A CD retrospective - OK Computer

OK Computer by Radiohead
I'm not actually sure how to write about OK Computer. I wasn't even into Radiohead when my uncle bought me this album for Christmas.  Like a few other "great" albums it took me a while to appreciate everything it had to offer.

It's sound is dense and gloomy - whilst managing at the same time to often be driven and compulsive.  It's actually quite addictive.  It's a stepping stone between guitar driven songs and the waaaaaay more experimental albums that followed.
I don't really want to write lots about it though.
It may have received more critical acclaim than it deserved as a result of The Bends not receiving any at all, but it's still outstanding.

Don't label it as depressing or whining.  It's worth a listen.

A CD retrospective - This is my truth tell me yours

This is my truth tell me yours by The Manic Street Preachers
The third of what will doubtless be many entries in this blog by The Manic Street Preachers.
Everything must go was always going to be a difficult album to follow, I often wonder what it's like as a band after you produce an album of such quality - to try and follow it up.  More often than not, it doesn't seem to pan out.  I think you have to look outwards for new inspiration or influence so that what you produce can't really be measured against your previous work.

This is my truth is a far cry from Everything must go, it's still a good album - but the shift in attitude is evident.
I'm not sure if 1998 was a particularly good year - but I don't remember a lot about it.  And listening to This is my truth actually makes me quite sad.
I'm not sure if that's because it has some pretty emotional lyrics, or because listening to the album reminds me of a time when I was unhappy.
Let me mention a few songs to try and elaborate.
The opening track is The Everlasting, which starts with a rather sad sounding synth drum beat which continues throughout and finishes the song solo, as it started.  The production on the song (and the album) is flawless, JDB's pitch perfect vocals are almost haunting - it reminds me of early mornings, and being alone.
Ready for drowning and My little empire are two other highlights for me - the cello part in the latter being the pinnacle of "playing an instrument sadly".  The album features plenty of cleverly places orchestral parts, which I think adds to it's somewhat depressing nature.

The more I think, or talk about This is my truth, the more I like it.  It was a significant change in direction for the Manics (something they're going to do at least a few times more before I'm done).
There's still something unsettling about it.

But now unforgiving the everlasting
Everlasting

In the beginning when we were winning
When our smiles were genuine

A CD retrospective - Songs from the Big Chair

Songs from the Big Chair by Tears for Fears
I liked Tears for Fears as a child, among the boxes of casettes my parents had were two brightly colours ones featuring Weetabix men (the cassette on the top right).  It's weird to think that's how I first heard The Jam too.

Anyway, after a Gary Jules piano cover of Mad World punctuated Donnie Darko it rekindled my interest and I sought about picking up this album and The Hurting.
There's some stand-out tracks on this album, Shout, Everybody wants to rule the world, and Head over heels.  It's an odd album that's far more emotive and experimental than you'd expect, there are numerous musical influences and some very neat guitar work.  Bands in the 80's so often nestled into a sound and never shifted from it - either because they lacked the imagination or because they never had it in the first place.  Tears for Fears didn't.

A CD retrospective - The Holy Bible

The Holy Bible by The Manic Street Preachers
I love The Holy Bible, after Everything Must Go I went on a bit of a voyage through the previous Manics albums.  At first, this wasn't the easiest album to get along with - despite JDB's skilfully impressive and fierce instrumentality.  That all changed after a while. Now it's seminal - a caustic benchmark.
It's difficult to slot it into a genre, and difficult to describe the style.  It's like trying to describe The Mars Volta to someone, you can't just call it prog.

I don't really want to describe the album much more, and I'd rather not go on about any of the subjects covered in the lyrics because I could be here all night.

You should listen to it if you haven't.

Little people in little houses

Like maggots small blind and worthless

The massacred innocent blood stains us all

Who's responsible - you fucking are

Who's responsible - you fucking are

Who's responsible - you fucking are

Who's responsible - you fucking are

Who's responsible

A CD retrospective - Hurry up, we're dreaming

I've done a lot of listening and not a lot of writing recently, so here's a bit of blog-diarrhea (I'm not suggesting what I'm writing is or isn't shit, but posting several blogs at once - is).

Hurry up, we're dreaming by M83
This is actually one of the newest albums I own, and one of a few in recent memory I was both actually anticipating and not disappointed by.
Mr K introduced me to M83 in 2005 with their 3rd album Before the dawn heals us - nothing has sounded quite like that since. This is an excellent album none-the-less.

I saw this video on YouTube in the summer of 2011 which got me quite excited - full of retro synthesizers and a track that (I don't want to say soars)...swells with energy.  You may recognise it from any number of Red Bull adverts, or episodes of Top Gear - this album featured quite heavily on both during 2012.

Anyway, it's a double album that runs for about 80 minutes.  For something so expansive, grand and soaked with synth it is surprisingly light-feeling.  It does have some weaker songs, and some strange ones.  Raconte-moi une histoire in particular I found quite...not quite creepy as such, but not normal.
These lines in particular, imagine this being said in a childs (girls) voice.

If you touch its skin

You can feel your body changing

And your vision also

And blue becomes red and red becomes blue

And your mommy suddenly becomes your daddy

And everything looks like a giant cupcake

I'm still not bored of listening to the album, despite me over-playing it.  I actually use the last track on the album as my alarm clock in the morning - it's like someone translated a hopeful and tranquil sunrise into music.

A CD retrospective - Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
In the land of the LP the album sleeve is king. And so it was with The War of the Worlds.
As a child I spent a lot of time going through my parents LP collection, picking out and listening to albums purely because of what was on the cover - we can all agree the artwork on this particular cover is magnificent.  As was the rest of the image in the pamphlet of artwork inside the sleeve.  I spent many evenings listening and looking - I think I made my dad (who it belonged to) dislike it a bit as I listened to it so much.

I never knew who Richard Burton (who narrates and plays the protagonist) was before this, and haven't heard a voice quite like it since.  It oozes eminence.  The rest of the cast isn't too shabby either, featuring Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) and Phil Lynott (I don't need to tell you who he is).

Musically it's not bad either, some extremely tidy studio-rock sprinkled with synth, strings and...other sounds, slightly experimental synth.  Some of the guitar tones sound like I could drink them.  I wish more music was written like this, it's tough to find albums that sound so rich - the bass guitar is particularly enjoyable throughout as the parts are often as neat and catchy as the main guitar lick.

As if that's not enough, it also made me more interested in science fiction - and that can only have been a good thing, am I right?

A CD retrospective - Because of the Times

Because of the Times by Kings of Leon

This is one of the albums I own that I purchased as soon as it came out.  Something that can probably only be said of about 10% of my collection.

Mr K had introduced me to the KoL with Aha Shake Heartbreak (which I'll talk about on another day), On Call had been getting some airplay and I'd heard it a few times - I was cautiously waiting for the album so avoided listening to it as much as I could.

Because of the Times isn't Aha Shake Heartbreak, it's not even similar - really.  There's still plenty to like about it.  KoL seem to stagger around and bump into music that sounds like other artists, and that keeps me interested.  I read a lot of negative press after the album came out saying Because of the Times was just KoL running out of imagination, running out of energy, or just stroking their own egos - I disagree with any such assumption, Because of the Times sounds like a band who are developing together.  

KoL also had a big reputation for drug/alcohol abuse - so maybe this is just what they're like sober.  Either way, I like it.  It's not like Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak were without any hint of derivation, completely original or devoid of obvious inspiration.

Highlights for me would be McFearless, Black Thumbnail and Arizona.  The last track in particular, because regardless of how basic it's composition is - I think it's auditory bliss.

A CD retrospective - The Music

The Music
I rather randomly stumbled upon The Music whilst browsing play.com for things to buy - I can't remember exactly why I bought an album of theirs but remember the album spiel mentioning Led Zeppelin and electronic rock, so I thought I'd give them a chance.  Very unlike me.

Their debut album is one of the best I've ever heard, and sits along side a very select list of albums I just need in my life.
It's powerful from start to finish, balancing solid guitar riffs with electronics that occasionally border on techno.  It's impressive to hear done so well, it helps a great deal that the bass and drums have their own distinct parts which aren't just background noise and are kept high enough in the mix to be interesting all by themselves.  I find it just as entertaining to focus on the drums and bass as I do the guitar, vocals and electronics.  Which makes it all the more satisfying when you really listen to them together.

There are plenty of high points in the album, take the long road and walk it is layered to perfection, the main guitar riff in the truth is no words just kicks arse, so does the way the bass follows it throughout the song (particularly pre-chorus), and the getaway has me bouncing off the walls it's so energetic.

It's seriously well crafted, and not since I realised how old the members of Led Zeppelin were when they recorded Dazed and Confused have I been so jealous of youth and talent.

A CD retrospective - Absolution

I ended my (drinking) dry spell today with a Punk IPA and an Auchentoshan. Nice.

I thought I'd do another album as I supped my scotch.

Absolution by Muse
I don't appreciate Absolution like I used to.  It represented more than music for a long time as one of about 4 albums Mr K suggested I listen to in the mid 00's.  They were in truth probably the most modern albums I'd listened to (and enjoyed) in almost a decade and Absolution was the first.
If I may...can I distract you with the cover? The man standing there has a long shadow cast, but the bodies supposedly floating above him are symmetrical and correctly proportioned - which would absolutely not be the case if the sun were casting a long shadow.
Yes, I did just write that.

Absolution is a bit boring these days, Matt Bellamy has a vocal which grates on me.  Maybe I over-exposed myself back then and it's my fault.  Butterflies and Hurricanes remains the highlight of the album, it stops 3 minutes in and a tremendous classical piano solo steals the show before the song starts again.  It actually cuts pretty poorly before the end of the piano and the start of the rest of the song, I'd not noticed before.
It's still a good album, a lesson in how good simple guitars with the right effect/distortion can rule the sound - especially if filled out with a bit of synth and dotted with operatic dynamism.
If nothing else Absolution (with the help of Mr K and Mr O) taught me how achievable making music like theirs was, with the right idea and the right approach it wasn't mystical or magical.