522. Out of Step - Minor Threat

A band I'd only heard of through references by my more punk/hardcore loving friends, I know they are supposed to be pretty important on the scene. 

Minor Threat were at the centre of the DIY Hardcore Punk scene, and their co-founders Ian McKay and Y, set up Dischord records at the same time, in order to take full ownership of the whole creative process. Their song Straight Edge off their debut EP also led to the founding of the anti-alcohol and drugs movement of the same name. Whilst not impressive in terms of actual record sales, it is the impact that the band had on the scene, leading directly to the founding of Fugazi, with Ian MacKaye a founding member of both.

One thing that I always appreciate is artwork that seeks to stand out - I have even been known to buy records solely on the basis of their artwork, and have rarely been disappointed. The cover here is stunningly simple, but all the more captivating because of that. 

Betray is quite the statement of intent, with explosive drumming and some pretty flabby bass. The bass is stepped up a gear in It Follows, and there's a real shoutalong glee to the chorus. Think Again has a real dueling quality to the guitar, with an intensity to the sound, which is especially apparent on the bass and guitar section post the second chorus. Look, Back & Laugh has more of a chronology to it, focusing on the decline of a friendship. Musically it is more of a convas from which the vocals are delivered than the previous songs, were the brutal nature of the instruments cannot be ignored. Sob Story is slightly less successful with a less cohesive sound, and more muffled vocals. No reason has one of the best riffs on the album, with the guitar piercing through on the bridges, showing utter control at a great speed. Little Friend has some ear-catching moments, such as the synchronised pause and restart, and the rebuilding of momentum a couple of minutes in. Out of Step builds on the straight edge manifesto: "I don't smoke/I don't drink/I don't fuck/at least I can fucking think" and is comfortably the most interesting song lyrically on the album. Cashing In follows on directly from the previous track, with a post-modern, self-referential, and one hopes very tongue-in-cheek, take on how artists view their fans. 

Overall the album is a short, sharp explosion of intensity, and whilst it doesn't always land, it is hard to ignore. There is an art-house intelligence to it that cuts through the simplicty of the heavily distorted guitars. I have always loved Fugazi for the variety and clever song-writing, and whilst this album doesn't have the delicacy to reach those levels, it is clear what an influence they had. I feel like it was important to listen to this particular genre from a breadth of understanding point of view, but I wouldn't say that this has made me a fervent Hardcore punk fan.

Chloe's album rating: 5
Chloe's favourite track: 3. Think Again
Olly's album rating: 6
Olly's favourite track: 8. Out of Step

Next week we have 997. Django Django by Django Django, our most up-to-date album yet.

720. It's a Shame about Ray - The Lemonheads

This album was massive before my formative musical years, and so whilst I knew a couple of tracks, it wasn't exactly like the Goo Goo Doll's Dizzy up the Girl for ever-presence.

Evan Dando's band were thrust into the spotlight following their hastily thrown together yet top 20 chart-making cover of Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs Robinson. Three hours in the studio has rarely reaped such rewards, and off the back of this success they re-released their album with this track added, to sizeable commercial success, especially considering the album clocks in at less than 30 minutes.

Rockin' Stroll is a great example of bubblegum rock-pop, although far from being the only example of this on the album. Indeed, it is what the album is pretty much entirely made up of. Confetti has a bit more about it, with some nifty guitar work and some crunchy distortion. The title track is a pleasant slice of radio-friendly acoustic rock, although I could never quite get my head round what the lyrics meant. Rudderless was a real stand out for me, with the best refrain on the album. My Drug Buddy has a very catchy, singalong chorus, but I didn't particularly enjoy it, being on the saccharine side of sweetness. Turnpike Down is forgettable, and Big Part injects some pace into proceedings, with a decent call-response approach, but it ends a bit quickly. Alisons Starting to Happen is a pretty decent song, but its missing apostrophe renders the song completely disappointing. Hannah & Gabi is pretty meh, with little to make it stand out. Kitchen is a pretty weak song, although possibly better than Ceiling Fan in my Spoon, which is just bizarrely poor, and utterly non-sensical. Frank Mills is an interesting story-telling song, with some real stream of consciousness in its nature, coming from the musical Hair. The Mrs Robinson cover has a cracking bassline that really comes to the fore, and makes you wish they unleashed this talent about more on the overly treble rest of the album. The whole band feels less constrained, as if the normal process of song-writing original material leaves them concentrating too much.

This is a very inoffensive, pleasant sounding album, which is both its strength and its weakness. Could I play it in the background on a regular basis and prefer it to silence - absolutely, and without question. However, the more I concentrate on it, the less appealing it becomes. It lacks originality, and the charm it has is spread pretty thinly over a sizeable chunk of filler. A disappointing album all in, that sells itself short.

Chloe's album rating: 7

Chloe's favourite track: 2. Confetti

Olly's album rating: 5

Olly's favourite track: 4. Rudderless

Next week is 522. Out of Step by Minor Threat; that will probably have more edge to it.

949. Fever to Tell - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

An album I knew fairly well, although almost certainly not as well as i should given its release in my final year at school. The issue was probably more with me focusing on Pink Floyd, to the exclusion of everything else, rather than this album lacking in quality or hype.

Hype was something that followed the band since its inception in New York in 2000, with their debut EP leading to a chase from major labels far and wide. With a deal to Interscope eventually signed, the band spent a significant amount of time getting their sound just right for the album, and it paid off, with rave reviews and the album going Gold in both the UK and the US. It is still highly regarded, appearing near the top of many best album of the 2000s lists.

Rich kicks the album off with a piercing riff and coruscating guitar lines, that match perfectly together with Karen O's disdainful vocal delivery. The chugging chorus gives way to clarity in a captivating way, and the drumming holds the piece together brilliantly. Date with the Night steps things up a notch with an explosive runaway train of a song that seems to speed up with each verse, without ever losing the semblance of control. Man maintains the intensity, complete with a gothic sounding organ, although the song seems to lack the underlying quality and variety of many others. Tick is a song I would love to see delivered live as it allows Karen O to dominate, and really shows her ability to fluctuate between absolute control and losing it. Black Tongue is a song I often overlooked, which is testament to the quality of the album. There is an onslaught of distorted guitar, with tight drumming underpinning the whole thing, and Karen O's yelps over the top - what's not to like? Pin has, for me, one of the best light-heavy guitar change-ups in the history of rock music. The transition from verse to chorus is sublime, and the overall effect is immensely listenable. Cold Light is a reasonable song, but lacks the jaw-dropping quality on its guitar line of other songs on the album. No No No has a great chorus, and a delicately crafted riff on the verse, but Maps blows this out the water, with a chorus that should be a mandatory singalong at university indie club nights. It may already be, I just haven't been to one in ten years. It is one track where Karen O sounds anything like vulnerable, which makes it a real counterpoint to the rest of the album. Y Control doesn't stray far from the album's roots, unlike Modern Romance which is a less distorted, more reflective song than any other track on the album.

This is a ridiculously good album, especially if you like piercing guitar and captivating frontwomen. They are a 21st century Blondie, with the song-writing and technique to match their forerunners. The only thing that stopped it being an utterly great album was the slight lack of variety, with most songs following the light verse, heavy chorus approach. This is done exceptionally well, and so it scarcely warrants criticism for it, but it does reduce the repeatability somewhat. That having been said, I'm sure it is an album I will come back to many times.

Chloe's album rating: 8

Chloe's favourite track: 9. Maps

Olly's album rating: 8

Olly's favourite track: 6. Pin

Next week is 720. It's a Shame about Ray by the Lemonheads. 

64. Face to Face - The Kinks

Whilst unlikely that we would select all four of the Kinks albums in the book in the first two years or so, it was not impossible, and so it has come to pass. Given the slight disappointment of two out of three of them, I wasn't optimistic about this one, but hoped that I could be swayed.

This album marked the Kinks' move away from harder, more classic rock and roll towards the more refined, softer sound that they adhered to during the next few albums. The album was entirely written by Ray Davies, and it is claimed that it is one of the first concept albums, with the theme of social commentary. The album was, and is critically acclaimed, but fail to sell particularly well. This may have been, in part, due to the legal wranglings taking place between the group and their record label, Pye.

Party Line is a very bizarre song; musically it is lively, with a jangly guitar and sharp snare combination, but I have little idea as to what a party line actually is, and why it would affect someone voting in an election. Rosy Won't You Please Come Home has a very baroque sound, primarily due to the harpsichord, whereas Dandy sounds significantly more modern, albeit with a slightly dated theme. Too Much On My Mind is overly slow, and fairly forgettable, with nothing of note to warrant its inclusion. Session Man has at least the benefit of some interesting content, however patronisingly it is delivered. I can only imagine the difficulties the Kinks would have getting session musicians to work with them following this song, especially given the damning line "He's not paid to think, just play". Rainy Day in June has a reasonable sense of atmosphere about it, and Ray Davies' voice is at its best on this song, not sounding overly childish, nor overly sarcastic. House in the Country foreshadows Charmless Man by Blur, but with little of the humour of the latter. Holiday in Waikiki sounds exactly like 19th Nervous Breakdown by the Rolling Stones, but nowhere near as good. Most Exclusive Residence for Sale has a catchy chorus, but a narrative that is either bitter or mournful, without being sufficiently compelling in either way. Fancy is rubbish, and Little Miss Queen of Darkness isn't much better, a nice bass line aside. You're Looking Fine has a great guitar, and a few sharp piano touches, but it's Sunny Afternoon which is comfortably the best song here. The languid vocal delivery, the wheezy accordion, with that catchy chorus come together to capture that feeling on a warm, sunny afternoon when everything feels ok, regardless of the reality of the situation. I'll Remember is a pleasant song, but not much to write home about.

This album is arguably the weakest of the four we have heard, with really only Sunny Afternoon of a really high standard. The songs merge into a slightly generic, whimsical pop-rock sound that yearns for the good old days more vehemently than Village Green. The actual song-writing gives the impression of being a bit rushed, with quite a few half-baked ideas that don't have enough about them to hold the song together. For all Davies' talent, he sometimes seems to come up a bit short and settle for an under-developed idea.

Chloe's album rating: 5

Chloe's favourite track: 13. Sunny Afternoon

Olly's album rating: 5

Olly's favourite track: 13. Sunny Afternoon

Next week's album is 949. Fever to Tell by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Banging. 

94. Safe as Milk - Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band

Filed with Frank Zappa as an artist I wanted to know, without having to devote the time to actually listen to him, Captain Beefheart's name alone has always intrigued me. Whilst strange that I would not explore them via Trout Mask Replica first, the write up in the book that sparked this whole project intrigued me.

The album was not a commercial success, and did not chart either side of the atlantic, but it did pave the way for the band's future direction, complete with surreal lyrics and experimental rhythms. Ry Cooder was brought in to perform additional guitar parts, and brought a blues-based sensibility to the album. John Peel was a fan, and it is this album that Barry, in the film High Fidelity, refuses to sell to a customer because he is "not in a selling mood today", before being informed that he is a music snob. 

Sure 'Nuff 'n' Yes, I Do has a brittle-yet-fuzzy guitar sound, with a real Blues swagger to it. Beefheart's vocals have a guttural delivery, although I'd slightly question the extreme stereo nature of the vocal panning, which appears overtly artificial. Zig Zag Wanderer is, as Chloe pointed out, straight out of the Austin Powers school of music, but it has a charm to it that allows it to pull off the naive psychedelia. Call On Me is a relatively traditional pop song than most, with a 'more is better' approach to instrumentation, especially on the percussion front. Dropout Boogie has a great mirroring of the vocal and guitar effects, with a density applied to both that is cur through by the odd chiming harmonic. I'm Glad is a pastiche of a 50s high school prom dance, complete with a waltz-y time signature, and overly saccharine backing vocals. Electricity caught my attention the first time through, with its off-kilter timing, and often bizarre vocals, that steps up into a rumbling, driving manifesto of a song. Musically it seems to epitomise the creativity that underpins the group, whilst never losing sight of a fundamentally accessible experience. And it uses a theremin, which is always a winner in my (Physics text)book. Yellow Brick Road is a rattley, wheezy number that gets toes tapping, and imaginations running riot. Abba Zaba is a rhythmically powerful track with exceptionally meaningless lyrics but good delivery, and Plastic Factory sounds like a Bob Dylan track where the LP has warped a bit, but in a good way. Where There's Woman is the standout for me, with its emotionally driven and powerfully delivered chorus, surrounded by squealing guitars, and underpinned by a tight as a nut rhythm section. 

This is, at its heart, a very good pop album. The effects, the bizarre lyrics, the experimental instrumentation, add a layer of obfuscation, but cannot detract from the accessibilty of the music. It is far more blues-y than I had anticipated, and carries with that a real punch of emotion, although it isn't always clear what that emotion actually is. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it for pretty much the whole week, which is a sign of a good album, at the very least.

Chloe's album rating: 7
Chloe's favourite track: 3. Call On Me
Olly's album rating: 7
Olly's favourite track: 10

Next week is our fourth Kink's album - 64. Face to Face. Hopefully it's more Arthur than Something else.