I should start this post with a disclaimer: this list excludes live tracks, Jazz, and any other ambient/vocal-less piece. I could dedicate a much more in depth post covering Jazz, but I'll leave that honor to Mike. Enjoy.
Running Time: 13:38
"Welcome to the Pleasuredome" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Running Time: 11:11
"A Sailor's Life" by Fairport Convention
Running Time: 10:47
"Marquee Moon" by Television
Running Time: 10:21
"Sinnerman" by Nina Simone
Running Time: 10:11
"Station to Station" by David Bowie
Unfortunately, I was an unable to find a suitable version of any of these songs on youtube (never mind that most missed the running time by a substantial margin), so if you want to sample any of these tunes you'll have to either use your own resources, befriend me, or send me a money order for $7.12. Yeah, or you could just ask nicely.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Songs that send you looking for a dictionary
OK, so it's been a couple weeks. Let's get back on track.
I came up with this one while driving back from New Orleans.
"The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
Lyric: "Can't stop to turn around, broke my sacroiliac"
Definition: The joint between the sacrum, at the base of the spine, and the ilium of the pelvis.
Comment: All I have to say is that's gotta hurt.
"Nemesis" by Shreikback
Lyric: "Big black nemesis, parthenogenesis"
Definition: An asexual form of reproduction found in females where growth and development of embryos or seeds occurs without fertilization by males.
Comment: I have no clue why Shreikback used this word in the song other than the fact that it's a really long word
"Girl You Have No Faith in Medicine" by The White Stripes
Lyric: "Acetaminophen, You see the medicine"
Definition: A widely-used analgesic (pain reliever) and antipyretic (fever reducer)
Comment: I'm sure every one of us has used Tylenol at some point in his or her life. Who would have thought that the official name for the drug would be used as a song lyric?
"Them and Us" by Bad Religion
Lyric: "He struggled to find a distinctive moiety"
Definition: A half; an indefinite portion, part, or share
Comment: It's not the most obscure word on this list, but Bad Religion uses so many obscure words that I almost called this post "The Bad Religion Awards". "Them and Us" is one of the best examples of this. Here's the entire chorus:
"Them and us; Lobbying determined through a mire of disbelievers. Them and us; dire perpetuation and incongruous insistence that there really is a difference between them and us"
"The Joker" by The Steve Miller Band
Lyric: "Some people call me Maurice; 'cause I speak of the pompatus of love."
Definition: ???
Comment: Apparently a mishearing of The Medallion's "The Letter" which sang "discuss the puppetutes of love". So what's a puppetute? You go look that one up. I'm tired.
Up next from me: The five rules of music I mentioned in an earlier post.
I came up with this one while driving back from New Orleans.
"The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
Lyric: "Can't stop to turn around, broke my sacroiliac"
Definition: The joint between the sacrum, at the base of the spine, and the ilium of the pelvis.
Comment: All I have to say is that's gotta hurt.
"Nemesis" by Shreikback
Lyric: "Big black nemesis, parthenogenesis"
Definition: An asexual form of reproduction found in females where growth and development of embryos or seeds occurs without fertilization by males.
Comment: I have no clue why Shreikback used this word in the song other than the fact that it's a really long word
"Girl You Have No Faith in Medicine" by The White Stripes
Lyric: "Acetaminophen, You see the medicine"
Definition: A widely-used analgesic (pain reliever) and antipyretic (fever reducer)
Comment: I'm sure every one of us has used Tylenol at some point in his or her life. Who would have thought that the official name for the drug would be used as a song lyric?
"Them and Us" by Bad Religion
Lyric: "He struggled to find a distinctive moiety"
Definition: A half; an indefinite portion, part, or share
Comment: It's not the most obscure word on this list, but Bad Religion uses so many obscure words that I almost called this post "The Bad Religion Awards". "Them and Us" is one of the best examples of this. Here's the entire chorus:
"Them and us; Lobbying determined through a mire of disbelievers. Them and us; dire perpetuation and incongruous insistence that there really is a difference between them and us"
"The Joker" by The Steve Miller Band
Lyric: "Some people call me Maurice; 'cause I speak of the pompatus of love."
Definition: ???
Comment: Apparently a mishearing of The Medallion's "The Letter" which sang "discuss the puppetutes of love". So what's a puppetute? You go look that one up. I'm tired.
Up next from me: The five rules of music I mentioned in an earlier post.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Top Five Return-to-Form Albums
This list goes beyond, "hey they sucked for a a while, but now they've got a new album that's pretty good". No, this list attempts to find artists who were truly great when they began. Truly great. But then, for some reason or another, they lost it. Some lost their mojo, others lost their players, and some really have no excuses. Regardless, they all found a way to come back to life either by reinventing themselves or digging deeper to find that elusive piece of creative catalyst. They then formed something great. Something beautiful. Enjoy
5. Avalon by Roxy Music
Let's face it: the peak of Roxy's brilliance was the 1973 release For Your Pleasure. That was the pinnacle of the Bryan Ferry/ Brian Eno collaboration: one that melded Ferry's lounge-y charm and Eno's obsession with tape recorders. After tensions and egos got out of hand, Eno left for his own solo career. Since then, Roxy has struggled to produce work that feels focused and cohesive.
They did pull off a few great albums after the schism (namely Country Life and Siren), but in the late 70s Roxy fell off the map with a few life-less, direction-less albums, namely the abysmal Flesh+Blood. Then, in 1982, Avalon happened. Arguably the most focused and well-crafted album after Eno's departure, Avalon was Ferry showcasing his skills and passions. It was to be his perfect swan song, laying Roxy to rest at one of its highest musical peaks.
Sample track: "More Than This"
4. This Nation's Saving Grace by The Fall
Mark E. Smith is probably responsible for influencing the creation of more alternative bands than anyone this side of The Velvet Underground.The Fall started out primarily as a punk act, though Smith was never one to simply write songs depicting anger and anarchy. Instead, his approach was much more fragmentary-- in a way that sounds almost Dylan-esque. But after a handful of successful albums (leading up to the fantastic Grotesque), their music began to enter a short period of stagnancy.
So, Mark brought in Brix Smith, his wife guitarist and singer extraordinaire, and the group started to retool it's approach with an eye towards a more pop oriented sound. After a few albums of varying success and quality, the group perfected the technique and emerged with This Nation's Saving Grace, which would garner and solidify their American cult following.The album was a wonderful pastiche of post-modern excessivism with an eye towards the partying, drug-worn, and ironic. The group would continue to make great albums (even after Brix's departure), but none would ever match the one that brought them back into the [alternative] fold.
Sample track: "Cruiser's Creek"
3. Mock Tudor by Richard Thompson
Richard Thompson's career is so full of great music that it's hard to believe that he would even have released an album that might fit this criteria. After a long, successful, and critically acclaimed career (starting with Fairport Convention then recording albums with his now ex-wife), he accepted a contract with Capital Records.
Though he recorded many great songs during his stay with them, most of his recordings from this era (most of the 90s) were lacking in a way that his work never had. However, the last album he produced under contract, Mock Tudor was a gem the likes of which his fans hadn't seen since he and Linda completed Shoot Out the Lights in 1982. Tudor wove a wonderfully complex narrative of suburban life that was almost Chaucer-like in it's presentation. The album showed that the fusing of Thompson's folk roots and remarkable songwriting skills was still capable of producing fantastic music.
Sample track: "Cooksferry Queen"
2. Mezzanine by Massive Attack
In 1991, they were visionaries. Their debut, Blue Lines, had almost single-handedly created trip-hop, a genre that celebrated the fusion of hip hop beats and British club music. Their jams were smooth, calculated pieces that would gently rise and fall in an unusually ethereal way. Despite the rush of critical and commercial success, Massive Attack became increasingly ignored over the next few years. They continued to produce work, but it often fell to the background of the trip hop scene.
In a way, the bands they inspired into existence were threatening the very existence of Massive Attack: they were behind a curve that they had created. But all of that changed in 1998 when the group released Mezzanine. The album has a warm feeling that is remarkably contrasted by dry electronic beats and drum machines. The first four songs make for the most irresistible opening punch to one of the most original albums of it's era: "Angel", "Risingson", "Teardrop" (better known now as the theme from the tv show "House"), and the album's crescendo, "Inertia Creeps"
Sample track: "Inertia Creeps"
1. Learning to Crawl by The Pretenders
When the Pretenders hit the scene in 1980, they wowed everyone in their path. Chrysiie Hynde as the punk rocking, guiar bearing songstress with guitar virtuoso James Honeymoon-Scott backing her up. It was new wave, rock n'roll, and punk all rolled into a neat package of hooks and cynical lyrics. But when the band's sophomore effort hit the stores, everyone complained of the seeming lack of ingenuity so ever-present from their debut. Most simply wrote off the effort as a copy job and the band as a one trick pony (though the album certainly did have it's high points).
But the reason this is the best Return-to-Form album ever has less to do with the band being unable to maintain the intensity of their work than their (Chryssie Hynde's) persistence. After the release of The Pretenders II, the group's bassist, Pete Farndon, was kicked out of the group due to drug abuse. Shortly thereafter, Honeymoon-Scott overdosed on cocaine. It wasn't long until Fardon did the same. Hynde, now pregnant with Ray Davies' baby, was overwhelmed and had only a drummer remaining. Two years later, a re-vamped Pretenders emerged from the ashes and released Learning to Crawl. Though perhaps not quite as consistent as their debut, Crawl showed the world that Chryssie Hynde was more than the snarling punk rocker they had fallen in love with 4 years before. The breadth of songs on this album are amazing with the highlight being perhaps their most famous tune: "Back on the Chain Gang".
Sample track: "Back on the Chain Gang"
5. Avalon by Roxy Music
Let's face it: the peak of Roxy's brilliance was the 1973 release For Your Pleasure. That was the pinnacle of the Bryan Ferry/ Brian Eno collaboration: one that melded Ferry's lounge-y charm and Eno's obsession with tape recorders. After tensions and egos got out of hand, Eno left for his own solo career. Since then, Roxy has struggled to produce work that feels focused and cohesive.
They did pull off a few great albums after the schism (namely Country Life and Siren), but in the late 70s Roxy fell off the map with a few life-less, direction-less albums, namely the abysmal Flesh+Blood. Then, in 1982, Avalon happened. Arguably the most focused and well-crafted album after Eno's departure, Avalon was Ferry showcasing his skills and passions. It was to be his perfect swan song, laying Roxy to rest at one of its highest musical peaks.Sample track: "More Than This"
4. This Nation's Saving Grace by The Fall
Mark E. Smith is probably responsible for influencing the creation of more alternative bands than anyone this side of The Velvet Underground.The Fall started out primarily as a punk act, though Smith was never one to simply write songs depicting anger and anarchy. Instead, his approach was much more fragmentary-- in a way that sounds almost Dylan-esque. But after a handful of successful albums (leading up to the fantastic Grotesque), their music began to enter a short period of stagnancy.
So, Mark brought in Brix Smith, his wife guitarist and singer extraordinaire, and the group started to retool it's approach with an eye towards a more pop oriented sound. After a few albums of varying success and quality, the group perfected the technique and emerged with This Nation's Saving Grace, which would garner and solidify their American cult following.The album was a wonderful pastiche of post-modern excessivism with an eye towards the partying, drug-worn, and ironic. The group would continue to make great albums (even after Brix's departure), but none would ever match the one that brought them back into the [alternative] fold.Sample track: "Cruiser's Creek"
3. Mock Tudor by Richard Thompson
Richard Thompson's career is so full of great music that it's hard to believe that he would even have released an album that might fit this criteria. After a long, successful, and critically acclaimed career (starting with Fairport Convention then recording albums with his now ex-wife), he accepted a contract with Capital Records.
Though he recorded many great songs during his stay with them, most of his recordings from this era (most of the 90s) were lacking in a way that his work never had. However, the last album he produced under contract, Mock Tudor was a gem the likes of which his fans hadn't seen since he and Linda completed Shoot Out the Lights in 1982. Tudor wove a wonderfully complex narrative of suburban life that was almost Chaucer-like in it's presentation. The album showed that the fusing of Thompson's folk roots and remarkable songwriting skills was still capable of producing fantastic music.Sample track: "Cooksferry Queen"
2. Mezzanine by Massive Attack
In 1991, they were visionaries. Their debut, Blue Lines, had almost single-handedly created trip-hop, a genre that celebrated the fusion of hip hop beats and British club music. Their jams were smooth, calculated pieces that would gently rise and fall in an unusually ethereal way. Despite the rush of critical and commercial success, Massive Attack became increasingly ignored over the next few years. They continued to produce work, but it often fell to the background of the trip hop scene.
In a way, the bands they inspired into existence were threatening the very existence of Massive Attack: they were behind a curve that they had created. But all of that changed in 1998 when the group released Mezzanine. The album has a warm feeling that is remarkably contrasted by dry electronic beats and drum machines. The first four songs make for the most irresistible opening punch to one of the most original albums of it's era: "Angel", "Risingson", "Teardrop" (better known now as the theme from the tv show "House"), and the album's crescendo, "Inertia Creeps" Sample track: "Inertia Creeps"
1. Learning to Crawl by The Pretenders
When the Pretenders hit the scene in 1980, they wowed everyone in their path. Chrysiie Hynde as the punk rocking, guiar bearing songstress with guitar virtuoso James Honeymoon-Scott backing her up. It was new wave, rock n'roll, and punk all rolled into a neat package of hooks and cynical lyrics. But when the band's sophomore effort hit the stores, everyone complained of the seeming lack of ingenuity so ever-present from their debut. Most simply wrote off the effort as a copy job and the band as a one trick pony (though the album certainly did have it's high points).
But the reason this is the best Return-to-Form album ever has less to do with the band being unable to maintain the intensity of their work than their (Chryssie Hynde's) persistence. After the release of The Pretenders II, the group's bassist, Pete Farndon, was kicked out of the group due to drug abuse. Shortly thereafter, Honeymoon-Scott overdosed on cocaine. It wasn't long until Fardon did the same. Hynde, now pregnant with Ray Davies' baby, was overwhelmed and had only a drummer remaining. Two years later, a re-vamped Pretenders emerged from the ashes and released Learning to Crawl. Though perhaps not quite as consistent as their debut, Crawl showed the world that Chryssie Hynde was more than the snarling punk rocker they had fallen in love with 4 years before. The breadth of songs on this album are amazing with the highlight being perhaps their most famous tune: "Back on the Chain Gang".Sample track: "Back on the Chain Gang"
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Twofer Tuesday
Bands often make great albums. Freqently, those albums contain great songs. Sometimes, those great songs make it onto the radio. Rarely, a set of 2 songs are so great that they deserve to be played back-to-back. These are those songs.
I'll spare you explanations.
Queen - "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions"
From News of the World
Led Zeppelin - "Heartbreaker" and "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)"
From Led Zeppelin II
The Police - "Driven to Tears" and "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around"
From Zenyatta Mondatta
Pink Floyd - "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" and "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)"
From The Wall
Tears for Fears - "Broken" and "Head Over Heals/Broken"
From Songs from the Big Chair
I'll spare you explanations.
Queen - "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions"
From News of the World
Led Zeppelin - "Heartbreaker" and "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)"
From Led Zeppelin II
The Police - "Driven to Tears" and "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around"
From Zenyatta Mondatta
Pink Floyd - "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" and "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)"
From The Wall
Tears for Fears - "Broken" and "Head Over Heals/Broken"
From Songs from the Big Chair
Friday, July 18, 2008
Mad Libs: Band Affinity
This hysterical little piece is from a publication put out by Veer called The Amazing Summer Activity Book for the Creative & Their Pals.
Hey. I'm creative. And you guys are my pals. Perfect! Copy and paste mine from the Comments, make it your own, and then post it with mine.
Peace.
Top Five Albums of the 90s
Ah, the 90s. The decade that I came into full and awkward awareness of myself. Being 6 inches taller than everyone else and hitting puberty way too early. And middle school. Those were the days. Anybody seen my pogs?
The funniest part about this list is that I didn't discover a single one of these albums until after I had graduated high school. I'll spare you the explanations. Just listen to them. Enjoy.
5. Central Reservation by Beth Orton
sample track: "Stolen Car"
4. Screamadelica by Happy Mondays
sample track: "Movin' on Up"
3. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill
sample track: "Everything Is Everything"
2. Dog Man Star by The London Suede
sample track: "The Wild Ones"
1. Different Class by Pulp
sample track: "Common People"
***
Honorable Mention:
Mezzanine by Massive Attack
Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches by Happy Mondays
Black on Both Sides by Mos Def
The funniest part about this list is that I didn't discover a single one of these albums until after I had graduated high school. I'll spare you the explanations. Just listen to them. Enjoy.
5. Central Reservation by Beth Orton
sample track: "Stolen Car"
4. Screamadelica by Happy Mondays
sample track: "Movin' on Up"
3. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill
sample track: "Everything Is Everything"
2. Dog Man Star by The London Suede
sample track: "The Wild Ones"
1. Different Class by Pulp
sample track: "Common People"
***
Honorable Mention:
Mezzanine by Massive Attack
Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches by Happy Mondays
Black on Both Sides by Mos Def
Side 1, Track 1s
In the true spirit of High Fidelity I present to you the best lead off tracks you can find. There were two constraints used in the selection. 1) The track must function as an integral part of the album and lead in to the its general theme and tone. 2) The album itself can't suck. Observe:
5. "Kinky Afro" off Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches by Happy Mondays
They were drunk. They were high. They were belligerent. And they were British. But man, those guys could rock out a funky dance tune like nobody's business. "Kinky Afro", full of hooks and morbid, nonsensical lyrics, kicks off the Monday's best album before they self-imploded due to the aforementioned vices (except for the whole British thing).
4. "Dirty Mind" off Dirty Mind Prince
This aptly named single, from the album bearing its same name, may not sound groundbreaking, but make no mistake: "Dirty Mind" beautifully encapsulates Prince's obsession with art and sex. It was the perfect intro to his first all out effort to fully explore the far reaches of his kinky (and sometimes taboo) fantasies. Sex in cars? Check. Bicurious behavior? Check. Fellatio from a woman on the way to her wedding? Check. Incest? Check. Not coincidentally, this was also the first album that Prince was allowed to produce by himself.
3. "Five Years" off Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie
A dark and grim piece that bears the news of Earth's imminent death sets the stage for the album's narrative about a rock n' roll alien that shows up to save humanity... before collapsing under the weight of his own ego. Compelling stuff.
2. "Teenage Riot" off Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth
An anthem to end all anthems, "Teenage Riot" begins with a slow strum of a single guitar and an almost ethereal chanting from Kim Gordon. Then everything comes to a halt and, before you can react, swirling guitars kick up and hook you in (the linked video skips the first part, thought). "Teenage Riot" signals the beginning of a masterpiece of dissonance and discord.
1. "Seven Nation Army" off Elephant by The White Stripes
Bass. Drums. "I'm gonna fight 'em all/A seven nation army couldn't hold me back". So begins "Seven Nation Army", a tune that marks not only the beginning of the White Stripes's most consistent and satisfying album to date, but also the start an era of albums that saw the White Stripes rise from garage rock sensations to artistes extraordinaire. In a way, Elephant is their Rubber Soul.
5. "Kinky Afro" off Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches by Happy Mondays
They were drunk. They were high. They were belligerent. And they were British. But man, those guys could rock out a funky dance tune like nobody's business. "Kinky Afro", full of hooks and morbid, nonsensical lyrics, kicks off the Monday's best album before they self-imploded due to the aforementioned vices (except for the whole British thing).
4. "Dirty Mind" off Dirty Mind Prince
This aptly named single, from the album bearing its same name, may not sound groundbreaking, but make no mistake: "Dirty Mind" beautifully encapsulates Prince's obsession with art and sex. It was the perfect intro to his first all out effort to fully explore the far reaches of his kinky (and sometimes taboo) fantasies. Sex in cars? Check. Bicurious behavior? Check. Fellatio from a woman on the way to her wedding? Check. Incest? Check. Not coincidentally, this was also the first album that Prince was allowed to produce by himself.
3. "Five Years" off Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie
A dark and grim piece that bears the news of Earth's imminent death sets the stage for the album's narrative about a rock n' roll alien that shows up to save humanity... before collapsing under the weight of his own ego. Compelling stuff.
2. "Teenage Riot" off Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth
An anthem to end all anthems, "Teenage Riot" begins with a slow strum of a single guitar and an almost ethereal chanting from Kim Gordon. Then everything comes to a halt and, before you can react, swirling guitars kick up and hook you in (the linked video skips the first part, thought). "Teenage Riot" signals the beginning of a masterpiece of dissonance and discord.
1. "Seven Nation Army" off Elephant by The White Stripes
Bass. Drums. "I'm gonna fight 'em all/A seven nation army couldn't hold me back". So begins "Seven Nation Army", a tune that marks not only the beginning of the White Stripes's most consistent and satisfying album to date, but also the start an era of albums that saw the White Stripes rise from garage rock sensations to artistes extraordinaire. In a way, Elephant is their Rubber Soul.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Top Five Amazing Albums I Cannot Recommend
I know what you're thinking:
"Uh, you mean 'enough', though, right? You forgot to say 'enough'."
Nope. These are five wonderful albums that I would NOT recommend to the average person. Yeah, I know. That's kinda elitist of me. But I'm just speaking the truth.
1. Sparks - Kimono My House
Sample Track: "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us"
From Ron Mael'sHitler toothbrush mustache to Russell Mael's feminine falsetto, this band was created to fail, yet somehow they not only succeeded but also are still going strong 38 years later.
Kimono My House is incredibly well crafted. The album keeps you tapping your feet to the beat the entire time in interesting ways (ex. "Falling in Love With Myself Again" is a full-on pop waltz). However, it's also a very odd album. Aside from the previously mentioned falsetto, the lyrics are silly when they're decipherable. It all works, if you're into that sort of thing. However, since most people aren't going to go for what basically amounts to the crazier forerunner to "Bohemian Rhapsody" (released one year later), I generally cannot recommend this album.
2. Big Audio Dynamite - No. 10, Upping Street
Sample Track: "C'mon Every Beatbox"
Musical history lesson time. In 1983, Mick Jones was fired from The Clash by Joe Strummer. Fast forward to 1986. Mick Jones has already moved on to form a new band, Big Audio Dynamite. About to release a second album, a familiar face comes strolling in. Or should I say, "Strumming" in. That's right, Joe Strummer. So it's Jones and Strummer, back together. It sounds like a match made in heaven, so why wouldn't I recommend it then?
Something weird happened in the 1980s. The New Wave found rap. No. 10 Upping Street is a great album showcasing this phenomenon, but while it may be better than "Ant Rap" or John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon's "World Destruction", I'd never recommend it without some serious caveats.
3. Japan - Adolescent Sex
Sample Track: "Adolescent Sex"
Let me just get this out of the way and say that I'd never really feel great about recommending someone to look up "adolescent sex".
Japan became an interesting segue between post-Eno Roxy Music and New Wave acts like Duran Duran. However, before Japan's David Sylvian stole Bryan Ferry's trademark vibrato, Japan was more snarl than suave. With this in mind, Adolescent Sex does something that might be hard to understand at first blush. They managed to marry the sounds of Punk and Disco. But it's not really that Punk. Nor is it very Disco. The marriage of the two on the album is a musical perfect storm: it's not for the faint of heart, but it's a great experience if you survive it.
4. Man Or Astro-Man? - EEVIAC: Operational Index and Reference Guide
Sample Track: "Interstellar Hardrive"
I was introduced to Man or Astro-Man? many years ago. I've grown a lot musically since then, but I seem to always go back to them every once in a while. It's something about their sci-fi and experimental surf rock style that I love. That could be all I need to say about why I wouldn't recommend them, but I'll explain further. Man or Astro-Man? have the chops to play melt your face off surf rock, but they also love to play around with sound machines. In one song, "Psychology of A.I. (Numbers Follow Answers)", they take what would be a fairly normal song and tinker with it until it sounds like you just started losing the signal to a lo-fi radio station. On top of that, most of their songs are less than 3 minutes long, leaving you little time to absorb what's going on. The only song that slows things down on the album is a song called, get this, "_______/Myopia". At 5:50 of music time, you'd expect it to be a complete song, with an intro, middle, climax, and end. Instead, the previous song seamlessly flows into it, providing the intro, and it ends abruptly just as soon as it reaches its high point. This album is too retro, too futuristic, and too experimental to recommend.
5. Wham! - Make It Big
Sample Track: "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"
The only reason why this one is on the list is because I'd never want to admit to someone that I own a Wham! album....
"Uh, you mean 'enough', though, right? You forgot to say 'enough'."
Nope. These are five wonderful albums that I would NOT recommend to the average person. Yeah, I know. That's kinda elitist of me. But I'm just speaking the truth.
1. Sparks - Kimono My House
Sample Track: "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us"
From Ron Mael's
Kimono My House is incredibly well crafted. The album keeps you tapping your feet to the beat the entire time in interesting ways (ex. "Falling in Love With Myself Again" is a full-on pop waltz). However, it's also a very odd album. Aside from the previously mentioned falsetto, the lyrics are silly when they're decipherable. It all works, if you're into that sort of thing. However, since most people aren't going to go for what basically amounts to the crazier forerunner to "Bohemian Rhapsody" (released one year later), I generally cannot recommend this album.
2. Big Audio Dynamite - No. 10, Upping Street
Sample Track: "C'mon Every Beatbox"
Musical history lesson time. In 1983, Mick Jones was fired from The Clash by Joe Strummer. Fast forward to 1986. Mick Jones has already moved on to form a new band, Big Audio Dynamite. About to release a second album, a familiar face comes strolling in. Or should I say, "Strumming" in. That's right, Joe Strummer. So it's Jones and Strummer, back together. It sounds like a match made in heaven, so why wouldn't I recommend it then?
Something weird happened in the 1980s. The New Wave found rap. No. 10 Upping Street is a great album showcasing this phenomenon, but while it may be better than "Ant Rap" or John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon's "World Destruction", I'd never recommend it without some serious caveats.
3. Japan - Adolescent Sex
Sample Track: "Adolescent Sex"
Let me just get this out of the way and say that I'd never really feel great about recommending someone to look up "adolescent sex".
Japan became an interesting segue between post-Eno Roxy Music and New Wave acts like Duran Duran. However, before Japan's David Sylvian stole Bryan Ferry's trademark vibrato, Japan was more snarl than suave. With this in mind, Adolescent Sex does something that might be hard to understand at first blush. They managed to marry the sounds of Punk and Disco. But it's not really that Punk. Nor is it very Disco. The marriage of the two on the album is a musical perfect storm: it's not for the faint of heart, but it's a great experience if you survive it.
4. Man Or Astro-Man? - EEVIAC: Operational Index and Reference Guide
Sample Track: "Interstellar Hardrive"
I was introduced to Man or Astro-Man? many years ago. I've grown a lot musically since then, but I seem to always go back to them every once in a while. It's something about their sci-fi and experimental surf rock style that I love. That could be all I need to say about why I wouldn't recommend them, but I'll explain further. Man or Astro-Man? have the chops to play melt your face off surf rock, but they also love to play around with sound machines. In one song, "Psychology of A.I. (Numbers Follow Answers)", they take what would be a fairly normal song and tinker with it until it sounds like you just started losing the signal to a lo-fi radio station. On top of that, most of their songs are less than 3 minutes long, leaving you little time to absorb what's going on. The only song that slows things down on the album is a song called, get this, "_______/Myopia". At 5:50 of music time, you'd expect it to be a complete song, with an intro, middle, climax, and end. Instead, the previous song seamlessly flows into it, providing the intro, and it ends abruptly just as soon as it reaches its high point. This album is too retro, too futuristic, and too experimental to recommend.
5. Wham! - Make It Big
Sample Track: "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"
The only reason why this one is on the list is because I'd never want to admit to someone that I own a Wham! album....
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