Day 0797 - the Bends

Radiohead "The Bends" (1995) - got it

The heady days, before many Radiohead fans became insufferable snobs who crapped over the bands they perceived Radiohead to have influenced.  When Radiohead themselves were just "that band who sang Creep" with everyone waiting to see if they could follow up their 'hit'.

While the bleeps and bloops of "Kid A" are often pointed out as the big change in direction for Radiohead, arguably their first few albums all displayed fairly major stylistic shifts.   "The Bends" saw the band move away from their straight-ahead alt-rock to a more densely nuanced, melodically sophisticated sound, but still with more of a rock-guitar sound than follow-up "OK Computer" would have.

The band worked more collaboratively on songrwiting and arranging, instead of creating a wall of guitars, they played with arrangements that put together different parts for each of the three guitarists that worked together.  In some places the sound was still dense, like on single "Just" a bit of a favourite of mine, and something of a good middle point between their rock sound and their intelligent melodic directions.  Elsewhere, they stripped things back on songs like the acoustic, atmospheric "Bullet Proof... I wish I was" and album-closer "Street Spirit (Fade Out)".... damn, actually Radiohead always have the best album-closer tracks.

Most of the tracks start small and build their arrangements, as can be heard in songs like "Fake Plastic Trees", "My Iron Lung" and "Nice Dream".   

An argument could be made for this being the album where Radiohead really found their sound, with that more melodically sophisticated vein being mined; but you could also argue that Radiohead are another of those good bands who never quite fix on their sound and are constantly trying to forge new ground.

Day 0796 - I Should Coco

 Supergrass "I Should Coco" (1995)

The band, originally called Theodore Supergrass was formed by singer/guitarist Gaz Coombes and bassist Mickey Quinn.   They recorded "I Should Coco" at Sawmills recording studio, an old mill in Cornwall.

The band were young (late teens/early 20s) and ready to have fun.   They were trying different things with the upbeat and fun "Alright" or the rocking-yet-melodic opener "I'd like to know" which itself was created by playing their song "the Strange Ones" backwards on cassette and writing a new song around that sound.

The album is bursting with youthful energy and little cheekiness and actually led to Steven Spielberg approaching the band about making a Monkees-style tv show; they declined.

I prefer their second album "In it for the Money" but this a fun and varied record.

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 0794 - Me Against the World

 Tupac "Me Against the World" (1995)

Tupac started off rapping with Digital Underground.  As he developed his sound, he moved away from their sound and more towards Dr Dre's developing 'G-funk' sound.

Despite having been recorded at multiple different studios and with different producers, the album has a certain cohesion.   Tupac covers a number of different sounds, including the ballad "Dear Mama" and the heavy reality of "So Many Tears".   That seems to be something that is repeatedly noted about this album, that Shakur was wearing his heart on his sleeve a bit more with these songs.  Digging deep and honest with his lyrics.

He definitely had plenty of drama to draw from, he'd shot at cops, been accused of sexual assualt and was even in prison as the album went to number one.

The album opens with an oddly prescient series of newsreaders talking about Tupac having been shot and checked himself out of hospital.  Ultimately Tupac was murdered in his mid-20s, a victim of 'the game' that he rapped about so much here.   

Day 0793 - Exit Planet Dust

 Chemical Brothers "Exit Planet Dust" (1995)

The album title is likely a nod to the fact that the Chemical Brothers used to be called the Dust Brothers... until they were sued by the Beastie Boys' producers of the same name.   The duo were forced to change their name to the Chemical Brothers, which somehow feels like it suits them better anyway.  Another hangover from this previous moniker is the second track title "In Dust we Trust".

The Chemical Brothers' formula (see what I did there) is already pretty well established here, with its synthesizer loops, occasionally vaguely psychedelic soundscapes, and big beefy beats.

The duo were acknowledged in liner notes for albums from Fatboy Slim and Daft Punk following the release of their debut, showing the spread of their influence.  The big beat style also sounds very similar to that adopted by the Propellerheads, who are a bit of a favourite of mine.

Day 0792 - Scream, Dracula, Scream!

 Rocket From the Crypt "Scream, Dracula, Scream!" (1995) - got it

 
RFtC to me are like Elvis Costello's older, cooler-yet-dumber brother.   Like Costello they have that mix of punk rawness with 1950s melody and vibes of greaser rock-n-roll.

As per day 772, John Reis had formed this band as well as the band Drive Like Jehu.  RFtC had started off as a kind of mix of rock, punk and kind of a rockabilly style.  By the time they released "Scream Dracula Scream" they had added a horn section which really fleshed out their sound and gave it a bit of a fun vibe.    

Right from opener "Middle" there seems to be a party in every other groove.   Even the more melodic songs like "Used" or "Misbeaten" are punctuated by Reis' bleeding-throat howl.  

The band had originally planned for the gaps in between the songs to be filled with instrumental passages including strings, woodwind and other instruments not typically found on rock records.   The idea being to make one cohesive chunk of music.  The record company balked at the idea and instructed them to remove the instrumental passages and leave it as a more traditional collection of songs.

I came to the band through the puppy and sideburn-heavy video for single "On a Rope"... honestly, those sideburns.

Day 0791 - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" (1995) - got it

 

This is another of those albums that I did not really need to listen to for the list (but did anyway) because it is imprinted firmly on my brain.    This was one of the first albums that was 'mine' as opposed to listening to my parents' or siblings' music.   I used to sit and listen to this album (all 2+ hours/28 tracks of it) at LEAST once a day.  Not doing anything else (except maybe making up music videos in my mind) just listening to the music.  Some days I wish I had the luxury of and concentration for doing that now.

It had been decided before the songs had even been written that the Mellon Collie would be a double-album.   Corgan stated they'd almost had enough songs to make the previous album "Siamese Dream" a double album too, which probably explains the full-length b-sides album "Pisces Iscariot" that was released between the two studio albums.

What could easily have been a giant overindulgent mess ends up being quite a cohesive musical journey (remembering that this is wound so deep into my synapses that I can't be entirely unbiased towards it).

While the vibe is largely angst, loneliness and nihilism, there is also joy and fear and love and the whole spectrum of human emotion.  The music has range too, with a delicate piano opening track seguing into "Tonight Tonight" with its interesting mix of prominent strings with a melodic alt-pop track (also the first Pumpkins song that I ever heard).   I won't got track by  track through the album, but suffice to say it has punishing riffs (Tales of a Scorched Earth, Bodies), subtle melodic tracks (Galapagos, Stumbleine), ventures into prog (Porcelina of the Vast Ocean), dabbles with electronic elements (1979, Beautiful) and a dozen other genres.   The whole thing is divided into two disks "Dawn to Dusk" and "Twilight to Starlight" and the final track "Farewell and Goodnight" features all four band members taking turns on the vocals to wish the viewer sweet dreams, again letting you feel like you've taken a musical journey. 

I think an important part of the success of this album is that Billy and the band were just creatively on fire at this point (or maybe it's just that this is when their songwriting most aligned with my own personal tastes).   All 28 songs from the album are enjoyable, most of the 25-30 B-sides associated with the album are really good, even the unreleased demos I've heard from this period are mostly decent.   Nowadays I'm lucky if a new Pumpkins song sticks with me past the first listen.