What's a Listening Log? Well, the idea is quite simple. It's a weekly segment that consolidates all the mini-reviews Dozens Of Donuts has given on RateYourMusic over the past week, split between the Past and Present. A straightforward grading scale has been put in place, ranging from A+ to F-, with C acting as the baseline average. There is no set amount of reviews per week, just however many I get around to reviewing. And don't expect week-of reviews. I wait one month - with at least three listens under my belt - before I rate and review an album. Enjoy!
______________________________________________________
1968 | Pop Rock | Listen
FANCIFUL HIPPIES REVERING PEACE ON A GRASSY KNOLL
A misguided, ignorant first listen of The Kinks' cherished Village Green Preservation Society left a sour taste in my mouth. One that failed to see the atmospheric concept at play, mistaking uniformity for lack of inventiveness during the peak of Pop Rock's inundated mimicry. That's all I ever ask for with musical projects; a concrete subject. And The Kinks delivered one here, not narratively, but thematically, associating all 15 songs with different people, places, things, and events surrounding the village green, a picturesque landscape devoted to rest and relaxation.
Musically Village Green adheres to the supple illumination of summer, as chipper Psychedelic Pop plays a prominent role in every piece. Thankfully, the bulk of them don't feel kitschy and callow (though those do appear, especially towards the lackluster end with tracks like 'Phenomenal Cat,' 'Wicked Annabella,' and 'Monica' - all reminiscent of Pink Floyd's regrettably jejune debut; The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn). Without the final five songs (with reservations on 'People Take Pictures Of Each Other'), my affinity would've risen tremendously. Unfortunately one-third of the LP can't just be discounted, and therefore takes a hefty ding to the rating.
What's most impressive about Village Green is The Kinks' ability to satisfy two crowds: Those who want simple melodies and intangible hooks, and those appreciative of the atmospheric richness. The former shines on pieces like 'Johnny Thunder,' 'Animal Farm,' and 'Starstruck,' all brimming with Pop geniality that - like The Beach Boys - is irresistible to the toe tappers. But then there's efforts like 'The Village Green Preservation Society,' 'Big Sky,' and 'Sitting By The Riverside' that place a greater emphasis on adding to the mystique and lore of the village green. It's these songs that define the LP, providing nuance and intense visual detail to a specific time and place. Likely unintended, The Kinks' inclusion of "preservation society" ended up not only preserving the village green, but also the idealism of 60's summer culture..
B-
______________________________________________________
First thought: Is that really what Finnish looks like? The language is baffling, but inadvertently adds to the mystique of Yhä hämärää. Paavoharju's debut doesn't hold any hands as it ventures deep into the unoccupied forests of Scandinavia. You must merely follow the sounds of a fading, untuned acoustic guitar and indecipherable vocals attempting to lull you into a trance. All the while a myriad of distant sounds consume your mind. You're lost but feel at peace, as if you've accepted whatever demise soon awaits.
While Yhä hämärää certainly lends its tonality to occult worship and pagan Folk horror, it's not a disturbing album and in many cases (like 'Valo tihkuu kaiken läpi,' 'Puhuri,' 'Musta katu') it's quite beautiful. Even the Ambient pieces like 'Ikuisuuden maailma' and 'Ilmaa virtaa' that dive deeper into the perilous scenery surrounding you feel more gentile and embracive than you'd expect, as if you stumbled upon an alternate reality filled with fairy creatures.
For some reason though, despite an unmistakably strong atmosphere, a genre - Psychedelic Folk - that always intrigues me, and occult otherworldliness throughout, I can't say I actually enjoy Yhä hämärää. This is a negative towards myself if anything, but I feel as though Paavoharju is so indebted to their Finnish culture that a domesticated American can't appreciate their vision of how music should arise. Apart from 'Valo tihkuu kaiken läpi' and 'Musta katu' there isn't really any engaging moments to separate from the flock, and the dotting European Singer/Songwriter drenched in suffocating swampland isn't rousing enough to incite fascination. Just me though, certainly give this album a shot.
D
______________________________________________________
Like much of R. Stevie Moore's discography, Phonography's passing importance comes not from the flippant music but rather the impression that left on a legion of bedroom musicians. The amateur home recording aesthetic finds its origin in Phonography, a 1976 release that would come to define the entire Lo-Fi Indie, DIY scene. That chiefly includes Hypnagogic Pop, since Moore's best efforts root themselves in ambrosial Pop veering towards Beach Boys' summertime fragrance. Many of these songs, including but not limited to 'California Rhythm,' 'I Want You In My Life,' and 'I Wish I Could Sing' sound plucked from the Ariel Pink canon a solid three decades before that underground movement began festering.
Given no one was making music akin to Moore's in the 1970's, it isn't surprising the level of humor and self-mockery he inserts in Phonography, which is its greatest shortcoming. Authenticity is through the roof no doubt, but since the aesthetic hadn't even existed yet Moore didn't concern himself with how Phonography was seen to others. This is apparent in the wide selection of strange and awkward Spoken Word passages, sometimes exceeding three minutes in length ('The Lariat Wressed Posing Hour'). Their mostly nonsensical and sometimes difficult to bear, like when Moore's literally taking a piss while telling you his life story on 'Explanation Of Artist.' All these moments, and there's aplenty, take turns discrediting the project as a whole, to the point where - despite the prophetic nature of Moore's music - it's arduous to appreciate.
C-
______________________________________________________
2003 | Post-Rock | Listen
SNOW BLANKETS THE STREETS AS MANKIND CARRIES ON
Not as potent, engaging, or divine as & Yet & Yet, but Do Make Say Think's follow-up once again nails the atmospherics. They don't try to alter the landscape like other Post-Rock outfits, merely reflecting nature's sacred beauty with a painter's touch. This time the air is chippier, though not entirely dead with the silence of winter. There's a bustling perpetuity that seems to fight against Post-Rock's typical doom and gloom with humanity's unyielding resolute. It's quite beautiful, seen best on 'Fredericia,' 'Auberge Le Mouton Noir,' and the brilliant closer 'Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!.'
That piece in particular deserves separate applause, as the aura emanating is one not only relevant to Winter Hymn's enduring bitterness, but it also signals the birth of Springs. The acoustics are lighter and the drums are reminiscent of the buoyancy found on & Yet & Yet, giving 'Hooray!' a truly sentimental, exultant feel. A lovely bit of positive Post-Rock.
B-
______________________________________________________
1963 | Merseybeat | Listen
SUNDAE FLOATS, SWING DRESSES, AND FLEETING CRUSHES
And so begins my journey into one of the most storied discographies of modern music; The Beatles. Predictably so, Please Please Me is a bit of a rocky start, considering the band's earliest iteration failed to venture beyond uniform Pop practices and trivial, bourgeois content. Cursory love dominate the lyrics, which explains The Beatles' status as teenage heartthrobs but doesn't deserve consideration beyond that. A glorified boy band through and through.
Please Please Me feels very much like an orchestrated LP by music industry professionals. You have the chart-topping single 'Twist & Shout,' a remarkable piece of rebellious Pop with McCartney's raspiness front and center. Then you have 13 rushed songs intent on profiting off The Beatles' newfound fame. Some, like 'Misery,' 'Anna (Go To Him),' and 'Please Please Me' do an admirable job providing a distinguishable face, especially the former's jaunty piano. The others either attempt something odd and fail ('A Taste Of Honey,' 'There's A Place') or lazily replicate the trends of the times ('Chains,' 'Boys,' 'P.S. I Love You,' etc).
D+
______________________________________________________
2017 | Sound Collage | Listen
CULTURALLY ENRICHING THE FIVE BURROUGHS MELTING POT
Few pieces of music can compare to Standing On The Corner's Red Burns when it comes to aggrandizing art. It's challenging yet fun, intellectual yet silly, sporadic yet concrete. A wholly sum-of-its-parts project, Red Burns never lacks in substance through its whopping 36 isolated Sound Collage pieces. Standing On The Corner's consummate knack of bridging societal gaps and heralding the multiculturalism of New York City can't be understated. Every inch of Red Burns, whether it's in the commemorative NYC samples (including De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, The Last Poets, and more), the weed-laced Hypnagogic Pop, or the select Spoken Word passages that tread grievously across a balance beam of anxiety and pleasure, demands to be appreciated as a work of art that's equal parts realistic and abstract.
With all this in mind it's virtually impossible to listen to Red Burns without setting aside the 63 minutes beforehand. The dense, spasmodic, taxingly jarring structuring disavows any who handpick moments or worse, put it on shuffle. There are two exclusions; 'MIKE sees the storm,' which is a gorgeous synopsis of MIKE's genre-branching style and his greatest achievement yet, and 'Sellin Soap,' which does an excellent job funneling Standing On The Corner's slapdash hijinks into coherent structuring. The rest is a blur of limitless genres compiled through advanced knowledge of history, ethnology, humanism, and art. A must listen.
B
______________________________________________________
2005 | Psychedelic Folk | Listen
FORSAKEN BY CALLOUS PARENTS AT SUMMER CAMP
No Flashlight begins Phil Elverum's career as Mount Eerie, a moniker lifted from The Microphones' last LP and one immediately drawn into question on 'I Know No One.' Despite this name shift, things aren't very different. Elverum's fantastically unique sound design - using sparse, anxious instrumentation to offset hollowing outcries - is seen across No Flashlight, sometimes to an extreme. That's because the mightiest change occurs with Mount Eerie's stripping of resources. The Microphones' collection of LP's showed off facets of adolescent uncertainty and natural mystery, whereas No Flashlight attempts the same but comes up lacking in intrigue, excitement, and narcosis.
Basically, Mount Eerie's debut LP feels like Microphones-lite. And that's not just referring to The Glow Pt. 2 & Mount Eerie, as I put Don't Wake Me Up and It Was Hot, We Stayed In The Water right alongside those monoliths. It's too quiet, too invariable, too wrapped up in remote comatose. Even the standout moments - 'I Hold Nothing,' 'No Inside No Out,' and 'The Universe Is Shown' - just feel like reproductions of past epics, namely 'I Want Wind To Blow,' 'Wires & Cords,' and 'The Gleam' in that order..
C-
______________________________________________________
1995 | Indie Rock | Listen
GAY VAGABOND RUMINATES WITH THE WILDERNESS AT HIS SIDE
A most curious, identity-seeking project far ahead of its time. Long Fin Killie's Houdini doesn't suppress its leader's homosexuality, as Luke Sutherland confidently exposes himself during an era where "being in the closet" was still very much a thing. A predecessor to LGBT bedroom Rock two decades in the future, with a stop-gap across the 2000's in the form of Jamie Stewart and Xiu Xiu.
What's most intriguing about Houdini is the stylistic choices in the production, as they never treat Sutherland's fragile voice and queerness as a quirk or ruse. The sounds - relaying heavily on hymnic Post-Rock percussion (a la Pram, see: 'How I Blew It With Houdini') and clamorous Indie Rock guitars (a la Pavement, see: 'The Lamberton Lamplighter') - are both melodic and organic, as there's a pacifying pact between aquatic weightlessness and coppice gravity.
Despite this, the length of the project in conjunction with a frail second half causes Houdini to lose some of its early luster. 'Unconscious Gangs Of Men' helps reestablish Sutherland's commanding presence, but nothing else compares to the first half standouts of '(A) Man Ray,' 'How I Blew It With Houdini,' and 'The Lamberton Lamplighter.'
B-
______________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment