Concept albums--please stop rolling your eyes
- scottdavismktg
- Aug 14, 2018
- 23 min read
Tell someone you are listening to a concept album. Watch the eyes roll back in their head as they assume you secretly dress in a cloak and sing about evil fairies and quests to reclaim the Dagger of sQ'rall from the Lizard King. What a load of pretentious...um, let's leave it at poppycock! I often hear the words overblown, self-indulgent, pompous, silly, bloated...well just like every other art form, sometimes the criticism fits, but conversely, there are many well-crafted and sublime albums too. This is their story...well, according to me.
Concept albums are not simply the realm of prog rock, although based on my list, you might get that impression. Many progressive rock bands engage in the form because of the freedom to explore a longer form of expression. This as true especially in the 70s when not every album had to have a hit to be successful. However, even by that measure, my favorite concept album doesn't fit that limited mold. Also, there are plenty of non-prog concept albums and I will try to touch on a few in this blog (i.e most of the mid-period Kinks, Beyonce's Lemonade, Muse's "Kendrick Lamar "To Pimp a Butterfly," Willie Nelson "Shotgun Willie", Alice in Chains "Dirt", etc... ).
So, what makes a good concept album--well. I guess it starts with a good concept. To that end, there are five basic directions: 1. A fairly straightforward narrative that tells an interesting story. (The Who's Tommy follows this model) 2. A kind of existential exploration around a theme, issue or philosophy (like Arcade Fire's The Suburbs or Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns) 3. A group of songs that drive a character study, but not necessarily a linear progression of events (think Green Day's American Idiot) 4. Connected musical concepts like every song recorded microtonally or, specifically on instrumental concept albums, provide thematic cohesion, aesthetic unity and structural logic (like Camel's Snow Goose) 5. A bunch of individual songs tenuously connected by a vague theme (Muse's Black Holes and Revelations, Radiohead's OK Computer, Nick Cave's Murder Ballads, Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs or even Madonna's Erotica are examples).
A good concept album tends to have multiple points of view---whether they are plot-related or musical. It presents different moods, but still consistent from a compositional standpoint. It's not that it can't, or shouldn't, have a standout track or two, but if there are too many weak tunes or filler, the cohesion of the total effect is ruined. Take a concept like Aryeon's Into the Electric Castle (a vaguely interesting concept of some sort of weird inter-dimensional space opera thing)...sonically all the songs blend together despite there being multiple singers, multiple "characters" and multiple themes. I simply don't care for Arjen Lucassen's musical vision. It felt bland. And that blandness dulled whatever interesting story he was trying to tell. Maybe it's my aversion to his brand of metal, but, getting back on track, it doesn't have enough differentiation; enough sonic peaks and valleys. Every song has the same arrangement, same feeling, similar melody. A good example of a concept album I don't review here, but explains the mold is Jethro Tull's Passion Play. Not as good as Thick as a Brick (noted below), but stylistically and sonically, it offers a healthy mix of change and interesting POV from brilliant hyperactive passages, some jazz structures and esoteric and tradition English pastoral folk elements all the way to the goofy aside of The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles.
Lastly, it needs coherence. There needs to be a reason all the songs fit together. That doesn't mean the same style or the use of the same refrain again and again. It doesn't mean every song needs a French horn. It means there needs to be a musical arc that makes sense and that reflects not just the concept, but ties it all together for the ear. It is an inherent flow, and not a shoehorning of a cool idea simply to have that idea included.
So...1. Interesting concept. 2. Musical diversity. 3. Coherence and consistency. I know it's fairly broad, but using those aspects as touch stones, here are my 10 favorite concept albums (in no particular order) and a list of 10 more worth investigating.
The Wall: Pink Floyd (UK) 1979: Duh, right? The Big Daddy of all concept albums...well at least the mainstream ones, and for good reason. It's simply a masterpiece; yet a flawed one. Clocking in at a bit under 90 minutes, there is about 10-12 minutes of pure filler--and that's not the special effects and ambient dialog added to give the narrative additional context. The story edited down to its most simplistic terms follows a rock star and his decent into a self-imposed alienation where he builds a mental wall to insulate himself from the madness without. Side one introduces us to him as a glorified demi-god and then lets us see behind the curtain in that he is insecure, traumatized by the death of his father in World War II and badly damaged. The odd characters of his mother, his teacher, his wife, and others (all provided their own musical flavors) add to the dimension of the piece. Side two continues the building of his metaphorical building of his wall, as we see his failed marriage. Side 3 shows us his further descent into through drug abuse, and side 4 is his existential crisis that breaks him. I could spend a whole blog dissecting this album, but I shall leave it in terms of what it means to me and why I love it. Musically you get a rapid evolution of various moods. The music isn't complex but it is highly charged, very emotional. Consider the way the overplayed Comfortably Numb works. I find David Gilmour's solo to be one of most emotional solos ever recorded. But the album is also deliciously surreal, with great songs like Waiting for the Worms and the Trial. Each song is almost a mini opera in itself. Even the seemingly out of place Vera/Bring the Boys Back Home, is a fantastic throwback tune. Overall, this is a album that ebbs and flows and speaks to me in a certain way because at the time of its release. I was generally angry at the world for no real reason and its changing moods and sounds and underlying anger appealed to me. Like punk rock for others, this was my rebellion record.
Misplaced Childhood: Marillion (UK) 1985 - This mid-80's classic was such a cathartic album for me. I had just broken up with a girlfriend and still generally angry at the world for no reason. The simmering emotion, and intensity of this album spoke right at me. There is a part of the song Bitter Suite (Blue Angel) that really got to the heart of what I felt in an intense musical interlude. Now from the story's perspective of a lost soul finding his way into the arms of a French prostitute, this had zero bearing on my life, but the rawness of the emotion did...and still does, have an effect on me. To a room of dancing shadows/Where all the heartache disappears/And from glowing tongues of candles/I heard her whisper in my ear/"'J'entend ton coeur" This album, provides many nods to mid-period Genesis, but is the first Marillion album to explore its own unique sound. Though the album's words take us through some bitter emotional territory, the music is rather varied, and evocative of its subject matter throughout. Conceptually, the album is about the loss of a childhood sweetheart that devolves into a cynical bitterness about the world until a realization that it ain't all that bad! Songs like Lavender and Kayleigh are a bit poppy, but provide a whollop in terms of the protagonist's state of emotional disarray. The first third of the album is a bit constrained and builds to a wonderful crescendo with the end of side 1: Heart of Lothian which ends with a downbeat And the man in the mirror has sad eyes. The second half is a bit more rocky and moves from sadness to anger and self-destruction, which finally bubble to the surface under the intensely angry song Blind Curve. The final message is not one of despair, however, as the protagonist has a dawning of wisdom, with the reclamation of a spirit of wonder. This is effectively portrayed in the final two triumphal and cathartic songs, "Childhood's End" and "White Feather." Marillion, to this point had always had a largely angry voice, but this was their most mature work to date. After writing this review and understanding why this album appealed to me at the time, I can still say 33 years later, it is still my favorite Marillion album, and still holds up after all these years.
Lamb Lies Down on Broadway: Genesis (UK) 1974 - The story is surreally silly...its interludes and individual songs are head-scratchingly odd, but my God, what a great album. Yes, it can be a bit uneven, especially the second half, and forget the story about a Puerto Rican kid and his decent into some sort of bizarro underworld and with equally strange characters along the way (a doctor that cuts off penises, mythical Lamia, a giant carbuncle, etc..). Really, it's a journey of self-discovery put in the context of a modern fairy tale. Someone called it a fantasia of death and renewal. If you want an in depth explanation of the album...this New Yorker article does a fairly good job: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-ulysses-of-concept-albums The star here is the magic combination of Peter Gabriel's words and the musical genius of and Tony Banks compositions. Yes, Rutherford and Hackett had hands in it too, but Banks signature sounds and textures are all over this. Most of the songs on this album are shorter, and to some degree simpler, than on previous Genesis albums. However, that doesn't lessen its impact. It starts with a trilling piano intro where both hands play the same register and from there it moves to a pair of ethereal yet powerful tunes in Fly on a Windshield and Broadway Melody. Then comes the first of a few "knock you on your ass" pieces: In The Cage. Every song brings something interesting, like Tony Banks moody mellotron interludes to his finger breaking yet masterfully tuneful solos. To Mike Rutherford's thundering and driving bass lines, Steve Hackett's unique ability to shift from aggressive rock guitar to nimble nylon string classical guitar performances, and of course Phil Collins at the height of his drumming prowess. But most of the attention is on Gabriel and his lyrics which flow like another instrument especially when singing near nonsense -- "Here comes the supernatural anesthetist/If he wants you to snuff it, All he has to do is puff it/he's such a fine dancer." or simply fluid poetry "Silent sorrow in empty boats./A sickly sourness fills the room,/The bitter harvest of a dying bloom" Without doing a blow by blow of the rest of the album (personal highlights being Back in NYC, Colony of the Slipperman, Carpet Crawlers, It), that it seamlessly moves from cinematic to tense to light-hearted to sinister to sentimental and poignant. Sometimes is completely misses like Waiting Room or Silent Sorrow which is 6 notes played for 3 minutes with some gentle keyboard. I always looked at it as a palette cleanser. But it is filler. The last 5 songs on the album do not live up to the first 3/4s, but overall, this is a master work done by musicians playing at the top of their game all the while the band is falling apart. This would be Gabriel's last Genesis album. To me, and many others, this is almost as good as it gets.
Shaming of the True: Kevin Gilbert (US) 2000 Simply, one of my favorite albums of all time. A desert island disc, a and a non-progressive concept album to boot. It's another disillusionment tale. This time about a starry eyed kid looking to make good music who gets chewed up and spit out by the system. It's a cautionary tale that frames what the late Kevin Gilbert truly thought of the music industry. "My name is Johnny Virgil and I'm gonna be a Star. Gonna get my share of fame". This acoustic ballad opens the odyssey beautifully before quickly moving to the foreboding warning Johnny gets at a gas station in City of the Sun. This album work for me on many levels, but top of mind is the juxtaposition of dripping cynical lyrics mixed with infectious pop melodies that makes this album so good. Imagemaker is a prime example...a song about a consultant trying to change Johnny into what sells is so cruel and yet you can't stop singing the chorus: Imagemaker come to me/Make me thing that I should be/I am only what you see/ And you're wanting more, and definitely the acid-tongued Suit Fugue (Dance of the A&R Men) which is a layered choir like round of Gentle Giant type vocals. It then turns introspective with Water Under the Bridge before rocking back up with Best Laid Plans and the super cynical Certifiable #1 Smash (It's got more hooks than a tackle box/It's got really loud guitars/It's got a blasting cap in the fertilizer/It's got secret anguish of the network stars). From there, with one exception...the angry Ghetto of Beautiful Things---the album grows more fragile and sad, but in a gorgeously musical way (A Long Day's Life is so hauntingly beautiful). This album is so wonderfully constructed. Lyrically, it captures a modern zeitgeist the same way early 60's folk singers did. It has so much charisma and brilliance, and yet seethes with an underlying sadness and anger. It is performed (he played most of the instruments) beautifully punctuated by Gibert's biting yet soothing vocals. Sadly this was a posthumous album that was lovingly completed by his friends including Spock's Beard drummer Nick D'Virgilio. Kevin Gilbert was one of those once in generation voices that was gone way to soon--and it is sadder in that it was an accidental death. For me, this one gets better with each listen because I catch one new thing I hadn't noticed before.
Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Alan Parsons Project (Int'l) 1976- So after writing the first four reviews, i noticed a recurring theme of anger and sadness. I never thought of myself as depressive...although there was a part of younger Scott that seemed to be angry at the world for no real good reason. Now we find ourselves reviewing a concept that moves away from those feelings...it's about Edgar Allen Poe; or at least musical interpretations of his work. What could possibly be depressing about being buried alive or being haunted by the pulsing heartbeat of a person you murdered? There are two versions of this album, the original from 1976, and a 1987 reissue that added some narration by Orson Welles and a few cut extensions. The narration provides a bit of spooky menace in Welles baritone, but it doesn't add too much to the overall production of the album. On the downside, the album does not quire capture the fear, tension and dread of Poe's work, but this was the first AP Project album so there was the genesis of a prog-pop foundation that Parsons and Eric Woolfson would build upon. This album just wasn't scary. Now Parsons might be the mastermind behind the Alan Parson Project (and the lead engineer on Pink Floyd's Dark Side and the Beatles Abbey Road), but he is hardly on the record. He is more like the bandleader and engineer. There are six songs and one mostly classical orchestration piece (the gothic sounding Fall of the House of Usher). The songs are nice prog-lite tunes. It leads off with The Raven, which has the distinction of being one of the first songs ever to use a vocoder. This song pulses (like the eponymous raven's tapping) nicely and ratchets up using orchestration and drives through crescendo--Nevermore!-- for the last minute and a half. Tell Tale Heart is driven by Arthur Brown (from The Crazy World of...fame) and is the closest the album comes to capturing a Poe vibe with its tension and languid moment trade off. The Cask of Amontillado (the buried alive story) is the best on the album, because it captures a true cinematic vibe due to Andrew Powell's tight orchestration. Dr Tarr and Professor Fether is a nice rocker and To One in Paradise is quietly emotional. To the discerning music critic, this might not be a great album, but its tone and nice melodies make it a favorite of mine. It is also important that some great musicians that are often overlooked play on this album. One of the reasons Alan Parsons enjoys a fairly good track record is he hires people like David Pack (Ambrosia), Ian Bairnson and David Paton (Kate Bush's band), Colin Blunstone (The Zombies), and Chris Rainbow as part of his coterie. However, the star of this particular album is Andrew Powell who gave the album its classical feel.
Hazards of Love: The Decemberists (US) 2009 - This is an eccentric album. It is part folk album, part rock opera part early metal, part experimentation, but something that is none of those and yet more than the sum of those parts. It takes some of the traditional sing-song, quirky, bookish nautical shanty Decemberist sound found in Picaresque, Her Majesty and The Crane Wife and puts a diabolical (mustache twirling) spin on it. It's subtle, it's dark humor, it's very witty, it's a bit sludgy (in a Black Sabbath metalish sort of way) a bit theatrical (kind of melodramatic in a good way) and it is twangy (in a Nashville sort of way). The plot is straightforwardly weird--a narrative about star-crossed lovers William (a lycanthrope) and Margaret-- and the dastardly villains who beset them. There’s also a psychotic queen and three revenge-seeking ghost kids. It all depend how you wish to listen to the tale. There are multiple characters, multiple points of view and it ties together wonderfully despite all the seemingly disparate and potentially discordant musical influences. You can hear as much Led Zeppelin here as you do Fairport Convention. I hear Robyn Hitchcock and I hear the Cream. I hear Coldplay and I hear Pink Floyd. All mixed together in a cool jumble. It's semi (or fully with a wink and a nod) pretentious, and it just freakin' works. Several songs stand out. Starting with The Rake's Song ...probably the most evil pop song ever written. The father sings about how he was roped into having kids and then subsequently murder them in horrible ways. Charlotte I buried after feeding her foxglove/Dawn was easy, she was drowned in the bath/ Isaiah fought but was easily bested/Burned his body for incurring my wrath. Reading this you should wince, but it's from a villains POV...just like Maleficent! And I simply love the heavy picking acoustic guitar which slides into a mewling growl followed by punch-in-the face bass drum. Won't Want For Love just drives and drives and pounds. It is nothing like anything the Decemberists previously recorded, but sounds very Decemberist-y (despite lead vocals taken by Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond). The Queen's Rebuke offers up more metal sounds, but again it simmers underneath. Now these songs may have a harder edge to them and are definitely some of the high points, but there is plenty of folky moments that work well--The Wanting Comes in Waves, and the refrains of the Hazards of Love theme. It's epic without being EPIC!!!
Thick as a Brick: Jethro Tull (UK) 1972 - Like Hazards of Love, Tull's Thick as a Brick is a concept album that gives a wink and nudge in knowing exactly what it is --more self-aware of itself in style and scope rather than parody. So in that respect here is a single 45 minute song that can be broken in 8 mini suites that constantly change mood, texture, and time. Overall, it perfectly blends acoustic folk with progressive rock; minstrel and quasi-classical with musical theater. The concept is a spoof: the story of a kid poet winning some church contest with a brilliant but somber poem He is eventually disqualified from winning by the authorities as a deranged and immoral youth. It's his "poem" that Ian Anderson puts to music...and it is one of the best progressive rock albums made. It is dynamic, it is funny, it is cutting, it's incredibly melodic, bombastic, ambitious and virtuosic...and it is simply brilliant. Most classic rock fans have heard the 5 minute radio edit , but it needs to be appreciated in its full glory to get the unconventional taste of Ian Anderson's playful, socially insightful, clever imagery and snarky interpretation of his fictional 8-year old genius's work. This work followed up to the wildly popular Aqualung. Aqualung had a few of the seeds of what would come next, but was still well rooted in Tull's blues heritage. Thick is something explosive and expansive. John Evan's Hammond organ and Martin Barre's guitar could further explore themes that were previously limited to 12 bars or a cool riff. Anderson's flute is still ever present, but it interplays with developing and overlapping themes that take 45 minutes and turn it into that whole "Wow, it's over, let's listen to that again" magic. The interludes are not just interesting and engaging, but full of counterpoints and clever transitions..a perfect foil for the lyrics. Most people know the opening refrain: Really don't mind if you sit this one out./My words but a whisper -- your deafness a shout./I may make you feel but I can't make you think./Your sperms in the gutter -- your loves in the sink." But It is passages like "See there! A son is born -- and we pronounce him fit to fight/There are black-heads on his shoulders/and he pees himself in the night./We'll Make a man of him/ Put him to trade/Teach him to play monopoly and To sing in the rain." that gets to the heart of the song's meaning. It's a fairly prescient way of looking at the stodgy culture of the time. Eventually, Anderson tells us that if we do not think for ourselves, the sandcastles will always be swept away and the pendulum will continue to swing and utopias will never be built. I could go on but instead I will take the next 45 minutes and listen to it again. Join me? I promise the flute solos are blazing and the Hammond organ is sumptuous!
Spartacus: Triumvirat (Germany) 1975 - Triumvirat gets a bad rap for being an Emerson Lake and Palmer clone. I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that whereas they are not nearly as technically proficient as ELP, Triumvirat composes more engaging and memorable melodies. Spartacus, a concept album about the gladiator slave who rose in rebellion against the mighty power of Rome, is a good example. This is the last album with the original singer Helmut Kollen (whom I find a bit weaker than his successor Barry Palmer) and you can occasionally catch keyboardist Jurgen Fritz in the midst of Emersonian Moog runs. As a 3-piece, the music is keyboard-driven and that rich synth sound is omnipresent. Hence the ELP comparisons. The album follows various instrumental moods, as the story of unfolds, and reaches a satisfying sonic climax in the last moments of the album. Throughout the album songs such as The School of Instant Pain, The Walls of Doom and The Burning Sword of Capua(a personal highlight) and March to the Eternal City showcase Fritz's virtuosity without shoving it down your throat. His keyboards also deliver some absolutely fantastic melodies. Every song is catchy without being shallow, which to me, is the recipe for a great album. The whole album flows seamlessly between ballads, synth interludes, and upbeat tunes. And...this isn't even my favorite Triumvirat album, or even my second favorite which tells you something of the quality of this disc.
Lex Rex: Glass Hammer (US) 2002 Another Rome concept...who knew? And Glass Hammer is another splendidly keyboard-driven band. To the uninitiated, GH was an integral part of the third wave of prog in the 1990s and specialize in a hybrid Yes/ELP/Genesis kind of sound. However, they, like Triumvirat above, have their own brand and sound. They simply wear their influence on their sleeves and play a vintage style of progressive rock that sounds fresh. The album has an underlying Christian message, but unlike Neal Morse's Sola Scriptura (which I reviewed last week), presents the story and its religious tone in a clever, understated way. The story is about a Roman soldier's (it's a bit unclear if they meant Longinus) encounter with Jesus. Throughout, what you discover, is an extremely well-composed mix of neo-classical (some neat synth fugues and arpeggios!) and European folk influences, odd time signatures, jazz chord progressions. What it does is successfully is present the story using a prog framework without falling into too many derivative tropes and pastiches. Only occasionally do you find yourself thinking, I've heard Genesis play that before, and in some of the spoken word sections (and some of the lyrics), do they let the uber-nerd (swords and dragons!) shine through to the album's detriment. But the excellent music overwhelms these nit picks. I prefer the first half of the album. The standout tracks are "Tales of the Great Wars", "One King", "Further Up and Further In" and "When We Were Young" If this album came out during my formative teen year, it probably would rank as one of my all time favorites. A more mature Scott really likes the album, but it is not an all-time classic. I rank it simply a favorite concept album. If I gave out "stars," I would probably give it 7.5 out of 10.
· Quadrophenia: The Who (UK) 1973 Here is another album that much has been written about. And, again, for good reason. It is classic; maybe even a modern masterpiece on the level of Stravinsky, Gershwin or Bartok in how they redefined music in their era. But this is it a classic concept album. However, what could I add; what superlative or criticism could I provide other than how I hear the album? I came to it late. I'd seen the movie first (in 1980) and was generally befuddled and bored by it. Obviously, I did not like or appreciate it. I was an American suburban kid in the 70's. What the f*** was a Mod? For that reason, I sort of avoided the record for a good while. Stupid boy! This is The Who at their absolute peak as composers, players and performers (John Entwistle's unbelievable bass performance; Keith Moon's bombastic and frantic drumming; Roger Daltry's epic vocals). This is a rock symphony--the main focus musically of this album is placed on four themes that created by Pete Townshend. The two instrumental pieces of this album explore those four themes and they recur throughout the entire album in different pieces. There are some that point to Tommy (which preceded this by 3 years) as their masterwork, but I think this leaves Tommy in the dust. It is emotional, it is epic, it is rocky, it is hard hitting, it is anthemic and cathartic. Radio plays and plays and plays songs like 5:15, The Real Me, but to me I am moved by the title track, Helpless Dancer, The Dirty Jobs, Dr Jimmy, The Rock, and the album capper Love Reign O`er Me. But this is one of those albums I don't like to listen to in pieces. It has to be listened to as a complete suite of music from the oceanic imagery from I Am the Sea to Daltry's final purifying wail at the end of Love Reign O`er Me.
Joe's Garage by Frank Zappa just misses the cut because I always felt there is a good deal of dead weight in the 3 disc set. I know a friend or two that will vehemently disagree, but tunes like He Used to Cut the Grass or Dong Work for Yuda or Sy Borg just don't do it for me. However, much of the rest of the album is Zappa in top form. Also Bowie's Ziggy Stardust just misses because of the strong affinity I have for the 10 listed. It's great...but not enough to dethrone any of the 10 listed.
Other good one you should listen to
· Capacitor (Cosmograf) 2014
· Brave (Marillion )(a 2nd Marillion entry because it was practically a different band by 1994)
· Snow Goose (Camel) 1975
· Snow (Spock's Beard) 2007
· Act I-IV (Dear Hunter) (it's actually 4 albums) 2006-2017
· American Idiot (Green Day) 2004
· Village Green Preservation Society (The Kinks) 1968
· Mei (Echolyn) 2002
· Illinois (Sufjan Stevens) 2005
· Epic of Gilgamesh (Tony Garone) 2001
· Doomsday Afternoon (Phideaux) 2007
WHAT I AM LISTENING TO THIS WEEK:
Oingo Boingo Good For Your Soul (US) 1983 -- I will freely admit that when Oingo Boingo played my high school in 1980, I didn't get it. I didn't like their loud, punk ethos. I didn't understand the fights that started or the spitting contest between the audience and the band. I was the throes of full on progressive rock snobbery. It took two more years before I realized these guys had something interesting, and it was really, really good. This is the third album, and the last superior one (sorry, Dead Man's Party and onward got to sugar sweet for me) . This album is not as jagged and hard as the previous two, but still has plenty of the signature African rhythms, horns and ska influences that make Boingo very unique. It is my favorite of the Boingo catalogue and has Danny Elfman and Steve Bartek's odd collaborative fingerprints all over it. There are several standout tracks that get my blood pulsing...starting with the album opener Who Do you Want Be Today, and including songs that get this non-dancer dancing like Nothing Bad Ever Happens to Me, Sweat and my favorite No Spill Blood. The latter is one I completely forgot to include on last week's sci-fi blog as it perfectly encapsulates the Island of Doctor Moreau by HG Wells: We walk on two legs not on four/To walk on four legs breaks the law/What happens when we break the law?/What happens when the rules aren't fair/We all know where we go from there/To the house of pain!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6_YQibz2IoICgmY2OFITNGLetjkC3Nw-
Sheryl Crow C'mon C'mon (US) 2002 - Sheryl Crow albums are difficult. Especially ones I like. It's not that I am embarrassed at the sweet, Eagles-ish, western sound, but rather I understand she is not a great human being. At least she wasn't. I know that she was incredibly shitty to the writing duo (Kevin Gilbert and Bill Bottrell) that made her first album Tuesday Night Music Club such a transcendent album. Those guys crafted every song, gave her a unique voice and sound and then she turned around and refused to acknowledge their participation. Thing is, it's obvious if you listen to her subsequent albums; especially lyrically where her songs fall into the trite relationship Moon/June fluff and ostensibly moves into the role of a female Don Henley. That's not necessarily bad, but there was so much potential. And now, C'mon, C'mon. It is a solid album that could have been made in the 70's...bright chords, country-rock inflections, and beautiful layered harmonies. Of the 13 songs on the album, there are a handful of great (Steve McQueen, Soak Up the Sun and Lucky Kid), a handful of good ones (Hole in My Pocket, You're an Original) and the rest I consider album just okay filler. Now it's peculiar (and not on purpose), that the best songs on the album are co-written and the forgettable ones are penned by Crow alone. I love her voice. It's a warm low-set mezzo-soprano with power when needed, quirk on occasion, and a velvety tenderness. From here she would go on and record a bunch of country albums, but C'mon C'mon is a bright sunshiney album that you can put on driving down Pacific Coast Highway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrbVIbhJ50w
Ephemeral Sun Lord of Hounds (US) 2017 - Like last week, here's another group I rediscovered only to find how much I enjoyed it after initially poo-pooing it. This is a hybrid effort -- a bit metal, a bit symphonic...all fairly yummy. They are technically listed as a progressive metal band. OK, I can accept that...in that I wish all progressive metal bands were more like this. One of my biggest bugaboos with the sub-genre, is most of those listed are heavy metal acts with a slight window dressing of time changes or throw in a little keyboard solo or David Gilmour style "crying" guitar. Ephemeral Sun breaks that description into itty bits. Yes, they have the aggression that fits the genre, but here the keyboards take equal stage with the guitar and creates a neat blend of sound. It is progressive metal, not metal progressive, if that makes sense. The guitars don't indulge in that chug-chug-chug riff nor is there any of that over-the-top shredding. It is more tasty metal that you would find in Deep Purple or maybe System of a Down. It's instrumental, and as such, it touches a variety of moods and motifs without devolving into unnecessary pyrotechnics. Sometimes it rumbles like Metallica, other times it is delicate like an early Tony Banks solo...and even sometimes I hear echoes of The Cure. It vaguely reminds me of the Italian band Goblin, but I think this eclipses that seventies era band. The second song (there only 5 on this album), Kill Shelter, is a great example of how they are effective in blending styles--everything from metal to fusion can be found. Then after the tasteful and tuneful create palette cleansing of What We Should Have Said, is the best song on the album...the title track which blends metal aggressiveness with a gothic sense of movement.
https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com/album/lord-of-hounds
Harvest Northern Wind (Spain) 2014 - A whole bunch of years ago when planning my wedding, my wife to be (and still is!) gave me one directive...do not use the word "fine." What do you think of this flower arrangement? Should we go with sea foam green? I learned my lesson fairly quickly! Don't use the word fine. So how would I describe this album...it's umm, fine. There is nothing wrong with it other than it's a bit dull. It's melodic and calming...even when they turn up the tempo. It never really gets the pulse going, but has some good and subtle complexities wrapped in some pleasant melodies. But that's just their style--like Karnataka without the Celtic influence. They hail from Spain, but sing in English. In fact, Dutch-born singer Monique van der Kolk has a really nice, dreamy voice...somewhere in the timbre range between Natalie Merchant (10000 Maniacs) and Harriet Wheeler (The Sundays) with a dreaminess dash of Beth Gibbons (Portishead). Her vocal style matches perfectly with the understated brand of neo-prog they play. And that is not a knock. Now to be fair, there are some very good tunes on the disc..."Something's Coming" has a very addictive rhythmic shuffle and ends on an energetic guitar solo coda. "Colours" has a nice groove that slowly builds into crescendo--it's the best song on the album. Stylistically they call themselves progressive, but I'm not so sure. I could give them a general classification of art-rock, but it's more a melding of a late 90s indie rock with Floydian overtones.
http://www.harvestband.com/discography/northern-wind/
The Strokes This is It (US) 2001 -- Well, I don't dislike it. I find it to be middle of the road pop punk in the same vein as Blink182, The Killers, Black Keys and Franz Ferdinand. But at least those bands exhibit a unique garage sound in which I find lacking in this effort. And they are not even in the same league as The White Stripes. I realize this sound was quite popular 18 years ago, but nothing on the album save for maybe for a song or two really piqued my interest. I just found it a bit generic for my liking. As far as garage rock, it's interesting enough, but compared to the pioneers like Kinks, Troggs and early Who these revivalists just don't come close to replicating the melodic capacity combined with rawness when necessary. From the punk side, it is too lightweight to be compared with The Ramones or The Cramps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sT-ewNB9qo
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