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!
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2017 | Post-Rock | Listen
EMBARKING ON A CONQUEST TO CONQUER NEW LANDS
After completing their discography it's safe to say Do Make Say Think has become my favorite Post-Rock band. Off consistency alone, the Toronto collective has built quite the robust catalogue of flourishing crescendo, atmospheric felicity, and world-class musicianship. After the relative stumbling block of Other Truths, wherein the magic and potency of Do Make Say Think was lost in search of banal Post-Rockisms (think Explosions In The Sky), Stubborn Persistent Illusions rekindles the elegance and imposing stature of You, You're A History In Rust. What a graceful transformation in a Post-Rock era on the brink of going sour. No other band in the genre is capable of evoking such pleasantry, defiance, and optimism, three descriptors in abundance on Stubborn Persistent Illusions.
I'm drawn to Sigur Rós when thinking of comparisons for Do Make Say Think, which is quite the pull considering how singular the Icelandic band is. Here, adroit discourse teetering on the brink of success gives way to boundless, masculine euphoria. Like a medieval war won on a bloodied battlefield, tracks like 'War On Torpor' and 'Horripilation' escalate with certainty and insurgency as if the nimble, uptempo percussion represents a legion of soldiers dancing with sword and shield, while the booming peaks of exhilaration represent the incoming imperial ballistas and catapults. Stubborn Persistent Illusions is a conquistadors anthem, if there ever was one. Things are taken even further as not every track relies on dogged power, but rather the giddy anticipation of experiencing the unknown. 'Her Eyes On The Horizon' - a classic Do Make Say Think cut reminiscent of & Yet & Yet - is the best example of this wayward yearning, scantly parading around fruitful prospects like butterflies pitted deep in the stomach. The pairing of 'Bound' and 'And Boundless' accomplishes this same feat with an elongated stance, culminating in a gorgeous, droning climax of mesmeric hymn in the final third of 'And Boundless.'
Only the slow-moving 'A Murder Of Thoughts' and 'Shlomo's Son' are found to be weaker slots here, though their appearance is still necessary given their desire to acclimate, and improve, Stubborn's overall aesthetic. They're pleasant, relying more on nuanced string arrangements than swelling cornucopias of sound. The latter reappears for closer 'Return, Return Again,' a song that, if this is the last Do Make Say Think album, would be quite the rousing and felicitous coup de grace. 'Return, Return Again' incorporates everything that makes Do Make Say Think a wonder of Post-Rock, with unmatched energy and hope in a genre typically devoid of both.
B+
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1956 | Traditional Pop | Listen
VIRTUOUS CHOIR GIRLS SERENADING BY THE FIRE
My interest in Traditional Pop circa 1950 extends no further than Fallout and Bioshock; My two favorite video game series'. Due to the context associated with each, the harmless and innocuous origins have taken on more nefarious, perverted connotations. Which makes experiences like Patience & Prudence's Best Of quite discomforting, though at the time the adolescent sisters' celibate nature was likely charming and wholesome. But seriously, look up their live, 1956 performance of 'Tonight You Belong To Me' on YouTube. It's unnerving, and could be seen as inspiration for The Shining's Grady Twins.
But here's the thing. Regardless of shifting context with a society that's essentially exiled this behavior towards religious zealots or cult crackpots, that song, 'Tonight You Belong To Me,' and many others on Best Of are undeniably enjoyable. The saccharine Pop ballad that kickstarts the LP is the best you'll hear, partially for its lovable Do-Wop touch, but more importantly for the fact that two teenage girls disavowed from sexual exploration are so willfully singing "tonight you belong to me." It's contradictory in all the right ways, and plays well in our post-modern age of paradoxical art.
While 'Tonight You Belong To Me' is the crowning jewel, Best Of features numerous other ballads that really drive home 50's panache and flair, almost to the point of parody. 'A Smile & A Ribbon,' 'Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now,' 'Little Wheel,' and 'Should I' are some of my favorites, with the latter featuring unnatural, though entirely pleasant, Beach Boys-esque vocals from Mike Clifford. 'Should I,' along with others like 'You Tattletale,' 'Over Here,' and 'Whisper Whisper,' stray awfully close to Phil Spector's influential wall of sound, doing so effectively almost like a children's version of The Ronettes.
There's a handful of duds on Best Of though, none more immediately notorious than 'Very Nice Is Bali Bali,' which, if the title doesn't give it away, reeks of old-timey American ignorance and racism. The cultural appropriating production and singing only adds to the distasteful measure, though in an odd twist simultaneously heightens Best Of's stature as an artifact of the past. Tracks like 'We Can't Sing Rhythm & Blues,' 'All I Do Is Dream Of You,' and 'Golly Oh Gee' don't feature that peculiarly and are just unnecessary filler on the needlessly 18-track album.
C+
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1986 | Punk Blues | Listen
A DIVE BAR FOR SINNERS TO DRINK THEIR SORROWS
Today I learned, after three entire listens, that Kicking Against The Pricks is a covers album. Shows how much I know within the vein of Nick Cave influence, as only 'All Tomorrow's Parties' was instantly recognizable to me. I suppose, upon reflection, the facsimile was more obvious given the juxtaposition between The Bad Seeds' early discography (The Firstborn Is Dead being the closest to Gospel Blues) and their original ensemble The Birthday Party. Tracks like 'Sleeping Annaleah,' 'Long Black Veil,' and 'Jesus Met The Woman At The Well' are entrenched in jaundice Gospel for those who stray further from God's light. On these songs - which typically compose my favorites, 'Long Black Veil' being the standout off vocals alone - Nick Cave finally entertains the dark side of a sinner mentality. Whereas previous efforts subjected listeners to nefarious, demeritorious actions in the moment (something that you can see here on the Industrial-tinged 'Hey Joe' and 'Hammer Song'), the bulk of Kicking Against The Pricks details the regret, remorse, and melancholia that'll soon follow with time.
It's a lovely album that's likely my favorite Nick Cave record thus far, seeing as to how it differs from their past while still remaining true to their scrutiny of depravity. 'Muddy Waters'' slow-moving trudge to a natural baptism, the jaunty flutter of 'Sleeping Annaleah,' and the despondent harmonies of 'The Singer' (sounding like a precursor to Twin Peaks' roadhouse) are all enchanted greatly by Cave's performance vocally, easily his best to date. I won't comment on the quality in regards to their original variations, as I only know 'All Tomorrow's Parties.' The Velvet Underground cover does an admirable job, though perhaps overstays its welcome, struggles to acclimate to the surrounding content, and fails to differentiate itself from the original. That being said the original is flawless, meaning 'All Tomorrow's Parties' here is satisfactory.
B
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2005 | Indie Pop | Listen
CHASING THE NIGHTINGALE THROUGH AUTUMNAL LEAVES
Before officially closing the book on The Clientele, who disappointed immeasurably on their debut The Violet Hour following the excellent compilation Suburban Light, I decided to give them one last hooray. A final chance for redemption to prove if they're beyond the status of one-trick pony. Strange Geometry concludes, decisively, that they are not. Though quality still oozes from the safe parameters in which Alasdair MacLean professes his conquest of love, Strange Geometry doesn't turn over a new leaf but rather tranquilizes MacLean in a state of staccato a la Groundhog's Day. It's a cycle that never ends, the quest for satisfaction and the rush of bliss amongst a bustling cityscape.
For what it's worth, Strange Geometry does improve on The Violet Hour, if only for its stalwart first half which comes equip with vivacity and courage the likes of which their debut never saw. Similarities are drawn to Camera Obscura, in that steadfast commitment to an aesthetic with distinguished standouts aimed to offset a litany of admirable, but prudent filler. Here it's opener 'Since K Got Over Me' and 'My Own Face Inside The Trees,' each lifting The Clientele's sound to euphoric highs. The 60's Sunshine Pop influence is strong here, with The Millennium, Love, and some Beatles coming to mind. It's a style that, when does exquisitely as in these two examples, unleashes a mood befit to anyone who comes across it. You'd be hard-pressed to find better examples of love encapsulated within music.
Unfortunately the rest of the LP, as was my main criticism with The Violet Hour, feels like little more than elaborate B-Sides. That has less to do with quality and more to do with sheer similarity, as The Clientele take the structures, instrumentation, and tempos of the first half into the second with zero variation. 'When I Came Home From The Party,' 'Spirit,' and 'Step Into The Light' are duds due to this reason. Thankfully 'Losing Haringey' exists, stark and out of the blue, with its monotone Spoken Word over harmonious, summertime acoustics and strings. In other words, it's exactly like Belle & Sebastian's 'A Century Of Elvis,' but I'll let that imitation slide as 'Losing Haringey' is the lone moment of piqued interest on the second half of Strange Geometry.
C
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