22nd September - Primal Scream's Screamadelica

Artist – Album: Primal Scream - Screamadelica

Released:  22^nd September 1991

Sounds Like: Era-defining druggy, sexy dance masterpiece

 “Just what is it that you want to do?

We wanna be free

We wanna be free to do what we wanna do

And we wanna get loaded

And we wanna have a good time

That's what we're gonna do

(No way baby let's go)

We're gonna have a good time

We're gonna have a party”

Albumaday... rating: 9/10

1.       Movin’ on Up – 3:47

2.       Slip Inside This House – 5:14

3.       Don’t Fight It, Feel It – 6:51

4.       Higher Than the Sun – 3:36

5.       Inner Flight – 5:00

6.       Come Together – 10:21

7.       Loaded – 7:01

8.       Damaged – 5:37

9.       I’m Comin’ Down – 5:59

10.   Higher Than the Sun (A Dub Symphony in Two Parts) – 7:37

11.   Shine Like Stars – 3:45

Listen to ‘Come Together’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUjW82je_38 

Also released on 22^nd September:

1969: The Band – The Band

Also released on 22^nd September:

1997: Björk – Homogenic

Also released on 22^nd September:

2008: TV On the Radio – Dear Science

10th September - Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam

Artist – Album: Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam

Released:  10^th September 2007

Sounds Like: It’s a Good Life

There’s a well loved Twilight Zone episode set around little Anthony Fremont, who lives in Peaksville, in what was Ohio. Anthony looks like every other six-year-old; unlike the other residents of Peaksville, who oddly appear to live in constant fear of the little boy. We quickly learn the reason for their trepidation though, as we witness the god-like Anthony read minds, send “bad people” to the cornfield in the middle of nowhere and turn his neighbour into a jack-in-a-box. In reality, Anthony is one of the best monsters in the Twilight Zone universe, a potent cocktail of emotional immaturity and unbridled, terrible power. I bring this up because I hear the same heady mixture of the innocent and the freakish in Strawberry Jam, Animal Collective’s seventh album.

‘Peacebone’ gets things started with it’s tale about dinosaurs, sing-song chorus and mutters of “bonefish”, as well as the abrasive intro, random monstrous roars and screamed middle section. It chugs along on a repetitive synthesizer sequence but sounds a world apart from any other form of electronica. The lyrics also seem to have an element of naïve wisdom buried in amongst the patchwork of striking visuals, and so “a blow out does not mean I will have a good time” sits not too far from “I bet the monster was happy when we made him a maze, cause he don’t understand intentions and he just looks at your face”.

The whole album continues along this same dual direction of simple and oddball. Possibly the best triple whammy found in any Animal Collective album appears when the shrieking, could-blow-up-at-any-minute “For Reverend Green” is sandwiched by Panda Bear’s giddy ‘Chores’ and Avery Tare’s wonderful ‘Fireworks’.

As with most artists that experiment with the weird side of rock, this album is unlikely to appeal to everybody. But it's good they're making music like this. A real good thing. And tomorrow... tomorrow's gonna be a... real good day!

Albumaday... rating: 9/10

1.       Peacebone – 5:13

2.       Unsolved Mysteries – 4:25

3.       Chores – 4:30

4.       For Reverend Green – 6:34

5.       Fireworks – 6:50

6.       #1 – 4:32

7.       Winter Wonder Land – 2:44

8.       Cuckoo Cuckoo – 5:42

9.       Derek – 3:01 

Listen to ‘Fireworks’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztvr09J7KK4

Also released on 10^th September:

1975: Kiss – Alive!

Also released on 10^th September:

1990: Neil Young – Ragged Glory

16th July - The Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Artist – Album: The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Released:  16^th July 2002

Sounds Like:  Childlike wonder, sagelike wisdom

Alright, so it is a travesty that I’ve not plumped for Neil Young’s On the Beach for today’s album. Just who do I think I am? I despair at me. But I was on such a good roll with albums from 2002 – yesterday’s Idlewild album and the Vines’ from the day before were also released that year – that I found it impossible to resist. Also, whilst On the Beach is (probably) superior to Yoshimi..., it is really, really depressing; an accusation you can’t level at this little curiosity.

The Flaming Lips had struck upon gold with their previous album, the timeless The Soft Bulletin, and quite sensibly they chose not to alter the formula too much with this one. They continued to combine childlike wonder (the toy fight of near title track duo ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots parts 1 & 2’) with sagelike wisdom (‘Do You Realize??’), and continued to produce songs that were experimental and original but remained within the confines of accessible indie rock. Songs such as ‘Flight Test’ and ‘Yoshimi... Pt. 1’ have a more instant impact than anything on the preceding masterpiece, whilst ‘In the Morning of the Magicians’, with its twitching hi-hat and waves of applause and laughter, is beautiful captivating.  

Following the crazy concept of the amazing Zaireeka (an album that came with four discs, to be played simulateously), The Flaming Lips hit up on a rich seam of form that has yet to run out. Yoshimi... is one of their best, and makes the inevitable comparisons to the similarly psychedelic Pink Floyd wholly warranted.

Albumaday... rating: 8/10

1.       Fight Test – 4:14

2.       One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21 – 4:59

3.       Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1 – 4:45

4.       Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 2 – 2:57

5.       In the Morning of the Magicians – 6:18

6.       Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell – 4:34

7.       Are You a Hypnotist?? – 4:44

8.       It’s Summertime – 4:20

9.       Do You Realize?? – 3:33

10.   All We Have Is Now – 3:53

11.   Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia) – 3:09

Listen to ‘In the Morning of the Magicians ‘: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWui3la2VZM

Also released on the 16^th July:

1974: Neil Young – On the Beach

8th July - Ratatat's LP3

 

 

Artist – Album: Ratatat – LP3

Released: 8^th July 2008

Sounds Like: They’re missing one vital cog

 

Before today I knew Ratatat for two songs: the exhilarating ‘Seventeen Years’, which, like many of my favourite songs from the last half decade or so, I first stumbled upon on one of Pitchfork Media’s top 100 tracks of the year, and which for me is inexorably linked with the party scene before the mega monster rampage in Cloverfield; and ‘Bird Priest’, a foreign sounding piece of electro-indie, which was my ex-girlfriend’s ringtone and hence makes me look for a phone whenever I hear it, Pavlov’s dog style. So what I actually knew about Ratatat was this – they do instrumentals. On guitars and keyboards. And they’re quite cool.
 

What’ve I learned about them after listening to LP3 then? Well, not a lot more to be honest. Half of the album is danceable rock, built around multilayered wailing guitars like ‘Seventeen Years’, whilst the other half is the same electronica as ‘Bird Priest’, bumping and beeping in vaguely interesting ways. They never venture far from this set up -  ‘Black Heroes’ is a memorable ballad, ‘Bruleé’ is whimsical pop and ‘Mi Viejo’ has an element of flamenco to it, but in truth the band operate exclusively within their box here. 
 

What’s more, whilst I’m not exactly a lyrics man – I tend to focus on the music more than the poetry, and on more than one occasion I’ve found out that I had been completely oblivious to the actual meaning of some songs that I’ve listened to (though not as badly as a great friend of mine, who used to naively sing along to the main chorus of Band Aid’s Do They Know? with the words “Beano world”) – some vocals would be nice. I’ve only reviewed one other instrumental album in 190 days of Analbumaday… and that (Copia by Eluvium) had a deep, textured sound akin to classical music, rather than the experimental rock on offer here.

 

They still do instrumentals. Still mostly on guitars and keyboards. And I can’t deny that they’re still cool. I’m just looking for something a bit more exciting.

 

Albumaday... rating: 6/10
 

 

1.       Shiller – 4:18

2.       Falcon Jab – 3:55

3.       Mi Viejo – 2:40

4.       Mirando – 3:52

5.       Flynn – 1:56

6.       Bird-Priest – 3:07

7.       Shempi – 3:58

8.       Imperials – 3:34

9.       Dura – 3:08

10.   Bruleé – 3:43

11.   Mumtaz Khan – 2:38

12.   Gipsy Threat – 1:38

13.   Black Heroes – 4:06

 

Listen to ‘Bruleé’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9_XiVS9w5k

17th May - The Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin

Artist – Album: The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin

Released:  17^th May 1999

Sounds Like: It can’t help but put a smile on your face

I don’t think anyone has ever asked me what the best gig I ever want to was – I guess I’m just not that interesting to you people – but, you know what, I’m going to tell you all anyway. So there. It was these guys, the Flaming Lips. The first gig I saw was good – James at the M.E.N – and at 14, when I took a girl to a gig for the first time, it was curiously to see Simon & Garfunkel, a couple of septuagenarians. R.E.M were a fantastic arena band, as were Oasis, whilst Jens Lekman was stunning in one of the most intimate venues in Manchester. At the same place my mind was blown by local nutters Livestock Jihad, complete with pig-mask wearing dancers and crowd-surfing, fat and bald frontman, a few weeks ago. Also worthy of mention were Sigur Rós, Arcade Fire and even OK Go. But none of these could compare to the Flaming Lips at Jodrell Bank observatory last summer.

It was an incredible experience, with scores of giant multi-coloured balloons bouncing through the crowd, whilst costumed dancers cavorted on the stage and videos were projected straight on to the satellite dish. Wayne Coyne did everything in his powers to whip us into a frenzy, singing through a microphone and surfing the crowd in a Zorb ball.

But, of course, all that would mean nothing if the songs weren’t any good. The Flaming Lips specialise in joyous anthems of universal topics, songs that speak to the soul and bring everyone together. And the collection of tunes on this album are arguably the most all-encompassing of their entire thirty year career. ‘Race for the Prize’ kicks things off in typical bombastic fashion, telling the tale of two scientists who sought to save the world whatever the cost – “Theirs is to win, If it kills them, They're just human, With wives and children.”  At times, the record slows to walking pace, but the likes of ‘Waitin’ for a Superman’ and ‘Feeling Yourself Disintegrate’ are the album’s secret weapons – deeply soulful tracks of transcendental beauty and emotion. It is quite simply one of the finest records ever set down, and one of few that could follow comfortably in the footsteps of yesterday’s Pet Sounds.

Albumaday... rating: 10/10

1.       Race for the Prize – 4:18

2.       A Spoonful Weighs a Ton – 3:32

3.       The Spark That Bled – 5:55

4.       Slow Motion – 3:53

5.       What Is the Light? – 4:05

6.       The Observer – 4:10

7.       Waitin’ for a Superman – 4:17

8.       Suddenly Everything Has Changed – 3:54

9.       The Gash – 4:02

10.   Feeling Yourself Disintegrate – 5:17

11.   Sleeping on the Roof – 3:09

12.   Race for the Prize (Mokran Remix) – 4:09

13.   Waitin’ for a Superman (Mokran Remix) – 4:19

14.   Buggin’ (Mokran Remix) – 3:16

Listen to ‘Feeling Yourself Disintegrate’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8IP3S8dxU8

Also released on the 17^th May:

2010: LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening

3rd April - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's B.R.M.C

Artist – Album: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – B.R.M.C

Released:  3^rd April 2001

Sounds Like: Deep Purple meets Jesus & Mary Chain

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club scored a moderate indie rock hit in the early 00’s with the brilliant ‘Spread Your Love’, a great big dirty rocker that had it’s roots in 60’s psychedelic garage rock bands and the heavier stuff released in the 70’s by the likes of Deep Purple. I remember it being sung at school, I remember watching the video on MTV, and I was thrilled when I found it on a compilation album that I had bought. But, since then, B.R.M.C have kind of just drifted around.

Their albums are generally well received by critics and the public alike, but it’s hard to find anyone outside of their actual fans that could name a second song by them. Some of it may be due to an apparent lack of direction by the band. Other head bangers from the first album include ‘Whatever Happened to My Rock and Roll’ and ‘Love Burns’, but elsewhere the album sounds influenced by The Jesus and Mary Chain and shoegaze, whilst the closing couple of songs are gentle acoustic ballads. Everyone likes an album that mixes it up a bit but here it feels a bit confused, and the shift in tone from song 9 to 10 was baffling.

Later albums followed a gentler, almost gospel tinged feel, and perhaps that’s where their hearts really lie. Who knows? All I’d say is that this debut - good in parts, great even at times - still sounds like that of a band who don’t quite know what they’re trying to achieve yet.

Albumaday... rating:   6/10

1.       Love Burns – 4:05

2.       Red Eyes and Tears – 4:00

3.       Whatever Happened to My Rock ‘n’ Roll (Punk Song) – 4:38

4.       Awake – 6:12

5.       White Palms – 4:55

6.       As Sure as the Sun – 5:52

7.       Rifles – 6:59

8.       Too Real – 4:55

9.       Spread Your Love – 3:45

10.   Head Up High – 5:35

11.   Salvation – 6:06

Listen to ‘Spread Your Love’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abKjC7EX2Zs

Also released on the 3^rd April:

1968: Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends

Also released on the 3^rd April:

2000: Doves – Lost Souls

6th Jan - Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion

Artist – Album: Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

Released: 6^th January 2009

Sounds Like: Stumbling upon some sort of crazy Technicolor dream party

Animal Collective have been making music since the turn of the millennium, and there’s still little else out there that sounds like them. Generally their releases are greeted with phrases like ‘experimental’ and ‘neo-this’ or ‘freak-that’, and, though warm, the reviews can quite often be intimidating, like taking on the Egg Heads in a pub quiz. Try not to be scared by the pompous journalistic jargon though, as their records are consistently brilliant and, for the most part, easily accessible. And - great news! - Merriweather Post Pavilion is arguably the best of the lot.

What makes it so good is hard to describe. The album’s more about atmosphere and texture than normal elements, which is great to listen to but a bitch to blog about. I could say that the playful nature and psychedelic feel brings to mind Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland channelled through multiple synths. But that might be a bit weird. Anyway, each track glides seamlessly in to the next, giving a beautifully well rounded album.

Stand out tracks include ‘Summertime Clothes’, ‘Brother Sport, and the much-lauded ‘My Girls’. Like Sigur Ros and their signature tune ‘Hoppipolla’ before them, there was a risk that ‘My Girls’ might become AC’s only known song, a sort of non-hit wonder, and, dear God no, the BBC’s go-to-song for absolutely everything, but they appear to have escaped this dire fate unscathed. Maybe we have the pompous journalists to thank for that.

Albumaday... rating:   9/10

1.       In the Flowers – 5:22

2.       My Girls – 5:41

3.       Also Frightened – 5:14

4.       Summertime Clothes – 4:30

5.       Daily Routine – 5:46

6.       Bluish – 5:14

7.       Guys Eyes – 4:31

8.       Taste – 3:53

9.       Lion in a Coma – 4:12

10.   No More Runnin’ – 4:23

11.   Brother Sport – 5:59

Listen to ‘My Girls’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zol2MJf6XNE