New Order: Power, Corruption, and Lies (1983)
My first New Order album (Substance) was also one of my first CDs ever and gave me my first taste of CD abundance. I was just then learning that the typical CD held almost twice as much music as a typical vinyl album, and Substance was a two-CD set! Each CD held twelve cuts, many of which were extended versions of songs. So here I was with 24 songs, each running an average of six minutes long.
And I haven't caught up since!
NO sprang out of the ruins of Joy Division, and sounded quite a bit like them (doomy, droney pop music) for a while, but then blended it with dance music, retaining the best of both worlds.
This one came out while they were on the cusp of that change. They're not quite out of their Joy Division phase, and not yet the dance music monsters they would become.
And it's just what you'd expect from them. Nothing quite brilliant but nice nonetheless. They were miles ahead of the other synth-pop bands in terms of their singer who, while he couldn't actually sing, at least didn't whine. And a band that didn't try to attempt soul music. The guitar is my favorite blend of density and lightness - it makes loud noises but doesn't overstay its welcome. The bass is Right. Out. Front. and could pass as a guitar (or drums for that matter.) And the keyboards never take on that tacky synth sound of the early eighties, and thus age well.
"The Village" is a masterpiece of rhythm. (They're white and British(!) so I'm marking on a curve.)
B+
of Montreal: Hissing Fauna, At You the Destroyer? (2007)
Initially, this was way too preening - a weird combination of 10cc, ELO, and Phoenix, but it has since grown on me. Headphones helped. I could hear the oomph.
There's a ton of detail here, and what keeps it from getting too fussy - at least for a while - is the commitment in the singing and playing. And it's there. It only gets to be too much (or not enough) about two-thirds of the way through.
B+
"The Past Is A Grotesque Animal"
Bad Bunny: XPRE-1000 (2019)
Funny story. I thought I was buying Beach Bunny and got this by mistake.
There are subtle differences.
Here’s Beach Bunny.
And here’s Bad Bunny.
HAVING. SAID. THAT. This is not terrible. Good vocals - if autotune is being used, it's not overly obvious.
The beats vary somewhat. This is a very good thing for those of us who don't normally listen to this type of music. (Nice of him to consider the 60+ demographic.)
The melodies are not too intricate or complicated. Just enough to keep you listening. The accompanying instruments are well placed and not overbearing. I even heard the odd word or two in English.
I even heard something that could be construed as rock music if the guitars were slightly louder. Touche!
It flows. It’s not too harsh. What’s not to like? A bit one-note, though.
Jaybe Niece Sara - a Bad Bunny fan - finds the whole thing hilarious.
B+
The Avalanches: Since I Left You (2006)
An amalgam of snippets of other records and sounds. In other words a kitchen sink record.
Kind of fun, kind of a lark. Kind of the opposite of DJ Shadow. Nothing profound or dark here. Which is kind of the problem. These types of records have to have a few brilliant moments or it's hard to take seriously. This one flows by and you hum to it, but that's all. But there are worse ways to spend your time.
B+
Attend the Inauguration.- Catch up on all those records above.
- Beethoven
- Catch up again on pop music.
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