Album #158: Regurgitator - Tu-Plang

Regurgitator

Tu-Plang (1996)

Regurgitator are like the herpes of Australian music - they refuse to go away and cause an itchy sensation (er maybe.) Their biggest years were in the 90s, when their first two albums - this one and Unit - were massively successful (and in Unit's case, damn catchy retro.) They tried to come back by being a 'Band in a Bubble' (it didn't work.)

The group's debut album Tu-Plang was notable not just for providing several big Hottest 100 tracks, but also for its variety. Covering pop, alternative, hip hop, rap rock, punk and electro, it was a hodgepodge of styles.....and not all of them worked.

The Album

The successes are several, and make the album worthwhile. Opener I Sucked A Lot Of Cock To Get Where I Am is possibly the catchiest song about using the art of fellatio to get ahead....well, ever (it may also be the only song about that topic). A simple yet appealing riff is tied to some occasional harmonies, and the whole thing is headboppy (pardon the pun.) Although it's just electro noise, G7 Dick Electro Boogie is strangely appealing, with some rather entertaining anti-capitalist lyrics set to some thumping beats. Blubber Boy is another example of the Gurge's ability to write 'pop' tunes with an underground edge, Miffy's Simplicity is a very enjoyable slice of punk-tinged rock, while the only hip hop song that hits the mark is the blatant parody of Pop Porn, where every single lyric seems to refer to 'gats' and the protagonist's impressive semen distribution skills, as well as his incredible rhyming abilities; if it were serious it'd suck, but thankfully it's blatant parody.

A couple of songs are honourable mentions for being nice efforts but a little weak - Music Is Sport is an impressive piece of metaphor, mainly in being able to tie the live music experience to the sporting one, while Kong Foo Sing's massive, messy sound and half rapped/half sung vocals create a decent tune, but one that does grate by the end.

Other songs miss the mark completely. Couldn't Do It (Happy Shopper Mix) proves that nobody should ever do Muzak ever, Social Disaster is intolerable rap/rock noise, F.S.O is intolerable punky noise, Manana is a dirge and Young Bodies Heal Quickly is pointless.

The Verdict

I enjoyed Tu-Plang when it was released, and I still like most of it today, but as an overall album there's too many weak spots on it, to be fair. It's a perfect album for the iTunes generation because some of the songs are essential, while others are unnecessary. It's also not as good as its followup, the consistently better Unit.

My rating: 6.7/10

BULK MEGA MINI-REVIEW CATCHUP

Bulk Mega Mini-Review Catchup

In light of the fact that the next two months are going to be extremely busy (thanks to the World Cup, largely) I've made the decision that, where I'm stretched for time, my reviews are going to be much, much shorter.

Now that may come as a disappointment to...well, maybe three of you, but this way I can a) still listen to an album a day, b) not feel pressure to churn out a massive review every day when I'm gonna be busy sleeping/drinking coffee/watching football/watching cycling, and c) stay relatively up to date.

To test out this new 'mini-review' idea I'm going to, today, do a Bulk Mega Mini-Review Catchup of the last four albums I've listened to.

I won't do this for every album, but where I fall behind, it's going to be the way I catch up; and if I'm pressed for time, it's going to be how I get a review out in a timely fashion.

With all those disclaimers out of the way, let's get cracking!

Album #154: Dream Theater - Images and Words

The second album by prog metallers Dream Theater, and the first to feature vocalist James LaBrie. Keyboard whiz Jordan Rudess isn't here yet but that doesn't really matter, not while guitarist John Petrucci and drummer Mike Portnoy are around to blow your mind. In fact, one of the remarkable things about Dream Theater is that technically, all the musicians are fucking superstars.

From the sprawling keyboard chords and monster choruses of Pull Me Under to the insane progressive polyrhythmic masterpiece of Metropolis Part I, it's a kickarse display of progressive rock/metal, and seems like the natural progression of bands like Yes, Rush and King Crimson. It's really rather good and what's more, it's apparently not even their best album

My rating: 8.2/10

Album #155: The Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique

When Paul's Boutique was released, it was a chart disappointment. Label execs stopped promoting the album because it didn't sell as well as Licenced to Ill. It's proof that people are stupid because Paul's Boutique stomps much ass. Backed by producers The Dust Brothers, who cram every single possible sample possible into a single album, there's some insanely powerful beats, thrilling hooks and that oh so Beastie tongue-in-cheek gift for humourous hyperbole.

I dare you not to listen to this album and jump up every thirty seconds as you recognise yet another sample (the ingenious chopping up of The Beatles' The End on The Sounds of Science and the use of Hendrix's Are You Experienced on B-Boy Bouillabaisse are my personal favourites, along with all the use of John Bonham thunderous drumbeat mastery throughout the album).

My rating: 7.9/10

Album #156: My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

This album was requested by two friends with the promise that it took guitar overdubs to a level that not even the bloated Be Here Now could touch. It came with a further assurance that, unlike Be Here Now, it didn't disappear up its own arse.

That's certainly true, because Loveless ends up being something akin to an orchestral piece, except all the classical instruments have been replaced by endless samples of guitars and drums, and even the vocals themselves are less a standout, more just another instrument. The result is something that drones (a lot) but it's a good drone, if that makes sense - there's textures and layers all over the place, and the album ends up being more than the sum of its parts. Credit must go to Kevin Shields for labouring over this album for so long, because the proof is in the pudding.

The stunning Come In Alone, the rather indie-rocking I Only Said and the Stone Roses-dance-rock of Soon are the biggest standouts on a bloody good record.

My rating: 8.6/10

Album #157: East 17 - Walthamstow

People forget that East 17 were legitimate contenders for Number 1 Boy Band of the early 90s. They sold more records and were generally seen as much cooler than Take That because of their hip, streetwise image. That streetwise image is on this debut album in spades, thanks to the rave-meets-R&B-meets-pop-meets-hip hop flavour of its aesthetic. 

As you'd expect from a boy band album though, it's singles and sweet fuck all else; even if some of those singles are stompingly ace. I mean, come on, if you don't think House Of Love is a fucking anthem and if you're not jumping around like a motherfucker when it's on, you're probably fucking dead, and even if It's Alright has some frankly dreadful lyrics at times ("Alright/alright/everything's gonna be alright/alright/alright/everything's gonna be alright/alright/alright/everything's gonna be alright/alright/alright/it's really alright"), it makes up for it through sheer dancepop power and some hilarious lyrics ("We are the seed of the new breed/We will succeed").

The rest of the album can get stuffed.

My rating: 5.5/10

Album #153: George Harrison - All Things Must Pass

George Harrison

All Things Must Pass (1970)

It's rather telling that on his first solo album after leaving the Beatles, George Harrison had enough material for a triple album release (and, allegedly, enough unissued material to fill another double album). For so many years the 'junior' Beatle, Harrison had seen his attempts to include more of his own compositions on Beatles albums come to nought, ignored by the mighty egos of Lennon and McCartney. Even though the odd song had managed to sneak through the net, Harrison had seen other, equally good, songs passed over by the rest of the Beatles.

So it was that after the band's split, Harrison spent five months at Apple Studios recording some of the 'hundreds' of songs he had accumulated in the past five or six years, songs that were never good enough for The Beatles or that Harrison had been too nervous to introduce, for fear of a cutting putdown. The result was the sprawling All Things Must Pass, three LPs of some of the finest material released by a solo Beatle (in fact, some consider this to be the definitive solo Beatles recording). With a crack team of guest musicians (including Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, the members of Badfinger, Phil Collins, Alan White and Billy Preston), and with the assistance of producer extraordinaire Phil Spector, Harrison painstakingly put the album together.

It's the subject of this review as I've never actually heard the whole thing, and it's time to see if it lives up to the hype.

The Album

Reviewing a triple album is a huge task. There are so many songs to try and get through that it could end up taking ages. So what I'll do is proceed LP by LP as per the original album release.

The first LP contains most of the album's big hitters. The controversial My Sweet Lord is one - despite shamelessly ripping off He's So Fine, it's still a signature tune, with Harrison's spiritual cries backed by a trademark slide guitar motif. It's also one song where Spector's Wall of Sound doesn't threaten to ruin the whole damn song (more of that later). The album's other single - What Is Life - is also here, and it's every bit as good, driven by a rather powerful riff and some rather loud horns. Yet the stars of this LP are the stunning Isn't It A Pity (Version One), the driving, rocking Wah-Wah and the somewhat modern-sounding Let It Down. The latter two are a perfect example of Spector's production technique (which I hate, if I'm honest) - Wah-Wah is almost destroyed by simply being too damn loud at times, meaning that all of the guitar work and horn overdubs mesh into a mess. Thankfully Harrison's terrific vocal saves the song, as does his wonderful slide guitar work. Let It Down, on the other hand, uses the production well; Spector and Harrison only let the choruses explode, with bombastic vocals and horns blasting through some truly cavernous drums. Isn't It A Pity is almost the best song on the album bar none though - essentially a ballad but in the Hey Jude vein, right down to the four minute long outro that echoes the Beatles classic, right down to the "na-na-na-na-na" vocals.

LP2 opens with another contender for song of the album, Beware Of Darkness. Harrison's beautiful slide guitar work is a real highlight, his vocal is tender and vulnerable yet powerful, and the strings that accompany never overpower any of the other instrumentation. It's a brilliant, brilliant tune. There's also the terrific title track, with a terrific spiritual lyric that matter-of-factly deals with the reality of life, and there's again more great slide guitar work. The surprise of LP2 though is Art Of Dying, which is remarkably reminiscent of disco thanks to its drumbeat, yet the echoed vocals and guitar, plus the chord progressions, give the song a real progressive rock edge. It's massively underrated and one of the hidden gems of the album. LP2 does also contain the album's worst 'proper' tracks (that'll make sense soon) - I Dig Love is fucking awful, and Awaiting On You All, while it's a nice throwback to Spector's 60s pop production, has no place on this album, which is a fine testament to a rock craftsman's skills.

Knowing that there was material that Harrison had that wasn't recorded for All Things Must Pass makes the third LP's inclusion baffling. Apple Jam is what it's referred to, and it consists of five impromptu, throwaway jam recordings. It's pointless, fairly banal, self-indulgent tripe; the only thing worth listening to it for is the work of Eric Clapton on guitar, as the axe god lets his hair down and has a bit of a flairy wail. Frankly, the album would not have suffered for its exclusion, and given some of Harrison's shining songwriting on the rest of the record, it's a bit of a surprise that it wasn't excluded, to be honest.

Beyond the songwriting though, this album sees Harrison as a musician truly blossom. Here he moves away from the lead guitarist of The Beatles to a player of touch and refinement, the slide guitar his trademark; while songs like Something displayed his class and skills to the world, on All Things Must Pass we see that his gifts were not in playing blistering lead breaks; rather, his gifts were in textural layers that, like an onion (not a glass one before you smarty pantses chime in), need to all work together.

The Verdict

Is it the best solo Beatles album ever? I guess this is another question the LOAD Project will need to explore. It has to be close though, not just because of its scale but because of the sheer quality of its music. We can only thank The Beatles for the existence of this album (although part of me would love to have heard what they'd have done with songs like Isn't It A Pity and Wah-Wah), because their casual disrespect for Harrison's abilities resulted in all of this material being stockpiled, and then unleashed on the world in one go.

The first two LPs deserve your attention....just don't waste your time with Apple Jam.

In a word? Brilliant.

My rating: 9.1/10

Standout Tracks

Beware of Darkness

Art of Dying

Isn't It A Pity

Let It Down

All Things Must Pass

Album #152: Dolly Parton - Jolene

Dolly Parton

Jolene (1974)

In the course of a fifty-year career, Dolly Parton has released some 42 studio albums (approximately; it may be more than that). That's not to include live albums, movies, owning her own theme park....

Yep, it's fair to say Dolly is a phenomenon. A phenomenon of country music, no less, a genre that always seems to be the province of a fairly limited cross section of people. Yet Dolly Parton has managed over the years to transcend expectation and genre barriers, and appeal to a great range of people.

Jolene was her thirteenth album, and released in the middle of Dolly's country explosion; when she was arguably the leading light in country music. It propelled her to even greater heights thanks to two songs - the title track and I Will Always Love You, which was later covered by Whitney Houston (and consequently made Dolly zillions of dollars.)

Now, I don't like country music, so this is gonna be hard for me to review objectively, but I'll do my best.

The Album

Thankfully, it's short - clocking in at just 25 minutes or so, it's not a great stretch to listen to. That 25 minutes consists of ten songs, all country, with touches of bluegrass for good measure. Besides the standard acoustic guitar meat (mostly provided by Parton herself), there's pedal steel guitar, fiddles and banjos aplenty to add that country flavour.

Yet that all seems to pale in comparison to Dolly herself. There's a reason she's had such an amazing career - she's fucking talented beyond belief. Not only did she write the majority of the album's material, she is also a phenomenal vocalist. Nowhere is this more evident than on the title track, where she effortlessly nails a terrific, high range vocal (and somehow goes even higher to harmonise with herself). This track also manages to be the album's standout; a dark arrangement complements the lyrical content perfectly - it's Parton's desperate plea to a woman not to steal her man from her, and you can hear it in her voice - and there's touches of bluegrass guitar to pad out the moody guitar lines.

The other song of note - I Will Always Love You - is almost as good. None of the bullshit vocal gymnastics that amount to egotistical showing off that you find on the Houston cover are here, or at the very least they've been greatly toned down. Instead the emotion and feeling of the song comes through (Parton wrote it as a farewell tune to country legend Porter Wagoner, whose TV show Parton had been a star of for several years). It also (unlike the cover) doesn't outstay its welcome.

Elsewhere, it's tiny variations on the same country theme, and while that in and of itself is not a bad thing it doesn't make for a OMGWTFBBQ listening experience. Early Morning Breeze is more proof of Parton's vocal talent, while a nice pedal steel guitar lick simulates the titular breeze. Highlight Of My Life is a jaunty fiddle-filled country number with a decent pedal steel solo; it's pretty decent, as is Living On Memories Of You, which is resplendent with wistful harmonica lines and a bluegrass waltz motif. The upbeat Randy and the closing It Must Be You are also pleasant little diversions.

Basically, it's hard to hate.

The Verdict

Indeed, I didn't hate it. It was pleasant, listenable, and short. But like 99% of country music, it doesn't really go anywhere. It's at its best when it pairs lyrical content with musical evocations of emotion. Thankfully, Jolene does that a bit, which makes this slightly above your average country music album.

It won't change your life, nor will it leave a lasting memory (well, except for the title track, which is awesome) but it's a nice little distraction.

And Dolly? Well she deserves all the praise she gets.

My rating: 6.5/10

Standout Tracks

Jolene

I Will Always Love You

Highlight Of My Life

Album #151: Future of the Left - Curses

Future of the Left

Curses (2007)

Future of the Left were formed out of the ashes of two Welsh bands, Mclusky and Jarcrew, in 2005. Both groups had garnered passionate fanbases, albeit in a slightly underground way, and in the band's early days this proved a burden. In fact, their early gigs were played under code names, to ensure that hardcore Mclusky and Jarcrew fans didn't turn up expecting to hear the old tunes played the same way.

It took just shy of two years before FotL - at that time a threepiece consisting of Andy Falkous (guitar/keys/vocals), Jack Egglestone (drums) and Kelson Mathias (bass/vocals) - released their debut album, Curses. Anticipation was high amongst Welsh music fans for the first music from this supergroup, and apparently those fans were not disappointed.

Time for me to find out for myself.

The Album

It's a bloody firey album, that's for sure. Curses burns with energy, power, aggression and verve. At times it's hard to believe that the group are a three-piece, such is the raw power and thickness of their sound. To the band's credit, they adopt a real punk attitude to song length; keep them short, rock out as hard as you can, and get out before the audience gets bored or exhausted (or both). 

When it's good, it's really, really good, combining post-hardcore rhythmic elements and song structures with the 'fuck-you' attitude of punk rock and, at times, the more melodic approach of alternative rock. The lyrics are, for the most part, rather clever, sometimes dryly observant, while at other times they're quite funny.

Highlights of the album? There are a few. Adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood lulls you in with its pseudo-country music vocalised pastiche, before buzzsaw guitars, cavernous riffs and Falkous' high-pitched bark punch you in the gut and stomp on your face. Plague of Onces has much the same feeling, albeit with a structural callback to At the Drive-In, while the brilliant Fingers Become Thumbs packs more punch than Floyd Mayweather, sounding utterly filthy yet dynamically superb at the same time (never before have the lines "We're not alive, we're not alive/we're not at home for preg-er-nant callers" been so fucking chantable before).

The group also excel at the sudden musical sucker punch. On several occasions, they create a sense of comfort through repetition, before slotting in an unexpected section to jolt you out of your comfort zone. Opener The Lord Hates A Coward drives along with scuzzy guitars and energetic drumming, before kicking into a frenetically dynamic closing thirty seconds. Kept By Bees is almost entirely drums and vocals - cavernous, booming drums and vocals - except for a sizzling fifteen second blast of guitars. This also overlooks the pirates-chanting-like-Peter Gabriel sections...it's a very different, way-out-there tune. 

At other times, Future of the Left are content to pull whole musical surprises. The catchy Manchasm has no traces of guitars at all - instead it's left to Falkous' falsetto and some catchy keyboards to do the heavy lifting. It's the only time on the album that you get the feeling that the group have crafted a song to dance to. The mildly sarcastic Fuck The Countryside Alliance is an ode to minimalist simplicity - a plodding drumbeat, a repetitive two note guitar motif and dry vocals (though it contains another favourite lyric of mine - "Take a man to his nightmares in a Land Rover" - which describes the CA rather well). Finally, closing track The Contrarian is that in more ways than one - after thirteen tracks of pulsating scuzz rock, the album closes with a piano ballad (yep, you read that correctly). It comes out of nowhere and yet it's the perfect way to conclude an album that shows no end of experimental flair.

The Verdict

Curses is quite a decent debut album. It's not necessarily a style of music I love, but there's so many shifts in dynamics, so many little touches and surprises, that you can't help but enjoy the album. It's worth checking out, as are Future of the Left in general.

My rating: 7.6/10

Standout Tracks

Fuck the Countryside Alliance

Fingers Become Thumbs

Adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood

Album #150: Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets

Pink Floyd

A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)

Recorded in a period of great flux and transition, A Saucerful of Secrets has a reputation amongst even some diehard Pink Floyd fans as the band's worst pre-Waters departure album (I only say that because many diehard fans absolutely loathe both of the Gilmour-led creations). There's a number of reasons for this. Firstly, founding member, songwriter and early creative genius Syd Barrett was on the way out, mainly because of his rapidly deteriorating mental state, which had contributed to his severe lack of input to the band's live performances and studio work. Secondly, guitar whiz David Gilmour had only just joined the band, and even that was as a backup to the increasingly erratic Barrett, just in case he decided in the middle of a gig to detune his guitar until the strings fell off, or worse, just stop playing altogether. Thirdly, the group were shifting somewhat uncomfortably and blindly away from the childish psychedelic pop/space rock adventures of their debut album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and heading towards the expansive, experimental, spacey psychedelic full-blown progressive rock that would be their trademark for the next five years.

So it's far from their best work.....but I still think there's some work of merit here. Today I'll take a critical look at this album, the second Floyd release of The LOAD Project.

The Album

Spacier and more eclectic than Piper, A Saucerful of Secrets is where the yoke of Syd Barrett's songwriting was cast aside, meaning the rest of the group had to pick up the slack. This job fell to keyboardist Rick Wright and bassist Roger Waters. It's notable that their contributions reflected their sensibilities - Wright's tunes being melodic, yet melancholy, while the Waters tracks are either weird mindfucks or songs about war. The latter theme would resurface sporadically throughout the band's history. Barrett's sole contribution is....well, more on that shortly.

Opening with the nonsensical Let There Be More Light, the die is cast - random lyrics about ancient English historical figures, references to Beatles tunes and RAF bases are barked by Gilmour, interspersed with unsettling Waters/Wright passages. Musically it's a continuation of the Interstellar Overdrive ethos; meandering guitars, Wright's Farfisa organ swirls and messy, cacophonous percussion from Nick Mason. The reflective Remember A Day shines, as Wright's maudlin piano and wistful lyrics create a sombre mood, while engineer Norman Smith turns in a sparkling guest spot on drums (as Mason couldn't play the song). Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun is the only time that all five members of this temporary lineup appeared on the same recording (Barrett and Gilmour both contributed guitar). The lyrics are ripped straight from Chinese poetry, while Waters' vaguely Middle Eastern bassline, Mason's timpani-struck drums and Wright's distinctive Farfisa create an eerie, yet strangely appealing, soundscape. Side A (VINYL REFERENCES FOR THE WIN) closes with the anti-war ditty Corporal Clegg, notable for being one of the rare lead vocal performances from Mason, while all other members of the band also contribute vocals. There's also a chorus of kazoos just to provide a bit of Pythonesque silliness to all the serious lyrics about the futility of war.

The album's title track comes next, and for all the Floyd's space rock epics of their early days, this is the first time where the psychedelic went decidedly avant-garde; Waters and Wright used their architectural backgrounds to 'design' the song's structure, with some interviews from Waters claiming that the whole song tells the story of a battle, from the pre-fight anticipation to the closing mournful choirs of the dead. For the most part, it's a tribute to tape loops, pandemonium and experimentation, though the last two minutes are worth hanging out for. Wright's organ and mellotron work creates an ethereal atmosphere, and he joins Gilmour in some heavenly vocal chorus work. The album's worst song, See-Saw, comes next, and it says everything that when this song was recorded, the band referred to it as 'The Most Boring Song I've Ever Heard Bar Two'. While it's not THAT boring, being another Wright-penned maudlin piano/Farfisa tune, there's not much going on and it's probably lucky that it made the record. 

Closing the album is the last ever appearance on a Floyd release (and the sole songwriting contribution on this album) by Syd Barrett, Jugband Blues. By this time Barrett's mental state was fragmented, and while it's somewhat de rigueur to blame the drugs (and I'm sure they were a catalyst) it's probably accurate to say that the pressures of success were also contributory. At any rate, Jugband Blues is the observation of one man's mental state, written by the man himself. It serves as Barrett's own commentary on his fragmented mind, the fact that his own band were steadily squeezing him out, and an inability to cope with everything that was happening to him. In true Barrett fashion though, there's enough musical meat to make it listenable; the Salvation Army brass band add a nice touch, the "I don't care if the sun don't shine" section contains a flicker of Piper's psychedelic pop edge, while the song's closing notes, Barrett on an acoustic guitar singing, in a maudlin key, "And the sea isn't green/and I love the Queen/and what exactly is a dream?/And what exactly is a joke?" haunts you long after the song has closed.

The Verdict

I don't think it's Pink Floyd's worst album (step forward The Final Cut and A Momentary Lapse of Reason for that dubious honour) but A Saucerful Of Secrets' biggest problem is that it rarely achieves the musical heights of so many other Floyd releases. It's solid, but unspectacular; the sound of a group trying to find their feet as songwriters now that their main creative force was basically a vegetable. The lofty genius of the 70s was still a few years (and albums) away, though there are flickering moments on here that foreshadow what was to come.

Not one for casual fans, more for the purists like myself.

My rating: 6.3/10

Standout Tracks

Corporal Clegg

Jugband Blues

Remember A Day

Album #149: The Specials - The Specials

The Specials

The Specials (1979)

2 Tone legends/creators The Specials were largely responsible for the ska explosion in Britain in the late 1970. Coming at the same time as punk music, the band's ethos was all about anti-racism and integrating black and white people at a time when British society was running rife with a racist streak (the abhorrently racist National Front were experiencing significant support at this time.) It was 2 Tone that brought ska into the mainstream; firstly with The Specials, then with acts like The Selecter, Madness and The Beat...but it was the label's inventors who were their biggest and best act.

Their debut album came a couple of years after their birth in Coventry, and after they had already garnered the attention of Joe Strummer and Elvis Costello (the latter produced this album). Let's take a journey through its ska/reggae/rocksteady/rockabilly flavours...

The Album

The great thing about this album, apart from its inherent sense of fun, its danceability and its melodic excellence, the wonderful contributions of every member, and the sheer catchiness of the majority of the songs, is the variety of styles presented by The Specials. There's ska (Monkey Man, (Dawning Of A) New Era, Little Bitch, Stupid Marriage), rocksteady (A Message To You Rudy, Too Hot, Blank Expression), reggae (Doesn't Make It Alright), punk lite (Do The Dog) and rockabilly (Concrete Jungle). All of them are driven by the intricate bass of Sir Horace Gentleman, the rugged lead guitar of Roddy Radiation, the rhythmic guitar work of Lynval Golding, the powerful/deft drumming of John Bradbury, the vocal stylings of Terry Hall and Neville Staple, and the bubbling keyboard of Jerry Dammers.

In short, every member contributes flavour to every song; it's a real full-band album, and you wouldn't know from listening to it that the band, for the most part, have never really liked each other.

The pick of the tracks are the raucous, pumping Monkey Man, the equally raucous and snarlingly lyrical Little Bitch, the superbly catchy rocksteady of Blank Expression and the speedy, yet enormously fun, (Dawning Of A) New Era (which notably provided Melbourne ska band Area-7 with their name). That's not to say other tracks aren't also good, or don't have fantastic elements; Neville Staple's performance as "Judge Roughneck" on Stupid Marriage is a highlight, as is Terry Hall's defiant call to arms vocal performance on Do The Dog. Roddy Radiation's lead guitar work is particularly outstanding also on Concrete Jungle (which he himself wrote and sang on the album). 

It's not all beer and skittles though. The version of Too Much Too Young on the album is slow....too damn slow, in fact. Those familiar with the faster, catchier, skankier single version would hear the album version and bemoan the lack of tempo and urgency; it also suits the song's themes of teenage pregnancy and the importance of contraception much better. It's the worst song on the album by a distance and that's a shame because the single version is kickarse. Too Hot is a little boring, despite Hall and Staple's dual lead vocal, while closer You're Wondering Now, while lyrically it's the perfect album (and gig) closer, manages to end a fairly joyous, sunny album on a bit of a downer.

Lastly of note is that aforementioned social conscience. The Specials were not, at this point, the massive social commentators they later became, but there is evidence of this future development on the album. Songs like Too Much Too Young, Stupid Marriage, Concrete Jungle and Do The Dog show, through their lyrics, an awareness of contemporary social issues and a courage to pass comment on those issues. It was something that bandleader Dammers would continue to explore, and was part of the reason why just two years after the release of this album, Hall, Staple and Golding left to form the Fun Boy Three.

The Verdict

If you've never heard a ska album, this is the perfect place to start. If you have, and it's more recent ska, then this album is essential listening because this is the birth of the modern ska sound (even if it is entirely rooted in Jamaican reggae and rocksteady of the 60s.

My rating: 7.4/10

Standout Tracks

(Dawning Of A) New Era

Little Bitch

Monkey Man

"Album" #148: The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 Super Special Part Two!

The Eurovision Song Contest 2014

Super Special Part Two

A few days ago, I reviewed the first half of this year's Eurovision Song Contest. One of the notable things about the rejected songs and the shockers that do fail badly in the final is that they are either surprisingly good, or utterly terrible. There also tends to be, as the contest goes on and gets towards the winner, less utterly crap songs and more schlocky, bog standard trashy Europop, and it invariably all ends up sounding much the same.

Was 2014 different? Will this be a year where the top ten songs are all high quality jams, full of amazing hooks and melodic mastery? Or will we get shit like this? Let's find out.

The Songs and Verdicts and General Observations

18th - Elaiza (Germany) with Is It Right

Decidedly not shit neofolk with typical pop structures and hooks. The use of traditional instruments is good, and not in an Ireland type DROWN IT OUT kind of way. 5/10

17th - Molly (United Kingdom) with Children of the Universe

So string. Very anthem. Much grandiose. NOT WOW. Get your own anthemic chant without ripping off John Lennon. Three minutes of cliche jammed up the wazoo. 4/10

16th - Teo (Belarus) with Cheesecake

Teo does not want to be cheesecake. Therefore he is leaving his relationship due to his desire not to be cheesecake. It's like something Paolo Nutini would write if he suddenly became a completely talentless hack. 3/10

15th - Pollaponk (Iceland) with No Prejudice

Its light skatepunk influences are decent, though for the most part it's closer to fun Smashmouth type 90s rock radio. The inclusion of porn guitar is an absolute winner. Catchy stuff from the Anti-Hives and one of the standout tracks of Eurovision 2014. 7/10

14th - Donatan and Cleo (Poland) with We Are Slavic

Vomitous tuneless bile that needed a milkmaid with E-cups suggestively working a butter churn (by 'suggestively' I mean 'she looked like she was lasciviously wanking you off') to gain any votes from Europe. That this finished 14th is both an affront to music and a tribute to the power of hot blondes with big boobs dressed as milkmaids. Fucking terrible "music". 0/10

13th - Sebalter (Switzerland) with Hunter of Stars

In a Eurovision full of lame neofolkpop, it takes something extraordinarily terrible to be considered the shittiest lame neofolkpop. Stop fucking whistling and let the violin player play some more, because the violin solo is INFUCKINGSANE. 2/10

12th - Paula Seving and Ovi (Romania) with Miracle

Far from the worst EURODANCEPOPMEGACHORUSHOOK song that's ever been in Eurovision. Manages to pump out that trashy electropop sound that only Eurovision can manage while maintaining melody and a decent hook. One bonus point for an effective key change. 5.5/10

11th - Softengine (Finland) with Something Better

BEHOLD as some dudes from Finland blatantly steal Panic at the Disco's emo themes and sounds. It would be okay if it wasn't TOO FUCKING LOUD, so loud that it obliterates any kind of musical nuance. Disappointing as it had potential to be decent. 4/10

10th - Ruth Lorenzo (Spain) with Dancing in the Rain

A bit like the Romanian entry, it's anthemic booming Eurosynthpop albeit with a slower tempo and a mournful piano entree. Unlike the Romanian entry it has no energy or bounce whatsoever. Good voice though. 5/10

9th - Basim (Denmark) with Cliche Love Song

Look no further for lyrical mastery than this song ("Shoobiedoobiedopbop/Badoobiedawopbop/I love you"). Pleasant radiofriendly pop but hardly memorable. 5.5/10

8th - Carl Espen (Norway) with Silent Storm

Emotionally wrenching music with over-reverberated lyrics and minimalist sad sweeping piano arrangements. At least it is until Phil Spector's Norwegian cousin Olaf kicks in with a MASSIVE WALL OF STRINGS that somehow don't manage to make the song anything other than totally boring. 3.5/10

7th - Tolmachevy Sisters (Russia) with Shine

In the words of Europe: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Like most songs today, it is so boring it evokes no feeling. Even outright hatred seems like too much effort for this bland, forgettable dirge. Though Europe, it appears, disagree (BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO). 2/10

6th - Mariya Yaremchuk (Ukraine) with Tick-Tock

The performance featured a man dancing in a hamster wheel. Why? Fuck knows. Maybe it's an allegory for the Ukrainian political crisis. Or alternatively the Ukraine realised they needed something to distract from the cookie-cutter cliche pop lyrics and equally cliched production. 3/10

5th - Andras Kallay-Saunders (Hungary) with Running

Sure, the dude thinks he's Craig David, and he's got a really smooth, soulful voice; in fact I think he's probably better than singing the fifth place Eurovision song. Unfortunately the song he's singing doesn't quite measure up, even if it's a creditable effort to actually implement changing dynamics by shifting between emotional balladry and pumping dance tune. Far from the worst tune. 6.5/10

4th - Aram MP3 (Armenia) with Not Alone

Rubbish lyrics and FUCKING STUPID FUCKING DUBSTEP SHIT aside, buried under the crappy dubstep is a rather subtle pop ballad with actual attention and care paid to its composition. The dynamic shift from ballad to DUBSTEP WOOO is slow, careful and builds tension well, as the synths, strings and horns add to each other like a wave. Got a great vocal too. A worthy Top 5 tune. 6/10

And now, the Top 3...........

3rd - Sanna Nielsen (Sweden) with Undo

A boring, repetitive and ultimately safe Eurovision tune. It's perfect for Eurovision though, because it is safe, grand pop that is magnificently sung by the talented Nielsen. Compared to the two previous songs that at least took a few risks, it is dull and lifeless. 4/10

2nd - The Common Linnets (Netherlands) with Calm After The Storm

Times must be tough for Angus and Julia Stone if they are now pretending to be Dutch and foisting their crap brand of lame acoustofolk on the world.

What do you mean it's not Angus and Julia Stone? 4/10

And....at number 1.....THE WINNER WAS.....

Conchita Wurst (Austria) with Rise Like A Phoenix

Do me a favour. Listen to this song, but close your eyes. Picture naked female silhouettes swimming out of silhouetted guns and doing the breaststroke in between the words "SEAN" and "CONNERY". 

Why?

It's a Bond theme. Listen to the overly dramatic, theatrical strings, horns and soaring vocals and tell me this DOES NOT SOUND LIKE A BOND THEME.

It's a worthy winner though.  6/10

So there you have it, the 37 songs from Eurovision 2014 reviewed and rated. All that's really left to say is that JAMES BOND EUROVISION WILL RETURN IN 2015.

Album #147: Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

Pavement

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)

There comes a time in every music lover's life when he just wants to be left alone, to live in relative peace and harmony, free from the neverending nagging and badgering of others. A time when he can enjoy serenity. A time when he can finally satisfy the needs of others and in so doing fill a gap in his own life.

That time has come today because I'm finally going to listen to a Pavement album and get EVERY SINGLE PERSON who has ever said or written, "hey you should listen to Pavement", off my case. So this better be good, because if it's not, I'm going to be sorely disappointed, and I am going to personally make it my mission to discredit every single thing Robert Christgau has said because he thinks Pavement are the ultimate band of the 90s.

The Album

The words I would use to describe Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain are sloppy, messy, chaotic and loose.

I would also use the term 'remarkably carefree'.

I think viewed through those lenses, it's understandable why it has received such high praise, because it's almost the manifesto for underground indie rock - unpolished and rough, yet full of immensely creative musical craft. For the most part, creative force Stephen Malkmus has created an album here full of fire, fury and fizz, where the nods to classic rock are easily found even while there's not a single song that sounds like a ripoff, pastiche or even celebration of those sounds.

Despite a slow start (Silence Kid is good but not great; 70s powerpop vibes meet scratchy vocals and riffs played with reckless abandon, although the mid-song tempo change is like a sledgehammer to the balls, and Elevate Me Later is much the same except for a wonderful false ending) the album soon begins to take flight, and confirm all the buzz of the critics. 

Stop Breathin' is brilliantly produced. Even within all the instrumental noise, Malkmus' vocal seems to occupy its own clear space, and when his vocal gives way to the song's intense second movement, the tension is tightened like a drum. Cut Your Hair is top drawer stuff, with a lyrical theme that seems to target those who critique big hair as representing the worst musical excesses of the 1980s, while musically, the drony choir of guitars are never obtrusive and there's a great drumbreak by the impressive Steve West. It's such a visceral, energetic track that when the comparatively mellow Newark Wilder arrives, with its smooth, jazzy drumming and withdrawn guitars, it provides respite.

Which lasts for approximately one song as the powerful, ballsy Unfair blazes its way into your ears, with abrasive guitar riffery and Malkmus' half bellow/half wail. From there, the high quality is maintained with only a minor dropoff. Gold Soundz probably isn't the ULTIMATE SONG OF THE 90s (good work Pitchfork) - hell I don't even think it's the ULTIMATE SONG OF Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain! It is however an upbeat, jangly tune with clever lyrical turns of phrase.  5-4=Unity (so named for its time signature) is a highly intriguing sonic adventure, where Pavement turn into some sort of indie/jazz fusion band with a splash of avant-garde thrown in (just listen to the repetitive piano meanderings and the dissonant guitar melodies). For sheer chutzpah in including such an out-of-place track (and for doing a good job with it) Pavement deserve praise. They also deserve praise for the fantastic yet folky Range Life (Malkmus offers sage yet honest wisdom on the life of a touring musician, and does it in an old-school folk style, with a vocal that's worldweary, while the music continues the 70s rock vibe) and the jarring, grating Hit The Plane Down (written by guitarist Scott Kannberg, and featuring a rather ingenious guitar effect that sounds like a recording of a car creating the Doppler effect).

Yet it's on the final track, Fillmore Jive, where the brilliance of Pavement is laid bare in all its messy, filthy, creative glory. At almost seven minutes, it's by far the longest track on the album, but what a track; Malkmus and co create a jam track in the finest traditions of 70s bands like The Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd's early 70s work, yet in the lyrics seem to be crying out for this style of music to be left alone; it's rock and roll crying out to have a rest, burned out on thirty years of overexposure ("I need to sleep/I need to sleep/Why won't you let me sleep?" and "Goodnight to the rock and roll era" being the two major examples). The chosen 70s jam rock style acts as a final hurrah even while rock and roll is begging for peace. It's the most terrible timekeeping you've ever heard, and I haven't heard so many flubbed drum fills in my entire life, and some of the solos and riffs are really just fiddly noise, and yet it affirms everything I love about music, that it's the passion and the carefree nature that sometimes creates the greatest work.

The Verdict

Don't believe everything the critics said - this isn't a perfect album. Some of the musicianship is decidedly average and Malkmus, while a stunningly good songwriter and lyricist, is not a particularly good singer (though in a kind of Wayne Coyne way, it fits the music rather well.) Additionally, the first two songs are good but not great, and consequently it takes time to hit its straps.

So it's not perfect but it's a terrifically cohesive body of work, where most of the songs are great (if not brilliant) slices of art. In my view this is what indie music, the really experimental fuck conformity indie music, should sound like.

My rating: 8.9/10

Standout Tracks

Fillmore Jive

Range Life

Cut Your Hair

Album #146: Little Birdy - Bigbiglove

Little Birdy

Bigbiglove (2004)

There must have been something in the porridge in the Steele household twenty or so years ago. Luke Steele has carved out a name for himself in the Australian music scene, firstly as leader of The Sleepy Jackson, but more recently as the creative force behind dreamy popsters Empire Of The Sun. His little sister Katy also made a name for herself as the lead singer and chief songwriter of Perth band Little Birdy, who arrived on the scene in a big way with 2004's Bigbiglove. 

The album not only did well on the charts, but it also sent two songs to the Hottest 100 for 2004 and attracted decent critical approval. It's also the only album the band released that has a real 'old-school' feel, where the overall sound is that of melody, harmony and pop-tinged indie rock. Later albums saw the band go a bit more electronic and experimental, and in my view their sound suffered as a result, making Bigbiglove their best album.

Why is that, and what do you need to know about it? Well, read on, and find out.....

The Album 

Little Birdy never hit any major heights, though they did okay, chart wise. It's a parallel for the experience of listening to Bigbiglove. At no stage is there anything that blows you away, nor is there anything amazingly outstanding, but it's all quite okay, listenable indie rock with pop influences. It would be fair to say that if it wasn't for Katy Steele, the album would not be as pleasant as it is, because her vocals are a real highlight, showing a great range as well as an impressive depth of emotion. Added to that is her gift for writing a good hook, as well as a decent lyrical ability, and she makes the album what it is.

Disappointingly, some songs are ruined by what I can only describe as a loudness issue. At times, the production is amateurish, with vocal hooks completely drowned out by overly loud guitars. You can get away with that if you're a metal band, or guitars are a vital part of your sound, or if you don't really rely on hooks in your music. Unfortunately, Little Birdy do rely on hooks, and they're not a metal band, so where the music needs room to breathe, and the vocals need to be heard, this doesn't always happen. This means that songs like Come On Little Heartbreaker, Tonight's The Night and Losing You end up far harsher on the ears than was probably the band's intention.

Where the melodies and hooks are given room to come through, the songs show a good level of songcrafting. On opener Excited (the one song where you could forgive the producer for turning up the guitars) there's snarl and bite in the riffs, and a ballsy rocker is offset by Steele's high pitched birdsong. Beautiful To Me is a lovely pop track, helped by a softer production touch. All the instruments blend together gently, while Steele sails over the top with a great vocal...and there's even a nice slide guitar motif. The underrated Forever does have some incredibly annoying synth strings (though they are bright and breezy, as is Steele) but when they give way, the song proper is a good indie pop track that manages to steer clear of most pop cliches (especially with the inclusion of a slide guitar solo and a rather scratchy, staccato guitar riff in the second verse). Closing track Andy Warhol is also interesting, serving as the most 'underground indie rock' tune of the album, with its guitars calling to mind the 90s indie sound.

Counteracting that are a few tracks that struggle to justify their inclusion on the album. Close To You is moody, bleak navel gazing that refuses to engage on any real level, plodding along to an inevitable conclusion; It's A Rule For You All is painful crap, a piano waltz with a fucking calliope (A CALLIOPE) blaring away like it's Sunday night at the circus; and It's All My Fault tries to tackle pop balladry but comes off as an incredibly poor recreation of Jealous Guy, with none of the feeling and even less of the skill.

The Verdict

Bigbiglove is a middle of the road album from a middle of the road band. As a vehicle for the talents of Katy Steele, it does a decent job - she is, as I said earlier, the album's standout - but as an overall listen, it scarcely breaks though the barrier of mediocre. There are moments of fleeting promise, while others are sadly ruined by poor production.

My rating: 5.7/10

Standout Tracks

Beautiful To Me

Forever

Excited

Album #145: Big Star - #1 Record

Big Star

#1 Record (1972)

Big Star are contenders for the greatest band that never was. It must be something to do with 70s power pop icons, because they, like Badfinger, were desperately unlucky not to ascend to musical royalty. Where Badfinger were ripped off by an unscrupulous toolbag of a 'manager', Big Star's unintended downfall came at the very start of their career, as a consequence of being signed to a clueless record label (Stax Records) who could not adequately promote or distribute their debut album, #1 Record (and by 'could not adequately promote or distribute', I mean 'actually did not really bother promoting or distributing'.) Fans were unable to buy copies because there weren't enough at stores, and the label made no attempts to gain radio airplay.

When the band themselves got their material to the attention of radio stations, and people began to sit up and take notice, the shit really hit the fan, because the lack of availability really hit home. To top it all off, when Stax signed a distribution deal with Columbia Records, rather than this being the catalyst for copies of #1 Record to fly off the shelves, Columbia actually pulled copies off record store shelves because they refused to deal with independent record stores that Stax had previously dealt with themselves.

In short: it was a clusterfuck, and an album where every song was described as a possible single ended up only selling about 10 000 copies. This actually caused the band's demise; the band's main creative force, Chris Bell, left, suffering depression; bass player Andy Hummel wasn't far behind, and after three poorly selling yet rather good albums, Big Star were gone.

They were later to have a revival, as indie kids and major acts of the 80s publically celebrated the band's work, but sadly this came too late for Bell and Hummel; Bell died in a car accident, aged just 27, while Hummel left the band after their second album.

Without further ado, today we explore the band's debut album and find out what all the fuss was about.

The Album

Magnificently lush, loaded up with hooks aplenty and enough vocal harmonies to fill a Beatles album, #1 Record is everything that reviewers - contemporary and recent - said it was. The statement that 'every cut could be a single', made in a Billboard review, is accurate, though not every song would be a great single, in truth. The key is the incredible sense of melody and harmony that the band has, in particular Bell, whose guiding hand was at the helm of production here, and for whom it appears Beatlesesque sounds were second nature.

Additionally, many people overuse the term Beatlesesque - I know, I'm one of them - but #1 Record absolutely deserves the term. It picks up where Abbey Road left off and is all the better for it, both in terms of the quality of production and the immensely beautiful sound of the album. Bell and Alex Chilton deserve nothing but praise for their incredible vocal harmonies, even if on their lead tracks, Bell is for mine the better singer, with a greater range and a sweeter timbre.

Trying to pick standout songs is tough because almost every song has something to recommend it. Feel's dry, compressed, scratchy guitar riffs are a counterpoint to the monstrously lush harmonies, while saxophone and organ add extra flavour to the punchy pop/rock. The Ballad of El Goodo sees Chilton do an eerily accurate impression of George Harrison on vocals, while the chorus is pure Beatles as Chilton and Bell harmonise. The band goes full-on powerpop on the very British Invasion In The Street (with a bluesy riff and a sitar-sounding lead break), the snarling When My Baby's Beside Me (even if Chilton downplays the snarl with a pure, sweet pop vocal) and on the rollercoaster dynamics of My Life Is Right, with gentle verses and smashing choruses. There's even a harder rocking tune in the surprising, but brilliant, Don't Lie To Me; its muscular riff, classy lead guitar breaks, driving rhythm and gutsy, rougher vocals from Bell being the main features.

When Big Star go ballad, it seems to be an invitation to turn up the Lush-O-Meter. Some, like the George Harrison inspired stylings of Try Again and the straightforward Give Me Another Chance, are stunning. The former in particular is superb, not just thanks to all the wonderful vocals and lush acoustic guitars, but the addition of a fantastic slide guitar part. The latter is somewhat similar, with dual acoustics providing a beefy but beautiful aesthetic, and Bell's falsetto backing vocal supports Chilton's lower tones to perfection. Thirteen also has those lush acoustics, but vocally it takes a simpler path, with Chilton alone, his voice lightly echoed, matching the lyrical theme of reflection on youth and celebration of simpler times.

The album though just confirms the tragedy of Big Star. Bell and Chilton were, on this evidence, one hell of a potential songwriting team, and it's upsetting to think that record label fuckwittery is what ensured the pair would produce just one single album as a creative partnership.

The Verdict

Sometimes it's rather au fait to pump up the tyres of 'lost' artists and recordings (think Nick Drake or Tim Buckley as examples), and inflate their value because, in true music hipster style, you want people to think that you're the gatekeeper to some far out musical world; or because the artist (usually tragically prevented from doing anything else) is no longer around, and their material was ignored upon release. It's like a form of musical archaeology, really; people finding forgotten artists and finding their material like it's the Ark of the Covenant, you're Indiana Jones and all those other people who don't get it are Belloq.

The point of that rather tortured analogy is to say that my concern before listening to #1 Record was that it would not live up to the rather overwhelming platitudes it's received, particularly in the years following the band's demise from people who were falling over themselves to namedrop the band.

Yet it appears those people were correct (as, to be fair, people were with Nick Drake). #1 Record is amazing. It's another example of pop music as it used to be - brilliantly crafted, expertly performed and delightfully lush. Frankly, Stax Records deserve to be thought of as fools based on this album, because they had an absolute goldmine on their hands and threw it away.

Worse than that, they denied people the opportunity to experience the talents of Chris Bell....which in turn denied Bell the opportunity to explore his talent. Still, this album stands as a testimony to both his love of the British sound and his attention to pop music detail.

I'm glad I heard it. I guarantee it's staying in my collection.

My rating: 9.3/10

Standout Tracks

Try Again

In The Street

Don't Lie To Me

The Ballad of El Goodo