Day 0941 - The Last Broadcast

Doves "The Last Broadcast" (2002)

This one didn't really hit me on the first listen in the way their first album "Lost Souls" did.   It all just seemed a little less memorable.   It wasn't until I hit the track "N.Y." that it clicked for me.  The song has a nice groove overlaid with harmonised vocals that gets overrun with noise building to a crescendo and then bringing it back down to earth afterwards.   

 

The album really opened up for me after that.   The title track has a nice folk-rock feel to it, almost a bit like Fleet Foxes, but with a few spacey touches.   The last few tracks were solid too so I went back to the start and re-listened to the whole album which I now felt much more in tune with.

Similar kind of vibe to their previous album as far looped musical ideas with some nice vocals and vocal arrangements over the top.

Day 0895 - I See a Darkness" (1999)

Bonnie Prince Billy "I See a Darkness" (1999)

Will Oldham had been making music for a while under different aliases.  As well as his own name, he’d recorded with groups named Palace Brothers and Palace Music.  Oldham explained the reason for these changing names was that he was making different music with each ensemble/project so wanted to signpost this with the name changes.

This is the first album released under the Bonnie “Prince” Billy nom de plume, and he seems to have stuck with it since then.

The sound here is a kind of delicate, gloomy folk.   It's really subdued, stripped down, acoustic and brilliant with occasional rocking outbursts.  "Nomadic Revery" kind of reminds me of Nirvana unplugged covering the Meat Puppets.  Tracks elsewhere could be favourably compared to Nick Cave's "The Boatman's Call" album.

The album was well received critically and other artists looked to cover the songs, most notably Johnny Cash covering the title track on one of his "American Recordings" albums.

Day 0837 - Blur

Blur “Blur” (1997) – got it

Blur’s self-titled album was a dramatic sea change for the band.  After three albums of perky, clean, cheeky Britpop, containing plenty of piano and occasional brass bands; they suddenly emerged with this murky, often downbeat, sparser, lo-fi rock album.

The band’s previous album “the Great Escape” had been relatively successful commercially and critically (and it’s the first one really got me into them).  But, with the highly publicised ‘battle of Britpop’ between Blur and Oasis and the success of the latter’s “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory” album Blur faced backlash, being seen as inauthentic middle-class pop, next to ‘working class heroes’ Oasis.

Guitarist Graham Coxon was also feeling increasingly creatively restrained within the band, to the extent that he wrote a letter to singer Damon Albarn urging that they make music that “scares people again”.   Albarn talked to producer Stephen Street about going for a more stripped down sound and the band took a more collaborative approach, jamming together instead of just working on Albarn's compositions.

Right from the off it's a different sound.  Opening track "Beetlebum" starts with muted, struck guitar strings giving way into an almost monotone fuzzy guitar line with Albarn's slow drawl creeping in over top; the overall effect owing more to American indie rock than to the British music hall.   The second track, the imaginatively titled "Song 2" was something they'd thrown together with Coxon and drummer Dave Rowntree playing drum kits at opposite ends of studio from each other and Albarn riffing lyrics over the top.  The short rocker ended up becoming a hit for the band.

Most of the rest of the record continues with its scungey alt-rock vibe on tracks like "Death of a party", "Movin' on", the Coxon penned and sung "You're so great" and epic closer "Essex Dogs".    Elsewhere, tracks like "MOR" and "Chinese Bombs" bring a rocking velocity to contrast the more lethargic numbers.   "On your own" flirts with electronic beats, and mixes that with guitar noises and singalong choruses.

The album doesn't completely depart from previous offerings.  As with the previous three albums there is an instrumental track, but instead of being a jaunty brass or piano piece, it's the moody "Theme from Retro", all organs and indistinct vocal samples.   The song that bears the most resemblance to their previous Britpop work (bouncy rhythm and string backing) is, funnily enough, the track titled "Look Inside America".

It's funny in a way: Oasis spent so much time trying to be the Beatles by copying that band's various sounds, whereas Blur ended up being more like the Beatles through their constant reinvention and deconstruction of their own sound.

Day 0795 - Elastica

 Elastica "Elastica" (1995)

Wasn't sure if I'd heard any Elastica songs, but was definitely familiar with their name.  On listening I knew right away that I recognised   "Connection", and "Line up" isn't totally unfamiliar.

Ex-Suede members Justine Frischmann and Justin Welch formed Elastica and cut their own path.   Elastica have a harder rocking sound than Suede... in fact they sound almost like their former band mixed with the abrasive attitude-laden rock of Hole.   There are touches of post-punk to the first track "Line up".   "Smile" is almost punk, but with some luscious vocal harmonies on top.

A groovy, hard, angular record that I could totally see being something that influenced a future British band the Long Blondes, of whom I'm a fan.   Good too-cool-by-far Britpop.

Day 0747 - Tuesday Night Music Club

Sheryl Crow "Tuesday Night Music Club" (1993)

Sheryl Crow is another of those who seems to have been a lifelong lover of music.  Her parents both played musical instruments, she studied composition and then made a living mixing teaching work, singing with bands at night, and recording advertising jingles.  Crow also toured with Michael Jackson in the 80s and provided backing vocals on his "Bad" tour.   After that she started singing backing for other artists and laid down a few songs of her own for film and TV.

Crow tried to record an album with Police and Split Enz producer Hugh Padgham, but neither she or the record company were happy with the result and it was shelved.

Crow started a relationship with musician Kevin Gilbert and the two of them were involved with a loose group of musicians and songwriters that called themselves the Tuesday Night Music Group.  The group worked extensively on this album and Crow and her record company were much happy with this mix of country, blues, balladry, and even pop (in the shape of the almost out-of-place hit single "All I wanna do").  

Great collection of songs.  I recognised "Strong Enough" though I think that was through a cover.  Pretty sure I've heard "the na-na song" too.

Day 0640 - Like a Prayer

Madonna "Like a Prayer" (1989)

Madonna moved away from her dancey pop music into a more artistically daring form of pop, one that led critics to label it "as close to art as pop gets"

An album born from turmoil, Madonna was dealing with the Catholic guilt bred into her through her upbringing, coming close to the age her mother had been when she died, and having her tumultuous marriage to Sean Penn come to an end.

Madonna funnelled all of this into her work, with an album steeped in sex and God.  As such, it wasn't exactly welcomed by the church.  The Vatican condemned one of her music videos and Pepsi pulled out of promotional deal with her (apparently controversial religious overtones are not welcome, but shallow Kardashian trivialisation of important social movements is fine). 

She had been working to develop a musical with Prince, that didn't end up eventuating, but the collaboration did result in him dueting with her on the song "Love Song" and contributed some guitar and production elsewhere on the album.

The album cemented Madonna's place as pop royalty and seemed to be her working out some residual catholic guilt, opening her up to more confronting projects such as her album "Erotica" and her book "Sex".

Day 0634 - Nothing's Shocking

Jane's Addiction "Nothing's Shocking" (1988) - got it

Jane's have been compared to Led Zeppelin in the past, and I can kind of see it.  Unlike bands like Wolfmother or Greta Van Fleet who emulate Zeppelin like they're a covers band, Jane's channelled the same energy into an original sound.   Four members each with masterful control over their instrument.  Pounding drums, wailing high vocals, twiddly bass-lines and guitar that melds folky-acoustic, psychedelia, stadium rock and virtuoso soloing.

The songs have an energy and danger to them, dripping with sexuality and cynicism.  This is one of those albums that laid a lot of groundwork for the 90s alt-rock movement.  In fact it was bands like Jane's with their mix of stadium rock, psychedelic pop, funk, atmospheric rock etc. that led to the 'alt-rock' label to be coined... which must have frustrated them, as the whole point for them was trying to make music that avoided labels.

Jane's have always been a bit of a fraught outfit.  During the recording of this outfit, singer Perry Farrell suddenly demanded 50% of the royalties for writing the lyrics and a percentage for writing the music.   Eventually he got his way and the rest of the band walked away with 12.5% each.  Inner conflicts eventually led to the band breaking up, with intermittent reunions in the years to follow (almost always sans original bassist Eric Avery).

Day 0627 - Tank Battles

Dagmar Krause "Tank Battles" (1988)

Another really interesting find.   It's almost like a demented take on Broadway or Cabaret, which is maybe not surprising given that it featuring arrangement contributions from Greg Cohen.  Cohen had just recently worked on Tom Waits' "Frank's Wild Years" album, which mined similar musical territory.

Krause had started off in singing in clubs in the German Reeperbahn district, and had sung in a number of bands as well as working as a solo artist.   She had become interested in the music of composer Hans Eisler, whose songs focussing on the downtrodden and underground in early-mid 20th century Germany had led his works to be banned by the Nazis and forced Eisler himself into exile.

The album bursts with life, cynicism and humour.  Krause's deep Teutonic voice fits the music to a tee.  Songs like "The song of the whitewash" sound like some weird mix of Marlene Dietrich, Dresden Dolls and the more theatrical parts of Pink Floyd's "The Wall"

Day 0626 - Bug

Dinosaur Jr "Bug" (1988)

Another album of Dinosaur Jr's noisy alt-rock that I didn't really warm to.   Apparently even lead singer/guitarist Jay Mascis isn't the biggest fan of this one.

This album is another mix of noisy guitar accompanying occasionally melodic vocal.  The book makes comparisons to Neil Young, and I guess if you were being particularly imaginative you could go along with that.

It was the last album with the original line-up.   Mascis fired bassist/singer/songwriter Lou Barlow after this album and brought the band fully under his control.   Barlow went on to form the band Sebadoh where he could get his creative ideas out.

Day 0618 - Green

R.E.M. "Green" (1988) - got it

The band's first major label release after parting company with I.R.S. Records.   According to interviews, the band felt that I.R.S. was putting pressure on them to sell well, while not really putting a lot of marketing or wide distribution efforts behind them.  Following the move to a major label (who guaranteed them creative freedom), the band became defensive in interviews in response to accusations of 'selling out'.

When left to their own devices, the band threw themselves more into major-key pop-rock tunes, but at the same time, Peter Buck starts spraying mandolin all over the place, laying down that sort of 'alt-folk' sound that would become prevalent on a few of their 90s releases.  The band experimented with trying to write "un-REM-ish" songs and switching instruments to change things up a bit.

There are touches of country, and the odd moodier track.  "I remember California" sounds like some effective middle-ground between gothy post-punk and grunge.

Day 0612 - I'm Your Man

Leonard Cohen "I'm Your Man" (1988) - got it

Cohen moves away from live/organic instruments in favour of synths and drum machines.  A lot of people, even now, praise it as a giant leap forward, but personally it doesn't 'do it' for me.  Don't get me wrong, the songs on "I'm Your Man" are among Leonard's best, but having heard live versions of some of them using live band instrumentation, I just feel like the songs would have been better served that way.

That gripe aside, the album does have an interesting sound.  Leonard picked it as one where he was happiest with his vocals, which is odd as he seems to sing with much less melodic range here (though his voice does sound smooth).  The lyrics here are brilliant as usual, with the title track being a personal favourite of mine.

Day 0524 - Hearts and Bones

Paul Simon "Hearts and Bones" (1983)

Following a decline in his popularity as a solo artist, Simon reunited with Garfunkel for some successful shows.  The two of them started working on a new S&G album, but all the old arguments flared up and they broke up again.  Paul chucked Art's songs and worked some of his into a new solo album.

At the time of its release, this album didn't fare much better commercially than his recent releases, though it seems to have been reassessed with hindsight.  To me it shows hints of his next (much more successful) solo album Graceland, in that it has a good bit of groove to it and the quite '80s' sounding production.  In places, the synth laden grooves even sound a bit like that good 70s era Stevie Wonder.

It's a bit of a mixed bag, and I'd argue that the more straight-ahead mellow tracks are still his strength, such as the sombre "the late great Johnny Ace", his tribute to John Lennon.  That being said, the peppy "Cars are cars" is a fun little song, regardless of its slightly so-so lyrics.

Day 0421 - Here, My Dear

Marvin Gaye "Here, My Dear" (1978) - got it

Possibly one of the more whiny and passive-aggressive break-up albums of all time.

Marvin had divorced his wife, Anna Gordy (the sister of Motown owner Berry Gordy... in hindsight, not the smartest career move) having met and fallen for another woman.  After failing to pay his alimony, Marvin was taken to court and reluctantly agreed to pay Anna the advance and half of the earnings for his next album.

Instead of just making any old record and getting it out of the way, Marvin set about airing their dirty laundry (with the narrative slanted firmly in his favour). Lamenting his situation, railing against Anna for dragging him through court and tarnishing his image with the press, and then eventually gushing about his new love and how much happier he was.

The album was not loved by critics, fans... or Anna. It is a lengthy ride, but Marvin's mix of funk, soul, jazz, doowop and some more modern (at the time) production, would create a sound picked up on by artists like Michael Jackson, Jamiroquai, Justin Timberlake and other purveyors of funky RnB.

Day 0281 - Let's Get it On

Marvin Gaye "Let's Get it on" (1973) - got it

Marvin follows up his hugely successful, deeply political "What's Goin' On" with his deeply sexual "Let's Get it On".

Though the politics had gone, this is still not a totally laid-back affair, with Marvin at times desperate and pleading in his desire.  This albums has elements of the 'song suite' approach that Marvin had used on his previous album and would use again on 'Here My Dear'; but unlike the previous release, he doesn't reuse the same musical ideas/themes quite as much, there's a bit more variety, with the Get it On theme only reappearing later in the album.

I read a semi-autobiography on Gaye a while back, and apparently the woman who would go on to be his next wife walked into the studio just before he recorded the title track.  One of his musicians said that with her in the room, his vocals went from 80% to 100%!  That genuine lust and need (along with some loose, burning seductive grooves and slinky bass-lines) make this a benchmark bedroom album.

Day 0003 - Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers "Tragic Songs of Life" (1956)

In case I haven't mentioned before; I love a good vocal harmony, and this album is full of them.  It's a selection of gospel, country ballads with the brothers' two voices intertwining seamlessly.

"In the pines" I recognised the melody as having been performed by Lead Belly and then covered by Nirvana as "where did you sleep last night?"

 Apparently the record was later re-released with the above cover, in an attempt to make it seem that the brothers' songs were somewhat tongue in cheek, but it's hard to buy that, given that Ira Louvin was a womanising alcoholic who was shot by his 3rd wife and eventually killed in a drink-driving accident by one of his later wives... the guy was basically a walking country and western song himself!