mossale

What is the appeal, here?

The deeper Mitchell's music, the denser its sound. I've always found her mid-to-late 70s records difficult to dig into it. While I admire her brave artistry, her willingness to develop her style, her utterly original blend of jazz-folk, and her vivid lyrics relentless in their images, the resultant sound too often stays within the same lane and becomes bland. A few exceptions submit themselves in 'Centerpiece' and 'Shadows and Light', but I can never remember much ... read more

Roxy Music proves its weirdness right away. But like some other special artists (Bob Dylan, King Crimson, etc), the weirdness works in an ineffable way. Ferry's vibrato and soft, dry vocal takes can be hard to handle. Eno's effects sometimes disconnect any instrument from the rest of the band. The saxophone often hits notes that spike out and resonate with really harsh harmonics. But still, I find myself entranced with the whole show. Sure, it might require repeated listens to uncover ... read more

Absolutely tragic. A favorite of mine. Big Star's little trilogy of albums, culminating in "Third", plots a downward slope into crestfallen depression. This record, a shambling mess of melancholic music, was plagued with plenty of production problems and released as an afterthought several years after its recording. The songs are sad in and of themselves, but they take on a greater degree of gloominess when considering the context of the once bright and optimistic band that put ... read more