Best...Record...Ever

[Monkey Bones]

Yea, yea, yea, it changes a lot for all of us, silly to even pick one, even sillier to tell anyone, but who knows why, sometimes it just gets all cherry oak and tears ...

Devotion + Doubt by Richard Buckner. 1997, the first of his short two record trip to the major labels, but sounds great, nice recording by Craig Schumacker down at Wavelab with lots of dynamics, mastered quiet by Greg Calbi so you have to turn it way up, but then comes a headful of rewards, you get to hear all the little details that give the music texture and color, and a set of top notch players in your room with backup by the Calexico / Giant Sand guys, and the always amazing talents of JD Foster, Lloyd Maines and Marc Ribot.

But this goes way beyond the players and the sound, it's the chronicle of romantic disintegration, the times you aren't yet high enough to forget, dark and painful, but still, hard to resist. Words strung together in ways you may never forget...in every song. And music woven like a tapestry around each word. Over 10 years down the road now and it hasn't aged a day. And always that voice. Brilliant record. Might be one of the ...best ...ever.

It's Tunesday. Come clean with impunity. For the last week, Joy Division Box, David Kilgour's The Far Now, and Richard Buckner for me. Like a movie that you know hasta turn out bad... ah, but can't leave out one of my favorites to lift the spirit, redemption ...

[3LB]

Where ya been Davey?

still dealing with bouts of lower abdominal pain?

[Monkey Bones]

still dealing with bouts of lower abdominal pain?

Yea, maybe I should put on some Coldplay to ease the pain, huh?

Been here and there.

[3LB]

Yea, maybe I should put on some Coldplay to ease the pain, huh?

maybe some Keane or some Guster

[Monkey Bones]

maybe some Keane or some Guster

Never really associated Guster with a big female following, could be I guess, they did make some commercial inroads at one time. Be kind of an interesting thread, apart from this silly menstrual thing gone astray, just to explore the differences in how men and women typically react to music. Of course, we seem to be down to only one woman now, so probably be kind of a dead-ended exploration

[3LB]

Of course, we seem to be down to only one woman now, so probably be kind of a dead-ended exploration

and she's a metalhead!

[Swish]

Yea, yea, yea, it changes a lot for all of us, silly to even pick one, even sillier to tell anyone, but who knows why, sometimes it just gets all cherry oak and tears ...

Devotion + Doubt by Richard Buckner. 1997, the first of his short two record trip to the major labels, but sounds great, nice recording by Craig Schumacker down at Wavelab with lots of dynamics, mastered quiet by Greg Calbi so you have to turn it way up, but then comes a headful of rewards, you get to hear all the little details that give the music texture and color, and a set of top notch players in your room with backup by the Calexico / Giant Sand guys, and the always amazing talents of JD Foster, Lloyd Maines and Marc Ribot.

But this goes way beyond the players and the sound, it's the chronicle of romantic disintegration, the times you aren't yet high enough to forget, dark and painful, but still, hard to resist. Words strung together in ways you may never forget...in every song. And music woven like a tapestry around each word. Over 10 years down the road now and it hasn't aged a day. And always that voice. Brilliant record. Might be one of the ...best ...ever.

I like Bloomed and Meadow quite a bit, so I'm not sure why I never bought it. I think I tried on DeepDiscount.com and was all set, then they told me it was out of stock and finally canceled my order when they were unable to fill it. Then again, I could be wrong as my mind is chock full 'o stuff right now. If you look up 'busy' in the dictionary, my picture should be there.

Saw that line in your sig and have to pull out that Magnolia Electric Factory cd. Great stuff.

[jrhymeammo]

The Offsprings - Smash.
The album they put out after than was unadulterated dingleberry...

[ForeverAutumn]

and she's a metalhead!

LOL. The best part about being a female metalhead is that when I have to use the bathroom at concerts the line-up is at the mens room and I can walk right into the ladies room.

And lower abdominal pain is no laughing matter!!!

[ForeverAutumn]

For best record ever, I still have to go with Kansas, Leftoverture. This album takes me on a ride everytime I listen to it.

Although there are a number of honourable mentions including, Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and Andrew Bird's Mysterious Production of Eggs. And maybe Rush's Hemispheres or Counterparts, depending on my mood.

[Slosh]

I'm currently spinning another Monkey Bones favorite, and one that was very nearly lost forever.

[Monkey Bones]

I'm currently spinning another Monkey Bones favorite, and one that was very nearly lost forever.

Yea, that Shack record is a favorite. Ya know, the mid 90s is still delivering big for me. I think that Shack finally got a release in 1995, and that was also the year I picked when we did all those crazy retro comps. Hadn't yet discovered Waterpistol, but woulda been on there for sure if I had.

Speaking of cool Britpop, just got the latest from Manic Street Preachers, Journal for Plague Lovers, and it does harken back to that time in the mid 90s and their great The Holy Bible. Haven't spent much time with it yet, but it does have some of that darkness I like that they somewhat left behind after Richey Edwards disappeared in 95. They say it uses his lyrics, and I guess they intentionally have been moving back to that sound, but I didn't hear the last one.

[3-LockBox]

Here's one, and its a recent find for me. I picked this up back in January.



Mark Hollis - s/t (1998) His first solo (I haven't seen anything else) and its somewhat a continuation of the last couple of Talk Talk albums, only more stark, more intimate. The instruments sound very closely mic'd, like an acoustic jazz album. It has the same jazz flourishes here and there that you'd find on Spirit Of Eden, but this album is even more of a minimalist approach. A true album experience in that the album plays more like a song cycle in theme and mood - each track has its own identity, but all tracks flow seemlessly into one another like a movie soundtrack. Hollis' vocals flint in and out like a muted trombone, and although they carry the tone and meaning of a particular song, the vocals are rarely the centerpiece but on a few songs. Its completely mesmerizing.

Surely, this (and Talk Talk) must have influenced recent efforts by newer acts like Bon Iver and Shearwater. Unfortunately, music like this barely exists, if only in the few collections lucky enough to have it. Since it never shoots for a mainstream single, I doubt it got but a smidge of airplay. Too moody for adult contemporary, too artsy for smooth jazz, too good for pop. Any fan of the brooding, ambient jazz noir of the early-mid '60s will like this music.

[Monkey Bones]

Here's one, and its a recent find for me. I picked this up back in January.

Mark Hollis - s/t (1998) His first solo (I haven't seen anything else) and its somewhat a continuation of the last couple of Talk Talk albums, only more stark, more intimate. The instruments sound very closely mic'd, like an acoustic jazz album. It has the same jazz flourishes here and there that you'd find on Spirit Of Eden, but this album is even more of a minimalist approach. A true album experience in that the album plays more like a song cycle in theme and mood - each track has its own identity, but all tracks flow seamlessly into one another like a movie soundtrack. Hollis' vocals flint in and out like a muted trombone, and although they carry the tone and meaning of a particular song, the vocals are rarely the centerpiece but on a few songs. Its completely mesmerizing.

Yea, that is a good record. I actually remember sometime around maybe 1999 or 2000, finding Julian White's Rocklist site, I think it was probably linked through Tony's Fast N' Bulbous site who is also a big list maker, but anyway I used to always like checking out the top of the year lists from some of the lesser known magazines, and so was perusing some of the (at the time) recent lists from Wire (a magazine that strives to promote music a bit more weird than even the weirdest among us may enjoy), and there it was in the top 10 of 1998. I really hadn't even discovered how much I love Spirit of Eden yet, and didn't even recognize the name at first, or know that he was still out there making music, so after some quick research I snapped it up....and of course soon became enveloped in the spirit of eden (blast from the past). Btw, those Gastr Del Sol and Arto Lindsay records are gold too. Never quite got off on A Thousand Leaves, though I do love some Sonic Youth, just not usually for a whole record.

The Wire '98 Rewind

1. Sonic Youth * A Thousand Leaves (Geffen)
2. Pole * CD 1 (Kiff SM)
3. Gastr Del Sol * Camoufleur (Domino)
4. Godspeed You Black Emperor! * f#a# (Kranky)
5. Tortoise * TNT (City Slang)
6. Arto Lindsay * Noon Chill (Rykodisc)
7. Cornelius * Fantasma (Matador)
8. PhonosycographDISK * Ancient Termites (Bomp Hip-Hop)
9. Plastikman * Consumed (NovaMute)
10. Mark Hollis (Polydor)

Surely, this (and Talk Talk) must have influenced recent efforts by newer acts like Bon Iver and Shearwater.

Don't hear much of the late Talk Talk in Bon Iver, more Nick Drake, but Shearwater can almost sound like a clone at times, and I love them for it. Some of the best music being made these days. Very adventurous, great production, though still wish they hadn't remastered Palo Santo so loud. I've generally stuck with the original, but the remaster has a little more drama in some of the songs that were re-recorded.

[Monkey Bones]

I like Bloomed and Meadow quite a bit, so I'm not sure why I never bought it.

Yea baby, Bloomed is the beginning of an amazing trilogy, great music, performance, musicians, recording, mastering, one of my favorites of the 90s (but as I've mentioned before, for sound quality I'm talking about the great sounding original, not the later loud and compressed Ryko remaster with the bonus tracks).

And then the best...record...ever in Devotion + Doubt. Then to complete the trilogy, Since. More of a rocker, a little louder mastering so not quite up there with the first two for great sound quality, but he might've even made a bit of money off it later from the VW commercial a few years ago during the Olympics that used the sad lullaby "Ariel Ramirez". Caused quite a few music lovin' people to jump on the internet to search for who it was. They changed it a bit for the ad, edited it to make it less about the pain, and the loss, and the drugs, but it's still a beautiful song in any form.

But back to Devotion + Doubt right now. Nice stuff ... Well, you can take your friend along, and say you'll be back later tonight, oh, but if I had your lil two-time figure, close just one last time...

[3LB]

(blast from the past)

I remember when we had those furtive discussions back in the day - there I am, discussing the new PFR with PwrPopGuy...

and then there were these kinds of discussions

http://archive.audioreview.com/10/0EF9EAE3.php

[Slosh]

Now I'm spinning Fruit Bats - Mouthfuls. Echolocation and Spelled In Bones are both good but Mouthfuls is on another level. Sadly The Ruminant Band isn't anywhere near as catchy as I hoped it'd be. Only one spin but nothing jumped out at me so I'll probably give this one a pass when it gets officially released in a few weeks.

Hmmm . . . . I have several gift certificates to three different indie-rec-stores but nothing to buy Speaking of Chicago based bands, I know I'll be getting the new Califone in the fall. I'm still waiting to pre-order the new Hellsayers and Davies albums but my 'certs don't do me any good there.