This will be my last Album of the Week of 2022 (and possibly, ever, but more on that later) as I won’t have time to listen to new albums and do them justice, but I do hope I can do a round up of some of the best albums I missed before the year’s end.
Album: Pigments Artist: Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn Release Date: October 21, 2022 Label: Merge Records Favorite Tracks:
Vantablack
Crimson
Umber
Thoughts:
Dawn Richard, whose earlier work fell more into the pop and R&B genre, adds her ethereal voice to the layer of atmospheric sounds made with her collaborator Spencer Zahn. At times, this album sounds like one of those New Age relaxation tapes, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. At any rate this is a very deeply expressive form of music that definitely deserves repeated listening to understand better.
Having listened to every album on the Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, I’m making my own list. This list will be only 250 albums, although I had to make some tough cuts. The list includes a mix of works of musical genius with the pure nostalgia of some albums I’ve loved throughout my life. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about these albums and what your favorite albums are. I will continue the countdown every other Wednesday throughout 2022.
Artist: The Avalanches Title: Since I Left You Year: 2000 Favorite Tracks:
Since I Left You
Two Hearts in 3/4 Time
Flight Tonight
Electricity
Frontier Psychiatrist
ETOH
The First Time I Heard This Album …: early 2000s
Thoughts: This is by far the best album I serendipitously discovered by randomly checking it out from the library. The Avalanches groundbreaking debut is a masterpiece of “plunderphonics,” dance music, and disco that still sounds fresh today. Also, just watch the totally bonkers “Frontier Psychiatrist” video.
Bonus Sounds: Fans of The Avalanches waited a long time for a second album, Wild Flowers, which came out in 2016. This was followed by We Will Always Love You in 2020.
Bonus Sounds: My first encounter with Marvin Gaye was his 1982 album Midnight Love, the last release before his death, which includes the classic “Sexual Healing.”
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Artist: Stereolab Title: Emperor Tomato Ketchup Year :1996 Favorite Tracks:
Metronomic Underground
Cybele’s Reverie,
Les Yper-Sound
The Noise of Carpet
Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Anonymous Collective
The First Time I Heard This Album …: circa 2004
Thoughts: A co-worker introduced me to Stereolab and boy howdy, I’m glad he did! This album is a standout collection of a career of catchy and experimental art rock tracks with electronic loops and samples.
Artist: The Pogues Title: Rum, Sodomy and The Lash Year: 1985 Favorite Tracks:
The Old Main Drag
The Wild Cats of Kilkenny
I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day
A Pair of Brown Eyes
Sally MacLennane
Dirty Old Town
The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1991
Thoughts: The Pogues at the their most musically raw, albeit produced by Elvis Costello, while performing story songs that get at the aching heart of humanity. The album also features bassist Cait O’Riordan’s only lead vocal on “I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day.”
Bonus Sounds: The Pogues peaked in the mid-to-late 80s but Peace and Love (1989), Hell’s Ditch (1990), and even Pogue Mahone (1996) have some good tracks.
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Artist: The Stone Roses Title: The Stone Roses Year: 1989 Favorite Tracks:
I Wanna Be Adored
She Bangs the Drums
Waterfall
(Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister
Shoot You Down
I Am the Resurrection
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1990
Thoughts: One of the first “alternative” albums I listened to after going through my high school Classic Rock phase. The psychedelic sound drew me in and the chiming guitars, harmonies, and anthemic song structure keeps me listening.
Bonus Sounds: The Stone Roses released only one other album that wasn’t as good as their debut, but there’s a lot of good music to be found from the late 80s/early 90s Madchester sound by bands such as Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, the Charlatans, and James.
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Artist: Radiohead Title: OK Computer Year: 1997 Favorite Tracks:
Paranoid Android
Exit Music (For a Film)
Let Down
Karma Police
No Surprises
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 2003
Thoughts: I was late to this album but it quickly became an all time favorite and Radiohead one of my favorite bands of the Nineties and Oughts.
Bonus Sounds: Pablo Honey (1993), The Bends (1995), Kid A (2000), Hail to the Thief (2003), and In Rainbows (2007) are all part of Radiohead’s excellent discography.
Thoughts: R.E.M. at the peak of their “College Rock” sound before moving onto different styles and greater commercial success. The vocals are clearer for ever which is important because the lyrics are more topical and political. But the strengths are still melodies and jangling guitars.
Bonus Sounds: R.E.M.’s run of Chronic Town E.P (1982), Murmur (1983), Reckoning (1984), Fables of the Reconstruction (1985), Lifes Rich Pageant (1986), Document (1987), and Green (1988) remains one of the great opening strings of any band (and, hey, some people think their early 90s albums are good too).
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Artist: Björk Title : Homogenic Year: 1997 Favorite Tracks:
Hunter
Joga
Bachelorette
5 Years
All is Full of Love
The First Time I Heard This Album …: late 90s
Thoughts: Björk’s third album is the peak of her most accessible period despite it being undoubtedly strange art rock made danceable with electronic sounds.
Bonus Sounds: My favorite Björk albums are her 90s releases Debut (1993), Post (1995), and Homogenic (1997), but she continues to make extremely creative and artistic music including this year’s Fossora.
Thoughts: Prince rose to be the biggest thing in the world with a hit movie and a hit soundtrack that contains some his most memorable songs. I remember listening to this as a kid and being creeped out by the backmasking on “Darling Nikki.” But a lot of the rest of the album was a lot of fun and these songs remain my soundtrack of the Summer of 1984.
Bonus Sounds: OK, I’m going to make the announcement here, because there is so much of Prince’s music I haven’t even heard: in 2023 I plan to listen to every album Prince and his various band’s and projects ever released. Watch this space for the full reviews.
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Artist: Fishbone Title: Truth and Soul Year: 1988 Favorite Tracks:
Freddie’s Dead
Ma & Pa
Deep Inside
Bonin’ in the Boneyard
One Day
Subliminal Fascism
Ghetto Soundwave
Change
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1991
Thoughts: This ska/funk/hardcore/et al band performed at the first “real” concert I ever attended in 1991. This album is the strongest and most cohesive album Fishbone ever released. It mixes a strong social message with a fun party vibe.
Bonus Sounds: Fishbone (1985), In Your Face (1986), and The Reality of My Surroundings (1991) are all great. After that, they got a bit too weird.
Album: Revolver (Super Deluxe) Artist: The Beatles Release Date: August 05, 1966, Super Deluxe release: October 28, 2022 Label: Calderstone Productions Limited Favorite Tracks:
Eleanor Rigby
I’m Only Sleeping
Yellow Submarine
Good Day Sunshine
And Your Bird Can Sing
I’ve Got to Get You Into My Life
Tomorrow Never Knows
Paperback Writer
Rain
Thoughts:
A few years back I reviewed the Super Deluxe re-release of The Beatles’ “White Album” so I figured I’d do the same for Revolver. This is, in fact, my favorite Beatles album and we’ll be seeing in it in my All Time Favorite Albums countdown in a couple of weeks. Revolver is well-known as the transitional album for The Beatles from the lovable moptops of Beatlemania to a studio-oriented art rock group. The new instruments, studio experimentation, and influence of psychedelic drugs and philosophy are all well documented, so I won’t get into that here. It’s a bit mind-boggling that the Beatles were on their final U.S. tour when this was released, including their final show in San Francisco, but were performing songs from 2-3 years earlier because Revolver could just not be played lived with the technology og the time.
Here are some reflections and personal memories on the songs:
“Taxman” – probably the one song on the album I don’t love because it’s rich people whining about having to pay their share to society, and thus The Beatles’ most conservative song. It’s got a great groove though, so it’s easy to ignore the lyrics.
“Eleanor Rigby” – when I was a kid my family had the “Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Submarine” 45 and I used to listen to it a lot! The song about lonely people was always very poignant, even as a kid.
“I’m Only Sleeping” – Kind of a theme song for me as I, like John Lennon, enjoy spending time in bed.
“Yellow Submarine” – even before listening to the single, I remember the neighbors putting this on their old stereo system and all the kids dancing around. Kind of perfect that it was already a classic children’s song a decade after it was released.
“She Said She Said” – kind of weird that this song is inspired by Peter Fonda being obnoxious at a party. Can’t imagine what young Beatles fans who’d never used drugs thought of this one in 1966.
“Good Day Sunshine” – my sister made a short documentary about newspaper hawkers in Boston when she was in grad school and used this as the theme song.
“And Your Bird Can Sing” – kind of the perfect power pop tune, and ideologically opposite to “Taxman.”
“I Want To Tell You” is a great George tune that fits in the style of “Paperback Writer” and the Monkee’s “Last Train to Clarksville”
“Got To Get You Into My Life” – I’ve always loved this song and when I was a kid I didn’t even know it was a Beatles song because it was played on the radio all the time. Later I learned that it was released as a single in the US in 1976 and somehow fit in perfectly with 70s soul.
“Tomorrow Never Knows” – I remember this being discussed in the documentary The Compleat Beatles and thinking it was so weird and wonderful and just needing to hear the whole song. Only this year I learned that the “seagull” sounds are actually recordings of Paul McCartney laughing that were speed up and played backwards.
In addition to a remastered version of Revolver, that sounds excellent, the Super Deluxe edition includes two albums of demos and outtakes from all of the songs, the complete album in mono, and the “Paperback Writer”/”Rain” single remastered in stereo and mono. It’s all good!
Sarathy Korwar is a US-born, Indian-raised, London-based musical artists who fuses jazz and Indian classical music with electronic sounds to create unique sound. Electronic artist Photay produced the album and adds to its atmospheric sound. While most of the tracks are instrumental, with some spoken-word sections, the music revolves around themes of time, memory, and identity in a post-colonial context. The music is challenging yet meditative.
London-born, U.S.-based Orlando Tobias Edward Higginbottom records under the name Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, because why not? Here is the title track from his latest album.
Susan and I attended our first concert since before the COVID pandemic, and it’s seems to be taking almost as long for me to write about it. The headliner was Japanese Breakfast, the Philadelphia-based band lead by Michelle Zauner. Opening was the veteran New Jersey indie rock band Yo La Tengo, who I’ve seen in concert three times before. It may seem strange that a long-time act like Yo La Tengo would be the openers for a newer band like Japanese Breakfast, but it was clear that there’s a mutual admiration among the two bands and that they enjoyed sharing the ticket.
This was also our first visit to Roadrunner, a venue that opened earlier this year. As a long time Boston resident, it felt kind of surreal that Roadrunner was among several shiny new buildings in an entire new neighborhood that was plopped on to Guest Street in Brighton while I wasn’t looking. The venue has a large standing-room area on the floor in front of the stage with a standing-room mezzanine on three sides. Simple and elegant.
Yo La Tengo played a nine song set, including two of my all-time favorite songs “Let’s Save Tony Orlando’s House” and “Black Flowers.” They also played “Autumn Sweater” which may be their most famous song. The multi-talented trio of Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan, and James McNew took turns on lead vocals and a variety of different instruments. They create a really big sound for just three people. I got the sense that Kaplan would’ve enjoyed spending the night alone in a room with his guitar just as much as he would performing in front of hundreds of people. Michelle Zauner and guest guitarist Kevin Micka joined the band for the final number “I Heard You Looking,” an extended instrumental jam. I really admired the professionalism of the artists on stage when they went they suddenly all snapped from improvisation back into the tune.
Japanese Breakfast took the stage next, playing a set primarily made up of songs from the band’s most recent release Jubilee. They opened with “Paprika” during which Zauner struck a gong several times, the lights surrounding gone lit up exciting the audience each time. I should note here that the light design for the whole show was excellent. Susan, being on the short side, couldn’t see the gong and thought Zauner was holding a large bone.
The band followed with “Be Sweet,” my favorite song of Jubilee, so my desires were sated early. Zauner has a lot of charisma and energy so even though I’m only familiar with the most recent album, I thoroughly enjoyed their performance of songs from earlier albums as well as a couple of covers. The band’s guitarist was also excellent, and he had several great solos, however I have not been able to locate his name.
The concert ended with Ira Kaplan returning to the stage to join Japanese Breakfast on an encore of “Diving Woman,” the opening track from the 2017 album Soft Sounds From Another Planet. It featured another breakdown of improvisational noise from all the artists performing. It was a great show and a good night out for all.
Having listened to every album on the Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, I’m making my own list. This list will be only 250 albums, although I had to make some tough cuts. The list includes a mix of works of musical genius with the pure nostalgia of some albums I’ve loved throughout my life. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about these albums and what your favorite albums are. I will continue the countdown every other Wednesday throughout 2022.
Artist: Amy Winehouse Title: Back to Black Year: 2006 Favorite Tracks:
Rehab
You Know I’m No Good
Just Friends
Back To Black
Tears Dry on Their Own
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 2006 or 2007
Thoughts: It’s a shame that tabloid headlines and her early death overshadow Amy Winehouse’s massive talent. She was the cornerstone of a soul revival in the Oughts along with the likes of Adele, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and Joss Stone and this album is a testament to that era.
Bonus Sounds: The documentary Amy leans toward exploitative but contains footage of Winehouse developing her talent as well as how she was destroyed by the celebrity media complex. It also includes the sweetest scene of her spending time with her idol Tony Bennet.
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Artist: Harry Belafonte Title: Belafonte at Carnegie Hall Year: 1959 Favorite Tracks:
Cotton Fields
John Henry
The Marching Saints
Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)
Jamaica Farewell
Mama Look a Boo Boo
Hava Nageela
Cu Cu Ru Cu Cu Paloma
Shennandoah
Matilda
The First Time I Heard This Album …: late 1980s
Thoughts: When I was growing up we had a collection of LPs and 45s from various relatives, and one treasure of my late Aunt Barbara was the Harry Belafonte collection. This concert performance recorded in April 1959 features Belafonte’s interpretations of African American songs, Carribean calypso, and traditional folk tunes from around the world.
Bonus Sounds: The blockbuster Calypso (1956) was the first LP to sell over a million copies and kicked off a global calypso craze. Not bad for someone who took up singing as a side gig when he couldn’t get acting parts.
Thoughts: The first album I ever heard by Sigur Rós remains the best. The sweeping orchestral arrangements are cinematic in scope. While I don’t understand the lyrics, many of which are in a language made up by Sigur Rós frontman Jonsi called Hopelandic, they still speak to me. The title track is extra special since it was playing in the delivery room when my younger child was born and means “A Good Beginning.”
Thoughts: Monáe’s masterpiece, so far, hit big in 2018 and is surprisingly only her third full-length album. It’s Monáe’s most personal album and challenges the fears of our troubled times while celebrating women, Blackness, sexuality, gender identity, and even American identity.
Bonus Sounds: I wrote my very first Music Discovery about Janelle Monáe as well as a concert review from the Dirty Computer tour.
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Artist: The Specials Title: The Specials Year: 1980 Favorite Tracks:
Gangsters
A Message To You, Rudy
Nite Klub
Concrete Jungle
Too Much Too Young
Little Bitch
The First Time I Heard This Album …: early 90s
Thoughts: The debut album from the Two Tone ska band The Specials contains many of the band’s greatest songs and established the new genre of U.K. Ska.
Bonus Sounds: The band’s follow-up album More Specials (1980) took a strange turn into “Muzak” inspired music but is still interesting, while their more recent reunion album Encore (2019) is also pretty good.
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Artist: The Rolling Stones Title: Beggars Banquet Year: 1968 Favorite Tracks:
Sympathy For the Devil
No Expectations
Parachute Woman
Street Fighting Man
Prodigal Son
Stray Cat Blues
Factory Girl
Salt of the Earth
The First Time I Heard This Album …: late 80s
Thoughts: The Rolling Stones were always best as a Blues band, and their best album sees them embracing roots music to create a rock & roll classic. While the Stones have never been an overtly political band, a lot of the songs on this album come from the perspective of working class people, which also makes it interesting.
Bonus Sounds: This is the third Stones’ album on my list so I’ll just reiterate that Out of Our Heads (1965), Aftermath (1966), Let It Bleed (1969), Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (1970), Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972), and Blue & Lonesome (2016) are all worth a listen
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Artist: Stevie Wonder Title: Talking Book Year: 1972 Favorite Tracks:
You Are the Sunshine of My Life
Superstition
Big Brother
Lookin’ For Another Pure Love
I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)
The First Time I Heard This Album …: Late 80s
Thoughts: This album has a timeless quality, it sounds like it could’ve been released this year. It must’ve been revelatory when people first heard it in 1972. Wonder experiments with numerous keyboards, synthesizers, and drums, continuing as a one-man band on many tracks, but also has numerous guest artists including Jim Gilstrap, Lani Groves, David Sandborn, Deniece Williams, Ray Parker, Jr., and Jeff Beck. Also, “Superstition” is one of the all-time great songs. It never fails to amaze me.
Bonus Sounds: This is the fourth of four Stevie Wonder albums on this list, more than any other artist, so you know you can grab any Stevie Wonder album from the 60s or 70s and you can’t go wrong!
Thoughts: Talking Heads incorporated Afrobeat sounds into their New Wave and art rock creating one of the seminal albums of the 1980s (as well as one of the defining music videos of the early MTV era).
Thoughts: When I ranked my favorite albums of all time in 2009, this was the number one album! It may seem like a demotion but really any of my top 25 could be number one and I have to rank them somehow. The late Dave Carter wrote the mystical lyrics on this album while their partner Tracy Grammer provides harmony and fiddle.
Bonus Sounds: Two of the three albums released by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer before Carter’s death made my Top 250, but the duo’s final album Drum Hat Buddha is also excellent.
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Artist: Johnny Clegg & Savuka Title: Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World Year: 1989 Favorite Tracks:
One (Hu)’ Man One Vote
Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World
Jericho
Dela (I Know Why the Dog Howls at the Moon)
It’s An Illusion
Woman Be My Country
Warsaw 1941
The First Time I Heard This Album …: 1990
Thoughts: They say the best music ever is what you were listening to when you were 17. When I was 17, I was lucky enough to be listening to Johnny Clegg & Savuka. The racially integrated band formed in South Africa during Apartheid and the music blended Western and African sounds with many lyrics in Zulu. The album is politically charged yet hopeful.
Bonus Sounds: Before Savuka, there was Juluka, a band formed by Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu that was one of the first multi-racial acts under apartheid and released several albums between 1979 and 1984. I’m also fond of the 1993 Johnny Clegg and Savuka album Heat, Dust and Dreams which reflects on the exciting times after the release of Nelson Mandela and end of apartheid.
Album: Endure Artist: Special Interest Release Date: November 4, 2022 Label: Rough Trade Records Ltd. Favorite Tracks:
Cherry Blue Intention
(Herman’s) House
Foul
Concerning Peace
L.A. Blues
Thoughts: The world needs more dance punk and that is what Special Interest provides. Imagine Riot Grrrl crossed with 90s house music and you begin to get the idea. The New Orleans band doesn’t overlook our troubled times but they do provide a release.
Panorama of the Mountains 