One of the early titans in live Jazz recordings. Incredible playing- obviously- from all five of these virtuosic musicians, each of which knowing when to bounce off of one another with seemingly omniscient prowess. Though certainly not Jazz’s first quintet, the bravado displayed here makes it hard to dispute their usage of ‘The’ in their title
Though Barnes’ writing has always been inherently sensual and deeply related to the idea of sexuality, with early records like The Gay Parade, Skeletal Lamping is the first Montreal record to *ooze* the idea. It’s not a bad change by any means- it’s just unfortunate that the production is too frenetic if you ask me more often than not
Definitely the synthesis of everything that make of Montreal quite possibly the quintessential 2000s psych-pop band. Barnes' utterly enigmatic writing style is at its wonkiest here (a good adjective when discussing the band), while the production is all at-once danceable, plaintive, and chaotic. It's a melting pot of everything that made this period of indie pop perhaps the genre's most 'fun' chapter
The weakest of Barnes' iconic mid-2000a trio, but still has enough charm and style to go down as a classic for psych pop. I Was Never Young, Wraith Pinned to the Mist, and Forecast Fascist Future are among Montreal's best to this point
The scrappy, raised-fist determinedness of Cherry Peel is back and acts as the driving force for this record, while the production continues to push Barnes' sound toward more and more 'psyched-out' territory. Some all-timer Montreal tracks littered throughout here- Disconnect the Dots, Lysergic Bliss, Chrissy, Your Magic Is Working, Climb the Ladder
Compared to Barnes’ debut, The Gay Parade certainly sounds like a more lively affair. Whereas Cherry Peel thrived in its subdued, near minimalist style, this record shows Montreal’s first ‘maximalist’ sound, with an ‘all-over-the-place’ production approach that, while occasionally resulting in gold, sacrifices a lot of what made Cherry Peel so special personally
On of Montreal's debut, Kevin Barnes lays everything bare with near-crippling vulnerability. The production is appropriately 'twee' while also carrying gumption when needed, such as the rocking-breakdown of Montreal. The whole production makes Barnes' ordinarily squirrely voice sound like that of a bonafide rock-star. Some strange, jittering midpoint between The Beatles and Daniel Johnston
On paper, Iowa should be Slipknot’s opus- you’ve got the group’s signature-hate-steamed sound amped up to the max with all sorts of other metal influences, such as death, progressive, groove, and sludge metal. It’s in this melting pot approach I find that a lot of Slipknot’s identity, which more than anything is boldly prevalent in their s/t, is lost here. I’d have trouble arguing with a take that this is the ‘better’ Slipknot venture from a metal ... read more
Viscerally hateful yet has enough approachability to act as a stepping stone of sorts for those hesitant to get into the more ‘extreme stuff’. Slipknot’s ability to tread this line between the extreme and the approachable in their early career is borderline miraculous, but when you listen to this record, it all makes sense
The hyper-sleek textures on PRODUCT are polished even further on OIL, resulting in some of the sharpest and most forward-thinking dance of the century thus far
The Art rock influences are nice and two of their best songs are here (the opener, Rest My Chemistry), but I think it’s a pretty noticeable downgrade from Antics
Though far from a walk in the park, *someone* must’ve turned those bright lights on, because Interpol sound noticeably brighter and more jolted here compared to their debut. It leaves a project that isn’t quite as towering, but still has plenty of highlights (Evil, Narc, Slow Hands, C’Mere)
Interestingly, a Sparks project that hasn't aged as well and is more 'tame' in comparison to their zanier efforts. This is some solid New Wave, to be sure- it just ends up sounding like it definitely released in 1982, lacking the timelessness other Sparks works often do
A predictor of so many trends that would follow in the forthcoming 80s. Dance-Sparks is one of their finest hats- all six tracks here range from great and danceable, to dance-anthem. The closer in particular is easily one of the best early synthpop tracks
One of the few Sparks' records that sounds sonically similar or adjacent to another of theirs- in this case, to Kimono My House released earlier the same year. Propaganda never hits the same highs, but if you're a big fan of the totally-hyper Glam Rock with a sort of proto-new-wave twist of Kimono My House, you'll have a blast here too
Disregarding the recording quality here being all over the place (an aspect Powell himself had little to no involvement in), the compositions here almost assuredly are among the best in early 50s Bebop. Powell’s piano skills easily slot him among the Art Tatum’s and Thelonious Monk’s of his time- not to mention the full-band cuts here add a particularly potent-punch to things. A necessary stop on anyone’s tour of the history of Jazz piano
A wonderfully vibrant and psychedelic journey through Wonderland, complete with as many tabs (your choice if it's Acid or Molly) as your mind can take! Lady Miss Kier's voice glides across these sensual-yet-whimsical beats like your tour guide through the bizarre- it's a trip, but one that's bound to make you feel 'yourself' rather than scared
Perhaps the absolute antithesis to ‘fun’ or ‘exciting’ in a record, but it’s made up for with some of the most sweeping, crushing atmosphere you’ll ever find in a Doom Metal project
A retro-futuristic take on 70s paradise-tropica City Pop- all this thing is missing is some Takanaka. Hosono's electronic background fits like a glove with Yamashita's City Pop expertise, all the while Suzuki brings his unique style into the conversation as well. The result is a record that's absolute butter to the ears, while still featuring enough wonky production to dissuade any notion of 'sleepiness'
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Recent Review Comments
On Jalen Ngonda - Doctrine of Love
"@Shayden 100% agree, it’s a throwback record done right"
On 2Pac - Me Against The World
"@Cloudboy019 yeah I def get what you mean. Pac’s cadence and energy is so infectious for me I was able to look past the production being relatively ‘one-note’, even though like you said it is excellent production. That’s an excellent analogy"
On 2Pac - Me Against The World
"@Cloudboy019 that's a fair critique, I will say flow is not Pac's strongsuit, though a lot of people would probably disagree with that. The production is pretty much perfect here imo but it is definitely uniform across the record so I could see it growing stale if G-Funk adjacent stuff isn't as much your bag"
On David Bowie - David Bowie [Space Oddity]
"@usur_disc350 I’ll admit I’ve not revisited this much at all in the last couple years, but I’ll definitely stand by it having several great cuts beyond the title track"
On usur_disc350's review of McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive!
"Honestly, really well put. I still have this rated pretty highly but I'd say I feel similarly, there's a sheen over this style of 'indie rap' that's starting to feel like the sheen that's covered a large bulk of indie rock the past decade (post-Mac if you will), it's a sheen of homogenization. Hadn't really put much thought to it until now but I think this absolutely hits the nail on the head, and is probably why despite there being so much 'good' hip-hop nowadays, the bulk of it feels like one big swirl of sameness. Excellent take"
On susquatch - Water Plant
"@Rileone it is yeah but it’s also definitely math rock too"
On Faith Evans & The Notorious B.I.G. - The King & I
"@TheTrillTrolla that’s actually very informative, thank you!"
On Doofy's review of The The - Infected
"I prefer Soul Mining a shade, but I’ll agree that this record should be considered as far closer in quality than most. Nearly everything that makes Soul Mining so excellent is found here too, excellent production and songwriting especially"
On Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Clifford Brown & Max Roach
"@HomeSession3 holy shit what a story! Thank you for sharing, that certainly sounds like one of those life-defining moments, for you and Roach. Live Jazz may be the definitive form of live performing for the reasons you said- it makes the frail jolt to life"
On My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe
"@Trazyn I hate saying ‘annoying’ bc that’s reductive, there are def moments where the lyricism along with the vocal style felt really contrived and grating to me though. Overall it’s certainly not an ‘annoying’ album, just nothing particularly new for Windmill. I would say I’m annoyed with the windmill scene in general nowadays"
On Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
"@Litebill931 thank you much! I have to stop myself from over-writing a lot of the time lol"
On 𝒩𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝓉's review of Slayyyter - WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA
"First review of this project that’s really made me want to check it out- seriously excellent write-up"
On XTC - Drums and Wires
"@sher12308 you’re totally right! Major goof on my part, I’ll edit that, appreciate the call-out"
On King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon
"@yusukeYYH thank you so much! His music is this really intriguing blend of abstract and extremely vivid"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"@ScaredDog6163 yeah for sure! I appreciate the compliment! Jeff Buckley is a perfect example of why 90s rock really shouldn’t be funneled into those two ‘categories’ I listed because he blends so many styles and sounds (a major reason why Grace is one of the most majestic albums of all time). I’m the same as you in that there’s very little I truly dislike that I listen to- it makes it a lot easier to be encouraged to check out more stuff! Let me know when you’ve got those reviews typed out, I’d love to check em out!"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"Sorry for the long winded answer, hope that helps! If you need help finding some specific bands lmk too and I can try and throw you some based on what you currently rock with 🤘"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"The other main strain in my mind is Slacker Rock (the kind I tend to prefer a bit). This is your Pavements, Built to Spills, Weezers, etc. This style of rock tended to ‘look forward’ whereas grunge took influence from a lot of its contemporaries in many ways.
In terms of what I’d do for a deep dive now- honestly, I’d determine which strain you like more and start with the big bands before digging deeper, maybe even trying out some of the influences/ similar bands. For instance, if you really fw Weezer I’d recommend other Geek/Wacky Rock bands like Cake or Grandaddy. Same goes for, say, AIC- you could check out other alternative metal bands for instance."
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"@ScaredDog6163 for sure! I went on a pretty big 90s rock binge a couple years back and it’s definitely a vast canyon. This is a wildly simplified answer, but imo there are two *main* streams of 90s rock. The first is what most people think of , being Grunge. These are your Nirvanas and Pearl Jams and basically what the average person will probably think of when they think of ‘90s rock’- and it’s great! Grunge pulls a lot from heavier influences depending on the band, such as Punk and Noise Rock for Nirvana or even Metal with bands like Alice In Chains."
On The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
"@Zubb autism + long commutes to work goes a long way lmao"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne thank you so much! It’s become something of a passion of mine for sure. The kind words go a long way, I’d love to have my own site or something one day"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne no I’m not, it’s funny you ask because in high school I had plans to maybe become a writer but it never panned out"
On Johnny Blue Skies - Mutiny After Midnight
"Unless you find a rip somewhere or dish out thirty bucks it’s impossible for the time being unfortunately, it is an absolute blast of a record though no doubt, one of his best easily"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne thank you much! I have fun with them lol"
On Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Acts II & III
"@ScottShelby that does look interesting, I’ll try and get to it later today, thanks again for all the recs! You’re the Zappa guy so it’s been helpful as a total Zappa novice"
On Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Acts II & III
"@ScottShelby honestly, having sampled a handful of tracks from his studio records to follow from here I think I’m going to bow out for the time being on his discography, I’d prefer to end it on a high note. Someday I’ll eventually go the whole distance but I think I’d honestly just get burned out going through a series of just messy subpar records tbh"
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