Day 701: Slint – Spiderland

This list is starting to get real random. We shift from Pearl Jam to pop to metal to the smoky indie rock that is Slint.

Slint's an American band from Kentucky that disbanded after just two albums...Spiderland being that second album. This album received okay reviews when it came out but has since had bits of resurgence after appearing in movie soundtracks and being considered one of the forefathers of math rock.

I thought this album was really interesting. It's considered rock but it's a very quiet kind of rock. All the fundamentals of a rock song are there but they're subdued. There's a real sadness to this music, like a peek into the diaries of tortured musicians. It's always riding that line of being too emotional or too quirky but it restrains wonderfully. It's got that tenderness that bubbles on the surface and makes for an album that gets under your skin.

The songs are all lovely in a simple way. "Washer" is slow and sweet while "Good Morning, Captain" gets a lot louder and more "rock" but still with a mellow and heartfelt mood behind it.

Overall, if you like the more current crop of touchy-feely rock musicians, then give these guys a listen. They have a very modern sound that you'll probably dig. 5 stars.

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U2 – Achtung Baby

Day 700: Sepultura – Arise

Metal is back in my life.

Hooray.

Sepultura is a Brazilian metal band and this is their fourth album. This album has a cornucopia of different styles: death/thrash, experimental, industrial, hardcore punk and Latin percussion. Oy...that's just a patchwork quilt of volume and guitars.

As you may have gathered from my previous posts, metal is not my favorite genre. I can appreciate the amount of work and talent that goes into that music and I don't dislike it...at least most of the time. It's one of those genres that I completely understand why someone would like it, it's just not something I would turn to in a time of need.

Overall, this album pretty good. Sure there's that general metal sound...the blaring guitars, banging drums and screaming vocals but there's a little something different. I hear that industrial aspect in some of their songs--there's a deconstructed grittiness to those songs like in "Subtraction" and "Altered State". This isn't my cup of tea, but I still had a decent time. 3.5 stars.

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Slint – Spiderland

Day 699: Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha

Now this is what I'm talking about. Here's the Madonna-inspired pop/rock that I've been craving. Man, I loved the hell out of this album.

Saint Etienne is an English band made up of childhood friend/music journalists, named after French football team AS Saint-Étienne. Around this time it they were in the "indie-dance" genre which I didn't realize was even a thing. But, since it now it exists...it's a great genre. It's the weirdest mix of fabulous things.

What was cool about this album was that the root of every song was a simple, almost acoustic, song. But, underneath they put a great dance beat to it which makes for a "chocolate in my peanut butter" kind of situation which works in an odd but lovely way.

My favorite song from the album was "She's the One" which I've already listened to probably seven times already. The vocals have this haunting Enya quality that go into a weird Devo chorus that has loud drums and then segues back into Enya. You just have to listen to it to understand (this is literally the only video out there...sorry!):

"Nothing Can Stop Us" has a more mod feel to it but it's got that early 90's level of sexiness to the sound...like Austin Powers with snap bracelets.

Overall, this album was delightful. I really enjoy the early 90's pop sound...it's like a stripped down and slower Madonna with more guitars and more plaid. Go on Spotify and check these guys out! 5 stars.

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Sepultura – Arise

Day 698: Pearl Jam – Ten

Starting at the very beginning of Pearl Jam with their debut album, "Ten". When it was released in August 1991, it wasn't a big hit but, by the end of 1992 it was all the way at number 2 on the Billboard charts. As of 2011, it's sold 13 million copies. Not too shabby...

Listening to Pearl Jam was a welcome surprise. I realized, after talking to my brother, that this book pretty much bypassed the hair metal and more bombastic rock of the late 80's for calming synch-punk and regular metal. Shame...

This album is right in tune with the kind of music that I normally enjoy...the energetic anthemic rock style. But, in all my journeys for this style, I never listened to much, if any, Pearl Jam. So, guess I've got a new band to put in rotation!

"Ten" was a great album. The songs have a real timeless quality to them. They work in the 90's but they could easily be the theme song for your "Smallville"'s or the montage music for the 2012 Olympics. What I enjoyed about the songs were that they felt like a pure rock that hasn't shown up since the early 80's. After the 70's, it seemed like rock took a back seat to more experimental sounds, like metal-punk and synthesizers. There wasn't a lot of straight-up guitar-wailing, singer screaming, drums'a'blazing rock music in the 80's (besides my beloved Bon Jovi and their ilk). That's why hearing Pearl Jam was a welcome change of pace.

Overall, this album was great. "Jeremy" has an amazing beat and energy through-out the song...it never lets down. "Dirty Frank" pays homage to Shaft which just made me happy. "Alive" is one of those songs to pull out a lighter to and wave it around while it plays. I greatly enjoyed my foray into Pearl Jam. 5 stars.

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Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha

Day 697: A Tribe Called Quest – Low End Theory

Evenin' everyone. Onto another Tribe Called Quest album, their 2nd. This album is one of the first to combine hip hop and jazz which sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it actually works in the most curious of ways.

It's not like they throw Miles Davis over 50 Cent...it's done a lot more craftily than that. It's not full-on jazz, it's more the elements like a migrating improv brass line. It's also not omnipresent, like a one-trick pony. It's thrown in for effect but just to add something to the music.

This album has a lot of energy that some of the other hip hop of this time is missing. There's a mixture of completely seriousness and humor that's refreshing. "Rap Promoter" is a cheeky rant on being a rapper with a killer drum beat as 90% of the instrumentals. "What?" was my favorite song...it's crazy catchy with this funky beat throughout.

Overall, this album was a good time. It's got a great flow without losing substance. It's got a point without getting boring. It's fun without losing any substance. 4 stars.

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Pearl Jam – Ten

Day 696: Public Enemy – Apocalypse 91… Enemy Strikes Back

And we're back, yet again. Boy, I've been a freakin' lazy bum about this. Sorry about that, people.

So we're back with another Public Enemy album...my third. Yes, my third. .2% of the best music of all time is Public Enemy. So, let's bid farewell to Public Enemy with this album, which, by the way was a pain in the butt to find for some reason.

This album peaked at #4 on the Billboard chart and #1 on the hip hop charts. I sold over a million copies and was universally loved by Rolling Stones, New York Times and, not as much, by England's own NME.

Alright, so this album still a lot of fun and some solid hop hop. The music sounds great, they have more personal and social-political messages in their songs and the music has a rage that feels like they want their music to be heard and not just listened to. Songs like "Shut Em Down" and "Bring the Noise" are so loud but yet they're real good...they hit you in some spot you didn't know you wanted to hear.

Overall, this album was good. This hip hop has an energy that hasn't been around much yet. This album has variety and it's noisy in the best way. Good times, Public Energy. I'll miss ya'...yeaaaaaah boys. 4 stars.

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A Tribe Called Quest – Low End Theory

Day 695: Mudhoney – Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

And we're back with Mudhoney.

So this is their 2nd album and a lot of people consider it one of their best as well as one of the best grunge albums out there.

Now, to be brutally honest, there's a chance I might be getting a little jaded by all this music. Or maybe it's just the 90's. I feel like all the music is so angry and it's just putting me off. Either it's rap and hip hop or it's this grunge that's just loud guitars and shouting. Yes, I know I've suffered through punk and metal and psychedelic music but there was always a bright light at the end of the tunnel. For every metal album there was some lighter rock and for every psychedelic album, there was a Beach Boys song just around the corner.

This album was alright in every sense of the word. It was grunge and it was done well. There's an indie tinge to all their music, with a simple quality to the vocals while going to town on the guitars like 70's rockers. I can almost see all the long stringy hair and plaid shirts through my headphones...it's just that grungy.

Overall, this album was good. Songs like "Broken Hands" and "Move Out" feel like the 90's answer to a Doors song...it's got a stripped down swagger that makes for a unique song. This isn't really my genre of music, but this was a good listen. 4 stars.

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Public Enemy – Apocalypse 91… Enemy Strikes Back