Finally, I get to publish my Top 20 Songs of 2015. I put a lot of thought and listening hours into this list. It's not perfect, but it's mine.
20. Three Days Grace -- "I Am Machine"
This Canadian band reminds me of Bad Religion for some reason. I love the vocals on this song -- their power matches the power of the theme. It makes me think about the character of Murphy in Robocop, but you could go with Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Vision in The Avengers, or pretty much any A.I. character who wishes he or she was human. Of course, I think the writers wanted it to be about how all of us are losing our humanity, and that's fine too.
19. The Decemberists -- "Till the Water's All Long Gone"
This is the first of two songs from The Decemberist's What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World to make this list, which is kind of weird because I felt kind of meh about the album as a whole. This song is beautiful, though, slow and haunting. It's sung by a character whose time has passed him by -- his beloved daughter is long dead, some distant ancestors have come down from the mountains, but he's protecting his water even if he can't quite remember who he's protecting it for. The song has nothing to do with this, but for some reason, it makes me think of the Bikura episode in Dan Simmons' Hyperion novel. I think it's because both the singer and the people coming down from the mountains remind me of the Bikura in their dimness.
18. Florence + The Machine -- "Ship to Wreck"
Florence + The Machine is a weird band for me. On each of their albums, including this one, I find I'm not impressed with most of the songs, but there are always one or two that I really like a lot. This song is the band at their best. It has a strong hook, the lyrics have strong imagery, and it all goes perfectly with one of Florence Welch's best vocals. Sometimes (too often, actually) this band gets into a bluesy thing that I don't care for, but this number is straight-ahead driving rock.
17. Melanie Martinez -- "Pacify Her"
Cry Baby, the LP on which this song appears, is a concept album. The CD is done up as a kind of demented children's book. This particular song is pretty laid back -- slow, and a little dreamy. It's not the first song I noticed when I heard the CD, but it's the one that grew on me the most. Thematically, it's the reverse of Paramore's "Misery Business" -- this time, we're getting the point of view of the manstealer. "Tired, blue boy walks my way/Holding a girl's hand/That basic bitch leaves finally/Now I can steal her man." There's a wicked sense of humor here, and no repentance whatsoever, which makes it even funnier.
16. Coldplay -- "Everglow"
This is a slow, kind of sad ballad. It features a soulful vocal by Chris Martin, and some really exquisite Bruce-Hornsbylike piano work. It might be a little schmaltzy, but I can deal with that because it's so damned beautiful. And apparently Martin's ex, Gwyneth Paltrow, does an uncredited guest vocal. What's in the box, Chris?! Oh, what's in the f!-@ing box?!!!
15. Coin -- "Run"
Coin is a poppy alternative band from Nashville. This song is from their eponymous debut CD. The song is a delightful, upbeat indiepop number. It's a little like this -- imagine you took Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up", sped it up, and added jangly guitars, some synth on the transitions, and some clean alt-rock vocals. That's what it's like. A little. Sort of.
14. Holly Miranda -- "Desert Call"
Holly Miranda is a singer-songwriter from Detroit. "Desert Call" is from her self-titled debut album. This is another slow, dreamy number, with vocals that are alternately breathy and belty. (I'm pretty sure I just made that word up.) There's some stark guitar in the beginning, and later on some gentle sax to carry the song home. And since she grew up singing in a church, there are some easy "halleljuhs" at the end that I'm pretty sure have more to do with world of the flesh stuff than with ecstasies of the spirit.
13. Virgin Steele -- "Hymns to Damnation"
Although Virgin Steele is a metal band, and there's plenty of fast-paced rock on the two-disc album from which this song comes, "Hymns to Damnation" is a ballad. It's a psychotic ballad, but it's a ballad. And you've never heard such a loving tribute to death, deceit and damnation, lovingly growled by lead singer David DeFeis. ("Child heart with bestial eyes/Like tears in spider webs, a perfect disguise ...") Demons rock!
12. Night Riots -- "Break"
Night Riots is a California band that has been compared to The Killers. This track is from their Howl EP. The song is a strong alt-rock single, although strangely it wasn't released as a single. Go figure. It's a medium-paced song with a positive message "They will try, but they will never break what you are/There is us, we are one/As the whole world falls apart." It's catchy. You'll like it. (Actually, I have no idea if you'll like it, but I like it, so that's why it's here.)
11. Hey Violet - "You Don't Love Me Like You Should"
Hey Violet is a mostly-grrl pop punk band from Los Angeles in the tradition of The Go-Gos. Apparently they used to be an all-grrl band called Cherri Bomb, but stuff happens. The music is fast-paced and fun, even when the lyrics are about sad stuff (like when your significant other doesn't love you like they should). They've got a full-length CD coming out later this year, but this song is from last year's I Can Feel It EP. I've never seen them live, but I bet they're a pisser.
Next Post: Top 20 Songs of 2015: Part 2
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
Top 10 Local Albums of 2015
I'm a Long Island guy who grew up in Queens. I used to do a radio show highlighting "local" music, and a couple of public access TV shows as well.
When I talk local music, I try to keep a fairly loose definition of the word "local". For the purposes of picking a Top 10 Local Albums list, here's what I consider "local": 1. Long Island, for sure; 2. The 5 boroughs of NY (especially Brooklyn, where a lot of Long Island bands have run off to) 3. Sometimes Jersey or a little ways upstate, if the mood takes me. (I'm not giving away money or anything, so I kind of get to make up the rules as I go along). Also, if a band or artist spent a decent amount of time living on and playing on Long Island, they get to qualify, even if they've moved to another area of the country.
As for format of what constitutes an "album" I'm going by the same rules I used on my The Top 10 Albums of 2015 list --there has to be a hard (CD copy) of the album, and it has to full-length; No EPs. allowed.
Because there's not much suspense about the top 3 slots (Since Tang, Elle King and Matt and Kim all made the national list), we're going to print this list from top to bottom.
Top 10 Local Albums of 2015
1. Tang -- Blood & Sand
Holy Guacamole! A local Long Island band takes the #1 slot for 2015! They describe themselves as a "dual female fronted alternative metal power trio". They've done some good stuff in the past, but this by far the best complete album they've ever put together. They're a way heavier band than I usually go for, but this was my number one album this year from the moment I first heard it, and nothing was able to dethrone it for the rest of the year. The whole album is first-rate, but the apocalyptic "The 11th Hour" is the standout. (So for all the happy, upbeat albums in the first part of the list, the darkness wins out after all. Yay darkness!)
2. Matt and Kim -- New Glow
Yet another great band (duo, actually) that lives in Brooklyn, these guys make music that's just kind of goofy and fun. When I first heard them, it seemed to me as if Beavis and Butthead had formed their own band. Then I found out that Kim was a girl, and I felt kind of bad about thinking that. Anyway, what is it with me and happy, fun bands these days? Usually I gravitate towards much darker stuff. (Well, wait until we reach my Top 20 Singles of 2015 list). As a New Yorker, I particularly love "Can You Blame Me" which has some great lyrics like "Climbing the Manhattan Bridge/Give the finger to our city with a kiss". These guys get it.
3. Elle King -- Love Stuff
Elle King is one of a ridiculous number of talented artists living in Brooklyn these days. Her music mixes rock, country and maybe a little blues. Love Stuff is her debut album, and it's a strong one. A lot of the songs on this CD feature her playing the bad girl -- drinking, breaking guys' hearts, tempting Satan, etc. "Ex's and Oh's" is the one everyone knows, if not from the rock charts or the alternative charts, then surely from one of several television commercials that make use of the song. My personal favorite is "America's Sweetheart", where she gets to do the bad girl thing to the hilt -- "Well they say I'm too loud for this town/So I lit a match and burned it down."
When I talk local music, I try to keep a fairly loose definition of the word "local". For the purposes of picking a Top 10 Local Albums list, here's what I consider "local": 1. Long Island, for sure; 2. The 5 boroughs of NY (especially Brooklyn, where a lot of Long Island bands have run off to) 3. Sometimes Jersey or a little ways upstate, if the mood takes me. (I'm not giving away money or anything, so I kind of get to make up the rules as I go along). Also, if a band or artist spent a decent amount of time living on and playing on Long Island, they get to qualify, even if they've moved to another area of the country.
As for format of what constitutes an "album" I'm going by the same rules I used on my The Top 10 Albums of 2015 list --there has to be a hard (CD copy) of the album, and it has to full-length; No EPs. allowed.
Because there's not much suspense about the top 3 slots (Since Tang, Elle King and Matt and Kim all made the national list), we're going to print this list from top to bottom.
Top 10 Local Albums of 2015
1. Tang -- Blood & Sand
Holy Guacamole! A local Long Island band takes the #1 slot for 2015! They describe themselves as a "dual female fronted alternative metal power trio". They've done some good stuff in the past, but this by far the best complete album they've ever put together. They're a way heavier band than I usually go for, but this was my number one album this year from the moment I first heard it, and nothing was able to dethrone it for the rest of the year. The whole album is first-rate, but the apocalyptic "The 11th Hour" is the standout. (So for all the happy, upbeat albums in the first part of the list, the darkness wins out after all. Yay darkness!)
2. Matt and Kim -- New Glow
Yet another great band (duo, actually) that lives in Brooklyn, these guys make music that's just kind of goofy and fun. When I first heard them, it seemed to me as if Beavis and Butthead had formed their own band. Then I found out that Kim was a girl, and I felt kind of bad about thinking that. Anyway, what is it with me and happy, fun bands these days? Usually I gravitate towards much darker stuff. (Well, wait until we reach my Top 20 Singles of 2015 list). As a New Yorker, I particularly love "Can You Blame Me" which has some great lyrics like "Climbing the Manhattan Bridge/Give the finger to our city with a kiss". These guys get it.
3. Elle King -- Love Stuff
Elle King is one of a ridiculous number of talented artists living in Brooklyn these days. Her music mixes rock, country and maybe a little blues. Love Stuff is her debut album, and it's a strong one. A lot of the songs on this CD feature her playing the bad girl -- drinking, breaking guys' hearts, tempting Satan, etc. "Ex's and Oh's" is the one everyone knows, if not from the rock charts or the alternative charts, then surely from one of several television commercials that make use of the song. My personal favorite is "America's Sweetheart", where she gets to do the bad girl thing to the hilt -- "Well they say I'm too loud for this town/So I lit a match and burned it down."
4. Jeff Rosenstock -- We Cool?
Actually, I hated this album the first time I heard it. There's a lot of feedback and cacophony going on. But on second listen, I realized there's also some first-rate song writing on this CD. Rosenstock has been involved in a number of previous projects, including the ska-punk band The Arrogant Sons of Bitches and a music collective called Bomb the Music Industry. The best songs here include a number called "Nausea", which includes a description of a great deal of substance abuse, and "I'm Serious, I'm Sorry" which also contains some excessive alcohol consumption, but is the song with the biggest heart on the album.
5. Jeremy Gilchrist -- Causality
I'm cheating just a little bit with this one, because it was actually released in the last two weeks of 2014, but tough. Jeremy Gilchrist is a former Long Islander who has since moved on, first to North Carolina and then to snowy Vermont (which is appropriate, since Jeremy is almost as well known for his love of extreme weather as for his love of music). This is his best album to date, which is saying something. The most powerful song is a slow number called "Letter from the 21st", which is a musical love letter to the 22nd century, full of hope, but also filled with regret for things we won't be leaving them. Also particularly strong is the last song, "Great Escape", which features the heaviest dose of Gilchrist's unique musicality, especially his half-laughing, half-maniacal vocals.
6. Melanie Martinez -- Cry Baby
Martinez is a Manhattan resident who competed on Season 3 of the television show The Voice. Cry Baby, her first full-length CD, is a concept album done in the style of a very adult and disturbing children's book. There are themes of family trauma, rape, childhood bullying, and others guaranteed to keep you up at night. The big single was "Pity Party" which borrows heavily from "It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To," but twists it into something a little more desperate. My favorite track is Pacify Her", a subtle number that is sort of the bizarro world version of Paramore's "Misery Business", told from the viewpoint of the boyfriend stealer with not a whole lot of sympathy for the victim. ("I can't take her whining/Where's her binky now?") The music is well thought out and heavily produced throughout.
7. Blackmore's Night -- All Our Yesterdays
All Our Yesterdays is Blackmore's Night's 10th studio album. I actually don't think it's one of their strongest, but it says something that even an album that's not one of their best still makes my local Top 10. The title track is classic Blackmore's Night, featuring yet another crystal clear and beautiful vocal by Candice Night. There's also some particularly tasty instrumental work from rock legend Richie Blackmore and his band here, especially on "Allan yn n fan". It blows me away that we have a band this strong on Long Island that has such a virulent following in places like Germany, but they've mainly only got a cult following here. Get with the program, Long Islanders!
8. Sufjan Stephens -- Carrie & Lowell
Sufjan Stephens is a Brooklyn resident with a distinguished musical career over the last few decades. This a bittersweet concept album with songs written mostly about his relationship with his mother who suffered throughout her life with mental illness and substance abuse, and his stepfather Lowell Brams, who later became the head of his record label. It's described on Wikipedia as "sparsely instrumental", and I'd say that's an accurate assessment. The best number is called "Fourth of July", an intensely beautiful song that recounts a conversation between Stephens and his mother while she was in the hospital dying of stomach cancer. If you're looking for party music, this ain't it. But if you want something subtle, sorrowful and poetic, this is a highly worthwhile album.
9. Torres - Sprinter
Mackenzie Scott (aka Torres) is a Brooklyn-based singer songwriter. Sprinter is her second full-length CD. She opened for Garbage earlier this year at The Space in Westbury, and I'm bummed I missed it because I really like this album. I particularly like the song "New Skin", told first from the viewpoint of her as a baby trying to make sense of her baptism, and later of her as the young woman she is today. I'm also particularly impressed by a long, sparse number called "The Exchange". It tells the story of her loss of her own history; her mother was an adoptee whose birth records were lost in a church flood. The album as a whole is kind of stark, which of course, is one of the things I like best about it.
10. Virgin Steele -- Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation
As Monty Python would say, "And now for something completely different." With the exception of the Tang album at the top of the list, most of my Top 10 Local CDs list has been dominated by quiet, subtle or acoustic music. Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band of Long Island origin, in the tradition thematically (if not quite sonically) of European epic metal. Nocturnes of Hellfire and Damnation is a 2-disc concept album filled with demons, devils, witches, etc., and what could be wrong with that? There are a number of strong songs on both the main disc and the bonus disc. My particular favorite is "Hymns to Damnation", which is sort of a slow, pretty demonic ballad celebrating damnation and disease. I also love "Persephone" which a more typical, driving number.
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this list. Again, my hope is maybe I'll turn you on to an album or artist you were previously unfamiliar with, and it will make your 2016 a happier year.
Next Post: The Top 20 Songs of 2015
I'm cheating just a little bit with this one, because it was actually released in the last two weeks of 2014, but tough. Jeremy Gilchrist is a former Long Islander who has since moved on, first to North Carolina and then to snowy Vermont (which is appropriate, since Jeremy is almost as well known for his love of extreme weather as for his love of music). This is his best album to date, which is saying something. The most powerful song is a slow number called "Letter from the 21st", which is a musical love letter to the 22nd century, full of hope, but also filled with regret for things we won't be leaving them. Also particularly strong is the last song, "Great Escape", which features the heaviest dose of Gilchrist's unique musicality, especially his half-laughing, half-maniacal vocals.
6. Melanie Martinez -- Cry Baby
Martinez is a Manhattan resident who competed on Season 3 of the television show The Voice. Cry Baby, her first full-length CD, is a concept album done in the style of a very adult and disturbing children's book. There are themes of family trauma, rape, childhood bullying, and others guaranteed to keep you up at night. The big single was "Pity Party" which borrows heavily from "It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To," but twists it into something a little more desperate. My favorite track is Pacify Her", a subtle number that is sort of the bizarro world version of Paramore's "Misery Business", told from the viewpoint of the boyfriend stealer with not a whole lot of sympathy for the victim. ("I can't take her whining/Where's her binky now?") The music is well thought out and heavily produced throughout.
7. Blackmore's Night -- All Our Yesterdays
All Our Yesterdays is Blackmore's Night's 10th studio album. I actually don't think it's one of their strongest, but it says something that even an album that's not one of their best still makes my local Top 10. The title track is classic Blackmore's Night, featuring yet another crystal clear and beautiful vocal by Candice Night. There's also some particularly tasty instrumental work from rock legend Richie Blackmore and his band here, especially on "Allan yn n fan". It blows me away that we have a band this strong on Long Island that has such a virulent following in places like Germany, but they've mainly only got a cult following here. Get with the program, Long Islanders!
8. Sufjan Stephens -- Carrie & Lowell
Sufjan Stephens is a Brooklyn resident with a distinguished musical career over the last few decades. This a bittersweet concept album with songs written mostly about his relationship with his mother who suffered throughout her life with mental illness and substance abuse, and his stepfather Lowell Brams, who later became the head of his record label. It's described on Wikipedia as "sparsely instrumental", and I'd say that's an accurate assessment. The best number is called "Fourth of July", an intensely beautiful song that recounts a conversation between Stephens and his mother while she was in the hospital dying of stomach cancer. If you're looking for party music, this ain't it. But if you want something subtle, sorrowful and poetic, this is a highly worthwhile album.
9. Torres - Sprinter
Mackenzie Scott (aka Torres) is a Brooklyn-based singer songwriter. Sprinter is her second full-length CD. She opened for Garbage earlier this year at The Space in Westbury, and I'm bummed I missed it because I really like this album. I particularly like the song "New Skin", told first from the viewpoint of her as a baby trying to make sense of her baptism, and later of her as the young woman she is today. I'm also particularly impressed by a long, sparse number called "The Exchange". It tells the story of her loss of her own history; her mother was an adoptee whose birth records were lost in a church flood. The album as a whole is kind of stark, which of course, is one of the things I like best about it.
10. Virgin Steele -- Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation
As Monty Python would say, "And now for something completely different." With the exception of the Tang album at the top of the list, most of my Top 10 Local CDs list has been dominated by quiet, subtle or acoustic music. Virgin Steele is a heavy metal band of Long Island origin, in the tradition thematically (if not quite sonically) of European epic metal. Nocturnes of Hellfire and Damnation is a 2-disc concept album filled with demons, devils, witches, etc., and what could be wrong with that? There are a number of strong songs on both the main disc and the bonus disc. My particular favorite is "Hymns to Damnation", which is sort of a slow, pretty demonic ballad celebrating damnation and disease. I also love "Persephone" which a more typical, driving number.
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this list. Again, my hope is maybe I'll turn you on to an album or artist you were previously unfamiliar with, and it will make your 2016 a happier year.
Next Post: The Top 20 Songs of 2015
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Top 10 Albums of 2015
This list has been ready for at least a week and a half, but this is the first chance I've had to post it.
Here are the rules for what is eligible: It has to be a full-length album of at least 7 songs (unless you've got one or more epic-length songs). No EPs. It also has to be all by one artist -- no compilations. And although I know one of these days I'll have to change this, I'm still old school, so I have to have a physical copy of the album on CD. I won't count it if I can only get a digital version.
In 2015, I listened to 70+ albums to put together this list. I tried to include a variety of genres, but my tastes are what they are -- I like classical, but no classical albums were included. I don't much like pure hip-hop or jazz, so none of those albums were included. I didn't include any straight country, although some of the artists produced country-tinged rock. And of course, it's all based on my taste. It's all about what I liked, and what I thought was good.
So from 10th through first, here's my list:
Top 10 Albums of 2015:
10. Coldplay -- A Head Full of Dreams
This was the last album I reviewed for the year, but it made my Top 10. Actually, after being disappointed by Mylo Xyloto in 2011, I've liked their last two albums a lot. For me, these guys carry on the banner of Pink Floyd (although they're obviously much less psychedelic), so it's no wonder they're one the most successful bands in the world today. For me, the standout cut is the slow ballad "Everglow" which features some lovely piano that reminds me of Bruce Hornsby.
9. Meg Myers -- Sorry
This is the first full-length album for this West Coast artist who was born in Tennessee. The genre is rock-pop with some bite to it. Her first single, "Desire", is also my favorite song on the album. There's a kind of an animal longing to it, and also a fair amount of pissed-offishness, as she almost spits out "How do you want me/How do you want me?" I'd never heard of her before, and I don't even remember what made me try out the album, but I'm really glad I did.
8. Zedd -- True Colors
One of the top electro artists out today, I first became aware of him when he collaborated with Paramore's Hayley Williams on "Stay the Night". That song isn't on this album, but a whole bunch of other collaborations are, most of whom I either hadn't heard of or never thought I'd like (Selena Gomez sings one of the songs on this album, and it's actually pretty good). Some of the critics thought it wasn't as good as his first album, Clarity, but screw 'em. My favorite song is the first one on the album, "Addicted to a Memory", which features a strong vocal from an all-female Manhattan Beach band called Bahari. The song also has all kind of weird, swirling electronic things going on that I really liked.
7. The Mowglis -- Kids in Love
The Mowglis are a Southern California alt-pop band that just reek of wholesomeness and fun. Normally this makes me run for the hills, but it works for them. The music is a lot more modern and full, but for some reason something about them makes me think of The Cowsills. The band has both male and female vocalists, and there's a very upbeat vibe throughout the CD. The title track is my favorite, and it's about exactly what you'd think -- "Kids in Love." It has an infectious upbeat groove to it.
6. Passion Pit -- Kindred
Passion Pit is described by Wikipedia as an "indietronica band", although to my ears they're more "indie" than "tronica", and they're not so much a band as they are the musical project of one man, the falsetto-voiced Michael Angelakos. I've liked all three of Passion Pit's albums to date, and while there's nothing on this one quite as weird and out there (in a good way) as the song "Sleepyhead" from the first album Manners (which sounded like it was sung by Oz's Munchkins on acid), this new album is full of good stuff. "Where the Sky Hangs" is the one I like best. It's a dreamy little number that has a video featuring a strangely beautiful but disturbing-looking boy and girl lying side by side in the grass, holding hands and blinking a lot. Go figure.
5. Elle King -- Love Stuff
Elle King is one of a ridiculous number of talented artists living in Brooklyn these days. Her music mixes rock, country and maybe a little blues. Love Stuff is her debut album, and it's a strong one. A lot of the songs on this CD feature her playing the bad girl -- drinking, breaking guys' hearts, tempting Satan, etc. "Ex's and Oh's" is the one everyone knows, if not from the rock charts or the alternative charts, then surely from one of several television commercials that make use of the song. My personal favorite is "America's Sweetheart", where she gets to do the bad girl thing to the hilt -- "Well they say I'm too loud for this town/So I lit a match and burned it down."
4. Matt and Kim -- New Glow
Yet another great band (duo, actually) that lives in Brooklyn, these guys make music that's just kind of goofy and fun. When I first heard them, it seemed to me as if Beavis and Butthead had formed their own band. Then I found out that Kim was a girl, and I felt kind of bad about thinking that. Anyway, what is it with me and happy, fun bands these days? Usually I gravitate towards much darker stuff. (Well, wait until we reach my Top 20 Singles of 2015 list). As a New Yorker, I particularly love "Can You Blame Me" which has some great lyrics like "Climbing the Manhattan Bridge/Give the finger to our city with a kiss". These guys get it.
3. Three Days Grace -- Human
Three Days Grace is a Toronto-based band that I was originally turned on to by my son. Even though they're more heavy rock than punk, especially on this album, something about them reminds me of Bad Religion. The band has a new lead vocalist for this album, Barry Wolst, and although it didn't chart as well as some of their previous stuff, I think he's better than their previous singer. He's got a powerful but pleasing voice. The standout song for me is "I Am Machine" which sort of feels to me like it's being sung by the character of Murphy from Robocop.
2. Priory -- Need to Know
I'm kind of cheating with this album, because I'm pretty sure the digital download was available late in 2014. But I couldn't get an actual CD until sometime in 2015, so it counts. (Maybe it was only the single that was available digitally?) I saw them about a year and a half ago opening for The Kooks at the Paramount in Huntington, and I was on the hunt for the album ever since. I actually thought these guys were from somewhere in the UK, maybe Scotland or Wales, but it turns out they're from Portland, OR. Wikipedia describes them as electropop. OK. I'd just go with alternative. Anyway, it's a strong album, front to back, and the single "Weekend" is particularly tasty.
1. Tang -- Blood & Sand
Holy Guacamole! A local Long Island band takes the #1 slot for 2015! They describe themselves as a "dual female fronted alternative metal power trio". They've done some good stuff in the past, but this by far the best complete album they've ever put together. They're a way heavier band than I usually go for, but this was my number one album this year from the moment I first heard it, and nothing was able to dethrone it for the rest of the year. The whole album is first-rate, but the apocalyptic "The 11th Hour" is the standout. (So for all the happy, upbeat albums in the first part of the list, the darkness wins out after all. Yay darkness!)
So that wraps up my Top 10 Albums of 2015. I hope maybe some of you get turned on to someone great you never heard before. All I can tell you is the list was lovingly, yet painstakingly, put together.
Next Post: The Top 10 Local Albums of 2015.
Here are the rules for what is eligible: It has to be a full-length album of at least 7 songs (unless you've got one or more epic-length songs). No EPs. It also has to be all by one artist -- no compilations. And although I know one of these days I'll have to change this, I'm still old school, so I have to have a physical copy of the album on CD. I won't count it if I can only get a digital version.
In 2015, I listened to 70+ albums to put together this list. I tried to include a variety of genres, but my tastes are what they are -- I like classical, but no classical albums were included. I don't much like pure hip-hop or jazz, so none of those albums were included. I didn't include any straight country, although some of the artists produced country-tinged rock. And of course, it's all based on my taste. It's all about what I liked, and what I thought was good.
So from 10th through first, here's my list:
Top 10 Albums of 2015:
10. Coldplay -- A Head Full of Dreams
This was the last album I reviewed for the year, but it made my Top 10. Actually, after being disappointed by Mylo Xyloto in 2011, I've liked their last two albums a lot. For me, these guys carry on the banner of Pink Floyd (although they're obviously much less psychedelic), so it's no wonder they're one the most successful bands in the world today. For me, the standout cut is the slow ballad "Everglow" which features some lovely piano that reminds me of Bruce Hornsby.
9. Meg Myers -- Sorry
This is the first full-length album for this West Coast artist who was born in Tennessee. The genre is rock-pop with some bite to it. Her first single, "Desire", is also my favorite song on the album. There's a kind of an animal longing to it, and also a fair amount of pissed-offishness, as she almost spits out "How do you want me/How do you want me?" I'd never heard of her before, and I don't even remember what made me try out the album, but I'm really glad I did.
8. Zedd -- True Colors
One of the top electro artists out today, I first became aware of him when he collaborated with Paramore's Hayley Williams on "Stay the Night". That song isn't on this album, but a whole bunch of other collaborations are, most of whom I either hadn't heard of or never thought I'd like (Selena Gomez sings one of the songs on this album, and it's actually pretty good). Some of the critics thought it wasn't as good as his first album, Clarity, but screw 'em. My favorite song is the first one on the album, "Addicted to a Memory", which features a strong vocal from an all-female Manhattan Beach band called Bahari. The song also has all kind of weird, swirling electronic things going on that I really liked.
7. The Mowglis -- Kids in Love
The Mowglis are a Southern California alt-pop band that just reek of wholesomeness and fun. Normally this makes me run for the hills, but it works for them. The music is a lot more modern and full, but for some reason something about them makes me think of The Cowsills. The band has both male and female vocalists, and there's a very upbeat vibe throughout the CD. The title track is my favorite, and it's about exactly what you'd think -- "Kids in Love." It has an infectious upbeat groove to it.
6. Passion Pit -- Kindred
Passion Pit is described by Wikipedia as an "indietronica band", although to my ears they're more "indie" than "tronica", and they're not so much a band as they are the musical project of one man, the falsetto-voiced Michael Angelakos. I've liked all three of Passion Pit's albums to date, and while there's nothing on this one quite as weird and out there (in a good way) as the song "Sleepyhead" from the first album Manners (which sounded like it was sung by Oz's Munchkins on acid), this new album is full of good stuff. "Where the Sky Hangs" is the one I like best. It's a dreamy little number that has a video featuring a strangely beautiful but disturbing-looking boy and girl lying side by side in the grass, holding hands and blinking a lot. Go figure.
5. Elle King -- Love Stuff
Elle King is one of a ridiculous number of talented artists living in Brooklyn these days. Her music mixes rock, country and maybe a little blues. Love Stuff is her debut album, and it's a strong one. A lot of the songs on this CD feature her playing the bad girl -- drinking, breaking guys' hearts, tempting Satan, etc. "Ex's and Oh's" is the one everyone knows, if not from the rock charts or the alternative charts, then surely from one of several television commercials that make use of the song. My personal favorite is "America's Sweetheart", where she gets to do the bad girl thing to the hilt -- "Well they say I'm too loud for this town/So I lit a match and burned it down."
4. Matt and Kim -- New Glow
Yet another great band (duo, actually) that lives in Brooklyn, these guys make music that's just kind of goofy and fun. When I first heard them, it seemed to me as if Beavis and Butthead had formed their own band. Then I found out that Kim was a girl, and I felt kind of bad about thinking that. Anyway, what is it with me and happy, fun bands these days? Usually I gravitate towards much darker stuff. (Well, wait until we reach my Top 20 Singles of 2015 list). As a New Yorker, I particularly love "Can You Blame Me" which has some great lyrics like "Climbing the Manhattan Bridge/Give the finger to our city with a kiss". These guys get it.
3. Three Days Grace -- Human
Three Days Grace is a Toronto-based band that I was originally turned on to by my son. Even though they're more heavy rock than punk, especially on this album, something about them reminds me of Bad Religion. The band has a new lead vocalist for this album, Barry Wolst, and although it didn't chart as well as some of their previous stuff, I think he's better than their previous singer. He's got a powerful but pleasing voice. The standout song for me is "I Am Machine" which sort of feels to me like it's being sung by the character of Murphy from Robocop.
2. Priory -- Need to Know
I'm kind of cheating with this album, because I'm pretty sure the digital download was available late in 2014. But I couldn't get an actual CD until sometime in 2015, so it counts. (Maybe it was only the single that was available digitally?) I saw them about a year and a half ago opening for The Kooks at the Paramount in Huntington, and I was on the hunt for the album ever since. I actually thought these guys were from somewhere in the UK, maybe Scotland or Wales, but it turns out they're from Portland, OR. Wikipedia describes them as electropop. OK. I'd just go with alternative. Anyway, it's a strong album, front to back, and the single "Weekend" is particularly tasty.
1. Tang -- Blood & Sand
Holy Guacamole! A local Long Island band takes the #1 slot for 2015! They describe themselves as a "dual female fronted alternative metal power trio". They've done some good stuff in the past, but this by far the best complete album they've ever put together. They're a way heavier band than I usually go for, but this was my number one album this year from the moment I first heard it, and nothing was able to dethrone it for the rest of the year. The whole album is first-rate, but the apocalyptic "The 11th Hour" is the standout. (So for all the happy, upbeat albums in the first part of the list, the darkness wins out after all. Yay darkness!)
So that wraps up my Top 10 Albums of 2015. I hope maybe some of you get turned on to someone great you never heard before. All I can tell you is the list was lovingly, yet painstakingly, put together.
Next Post: The Top 10 Local Albums of 2015.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Best Albums of the Decades lists Part VI: The '00s
Busy season at work has been killing me, which is why I haven't posted in two weeks. I finally have a weekend where I didn't bring home too much work, so I can finish this thread up. In the interim, I've at long last finished with my Best of 2015 lists. (What was it that made me think I'd be done with them before the end of January? Somehow it never seems to work out that way.)
The beginning of the first decade of the new millennium seemed a little musically listless to me. By this time, I wasn't even enjoying what was being released as national indie rock anymore. Mainstream music was even worse -- it was all either hip-hop or American Idol dreck, or both. Most of what I was listening to was local Long Island music. Someday I'll write a whole post about the local music scene of the late '90s and early '00s, and what it meant to me.
There was one album released midway through the decade, though, that brought a huge smile to my face (and to Denise's), so I picked that for my Runner-up Best Album of the '00s.
2000s
Runner-up: Employment by The Kaiser Chiefs
I actually had a hard time with this pick. Truth be told, there are at least a dozen albums from the '70s that I would score higher than this, and if I really got into it, probably a few local albums from this time period also.
There were also some other bands who put out some good albums in this decade whose work I considered, notably The Killers, Metric and Bayside ( I gave some serious thought to Shudder).
In the end, what I really love about Employment is it's just a fun album. Even the darker songs have a sense of humanity to them.
The album also has a first-rate single in "I Predict a Riot", a song that gets you on your feet and keeps you there. I also love the casually sick view of mortality that "Time Honored Tradition" takes, and the sense of humor behind "Everyday I Love You Less and Less." And I have to admit that when I finally took that first trip to Europe at 50 years of age, the song that kept playing in my head was "Oh my God" ("Oh my God I can't believe it/I've never been this far away from home").
I've always been a little disappointed in The Kaiser Chiefs' output after this album. Employment was their first CD, and I thought they were going to become a really great band. But while they've definitely put out some good songs on subsequent albums, they've never really lived up to the promise I thought they showed. And clearly, this band isn't The Who. Then again, who is?
Taken for itself, though, Employment is fun and worthwhile, and in a somewhat flawed decade, it stands out among the best releases.
Best Album: Riot! by Paramore
I have to credit Paramore for reigniting my passion for music. By late in the decade, I was kind of burnt out musically. I had largely dropped out of the local music scene, except for the acoustic scene at the late, great Pisces Cafe in Babylon. Much of the excitement music-wise had started the drift from Long Island down to Brooklyn. And there wasn't much going on in the national scene that interested me at all.
That all changed with Riot! I wasn't even aware of the album, or of the band when it was first released, and consequently, it didn't make my "Best Of" list for 2007. And when I first did finally become aware of "Misery Business", I liked it enough to buy the CD, but it didn't really grab me right away.
I can't remember if it was when "Crushcrushcrush" started getting play as a single, or a few months later when Paramore's tracks on the soundtrack for the first Twilight movie started getting played, but at some point in 2008, I was inspired to go back to this album with fresh ears, and it blew me away.
It was a combination of 3 factors. The first was obviously Hayley Williams. Here was this little tiny girl with flaming orange hair with a voice that could knock down the walls. This is a girl whose voice scores high on both the power and beauty scales, who can hit you with a fast rock song like "Misery Business", or a ballad like "We Are Broken". But if you really want to hear the range of what she can do, listen to a song like "Hallelujah". That song still gives me chills down my spine.
The second factor is the quality of the songwriting. There were four songs released as singles from this CD, and of the remaining seven songs at least four more are very strong, and the other three are decent. When you combine songwriting like this with a charismatic and talented frontperson like Williams, you've got something special going on.
The third factor is the driving musicianship of the rest of the band. For two albums, Riot! and 2009's Brand New Eyes, this band was as perfect a rock music vehicle as you're ever going to find, in spite of the internal personality conflicts that were already eating at them. (And honestly, I could have easily named Brand New Eyes as my Runner-Up album of the decade). The band lost something when the Farro brothers left in 2010, and although the 2013 Paramore album was the band's first number one album sales-wise, the music and songwriting were both inferior to those of the previous two albums.
Sad as it is that the original Paramore lineup is no more, for me, Riot! will always stand frozen in time as an amazing achievement, an album every bit as good in its own way as those best albums of the '70s I love so much.
But enough of my nostalgic magic carpet ride through the decades of my younger years. In the next post, I'll (finally) bring things back to the (nearly) present.
Next Post: The Best of 2015 Part 1
The beginning of the first decade of the new millennium seemed a little musically listless to me. By this time, I wasn't even enjoying what was being released as national indie rock anymore. Mainstream music was even worse -- it was all either hip-hop or American Idol dreck, or both. Most of what I was listening to was local Long Island music. Someday I'll write a whole post about the local music scene of the late '90s and early '00s, and what it meant to me.
There was one album released midway through the decade, though, that brought a huge smile to my face (and to Denise's), so I picked that for my Runner-up Best Album of the '00s.
2000s
Runner-up: Employment by The Kaiser Chiefs
I actually had a hard time with this pick. Truth be told, there are at least a dozen albums from the '70s that I would score higher than this, and if I really got into it, probably a few local albums from this time period also.
There were also some other bands who put out some good albums in this decade whose work I considered, notably The Killers, Metric and Bayside ( I gave some serious thought to Shudder).
In the end, what I really love about Employment is it's just a fun album. Even the darker songs have a sense of humanity to them.
The album also has a first-rate single in "I Predict a Riot", a song that gets you on your feet and keeps you there. I also love the casually sick view of mortality that "Time Honored Tradition" takes, and the sense of humor behind "Everyday I Love You Less and Less." And I have to admit that when I finally took that first trip to Europe at 50 years of age, the song that kept playing in my head was "Oh my God" ("Oh my God I can't believe it/I've never been this far away from home").
I've always been a little disappointed in The Kaiser Chiefs' output after this album. Employment was their first CD, and I thought they were going to become a really great band. But while they've definitely put out some good songs on subsequent albums, they've never really lived up to the promise I thought they showed. And clearly, this band isn't The Who. Then again, who is?
Taken for itself, though, Employment is fun and worthwhile, and in a somewhat flawed decade, it stands out among the best releases.
Best Album: Riot! by Paramore
I have to credit Paramore for reigniting my passion for music. By late in the decade, I was kind of burnt out musically. I had largely dropped out of the local music scene, except for the acoustic scene at the late, great Pisces Cafe in Babylon. Much of the excitement music-wise had started the drift from Long Island down to Brooklyn. And there wasn't much going on in the national scene that interested me at all.
That all changed with Riot! I wasn't even aware of the album, or of the band when it was first released, and consequently, it didn't make my "Best Of" list for 2007. And when I first did finally become aware of "Misery Business", I liked it enough to buy the CD, but it didn't really grab me right away.
I can't remember if it was when "Crushcrushcrush" started getting play as a single, or a few months later when Paramore's tracks on the soundtrack for the first Twilight movie started getting played, but at some point in 2008, I was inspired to go back to this album with fresh ears, and it blew me away.
It was a combination of 3 factors. The first was obviously Hayley Williams. Here was this little tiny girl with flaming orange hair with a voice that could knock down the walls. This is a girl whose voice scores high on both the power and beauty scales, who can hit you with a fast rock song like "Misery Business", or a ballad like "We Are Broken". But if you really want to hear the range of what she can do, listen to a song like "Hallelujah". That song still gives me chills down my spine.
The second factor is the quality of the songwriting. There were four songs released as singles from this CD, and of the remaining seven songs at least four more are very strong, and the other three are decent. When you combine songwriting like this with a charismatic and talented frontperson like Williams, you've got something special going on.
The third factor is the driving musicianship of the rest of the band. For two albums, Riot! and 2009's Brand New Eyes, this band was as perfect a rock music vehicle as you're ever going to find, in spite of the internal personality conflicts that were already eating at them. (And honestly, I could have easily named Brand New Eyes as my Runner-Up album of the decade). The band lost something when the Farro brothers left in 2010, and although the 2013 Paramore album was the band's first number one album sales-wise, the music and songwriting were both inferior to those of the previous two albums.
Sad as it is that the original Paramore lineup is no more, for me, Riot! will always stand frozen in time as an amazing achievement, an album every bit as good in its own way as those best albums of the '70s I love so much.
But enough of my nostalgic magic carpet ride through the decades of my younger years. In the next post, I'll (finally) bring things back to the (nearly) present.
Next Post: The Best of 2015 Part 1
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Best Albums of the Decades lists Part V: The '90s
The '90s started off well enough. Nirvana and the grunge movement hit early on, and at first, it looked as if this might be the new decade's answer to the '80s' New Wave. Then Kurt Cobain killed himself, and grunge petered out as a national movement. For a year or so after that, it seemed like alternative rock would be the next big thing, as bands like The Flaming Lips were pushed by the record companies.
But alternative didn't bring in the big bucks they were hoping for, so while alternative kept going with a relatively small and loyal audience, the music industry started looking for the next big thing.
Then it all went wrong.
Like someone who's been traumatized in a war, my memory might be a little off. But in my recollection, 2 things happened at relatively the same time, both horrible, and both somewhat akin to Skynet going online in the Terminator movies.
The first was the creation, and success, of The Spice Girls in Britain. Prefabricated bands had been tried before. As I confessed in an earlier post, one such band, The Monkees was an early favorite of mine. The Spice Girls were supposedly "involved" in writing their own music. I suspect that that involvement was of the nature of 1. A record company exec played them a song written by a professional songwriter, and 2. Spice Girls said "Ooh, that sounds niiiiice. OK, we'll sing it." In any event, their first album sold over 30 million copies worldwide. And record company executives worldwide said "Ooooooo!"
At just about the same time, a little show named American Idol hit the U.S. airwaves. Based on a British show, this little gem showed that what record-buying Americans really wanted was a bunch of pretty faces with strong voices who had nothing of their own to say but who could sing other people's songs. Preferably with about 20 notes for every syllable.
Before long, we had Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson. And pop was demolishing rock in record sales.
At this point, which was about the middle of the decade, I retreated to indie rock. It was either that, or puncture my ear drums with a screwdriver. There was still good music out there, but I had to work a lot harder to find it. So here's what I found:
1990s
Runner-up: Nevermind by Nirvana
To realize just how good Nirvana was, think about this: Dave Grohl, who fronts and writes the music for The Foo Fighters, one of the best straight-up rock bands of the last two decades, was just the drummer/backup singer for Nirvana.
Nevermind was one of the few "perfect albums" of the '90s. A dark classic, it featured not only a ridiculously popular hit that kids today still recognize in "Smells Like Teen Spirit", but also a strong second single in "Come as You Are", and a song that should be assigned to all students of criminal psychology, "Polly".
I remember hearing a live radio concert during the Nevermind tour, and being blown away. I imagined this must have been what early fans of The Who felt like.
Twenty-plus years later, I've often wondered what Nirvana's catalog would look like today if Cobain had lived. Maybe not much different. Maybe Grohl would have had to have busted out on his own. Maybe Cobain would have just burned out creatively.
Or maybe it would have been amazing.
In any event, it sucks that Nirvana only made 3 studio abums. But then again, at least we have Nevermind to remember them by.
Best Album: Memories of Love by Future Bible Heroes
I stumbled across this band by accident. I went into Manhattan one summer evening to catch the band Betty Serveert at a showcase for the CMJ Music Festival, and Future Bible Heroes were one of four opening acts.
I know many of you have never heard of this band. They're one of about four projects of Stephin Merritt, who is best know for his main project, The Magnetic Fields, and their 3-CD set, 69 Love Songs.
But make no mistake about it, this is Merritt's best album. With alternating lead vocals between Merritt and his best friend/manager/drummer Claudia Gonson, this is beyond a "perfect album".
The songs are clever and well-written, and the sound is sprinkled throughout with the electronic weirdness of keyboardist Chris Ewen.
Consider the following lyrics of "She-Devils of the Deep": "Look in their amphibious eyes/You'll be sorry/Everybody hypnotized/Winds up splattered everywhere." Or these, from "But You're So Beautiful": "One day you burned down all your dreams/With one lit match and gasoline/How did you get so old and lonely at 17?"
The songs are songs of despair, but with a sense of humor.
I've never turned anybody on to this album (or this band) who didn't thank me for it. If you at all like '80s music and music with a sense of humor, check this album out. Future Bible Heroes are the '80s logical successors.
Next Post: The '00s
But alternative didn't bring in the big bucks they were hoping for, so while alternative kept going with a relatively small and loyal audience, the music industry started looking for the next big thing.
Then it all went wrong.
Like someone who's been traumatized in a war, my memory might be a little off. But in my recollection, 2 things happened at relatively the same time, both horrible, and both somewhat akin to Skynet going online in the Terminator movies.
The first was the creation, and success, of The Spice Girls in Britain. Prefabricated bands had been tried before. As I confessed in an earlier post, one such band, The Monkees was an early favorite of mine. The Spice Girls were supposedly "involved" in writing their own music. I suspect that that involvement was of the nature of 1. A record company exec played them a song written by a professional songwriter, and 2. Spice Girls said "Ooh, that sounds niiiiice. OK, we'll sing it." In any event, their first album sold over 30 million copies worldwide. And record company executives worldwide said "Ooooooo!"
At just about the same time, a little show named American Idol hit the U.S. airwaves. Based on a British show, this little gem showed that what record-buying Americans really wanted was a bunch of pretty faces with strong voices who had nothing of their own to say but who could sing other people's songs. Preferably with about 20 notes for every syllable.
Before long, we had Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson. And pop was demolishing rock in record sales.
At this point, which was about the middle of the decade, I retreated to indie rock. It was either that, or puncture my ear drums with a screwdriver. There was still good music out there, but I had to work a lot harder to find it. So here's what I found:
1990s
Runner-up: Nevermind by Nirvana
To realize just how good Nirvana was, think about this: Dave Grohl, who fronts and writes the music for The Foo Fighters, one of the best straight-up rock bands of the last two decades, was just the drummer/backup singer for Nirvana.
Nevermind was one of the few "perfect albums" of the '90s. A dark classic, it featured not only a ridiculously popular hit that kids today still recognize in "Smells Like Teen Spirit", but also a strong second single in "Come as You Are", and a song that should be assigned to all students of criminal psychology, "Polly".
I remember hearing a live radio concert during the Nevermind tour, and being blown away. I imagined this must have been what early fans of The Who felt like.
Twenty-plus years later, I've often wondered what Nirvana's catalog would look like today if Cobain had lived. Maybe not much different. Maybe Grohl would have had to have busted out on his own. Maybe Cobain would have just burned out creatively.
Or maybe it would have been amazing.
In any event, it sucks that Nirvana only made 3 studio abums. But then again, at least we have Nevermind to remember them by.
Best Album: Memories of Love by Future Bible Heroes
I stumbled across this band by accident. I went into Manhattan one summer evening to catch the band Betty Serveert at a showcase for the CMJ Music Festival, and Future Bible Heroes were one of four opening acts.
I know many of you have never heard of this band. They're one of about four projects of Stephin Merritt, who is best know for his main project, The Magnetic Fields, and their 3-CD set, 69 Love Songs.
But make no mistake about it, this is Merritt's best album. With alternating lead vocals between Merritt and his best friend/manager/drummer Claudia Gonson, this is beyond a "perfect album".
The songs are clever and well-written, and the sound is sprinkled throughout with the electronic weirdness of keyboardist Chris Ewen.
Consider the following lyrics of "She-Devils of the Deep": "Look in their amphibious eyes/You'll be sorry/Everybody hypnotized/Winds up splattered everywhere." Or these, from "But You're So Beautiful": "One day you burned down all your dreams/With one lit match and gasoline/How did you get so old and lonely at 17?"
The songs are songs of despair, but with a sense of humor.
I've never turned anybody on to this album (or this band) who didn't thank me for it. If you at all like '80s music and music with a sense of humor, check this album out. Future Bible Heroes are the '80s logical successors.
Next Post: The '00s
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Best Albums of the Decades lists Part IV: The '80s
Even though my wife Denise is the same age as I am, the musical decade she most identifies with is the '80s.
I can understand why. The '80s was the decade where she came of age. She was a young woman in her 20s, going to clubs like Malibu, dancing all night and listening to WLIR during the day. It was a fun time in her life, and '80s music was the soundtrack to that time.
For me, as much as I love the music of the '70s, I enjoy '80s music too. I like the pop hooks, and I like the frequent emphasis on keyboards and synthesizers. I miss some of the ambition and complexity of '70s progressive rock, but it's a little like ice cream -- chocolate might be my favorite, but sometimes mocha really hits the spot too.
I also feel like female lead singers came more into their own in the '80s. The '60s and '70s had their share of female singers, but most of them scored a little higher on the vocal power spectrum than on the vocal beauty scale. Singers like Grace Slick, Ann Wilson and even Patti Smith could blast it pretty good, but many of the most beautiful voices of these decades, such as those of Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins, were more folkie than rocker. (I'm not sure how I'd characterize Stevie Nicks -- her voice is very beautiful to me, but I can't deny it's also pretty raspy).
In the '80s, though, it seemed like female lead singers and even all-grrl bands became more prevalent, as bands like Blondie, The Go-Go's, The Bangles, and 'Til Tuesday elbowed their way onto the charts.
For years, my Runner-up album of the decade was U2's The Unforgettable Fire. Even though The Joshua Tree was the band's first Number One album in most countries, I find the heights of Unforgettable Fire to be much greater than those of any of the several singles produced by Joshua Tree. I'm particularly partial to "A Sort of Homecoming" -- I love the way the song builds. And I'm also fond of "Pride (In the Name of Love)," which is certainly one of U2's most powerful singles.
In recent years, though, I've come to consider Unforgettable Fire as an "Honorable Mention" (which really only means I consider it my third favorite record of the '80s), as another album has wormed its way up in my heart to the second position.
1980s
Runner-up: Synchronicity by The Police
I liked The Police from "Roxanne" on, but for years I would have told you Zenyatta Mondatta was my favorite Police album. Only with the passage of time have I been able to see Synchronicity for what it was -- a "perfect album" by a band at the height of their powers.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to figure it out. It might have been that I was in shock when I realized that Synchronicity was the last album they'd ever make together. More probably, it was because the first single and the big commercial hit from the record was "Every Breath You Take," which I consider to be a fine example of stalker song but just a so-so single.
It was only later, in looking back on the band's career that I fully realized that Synchronicity was their masterpiece, and I was able to look past "Every Breath" to appreciate that any album that included three songs such as "King of Pain," "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and "Synchronicity II" and topped them off with some quirky treats like "Tea in the Sahara" and "Murder by Numbers," was an extraordinary record.
It's a shame that The Police never made another album together. But at least they went out at the top of their game.
Best Album: Talk Show by The Go-Go's.
From a subtle album like Synchronicity which blended songs from a variety of different styles, we move to some good driving pop-punk, and here's where I think probably people are scratching their heads and saying "Really?" (Or they would be if I anyone actually read my blog. Oh well, maybe someday...)
Talk Show wasn't a huge commercial success. I remember reading somewhere that the band found it a difficult album to make (much like Pink Floyd did with Wish You Were Here), which is maybe why they didn't make another one for 17 years. Wikipedia even points out that after the band got back together in the '90s, they never bothered to play many of the songs from this record in concert.
Well screw you, Wikipedia!
All I can tell you is that the first time I listened to Talk Show, it put a big smile on my face, and it still does. "Head Over Heels" is my favorite Go-Go's song, even though it was never as big a hit as "We've Got the Beat" or "Vacation." It has a driving quality that gets you going right away, which I imagine is why the band used it as the opening number of their concerts so often. And "I'm With You" features what is perhaps Belinda Carlisle's best throaty vocal.
Obviously, I think Talk Show is a way underrated record. And even if no one else on the planet, maybe even including the band themselves, thinks it's the album of the decade, too bad! It's my list, after all.
Next Post: The '90s
I can understand why. The '80s was the decade where she came of age. She was a young woman in her 20s, going to clubs like Malibu, dancing all night and listening to WLIR during the day. It was a fun time in her life, and '80s music was the soundtrack to that time.
For me, as much as I love the music of the '70s, I enjoy '80s music too. I like the pop hooks, and I like the frequent emphasis on keyboards and synthesizers. I miss some of the ambition and complexity of '70s progressive rock, but it's a little like ice cream -- chocolate might be my favorite, but sometimes mocha really hits the spot too.
I also feel like female lead singers came more into their own in the '80s. The '60s and '70s had their share of female singers, but most of them scored a little higher on the vocal power spectrum than on the vocal beauty scale. Singers like Grace Slick, Ann Wilson and even Patti Smith could blast it pretty good, but many of the most beautiful voices of these decades, such as those of Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins, were more folkie than rocker. (I'm not sure how I'd characterize Stevie Nicks -- her voice is very beautiful to me, but I can't deny it's also pretty raspy).
In the '80s, though, it seemed like female lead singers and even all-grrl bands became more prevalent, as bands like Blondie, The Go-Go's, The Bangles, and 'Til Tuesday elbowed their way onto the charts.
For years, my Runner-up album of the decade was U2's The Unforgettable Fire. Even though The Joshua Tree was the band's first Number One album in most countries, I find the heights of Unforgettable Fire to be much greater than those of any of the several singles produced by Joshua Tree. I'm particularly partial to "A Sort of Homecoming" -- I love the way the song builds. And I'm also fond of "Pride (In the Name of Love)," which is certainly one of U2's most powerful singles.
In recent years, though, I've come to consider Unforgettable Fire as an "Honorable Mention" (which really only means I consider it my third favorite record of the '80s), as another album has wormed its way up in my heart to the second position.
1980s
Runner-up: Synchronicity by The Police
I liked The Police from "Roxanne" on, but for years I would have told you Zenyatta Mondatta was my favorite Police album. Only with the passage of time have I been able to see Synchronicity for what it was -- a "perfect album" by a band at the height of their powers.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to figure it out. It might have been that I was in shock when I realized that Synchronicity was the last album they'd ever make together. More probably, it was because the first single and the big commercial hit from the record was "Every Breath You Take," which I consider to be a fine example of stalker song but just a so-so single.
It was only later, in looking back on the band's career that I fully realized that Synchronicity was their masterpiece, and I was able to look past "Every Breath" to appreciate that any album that included three songs such as "King of Pain," "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and "Synchronicity II" and topped them off with some quirky treats like "Tea in the Sahara" and "Murder by Numbers," was an extraordinary record.
It's a shame that The Police never made another album together. But at least they went out at the top of their game.
Best Album: Talk Show by The Go-Go's.
From a subtle album like Synchronicity which blended songs from a variety of different styles, we move to some good driving pop-punk, and here's where I think probably people are scratching their heads and saying "Really?" (Or they would be if I anyone actually read my blog. Oh well, maybe someday...)
Talk Show wasn't a huge commercial success. I remember reading somewhere that the band found it a difficult album to make (much like Pink Floyd did with Wish You Were Here), which is maybe why they didn't make another one for 17 years. Wikipedia even points out that after the band got back together in the '90s, they never bothered to play many of the songs from this record in concert.
Well screw you, Wikipedia!
All I can tell you is that the first time I listened to Talk Show, it put a big smile on my face, and it still does. "Head Over Heels" is my favorite Go-Go's song, even though it was never as big a hit as "We've Got the Beat" or "Vacation." It has a driving quality that gets you going right away, which I imagine is why the band used it as the opening number of their concerts so often. And "I'm With You" features what is perhaps Belinda Carlisle's best throaty vocal.
Obviously, I think Talk Show is a way underrated record. And even if no one else on the planet, maybe even including the band themselves, thinks it's the album of the decade, too bad! It's my list, after all.
Next Post: The '90s
Monday, February 8, 2016
Best Albums of the Decades lists Part III: The '70s
When I look back on my life, I consider myself more a child of the '70s than of any other decade. My high school years were in the '70s, as well as those of my first attempt at college (I attended for 2-1/2 years, then dropped out for a decade before going back to finish up). And most of my favorite bands came into their own in the '70s as well.
And as far as music goes, the '70s had one other thing going for them: The perfect album.
Before the '60s, and well into them, it was all about the hit single. Then, somewhere midway through the decade, as artists began to write their own music instead of relying on the talents of outside songwriters, they started to realize they could make more of a statement with their music than 3 minutes worth of pop song. Albums began to be viewed as possible cohesive units of music, as bands like The Beatles moved from releasing collections of singles and throwaway tracks to releasing records that formed a more complete whole, such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
At the same time, the growth of FM radio stations in the U.S. and pirate radio in England provided outlets for music that didn't fall into the category of the 3-minute single to receive airplay. Track's like Iron Butterfly's 17-minute long "In-a gadda-da vida" could reach audiences they never could have in the past.
In the '70s, the album came into its own. Singles still prospered, as they do today, but FM radio and LP albums were where the action was at.
To me, the "perfect album" is exactly what it sounds like: an album where pretty much every track is at least good, and a few are great. And pound for pound, I'd have to say that there were more "perfect" albums in the '70s than in any other decade. Go up on Amazon.com, and you'll find a whole bunch of DVDs devoted to the making of various classic albums. Most of these are albums from the '70s.
I won't even try to name them all, but here are some of my favorites: Who's Next by The Who, Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin, Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springsteen, Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf, Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan and Tasty by Long Island local favorites The Good Rats all come to mind. Note the variety of genres, from harder rock to pop rock to folk. Even a band like Blondie that is usually associated more with '80s music had their "perfect" album hit in the late '70s, Parallel Lines.
Consequently, picking a Best Album and Runner-Up for the strongest rock decade ever isn't easy. Nevertheless, once again I've picked two albums that I don't think someone could seriously argue with. You may have different picks yourself, but you have to admit that these are highly credible choices for the very best albums of the decade.
1970s
Runner-up: Quadrophenia by The Who
For the second time in two decades, The Who come in with an entry that isn't a "perfect" album, but is ambitious and high-soaring enough to come up as one of my top two albums of the decade. Yet another rock opera, this one is even less stageable than Tommy. But oh my god, the highs!
Once again, Pete Townshend the songwriter hits on all cylinders, providing driving rock anthems like "The Punk Meets the Godfather," comic classics like "Bell Boy" and beautiful ballads like "Sea and Sand." Then he takes us to entirely new heights, opening the album with what is essentially an amazing overture, "I Am the Sea," and closing with a number that taps into something akin to Star Wars' force, something spiritual and deep, "Love, Reign O'er Me." The combination of the whirling synthesizers and Roger Daltrey's most powerful vocal ever on this last number takes rock music to an entirely new place.
I'm sure this album is considered the best album of the decade by many, even though Who fans have the luxury of arguing over whether it's even The Who's best album, or is it surpassed by Tommy or Who's Next. Someone once wrote that a thousand Def Leppard's will come and go, but there will only ever be one Who. No disrespect meant to Def Leppard fans, but I agree. Living here in the 2010s and looking back, The Who were in the very top echelon of bands in a decade of amazing bands and musicians.
Best Album (and Best Album of All Time): Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
Sales figures and popular sentiment may hold that Dark Side of the Moon was Pink Floyd's best album, and some might even argue for The Wall.
But to my mind, no album reaches the heights of Wish You Were Here.
Now, to be fair, I have a couple of memories that give me a sentimental attachment to this album beyond my objective judgment.
The first was Mike's poker game. I spent many a happy night in my twenties playing nickel ante poker with my friends at the apartment of my high school friend Mike's. Mike had a great record collection, and for years before I actually owned this album myself, whenever it was my turn to pick the music, I always included Wish You Were Here in the mix. You could always buy another dollar's worth of chips at Mike's, and do it while sucking down your favorite adult beverage (or maybe partaking in some slightly less legal fare). And Mike's music was always the best.
The second memory was the Christmas season I spent as an assistant manager at the Consumer's Distributors store in Forest Hills. Since the whole crew was young, including the manager, we allocated some funds to buy four 8-track tapes to keep the music rocking while we worked. Two I don't remember (I think one of these might have been the 8-track for Saturday Night Fever, but it was a long time ago), but the two I loved best were Jethro Tull's Songs From the Wood, and, of course, Wish You Were Here.
Happy memories aside, though, Wish You Were Here is ridiculously good by any objective standard. Clocking in at a tight 5 tracks total, the weakest song on the album is probably "Have a Cigar," which has garnered a ton of radio airplay over the years. (Not exactly a weak sister, eh?). This song also has the classic line, supposedly sung by a sleazy record company executive, "The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think/By the way, which one's Pink?"
The album is sandwiched by the two parts of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", Parts I-V at the beginning, and Parts VI-IX at the end. Yes, I know I said I don't have the patience for instrumentals, but the slow build up here is something completely different. Gilmour's slow guitar is at its best here, just rolling over you in waves. It's like the buildup to a slow and explosive orgasm/
The other two tracks, "Welcome to the Machine" and "Wish You Were Here" are two of the best songs in all of rock music. "Welcome to the Machine" is what I always thought music would become in the future, maybe after Skynet became self aware. And "Wish You Were Here" is simply stark and beautiful, with some of Waters' best lyrics ("We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl/Year after year).
I never get tired of this album, and I don't think I ever will.
Next Post: The '80s
And as far as music goes, the '70s had one other thing going for them: The perfect album.
Before the '60s, and well into them, it was all about the hit single. Then, somewhere midway through the decade, as artists began to write their own music instead of relying on the talents of outside songwriters, they started to realize they could make more of a statement with their music than 3 minutes worth of pop song. Albums began to be viewed as possible cohesive units of music, as bands like The Beatles moved from releasing collections of singles and throwaway tracks to releasing records that formed a more complete whole, such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
At the same time, the growth of FM radio stations in the U.S. and pirate radio in England provided outlets for music that didn't fall into the category of the 3-minute single to receive airplay. Track's like Iron Butterfly's 17-minute long "In-a gadda-da vida" could reach audiences they never could have in the past.
In the '70s, the album came into its own. Singles still prospered, as they do today, but FM radio and LP albums were where the action was at.
To me, the "perfect album" is exactly what it sounds like: an album where pretty much every track is at least good, and a few are great. And pound for pound, I'd have to say that there were more "perfect" albums in the '70s than in any other decade. Go up on Amazon.com, and you'll find a whole bunch of DVDs devoted to the making of various classic albums. Most of these are albums from the '70s.
I won't even try to name them all, but here are some of my favorites: Who's Next by The Who, Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin, Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springsteen, Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf, Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan and Tasty by Long Island local favorites The Good Rats all come to mind. Note the variety of genres, from harder rock to pop rock to folk. Even a band like Blondie that is usually associated more with '80s music had their "perfect" album hit in the late '70s, Parallel Lines.
Consequently, picking a Best Album and Runner-Up for the strongest rock decade ever isn't easy. Nevertheless, once again I've picked two albums that I don't think someone could seriously argue with. You may have different picks yourself, but you have to admit that these are highly credible choices for the very best albums of the decade.
1970s
Runner-up: Quadrophenia by The Who
For the second time in two decades, The Who come in with an entry that isn't a "perfect" album, but is ambitious and high-soaring enough to come up as one of my top two albums of the decade. Yet another rock opera, this one is even less stageable than Tommy. But oh my god, the highs!
Once again, Pete Townshend the songwriter hits on all cylinders, providing driving rock anthems like "The Punk Meets the Godfather," comic classics like "Bell Boy" and beautiful ballads like "Sea and Sand." Then he takes us to entirely new heights, opening the album with what is essentially an amazing overture, "I Am the Sea," and closing with a number that taps into something akin to Star Wars' force, something spiritual and deep, "Love, Reign O'er Me." The combination of the whirling synthesizers and Roger Daltrey's most powerful vocal ever on this last number takes rock music to an entirely new place.
I'm sure this album is considered the best album of the decade by many, even though Who fans have the luxury of arguing over whether it's even The Who's best album, or is it surpassed by Tommy or Who's Next. Someone once wrote that a thousand Def Leppard's will come and go, but there will only ever be one Who. No disrespect meant to Def Leppard fans, but I agree. Living here in the 2010s and looking back, The Who were in the very top echelon of bands in a decade of amazing bands and musicians.
Best Album (and Best Album of All Time): Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
Sales figures and popular sentiment may hold that Dark Side of the Moon was Pink Floyd's best album, and some might even argue for The Wall.
But to my mind, no album reaches the heights of Wish You Were Here.
Now, to be fair, I have a couple of memories that give me a sentimental attachment to this album beyond my objective judgment.
The first was Mike's poker game. I spent many a happy night in my twenties playing nickel ante poker with my friends at the apartment of my high school friend Mike's. Mike had a great record collection, and for years before I actually owned this album myself, whenever it was my turn to pick the music, I always included Wish You Were Here in the mix. You could always buy another dollar's worth of chips at Mike's, and do it while sucking down your favorite adult beverage (or maybe partaking in some slightly less legal fare). And Mike's music was always the best.
The second memory was the Christmas season I spent as an assistant manager at the Consumer's Distributors store in Forest Hills. Since the whole crew was young, including the manager, we allocated some funds to buy four 8-track tapes to keep the music rocking while we worked. Two I don't remember (I think one of these might have been the 8-track for Saturday Night Fever, but it was a long time ago), but the two I loved best were Jethro Tull's Songs From the Wood, and, of course, Wish You Were Here.
Happy memories aside, though, Wish You Were Here is ridiculously good by any objective standard. Clocking in at a tight 5 tracks total, the weakest song on the album is probably "Have a Cigar," which has garnered a ton of radio airplay over the years. (Not exactly a weak sister, eh?). This song also has the classic line, supposedly sung by a sleazy record company executive, "The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think/By the way, which one's Pink?"
The album is sandwiched by the two parts of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", Parts I-V at the beginning, and Parts VI-IX at the end. Yes, I know I said I don't have the patience for instrumentals, but the slow build up here is something completely different. Gilmour's slow guitar is at its best here, just rolling over you in waves. It's like the buildup to a slow and explosive orgasm/
The other two tracks, "Welcome to the Machine" and "Wish You Were Here" are two of the best songs in all of rock music. "Welcome to the Machine" is what I always thought music would become in the future, maybe after Skynet became self aware. And "Wish You Were Here" is simply stark and beautiful, with some of Waters' best lyrics ("We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl/Year after year).
I never get tired of this album, and I don't think I ever will.
Next Post: The '80s
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