Day 0938 - A Rush of Blood to the Head

Coldplay "A Rush of Blood to the Head" (2002) - got it

It would have been easy enough for Coldplay to do "Parachutes MKII", to bust out sound-alikes of "Yellow" and "Trouble" but they did seem to be resisting that and trying to push their sound to other places.   From the thumping relentless rhythm of "Politik" to the on-edge "God Put a Smile on Your Face", to the almost Echo and the Bunnymen vibe of "A Whisper".   

Even a big hit like "In My Place" seemed to be moving towards a new more stadium-friendly vibe which, though the band would lean on more as they went on, was a bit of a change from their debut.   

The band had been feeling an urgency after the huge success of Parachutes, both to follow the album and to not just repeat what they'd done.  The recording process stopped and started as they went through stages of self-doubt and not being happy with the songs.  I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd be happy enough for them to have pulled the plug then, but I'm happy they got this one out.   I've kind of lost track of them for the last four or so albums, but I definitely enjoyed the first couple and their fourth album "Viva la Vida, or Death and all His Friends"

 

Another one that I own thanks to my wife.

Day 0924 - Vespertine

Björk “Vespertine” (2001)

By this stage, Björk is pretty much just her own genre.   She was working on the film “Dancer in the Dark” with director Lars von Trier.  She both starred in the film and wrote the soundtrack.   The experience of working with von Trier was not an enjoyable one for Björk, and she poured this negative energy and the excitement of her new romantic relationship into her writing for 'Vespertine'.   

Björk moved from the musical eclecticism of her first couple of releases and the big beats of her third album to a more fragile, ambient textures.  She collaborated with electronic artists, recorded her own beats using things around the house, and started getting into laptop production software.

The subtle but interesting beats underpin wide open musical spaces that can be populated with anything from a music box, to strings, to radio static to a full choir.  The album feels a lot more intimate than some of Björk's previous work.  She stated for some of the music that it was like she was building a cocoon around herself.

She seems to opt more for intimate quiet vocals too, though her raw belting vocal is brought out for the "You make me want to hurt myself" refrain of single "Pagan Poetry".

Björk's next album "Medulla" would take the DIY/found sounds approach a step further, being built entirely from vocal performances.

Day 0917 - Felt Mountain

Goldfrapp "Felt Mountain" (2000)

This one was a bit of a surprise.   I'd thought of Goldfrapp as being more electro-pop (actually I'm pretty sure their later work is), and Alison Goldfrapp had done some work with Orbital, and on Tricky's trip-hop magnum opus "Maxinquaye", but this definitely doesn't sound like electronica.

Alison was introduced to Will Gregory and the two hit it off and started collaborating, deciding to form a band under Goldfrapp's distinctive surname.

As above, the album does not really sound electronic, it's more of a theatrical record with lush strings and a definite cinematic feel.   The opening track "Lovely Head" is interesting, sound effects and a lonesome whistle backed with strings the combination of which just screams Ennio Morricone, then it gives way to what sounds like a John Barry James Bond orchestration.   The title track has a definite Bond/Barry vibe to it too, this impression is heightened by Golfrapp's (the person) occasionally Shirley Bassey-esque tone such as on track "Human".   Her voice moves from hushed whispers to low croons to big belting notes.

I definitely dug this one and should probably seek out a bit more Goldfrapp (hopefully there'll be some more on the list).

Day 0908 - Parachutes

Coldplay “Parachutes” (2000)

Though the name Coldplay has gone on to be used as a shorthand by some music fans for ‘bland’ and ‘MOR’, I do quite enjoy their first album.    It’s a concise slice of melodic rock and balladry without too many airs and graces.

Reading up on the band’s progression to their first album it does sound as though they were fairly single-minded and ambitious, pressing demos and playing showcases to get the attention of labels from pretty early on.  It also sounds like the labels responded in kind, grooming the band and having someone advise them on their musical direction (which I find a tad distasteful... sort your own shit).

The musical direction they chose is frequently dismissed as being ‘Radiohead-lite’ but again I feel like this is an unfair assessment.   A higher-pitched voice over alt-rock built on acoustic guitar and an electric guitar with some effects doesn’t necessarily = Radiohead.    As a side-note I would say the same for Muse who get tarred with the same brush, yet to my mind their sound owes a much larger debt to Queen than Radiohead.

With Coldplay, the write-up in the book suggests that Jeff Buckley could well have been an influence, and I could certainly agree with that on a song like “Shiver” (one of my personal favourites) which builds to ascending guitar parts and desperate yet somehow unrestrained vocals.

There’s a pleasing amount of variety with the piano ballad “Trouble”, the gentle acoustic interlude of the title track, the pulsing-along pop of “Don’t Panic” and of course the gentle acoustic ballad-turned-wall-of-guitar-squall that is the is the single “Yellow” (never really one of my favourites).

All in all, a fine if possibly cynically calculated pop album.  The follow-up “Rush of Blood to the Head” was likewise still reasonably worthy.

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 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 0728 - The Predator

Ice Cube "The Predator" (1992)

Put "Are we there yet?" out of your mind, because this is the real Ice Cube.  Angry, confident, justifiably enraged.   Predator was released following the acquittal of police responsible for the on-camera beating of Rodney King, and the album certainly takes a look at racism and the police.

The production is bassy, beaty and interesting, with a number of collaborators (including Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs) involved.   A number of dialogue samples are mixed in, joining it all together and giving it a feeling like a whole 'album' as opposed to just a collection of songs.   All in all, another interesting early 90s rap album

Fun fact: this album is believed to be the origin of the phrase "it's on like donkey-kong".

Day 0721 - Lazer Guided Melodies

Spiritualized "Lazer Guided Melodies" (1992)

Following the disbanding of Spacemen 3, the bulk of the members of that group formed Spiritualized.   Due to the number of members carrying over from Spacemen 3, the new band were still bound by the former's record contract.

Spiritualized did away with much of the noisier rock elements of Spacemen 3, opting instead for a mix of electronic drone-grooves tracks and... almost "digital-shoegazer" songs.  Built from layers of sound over the core grooves.

It's a fairly atmospheric, dreamy record.  

Day 0665 - En-tact

The Shamen "En-tact" (1990)

The Shamen started life as "Alone Again, Or" (named after the song by Love) recording psychedelic music.  They started to gravitate more towards the acid house movement as the dance scene rose in prominence.

This is the first Shamen album to feature vocalist/keyboardist Mr C and it picked out a clear path of danceable, but listenable electronica.  Founding member Will Synott died shortly after the release of the album, but his family encouraged the group to carry on making music after his death.

Day 0616 - Vivid

Living Colour "Vivid" (1988) - got it

One of the first black metal bands (as opposed to black-metal), Living Colour was started by guitar maestro Vernon Reid, and originally billed as 'Vernon Reid's Living Colour'.   Vernon was originally from the UK, which I guess explains the English spelling of colour. 

The band sought to break down the idea of rock/metal being for whites and rap/RnB being for blacks.  Reid assembled a highly talented band, including bassist Muzz Skillings, drummer Will Calhoun and vocalist Corey Glover to produce this mash-up of rock, metal, funk, rap and occasional balladry.  A strong sense of melody is evident throughout in even the heavier songs.
 
Brilliant album that I haven't listened to nearly enough lately.  So again I have to thank this 1001 albums thing for (a) introducing me to new and interesting music, and (b) leading me to revisit and rediscover albums that I was already familiar with.

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 0539 - Let it Be (no, not that one)

The Replacements "Let it Be" (1984)

 
This is another one that sounds good on the tin: "punk band that added in elements of melody and helped define the college rock sound".  I can certainly hear the sound of what had just come before (the  leftover classic punk sounds), and the more contemporary sounds (hints of hardcore and the raw stripped-down emotional rock of some of the post-punk set). 

All in all I liked it okay, but it don't feel a need to rush back to check it out again.  It falls into the "if someone puts it on at a party/bar I'll listen to it happily enough" category

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 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 0443 - Armed Forces

Elvis Costello "Armed Forces" (1979) - got it

I keep expecting to find that the next Elvis Costello album I listen to will be rubbish. He's one of those artists who has been around so long that you'd assume he'd have a few duds in him, but nope, this is another good'un.

Here Costello's keyboardist Steve Nieve was beginning to exert more control and the result is a very poppy, catchy, keyboard-heavy album. Bubbly pop rock with hints of new-wave and just the lightest ska-flavour. Possibly my favourite from Elvis and his band so far.

I picked up a copy sometime after listening to it for the list.