Away We Go

Hi, gang.  I'm just about ready to make the switch – it'll happen on Saturday, May 23, around 9:00 AM PDT.  I want to remind people that even if you receive an invitation, you'll still have to have a Google account to access Voices from the Moon.  If you don't have an account, you can get one right here.  Without the account, the invitation won't do you any good.

Also, if you're bookmarking the blog, make sure to note your new URL.  If you're assigned to one of the mirror sites, the URL will be different (moon-voices-2.blogspot.com or moon-voices-3), and you'll only be able to log in to that specific one.

Thanks again to everyone who requested an invitation, and I'll see you on the other side.

Cheers,

Rob

Changes Are Coming (The Final Chapter)

Hi, everyone.  Thanks so much for the overwhelming support and the kind words you've sent my way over the last couple days.  Here's the current status of Voices from the Moon:

I received over 200 requests for invitations.  That means in the next day or two I'll be setting up three versions of Voices from the Moon to accommodate all the requests, with approximately 75 readers per site.  Comments are currently turned off because, after nearly 48 hours, I had to draw the line somewhere.  It was going to be increasingly difficult to get the mirror sites set up and the invitations sent out while still fielding new requests.  I apologize to anyone who didn't get a request in on time, but you'll still be able to get in touch with me even after the blog goes private. I can issue an invitation at that time.

Because this will take a little time to set up, things will be quiet around here for the next couple of days.  If you requested an invitation, you can look for it sometime Saturday (keeping in mind that I live on the West Coast of the U.S., so my Saturday might be your Sunday).  Thanks again, and I look forward to taking this next step with all of you.

Cheers,

Rob

FRIDAY AFTERNOON EDIT: One additional thing before I send out the invitations on Saturday. A lot of you gave me email addresses for Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL, etc. Be aware that once you get your invite, the only way to access Voices from the Moon will be to log in with a Google account. If you don't have one, you can sign up for one – quickly and easily – right here.

The Bats – Daddy's Highway

Calm Before the Storm

The Bats

Daddy's Highway (1987)

From AllMusic Guide:

The Bats' first full album continues the early promise of their EPs and, with only the slightest deviations and changes since, established their sound for just about everything that followed. Scott and company may not be the most willfully experimental of musicians, but when they're on -- more often the case than not -- their lovely, melancholic songs simply hit the spot. Woodward forms the perfect singing partner for Scott, while guest violinist Alastair Galbraith brings his talent to the fore as he has for so many other New Zealand bands. "Treason" makes for a good start to the album, but the real standout on Daddy's Highway is the surging "North by North." Featuring a fantastic Galbraith violin solo, it gives the band the opportunity to show its sometime hidden strengths for more energetic, nervous material. Scott's vocal performance is one of his best, and the quick, on-edge pace seems to get even more so as the song continues. Quieter songs unsurprisingly abound as well, from the understated sweetness of "Sir Queen" to the gentle keyboard-touched "Candidate." "Tragedy" is one of the best in this vein, ending in a disturbing low drone (or at least as much of a drone as the generally quick-length songs by the Bats allow for). Though Daddy's Highway suffers a touch from the same problem that affects all Bats releases -- an increasing sameness, especially towards album's end -- it's still a great full album debut. Score: 4.5/5

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The Bats – The Law of Things

Time to Get Ready

The Bats

The Law of Things (1990)

From AllMusic Guide:

Returning from his Clean reunion, Scott and company reunited for The Law of Things, showing once again that the Bats will likely forever remain the Bats. As always, they retain just enough subtle touches and changes to prevent complete repetition while still staying focused on the post-punk/folky/jangly/wistful sound that defines their work from start to finish. Opening cut "The Other Side of You" demonstrates that nicely thanks to what sounds like a piano buried in the mix, though it could easily be a guitar played just so as well. With the usual Scott/Woodward vocal blend on the chorus and a sweetly giddy pace tinged a touch by melancholia, it's another lovely Bats winner. Other strong songs include the chugging "Yawn Vibes," with one of the band's most memorable musical and lyrical hooks, the slow-building edge of "Nine Days," and the surprisingly muscular pound (and Alastair Galbraith's reappearance on violin) of "Ten to One." As always, calmer cuts like "Mastery" and the declaration of love "Cliff Edge" surface amid the brisker efforts, effortlessly combining melody, wistful vibes, and the low-key heart-to-heart feeling of so much of Scott's work. Closing cut "Smoking Her Wings" is the best of them all, making for a mysterious and moody way to close out The Law of Things. Of all the Bats' albums, though, Law of Things is perhaps the least successful; no Bats release is anything like terrible, but the unavoidable criticism that the group sticks to one particular sound and style is especially understandable here. Enough twists and turns, always the group's saving grace, help ensure that such isn't entirely the case, but those wanting to take the plunge into full Bats worship should start elsewhere. Score: 4/5

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The Bats – Fear of God

Dancing as the Boat Goes Down

The Bats

Fear of God (1991)

From AllMusic Guide:

When the band switched to a new American label, Mammoth, little else changed in the world of the Bats, with Scott again leading his musicians through a set of songs that, on the face of it, seem like just more indie rock but often achieve quietly spectacular heights. "Boogey Man" begins Fear on a perfectly Bats note -- ringing guitar, Scott's straightforward singing with Woodward on counterpoint vocals, a medium-speed pace, and understated but sharp detailing of emotions and thoughts. It's that lyrical element which so often distinguishes the Bats from other acts, combining images that are just cutting enough to make a listener stop and think rather than simply sing along, easy as that is to do. "Dancing as the Boat Goes Down," with guest performances on viola, "You Know We Shouldn't," an invocation of secrets and feelings best kept unspoken, and the slightly more rocking title track are three more of the highlights in that area. The slight musical differences between each song won't likely be everyone's cup of tea -- the Bats do have a formula and they rarely if ever deviate from it here. Even allowing for the fact that the songs tend to blend into one another, the fine balance between musical joy and lyrical concern still works well. What changes there are here from their musical norm bring out the band's strengths all that much more. Highlights include the stripped-down break in "Straight Image," the acoustic guitar/accordion beginning of "Looming Past," and the serene flow of "Watch the Walls," with its subtle drum start, serene string/guitar combination, and generally slower pace. Score: 4/5

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The Bats – Silverbeet

Halfway to Nowhere

The Bats

Silverbeet (1993)

From AllMusic Guide:

Yet another Bats album -- on the one hand that can sound like an insult, but when it comes to simply doing a fine job on album after album, with a set but still captivating sound, the Bats nail it here as they have always done before. It certainly doesn't hurt that Silverbeet begins with two of the band's best songs ever: "Courage," a restrained surge of inspiring music that, unsurprisingly, backs a slightly doubting, questioning lyric on love and life, and "Sighting the Sound," with a killer chorus sung by Scott and Woodward together. After that, things settle into that no-surprises-no-disappointments groove that characterizes all of the Bats' albums; everyone's just fine at what they do, catchy melodies are plentiful, and occasional tweaks and touches keep things from being too completely soundalike, such as the addition of slightly droning keyboards on "Slow Alight." Though sometimes the similarities keep songs from standing out as they should, every so often something will connect a little more readily. A great example is "Green," commemorating the environmental group Greenpeace and the underhanded assault on its Rainbow Warrior flagship by France in a New Zealand harbor, an attack not fully prosecuted by the Kiwi government. With a simple but powerful chorus and some quiet, fiery guitar work, it's a protest song that feels far less soppy than most wannabe social anthems. They may be spiritual cousins of the Ramones in terms of not really changing over the moons, but the Bats know their collective strengths and play to them well -- something most bands can't manage. Score: 3/5

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The Bats – Couchmaster

Afternoon in Bed

The Bats

Couchmaster (1995)

From AllMusic Guide:

Breaking just enough from the formula but never losing that inspired gift for softer melody and doubting lyrics, Couchmaster lets the Bats finally move from being simply a very good group with inspired moments to a great band, flat out. Part of it could be ascribed to the brief, fragmentary tunes that crop up throughout the album, serving as brief transitions from song to song. Other times it's the newer space in the recordings, the alternation between quieter and louder points (but not the rapidly clichéd loud/soft/loud approach that Nirvana popularized, happily). Whatever the source or reasons for the change, though, it works in spades. "Afternoon in Bed," the first full song on the record, kicks things off excellently. It's easily the Bats' best song since "North by North," Scott's reflective lyric on puzzling out another's statements accompanied with a perfectly balanced build and retreat in the music, not to mention some low-key but strong soloing. From there on in, the Bats steer away from doing "just another Bats song"; they play around with the arrangements, lower or raise voices in the mix, and try different rhythms or elements. Standouts include the slow chug of guitars in "Around You Like Snow," the frazzled background electric scrapes and wails on the wonderful "Chain Home Low," and even the first turn of Woodward on a lead vocal on "Shoeshine." Scott's still wistful, still questioning lyrics are as strong as ever, and the band sounds newly energized; they're willing to go that extra step, and it shows. Score: 3.5/5

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The Bats – At the National Grid

We Do Not Kick

The Bats

At the National Grid (2005)

From AllMusic Guide:

The Bats' first album in ten years starts off perfectly with the low-key "Western Isles," with Robert Scott and Kaye Woodward singing delicate harmonies while the guitars gently hum behind them. It is a lovely welcome back, and not only do they pick up where they left off, At the National Grid may be their best album since Daddy's Highway. If you know your New Zealand pop or college rock history, that's really saying something. That record was a masterpiece of understated emotion that sounded completely unique and true. This record is lighter in tone, more cleanly recorded, and almost as powerful. The songs are perhaps the most diverse-sounding batch they have released yet, ranging from the slow-burning "Pre War Blues" and the noisy instrumental "Hubert" to the sweet-as-pie "Bells," the clattering indie rocker "Things," and the bouncy "Flowers & Trees." Of course, they all sound like the Bats, with Scott's fragile but forceful vocals, the jangling, intertwining guitars from Scott and Woodward, Paul Kean's melodic and up-front bass, Malcolm Grant's simple but rock-solid drumming, and -- above all -- poignant and lively songwriting. In fact, Robert Scott is at the top of his considerable talents here, crafting tunes that linger long after the record is over. Maybe that is one of the benefits of taking ten years off. Woodward's one song, the surging drone rocker "Mir," is a gem, too, and her vocal harmonies are as sparkling as ever. In fact, the whole band is as sparkling as ever, and having the group back at such a high level is as refreshing as a plunge into an ice-cold mountain stream. Indeed, after 23 years with the same lineup and after having taken ten years off, you would expect a band to come back and rest on its laurels (see Pixies, Dinosaur Jr.), playing the old hits to the faithful. Not the Bats. Thank Christchurch for that! Score: 4/5

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Minutemen – The Punch Line

History Lesson

Minutemen

The Punch Line (1981)

From AllMusic Guide:

The Minutemen may have come out of the same California hardcore scene that produced Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Fear, but they not only bore little resemblance to their West Coast contemporaries, they didn't sound much like anyone else in American rock at that time. The Punch Line was the band's first album, packing 18 tunes into less than 25 minutes, and if the music shares hardcore's lust for speed and assaultive rhythmic punch, their sharp, fragmented melodies, complex tempos, and overtly poetic and political lyrics made clear they were rugged individuals; imagine James Blood Ulmer teaching Wire how to get funky and you start to get an idea of what The Punch Line sounds like. It wasn't until the band began to slow down a bit on What Makes a Man Start Fires? that the strength of the group's individual songs became clear, and The Punch Line works better as a unified sonic assault than as a collection of tunes, but moments do stand out, especially "Tension," "Fanatics," and the title cut, which certainly lends a new perspective to Native American history. The Punch Line was as wildly inventive as anything spawned by American punk, and the band would only get better on subsequent releases. Score: 3/5

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Minutemen – What Makes a Man Start Fires?

Life as a Rehearsal

Minutemen

What Makes a Man Start Fires? (1982)

From AllMusic Guide:

The Minutemen had already come up with a sound as distinctive as anything to come out of the American punk underground -- lean, fractured, and urgent -- with their debut album, 1981's The Punch Line. But on their second (relatively) long-player, What Makes a Man Start Fires?, the three dudes from Pedro opted to slow down their tempos a bit, and something remarkable happened -- the Minutemen revealed that they were writing really great songs, with a remarkable degree of stylistic diversity. If you were looking for three-chord blast, the Minutemen were still capable of delivering, as the opening cut proved (the hyper-anthemic "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs"), but there was just as much churning, minimalistic funk as punk bile in their sound (bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley were already a strikingly powerful and imaginative rhythm section), and D. Boon's guitar solos were the work of a man who could say a lot musically in a very short space of time. Leaping with confidence and agility between loud rants ("Split Red"), troubled meditations ("Plight"), and plainspoken addresses on the state of the world ("Mutiny in Jonestown"), the Minutemen were showing a maturity of vision that far outstripped most of their contemporaries and a musical intelligence that blended a startling sophistication with a street kid's passion for fast-and-loud. It says a lot about the Minutemen's growth that The Punch Line sounded like a great punk album, but a year later What Makes a Man Start Fires? sounded like a great album -- period. Score: 4.5/5

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Minutemen – Double Nickels on the Dime

Please Don't Be Gentle With Me

Minutemen

Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)

From AllMusic Guide:

If What Makes a Man Start Fires? was a remarkable step forward from the Minutemen's promising debut album, The Punch Line, then Double Nickels on the Dime was a quantum leap into greatness, a sprawling 44-song set that was as impressive as it was ambitious. While punk rock was obviously the starting point for the Minutemen's musical journey (which they celebrated on the funny and moving "History Lesson Part II"), by this point the group seemed up for almost anything -- D. Boon's guitar work suggested the adventurous melodic sense of jazz tempered with the bite and concision of punk rock, while Mike Watt's full-bodied bass was the perfect foil for Boon's leads and drummer George Hurley possessed a snap and swing that would be the envy of nearly any band. In the course of Double Nickels on the Dime's four sides, the band tackles leftist punk ("Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing"), Spanish guitar workouts ("Cohesion"), neo-Nortena polka ("Corona"), blues-based laments ("Jesus and Tequila"), avant-garde exercises ("Mr. Robot's Holy Orders"), and even a stripped-to-the-frame Van Halen cover ("Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"). From start to finish, the Minutemen play and sing with an estimable intelligence and unshakable conviction, and the album is full of striking moments that cohere into a truly remarkable whole; all three members write with smarts, good humor, and an eye for the adventurous, and they hit pay dirt with startling frequency. And if Ethan James' production is a bit Spartan, it's also efficient, cleaner than their work with Spot, and captures the performances with clarity (and without intruding upon the band's ideas). Simply put, Double Nickels on the Dime was the finest album of the Minutemen's career, and one of the very best American rock albums of the 1980s. Score: 5/5

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Minutemen – 3-Way Tie (For Last)

Price of Paradise

Minutemen

3-Way Tie (For Last) (1985)

From AllMusic Guide:

D. Boon's death in December 1985 was one of rock's most tragic occurrences. And, a decade later, you may find that it still affects the way you listen to this, the "final" Minutemen record. Boon was hitting his stride here; the songs were emphatic, smart, and marked by his increasing sociopolitical awareness. He did not suffer fools gladly, and this record (as do the best of the Minutemen's) retains a strong sense of moral indignation (listen to "The Price of Paradise" and "The Big Stick"). One fact that shouldn't be lost in eulogizing over Boon was the significant role Mike Watt was playing in the band. This hadn't happened overnight, but with each successive record, Watt's confidence as a bass player and songwriter was growing, and by the time of 3-Way Tie, his skills were in full flower -- so much so that one side of the record is called "Side D," the other, "Side Mike." Dense and driving, this is a bittersweet moment closing an excellent band's career. Score: 4.5/5

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Changes Are Coming, Part 3

A few things:

1) I'm up to 137 requests.  That's more than the 100 per blog that Google allows.

2) Because I'm humbled and surprised at the number of requests I've gotten (and because some late requests have come in from people who have been with me since the Station Approach days), I'm going to create a clone of Voices from the Moon so everyone who sends a request can get an invitation. The content of both blogs will be identical; the only thing different will be the readers of each.

3) Keep your requests coming.  I don't mind creating a third version of Voices from the Moon if there's a demand for it.

4) One more time: I need your email address to send you an invitation.  A select few are requesting an invitation without telling me where to send it.  I won't post your email address publicly, but I do need it to get you an invitation.

5) As I mentioned before, I won't be sending invitations until Friday at the earliest, so be patient.

Thanks again for all your support.  I'm glad I could be of service.

Cheers,

Rob

Changes Are Coming, Part 2

Thanks for the great response.  I've got about 20 spots left, so keep your requests coming.  The most important thing, though, is you have to provide me with an email address in order to get an invitation.  I'll strip your email address from the comment before I post it, but I need that address to invite you as a reader of Voices from the Moon when it goes private.

For those of you who have already signed up, I'll be sending the invitations either Friday or Saturday, so keep an eye on your inbox.

Cheers,

Rob

AFTERNOON EDIT: I've recorded the email of addresses of anyone who posted a comment to the first "Changes Are Coming" post.  If you don't see it, it's probably because the act of stripping the email addresses from the comment made a lot of them look similar.  But rest assured, if you posted it, I got it.  I'll be sifting through the more recent comments later today.

Changes Are Coming

Faithful readers, be forewarned: In the next few days, Voices from the Moon will probably become an "Invite Only" blog.  I've gotten an increasing number of DMCA takedown notifications this week, which is irritating and frustrating, considering that the intent of the blog is to introduce people to new music which they will then go out and buy. While the decision to go "Invite Only" isn't set in stone, it is likely, and therefore you might want to post a comment with your email address in the event I do limit Voices from the Moon to those with invitations. Rest assured I won't publicly post your email address – it will only be used to send you an invitation so you can continue to follow Voices from the Moon.  Thanks to those of you who have been so kind as to give me your feedback, and I apologize that the threat of Big Brother is making me limit my audience.  One more time: To get an invitation, you need to post a comment with your email address.  I won't make your address public, but without it, I have nowhere to send your invitation.

Cheers,

Rob

Shane MacGowan & The Popes – The Snake

The Church of the Holy Spook

Shane MacGowan & The Popes

The Snake (1995)

From AllMusic Guide:

Shane MacGowan, who made a name for himself as the bandleader of the Pogues until they got fed up with his asinine, self-destructive behavior and kicked him out of the group, returned with a new band (the Popes, get it?) and a bracing set of new songs that draw heavily on traditional Irish folk music while pinning your ears back with a raucous, full-frontal rock sound. The album opens with a bang: "Church of the Holy Spook" is either an oblique expression of twisted religious faith or an all-out assault on the Roman church; it's impossible to tell which. Its refrain is based on the chorus to "Give Me That Old-Time Religion," and it pounds into your skull like fists against a cathedral wall. When that tune segues into a headlong romp through the traditional "Nancy Whiskey," you know you're in for a wild ride. The band uses banjo, whistle, and pipes as well as electric guitars, so no matter how aggressive the sound gets, you never really lose that folky Irish flavor. The farthest MacGowan gets from his roots is on the schlocky "Haunted," a maudlin duet he performs with Sinéad O'Connor. That track and the bizarre "Mexican Funeral in Paris" are the only musical missteps on this enormously exciting album; though he still hasn't brushed his teeth, cleaned up his language, or quit drinking, MacGowan seems to be on the brink of some kind of renaissance. Here's hoping he keeps it up. Score: 4/5

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Shane MacGowan & The Popes – The Crock of Gold

Rock & Roll Paddy

Shane MacGowan & The Popes

The Crock of Gold (1997)

From AllMusic Guide:

Where Shane MacGowan sounded reinvigorated on The Snake, his first solo album, he sounds tired on his second solo effort, The Crock of Gold. Again supported by the Popes, MacGowan doesn't depart from his trademark boozy folk-punk. He spends the entire album wearily croaking his stylized myths of modern Irish folks among banjos, tin whistles, acoustic guitars and accordions. Musically, this is adept and pleasant, but The Crock of Gold starts to fall apart when compared to MacGowan's masterworks with the Pogues. Superficially, the album sounds fine, but his songs simply aren't on the level of Rum Sodomy & the Lash, If I Should Fall from Grace with God, or even The Snake. He sounds like a caricature, not a character, simply spitting out clichés instead of reworking them into something new. Longtime fans will find a couple of gems hidden among the murk, but even they will be forced to admit that The Crock of Gold is, for the most part, a crock. Score: 2.5/5

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Daniel Ash – Coming Down

Sweet Little Liar

Daniel Ash

Coming Down (1991)

From AllMusic Guide:

Flush from the success of Love and Rockets' self-titled album, specifically his hit performance of "So Alive," Ash used his extracurricular time well for his first full solo debut, recruiting a range of performers to help. Most notable would be longtime Bauhaus/Love and Rockets bandmate Kevin Haskins on many kinds of percussion, while the surprise contributor is Natacha Atlas, getting her first major exposure on an album and singing and playing instruments on just about every track. Her excellent vocals here sound nothing like her Arabic-language work most listeners will be familiar with, and she provides a perfect counterpoint to Ash's dry Bolanesque purr. No less than three of the 12 songs are covers, including the old standards "Blue Moon" and "Me and My Shadow," while a fourth, the funky samba vibe "Walk This Way," has nothing to do with Aerosmith but shares a cowriting credit with Tito Puente. It turned out that the rhythm uncannily sounded like Santana's version of "Oye Como Va," so putting Puente's name down before release was a smart move. The dark blue and black of the album cover photo shots captures the feeling of Coming Down nicely, with the disc often occupying a zone somewhere between the Jesus and Mary Chain's monster pop-thrash and Julee Cruise's avant-garde '50s-isms. The title track appears in two versions that fit each of those descriptions perfectly, while others blend the elements to one extent or another. The cover of the Beatles' "Day Tripper" starts with a spare bass/drum combination and whispered vocals before the guitars crash in near the end, while Ash projects a near-perfect cool on the spare R&B of "Sweet Little Liar" and the wash of synths and echo carrying "Not So Fast." Varied, entertaining and unexpected, Coming Down is a dark delight of an album by a consistently underrated singer and performer. Score: 3.5/5

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Daniel Ash – Foolish Thing Desire

Get Out of Control

Daniel Ash

Foolish Thing Desire (1992)

From AllMusic Guide:

Even more a solo record than Coming Down -- longtime co-producer John Rivers handles the drum programming, while one-song appearances by Natasha Atlas and another singer, along with bass player Sylvan Richardson, count for the rest of the personnel -- Foolish Thing Desire isn't always as fun and interesting as Ash's first effort, but still has some strong points. Where Coming Down very much was of a dark piece for all its variety, here Ash sounds like he's trying on a number of styles and approaches to see what works. At times, it sounds like he's straining to rock out a bit, something which Ash never had a problem with before. He never comes across like so many burnouts who create cruddy corporate rock they think is somehow exciting, happily, but at points things sound a little too shrill and forced ("Here She Comes" was a bad choice to start the album with, at the very least). When it connects, though, Desire does capture the blend of art and power which characterizes his best work. Many of the songs follow a fairly basic style, like that of longtime hero Marc Bolan, but as with the T. Rex leader, what matters is how they're arranged and performed. The title track is a fine number, highlighting his Bolanish tendencies (acoustic guitar lead and whispery vocals) while mixing in a little Phil Spector-style wall of sound/tearjerker drama via electric guitar and synths to boot. Other songs which fit the bill nicely include "Dream Machine," with an excellent synth/string arrangement at its end, and "The Void," a majestic acoustic/electric combination that recalls prime Love and Rockets numbers as "An American Dream" and "The Teardrop Collector." Throw in a fun "Waiting for the Man" knockoff called "Roll On" and a subtle Bauhaus reference in "The Hedonist," and while Desire isn't perfect, it certainly has its charms. Score: 4.5/5

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Daniel Ash – Daniel Ash

Burning Man

Daniel Ash

Daniel Ash (2002)

From AllMusic Guide:

Once he broke up Love & Rockets in 1999, Daniel Ash traded in his guitar for a drum kit and some technics and didn't look back. The success of the Bauhaus reunion the year before didn't tempt him either, for Ash was yearning to make himself a song. His self-titled solo debut, which took two years to make, embraces a newfound freedom and a carefree musical disposition. His appreciation for techno and electronica is fresh and eclectic, but he couldn't disregard his maddening guitar skill altogether. Daniel Ash is a hypnotic whirlpool of distorted licks and vocals and Ash's own take on dance music, without being over the top. First single "Spooky" struts with a lazy riff and sultry sotto voce vocals plucked from the Classics IV's own hit of the same name. "Hollywood Fix" is a funky mix of sassy dance loops, whereas "Mastermind" transcends into psychedelic clubland. The quiet tempo of "Kid 2000," which features Ash's nephew reading in the background, is chilling. The switch-up is refreshing; however, Ash isn't inventing anything new. He was always a brash sort of artist, so the confidence is there. Fans might take a liking to his chic new style -- Love & Rockets' final album, Lift, was shaping up that way. Score: 3/5

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Robert Forster – Danger in the Past

Leave Here Satisfied

Robert Forster

Danger in the Past (1990)

From AllMusic Guide:

Forster's solo debut saw him reinvented a touch as the classic traditionalist -- certainly the cover photo, black and white with him dressed in a neat suit, looks like it could have been taken somewhere in rural America circa 1920. For all that, Forster himself wasn't sounding like an unearthed wax cylinder recording from the back of beyond -- Danger in the Past, if anything, continues from where the Go-Betweens had temporarily stopped, with literate, understated rock & roll still the driving focus. Away from McLennan, a full album of Forster's gently cracked, high vocals succeeds better than might be thought, setting and maintaining a variety of moods from sudden energy to soft rumination, especially evident on the death-haunted title track. Perhaps the secret to the album's success partly lies in his collaborators -- fellow Australian music legend Mick Harvey took some time off from working with Nick Cave to produce and play, bringing fellow Bad Seeds vets Thomas Wydler and Hugo Race with him. Wisely, nobody tries to sound like Saint Nick, least of all Forster himself -- this is his own reflective, quietly energetic vision and style through and through, and his fellow performers play to his strengths. There's a strong element of country & western in Danger in the Past, generally avoiding brawling honky tonk in favor of an elegant, almost studied high and lonesome approach not far off from Bob Dylan's own experiments in the field. Certainly the roiling Hammond organ background behind the acoustic guitar on the lovely, haunted "The River People," later covered with equal talent by the Walkabouts, hints at something the Band could have done, and why not? Forster's wry sense of humor is clearly evident as well, as on this line from the stop-start shuffle "Dear Black Dream": "Wondering who sings better in the dark/Is it Townes Van Zandt or Guy Clark? Score: 3/5

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Robert Forster – Calling from a Country Phone

I Want to Be Quiet

Robert Forster

Calling from a Country Phone (1993)

From AllMusic Guide:

Calling From a Country Phone is sometimes referred to as Robert Forster's "country" album, but the folk-rock sound (with occasional pedal steel) recalls Felt's Me and a Monkey on the Moon more than anything that has ever come out of Nashville. Forster's no-frills production suits his idiosyncratic and dramatic style, which requires very little in terms of accompaniment for its effect. "Atlanta Lie Low" seems too low-key to open an album, but it is immediately followed by "121," an unusually straight rocker on which Forster's delivery actually suggests Elvis Presley at times. "Drop" was the album's single, a dynamic song that deserved to be heard but would have found no place on the charts of the day, and "Falling Star" is just as good. Calling From a Country Phone is the only one of Forster's solo albums that was never released in the U.S., which is both disappointing and understandable since it probably would not have gained an audience beyond the adulatory cult surrounding the Go-Betweens. Score: 4/5

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Robert Forster – Warm Nights

On a Street Corner

Robert Forster

Warm Nights (1996)

From AllMusic Guide:

Produced by Edwyn Collins, a longtime acquaintance of Forster from their Orange Juice/Go-Betweens days on the Postcard label, Warm Nights continues the string of wry, sharp romance from Forster's other solo releases. The flavor of Warm Nights is a touch less obviously country-pitched in comparison -- more of the deft, understated rock/pop that the Go-Betweens were known for more returns, though occasional acoustic steel guitar breaks and the like show that Forster hasn't turned away from that approach entirely. If anything, though, the most notable guest musical work comes from a different angle, with five separate folks credited for a variety of brass instruments (tuba, trombone, and the like), plus another guest on cello. Collins himself helps lead the core band backing Forster, and both his performance and production emphasize a calm, wiry approach that's very direct, going so far as to leave in the occasional glitch or audible tape edit. Forster's singing is extremely clear and straightforward, sounding like he's singing right in a listener's ear, without being overbearing (though there's a hint of over-modulation on the recording once or twice). Musically, touches like rough guitar solos buried under echo and the New Orleans jazz horns on "Fortress" give Warm Nights a comparative depth, balancing the immediacy of the music with greater detail. One song worthy of attention is "Rock 'n' Roll Friend," a Go-Betweens rarity turned into a low-key anthem (though admittedly the organ soloing could easily have been lost without hurting the performance). Other notable tracks include the title cut, a quick, nervous kick, and the light R&B/funk groove of "Jug of Wine." Warm Nights itself turned out to be the last album Forster released before the Go-Betweens' reunion, but as the end, for now, of his solo career, it's a worthy effort. Score: 3.5/5

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Ash – Trailer

Jack Names the Planets

Ash

Trailer (1995)

From AllMusic Guide:

Imagine classic punk maneuvers crossed with Nirvana- and Dinosaur Jr.-style leanings, goosed by a bolt of Mega City Four, and you've got this Irish trio's reference points. Such a blueprint sounds unimaginative on paper, but singer-guitarist Tim Wheeler's relentlessly catchy confections stand up to the Britpop vanguard's finest hours. Not surprisingly, then, the band's recorded debut emphasizes stripped-down velocity over finesse. Such priorities aren't surprising, since the band began racking up U.K. indie chart hits before graduating high school! (The original version of Trailer appeared in 1994, on Infectious Records.) Still, why quibble about Ash's influences, when the goods are so emphatically delivered? "Punk Boy" and "Jack Names the Planets" could give Green Day a run for its pop-punk roses, while grungier tracks like "Hulk Hogan Bubblebath" stay heavy, without losing their melody. "Day of the Triffids," which references the similarly titled English thriller, points to the band's love of all things extraterrestrial. The standout track is "Petrol," a characteristically deft exercise in soft-loud, start-stop dynamics that points to the band's maturity -- which included second guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, layered harmonies, greater tracking of guitars, and even orchestration, if required. More than a decade after they formed in their native Belfast, Ash's rugged individuality remained intact; here's where it all began. Heavy guitar devotees shouldn't miss this one. Score: 4/5

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Ash – 1977

Lose Control

Ash

1977 (1996)

From AllMusic Guide:

Two-thirds of Ash were born in 1977, which means that their latter-day punk-pop isn't very Catholic. Instead of sticking to the rigid rules of American punk-pop — which means you can't stretch the song past three minutes — Ash take a cinematic approach to their songs, throwing in elements of power pop, glam, post-Nirvana grunge, and post-Oasis rock. It's a melting pot of pop styles, basically because the members of the band are so young, they haven't conformed to the standards of the indie and punk subcultures. Sure, Ash still use loud guitars — they're all over 1977 — but they create a distinctive, melodic, and energetic sound that's equal parts heavy grunge and light pop. And while they may indulge in jamming a bit too much, they remain a pop band at heart, capable of turning out epic guitar pop like "Goldfinger," punk-pop like "Kung Fu," and the lovely but loud "Girl from Mars" with equal flair. Score: 4.5/5

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Ash – Nu-Clear Sounds

Wild Surf

Ash

Nu-Clear Sounds (1998)

From AllMusic Guide:

While Nu-Clear Sounds lacks the immediate appeal of Ash's previous outing, 1977, over the course of repeated listens it emerges as the group's most bracing effort to date; the opening maelstrom of "Projects" immediately sets the tone for the record's snarling approach — while there are a few gorgeously pensive moments, like the aptly titled "Folk Song," it's otherwise the raw, straight-ahead rock album the band always threatened to make. The addition of second guitarist Charlotte Hatherley galvanizes Tim Wheeler's songs, giving them a dimension and scope they previously lacked — Nu-Clear Sounds is above all big and loud, but under its tumultuous surface lies Wheeler's most mature and poignant material yet, from the grippingly elegiac "Low Ebb" to the sweetly romantic "Aphrodite." Subtleties aside, however, Nu-Clear Sounds is first and foremost a rock & roll record, with all of the snotty swagger and attitude that the label implies — at a point in pop history at which old-fashioned noise and bombast were at their most unfashionable, Ash bravely made an album that demands to be heard at maximum volume, and it's a glorious thing to behold. Score: 4.5/5

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Ash – Free All Angels

Burn Baby Burn

Ash

Free All Angels (2001)

From AllMusic Guide:

This is a happy kick, with big guitars and big attack and onrushing energy, and it's no tedious retro punk record, either. Seven years out of high school, and high a-top the Brit charts in their teens, the mid-20s Irish boys (and English girl) haven't lost any of their pop (either sense of the word). No, they've stepped it up a notch, while adding layers of a post-Nirvana/Jesus & Mary Chain firewall that sounds modern. Most of all, leader Tim Wheeler's sunny melodies, so rare for music this aggressive and harsh, come to him so unequivocally that he should have to donate the excess he wrote for this LP to some public trust. Free's high-action burners would make anyone want to sing: big wall-bangers like the utterly panting, lascivious "Cherry Bomb," the 1964 Beach Boys-inspired "Pacific Palisades," the dashed love of "Nicole," the bravado of "World Domination," the Undertones-esque "Walking Barefoot," the nasty edge of "Shark," and most of all, this LP's out and out bomb, the well-titled "Burn Baby Burn." In the spirit of Hüsker Dü, China Drum, Compulsion, and Replacements, these songs are hard-hitting yet in the pocket -- and Ash adds its trademark youthful enthusiasm, shining out of these grooves like a signal flare. And to keep Free from getting samey, they add some full-on dreampop in the single "Shining Light," and lull-out in the sublime strings-comely "Someday," "There's a Star," and the demure, purring "Sometimes." And as a changeup, there's the way-kinky, dance-groove rumpshaker, "Submission," with drummer Rick McMurray and bassist Mark Hamilton pounding the funky rock groove like a sped up Stone Roses' Mani and Reni. These flavors insure that the bursting crank-up of the bangers are that much more electrifying. Ash are even more hot-rod now with more experience. They're a great rock 'n' roll band by any measure. Score: 4/5

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Ash – Meltdown

Renegade Cavalcade

Ash

Meltdown (2004)

From AllMusic Guide:

By Meltdown, Ash were establishing a pattern: each odd-numbered album has been a difficult, rockier affair, while each even-numbered album showed off their sublimely poppy side. So this being their fifth record, it's easy to guess where Meltdown falls -- and if you still hadn't figured it out, just check out the faux-metal cover art! Fans of the unexpectedly great comeback Free All Angels might be worried that this is a return to the minor stumble that was the dark and difficult Nu-Clear Sounds -- the last "rock" album -- but thankfully Meltdown bursts with the hooks and little musical flourishes that have made the more mature Ash records such a treat, and has little of the meandering malaise that marred Nu-Clear Sounds. Lead single "Orpheus" sets the tone -- while the verses rage with '70s metal-derived licks, the choruses burst with one of the sunniest and catchiest tunes that Tim Wheeler and company have ever committed to tape. So while "Clones" and the awkwardly political title track rage as hard as anything they've ever recorded -- and admittedly sound a bit more AC/DC than Undertones -- there's plenty of good songwriting, like on the sweet (really) "Evil Eye," the staccato guitar work on the verses of "Renegade Cavalcade," or the honest-to-goodness string-laden power ballad "Starcrossed." The real shame is that Kinetic Records went broke just before the album was to be released, again robbing the U.S. of a timely release. But Meltdown's quality justifies a hefty import price tag: it's a surprisingly strong and assured record, the kind that -- while not the highest point of the band's catalog -- will help shore up their building legacy as one of the most consistent bands to emerge from the British Isles in the '90s. Score: 4/5

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Ash – Twilight of the Innocents

Palace of Excess

Ash

Twilight of the Innocents (2007)

From NME:

Fifth time round and, post-Hatherley, Ash could finally be growing into men. After dragging the first flushes of teenage love out ’til their 30th birthdays with Meltdown’s misjudged hair-metal stylings, Twilight is a reassuringly pop collection from Downpatrick’s cartoon wreckheads. But this time, the three-minute pop gems are stretched out with strings and emotion. Take the aching ‘Polaris’, whose piano and trauma make it their most mature single to date; a development that’s paid off on the prog-drama of the title-track finale. Elsewhere, ‘End Of The World’ ties widescreen drama to spring-loaded new wave, ‘Blacklisted’ flirts with stoner rock and ‘You Can’t Have It All’ (presumably about Charlotte’s choice to leave) proves their original formula still works. In fact, Ash come close here to that which has always eluded them: an album that amounts to more than the sum of its singles.

It’s an artistic watermark that makes the news that this will be the last conventional ‘album’ Ash release a little bit ironic. Their future will instead be a cavalcade of singles not tied to the three-year album cycle. Time can only tell whether this is a revolutionary step in the remoulding of business models or a throwing in of the towel, but it would be a crime if this precluded them from breaking further ground in the style of Twilight. If, however, this means that Tim Wheeler will be releasing three-and-a-half minute vignettes about rolling through green fields with rosy-cheeked maidens well into his 40s, well, that’s one more good thing in life that we can still depend on. But it’s funny how things turn out. Score: 7/10

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Ash – Assorted B-Sides & Rarities

Warmer Than Fire

Ash

Assorted B-Sides & Rarities

It's been a little while since I've done one of these, but if there's a band that deserves it, it's Ash. Like many of their U.K. brethren, this Northern Irish 3-piece (after recently losing guitarist Charlotte Hatherley) has released a plethora of singles, b-sides, live cuts, and non album tracks during its career. I've collected 38 of these tracks here, culled from various singles and compilations. As with any collection of this size, it's probably not the best place to dive into their catalog, but there are a lot of seldom-heard gems in here that will reward the dedicated fan.

Part 1:

1. Astral Conversations With Toulouse Lautrec

2. Cantina Band

3. Coasting

4. Day of the Triffids

5. Gabriel

6. Get Ready

7. Halloween

8. Here Comes the Music

9. I Need Somebody

10. Lose Control

11. Luther Ingo's Star Cruiser

12. Melon Farmer

13. No Place to Hide

14. Nocturne

15. Sneaker

16. Stay in Love Forever

17. Stormy Waters

18. Taken Out

19. Thinking About You

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Part 2:

1. Warmer Than Fire

2. What Deaner Was Talking About

3. Where Is Our Love Going?

4. Who You Drivin' Now?

5. 13th Floor

6. Different Today

7. Envy

8. The Little Pond/A Message from Oscar Wilde and Patrick the Brewer

9. Skullfull of Sulphur

10. T. Rex

11. 5 A.M. Eternal

12. Everywhere Is All Around

13. Give Me Some Truth

14. Heroin, Vodka, White Noise

15. Hulk Hogan Bubble Bath

16. So the Story Goes

17. Things

18. Does Your Mother Know

19. The Sweetness of Death by the Obsidian Knife

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The Soup Dragons – Hang-Ten!

Pleasantly Surprised

The Sou Dragons

Hang-Ten! (1987)

From AllMusic Guide:

The Soup Dragons' Hang-Ten! is a clattering rush of indie pop that manages to overcome the weak vocals of Sean Dickson, the rudimentary production, and the sometimes overly simplistic songwriting with a wave of pure teenage energy. Recorded on the heels of the C-86 movement, the record is very much influenced by that scene and the nascent noise-pop sound as well. It is built around the trashcan drums of the Jesus and Mary Chain, the fuzzy but not dangerous guitars of the Shop Assistants, the chirping backing vocals and the shambling feel of bands like the Pastels or the Bodines. Of course it isn't the equal of their influences, but tunes like "Slow Things Down," "Pleasantly Surprised," and especially "Whole Wide World" have a ramshackle charm that puts them just below the first tier of '80s U.K. fuzz-pop bands. The seven-minute long melancholy epic "So Sad ( I Feel)" even makes a case that the band could have transcended their narrow scope if they had gone in that more "adult" noise-pop direction (see the Wedding Present for a band that did) instead of jumping for the mainstream on their subsequent albums. Although its appeal is mainly limited to devoted C-86 enthusiasts and Soup Dragons completists (if such a thing exists), Hang-Ten! is actually a pretty decent record. Certainly it was the best work of a band that went on to release nothing but sub-par records. Score: 4/5

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The Soup Dragons – This Is Our Art

King of the Castle

The Soup Dragons

This Is Our Art (1988)

From AllMusic Guide:

Many bands would kill for a song as immediately lovable as the Soup Dragons' "Soft As Your Face" from This Is Our Art; however, while the track reveals the group's ability to craft clever, hummable pop, the rest of the LP unveils the band's lack of punch. "Soft As Your Face," with its jaunty acoustic guitars and warm harmonies, outshines almost everything else on the album. On "Kingdom Chairs," vocalist Sean Dickson tries to imitate the snarl of a '60s garage rocker; unfortunately, he isn't convincing, and the group sounds anemic, unable to unleash the raw power necessary to make the song crackle. The Soup Dragons aim for the punk-pop of the Buzzcocks on "Great Empty Space," but the lyrics fail to make an impact. The band cranks up the amps even louder on "Passion Protein," veering closely to heavy metal, and they seem as if they're trying too hard to show that they're not a wimpy new wave act. The Soup Dragons are far more effective when they're gorging themselves on bubblegum like the sweet jangle pop of "Soft As Your Face" and "Turning Stone." The Soup Dragons bite off more than they can chew on This Is Our Art; nevertheless, "Soft As Your Face" and "Turning Stone" melt in the mouth like the most delicious candy. Score: 2.5/5

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The Soup Dragons – Lovegod

I'm Free

The Soup Dragons

Lovegod (1990)

From AllMusic Guide:

The Soup Dragons' Lovegod is packed with contradictions; the synthesizers and breakbeats don't match the psychedelic cover art, and the guitars seem out of place within the slick production. If Lovegod is where the Soup Dragons supposedly found their sound -- and it is -- they still hadn't fine-tuned it to the level it would reach in a few short years. This isn't to say that Lovegod isn't an enjoyable album, though; in fact, it's quite the opposite: of the late-'80s/early-'90s explosion of British rock bands who made danceable rock music, the Soup Dragons were one of the most interesting and most fun. Lovegod is far from an exception to this rule, and several of the band's best songs are included here: the hit "I'm Free," "Mother Universe," and the title track. What makes Lovegod frustrating, however, is that it feels as though the band is being held back. Given the way they let loose later -- on Hotwired and Hydrophonic -- on this album they sound too mannered, too rigidly following the rules implied by the overly stiff beats. It's not a disappointment, it just means that in retrospect, Lovegod was more of a transition album, more of a blueprint to come, than the statement that would define this band's unfortunately short career. Score: 3/5

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The Soup Dragons – Hotwired

Divine Thing

The Soup Dragons

Hotwired (1992)

From AllMusic Guide:

Hotwired is where the Soup Dragons reached equilibrium -- the happy medium between the slick breakbeats and guitar-based rock & roll. Throughout most of the album, the songs are among the strongest of the band's career and sonically the album is near perfect; fans of dance alternative will love singles like "Pleasure" and "Divine Thing" (both moderate hits in the U.S.) and rock fans will appreciate the crisp but not sterile instrumentation. There are many great production flourishes -- like the "gospel choir"-like background vocals and fun sound effects -- sprinkled throughout the disc. In fact, Hotwired is worth listening to for the chugging guitars on the fabulous "Getting Down" alone. For fans of this genre or fans of Brit-pop or even power pop in general, this is the place to start. Score: 3.5/5

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The Soup Dragons – Hydrophonic

All Messed Up

The Soup Dragons

Hydrophonic (1995)

From AllMusic Guide:

By 1994, the British baggy-alternative-dance-Brit-pop movement had fizzled; the Happy Mondays were done, and the hits dried up for most of the lesser artists of the genre. This left the Soup Dragons in an interesting position: the band had roots in rock music (one band member would later be in Teenage Fanclub, two had already been in the BMX Bandits), so it seemed to make sense to rock up the mix a bit. Commercially, the album stiffed like cold, lumpy mashed potatoes. Most critics probably ignored it, but to do so would be a great injustice. Not to say that Hydrophonic is groundbreaking, but it is solid. Many of the beats (which weren't that great anyway) were stripped from the Soup Dragons' sound, and the guitars were pushed way up in the mix. At the same time, funk and soul were both far more prominent, and the "rock" songs are sweaty, and, well, almost Stonesy. This isn't quite the same band that gave listeners hits like "I'm Free" or "Divine Thing," but they're a far less cartoonish version of themselves, and this particular period in the band's history never deserved to be ignored as it was. The rule is this: If you loved Lovegod, this may not be for you. If you liked the more rocking parts of Hotwired, and want to hear more, this is an extremely worthwhile place to go. Just try not to be seen digging for Hydrophonic in the cut-out bin. Score: 3/5

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Guadalcanal Diary – Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man

Fire from Heaven

Guadalcanal Diary

Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man (1984)

From AllMusic Guide:

Like R.E.M., the B-52's, and Pylon, this fine band hailed from the unlikely independent-rock hotbed of Athens, GA. The long jangle pop shadow of R.E.M. is extremely strong on this release, with seven of the ten tracks showing either full or partial influence of that group. Fortunately, the songs here are excellent, exhibiting much variety within this style. "Trail of Tears," a haunting antiwar number, sounds the most like their Athens counterparts. "Fire From Heaven" is more up-tempo, intense, and dynamic, while "Sleepers Awake" is an ominous, slowly unfolding song. "Ghost on the Road" is primarily a fast country-punk number that saves its R.E.M. stylings for its yearning chorus. "Gilbert Takes the Wheel" and the title track are jangly instrumentals, the former being a fast rocker with a thudding beat, the latter being a lengthy slow-tempo selection exhibiting noticeable psychedelic traits. Other territory is touched on as well. "Pillow Talk" is a winsomely energetic Everly Brothers-influenced song. The brilliant "Watusi Rodeo" is a jumpy pop number sporting over-the-top surf guitar licks and inspired hilarious-yet-uncomfortable lyrics about "Ugly American" cowboys in Africa. There's also an eccentric cover of the missionary hymn "Kum Ba Yah," complete with appreciative background audience shouting, an energetic drum solo, and extreme contrasts of loud and soft dynamics (sometimes within the same verse line). This odd yet strong album is well worth hearing. Score: 3.5/5

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Guadalcanal Diary – Jamboree

Pray for Rain

Guadalcanal Diary

Jamboree (1986)

From AllMusic Guide:

The first six selections on this release encompass some of the best R.E.M.-style songs never written by that band. "Michael Rockefeller" is a breathlessly rushed masterpiece with echoes of that other Athens band's "West of the Fields." "Pray for Rain" is a howling, intense number that snitches the opening two chords of Jefferson Airplane's "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" for its own beginning. Weighty concerns about religion are voiced in the ringing "Fear of God;" this song borrows the opening guitar riff from "I Call Your Name" by the Beatles. "Spirit Train" is a slower, intensely foreboding selection that suggests a highly charged version of R.E.M.'s "Old Man Kensey." What follows all this are a clutch of songs with bizarre or puckish lyrics in a wild array of pop styles. "T.R.O.U.B.L.E." is a hot jazz-influenced track with goofy lyrics about sibling rivalry. "I See Moe" is a jumpy country-punk number that compares the speaker's personality dysfunction to that of the Three Stooges. "Dead Eyes" is a thundering, hard-rocking cut with threatening verses about unknown terrors and things that go bump in the night, resulting likely from too much booze. And "Cattle Prod" has to go down as one of the strangest pop songs ever written, a grindingly grandiose number with arena-rock touches that has creepy lyrics about bestiality. This is an excellent, if sometimes bewildering album very much worth hearing. Score: 3.5/5

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Guadalcanal Diary – 2x4

Where Angels Fear to Tread

Guadalcanal Diary

2x4 (1987)

From AllMusic Guide:

After the musical and commercial disappointment of Guadalcanal Diary's second album, the overcooked and overproduced Jamboree, the band took a simultaneous step back and leap forward on their third long-player, 1987's 2x4. 2x4 found the band working once again with producer Don Dixon, who had captured their mingled punch and jangle on their debut, 1984's Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man, and the happy irony was that Dixon was able to give the band the tougher and more detailed sound they failed to get on Jamboree. At the same time, Guadalcanal Diary rose to the occasion with a batch of songs that merited Dixon's more muscular treatment; 2x4 isn't short on pop smarts, but Murray Attaway and Jeff Walls put a lot more weight behind their guitars on this set, and bassist Rhett Crowe and drummer John Poe weren't afraid to keep up with their wall of sound. "Things Fall Apart" and "Litany (Life Goes On)" proved Guadalcanal Diary could have their cake and eat it too, holding on to the obtuse Southern accents of their earlier work while introducing plenty of Big Rock swagger to the mix, as "Little Birds" and "3 a.m." offered reassurance that the band still knew how to turn down their amps when circumstances demanded. If Guadalcanal Diary succumbed to the stereotypical sophomore slump with Jamboree, they managed a far stronger third-inning rebound than the majority of their peers on 2x4, which sounds like the group's strongest and most confident album. Score: 4.5/5

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Guadalcanal Diary – Flip-Flop

Pretty Is as Pretty Does

Guadalcanal Diary

Flip-Flop (1989)

From AllMusic Guide:

Guadalcanal Diary's final album is simultaneously their most stylistically consistent and their least effective. Most of the songs on this release uneasily mix walloping rock, arena stylings, and ringing R.E.M. touches; most have clearer, somehow less effective lyrics, some of which (most notably in "The Likes of You") are riddled with cliches. The temptation to think that the band is going for chart success in a big way is very strong here. A few off-style excursions can be found, all but one showing strong ties to songs on earlier albums. "Ten Laws" has the slow, ominous feel of "Spirit Train." "...Vista" mixes musical elements of "Country Club Gun" and "T.R.O.U.B.L.E." in an uneasy alliance with nonsense lyrics. And "Fade Out" (probably the album's best track) is a further excursion into paisley-period Beatles that recalls "Lips of Steel." The one surprise here is the power-pop selection "Always Saturday." A number of the songs on this release have sour, angry lyrics excoriating such things as out-of-control drunks ("Whiskey Talk") and women both snooty ("The Likes of You") and vacuous ("Pretty Is as Pretty Does"). In short, the group seems to be stagnating. Fans of this band will likely find this release to be a letdown from earlier efforts. Score: 3/5

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Depeche Mode – A Broken Frame

Nothing to Fear

Depeche Mode

A Broken Frame (1982)

From AllMusic Guide:

Martin Gore has famously noted that Depeche Mode stopped worrying about its future when the first post-Vince Clarke-departure single, "See You," placed even higher on the English charts than anything else Clarke had done with them. Such confidence carries through all of A Broken Frame, a notably more ambitious effort than the pure pop/disco of the band's debut. With arranging genius Alan Wilder still one album away from fully joining the band, Frame became very much Gore's record, writing all the songs and exploring various styles never again touched upon in later years. "Satellite" and "Monument" take distinct dub/reggae turns, while "Shouldn't Have Done That" delivers its slightly precious message about the dangers of adulthood with a spare arrangement and hollow, weirdly sweet vocals. Much of the album follows in a dark vein, forsaking earlier sprightliness, aside from tracks like "A Photograph of You" and "The Meaning of Love," for more melancholy reflections about love gone wrong as "Leave in Silence" and "My Secret Garden." More complex arrangements and juxtaposed sounds, such as the sparkle of breaking glass in "Leave in Silence," help give this underrated album even more of an intriguing, unexpected edge. Gore's lyrics sometimes veer on the facile, but David Gahan's singing comes more clearly to the fore throughout — things aren't all there yet, but they were definitely starting to get close. Score: 3/5

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Depeche Mode – 101

Black Celebration

Depeche Mode

101 (1989)

From AllMusic Guide:

As an event, Depeche Mode's huge (attendance around 80,000) Los Angeles Rose Bowl concert in 1988 remains legendary; no single artist show had totally sold out the venue since eight years beforehand, while the film documentary done by Dylan-filmer D.A. Pennebaker based around the show clearly demonstrated fans' intense commitment to a near-decade-old band most mainstream critics continued to stupidly portray as a flash-in-the-pan synth pop effort. This start-to-final-encore record of the concert showcases a band perfectly able to carry its music from studio to stage as well as any other combo worth its salt should be able to do. Understandably focused on Music for the Masses material, the album shows Depeche experimenting with alternate arrangements at various points for live performance; big numbers like "Never Let Me Down Again," "Stripped," and "Blasphemous Rumors" pack even more of a wallop here. Slower numbers and more than a couple of ballads help to vary the hit-packed set, including a fine "Somebody" and "The Things You Said" combination sung by Martin Gore. "Pleasure Little Treasure," on record an okay B-side, becomes a monster rocker live, the type of unexpected surprise one could expect from a solid band no matter what the music. With a triumphant set of closing numbers, including magnificent takes on "Never Let Me Down Again," "Master and Servant," and the set-ending "Everything Counts," with what sounds like the entire audience singing the chorus well after the song has finally ended, 101 does far better at its task than most might have guessed. Score: 4/5

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Aztec Camera – High Land, Hard Rain

The Boy Wonders

Aztec Camera

High Land, Hard Rain (1983)

From AllMusic Guide:

Some performers never make a bigger splash than with their first record, a situation which the Ramones and De La Soul know all too well. If that's the case, though, said musicians had better make sure that debut is a doozy. Aztec Camera, or more specifically, Roddy Frame, falls squarely into this scenario, because while he has doggedly plugged away ever since with a series of what are, at times, not bad releases, High Land, Hard Rain remains the lovely touchstone of Frame's career. Very much the contemporaries of such well-scrubbed Scottish guitar-pop confectionaries as Orange Juice, but with the best gumption and star quality of them all, Aztec Camera led off the album with "Oblivious," a minimasterpiece of acoustic guitar hooks, lightly funky rhythms, and swooning backing vocals. If nothing tops that on High Land, Hard Rain, most of the remaining songs come very close, while they also carefully avoid coming across like a series of general soundalikes. Frame's wry way around words of love (as well as his slightly nasal singing) drew comparisons to Elvis Costello, but Frame sounds far less burdened by expectations and more freely fun. References from Keats to Joe Strummer crop up (not to mention an inspired steal from Iggy's "Lust for Life" on "Queen's Tattoos"), but never overwhelm Frame's ruminations on romance, which are both sweet and sour. Musically, his capable band backs him with gusto, from the solo-into-full-band showstopper "The Bugle Sounds Again" to the heartstopping guitar work on "Lost Outside the Tunnel." Whether listeners want to investigate further from here is up to them, but High Land, Hard Rain itself is a flat-out must-have. Score: 5/5

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Aztec Camera – Knife

The Birth of the True

Aztec Camera

Knife (1984)

From AllMusic Guide:

Roundly trashed upon its fall 1984 release -- many reviewers took the album almost as a personal insult -- Knife is nowhere near as terrible an album as it seemed at the time. One must remember the circumstances, however: 1983's High Land Hard Rain, as well as the preceding singles on the legendary Postcard and Les Disques du Crepuscule labels, had presented Roddy Frame and crew as the jazz and folk-inflected, acoustic guitar-slinging saviors of pop music from the synth-driven hordes. Knife, on the other hand, was (yikes!) produced by Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler, who (gasp!) brought in a pair of keyboard players to color Frame's (shriek!) newly R&B-flavored pop songs. In retrospect, though, Knife is, while deeply flawed, a thoughtful and largely likable set of tunes. There are three killer singles, the danceable "Still on Fire," "Just Like the USA" (which features a jiggly guitar riff that almost turns into the hook from the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" in a few spots), and the sublime "All I Need Is Everything," a lovely, yearning tune based on a hypnotic guitar riff and featuring possibly the best chorus of Frame's career. Slightly below that fine triumvirate are "The Birth of the True" and the stirring "Backwards and Forwards," which both recall the pretty but slightly strident ballads of Frame's early career, and the peppier "Head Is Happy (Heart's Insane)," all of which are perfectly respectable tunes. Then, though, comes the bland, forgettable "The Back Door to Heaven," and the truly horrible title track, which stretches out too few musical or lyrical ideas over an endless, nearly ten-minute track that seems to be going for a Dire Straits-like ambience but merely sounds noodly and insipid. With a more sympathetic producer and a less obvious method of filler (why not record new versions of those early singles?), Knife would have made it past the cultural arbiters. As it was, Aztec Camera never really recovered. Score: 3.5/5

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Aztec Camera – Love

Everybody Is a Number One

Aztec Camera

Love (1987)

From AllMusic Guide:

Roddy Frame dispensed with the previous members of Aztec Camera and turned to a group of American session musicians and high-powered producers (Russ Titelman, Tommy LiPuma) for his third full-length album, on which he also abandoned his singer/songwriter, folk-rock approach in favor of an American R&B style. It's a distinct step down from the ingenuity of his first couple of records, and was met with indifference in the U.S., which seemed to be its intended target. In the U.K., the album belatedly took off after its second single, "Somewhere In My Heart," went to #3, and became Aztec Camera's only Top Ten LP. (Other U.K. chart singles were "How Men Are" [#25] and "Working In A Goldmine" [#31].) Score: 2.5/5

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Aztec Camera – Stray

The Crying Scene

Aztec Camera

Stray (1990)

From AllMusic Guide:

A welcome comeback after the flaccid dance-pop of 1987's insipid Love, Stray is among Roddy Frame's most assured and diverse collections of songs. Unlike previous Aztec Camera albums, there's not one unifying style to the disc, and the variety makes Stray one of Frame's better collections. From the assured rocking pop of the singles "The Crying Scene" (the closest thing Aztec Camera ever got to an American hit single) and "Good Morning Britain" (a rousing collaboration with Mick Jones of the Clash and Big Audio Dynamite) to the cool, Chet Baker-ish cocktail jazz of "Over My Head," Frame covers the waterfront, but it's the quartet of songs that constitutes the second half of the album that impress the most. These four songs, "How It Is," "The Gentle Kind," "Notting Hill Blues," and the tender acoustic closer "Song For A Friend," are a loosely connected cycle mingling folk, soul, and pop in varying proportions. Starting with a bitterly cynical denunciation of modern society, the four songs move through sadness and resignation to a hopeful, sweet closure. Shorn of the pretentiousness that mars some of Frame's earlier lyrics -- written, to be fair, while he was still in his mid-teens -- the lyrics on Stray are the first that stand up to Frame's remarkable melodic sense. The simple, low-key production by Frame and Eric Calvi also retreats from the unfortunate excesses of both Love and its misbegotten Mark Knopfler-produced predecessor, Knife. With the exception of Aztec Camera's 1983 debut High Land Hard Rain, this is Roddy Frame's best album. Score: 4/5

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Aztec Camera – Dreamland

Safe in Sorrow

Aztec Camera

Dreamland (1993)

From AllMusic Guide:

Whoever got the idea of putting erstwhile lo-tech pop hero Roddy Frame in the studio with the legendarily hi-tech keyboardist/composer/producer Ryuichi Sakamoto ought to at least get credit for thinking outside the box. And if the experiment wasn't an unqualified success, well, that's what usually happens when you think outside the box. Dreamland is far from a failure; by this point in his career, Frame's pop craft is too instinctive to permit that. But Sakamoto does occasionally threaten to overwhelm the songs with his patented super-smooth production and studio fripperies (those strings! those backing vocals!), and in a few cases the songs themselves aren't structurally capable of supporting all that added weight. Several tracks, in particular the rather silly "Spanish Horses," will leave you thinking "Gosh, that was pretty. How did it go again?" And "Safe in Sorrow," a gorgeous pop/soul ballad, feels like it wants to go twice as fast as it does, but can't. All that said, there are some great moments here, including the aching "Let Your Love Decide" and the slightly creepy "Valium Summer"; fans of the Camera should like this album just fine. Score: 3/5

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Aztec Camera – Frestonia

Phenomenal World

Aztec Camera

Frestonia (1995)

From AllMusic Guide:

Roddy Frame's last album for the Warner/Reprise stable after 12 years with the company finds him continuing in the low-key vein of 1993's Dreamland. In many ways, Frestonia is akin to contemporaneous albums by Paddy McAloon; like Frame, McAloon had long since given up any idea that his band, Prefab Sprout, was anything but a vehicle for his ideas, and after a third-album stumble (1988's From Langley Park to Memphis, not quite as dire as Aztec Camera's wretched 1987 album, Love), both singer/songwriters had contented themselves with making small records seemingly intended only to please themselves. Frestonia -- with its soft pop exteriors, occasional jazzy flourishes, and mellow acoustic vibe -- is probably the prettiest album of Frame's career. If anything, though, its only virtue is its prettiness, the way that Frame's unfailingly melodic songs slide peacefully out of the speakers, unhampered by any rough edges in the simple, low-key arrangements. The problem is that other than the two bookend tracks, "Sun" and "Sunset," there's little memorable here either lyrically or musically. For an artist whose early work was so substantial, Frestonia is something of a disappointment, albeit an unfailingly nice one. Score: 3/5

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Meat Puppets – Meat Puppets

Tumbling Tumbleweeds

Meat Puppets

Meat Puppets (1982)

From AllMusic Guide:

Although the Meat Puppets would later become best known for their intriguing blend of country, punk, rock, folk, psychedelia, and whatever else they could toss in their musical blender, the trio's 1982 self-titled full-length debut was a furious hardcore album. Totally ferocious and red hot, the album rarely lets up on its full-throttle attack -- Curt Kirkwood's vocals bear little resemblance to the wasted, off-key country-rock warbling on such seminal releases as Meat Puppets II and Up on the Sun; instead, the singing style consists of larynx-shredding screaming that renders the lyrics incomprehensible. Still, there's something special about such slop-rockers as "Love Offering," "Blue-Green God," "Saturday Morning," and "Our Friends." And as a sign of things to come, for a few brief fleeting moments, the band attempts to conquer country (on covers of "Walking Boss" and "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds"). Score: 3.5/5

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Meat Puppets – Meat Puppets II

Split Myself in Two

Meat Puppets

Meat Puppets II (1984)

From AllMusic Guide:

The Meat Puppets' second album, 1984's appropriately titled Meat Puppets II, has since gone down in the rock history books as an all-time classic, and rightfully so. The Meat Puppets were one of the first punk acts to inject different musical styles into their sound, something that was an absolute no-no at the time -- especially the sparkling sounds of country. The trio resembles a more conventional band than on their white-noise self-titled debut; the songwriting had improved dramatically, and you could even clearly decipher the playing and singing this time around. As many '90s alt-rock fans know, Meat Puppets II reached a whole new generation of fans when Nirvana covered the album's three best tracks on their MTV Unplugged special from 1994 -- "Plateau," "Lake of Fire," and "Oh, Me." But this was an incredibly consistent recording from beginning to end; other highlights included the instrumentals "Magic Toy Missing," "Aurora Borealis," and "I'm a Mindless Idiot," the rockers "Split Myself in Two" and "New Gods," plus such mellower fare as "Lost," "We're Here," "Climbing," and "The Whistling Song." An essential recording that sounds as fresh and inviting as the day it was released. Score: 5/5

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Meat Puppets – Up on the Sun

Maiden's Milk

Meat Puppets

Up on the Sun (1985)

From AllMusic Guide:

What does a band do when they're trying to follow-up a masterpiece? Release another masterpiece, of course. That's exactly what the Meat Puppets did with 1985's Up on the Sun. Issued one year after Meat Puppets II, the songwriting had become more focused, the performances were tighter, and Curt Kirkwood's vocals had progressed from a high-pitched warbling to a soothing monotone. Up on the Sun catches the Arizona trio in a relaxed mood, for the most part; the tunes aren't wound up as tightly as its predecessor, with the album-opening title track, the instrumental "Seal Whales," and "Hot Pink" being fine examples. Other highlights include "Maiden's Milk," which contains some great instrumental interplay between the bandmembers, as well as the upbeat "Away," the funky "Buckethead," the psychedelic "Two Rivers," and the furious "Enchanted Porkfist." Score: 4.5/5

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Meat Puppets – Huevos

Automatic Mojo

Meat Puppets

Huevos (1987)

From AllMusic Guide:

Recorded and released just a few months after the experimental Mirage, 1987's Huevos was a return to the Meat Puppets' earlier, more straight-ahead direction. The band (guitarist/singer Curt Kirkwood in particular) had always voiced their admiration of ZZ Top, and Huevos contained Billy Gibbons & Co.'s influence more than any other Puppets release. But don't be misled -- it wasn't a ripoff, the trio simply incorporated ZZ's sound into their energetic, unpredictable rock. It also didn't hurt that Huevos contained the band's best set of songs since 1985's classic Up on the Sun, comprised almost entirely of heavy rockers ("Paradise," "Look at the Rain," "Crazy," "Fruit," "Automatic Mojo," "Dry Rain," etc.). Another major improvement of Huevos over Mirage was that Derrick Bostrom's drums no longer sounded metronome-perfect and robotic, giving the performances a much livelier edge.  Score: 4/5

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Meat Puppets – Mirage

The Mighty Zero

Meat Puppets

Mirage (1987)

From AllMusic Guide:

As many Meat Puppets fans had realized by 1987's Mirage, the trio would change gears and broaden their sound with each successive album. This was never more apparent than on their fourth full-length release. Synthesizers were used to add textures to the tunes, while the drums sounded metronome-perfect, almost as if a drum machine was supplying the patterns. Strangely, although Mirage was the trio's most experimental album, it also turned out to be one of their most psychedelia-based works. The groovy little ditty "Get on Down" turned out to be one of the band's first videos aired on MTV, while the title track, the melodic "Leaves," the country rocker "Confusion Fog," the unrelenting "Beauty," and the album-closing punk freak-out "Liquified" are all standouts. Score: 3.5/5

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Meat Puppets – Monsters

Party Till the World Obeys

Meat Puppets

Monsters (1989)

From AllMusic Guide:

The Meat Puppets' final release for SST, 1989's Monsters is best described as a cross between their experimental Mirage and the more in-your-face Huevos (both released only a few months apart in 1987). Several major labels had been hotly pursuing the trio, but when negotiations slowed to a snail's pace, they decided to issue another album on SST in the meantime. Curt Kirkwood's crunchy guitar riffs are spotlighted throughout the album, but some of the songs are hindered by synth textures and the fact that the songs were recorded one instrument at a time, which mutes any excitement of the trio playing live in a room together (which was what made Huevos such a success). Still, several highlights were included -- the vicious album-opening "Attacked By Monsters," the melodic "Light," the tough rocker "The Void," the rollicking instrumental "Flight of the Fire Weasel," the warped love song "Strings on Your Heart," and the sleepy album closer, "Almost Like Being Alive." Score: 3/5

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Meat Puppets – Forbidden Places

Nail it Down

Meat Puppets

Forbidden Places (1991)

From AllMusic Guide:

Veteran independent rockers the Meat Puppets finally took the plunge and signed with a major label in the early '90s, London Records, the first home of one of their favorite bands, ZZ Top. Judging from their previous release (1989's Monsters), it appeared as though the trio was going in a more experimental direction, away from the raw and direct approach of their early works. But the Puppets surprised their fans by going back to their live-in-the-room feel, resulting in one of their finest albums, 1991's Forbidden Places. Unfortunately, it became yet another criminally overlooked release for the band, getting lost in the shuffle since it was released just prior to the Seattle explosion in the fall of 1991. The turbo-charged album opener, "Sam," is a razor-sharp rocker that features a humorous, lightning-fast vocal delivery from the Kirkwood brothers; other standouts include the bluesy "Nail It Down," the tranquil "This Day" and "No Longer Gone," and such ragers as "Open Wide," "Popskull," and the title track. And what Meat Puppets album would be complete without a few country ditties? The lonesome "That's How It Goes" and the breakneck album-closing instrumental "Six Gallon Pie" showed off the trio's cowboy roots splendidly. Score: 4/5

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Meat Puppets – Too High to Die

We Don't Exist

Meat Puppets

Too High to Die (1994)

From AllMusic Guide:

Although the Meat Puppets' previous album, 1991's Forbidden Places, was one of the Arizona trio's finest, the band wasn't completely happy with the album's sound, courtesy of longtime Dwight Yoakam producer Pete Anderson. So on their second album for London Records, 1994's Too High To Die, the trio hooked up with Butthole Surfer Paul Leary to put them back on track. Not only did they succeed, but they scored a big radio hit with the melodic rocker "Backwater," and the release became their first to be certified gold. The electrified album opener "Violet Eyes" kicks things off, and immediately thereafter, the trio takes you on a wild musical rollercoaster ride. Hard rock ("We Don't Exist," "Station," an unlisted remake of "Lake of Fire"), blues rock ("Roof With a Hole"), ballads ("Shine," "Why?"), country ("Comin' Down"), and demented pop/rock ("Never to Be Found," "Severed Goddess Hand," "Flaming Heart," "Things") help make up perhaps the band's most musically varied album. Score: 4/5

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Meat Puppets – No Joke!

Taste of the Sun

Meat Puppets

No Joke! (1995)

From AllMusic Guide:

Too High to Die was a surprise success in 1994, so it's not a big surprise that The Meat Puppets didn't mess with the formula for their follow-up, No Joke! Not that the band's essential sound has changed all that much over the years -- it's still a warped, sun-fried amalgam of punk, Southern rock, heavy metal, and country. For Too High to Die, they had not only streamlined their approach enough to appeal to a wider audience, but the music world had changed enough to make them seem like a mainstream rock & roll band. No Joke! might have a heavier production than its predecessor, but the tunes and riffs are cut from the same mold as before. It's an extremely competent album and is frequently enjoyable, but it doesn't have the same wild spark as their mid-'80s classics, nor does it have the bizarre sense of humor -- which makes No Joke! just an average Meat Puppets record. Score: 2/5

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Meat Puppets – Golden Lies

Endless Wave

Meat Puppets

Golden Lies (2000)

From AllMusic Guide:

With all the turmoil and tragedy surrounding his family, it's no wonder Meat Puppets leader Curt Kirkwood fled Arizona to make a fresh start in Austin, TX. Breaking with the past, Kirkwood assembled a new quartet version of the Meat Puppets, featuring two former members of the Austin band Pariah. As presented on Golden Lies, the new Puppets are a surprisingly heavy, hard-rocking outfit, turning in one of the loudest records in the group's catalog. It's also one of the best-produced, boasting a thick, full, shiny sound. Some of the quirkier, more freewheeling edges of the old Puppets have been sanded off — there's very little of Kirkwood's vaunted country influence here, and the record sometimes feels a little too uniform when the inevitable comparisons to the Pups of yesteryear are made. But really, many individual moments work very well, and it's encouraging to hear Kirkwood returning to form. Songs like "I Quit," "You Love Me," and "Endless Wave" have that classic airy Pups feel, but with an added jolt of intensity supplied by the new band. Not everything on the record works; some of the lyrics try a little too hard for the trippy surrealism that's become Kirkwood's hallmark, and a few songs feature a sort of half-rapped speak-sing that comes off as awkward. Golden Lies doesn't quite recapture the glory of the Puppets' SST years, or the pop breakthrough of Too High to Die, but its very existence is a triumphant achievement. Score: 3/5

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Meat Puppets – Rise to Your Knees

Fly Like the Wind

Meat Puppets

Rise to Your Knees (2007)

From AllMusic Guide:

While the Meat Puppets wisely resisted the temptation to call this album "Cris Kirkwood's Back," in many respects the return of the group's troubled bass player signifies an effort by the Pups to reclaim their former glories. Recorded in a simple, straightforward fashion, with guitarist and vision guy Curt Kirkwood in the producer's chair and released by an independent label, Rise to Your Knees harkens back to the Meat Puppets' glory days on SST, though the often chunky guitar tone and rhythmic stability has more in common with Too High to Die and Forbidden Places than the playful, sunburnt joy of Meat Puppets II and Up on the Sun. Rise to Your Knees gives off an amiable, laid-back vibe that's cleaner and more technically accomplished than the classic recordings of the Meat Puppets' first era, but still glimmers with the Kirkwood Brothers love of ballsy psychedelia, and while Curt Kirkwood has given himself more impressive guitar showcases in the past, the noisy assault of "Light the Fire," "Vultures" and "Disappear" will satisfy fans hoping to hear him show off his estimable skills, though his touch doesn't seem to be quite as light or as sure as it once was. Rise to Your Knees feels like an effort by the Meat Puppets to give their most loyal fans what they want -- trimming the lineup back to a three piece after recording 2000s Golden Lies as a quartet and losing a bit of the pop polish they picked up during their days on a major label -- and it certainly delivers a fair share of the goods, but unfortunately there aren't any songs here that can stand beside "Lake of Fire," "Up on the Sun" or "Paradise," and ultimately, this music sounds good when you keep wishing for it to be great. Given the hard road the Kirkwood Brothers have had to follow since last recording together, the mere fact they've been able to come together to make an album as solid and coherent as Rise to Your Knees is little short of miraculous, but it pales in comparison to the Meat Puppets best music and suggests that they still have a ways to go before they're fully back in fighting shape. Score: 3/5

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Meat Puppets – Sewn Together

Rotten Shame

Meat Puppets

Sewn Together (2009)

From AllMusic Guide:

The Meat Puppets shattered so dramatically in the late '90s that 12 years separated the last album with the group's original lineup, No Joke, and 2007's Rise to Your Knees, which saw guitarist Curt Kirkwood and his brother, bassist Cris Kirkwood, reunited in the studio (drummer Ted Marcus replaced original timekeeper Derrick Bostrom), and even then their reunion came as a surprise to many fans. The Meat Puppets had a hard time finding their groove on the often clumsy Rise to Your Knees, but thankfully 2009's Sewn Together finds them sounding and feeling like their old selves again. The production on Sewn Together is more polished and professional than on the Pups' classic '80s albums like Meat Puppets II and Up on the Sun, and the presence of a few guest musicians and some keyboard and mandolin overdubs gives this a glossy sheen more befitting their later major-label efforts Forbidden Places and Too High to Die. But the vaguely psychedelic drift of the melodies and the playful surrealism of the lyrics certainly harks back to the classic period of the band, and if the 2009 Meat Puppets aren't as light on their feet as they were two decades earlier, Curt's guitar and vocals clearly recall the dusty splendor of their best work, especially compared to Rise to Your Knees, and Cris and Ted are a tighter and more sympathetic rhythm section on their second visit to the studio. When Sewn Together rocks out, the vibe is less punk and more '70s hard rock, but the crunch is classic Kirkwood, and as befits the most cheerfully stoned-out band to emerge from the hardcore underground, Sewn Together sounds and feels pleasurably baked, and the mood makes even the grandest conceits on this album sound at once modest and as spacious as the desert. For all the demons that haunted them following their brief flirtation with fame, Sewn Together suggests that the Meat Puppets are following their bliss again, and if it's not quite up to the standards of their classic material, there's no question that it reconnects with the qualities that made them so special. It's a fine thing to have the Meat Puppets back in fighting shape again. Score: 3.5/5

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Love – Da Capo

Seven & Seven Is

Love

Da Capo (1967)

From AllMusic Guide:

Love broadened their scope into psychedelia on their sophomore effort, Arthur Lee's achingly melodic songwriting gifts reaching full flower. The six songs that comprised the first side of this album when it was first issued are a truly classic body of work, highlighted by the atomic blast of pre-punk rock "Seven & Seven Is" (their only hit single), the manic jazz tempos of "Stephanie Knows Who," and the enchanting "She Comes in Colors," perhaps Lee's best composition (and reportedly the inspiration for the Rolling Stones' "She's a Rainbow"). It's only half a great album, though; the seventh and final track, "Revelation," is a tedious 19-minute jam that keeps Da Capo from attaining truly classic status. Score: 5/5

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Love – Forever Changes

You Set the Scene

Love

Forever Changes (1967)

From AllMusic Guide:

Love's Forever Changes made only a minor dent on the charts when it was first released in 1967, but years later it became recognized as one of the finest and most haunting albums to come out of the Summer of Love, which doubtless has as much to do with the disc's themes and tone as the music, beautiful as it is. Sharp electric guitars dominated most of Love's first two albums, and they make occasional appearances here on tunes like "A House Is Not a Motel" and "Live and Let Live," but most of Forever Changes is built around interwoven acoustic guitar textures and subtle orchestrations, with strings and horns both reinforcing and punctuating the melodies. The punky edge of Love's early work gave way to a more gentle, contemplative, and organic sound on Forever Changes, but while Arthur Lee and Bryan MacLean wrote some of their most enduring songs for the album, the lovely melodies and inspired arrangements can't disguise an air of malaise that permeates the sessions. A certain amount of this reflects the angst of a group undergoing some severe internal strife, but Forever Changes is also an album that heralds the last days of a golden age and anticipates the growing ugliness that would dominate the counterculture in 1968 and 1969; images of violence and war haunt "A House Is Not a Motel," the street scenes of "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hillsdale" reflects a jaded mindset that flower power could not ease, the twin specters of race and international strife rise to the surface of "The Red Telephone," romance becomes cynicism in "Bummer in the Summer," the promise of the psychedelic experience decays into hard drug abuse in "Live and Let Live," and even gentle numbers like "Andmoreagain" and "Old Man" sound elegiac, as if the ghosts of Chicago and Altamont were visible over the horizon as Love looked back to brief moments of warmth. Forever Changes is inarguably Love's masterpiece and an album of enduring beauty, but it's also one of the few major works of its era that saw the dark clouds looming on the cultural horizon, and the result was music that was as prescient as it was compelling. Score: 5/5

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Love – Four Sail

Talking in My Sleep

Love

Four Sail (1969)

From AllMusic Guide:

From a retrospective point of view, this might be the first album in the career of singer and songwriter Arthur Lee that might have been received with more enthusiasm had it been released under his name, and not under the band name. Obviously, it must have been in his commercial best interests to retain the Love identity, but here Lee is the only member of the original band left. He is trying to recreate a Love-able identity with fewer players than he had before and a completely different sound. The old Love delivered material in a solidly folk-rock vein, meaning among other things an emphasis on combinations of acoustic and electric guitars. When the original group wanted something a little heavier, it would really put the hammer down. Records such as "My Little Red Book" and "Seven & Seven Is" were tough enough to be rightly considered precursors of punk rock, which is a lot of mileage to get out of a Burt Bacharach tune. Lee's new lineup here does not have this kind of versatility. Guitarist Jay Donnellan plays a heavy lead guitar minus the impressive chops and gets lots of solo space in the arrangements. The rhythm section favors a more leaden sound as well, particularly drummer George Suranovich, who soaks the barbecue with Keith Moon and Mitch Mitchell licks. Lee fills in on several different instruments, but his real strength is the set of ten original songs he has provided. The tracks are deep in feeling and performed with an emotional fervor that sometimes approaches anguish. It is like going into a dark coffeehouse late at night and finding an electrically charged performer delivering messages about things familiar to one and all: love, memories, friendship, "Good Times," and even "Nothing." Lee's lyrics and performances have been compared to Jimi Hendrix, certainly a compliment. This album is such a good example of these strengths that it rises above the garage band sound to communicate a sense of time and place as well as some truly sincere feelings. Score: 4/5

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Love – Out Here

Listen to My Song

Love

Out Here (1969)

From AllMusic Guide:

This set marked several firsts for Love. Not only was Out Here (1969) their initial foray away from the Elektra imprint, it would be their only double-LP package. After the relative failure of Forever Changes (1968), co-founder Arthur Lee (vocals/rhythm guitar) disbanded the unit and then re-formed with Frank Fayad (bass), George Suranovich (drums), Jay Donnellan (lead guitar), and Gary Rowles (lead guitar). Granted, it's certainly not the greatest work in their catalog. However, Out Here is proof that Lee's faculties for quirky and personable pop and rock compositions had yet to elude him. The results -- unquestionably a mixed bag -- present listeners with evidence of the combo's increasingly heavier approach, as well as a few selections that hearken back to the lighter whimsy of the earlier ensemble. The latter circumstance is clearly demonstrated, ranging from the acoustic introspection of "Listen to My Song," to the full-blown group jam on the 11-plus minute "Love Is More Than Words or Better Late Than Never" featuring Rowles' inspired electric fretwork. The update of "Signed D.C." -- the original having been a key component of Love's 1966 self-titled debut -- is given a weightier blues-fueled edge that remains drenched in the emotive angst of its precursor. The band's subsequent (and final) outing False Start (1970) continued mining the same heavy metal vein tapped on "I'm Down" and the suitably wordless "Instra-Mental"." While not exactly throwaways, "Abalony," "Discharged," and the droll funeral procession ode "Car Lights on in the Daytime Blues" are more filler than killer. Still, all in all, Arthur Lee enthusiasts can discover plenty of music to Love on Out Here.  Score: 3.5/5

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Love – False Start

Ride That Vibration

Love

False Start (1970)

From AllMusic Guide:

Arthur Lee (rhythm guitar/lead vocals/piano) chose to keep the Love moniker alive after disintegrating the band's original incarnation. By the close of the 1960s, Lee was joined by a new lineup featuring a rhythm section of Frank Fayad (bass) and George Suranovich (drums), with Jay Donnellan (lead guitar) and then Gary Rowles (lead guitar) holding court as the band's primary stringman with the latter present on False Start (1970). While the Lee-supplied material isn't his most memorable, one positive factor is the combo's consistency and cohesiveness. This can be traced back to Love having just completed a successful European tour and Lee being able to collaborate with his longtime pal Jimi Hendrix, who would not only help Lee write the LP's jammed-out opener "The Everlasting First," but also even stick around long enough to lend his unmistakable southpaw to the recording. The track starts abruptly -- as if someone inadvertently jostled a power cord loose -- joining the action in-progress. Ostensibly, Hendrix's instrumental interaction is the impetus behind the number, but it is Lee's sorely underappreciated lyrical abilities that turn it into a bluesy love ballad. The catchy "Flying" typifies the early-'70s boogie that Jo Jo Gunne was able cash in on. Otherwise, it is pretty much fluff. Considerably more interesting is the heavier poppy (think the Raspberries) sound of "Gimi a Little Break" with engaging chord progressions that conjure up Lee's work on "August" from their previous outing Four Sail (1969). The concert extract "Stand Out" -- a prime example of Love's aforementioned on-stage unity -- does just that as the spirited side was derived from the then-recent round of live dates that preceded False Start's creation. It's packed with a compact, hard-edged energy that could be mistaken for Grand Funk or even a mellowed-out MC5. Proving his uncanny ability to jump from genre to genre, Lee heads down-home for the countrified "Keep on Shining" with a chipper disposition somewhat undermined by Lee's ragged vocals. Like "Stand Out," the soulful "Anytime" is another reason for this project not to be dismissed. The quaint narrative "Slick Dick" is as anachronistic as the actual concept of hippies. Similarly, it substantiates how seriously the "counterculture" took themselves at the time. To a certain extent the same can be said of the compact "Love Is Coming" with hints of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young harmonies behind a sassy, upbeat melody. Rounding out the disc are the seductive rocker "Feel Daddy Feel Good," and the syncopated "Ride That Vibration" -- bringing to mind "You Set the Scene" from Forever Changes (1968). Perhaps this is a fitting nod back to Arthur Lee's undiminished skills as a composer as it is the final song prior to the breakup of the band literally weeks after False Start was issued.  Score: 3.5/5

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Love – The Forever Changes Concert

Andmoreagain

Love

The Forever Changes Concert (2003)

From AllMusic Guide:

"Arthur! You don't know how long we've waited!" shouted one enthusiastic female member of the audience after Love had finished performing their first song. "But you know how long I've waited," Arthur Lee playfully tossed back, eliciting sharp cheers from the crowd. Such was the spirit at the Royal Festival Hall, where, on January 15, 2003, Lee and Love re-created the Forever Changes album live in London for the first time. What could have been a pathetic display -- Lee, the onetime star, performing old hits by rote -- actually becomes a transcendent experience through two virtues: inspired string and horn accompaniment from a Scandinavian eight-piece, and the sheer shock and relief that Lee is able to hold himself together despite his years of well-documented self-abuse. The Forever Changes Concert does not take any liberties with the content of the legendary Forever Changes album, preferring note-for-note replication over reimagining. While this may be disappointing to some listeners, others will revel in the impressiveness of how well those strings and horns blend in with Baby Lemonade, the backing band that, with Lee, comprises the touring version of Love. Meanwhile, Lee himself cuts a sympathetic and winning figure throughout the show. While he misses a note or two on "The Daily Planet," and can't quite touch Bryan MacLean's graceful high notes on "Old Man," he acquits himself vocally quite nicely and retains the precisely measured diction that made the album such a psychedelic peculiarity upon its initial release. Age has taken away the punk gruffness of tracks like "Bummer in the Summer," though. The interplay between Lee, his band, and the small orchestra is nothing short of breathtaking in certain spots, particularly when the show hits its crescendo on "You Set the Scene," the closer to the original album. The second half of that song is an unqualified triumph, instruments blending beautifully and Lee demonstrating clear elation at the fact of simply having made it through. When it's done, the instinct is to cheer much as one would for a sports underdog who's unexpectedly won a big game. That the bonus tracks -- renditions of selected well-known cuts from the rest of Love's erratic history -- are anticlimactic and less powerful hardly takes away from the success of this live set. Fans of Love will be impressed that Lee and his group are holding together so well, while listeners less familiar will find a sterling recapture of one of rock's greatest albums. Score: 3.5/5

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New Order – Movement

Dreams Never End

New Order

Movement (1981)

From AllMusic Guide:

Movement is the first hesitant step in the transition from Joy Division to New Order. Despite a relatively assured debut single ("Ceremony," which didn't even appear on the album), the first New Order album revealed a band apparently caught up in mourning for its former lead singer. (But of course, themes of loss and isolation were hardly novel for them.) Movement encompassed songs written just after the suicide of Ian Curtis, and it was recorded with alternating vocal spots to see whose would fit best — although neither Peter Hook nor Bernard Sumner sounded worthy of the mantle. (At times, their hesitancy makes it sound as if they were recording guide vocals for a Joy Division LP, expecting Ian Curtis to come in later.) Despite the band's opaque lyrics, critics and fans were spotting references to Curtis all over the record, with despair and confusion reigning especially on "Senses" ("No reason ever was given") and "ICB" ("It's so far away, and it's closing in"). More so than on any Joy Division record, it also revealed a group unafraid to experiment relentlessly in the studio until it had emerged with something unique. Spurred on by producer Martin Hannett, despite his antagonistic relationship with the band (and perhaps, because of it), New Order produced a ghostly, brittle record, occasionally uptempo but never upbeat, with drum machines rattling and echoing over dark waves of synthesizers and Hook's basswork. A masterpiece in the career of any other post-punk band, Movement only paled in comparison to the band's later work. Score: 3.5/5

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New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies

Your Silent Face

New Order

Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)

From AllMusic Guide:

A great leap forward from their funereal debut album, Power, Corruption & Lies cemented New Order's place as the most exciting dance-rock hybrid in music (and it didn't even include the massive "Blue Monday" single, released earlier that year). Confident and invigorating where Movement had sounded disconsolate and lost, the record simply pops with energy from the beginning "Age of Consent," an alternative pop song with only a smattering of synthesizers overlaying an assured Bernard Sumner, who took his best vocal turn yet. Unlike the hordes of synth pop acts then active, New Order experimented heavily with their synthesizers and sequencers. What's more, while most synth pop acts kept an eye on the charts when writing and recording, if New Order were looking anywhere (aside from within), it was the clubs — "The Village" and "586" had most of the technological firepower of the mighty "Blue Monday." But whenever the electronics threatened to take over, Peter Hook's grubby basslines, Bernard Sumner's plaintive vocals, and Stephen Morris' point-perfect drum fills reintroduced the human element. Granted, they still had the will for moodiness; the second track was "We All Stand," over five minutes of dubbed-out melancholia. Aside from all the bright dance music and production on display, Power, Corruption & Lies also portrayed New Order's growing penchant for beauty: "Your Silent Face" is a sublime piece of electronic balladry. Score: 4.5/5

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New Order – Low-Life

Love Vigilantes

New Order

Low-Life (1985)

From AllMusic Guide:

New Order's third LP, Low-life, was, in every way, the artistic equal of their breakout, 1983's Power, Corruption & Lies. The point where the band's fusion of rock and electronics became seamless, it showed the bandmembers having it every way they wanted: heavily sequenced and synthesized, but with bravura work from Bernard Sumner's guitar and Peter Hook's plaintive, melodic bass; filled with hummable pop songs, but still experimental as far as how the productions were achieved. The melodica-led pop song "Love Vigilantes" was the opener, nearly identical as a standout first track to "Age of Consent" from Power, Corruption & Lies. Next was "The Perfect Kiss," one of the first major New Order singles to appear on an album. (The band being newly signed to Warner Bros. in the United States, it made perfect sense to include such a sublime piece of dance-pop on the LP.) Even as more and more synth-heavy groups like Eurythmics and Pet Shop Boys began approaching New Order's expertise with the proper care of electronics in pop music, the band still sounded like none other. "This Time of Night" and "Elegia" evoked the dark, nocturnal mood of the album's title and artwork, but none could call them mopey when they pushed as hard as they did on "Sunrise." Only "Sub-Culture," tucked in at the end, has the feel of a lost opportunity; remixed for a single release, it became much better. But there was no mistaking that New Order had reached a peak, experimenting with their sound and their style, but keeping every moment wrapped in an unmistakable humanness. Score: 4.5/5

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New Order – Substance

Everything's Gone Green

New Order

Substance (1987)

From AllMusic Guide:

Substance is a double-disc set collecting New Order's singles, including several songs that were never available on the group's albums, at least in these versions. While there are a couple of re-recordings of earlier singles, most of Substance consists of 12" single mixes designed for danceclub play. Arguably, these 12" mixes represent New Order's most groundbreaking and successful work, since they expanded the notion of what a rock & roll band, particularly an indie rock band, could do. Substance collects the best of their remixes, and in the process it showcases not only the group's musical innovations, but also their songwriting prowess -- "Temptation," "Blue Monday," "Bizarre Love Triangle," and "True Faith" are some of the finest pop songs of the '80s. Although it is a double-disc set, Substance isn't overly long. Instead it offers a perfect introduction to New Order, while providing collectors with an invaluable collection of singles. Score: 5/5

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New Order – Brotherhood

Every Little Counts

New Order

Brotherhood (1986)

From AllMusic Guide:

New Order had been so good at integrating synth and guitars (often on the same song) that fans who greeted 1986's Brotherhood with the realization that it was split into a rock side and a dance side couldn't help but be a little disappointed. Still, the songs and the band's production had reached such a high level that the concept worked superbly, without calling undue attention to itself. The rock side comes first, revealing more of the emotional side of Bernard Sumner's singing and songwriting, even leading off with acoustic guitar for one song. But Brotherhood was also a little harder than what had come before; Sumner often sang with a come-on sort of brio, matching Peter Hook's seething work on the bass. The songwriting was excellent, and the album was delivered with great pacing, especially on the first four tracks -- sensuous and roiling for "Paradise," bright and emphatic on "Weirdo," reflective for "As It Is When It Was," then back to direct and upbeat on "Broken Promise." The synthesizer side was similarly assured, beginning with one of their brightest singles (and biggest transatlantic hits), "Bizarre Love Triangle." There was no dark side to Brotherhood, as there was with Low-life; after "Bizarre Love Triangle" came only the Middle Eastern fusion of "Angel Dust" and the simple, pastoral synth pop of "All Day Long" and "Every Little Counts." For better and worse, this was a New Order with nothing more to prove -- witness the tossed-off lyrics and giggles on "Every Little Counts" -- aside from continuing to make great music. Score: 4/5

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New Order – Technique

Dream Attack

New Order

Technique (1989)

From AllMusic Guide:

Tastes and sounds were changing quickly in the late '80s, which prompted New Order's most startling transformation yet — from moody dance-rockers to, well, moody acid-house mavens. After the band booked a studio on the island hotspot of Ibiza, apparently not knowing that it was the center of the burgeoning house music craze, New Order's sure instincts for blending rock and contemporary dance resulted in another confident, superb LP. Technique was the group's most striking production job, with the single "Fine Time" proving a close runner-up to "Blue Monday" as the most extroverted dance track in the band's catalog. Opening the record, it was a portrait of a group unrecognizable from its origins, delivering lascivious and extroverted come-ons amid pounding beats. It appeared that dance had fully taken over from rock, with the guitars and bass only brought in for a quick solo or bridge. But while pure dance was the case for the singles "Fine Time" and "Round & Round," elsewhere New Order were still delivering some of the best alternative pop around, plaintive and affecting songs like "Run" (the third single), "Love Less," and "Dream Attack." Placed in the perfect position to deliver the definitive alternative take on house music, the band produced another classic record. Score: 4.5/5

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New Order – Republic

Ruined in a Day

New Order

Republic (1993)

From AllMusic Guide:

Pulling back slightly from the raw, dance-oriented Technique, New Order took a break for four years and then crafted another slice of prime guitar pop. In keeping with previous work, Republic simply borrows elements of contemporary innovations in club music to frame a set of effortlessly enjoyable alternative pop songs. As on Technique, the singles ("World," "Spooky") are the most danceable on the record, while lyrical concerns are among the most direct of the group's career, including "Ruined in a Day" and "Times Change," sure signs of the demise of Factory Records. Score: 4/5

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New Order – Get Ready

60 Miles an Hour

New Order

Get Ready (2001)

From AllMusic Guide:

Instead of settling down in front of the mixing board for another dance album (a lá Technique or Republic), New Order returned in 2001 with a sound and style they hadn't played with for over a decade. Unsurprisingly bored by the stale British club scene circa 2001, the band opened Get Ready with a statement of purpose, a trailer single ("Crystal") featuring a host of longtime New Order staples: a sublime melody, an inscrutable set of lyrics, a deft, ragged guitar line kicking in for the chorus, and Peter Hook's yearning bass guitar taking a near-solo role. Though there are several allowances for the electronic-dance form New Order helped develop, Get Ready is a very straight-ahead album, their first work in 15 years that's focused on songwriting and performance rather than grafted dance techniques. (Of course, the band proved themselves far more than studio hands at several points, stretching back over twenty years to Joy Division's landmark Unknown Pleasures, as well as later New Order LPs like 1985's Low-life and 1986's Brotherhood.)

Listeners familiar with the blueprint of early New Order work will find much to love on Get Ready, from the tough rockers "60 Miles an Hour" and "Primitive Notion" to pastoral downtempo material like "Turn My Way," "Vicious Streak," and the melodica-driven closer "Run Wild." This naked songcraft, however, does reveal a few of the band's deficiencies. Bernard Summer's lyrics drift toward the inane: "I'll be there for you when you want me to/I'll stand by your side like I always do/In the dead of night it'll be alright/cuz I'll be there for you when you want me to." And the band can't help but identify with a younger generation of music-makers, inviting Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie over for "Rock the Shack" and turning in a dense, chaotic production that's all but de rigeur for Gillespie but very strained for New Order. (The other main collaborative track, with stranded Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, is surprisingly unembarassing.) Even for fans who don't need any convincing, Get Ready is a true "grower," an album that reveal its delicious secrets -- sublime songcraft, introverted delivery, collaborative musicianship -- slowly and only after several listens. Score: 4/5

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New Order – Waiting for the Sirens' Call

Guilt Is a Useless Emotion

New Order

Waiting for the Sirens' Call (2005)

From AllMusic Guide:

When New Order returned in 2001 with their first new record in eight years, the album they created (Get Ready) was given a great deal of leeway by fans (if not critics). Was it original? Not very. Although the band never recycled a riff, many of the songs recalled not just the band's salad days, but often specific performances from '80s touchstones Brotherhood or Low-life. What saved Get Ready from irrelevance was a brace of great songs, a new look at the band as capable rockers, and what's more, that uncanny ability to produce timeless, everfresh recordings. Almost as surprising as that comeback record was its quick follow-up, Waiting for the Sirens' Call, which followed two and a half years later. If New Order's ambition were only to reinforce themselves in their fans' imaginations as members of a working band (à la their contemporaries Echo & the Bunnymen or even Duran Duran, for that matter), then the album is a success. Unfortunately, however, the adjectives that need to be attached to this record -- workmanlike, customary, unembarrassing -- aren't going to make music fans flood the record stores seeking copies. Unaccustomed to needing another album's worth of material so soon, Bernard Sumner quickly showed the effects of writing drought, returning to old musical themes he'd visited (and revisited) before, and writing lyrics that make their 1993 single "Regret" a career classic in comparison. Titling a dramatic rocker "Dracula's Castle" may be perfectly acceptable, but then making explicit mention of that metaphor within a set of clumsy lyrics ("You came in the night and took my heart/to Dracula's castle, in the dark") is taking the easy way out, to say the least. The first single, "Krafty," makes the band's ties to Kraftwerk obvious, but while the German motorische experts manufactured cleverly simplistic productions, they never reached the rudimentary levels of this single. (And they surely knew better than making it sound like they meant it, as Sumner does, with the awful rhyme "But the world is a wonderful place/with mountains, lakes, and the human race.") Even the mainstream dance tracks, "Jetstream" and "Guilt Is a Useless Emotion," evince a cold heartlessness that the band never strayed into during the '80s. If New Order continues making albums every three years instead of every decade, critics will quickly begin to strain for new ways to describe Peter Hook's plangent bass work or Sumner's half-bemused, half-baffled songwriting and vocal delivery. Still, that's nothing compared to what New Order might be reduced to recycling. Score: 3/5

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Wire – Pink Flag

Different to Me

Wire

Pink Flag (1977)

From AllMusic Guide:

Perhaps the most original debut album to come out of the first wave of British punk, Wire's Pink Flag plays like The Ramones Go to Art School -- song after song careens past in a glorious, stripped-down rush. However, unlike the Ramones, Wire ultimately made their mark through unpredictability. Very few of the songs followed traditional verse/chorus structures -- if one or two riffs sufficed, no more were added; if a musical hook or lyric didn't need to be repeated, Wire immediately stopped playing, accounting for the album's brevity (21 songs in under 36 minutes on the original version). The sometimes dissonant, minimalist arrangements allow for space and interplay between the instruments; Colin Newman isn't always the most comprehensible singer, but he displays an acerbic wit and balances the occasional lyrical abstraction with plenty of bile in his delivery. Many punk bands aimed to strip rock & roll of its excess, but Wire took the concept a step further, cutting punk itself down to its essence and achieving an even more concentrated impact. Some of the tracks may seem at first like underdeveloped sketches or fragments, but further listening demonstrates that in most cases, the music is memorable even without the repetition and structure most ears have come to expect -- it simply requires a bit more concentration. And Wire are full of ideas; for such a fiercely minimalist band, they display quite a musical range, spanning slow, haunting texture exercises, warped power pop, punk anthems, and proto-hardcore rants -- it's recognizable, yet simultaneously quite unlike anything that preceded it. Pink Flag's enduring influence pops up in hardcore, post-punk, alternative rock, and even Britpop, and it still remains a fresh, invigorating listen today: a fascinating, highly inventive rethinking of punk rock and its freedom to make up your own rules. Score: 5/5

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Wire – Chairs Missing

I Feel Mysterious Today

Wire

Chairs Missing (1978)

From AllMusic Guide:

Chairs Missing marks a partial retreat from Pink Flag's austere, bare-bones minimalism, although it still takes concentrated listening to dig out some of the melodies. Producer Mike Thorne's synth adds a Brian Eno-esque layer of atmospherics, and Wire itself seems more concerned with the sonic textures it can coax from its instruments; the tempos are slower, the arrangements employ more detail and sound effects, and the band allows itself to stretch out on a few songs. The results are a bit variable -- "Mercy," in particular, meanders for too long -- but compelling much more often than not. The album's clear high point is the statement of purpose "I Am the Fly," which employs an emphasis-shifting melody and guitar sounds that actually evoke the sound of the title insect. But that's not all by any means -- "Outdoor Miner" and "Used To" have a gentle lilt, while "Sand in My Joints" is a brief anthem worthy of Pink Flag, and the four-minute "Practice Makes Perfect" is the best result of the album's incorporation of odd electronic flavors. In general, the lyrics are darker than those on Pink Flag, even morbid at times; images of cold, drowning, pain, and suicide haunt the record, and the title itself is a reference to mental instability. The arty darkness of Chairs Missing, combined with the often icy-sounding synth/guitar arrangements, helps make the record a crucial landmark in the evolution of punk into post-punk and goth, as well as a testament to Wire's rapid development and inventiveness. Score: 5/5

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Wire – 154

I Should Have Known Better

Wire

154 (1979)

From AllMusic Guide:

Named for the number of live gigs Wire had played to that point, 154 refines and expands the innovations of Chairs Missing, with producer Mike Thorne's synthesizer effects playing an even more integral role; little of Pink Flag's rawness remains. If Chairs Missing was a transitional album between punk and post-punk, 154 is squarely in the latter camp, devoting itself to experimental soundscapes that can sound cold and forbidding at times. However, the best tracks retain their humanity thanks to the arrangements' smooth, seamless blend of electronic and guitar textures and the beauty of the group's melodies. Where previously some of Wire's hooks could find themselves buried or not properly brought out, the fully fleshed-out production of 154 lends a sweeping splendor to "The 15th," the epic "A Touching Display," "A Mutual Friend," and the gorgeous (if obscurely titled) "Map Ref. 41°N 93°W." Not every track is a gem, as the group's artier tendencies occasionally get the better of them, but 154's best moments help make it at least the equal of Chairs Missing. It's difficult to believe that a band that evolved as quickly and altered its sound as restlessly as Wire did could be out of ideas after only three years and three albums, but such was the case according to its members, and with their (temporary, as it turned out) disbandment following this album, Wire's most fertile and influential period came to a close. Score: 4.5/5

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Wire – The Ideal Copy

Point of Collapse

Wire

The Ideal Copy (1987)

From AllMusic Guide:

Wire's first new full-length effort in eight years, The Ideal Copy is a stunning comeback picking up where 154 left off while also reflecting the strides made by the members' solo work. Finding its footing in dark, edgy dance rhythms and ominous digital textures, The Ideal Copy is experimental and forward-thinking, spanning from the buzzing melodies of "Ahead" and "Ambitious" to the taut minimalism of "Feed Me"; the record has its flaws, but its restless creative spirit and refusal to rest on past glories make it one of the few reunion efforts that actually matters. Score: 3/5

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Wire – A Bell Is a Cup ... Until it Is Struck

The Finest Drops

Wire

A Bell Is a Cup...Until it Is Struck (1988)

From AllMusic Guide:

Wire's return to full-time active duty came as something of a surprise. Colin Newman, Bruce Gilbert, and Graham Lewis (the latter two both separately and as the duo Dome) had been growing increasingly abstract and non-rock in the six years since the group had split up, but 1988's A Bell Is a Cup...Until It Is Struck is, at heart, an album full of pop songs. Admittedly, they're mainly peculiar pop songs full of stream-of-consciousness lyrics ("Money spine paper lung kidney bingos organ fun," goes the chorus of the catchiest song, sung by Newman in a dreamy reverie as if the unrelated non sequiturs were just another love song) and produced in an oddly detached way that emphasizes the atmospheres over the melodies, but they're pop songs nonetheless. Newman and Lewis coat the songs with overdubbed layers of gentle guitars, treated and phased into waves of sound that ebb and flow around the songs over Gilbert's throbbing bass and Robert Gotobed's dancefloor-based rhythms. Arguably Wire's best album and certainly its most accessible, A Bell Is a Cup...Until It Is Struck is a work of modern rock genius. Score: 4.5/5

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Wire – It's Beginning to and Back Again

Eardrum Buzz

Wire

It's Beginning to and Back Again (1989)

From AllMusic Guide:

Begun as a collection of live recordings cut in Chicago and Portugal, the songs that comprise It's Beginning to and Back Again were subsequently reconstructed in the studio to the point of becoming virtually unrecognizable. The material largely reprises tracks from A Bell Is a Cup... along with a number of new cuts, highlighted by the single "Eardrum Buzz"; while the record is respectable on its own terms, it's impossible to discern its relevance -- neither a true live album nor a remix collection, its original intentions remain lost in the translation. Score: 3/5

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Wire – Manscape

Patterns of Behaviour

Wire

Manscape (1990)

From AllMusic Guide:

Wire's gradual move toward dance music and techno becomes complete on Manscape. Syncopated beats, synths, and sequencer riffs are the dominant musical motifs, with Graham Lewis taking a larger share of the vocal turns. Still, what the group has gained in technical acumen over time has been lost in tension and interpersonal dynamics; taken for what it is, Manscape is edgy, brainy dance music, but taken as part of the largely brilliant Wire oeuvre, it's a disappointment. Score: 2/5

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Wire – Send

In the Art of Stopping

Wire

Send (2003)

From AllMusic Guide:

Send is a quasi-compilation and pseudo-new album from an older and much more ferocious Wire; it plucks seven songs from the two low-key Read & Burn EPs the group released on its own Pink Flag label in 2002 and adds four new ones. This is the culmination, perhaps, of the group's 1999 re-formation -- an outcome that only attendees of the terse performances and buyers of the EPs could have forecasted. Unlike a lot of re-formed groups, Wire chose not to be a jukebox with its old material while performing in front of its multi-generational crowds. The bandmembers didn't merely run through pieces of their beloved discography, or even inject new life into them -- they tore through them with a vigorous energy that teetered on the brink of violence. The new material collected and built on here takes on the same tightly wound, clenched-teeth direction. Thick walls of clamor are constructed on each song. The opening "In the Art of Stopping" is a relatively unassuming din of whipsaw guitars and percussion that could double as the sound of railroad ties being driven into the ground. Colin Newman's voice hectors ominously as it slowly shifts from one channel to the other and back again. All the buzzing sets up the viscous and highly repetitive grinding of "Mr. Marx's Table," where Newman takes on a more hospitable tone. On "Spent," Bruce Gilbert practically screams at the top of his lungs and fights to be heard over an overwhelming bank of industrial guitars that twist with agitated riffs and squeals. The only break from the onslaught comes during the closing "99.9," which takes nearly four minutes to be worked into another rich lather of vibrating menace. Dynamic, taut, feisty, and clever as ever, Send is this group's fourth-best album. Score: 4/5

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Wire – Object 47

Hard Currency

Wire

Object 47 (2008)

From AllMusic Guide:

Although a playful, self-referential title marks the 47th entry in Wire's discography, the band definitely isn't looking back. Some familiar motifs inevitably resurface, but there's no such thing as a predictable Wire album: that's especially true of this, their first without guitarist Bruce Gilbert. Overall, Object 47 is the antithesis of Send, its immediate predecessor. Send was wonderfully claustrophobic and compressed, painted mostly in aggressive, industrial-sized brush strokes eschewing nuance and variation and emphasizing surface over depth; Object 47 trades harsh monochrome for expansive wide-screen color and a pronounced melodic sensibility. Across these nine tracks, diverse new textures and dimensions emerge and, despite being typically elliptical, the words communicate a broader emotional range than Send displayed, with its tendency towards terse phrase-clusters. From the outset, Wire is a band reborn and reenergized. The anthemic "One of Us" sets the agenda, propelled by Graham Lewis and Robert Grey's relentless rhythms. Its lyrics stand in tonal contrast to the music (a trademark Wire tactic): "one of us will live to rue the day we met each other" warns Colin Newman, against the grain of the singalong bounce. Regardless of their legendary artistic contrariness, Wire always deliver catchy songs and, in addition to the opener, Object 47 boasts several. On "Perspex Icon," the combination of stop-start buzzsaw guitar rhythms with Newman's bright, tuneful vocal proves highly infectious. Equally memorable are Lewis' turns at the mic -- the funky "Are You Ready?" and "Mekon Headman," a denser, more insistent number accentuating the minimalist cymbal detail Grey minted on Pink Flag. Object 47 highlights Wire's pop credentials, but the band hasn't lost its edge. Tempo changes punctuate Massive Attack-style rolling dread on the hefty "Hard Currency"; by contrast, "All Fours" hammers out rigid, astringent grooves as guest guitarist Page Hamilton plugs in with a feedback squall that adds extra menace to the album's apocalyptic coda. Score: 4/5

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That Petrol Emotion – Manic Pop Thrill

Natural Kind of Joy

That Petrol Emotion

Manic Pop Thrill (1986)

From AllMusic Guide:

That Petrol Emotion's scintillating debut reminds everyone, first and foremost, what an incredible musical alliance the O'Neill brothers can be. Following a succession of independent singles (after all, who wanted to touch a couple of ex-Undertones in the mid-'80s?), they settled on Demon for this inspired debut. "It's a Good Thing," "Mouth Crazy," and "Circusville" are typical of the contents -- relentless pop hooks married to surging guitar chords, underpinned by hints of swamp blues and nods to garage rock and other mutant strains of the rock & roll animal. As naked, bold, and impassioned a record as had been heard in years. The title says it all. Score: 3/5

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That Petrol Emotion – Babble

In the Playpen

That Petrol Emotion

Babble (1987)

From AllMusic Guide:

Following hotly on the heels of 1986's Manic Pop Thrill, That Petrol Emotion's Babble brought more clever madness onto the scene, happily cutting Sean and Damian O'Neill's diversified punk influences with dance music, hook-laden pop, and a streak of acerbic political and social commentary. It certainly wasn't the Undertones. But the wiry, treble-kicking guitars and whooping vocals of "Swamp" made it just as vital, and "Dance Your Ass Off"'s "Party all nights"'s and "Hey! Hey! Hey!"'s weren't so much vapid dancefloor catch phrases as they were righteous calls to action. Despite the hooks that bled from every busted seam, Babble seemed to bask in the glow of a freshly lit car fire. Its walls of guitars, incessant, processed snare kicks, and snarling vocals celebrated the empty calories of pop music, and did so with bared teeth. (Was that a bullet ricocheting off "Split!"'s overdriven rhythm?) At the same time, the album's slower moments were just as accomplished. That Petrol Emotion didn't just set the fires -- they took time to watch them burn. Arriving at a flux point in pop music, Babble became a bridge album between blissfully ignorant dance, radio-ready pop and the remaining sentiment of punk rock. It wasn't just a call-to-arms snapshot at the end of a decade, but a prominent influence on the coming Brit-pop revolution. Score: 4.5/5

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That Petrol Emotion – End of the Millennium Psychosis Blues

The Price of My Soul

That Petrol Emotion

End of the Millennium Psychosis Blues (1988)

From AllMusic Guide:

A flawed, but still enjoyable, album, End of the Millennium Psychosis Blues saw That Petrol Emotion take a step back from the headlong rush of their two previous efforts. If "The Price of My Soul" is just a little bit too worthy, then there are plenty of fine moments to counterbalance it, such as the whimsical "Candy Love Satellite" and "Groove Check" (indie dance five years before it happened). But the key track is Sean O'Neill's "Cellophane." People had always nagged him about writing about the Troubles when he was a member of the Undertones. You can catch his unmitigated, unabridged opinion about it here. Score: 3/5

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That Petrol Emotion – Chemicrazy

Sweet Shiver Burn

That Petrol Emotion

Chemicrazy (1990)

From AllMusic Guide:

Conventional wisdom would suggest that That Petrol Emotion peaked with their first two albums of cutthroat, frenetic garage pop, and that subsequent albums made too many concessions to pop currents and lost their charm. Piffle. Chemicrazy is the supreme statement by a band who could have gone on churning out excellent garage-rock songs from here till eternity, but chose not to. The results on End of the Millennium Psychosis Blues were patchy, but not here -- especially on two of the finest singles never to grace the British charts: "Sensitize" and "Hey Venus." Vocalist Steve Mack's performance on the former, in particular, is stunning; and the rest of the album is almost as good. If you have any sort of appetite for pop music, you'd have to be dead from the neck up not to dance your legs off to this. Score: 3/5

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That Petrol Emotion – Fireproof

Detonate My Dreams

That Petrol Emotion

Fireproof (1994)

From AllMusic Guide:

Dropped from Virgin after years of critical acclaim had failed to translate into sales, That Petrol Emotion continued with this fine effort. But if singles like "Sensitize" had failed to make them pop stars, it was difficult to see how they were ever going to manage the trick. If by no means as compulsively listenable as Chemicrazy, Fireproof nonetheless has its moments. "Last of the True Believers" is one, as are the impassioned singles "Detonate My Dreams" and "Catch a Fire." Yet without proper industry support, the game was up, and within a few months of release the members of TPE were variously back in the London dole queue or at home with their families in Northern Ireland. Score: 3/5

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