Stuff I Listened To Last Week – 15 Jan 2011

Every time I listen to a record, I leave it next to the stereo. On Monday, before I go back to work, I re-file them all. Below are the contents of this week's pile.

Acetone – York Blvd.

Elvis Costello and the Attractions – Get Happy!
My fave Elvis record after the big three? This one or Blood & Chocolate. Kind of a toss-up.

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bayou Country
Such a tasty opening riff. Just four notes, but with just the right touch of discordance. Wish I could come up with something so simple and so perfect.

The Decemberists – The Hazards Of Love
It's growing on me. A little late for that now, I suppose; they've got a new one coming out soon. I may or may not buy it.

Explosions In the Sky – All Of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Wow, so did these guys just flat run out of ideas or what? The formula was clearly wearing thin on this one, and it hasn't aged well, in case you were wondering. I guess we'll always have The Earth Is Not...

By the way, I was going to note how long it's been since they released any new material, but I looked over everything and can't find a copyright year anywhere on the packaging.

Girls – Album
They've got a new one out and I haven't heard it yet. I'll probably get it. This one holds up great so far, and I've heard good reviews for the EP.

Led Zeppelin – Physical Grafitti
Weird record. You'd think that if any act from their generation had what it took to sustain a killer double album it'd be these guys, but this thing is a mess. The first record is awesome, and even includes one of their few extended blues jams that I actually like ("In My Time Of Dying"). The second record is a mess; every track sounds underdeveloped and half-baked. Really, considering the roll they were on at the the time this should have been a pantheon double, we're talking Exile-level greatness, and they blew it in such a strange way.

Charles Mingus – Mingus At the Bohemia

Mogwai – Young Team
Hadn't listened to this one in a while. Awesome. Interesting to note how many songs I recognise from seeing them every few years when they tour the States, but forgot which record they were on. They're all here. I tend to think of CODY as their masterpiece, but maybe it was this one all along.

Pavement – Westing (by musket and sextant)
I used to bag on people who said they stopped liking this band after Slanted, then invariably proceeded to reminisce about how they heard the early EPs when they first came out. I think a lot of people who might have really liked them in their heyday resented Pavement's hipster shibboleth status and never really gave the band a chance. But really, this stuff is absolutely amazing. Had I heard it before all the other stuff, would I have forever pined for the early years too? Impossible to say.

"Perfect Depth" remains my single favourite Pavement ballad, maybe favourite song overall. And "Internal K-Dart" is the best pure guitar riff Malkmus ever stumbled upon. Eat your heart out, Kurt Cobain.

Photek – Modus Operandi
Holds up better than you might remember. This seemed directionless and overblown when it first came out, and was reviewed as such, but it sounds much leaner now. This guy's stuff was all deceptively minimal. He made it sound like complex "scientific d'n'b", but it's really simple stuff with just a tricky rhythmic turn here and there to keep you on your toes. Not to go all Wes Welker on you.

The Rolling Stones, Now!, Aftermath, More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies), Sticky Fingers, Metamorphosis
Yup. Readin' the Keef book.

Souls Of Mischief – 93 'Til Infinity

Stuff I Listened To Last Week – 8 Jan 2011

Every time I listen to a record, I leave it next to the stereo. On Monday, before I go back to work, I re-file them all. Below are the contents of this week's pile.

Ferruccio Busoni – Doktor Faust (Ferdinand Leitner, conductor)
Busoni died before completing his final work, leaving notes from which an assistant would finish it. Faust is reputed to be one of the more surprisingly minimal of the major works of this period of Italian opera, which... I don't really know anything about opera, that's just what I've read. This is intriguing, but far to dense for me to get much of an impression of after just a few listens with other things going on in the room.

Grooverider – Mysteries of Funk
I can remember reading a profile of Grooverider written by Simon Reynolds for some magazine (The Wire, maybe?) back when this album was just coming out. It was his debut after a few killer singles and a lot of hype, and Reynolds, as is his wont, was ready to anoint yet another subgenre with which to classify Grooverider and the maybe two other artists who sounded like him. Reynolds proceeded to spend a significant chunk of his given column inches explaining the subtle differences that distinguished "neurofunk" from dozens of other subgenres within the larger spectrum of drum'n'bass, seemingly spending quite a bit of energy trying to get the term to catch on. My reaction at the time was something along the lines of "Nice try, Reynolds," figuring this one would never stick.

So the other night I'm cruising eBay for lots of used DJ records, and I come across a listing for a couple dozen described as jungle, drum'n'bass, breakbeat and, wait for it...

Neurofunk. After all these years. Score one for Reynolds.

By the way, it sounds like I'm bagging on Reynolds here, but it's more like a good-natured ribbing. Let me add that Rip It Up and Start Again is one of my favourite music history books of the past few years.

Junior Boys – So This Is Goodbye

Lightning Bolt – Earthly Delights

Mono – Walking cloud and deep red sky, Flag fluttered and the sun shined
This or the one after it is probably the Mono record to own. You don't need too many. Very proud of myself for resisting the urge to buy the new triple live LP.

Pavement – Wowee Zowee
Holds up nicely. No longer seems as weirdly dated as it did five years ago or so. I know that seems illogical, but back then we were in the grip of this wave of overt sincerity in indie rock, and this one just seemed so detached.

Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet
There really ought to be an apostrophe in that title. Unless they're eating beggars.

History Of Rhythm & Blues Volume 1: The Roots 1947-52
Any comp with "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" on it is OK in my book.

Headz

We Are Reasonable People

Stuff I Listened To Last Week – 1 Jan 2011

Every time I listen to a record, I leave it next to the stereo. On Sunday, before I go back to work, I re-file them all. Below are the contents of this week's pile.

The B-52's, Wild Planet
Just picked these up recently (at Cheapo in Cambridge), figuring I might as well check 'em out. The big singles from each ("Rock Lobster" and "Private Idaho", respectively) hold up remarkably well, both boffo new wave dance numbers that make you wanna shimmy.

But the rest of the albums didn't blow me away. I think the most surprising and disappointing aspect was how low-energy they felt, in particular the debut. These guys are supposed to be like one of the all-time great party bands, but I kinda wasn't feelin' it. Maybe I need to listen to 'em some more.

Both albums recorded in the Bahamas, incidentally. Maybe they shoulda just done a live EP in Athens to start with.

History of Eric Clapton
Pretty solid comp that stretches from the Yardbirds through the Dominoes. The Delaney & Bonnie tracks are particularly good. I think Clapton's at his best when he's in someone else's band, rather than out front. Don't get me wrong, he's got a few great solo tracks, but the overall body of work favours his sideman stuff, whether he's in a band with another frontman (Cream) or just a hired gun (Delaney & Bonnie).

What's really weird about this record is that it's a double LP with sides one and three on the first record and two and four on the second. I don't think I've seen another album like that, and it makes no sense whatsoever. You have to switch records after every side to listen to it in order. Even the more common 1-4/2-3 split makes some sense, because you can just flip the whole stack on a multi-record turntable. Heck, that Sinatra box I have is six records, and it goes 1-12/2-11/3-10/etc. But this one's ridiculous.

Culture Club – Kissing To Be Clever
The wife was a Boy George fanatic in their heydey, and has all the albums. She even has an old VHS tape on which she used to tape any and all of their TV appearances. Anyway, when I put this on she said it doesn't really hold up that well. I think I was even more disappointed than she was. I can't really say why. I hate listening to stuff I loved when I was a teenager and realising it's just mediocre.

Flying Saucer Attack – Chorus, The Third Eye Foundation – Ghost
"Feedback Song" still totally pwns, and remains FSA's finest moment.

The liner notes say it's the end of FSA Phase One. The next couple albums were indeed pretty different. Lots of drum n' bass beats. Basically sounded more like Third Eye.

Isis – Wavering Radiant
Kind of unnecessary. If you have Oceanic and Panopticon you're pretty set with these guys. Another one of those bands like Mono, where I like their general aesthetic enough to keep buying their albums, which inevitably feel extraneous upon listening.

Jay-Z – The Black Album
How come no one's ripped off this idea yet? This is basically a compilation of the dozen-or-so hottest producers in the game each contributing a track and Jigga rhyming over them. It's terrific, was an instant classic when it came out that still sounds great now, and an idea just waiting to be replicated.

John Kongos
So psyched I finally found this. I only knew the two songs the Happy Mondays covered, but the whole thing's pretty solid. Drags a little on side two, but closes strong with "He's Gonna Step On You Again".

Mastodon
Pulled out the box to listen to Leviathan. One of my daughters was pretty into it, and into headbanging in general. Maybe she'll be a metalhead.

Radiohead – OK Computer
My copy of this is pretty worn down, which is weird because I certainly own other albums I've spun more times that sound fine. It's a bummer because it's such a great album and I know I'll keep returning to it for years to come. Still, it's hard to justify dropping $25 on a new copy when this one's not that bad.

Saint Vitus – The Walking Dead EP
These guys are famous for being one of the first slow-metal bands, but I actually like the faster stuff on here. They hadn't really perfected their doom sound this early, so the slow stuff just sounds like a regular metal song played way too slow.

Sigur Rós – Međ suđ í eyrum viđ spilum endalaust
Quite a workout for the ol' character map on that one, but we pride ourselves on our accuracy here at the Shelf.

Sonic Youth – Murray Street
Holds up well. Give it a listen.

Tanner – Ill-Gotten Gains
So psyched I found this one on vinyl, and it's just as strong as it was when I used to listen to it back in the 90s. They sound like most San Diego bands from their era, but the vocals and guitar work give them a melodic edge that still sticks out. No idea why they never caught on, they were a great live act as well. I think the frontman wound up in Hot Snakes for a while. If you see this one, pick it up, it's great.

Tortoise – TNT
I always think I haven't listened to this one enough, then I throw it on once a year or so and am surprised to find that I recognise just about every song.

Grenadine – Goya
Sorry Jenny Toomey, but I'm filing this one under Unrest.

Wire – Object 47/Read & Burn 03
Wow. I can't get over how awesome last decade's Wire output was. Between this album and the three EPs (one of which is packaged together here) they didn't have a single weak release. These guys can reunite as often as they like and I'll be listening.

XTC – Go 2
This is one of those bands I always read was good but I never got around to checking them out. I knew them from their late-80s/early-90s stuff and wasn't crazy about it. So I finally got this one and... not so into it. Maybe I need to listen to it more, but I can't foresee making time for it. I've got a lot of records. The one after it's supposed to be really good, so maybe if I see that I'll pick it up.

Return Of the DJ Vol. I
Hadn't listened to this in a while. Surprised to see how many names I recognised. This really was an impressive all-star lineup.

Metalheadz Presents Platinum Breakz II

Stuff I Listened To Last Week – 26 Dec 2010

Every time I listen to a record, I leave it next to the stereo. On Monday, before I go back to work, I re-file them all. Below are the contents of this week's pile.

Beastie Boys – Check Your Head
I'm gonna go way out on a limb here and say this might have been the defining pop album of the 1990s.

It was the last decade before the rise of iTunes, file sharing, mp3s, etc., and therefore the end of an era in which the music to which one listened functioned as a prominent self-defining factor socially. Nowadays kids listen to all kinds of music, partly because it's all free anyway if you want it, and partly because you only have to buy individual tracks, and partly because you can hear whatever you want without having to buy it first. Before that you were an indie kid, you were a hiphop head, you were a jam-band hippie, or you just listened to whatever mainstream alt-rock was on MTV that week. MTV used to play music back then.

The Beasties, specifically with this album, transcended all that. Everybody liked the Beasties. This was the album that rescued them from the fate of eternal one-hit novelty status to which their massive breakthrough album and its poorly-selling follow-up had seemingly consigned them. All of a sudden they were at the forefront of popular culture, and not just musically. I don't think any other album from the era, not even Nevermind, galvanised as wide a swath of America's youth. It wasn't some important generational statement, everybody just dug it.

Also, it holds up really well. It's a little long (a byproduct of the CD era), but remains a delight from start to finish.

Black Moth Super Rainbow – Dandelion Gum

Dan Deacon – Bromst
The best album since the first Black Sabbath album on which all the songs basically sound the same.

Dinosaur Jr. – Beyond
I continue to be amazed at how much I keep returning to this album. In the last couple years I've found myself pulling this one out even more often that the old SST ones when I feel like listening to J shred. Beats out the Read & Burn EPs as best reunion album ever, and they're pretty damn good.

Fennesz – Endless Summer
Just reissued by Warp in the UK and the first time I've been able to find it on vinyl. If you can find a copy of the original issue, believe me, you're a bit more resourceful than I. Also, this version's got all the bonus tracks from the 2006 reissue.

This album stands as a terrific example of how important separate sides can be in understanding an album. First off, I'm not arguing that sonically this album is "supposed to be heard on vinyl, man"; it's clearly a CD album. But it's a difficult album, and hearing it broken up like this really helped me wrap my head around it. I had it as mp3s and could never really get into it. It's too subtle, and I would get distracted and miss a lot of detail. But just the action of having to flip the record after every few songs forces me back into it, and I've come to appreciate it on a level I never could before. If you've heard of it but never listened to it, the answer is yes, it really is a masterpiece.

The Flaming Lips – Telepathic Surgery

Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane, Over the Sea

Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha
How come last year's reissues of all the early Etienne albums aren't coming out on vinyl? I've had a hell of a time trying to find a copy of Tiger Bay.

Frank Sinatra – The Sinatra Touch
You can probably guess what I'm in the middle of reading right now. Believe the hype, it's every bit as good as you've heard.

By the way, reading this over before posting I just caught a funny typo: I wrote this title as The Sinatra Tough. Frank himself would probably agree, but by most accounts that's bullshit: he was all bark and no bite, no matter what Lee Mortimer would have told you.

Squarepusher Presents Shobaleader/One – d'Demonstrator
Not sure how to categorise this one. Oh, who am I kidding, it's a Squarepusher record. But apparently he really has a "band" now. He plays bass, natch. Not sure how much creative input the other guys had on this one.

Look, God bless Jenkinson, I'll continue to buy everything he puts out for as long as he keeps releasing stuff, but it's reached a point now where every like fifth album or so is any good. Still, they're so good that I do't mind slogging through the other four or so. I've listened to this a bunch and really tried to get into it, but, to return to my old habit of drawing debatable career analogies, I think this might be his Tin Machine.

Swell Maps – A Trip To Marineville

Stuff I Listened To Last Week – 12 Dec 2010

Every time I listen to a record, I leave it next to the stereo. On Monday, before I go back to work, I re-file them all. Below are the contents of this week's pile.

I was away for the better part of a few weeks, so this is about three weeks worth of in and out of town for a day or two at a time.

Cat Power – What Would the Community Think

Cheap Trick – In Color, Heaven Tonight
Picked these up a few weeks ago at Turn It Up! in Northampton. I have a bunch of early CT records now, all pretty good but none of 'em are great. I really like the production, though. Great drum sound, great mix. A couple other observations:

• The original studio version of "I Want You To Want Me" stinks. Really flacid arrangement, limp tempo, nothing like the swingin' rocker they would turn it into on Budokan. I can see why it wasn't a hit until the live version came out.


• "Surrender" has a terrific chorus, but the lyrics are absolutely baffling. If you can figure out what's going on there you're one up on me.

DJ Swamp – Never Is Now
This guy makes great battle discs, but I'm not so high on his album. Too much rapping, not enough scratching.

Eluvium – Life Through Bombardment

Grand Funk Railroad – Live Album
Believe it or not, this is a concert recording. And believe it or not, there are excessive guitar solos. There's even a track with an extended drum solo. It's just full of surprises.

It's also really early, so they're still pretty young and hungry performers, but there aren't any well-known hits on here. Solid record overall.

LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver
The best of a spotty three, as far as albums go. Murphy's a peerless singles artist, but his albums will probably always be a little inconsistent. Still, this one comes closest, and it's got the highest highs.

Lo Fidelity Allstars – Kool Roc Bass 12", Ghostmutt EP
I wonder how these guys would have turned out had they stuck around. The early singles were pretty strong, but half of them quit right after the first album came out, and, based on the results, the others probably shouldn't have bothered trying to press onward.

Misfits
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say best best-of-type compilation of all time. For the casual 'Fits fan, this one's really all you need. The consistently high quality here is just phenomenal.

Pretenders
This is one of those bands I always read I should like and never bothered. Their hits just never really blew me away. So I picked it up recently for a few bucks and it's terrific. I was surprised at how many songs I knew from it (I didn't know any of the titles), and by how much better they sounded in context. This is one of those bands of actual musicians that got inspired by punk, rather than artsy amateurs, and their skills really take the songs to another level. Hynde sounds tough and unapproachable, so you listen from afar in awe as she mutters "Fuck off." Awesome.

Queen – A Dat At the Races, News Of the World
I think that we as a society often underestimate the awesomeness of Queen. Yes, the first five albums are excellent, but beyond that? News is best known for its two big sports anthems (if you don't know which songs I'm talking about you probably don't know who Queen is), but have you listened to "Spread Your Wing" lately? Unstoppable.

Spank Rock – YoYoYoYoYoYo
As much as I'm strongly in favour of reforming copyright law in order to accomodate sample-based artists like Girl Talk, Spank Rock are an interesting example of how more restrictive laws can actually foster creativity. The band, inspired by a Baltimore club sound that relies heavily on flagrantly illegal sampling, had a minor underground hit with "Put That Pussy On Me", which features the unauthorised accompaniment of both the Beach Boys and Snoop Dogg. While the track appeared on this album's advance copies, it's not on the official release. And instead of pop samples, the album is full of completely original and extremely phat analogue synth riffs. Would this have happened if the band were allowed to simply sample whatever they pleased? Impossible (for me) to say, but the results are nasty. Necessity, once again, the mother of invention.

Kanye West – Late Registration
The new one hits vinyl next week. Mine's already pre-ordered. Super psyched.

Hank Williams – Country & Western Classics
A three-LP box set from... Time-Life Music! And it has everything the casual Hank fan wants.

Zola Jesus – Stridulum EP, Valusia EP

We Are Skint Sampler2 EP

Stuff I Listened To Last Week – 31 Oct 2010

Every time I listen to a record, I leave it next to the stereo. On Monday, before I go back to work, I re-file them all. Below are the contents of this week's pile.

Black Flag – The First Four Years
Best pre-Rollins Flag singer? I'm going with Ron "Chavo" Reyes, who was with them when they filmed Declined Of Western Civilization. Sorry Dez. I think what hurts Cadena's candidacy the most is that he sings a couple of songs Henry would later sing better, especially "Damaged I".

sunn0))) & Boris – Altar
I'm filing this under Boris because I have a bunch of Boris records, and they're why I bought it, and I don't have any sunn0))) records. Not sure why I don't have any sunn0))) records. This album's awesome, by the way.

Cat Power – The Covers Record
Just got a copy of the Residents' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" single, so I pulled this and a few other records out to listen to other versions of "Satisfaction". This one's good but... do the Residents win? Close, but no. Winner below.

The Church – Gold Afternoon Fix
Not a huge Church guy. Not sure why I pulled this one out. I hadn't listened to it in years. I really like the amount of attention they pay to their guitar tone. It's different in every song. And it's subtle, not like they just crank a different effect pedal all the way up for each song. It sounds like they spend hours EQing the lead guitar for a slightly different sound to fit each song.

Having said that, their songs aren't that great, and I probably won't listen to this again for another ten years. Want it? You can have mine. Seriously.

Circle Jerks – Group Sex
Awesome. It's kind of amazing how well this album holds up. My copy's pretty worn down, but who cares? It probably sounded like shit brand new. I got on a real hardcore kick one day last week. Good times.

Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Another version of "Satisfaction". Probably the most famous, but also probably my least favourite. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome, the others are just even better. I don't think you can do a bad version of this song, it's just bulletproof.

By the way, Terry Gross interviewed Keith on Fresh Air a week or two ago and it's great. The way he interacts with her is hilarious. It's also funny hearing him talk because he's fucking Keefe, this totally raw dude, but he's gut this upper-class English public school accent.

Bob Dylan – Blood On the Tracks

Otis Redding/The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Historic Performances Recorded At the Monterey International Pop Festival
And we have a winner. Otis's cover of "Satisfaction", hands down. Everything on this record by both acts is fantastic. It turns up in used shop all the time for like five bucks. If you see a copy, do yourself a favour.

Hüsker Dü – Zen Arcade
I hadn't listened to this in a while and was surprised at how well I remember every song. I think I used to listen to this a lot in high school. I'm not sure I really loved it so much as I was in awe of it and really respected it, but it scared the shit out of me, and I think sometimes I was forcing myself to listen to it. Does that make sense? What the fuck, I was a kid.

By the way, the difference in sound between the CD and the record is immeasurable. I had the CD in high school, and it sounds like shit. The record is so much better. It's still in print, too. You can order it from SST for like $15.

Minutemen – Double Nickels On the Dime
There's a great story about the sequencing of this record in the 33¹/₃ book about it (which, by the way, is one of the best in the series). Supposedly they each took a side, then held a fantasy draft where they took turns picking songs for their side. The leftover stuff went on side four (labeled "side chaff"). Then they put the songs in the order they were picked, figuring the better songs should be toward the outside of the record because the grooves sound better there. Cute story, but "History Lesson - Part II" and "This Ain't No Picnic" are both near the end of their respective sides, so I'm not sure it's entirely true. In the book, Mike Watt makes a big deal about how the other two couldn't believe George Hurley picked "You Need the Glory" first, because the other two thought it was just a throwaway. All the stuff on George's side is kinda weird. George is kinda weird.

The Ramones – Leave Home

The Rolling Stones – Hot Rocks 1964-1971
Had an urge to listen to "Jumping Jack Flash" after listening to that aforementioned Richards interview. Great arpeggiated guitar riff in the chorus.

Frank Sinatra – The Sinatra Touch

Sly & the Family Stone – Dance To the Music