2011: It's Over!

Yes, another year draws to a close. Not the most active or exciting on my iPod, I must say, but plenty of great records came out. In lieu of a long-winded year in review thing no one would really care about, I've decided to just list my favorite albums, roughly in order, and I made a Spotify playlist featuring as many of them as the service provided. Sadly, that meant a lot of great mixtapes and some surprising commercial releases couldn't be represented (You gotta get No Kings by Doomtree. It's not on the playlist, but trust me, it should be), but I worked with what I had. Anyway, here's the list:

Royal Bangs, Flux Outside

Thao & Mirah, Thao & Mirah

St. Vincent, Strange Mercy

TV on the Radio, Nine Types of Light

Mastodon, The Hunter

Doomtree, No Kings

Wild Flag, Wild Flag

Talib Kweli, Gutter Rainbows

Hail Mary Mallon, Are You Gonna Eat That?

Electric Six, Heartbeats And Brainwaves

Pharoahe Monch, WAR

The Kills, Blood Pressures

Opeth, Heritage

Das Racist, Relax

Sims, Bad Time Zoo

TesseracT, One

Raekwon, Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang

Surfer Blood, Tarot Classics

Protest the Hero, Scurrilous

East of the Wall, The Apologist

Jean Grae, Cookies Or Comas mixtape

Booker T., The Road From Memphis
Okkervil River, I Am Very Far 

Mike Doughty, Yes And Also Yes

Tom Waits, Bad As Me

Betty Wright & The Roots, Betty Wright: The Movie

Dessa, Castor, The Twin

Zola Jesus, Conatus

The Roots, Undun

The Cool Kids, When Fish Ride Bicycles

Atmosphere, The Family Sign

Des Ark, Don't Rock The Boat, Sink the Fucker!

Those Darlins, Screws Get Loose

G. Love, Fixin' To Die

Slaughterhouse, Slaughterhouse EP

In Flames, Sounds of A Playground Fading

9th Wonder, The Wonder Years

Glassjaw, Our Color Green: The Singles

Lushlife, No More Golden Days mixtape

††† (Crosses), EP†

Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2

Laws & Paul McCartney, Yesterday's Future mixtape

Joell Ortiz, Free Agent

Kassa Overall, The Stargate Mixtape

Kittie, I've Failed You

Money Making Jam Boys, The Prestige mixtape

GAYNGS, AFFILYATED

Warm Brew, Warm Brew EP

Party Animal, You Can't Win EP

Amon Amarth, Surtur Rising

Idle Warship, Habits of the Heart
Los Campesinos!, Hello, Sadness

Of Montreal, The Controllersphere  EP
dredg, Chuckles & Mr. Squeezy
The Lonely Island, Turtleneck & Chain 

Lakutis, I'm In The Forest EP

TECLA, Thank$giving

Amanda Diva, Madame Monochrome 

Tapes N' Tapes, Outside

PJ Harvey, Let England Shake  

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, Tao of the Dead

J. Period, John Legend & The Roots, Wake Up Radio! mixtape
Pucifer, Conditions of My Parole
Andrew WK, Party All Goddamn Night EP
Sir Michael Rocks, The Rocks Report mixtape

Wugazi, 13 Chambers mixtape

Trophy Scars, Never Born, Never Dead
Kool AD, Hyphy Ballads EP

Sims & Laserbeak, Wild Life EP

Tori Amos, Night of Hunters

Tegan & Sara, Get Along

Chip Tha Ripper & Chuck Inglish, Gift Raps mixtape
Smoking Popes, This Is Only A Test
King, The Story EP

Skyzoo, The Great Debater mixtape

Rapsody, Thank H.E.R. mixtape

Truck North, Quicktape 

Actual Proof, The Talented Tenth mixtape

Sha Stimuli, The Break Up 2: The Proposal mixtape

Big Baby Ghandi, Big Fucking Baby mixtape

And here's the playlist:

2011: It Happened

Good-Bye, 2011. Happy 2012, everybody! Hope you have a good year.

Yup.
--D

12/12 - 12/16:

Andrew WK, I Get Wet 


When Andrew WK first hit the scene, at the tail end of the last era of music where some one as weird as him had the slightest chance of getting on radio & TV, I don’t think most people knew what to make of him. I sure didn’t. I went from thinking he was dead serious and hating him to thinking he was dead serious and thinking he was hilarious to not really knowing how serious he was and loving him. As he’s refined her persona as some kind of party messiah, trying to bring his message of happiness, personal fulfillment and, above all, partying to every person on the planet, as truly insane conspiracy theories about him have cropped up, as his music has strayed further and further from the sort of “party metal” on this album, as he’s become a successful club owner and children’s TV personality, I’ve been fascinated. But there’s still a certain charm and appeal to the extremely simple, blunt, no frills party attack on I Get Wet. A fast paced, bludgeoning wall of sound somehow turned into fun time music, some of the most bizarre lyrics I’ve ever heard, and the party theme make for an unlikely mixture, but it’s still pretty fun to listen to. 


Andrew WK, “She Is Beautiful” 


 Glassjaw, Our Color Green: The Singles 


 Glassjaw hasn’t released an album since 2004. In that time, the band was on “hiatus,” the few times they gathered, a lot of members were missing or shuffled. Daryl concentrated on Head Automatica and many other projects, Beck focused on his music merch store and other projects, and everyone else seemed to quietly go do something else. But then, in 2010, they randomly reappeared, toured, and released a handful of extremely limited singles, collected here. The material, which is said to be several years old, is significantly heavier than 2004’s Worship & Tribute. Maybe heavier than anything they ever did. But it still sounds like Glassjaw, their own unique spin on emotionally charged heavy music. I didn’t realize just how much I missed Glassjaw until I got some new songs to listen to. I hope it’s not too long before they release something new. 


Glassjaw, “All Good Junkies Go To Heaven” 


Lakutis, I'm In The Forest EP 


Lakutis, Das Racist’s associate who had a few scene-stealing verses in songs like “Amazing” and “Swate,” makes his solo debut with this free EP. The production, much of it by other DR associate Big Baby Gandhi, is frenetic and paranoid, and perfectly suited to Lakutis’ manic delivery. With rap catchphrases like “I’m a death shark,” “Oops,” and “I’m dead,” Lakutis is pretty out of the ordinary, but who else is going to clue you into the Seven Spiders of Hip Hop? Face it: you need Lakutis in your life. Get the EP here. 


Lakutis, “Death Shark” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-WU4l3XqaE 


TECLA, Thank$giving 


Speaking of Das Racist affiliates, TECLA also recently put out a free project, and its definitely worth your time. She shares the tracks with Kassa Overall, Das Racist, Lakutis and others, ping ponging back and forth between serious songs about her life, sexual identity and family and bizarre material like a song in which Kassa Overall and Iron Solomon get in an insult contest and a song based on “Rhythm is a Dancer.” Production and samples vary dramatically, keeping you on your toes. I think my favorite was “Al Green Type Love,” constructed from pieces of several Green classics and featuring TECLA singing part of Biz Markie’s “Just A Friend.” It’s a really unpredictable, enjoyable listen, and it’s free! I couldn’t find a video for this. 


 Soul Coughing, Ruby Vhroom 


 Soul Coughing is conflicting these days. I love Soul Coughing. Have since the first time I heard them. When they broke up, I dutifully followed Mike Doughty into an ever-evolving solo career (See reviews of some of his solo records elsewhere on this blog). His solo material is pretty different, but I feel great affection for both. So it was with some shock and confusion that I read about what a miserable nightmare being in Soul Coughing was for Doughty, in an interview in the back of an issue of Casanova, of all places (An excellent, excellent comic book by Matt Fraction, Gabriel Ba & Fabio Moon!). As a big fan and supporter of Doughty’s, now I have trouble listening to the old Soul Coughing material without feeling kind of bad... but... I still really like it. Ruby Vhroom was the group’s first album, and a great debut. It had a quirky atmosphere, a lot of variety, and a pretty unique sound. I still get a lot of out it. But... now with a tinge of discomfort. Awkward. 


Soul Coughing, “Screenwriter’s Blues” 


The Roots, Undun 


 Ah, The Roots. Never made a bad album. Have been on an unbelievable winning streak since 2006, making four of their finest albums in a row, in addition to great albums supporting John Legend and Betty White. Undun is a powerful concept album about a young man’s entrance into and violent exit from a life of crime. It’s a new level of lush production for the band, and it holds together beautifully even though the story is told out of sequence. It’s vague enough to let some listeners just put it on, but deep enough to let others really examine it. Appearances by such guests as Phonte, Bilal, Truck North, Porn and indispensable unofficial Root Dice Raw are put to great use, enhancing the feel of the record rather than playing characters or anything like that. It’s another masterpiece in an increasingly surprising string of masterpieces. No one is this good this consistently. But yo. I have to be honest. The Roots are really starting to bum me out. When I got into the game, taking my late pass with my copy of Things Fall Apart, they were a very different group. I went back and bought the whole back catalog (Even Organix), and found that they did a great job of mixing serious and fun music into their albums. But, while their dedication to and mastery of the craft has only improved since then, they’ve made only a handful of fun songs in the last five years. Specifically, “Here I Come” from Game Theory, “75 Bars” and “Rising Up” from Rising Down, “How I Got Over,” “Web 20/20” and “Hustla” from How I Got Over, and, I guess, “Kool On” from Undun. When Game Theory came out, with its intentionally oppressive atmosphere and political and social commentary, I was blown away by it. I have continued to find each album to be a masterful collection of songs. But the light has almost gone out of them. Roots albums tend to be really heavy affairs these days, and I must confess, I kinda miss the old days of “Rock You,” “Dynamite!” or even “Datskat!!!” Cheer up, Roots. Please? 


The Roots, “Make My”  


 Yup.
--D

11/28 – 12/02:

Betty Wright & The Roots, Betty Wright: The Movie 


 You really have to hand it to the Roots. Between their group work and Questlove’s pursuits outside the group, it feels like they’ve had a huge impact on music in the last decade especially, from Questlove’s involvement with Chappelle’s Show to their appearance as Jay-Z’s Mtv Unplugged band, to Questlove’s production of other artists to their album with John Legend to their key contributions to a long and diverse list of events, they seem to be everywhere. But even so, this album is pretty surprising. Betty Wright hasn’t released an album in 10 years, for one thing. But she did put out a single last year, and she lost a Grammy to The Roots & John Legend. And, oddly enough, their meeting that night lead to some performances and that lead to this record. Wright hasn’t lost a step, either. Betty Wright: The Movie is a worthy successor to her legendary, often-sampled ‘70s material, with the Roots creating a sound for her that is timeless and timely all at once. Other admirers like Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Wayne and Wright protege Joss Stone make solid contributions, as well. But the focus is squarely on Wright. Her still-powerful voice, the variety of subjects she takes on in her songs, and her conviction in singing them. Whether upbeat or somber, a perfect love song or a warning about domestic violence (A live version of the above-mentioned 2010 single “Go” on that touchy subject is included on some versions of this album), Betty Wright sounds as great as ever. I had no idea this was even coming out, but bought it without even listening to it when I saw it. I was not disappointed. 


 Betty Wright & The Roots, “In the Middle of the Game” 


 Childish Gambino, Camp 


 I was never wowed by Donald Glover’s hip hop music, and it bummed me out. I’ve been a fan since some one showed me the Derrick Comedy sketch “Girls Are Not To Be Trusted” several years ago, and have been excited to watch him go on to more and more success. I enjoy his work as an actor, writer and comedian, but when it came to music, it wasn’t working for me. Even in a genre almost defined by bragging, his lyrics seemed entirely too proud of themselves. Like even he couldn’t believe how clever his rhymes were. And those rhymes were, generally, either about buying sweaters, how everyone wishes they were him, or how his life sucks and he wants to die. There was no consistency, no authorial voice, and no topics I particularly cared to hear about. And to top it all off, he rapped in this high-pitched nasal whine that sounded like a petulant toddler. I tried to like him, but I couldn’t. 


 So when the homie Chris Coleman told me to give Camp a try, I did it to be nice. And I was stunned by it. The last thing I gave a shot was the Culdesac album. Maybe the change on Camp is less jarring if you’ve been keeping up with his subsequent releases, but wow. His voice is almost completely different. The “look-how-clever-I-am” smugness is gone, even when he’s doing typical rap bragging. And some of the songs get pretty deep, dealing with issues of racial identity and social isolation, but with nothing of the weird “I hate myself and I want to die” hysterics that turned up on Culdesac. These things are approached thoughtfully and honestly, and make for damn good listening. I mean, there’s songs about ho’s and gettin’ money and stuff, too, but more often than not, the lyrics are very engaging. And the production, which Glover is also heavily invovled in, is top-notch, fresh and engaging. This is a completely different artist from the last time I heard Childish Gambino, and I’m glad to hear it. 


Donald Glover got the name “Childish Gambino” from one of those Wu-Tang Name Generators that were floating around the internet a decade ago. I got “Bastard Bastard Harbour Master.” Even when it comes to random Wu-Tang names, Donald Glover is doing better than me. 


 Childish Gambino, “Bonfire” 


Los Campesinos!, Hello Sadness 


 Los Campesinos! are back, and more grown up than ever. On their 4th full-length (Although, for some reason, they don’t count We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, so they say 3rd), a lot has changed. 3 members of the 7-person group have left and been replaced, including semi-co-lead-vocalist/keyboardist Aleks, replaced by other lead vocalist Gareth’s sister, Kim (Kinda awkward for some of their material, I’d assume). But personnel changes aren’t all. Gareth’s singing suddenly sounds a lot more confident and practiced. Whereas previous material was delivered with a snotty snarl connecting them to a long history of British punk music, Gareth sounds like he’s grown up some, vocally. And for the most part, so does every other aspect of the band. The lyrics are less likely to be snarky one-liners and seem more raw and honest, and the music follows suit. The youthful bombast, the speed, the chanted backing vocals seem to have all quietly bowed out of the band’s sound. It is overall a much more somber affair, even on songs that aren’t sad. Which, I guess, is right in the title, but still a pretty jarring set of changes from all previous material. But, it still works. Even at their loudest and most sarcastic, the band always had a heart-on-their-sleeve openness that endeared them to the listener, and with a somewhat more mature approach, that connection becomes stronger. It leaves me wondering where they’re headed in the future. But I think it’s safe to say Los Campesinos! may not be a band that requires an exclamation point anymore. 


 Los Campesinos!, “By Your Hand”


Soundgarden, Badmotorfinger 


 There was a time, a time called middle school, where this album was entirely beyond me. I’d heard “Blackhole Sun” 4000000 times like everyone else, and enjoyed Superunknown, and in typical me fashion, went looking for more albums. And I had no idea what to do with this. I hadn’t really cultivated a taste for anything too heavy metal, and this was so far removed from the standard grunge fare of Superunknown that it totally broadsided me. In retorspect, what a strange transformation that must have been for existing fans. And in the present, with a much, much (much!) broader musical palate, I think this is my favorite Soundgarden album. But it took awhile to get there.


Soundgarden, “Rusty Cage” 


 Art Brut, Bang Bang Rock & Roll 


I will confess I’ve had diminishing returns on each subsequent Art Brut album. Some bands’ initial appeal is their wildness. The music is brash, raw, sloppy, and all the better for it. And no matter what, there’s no way they could realistically keep that up. Deftones and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are probably some of the best examples in my library, but Art Brut is definitely up there.I’ve enjoyed further releases and all, but the unpredictable, crazed, hilarious sound on Bang Bang Rock & Roll is exactly the kind of music that can’t stay the same. In terms of maturity, skill, production preferences, and just the artistic need to grow, no band is going to stay in a place where they can make songs like “Formed A Band,” “My Little Brother,” “Good Weekend” and “Modern Art” for long. But that special place early on where a band can just go for broke produces some of my favorite music. 


Art Brut, “Modern Art” 


Bob Dylan, Blonde On Blonde 


 The monolith. The one most people will say is his masterpiece. The epic double album that once and for all severed his ties with his past, the peak of a truly stunning 5-year artistic progression, some of the weirdest, densest popular music ever recorded at the time, and even putting all that aside, just a great collection of songs. 


I have come to realize over the years that, if I think something that isn’t necessarily meant to be funny is, indeed, funny when I’m first exposed to it, I will eventually come to genuinely love it. Dylan might be the earliest example I can think of, but there’s also Andrew WK, most genres of metal, a mid-life re-evaluation of Billy Ocean, and several other examples in my musical development. When I was but a lad, no later than 7th grade, my friend’s Dad got randomly hooked on the song “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” Even then, I had developed a reputation as  music-obsessed, so I was asked where he could find a good version of that song, but I was like 13, what did I know about “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door?” He eventually purchased the 1989 live album Dylan & The Dead. This... was a mistake. Such a mistake that he didn’t know what to make of it. But they played the album for me, and I cackled like a madman. This was Dylan at his most-parodied. The impression people do of Bob Dylan is generally how he sounded in the 80s. Especially nasal, nearly incomprehensible shouting, and nowhere in his 50 year career did he sound more like some one doing a bad impression of himself than this live album. I couldn’t for the life of me tell you what he was saying in basically any of these performances of some of his most famous pieces, but I thought it was hysterical. I dubbed a copy of the CD, even (OMG piracy!). Bob Dylan = funny. Filed that away, went on with my life. 


I was a freshman in college before I thought of Bob again. I was making the long drive to my comic shop and Blonde On Blonde’s “Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again” came on the radio. I thought of Dylan & The Dead, and I laughed, and I kind of heard it as the parody Dylan voice instead of actually listening to it. But it’s a really long song, and as it kept going, and I stopped laughing at my memories and started really listening to it, I became more and more intrigued. Generally speaking, when we get to this part of a story, I’m about to become obsessed. By the end of the night, I’d researched his entire discography on the still fledgling late-90s internet and decided I should start with Blonde On Blonde. Within a few months, I’d own the vast majority of his recorded work, and be a true believin’ convert. In the coming years, I’d eagerly snap up each new record, see him in concert in 2002 (Shouts to Maile for front-row tickets!), buy his book, buy books about him, watch the Scorsese documentary etc, etc, etc. I became a dyed in the wool Dylan fanatic. But none of that probably would’ve happened if I didn’t spend a few hours laughing uncontrollably at Dylan & The Dead as a kid. It’s a funny ol’ world. 


 Bob Dylan, “Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again” 


Yup. 


--D

11/21 – 11/25:

Das Racist, Shut Up, Dude

 The first DR mixtape still has some of my favorite songs on it, but over all, it’s truly impressive to me how quickly they evolved and improved. The strength of this body of work was a pleasant surprise after the goofiness of “Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell,” but like most mixtapes, it ran a little long, and the stuff they’ve done since has only gotten stronger. Still, though, “Who’s That Brown?” “Chicken & Meat,” “Rainbow in the Dark,” their take on the beat to the Ghostface classic “Nutmeg,” there’s great stuff on here.

 Das Racist, “Rainbow In The Dark”

 Royal Bangs, Flux Outside

 Royal Bangs offer up a 3rd helping of electrifying, hard-to-categorize music on Flux Outside, their 3rd record. The band has really found their sound by now, and while I have trouble describing exactly what that is, I can't get enough of it. One of my favorite albums of 2011, no question.

 Royal Bangs, “Back Then It Was Different”

 Fiona Apple, When The Pawn...

Still my favorite of her albums. This is another one that seemed to constantly be on in some one’s apartment or car for months. More coherent than her first (and, sadly, 3rd) album, moody but not too moody, it makes a good soundtrack for a surprising number of situations.

 Fiona Apple, “Fast As You Can”

 Thao & Mirah, Thao & Mirah

 From the first listen, this was in contention for my album of the year. Folk singers Thao & Mirah bring their very different approaches to a true collaboration, each bringing 5 songs to the table and working with the other to push them in directions they wouldn’t choose on their own. They are aided and abetted by Merril Garbus of the frustratingly-named tUnE-yArDs (Welcome to the internet circa 1999) as producer, who wrote album opener “Eleven” to finish the recording session. This is deeply infectuous music, bringing the skittery, energetic sound of Thao and the dreamy, intimate music of Mirah together together in an unlikely but engrossing set of songs (Garbus’ influence on the sound and in the percussion is so prevalent, powerful and welcome that the record should probably have been called Thao & Mirah & Merril.) Every track is a winner. Can’t recommend this album enough.

 Thao & Mirah, “Teeth”

 Hail Mary Mallon, Are You Gonna Eat That?

 Hail Mary Mallon is Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz. This is quite a record. Aes and Rob trade typically complex, engaging verses over some unique and inventive production. The three seem to inspire each other to keep upping the ante, and the album crackles with energy throughout.

 Hail Mary Mallon, “Breakdance Beach”

 TV on the Radio, Nine Type Of Light

Nine Types of Light continues TVOTR’s fascinating, rewarding evolution. After revealing a new level of complexity and emotional resonance their (quite good) previous material didn’t even hint at on Return To Cookie Mountain, they made about as close to a straight up rock record as their sound will allow with Dear Science, and now Nine Types of Light sort of synthesizes all of those experiences. By turns fragile, haunting, defiant and energetic, Nine Types of Light is a broader album, seemingly less focused on a cohesive atmosphere or mission statement and more on just recording great songs. The sequencing makes the album something of an emotional rollercoaster, giving you pensive, introspective music before hitting you with a banger or two and then receding into the ether again. It’s another homerun from one of the most reliable bands of the 21st century.

 TV On the Radio, “No Future Shock”

Yup.
--D

11/14 – 11/18:

Tom Waits, Bad As Me 


A new Tom Waits album is a rare treat these days, some 6 years after his last studio album. But Bad As Me is worth the wait. It almost plays like a career retrospective, with songs evoking his early, almost unrecognizable barroom ballads all the way through his transformation into a truly bizarre musical treasure and through previous album Real Gone, which was just about as unhinged as he could get. But not in that order, of course. Fine guests like Keith Richards, Charlie Musselwhite and Les Claypool are along for the ride, and everyone sounds energized and excited. It’s as if some one made a greatest hits album with all-new material on it. I can’t stop listening to it. 


Tom Waits,“Satisfied”

Idle Warship, Habits of the Heart 

Metaphorically, of course. I am not that kind of person, really, so I listened to this, too, the first official album by Idle Warship. Talib Kweli and Res have been Idle Warship for many years, touring, releasing a song here and there online, but never managing to release an album. In 2009 they got a full mixtape out, and this year, finally, a proper album. A lot of hip hop team-ups these days just sound like the artists heard the music, wrote some lyrics, and some one put their vocals over the music. So true collaborations like this, where the players interact, riff off each other, and basically justify their pairing is rare and rewarding. The production is varied and adventurous. A handful of friends stop by to contribute (Including the always delightful Jean Grae). And Talib & Res do what they do best, together. It’s a great listen.

Idle Warship, “Laser Beams”

 PJ Harvey, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea 

PJ Harvey calls this her attempt at a pop album. I’m not sure anyone in the pop world would ever see it that way, but the huge production, bright tones and slick songwriting probably do amount to her most accessible album. A duet about a troubled romance with Thom Yorke provides the album’s secret weapon, but there’s not a bad song in the bunch. 

PJ Harvey with Thom Yorke, “This Mess We’re In”

Some One Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Pershing 

Perfect pop rock. That’s what you can expect from this band. Don’t let their long silly name fool you, they write a fun, infectious, lushly-produced song like nobody’s business. This album is my favorite of theirs. 

Some One Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, “Modern Mystery”

Los Campesinos!, Hold On Now, Youngster... 

I was really impressed by this album when it came out, and it still holds up. The relentless energy, the wall of sound, the sarcastic, often hilarious lyrics, the exuberant backing vocals, the whole package just clicked for me instantly. That they released a whole second album that was just as good mere months later is insane. 

Los Campesinos!, “Death To Los Campesinos!”

11/07 – 11/11:

Mastodon, The Hunter


This should have been on the list for several past weeks. Not sure how I forgot it. Anyway, Mastodon. While all four previous Mastodon records have been increasingly complicated concept albums, The Hunter finds them breaking with tradition and having more fun than they ever have in the past. The songs range in subject matter from simple to intentionally very silly, and this new freedom seems to suit them. The music on this album may not be heavy enough to suit some older fans, but it’s still pretty chaotic for the most part. Perhaps tellingly, songs like “Blasteroid,” “Spectrelight,” and “All the Heavy Lifting” would fit right in on the older albums some fans think the band has forsaken with more distortion and different vocals. For all the cries of change, Mastodon is mostly still writing the same way. There are major departures, such as the bizarre epic “Creature Lives” or “Curl of the Burl,” basically a love letter to 70s rock, but the biggest change in their music is actually vocal. The aforementioned “Blasteroid” features some of their best clean singing to date with real harmonies. The addition of drummer Brann’s fine singing voice on the previous album proved a winner, and he takes up vocal duties on several tracks here. Basically, this is the sound of a band getting older. They haven’t abandoned their sound, they’ve just refining it and expanding it to include more things they like. To ask them for anything else  after over a decade together would be unrealistic.


Mastodon, “Black Tongue”


 Surfer Blood, Tarot Classics

This one caught me off guard. I liked Surfer Blood’s debut album well enough. In this weird lo fi, surf rock kind of thing going on, they were least likely to ruin it with a bunch of fake lo fi distortion and nonsense. But this? This little EP just bowled me over. Super catchy, perfect songs, great playing, everything clicks. Left me wishing it was longer. It’s not revolutionary or life changing or any such lofty thing, it’s just really enjoyable music. That’s more than enough for me.


Surfer Blood, “Miranda”



East of the Wall, The Apologist

East of the Wall make a particular kind of metal that seems much more emotionally involved, but I don’t mean to imply it’s screamo or emo or whatever. More like Isis or Burst or Gojira. their music is heavy and bombastic, but it also has really gentle passages. The vocals switch from a really pleasant clean voice to a powerful bellow on a dime. But whether a quiet moment or any explosion, their songs feel more personal than the average metal experience to me. 


East of the Wall, “Linear Failure”



Lushlife, No More Golden Days mixtape

Philly rapper & producer Lushlife came to my attention via a feature from Heems on this mixtape, which also features Money Making Jam Boys STS & Dice Raw. I’m glad I found it, because this is great stuff. His choice of songs to rap over is inspired, his flow is confident and engaging, and his lyrics are interesting. What more can you ask for? And it’s a free download, too! 



Lushlife with Andrew Cedermark, “The Romance of the Telescope”



Clutch, Strange Cousins From the West

Every time in their history Clutch as made me worry that they were getting stuck in a rut or too comfortable, their next album has proven me wrong. So it was with Strange Cousins From the West. Following From Beale Street To Oblivion, which seemed tame and familiar next to its predecessors (And featured oddly flat production, which didn’t help) with the exception of the Earth-shattering “Electric Worry,” this album brought it all back. It took some chances, tried some new things, tried some new instruments, even, and generally featured much more engaging songs. The mysterious departure of keyboardist Mick Schaur, who had so enhanced much of their recent work, is unfortunate, but Clutch was a 4-piece longer than they weren’t, so it’s not too jarring over all. Some of my favorite Clutch songs now come from this album, especially “Struck Down,” “50,000 Unstoppable Watts” and “Abraham Lincoln.” 


Clutch, “50,000 Unstoppable Watts”



Misfits, Earth AD

The 3rd and final real Misfits album (But only the 2nd one released when they were together) is the reason people associate them with hardcore instead of punk. Taking the gloriously sloppy monster movie cheese of their previous material and hitting the gas, it’s a fitting end to the only incarnation of the band worth hearing.


Misfits, “Die, Die My Darling”



TesseracT, One

I bought this in a hurry as an 11th hour choice for something to listen to on a long car trip. I like having new music to examine in that situation, but this year seems really slow for music releases, and I had nothing at the time. Plus, my metal in-take is at something like an all-time low this year. So, as it turns out, TesseracT is pretty cool. Combining the kind of sprawling, epic atmosphere and build-up of a band like Isis with passages that sound remarkably like Meshuggah, this album is all about mood. The singer has a good clean voice and a good shouting voice. He mostly relies on the clean voice, and it works for the music. There’s a 6-track concept piece in the middle that makes up the bulk of the album. It’s a good listen, and rewards repeat visits as the recurring motifs and  concepts become more apparent.


TesseracT, "Deception, Concealing Fate Part 2”


Yup.
--D

10/31 -- 11/04:

Danger Doom, The Mouse & The Mask

It’s kind of hard to believe this album is so good. I happily snapped it up when it came out... Danger Mouse was really at the top of his game at the time, and MF DOOM was (and is) one of the most unstoppable, unpredictable rappers in the biz... but the angle of the two doing an album for Cartoon Network was pretty strange. But it worked out really well. DOOM’s solo work already spends plenty of time sampling cartoons, but here they actually have permission, and the two craft a spectacular, dense, dizzyingly fun hip hop album that just happens to feature interludes by (And a few songs about) characters from the original (Infinitely superior) Adult Swim line-up like Space Ghost, Sealab, Harvey Birdman and, of course, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Toss in perfectly chosen guest spots from Talib Kweli and Ghostface (Oh, if only the long-promised DOOM/Ghostface collaboration album had happened), and you really can’t lose.



Danger Doom with Ghostface, “The  Mask”

Electric Six, Heartbeats & Brainwaves


The release of a new Electric Six album is cause for celebration. It is, in fact, the soundtrack to its own celebration. Heartbeats & Brainwaves is a more synth-driven album, taking the dance rock we’ve come to depend on and turning down the “rock” part a little. The result is more akin to 2nd album Senior Smoke than most of their catalog: glorious, bombastic, even catchier than usual. And lyrically, Dick Valentine really brought it this time, delivering some of the Six’s more absurd, delightful songs to date in songs like “Gridlock!,” “It Gets Hot,” and “Food Dog.” Electric Six songs that get really excited about mundane events tend to be homeruns, and “Free Samples” is no exception. It’s about getting free samples. Even moody opener “Psychic Visions” offers plenty of fun. The whole album is a great time from start to finish. The first three Electric Six albums are far and away the best, and a big part of that for me is they all sound different. The first is really rock oriented, the second more dance-based, and the third stretched out and tried some new genres. After that, until last year’s Zodiac, they’d mostly settled into a reliable, Fire-esque, dance rock sound. But Zodiac began and Heartbeats & Brainwaves continues a new era of experimentation, and I am all for it. Electric Six are on top of their game right now.



Electric Six, “Gridlock!”




Puscifer, Conditions of My Parole



Puscifer is the name Maynard James Keenan uses for his “solo” material. The name originated in a Mr. Show sketch Keenan and Tool bandmate Adam Jones cameoed in. I find it interesting, though, that Puscifer, the music project, does seem to just be a name. As a band, it/he doesn’t have a defined style or approach. Generally speaking, most bands have a pretty well-defined sound or niche (Tool) and if you want to do something even a little bit different, you go somewhere else (A Perfect Circle). Puscifer, though, just seems to the name Keenan applies to whatever he’s been doing lately, and he likes it that way.

The first thing I heard under that name was a playfully spooky song on the soundtrack to that paragon of cinematic excellence, Underworld, in 2003. I really, really liked that song. When a Puscifer full-length made its way to the public in 2007, I was excited. It was totally different. From that song in 2003, from any band Keenan was in, anything. It was hard not to hear it as Keenan baiting the rabid fans of his day job. The man has a pretty good range as a singer, and refused to sing in any of it, affecting this gravelly voice the whole record. And that voice bopped its way across weird funky jams, dark electronic music, and even what seemed to be an unironic reading of a Christian sermon. The obsessive Tool fans who pore over and ascribe meaning to every syllable of every song would be hard-pressed to delve too deeply into ludicrous faux-R&B lyrics like, “This lovely lady got the thickness/Can I get a witness?/Miss Betty Booty got the thickness/Can I get a hell yeah?” from “Queen B” or my personal favorite, the chorus to “Drunk With Power,” “Where all my honey gone?/Pooh Bear be cryin’.” Even the name of the album, “V” is for Vagina, seemed to be daring his fans to take him seriously.

After remix albums (“V” is for Viagra and “D” is for Dubby), a short EP of new songs and remixes (“C” is for (Insert Sophomoric Genetalia Reference Here)) and the soundtrack to the documentary on his winery (Blood Into Wine) featuring still more remixes and some rarities, Keenan is back with the second true Puscifer album, Conditions of My Parole, and has once again gone off in another direction. It’s less gleefully silly than “V”, and yet, still has its silly moments, and they stick out more here due to their rarity. And it even seems like it could be a concept album, as themes and locations are repeated in several songs, whether ridiculous or dead-serious. Some songs have the darker, more serious tone of Keenan’s work with other groups (“Telling Ghosts”), some have a much more gentle feel (“Monsoons”), others still are just plain goofy (The title track). The weird R&B stylings of the first album are gone, replaced by a greater focus on electronics, and Keenan is back to his familiar singing voice. Not much on here suggests a kinship with the first album. But I guess that’s just part of the deal with Puscifer. As an album, I think it’s less cohesive than “V,” but also a more satisfying listen, all told. The songs are each engaging in their own way even if they don’t present a very unified sound.



Puscifer, “Green Valley”


Every Time I Die, Gutter Phenomenon



ETID’s 3rd album is where things really started to gel. Keith dropped the last of the “screamo” style from his vocals, the Southern Rock influences creeping around the edges of Hot Damn! take a much more prominent place, and the songwriting feels more focused than ever. Even though the material doesn’t have the crazed mathcore-style complexity of Last Night In Town, it still feels like the band’s most precise album. Almost every lyric on the album is a memorable one-liner. they even came up with something akin to  radio ready song in “The New Black.” All this and a perfect cameo by Daryl Palumbo make this one of the band’s finest hours.



Every Time I Die, “The New Black”


Das Racist, Relax

After a flood of free music in the last couple of years, DR is finally asking you to buy something. And I think it’s well worth doing so. They’ve changed things up on Relax. It’s easy to say they did it to make the album more palatable to a wider audience, but given the rapid evolution they’ve gone through from “Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell”s viral success to now, it could easily just be what they’re into these days. Regardless, there’s more singing, some songs you could call “club friendly,” but also really insane songs that seem as far from commercial as possible, and one of those, “Michael Jackson,” is the lead single. “Shut Up, Man” is a particular highlight, with a searing verse from producer El-P and a title seemingly designed to be the last word on the previous phase of their career. “Rainbow in the Dark” from the first mixtape is the only old song to make an appearance, although theoretical club banger “Booty In The Air” uses the same beat and a brief passage of lyrics from ancient artifact “Different Schools.” Overall, I think it’s a fine introduction to the group for the commerical music biz. Next up: free solo mixtapes from every member to released on the same day in January.

Das Racist, “Relax”


Stevie Wonder, Song Review

You’re not going to catch me listening to too many hits packages. As this ridiculous feature demonstrates, I am pretty dedicated to the concept of the album. But come on. The first disc alone of Song Review is some of the best songs ever made by anybody, all in one place. We throw the word “genius” around all the time these days. Hyperbole is just how people talk. But man-oh-man, Stevie Wonder. His honesty, his openness. Even at its most complex, his music always seems unpretentious and real. Whether partying with the best of them, dealing with complex social issues, or making you cry, the man can and will make you feel it right along with him, every time. Listening to many of his very best songs one after the other is a rollercoaster ride well worth taking.



Stevie Wonder, “I Was Made To Love Her”

Yup.
--D

10/24 – 10/28:

Opeth, Heritage 


Still trying to figure it out! 


 Opeth, “Famine” 


 Electric Six, Heartbeats & Brainwaves 


 The release of a new Electric Six album is cause for celebration. It is, in fact, the soundtrack to its own celebration. Heartbeats & Brainwaves is a more synth-driven album, taking the dance rock we’ve come to depend on and turning down the “rock” part a little. The result is more akin to 2nd album Senior Smoke than most of their catalog: glorious, bombastic, even catchier than usual. And lyrically, Dick Valentine really brought it this time, delivering some of the Six’s more absurd, delightful songs to date in songs like “Gridlock!,” “It Gets Hot,” and “Food Dog.” Electric Six songs that get really excited about mundane events tend to be homeruns, and “Free Samples” is no exception. It’s about getting free samples. Even moody opener “Psychic Visions” offers plenty of fun. The whole album is a great time from start to finish. The first three Electric Six albums are far and away the best, and a big part of that for me is they all sound different. The first is really rock oriented, the second more dance-based, and the third stretched out and tried some new genres. After that, until last year’s Zodiac, they’d mostly settled into a reliable, Fire-esque, dance rock sound. But Zodiac began and Heartbeats & Brainwaves continues a new era of experimentation, and I am all for it. Electric Six are on top of their game right now.


Electric Six, “It Gets Hot” 


 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Living With The Living 


 Upon its release, I thought this album was the apex of Ted Leo’s career. Always known for his sharp, catchy songs with great lyrics, this one trumped everything that preceded it. Of course, he would follow it with The Brutalist Bricks, which was even better, but I didn’t know that at the time. From fiery anti-war rhetoric on “Bomb. Repeat. Bomb” to a more gentle groove on “La Costa Brava” and everything in between (Ok, technically, nothing is between them, as one follows the other on the album, but you know what I mean!), every song is a winner. 


 Ted Leo, “Who Do You Love?” 


 Screaming Females, Baby Teeth 


 The raw, glorious debut of a band that’s only gotten better and better since. Screaming Females recorded and released this one completely on their own, without even a small label behind them. The band’s tight interplay and unique songwriting are already present, but they’re still experimenting with stylistic elements. Screaming Females would go on do to less screaming and rock a little harder in the future, but this is as fine an opening statement as you could ask for. 


 Screaming Females, “Foul Mouth” 


 Yup.
--D

10/17 – 10/21:

Dessa, Castor, The Twin 

Castor and Pollox are, of course, the twins who became the constellation Gemini in Greek mythology, and the name of this album was chosen very deliberately. It is a collection of existing Dessa songs taken from her fine album A Badly Broken Code, her False Hopes EP, and various other Doomtree-related productions on which she featured (And one new song). But these versions are rearranged for live instruments, and played with a band and other singers. Dessa has performed a couple of shows like this, and they went so well they decided to make an album. Some of the arrangements are departures, while others mirror the originals pretty closely. Even though it’s nearly all songs you’ve heard before, the live aspect makes it feel very cohesive and even fresh somehow. It’s an interesting, successful experiment. 

Rather than finding a song off this album, I’m linking you to a whole concert performed with live instruments from back in March. This was one of the first performances to inspire this album, and several performers featured here also worked on the record. It’s very good.

Zola Jesus, Conatus 

Nika Danilova, the young lady who performs as Zola Jesus, grew up wanting to be an opera singer. Somewhere along the way, due to being too much of a perfectionist to be happy with her singing, she detoured into spooky pop music territory, and began recording music in her apartment. She may have abandoned (or just postponed) her interest in opera, but the high stakes and outsized emotions of her beloved musical style are still all over her work as Zola Jesus. Her first album and a slew of EPs to follow were in a decidedly goth-influenced mode. Dark, but dark in a big, expansive way, especially on her Stridulum EP last year. With Conatus, her second true full-length, she peels back the darkness a little, and even adds some danceable beats, but the outlook is still prrrrrretty serious. She still trades in fragile, intense, usually sad songs, but somehow they’re usually not as bleak this time around. The new layers and textures are welcome additions, and make it hard to guess where she might go next. 

Zola Jesus, “Vessel”

Wild Flag, Wild Flag 

The 21st century has been an interesting era for “supergroups.” They happen so often now, and some of them feature such obscure people, that the term is getting a bit worn out. But the collaborations and often surprising combinations of personnel never stop being interesting. There’s Future of the Left, The Company Band, Them Crooked Vultures, Spylacopa, The Dead Weather, The Damned Things, King Hobo, Slaughterhouse, Money Making Jam Boys, Gayngs, Hail Mary Mallon, Thao & Mirah, Blak Rok and United Nations, to name just a few of the team-ups and supergroups I’ve sampled in the past few years alone. Even Jay-Z & Kanye did a whole album together. This seems like an era of collaboration. 

And now comes Wild Flag. To make Wild Flag, mix two parts Sleater-Kinney (Carrie Brownstein & Janet Weiss), one part Helium (Mary Timony) and one part the Minders (Rebecca Cole), and serve an electrifying album of no frills, no nonsense rock’n’roll music. In an era where rock music has retreated to the fringe, where most bands are playing hipster music or metal or some other more obscure sub-sub-sub-genre in an ultimately fruitless effort to reinvent the wheel, this kind of more traditional approach actually feels rare, fresh and exciting. Wild Flag comes roaring out of the gate with the spectacular “Romance.” “Romance” may be too good, in fact. It’s so powerful, catchy and anthemic that the songs that follow never quite manage to recapture its energy. But don’t that that the wrong way. There’s not a dull moment on the record, it’s a great time from start to finish. They just maybe shouldn’t have opened with their knockout punch. 

Wild Flag, “Romance”

Mike Doughty, Yes And Also Yes

Half the fun of a new Mike Doughty album is just seeing what it will sound like. Sometimes, he applies a big, clean production with many instruments to his compositions, other times he strips it down to the bare essentials. While his basic approach to songwriting may not change drastically from album to album, you never know what those songs will actually sound like. Previous album Sad Man Happy Man was a very basic affair, but Yes And Also Yes finds him swinging in the other direction again. Not super-slick, AC Top 40 production like his sort-of-solo-debut Haughty Melodic, but a fuller sound with some interesting percussion and clear, crisp production. This album seems a little more melancholy than usual, but no less enjoyable as a result. Not outright sad, but a somber mood certainly seems to power songs likes the gentle “Russell,” the lovely duet with Rosanne Cash, “Holiday (What Do You Want?),” and even upbeat numbers like “Na Na Nothing” and “Strike The Motion.” The overall effect is a very cohesive set of songs and a fine listen. 

Mike Doughty, “Na Na Nothing”

Andrew WK, Mother of Mankind 

Last year's truly bizarre collection of outtakes spanning Andrew WK's three albums is, unsurprisingly, a mixed bag. Some really insane, essential songs, some really not-so-good songs, and some obviously unfinished ideas. But when it's good... it's weird. 

Andrew WK, “I will Find God”

Yup. --D

10/10 -- 10/14:

The changeds made to Blogger made last week's post come out all jumbled. I caught it this week.

Tori Amos, Night of Hunters 

Tori Amos and I came together in about the oddest way possible. I saw a couple seconds of the video for her single “God” on a commercial on MTV, and it seemed cool. I assume it said her name, it must have. Then I saw her in one of those ads for Columbia House or BMG, and filed that away. “Tori Amos.” I’m gonna check her out some day. I had a memory like a steel trap as a young man, and it served me well, in this instance. Then a visit to an old friend in Florida revealed she had Tori’s first album, Little Earthquakes, and dubbed it to a cassette for me (ask you parents what a “cassette” is). This act of terrible, terrible music piracy was the beginning of me spending an obscene amount of money on Tori Amos albums, rare import singles, books, video cassettes (ask them!) and DVDs. Tori made her bones on shockingly honest, confessional songs of the type that an angsty teenager could really latch on to. But you can’t just keep reading people the same pages of your diary, and over the years, her work became more abstract. Abstraction gave way to full-blown concept albums... some more successful than others. So, now, Night of Hunters. It’s got maybe the most baffling, intricate concept yet. It’s got her daughter (Already 11, somehow, my goodness) singing on about half songs as different characters and her niece singing on one. It’s an entirely acoustic “21st century song cycle” comprised of compositions inspired by classical works by the likes of Bach, Chopin, Mendelssohn, and Schubert. It’s got all kinds of baggage. But it works surprisingly well. There’s maybe a bit too much of the kids. Not because they’re bad, but just because this is a Tori Amos album, not Tori and the Family Amos. But between the acoustic rule, featuring Tori on piano and a small assortment of string players, and the challenge of working from classics, this album actually pushes Tori to really focus on her vocals and piano playing in a way she hasn’t in a long, long time. Much like Midwinter Graces, her strange and satisfying "Holiday" album from 2009, it keeps her out of what has become her comfort zone, and it really seems to bring out the best in her. And clocking in at 14 tracks, it feels positively short compared to her other 21st century work. She came to the decision somewhere along the line that all those b-sides and rarities her fans hunt for should just be on the album, and as a result, her records could become endurance challenges. Night of Hunters doesn’t wear out its welcome. Which isn’t to say it’s perfect. It may have fewer songs, but two of them approach ten minutes, and as mentioned above, the kids can feel a little intrusive. The sing-songy title phrase of “Cactus Practice” being repeated so often would get old anyway, but having Natasha alternate in and out of it makes it a little twee, frankly. Natasha has a surprisingly rich voice, especially for being so young, but I don’t think it meshes too well with her mother’s for a duet. Natasha’s voice is more in the Adele mode, smokey, a little rough around the edges, while Tori’s is as ethereal as ever. It’s not the electric thrill of putting on from the choirgirl hotel for the first time, or going to Best Buy with Dawn to pick up copies of Strange Little Girls, but digging into Night of Hunters is still a fun experience. After all these years, Tori is still producing music that I find engaging, and I am glad. 

Tori Amos, “Shattering Sea” 

Opeth, Heritage 

A newer addition to my personal catalog than Tori Amos, Opeth quickly shot to prominence. I was turned onto them right before their “breakthrough” album, Blackwater Park. It may have brought them more fame than ever, but it was already their 5th album. I had homework to do. Opeth immediately caught my ear due to the immense variety in their work. Their music often switches from grinding death metal to baroque acoustic passages and back again in the course of a single song. Their songs owe more to classical music and prog rock than pop or rock tradition, usually eschewing verse/chorus/verse structure for more adventurous songs that unfold their movements like a symphony. They’re a band that can give me the adrenaline rush of metal and the moving beauty of Nick Drake in a single song. There’s nothing like them out there. The only constant throughout the years is singer/guitarist Mikael Akerfeldt. He’s the only remaining original member, and at this point, every other position has seen at least two people fill it. He has always been the principle songwriter, so the band has somehow managed to sound consistent throughout all the lineup changes. The lineup going into Heritage was perhaps the strongest Opeth ever, with Martin Mendez on bass (2nd-longest-serving member, having joined the band in 1997), Per Wieberg on keys (since 2004), the amazing Martin Axenrot on drums (2006) and Fredrick Akesson taking up guitar duties just in time to share leads and solos with Akerfeldt recording Watershed in 2007. Mikael has often joked that, going in to record the first Opeth album in 1995, he thought he was going to be a minstrel, playing a lute and singing ridiculously pretentious songs. Heritage, shockingly enough, seems to be as close as he’s gotten to getting his wish. Opeth has quietly stopped being a metal band. It still sounds like Opeth. The unique sound they’ve cultivated over the years is still identifiable. But in the prog rock influences, in some of the acoustic passages, and in the guitar solos. There’s no metal anything to be heard. I’ve listened to this over and over and I’m still not sure what I think of it, exactly. I’ve come to the decision the production bugs me more than the lack of metal, especially when it comes to drums. The bass drum sounds muffled and is actually hard to hear sometimes, and the rest of the drums sound pretty flat. But, beyond the production, there’s a sort of... over the top feeling to a lot of it. Almost like they’re trying too hard. I’m not sure what I’m even trying to say. It’s just so proggy and so noodly sometimes. Sometimes it’s not. They were wise to make “The Devil’s Orchard” the lead single, as it’s the most “Opeth sounding” song on the album. For the most part, I think I have favorite moments instead of songs. It’s a hard thing to adjust to. Mikael Akerfeldt has been doing this for 20 years. No one can be metal forver. You either evolve into something else or become an embarrassing cartoon of yourself like Ozzy. In the DVD accompanying this release, Mikael said he thought that going in this direction would mean he “still had something to offer.” He also said he wasn’t ruling out metal elements in the future, and that he hoped not to repeat Heritage on the next album. Who knows, their next one may win me right back over. Their 11th album is the first one that didn’t completely enthrall me. That’s still a pretty spectacular track record. And I’m going to keep listening... trying to figure it out... 

Opeth, “The Devil’s Orchard” 

Now, Now, Neighbors EP 

The band formerly known as Now, Now Every Children made a splash a few years ago and then disappeared. Turns out, theirs is age old story of label problems and contract disputes. But late last year, they began making a comeback from those unfortunate events with the Neighbors EP, and it basically picks up right where they left off. “Giants,” Roommates” and the title song are a bit more immediate than past songs, faster and more direct, but the dreamy atmosphere and cryptic lyrics are still in fine form. The slower, meandering “Jesus Camp” and the fragile opening instrumental “Rebuild” round out the album. Acoustic versions of “Giants” and “Neighbors” are also included. The EP is a fine reassurance that the band is still kicking, and I hope it’s followed by a longer work in the near future. 

Now, Now, “Neighbors” 

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Nocturama 

When Nocturama came out in 2003, a friend of mine went crazy for it. A long-time Nick Cave fan like me, he told me Nick Cave was back! Coming as it did after 2001’s weirdly uncharacteristic, mopey No More Shall We Part and the also uncharacteristically calm The Boatman’s Call from 1997, this was big news, indeed. Turns out, though, my friend Scott got so (Justifiably) excited about the rock’n’roll frenzy of “Dead Man In My Bed” and the sprawling, 15-minute freakout “Babe, I’m On Fire” (An attempt, they band said to offend as many people as possible) that they made him temporarily forget the rest of the album he’d just listened to was another serving of mopey, decidedly down tempo ballads. Not to say that any of those albums are bad, per se. They just mark a weirdly quiet period in Cave’s otherwise bombastic, deranged career. But Nocturama was still a more engaging collection than its predecessor, and presaged something of a Renaissance on material to come. And, yeah, regardless of anything else, “Dead Man In My Bed” and “Babe, I’m On Fire” are a whole lot of fun. 

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, “Dead Man In My Bed” Yup. --D