ferdinand” (2004) – got it

I remember being into these guys from the off.  I saw their video for “Take Me Out” with its cool visuals.  The song seemed to have an interesting melody, then it suddenly started to decelerate (which I thought was awesome) and suddenly a danceable funky groove kicked off and I was totally hooked.

A danceable groove is something that ranked high on FF’s to-do list as they stated one of their goals was to “make music for girls to dance to”.   The music owes a heavy debt to Talking Heads’ mid-era material with its nerdy white-boy funk groove (especially second track “Tell Her Tonight”).  That mix of disco beats, and funky guitar harks back to a similar style popular in the 80s/late 70s and would soon become widely popular with artists such as Bloc Party and Gossip.

The band recorded with producer Tore Johansson, who had helmed the Cardigan’s brilliant “First Band on the Moon” (see day 832) which featured a similar catchy mix of dance beats and funky guitar.

The album is nice and concise coming in under the 40-minute mark.  There are bursts of punky energy on songs like “Darts of Pleasure” and “This Fire”.  “The Dark of the Matinée” (a personal favourite of mine) has almost a theatricality to it that always brings to mind early Split Enz.

Day 0951 - Rejoicing in the Hands

 Devendra Banhart "Rejoicing in the Hands" (2004)

I'm 50/50 on this one.  There are some interesting sounds on here, with compositional ideas ranging from dusty Americana, Eastern influences and indie-folk.  It's a pretty stripped down record mostly centring around Banhart's high, tremulous voice and nimble guitar.    

 

On the other hand, I got a little tired of the constant count-ins at the start of every second track.  Not particularly difficult to edit out.. "yeah we get it, you're not recording in a professional studio and it's all very DIY".   Also, the stripped down sound and shortness of most of the tracks started to grate on me.  As much as I often prefer songs not to overstay their welcome, I fee like some of the songs here could have used a bit more time to connect with the listener.

In that respect, some of my favourite parts on the album are when it changes up its approach, such as penultimate track "Insect Eyes" taking around 5 minutes to make its point. "When the Sun Shone on Vetiver" provides a welcome change of sound with string arrangements mixing melodic parts with scratchy discordant strings.

"Fall" sounded familiar but I'm not sure if I've heard that song or if it' just Banhart's general sound that's familiar.

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 0922 - Nixon

Lambchop “Nixon” (2000)

I was not really on board with this one at all.  On paper it sounds like I should like it; all strings, gentle drums, and George Harrison-esque lead guitar.  I think what turned me away from it was Kurt Wagner’s.  He sort of mumbles his lyrics, which (from the bits I picked up on) seem to be trying to say something deep, but just don’t really go anywhere.

There were plenty of moments where I thought it might come right.  The silky soul groove of second track “Grumpus” (complete with horns and strings) sounds inviting, but again Wagner’s vocals ruined my enjoyment of it.  “What else could it be”  is again a nice soul groove that Wagner delivers a falsetto vocal over that actually works for me.

“The Petrified Florist” also works quite well, partly because the vocals are buried in a wash of space pop, all treated guitars and horns like some modern take on a Brian Wilson production.

Day 0844 - Let's Get Killed

David Holmes “Let’s Get Killed” (1997)

Belfast DJ/Producer David Holmes started DJing in local bars in his teens, playing a widely eclectic mix of music.  When he was 17 he travelled to the US and recorded overheard conversations on a portable recording device.  Some of those bits of dialogue turn up here.

The dialogue is mixed with dance and hip-hop beats. Sounds of jazz, funk and a range of other genres are wrapped in too.  The title track in particular weaves Holmes' found sounds through a moody electro soundscape that builds into a creepy drum and bass workout.

Holmes' sound was almost cinematic in its narrative approach and mix of styles... not surprising then that he would go onto score a large number of movies, including the "Oceans Eleven" trilogy.

Day 0843 - Shleep

Robert Wyatt "Shleep" (1997)

If you were giving points just for longevity, Wyatt would be doing well.  His last entry in this list "Rock Bottom" (day 325) was released in 1974.  If you were just going based on fun song titles he'd be doing well with doozies like "Free Will and Testament" and "the Whole Point of No Return".   If you were going based on the respect of other musicians, he'd be doing well as Brian Eno helps produce and guitars are provided by Paul Weller and Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera.

The fact is that, beside all of the above, the music is damned good too.  From the naive 60s-esque pop of "Heaps of Sheep" and "Maryan" to the jazzy experimentation of "the Duchess", the extended fusiony jam of "Alien" to the jazzy beat poetry homage to Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" this is just a great collection of songs.   The music brings to mind everything from the Kinks, early Pink Floyd, and Frank Zappa to later interesting and inventive bands like Ween and XTC.

Day 0803 - Leftism

Leftfield "Leftism" (1995)

 

Formed by two percussionist DJs, Leftfield had previously released a number of singles with various guests.   Though their music is very much in the electronic genre with trancey soundscapes mixing with house synths, they brought in vocalists from other genres like rock (Toni Haliday and John Lydon), reggae (Danny Red, Earl Sixteen) and even a poet (Lemm Sissay).

The duo started their debut album by tweaking and re-purposing some of the tracks they'd released as singles over the previous years then went from there, developing new music.

I heard enough here to enjoy, though I wouldn't say that the album really seized my attention for the duration.    Another "I'll listen to it if someone puts it on, but I won't seek it out" album.

Day 0741 - Fuzzy

Grant Lee Buffalo "Fuzzy" (1993)

The members of Grant Lee Buffalo originally operated under the name Shiva Burlesque, but then reformed in the 90s under their new name.

The album has a definite feel of Americana to it.   Tales from the dusty US back-roads, rendered in a mix of acoustic and over-driven guitars.  My favourite is probably "Dixie Drug Store" the falsetto chorus of which, kind of reminds me favourably of U2's track "Numb".

There's a nice mix of raucous and rocking through to more mellow and meditative tracks.

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 0729 - Vulgar Display of Power

Pantera "Vulgar Display of Power" (1992) - got it

Pantera started out as a heavy glam-metal band.  They would later deny it, but the spandex, puffed up perms and histrionic high vocals don't lie.

They slowly evolved their sound into a heavier thrashier deal, particularly with the introduction of new vocalist Phil Anselmo.

With this, the third album with Anselmo, he had mostly set aside his glam vocals in favour of metal screams and deeper growls.  The music had moved away from glam and even thrash to focus on a slower "groove-metal" sound.  Drawing on the band's southern background, with hints of blues and southern rock to some of the riffs and solos.

There is plenty of variety within the album.  There's the single-string, 2-3 note simplicity of "Walk" (that must surely have joined 'smoke on the water' and 'nothing else matters' as stock songs for beginner guitarists to bang out at guitar shops).  There are the grunge-ballad verses/grinding metal choruses of "This Love" and "Hollow".  While "F**king Hostile" is more or less a hardcore punk track with a little more flash.

Anselmo's newly shaven head and songs about dominance and respect raised one or two eyebrows (probably more in retrospect with Anselmo's infamous "white power" incident in 2016).

Day 726 - Psalm 69: the Way to Suceed and the Way to Suck Eggs

Ministry "Psalm 69: the Way to Suceed and the Way to Suck Eggs" (1992)

One of those "what did I just listen to (in a good way)"  albums.

Much of this is speedy industrial rockabilly... like Motorhead meets Marilyn Manson.   There are grinding riffs, speedy beats, mixes of rockabilly, metal, military, choir elements.  It's speedy rock, but with quite cold, sterile production and the vocals not overly clear in the mix.

The most 'known' song (and the only one I knew in advance) is "Jesus built my hotrod" a redneck, high octane ripsnorter with Gibby Haynes from the Butthole Surfers on vocals.   Compared to the bleak, 'scorched earth' vibe of much of the rest album, "hotrod" is almost a pop hit.

Day 0687 - Woodface

Crowded House "Woodface" (1991) - got it

For a long time this was my favourite Crowded House album, though "Together Alone" is slowly drawing me into its orbit.

Neil Finn's writing towards CH's 3rd album had met with lukewarm response from his record company.  He was concurrently working on some material with his brother Tim so invited him to join the band and put their collaborative songs towards Crowded House.

As much as I enjoy most Finn related musical activities, Split Enz has always been my favourite, so the reuniting of the two brothers and the injection of slightly more quirk and humour to the often overly earnest House mix, was welcome.

There's a nice mix of light (Chocolate Cake, Italian Plastic) and sombre (Fall at Your Feet, Four Seasons in One Day).   Tim's beautiful"All I ask" is probably my current favourite on the record, but half of these songs have held that position at some point.

The album was a big hit for the band in the UK and back home in the Antipodes, but tanked somewhat in the US after the single "Chocolate Cake" (featuring the line "the excess of fat on your American bones, will cushion the impact as you sink like a stone") failed to make an impression.  

 Despite the album's success, Tim was fired from the band during the subsequent tour.  Though they'd made beautiful music together, it didn't seem as though Tim was the right fit for Crowded House, leading to any number of 'witty' headlines about how crowded the house was yadda yadda yadda.

Day 0674 - Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches

Happy Mondays "Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches" (1990)

I wasn't a huge fan of "Bummed" the previous Happy Mondays album on this list, but this one appealed to my sensibilities much more.   The production is clearer than 'Bummed's muddy sound, and the mix of raucous, almost punky rock, with dance beats and hints of 60s influences presents a sound that largely doesn't feel like it has aged too much at all.

The album and band helped link rockers to ravers and probably influenced some of the 'Cool Britannia set with its interesting mix of sounds a production ideas.

Day 0667 - The La's

The La's "The La's" (1990)

 
There must be something about Liverpool.  This is a strong and competent pop album that reflects the passion for 1960s retro prevalent in the 90s.... actually, technically most of these songs were written in the 80s. 

The band had been trying to record the album for 3-4 years with 3-4 different producers and were never quite happy with any of these attempts.  The record company finally pushed for it to be released and the band (or at least songwriter Lee Mavers) was dissatisfied with the results, and didn't mind telling people.

Not sure what Mayers' problem was; it's great collection of concise pop songs.  The main frame of reference is early-to-mid-era Beatles played through a 1990s filter.  The most instantly recognisable song is "There she goes", and surely there can't be too many people in the western world who haven't heard it, due to its radio play and extensive use in film and tv.  The rest of the album is hardly filler though, with memorable upbeat pop tracks, the vaguely musichall "Freedom song" and the glorious "Looking glass" that starts off simple but builds to noisy-yet-melodic crescendo.  

Day 0660 - 3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul "3 Feet High and Rising" (1989)

 
For a time De La Soul were labelled as rap's hippies.  This album is a startlingly more colourful, sunshiney and less aggressive release than those from other prominent hiphop artists at the time such as Public Enemy and NWA.

One critic called them the new-wave to Public Enemy's punk, and I guess it's as good a comparison as any.   A sample-heavy record, the group had borrowed from artists as diverse as Johnny Cash, Hall & Oates, and the Turtles.   The latter of these would lead to the former members of the Turtles suing the band for samples of their music featured in the track "Transmitting from Mars".  That lawsuit took a lot of air out of the sampling movement, with artists coming to fear the exorbitant legal costs that could result.

I don't usually take much interest in lyrics, but as one of the songs features the name of my wife I decided to read the lyrics.  This is some top shelf wordplay: interesting, narrative and creative usage.

Day 0619 - Bummed

Happy Mondays "Bummed" (1988)

Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it, but bummed didn't do anything for me.  It didn't bum me out or anything, but it just passed by in a bit of a mess of sound.  I probably like the album cover more than I like the music inside it.

Apparently the band were taking a shit-ton of ecstasy during the recording process.  Producer Martin Hannett draped the resultant recordings in reverb and echo aiding to the 'audio soup' feel of it all.

Day 0597 - Locust Abortion Technician

Butthole Surfers "Locust Abortion Technician"

Music-wise I used to think of the 80s as all glam and synthesisers.  I was also very aware of the thrash metal thing (having been a fan of Metallica and Slayer), but I mostly forgot, or didn't know about some of the interesting boundary pushing bands that were active then.  I mean, I was aware of Butthole Surfers and Sonic Youth, but I'd associated them more with the 90s.

This is the Surfers' third album, and the first with bassist Jeff Pinkus (who has also played on Melvins albums, including the appropriately titled "Pinkus Abortion Technician").  The album also marks the first appearance of singer Gibby Haynes' "Gibbytronix" device which he used to manipulate and distort his voice to create a number of weird and wonderful sounds.

There is the straight-ahead punk of "Human Canonball" and the world music-meets-puerile-humour "Kuntz", but other than that, the album is generally a some of the noisiest, most deconstructed rock you're likely to hear anytime soon.  The album closes with a chorus of mooing cows on "22 going on 23".

Day 0578 - Graceland

Paul Simon "Graceland" (1986)

Described by the book as Paul Simon's midlife crisis - which seems somehow appropriate as, when I was growing up it was that album that everyone's middle-aged parents seemed to own.  My own parents had the concert on VHS.

PS had briefly reunited with Art Garfunkel, only for it to end acrimoniously.  His marriage had likewise ended, and his previous solo album had flopped.  A depressed PS found himself listening to bootleg recordings of South African township music.  Inspired by the sounds, he and his producer visited South Africa to record with musicians there, this despite a cultural boycott against South Africa due to the existence of Apartheid

PS stated that on previous albums he'd written the songs then brought them into the studio to teach them to his band, but for this album he tried to work the other way: jam out ideas with his musicians and then write a song around them.  The public were ready to slate the album for its perceived breach of the cultural boycott, but instead it became one of the biggest releases of the year and certainly of Paul Simon's career.

I enjoyed this a lot... it is possible that I am middle-aged now.

Day 0572 - The Colour of Spring

Talk Talk "The Colour of the Spring"

 
Talk Talk, one of the earlier bands to employ the new sound of synthesizers is here, one of the first bands to abandon them.  The synths are ousted for pianos, organs and interesting guitar textures, and the results are brilliant!

There is some competent pop-rock in the shape of "Life's What You Make it" and "Happiness is Easy" which has a moody trumpet solo and a child choir to lift it above standard fare.  There are some moodier tracks like "Chameleon Day", where Mark Hollis' haunting tenor backed with a semi-classical backdrop of piano and keyboards almost predicts the moodier moments of A Perfect Circle.

Day 0540 - Cafe Bleu

The Style Council "Cafe Bleu" (1984)

Style Council is another band that I knew by name, but didn't really know much of anything about their music.  In my mind, I think I'd frequently confuse them with Culture Club (who can keep all these clubs and councils separate?).

The Style Council though are a completely different ticket.  With a fairly diverse sound that dips into pop and soul, but mostly hangs around the jazz scene.  Whether it's the almost stride sound of "Mick's blessings", the latin jazz of "the Whole Point of no Return" or the beautiful guest spot from Everything But the Girl's Tracey Thorn on "The Paris Match".

There are some nice instrumentals on the album along with the great songs.  The only real misstep is the attempt at rap in "a gospel", and even that could've been worse than it is.