2015 Resolutions

Well, here we are. I can't quite believe that my Year of Albums is nearly up. I have quite a backlog of recommendations that will keep me served with new music for years to come, and a new collection of 'favourites' to explore.

However, the natural question is, of course; what about 2015? I can't go back to resolving to 'go running everyday' and barely lasting a week. I've given it some thought, and I am making two resolutions:

1) Every fortnight, I will watch a film. (This may sound unremarkable, but since the only films I remember watching this year are The Lego Movie, Superman and The Sound of Music, it's quite a Big Thing.)

• I would like recommendations, please, of 'your favourite film' or 'the film I should have watched that I almost certainly haven't'. (On IMDBs list of the 100 all-time great films, there are 21 of which I have seen at least part, of which 6 are films we watched at school because we were studying them!)
• I am strictly limiting each person to one recommendation! 
• I want to end up with at least two from each decade, where 'pre 1950' counts as the first decade.
• If you recommend a horror movie, I will almost certainly refuse to watch it, unless it is Hitchcock in which case I might be OK.
• In order to save the sanity of people who spend a lot of time with me, like Sammie, I will not ask for recommendations at every opportunity.

2) I will bake something every week, even if it's only flapjack.

November Albums

November

75) HAIM ‘Days are Gone’ (Chrssy, Rob F agrees) 2013

I surprised myself by enjoying this. I had seen a bit of their set at Glastonbury (on TV, I wasn’t there!) and had heard 'The Wire' and wasn't impressed by either. However, it was an enjoyable listen, poppy interesting, and a bit different from a lot of the things I've been listening to. I can't see it standing the test of time, but it's fun and enjoyable. It did however get a little samey towards the end of the album.

76) Wakey! Wakey! ‘Almost Everything I wish I’d said the last time I saw you…’ (Brodie, Simon) 2010

The first time I listened to this I was thoroughly ‘meh’. So much so that I didn’t write anything down, and then I had to listen to it again. I enjoyed it more the second time, even now I don’t think it is anything special; I’d describe it as typical noughties poppy-indie-rock (but with strings, hooray!) again the kind of thing I’d have liked five/ten years ago but there’s a lot of it around and now I can’t be bothered. I find a lot of the songs repetitive (Track 8 is a perfect example of this!) Some of the lyrics are cute but they are a chronic overuser of the ‘repeat a line’ tactic, which I believe is only effective in small doses. This would have been music for my carefree teenage days (get those strings, quick!)

77) Miles Davis ‘Kind of Blue’ (Martin Taylor) 1959

So OK, I'd probably be lacking a soul if I disliked this! It's mmmmmmm music. It's really accessibly (jazz isn't always, but maybe the old stuff is). I'm not convinced the separate tracks have separate identities in my head, but in a ‘they fit together’ way rather than a ‘they are the same’ way.

78) Kino 'Blood Type' (Tom) 1987

This is all in Russian, so I don't really have a clue what's going on (which is fine, just new!) Shame on my upbringing though- upbeat slightly rocky European/Russian language music unavoidably brings images of dancing old ladies riding scooters, or half naked men serenading polar bears, or something equally Eurovision. Which I am certain is less than this album deserves, given that it seems to have some political significance due to its release at the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is hard to dispel the images, however...

79) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 'Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus' (Andy) 2004

I enjoyed this, it kept my interest throughout, was generally upbeat, and had me feeling like it was old and familiar by halfway through the second listen. Every song reminded me of something different, from the Divine Comedy to Primal Scream 'Rocks'. I don't love it, either, though; maybe because I don't feel it's got one strong identity. It feels like music I'd enjoy live in a smallish venue.

80) Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3 Arcadi Volodos (Matt)

I need to make a confession here- I have never sat and listened to a Rach’ piano concerto. Since most of my favourite pieces are piano concertos, this is a travesty. However, it is now corrected, thanks to Matt :-)

I was told specifically to listen to this recording- but, given the above confession, I'm not particularly well placed to recognise it as brilliant as separate from any other recording. That said, it deserves its position as a masterpiece- but I have to confess I’m not about to place Rach at the top of my classical favourites list. It doesn’t quite grab me and get melodies stuck in my head in the way that some things do!

81) Elbow 'Build a Rocket Boys!' (Sarah) 2011

I'm totally split on this. Each song has some really interesting elements and it feels like there are a range of influences and ideas; there's a hint of Eastern, a synthetic chill-out vibe, some haunting harmonies. Problem is, this didn't stop me getting rather bored at points (e.g. two minutes into the first song). Sometimes it just doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. But then, you know there will, at some point, be something new (e.g. three and a half minutes into the first song). It’s definitely a ‘grower’ too; it was better on a second listen. Also, there is something beautifully poetic about Elbow lyrics, although in most cases I can't work out what they mean and in the case where they do make sense ('The Night will always win'), they are prone to make me cry.

82) Sting and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 'Symphonicities' (Matt) 2010

It would be pretty much impossible for me to dislike this because THERE IS AN ORCHESTRA which just puts this glorious big sound behind everything. These are all original Sting tracks reworked with an orchestra; I’m probably missing a bit not knowing the originals, but never mind. A brilliantly diverse album.

September/October albums

September

65) Johnny Cash 'At Folsom Prison' (Jamie) 1968

This is awesome. Since it was recorded live at a prison (hence the name!) it is notable different from a studio album, but I’m fascinated by the way it truly feels as if you are listening in on a bit of personal history. The subject matter is mostly ‘prison humour’, about the gallows and so on, which I found a bit overload for an album but not enough to negate how much I liked the album.

66) Blue Oyster Cult 'Agents of Fortune' (Danny) 1976 

I was expecting metal; wikipedia calls it 'hard rock'; I'd call it rock. However now I've got over it not being what I expected; good, classic stuff. I don’t feel I have anything more profound to say!

67) Alanis Morrissette ‘Jagged Little Pill’ (Steve, possibly also mentioned by Jill) 1995

I think that I should have properly listened to the lyrics if I'm going to have an opinion on this, but musically I love it. I always forget that I know any songs beyond 'Ironic', but there are several classics on here; and I love a bit of harmonica!

October

68) Queen 'A Night at the Opera' (Neil) 1975

Queen are amazing. This is so good it could easily be a greatest hits album. End of.

69) Runrig 'Amazing Things' (Thomas H, Kirsty) 1993

My instant reaction to the first song on the album was ‘it's a Scottish U2’. (No-one has told me to listen to a U2 album, interestingly...) That was only the first two songs, and then it changed, but I think my verdict is that although it was decent music to have on while I did stuff, I wasn't particularly wowed. I am mildly afraid of offending every Scottish person I know…

70) Iron Maiden 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son' (Danny) 1988

This is very good. Obviously late 80s/early 90s rock is where it's at (since I also loved Metallica!)

71) Beastie Boys 'Licensed to Ill' (Ray) 1986

IMHO, this is awful. There are a few half decent riffs and interesting bits in the middle of the album, but they quickly get boring when combined only with something that's in the middle of shouting and out of tune singing. I now sound like I am 90 years old but I don't care. I gather that it’s famed for its new use of sampling techniques et cetera at the time, which I guess made it novel and makes it interesting in a ‘development of rap’ kind of way, but it doesn’t make it interesting to listen to!

72) Guster 'Ganging up on the Sun' 2006

I listened to this because an article said that clever people listened to Guster... not! However, the article saying clever people listen to Guster was the trigger that reminded James that there are some excellent songs by them, so it indirectly led to a listen. My verdict: it’s beautiful. However, I’m irritated by the fact that ‘The New Underground’ sounds extremely like something else, I think, and I CANNOT WORK OUT WHAT. In fact, it all feels faintly familiar. Anyone who can help will gain a chocolatey reward.

73) The Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band' (Aidan’s boss at Sakura) 1967.

So; prior to today, I've only ever listened to early Beatles. And I rather like early Beatles. Obviously I know they got a bit stranger later, and the whole Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds LSD thing but...just how, um, out of their minds were they when they made this? There is a line about a horse doing a waltz. Obviously. There are some classics though (When I’m 64, and Help from my Friends). Also listened to Abbey Road (Jill) 1969, which I think I preferred. Also, a bit of research left me astonished; how did they have eight studio albums in four years?

74) Letters to Cleo 'Wholesale Meats and Fish' (Chrissie K) 1995

This is very much a 'meh'. It's energetic and rocky but it doesn't really have a grab factor for me. And now I'm listening to so many albums, they kind of need to have a grab factor for me to enjoy them! It did grow on me as the album progressed, though.

July/August Albums

I appear to have been slacking a little on the albums front. I have just about kept up on the one a week, but that's definitely an average rather than a precise art! I apologise for the delay in July and August's entries- I was busy getting married (although admittedly this didn't take me two months so is a feeble excuse!)


July
55)       Fairport Convention ‘Liege and Lief’ (Rob) 1969
            Awesome folk rock. Good storytelling and lovely sound.
56)       The National ‘The National’ 2001 and ‘Trouble will find me’ (Lizzie) 2013.

I found the first (self-titled) album rather boring on a first listen, and not much better on a second. I therefore decided to listen to a newer album, which seems to have better critically reviewed, but I didn't find much more to interest me.

57)       Metallica ‘Metallica’ and ‘Ride the Lightning’ 1984 (Danny and Liam)

‘Metallica’ (aka the black album) is, quite frankly, an awesome awesome awesome album. I think I like my music to sound like there is a considerable amount of skill involved; which this does. It quite frankly makes me want to jump up and down yelling my head off. Love love love. Exactly the right pace (I’ve decided this is also quite important r.e. what music I do and do not like).

Also, though, it's flipping messed up.  (I watched 'Master of puppets live...' on youtube…)

"Ride the Lightning"; although I don’t like the individual tracks as much as those on the Black Album, it works well as a whole album. It's a bit too fast for my liking, but the guitar is awesome, on tracks 3-5 especially.

58)       Coheed and Cambria ‘The Second Stage Turbine Blade’ (Brodie) 2002

I’m not sure what I think of this. I’d call it generic indie-rock-pop. It reminds me of Fallout Boy and Paramore (but I think this is just my subconcscious expecting it to sound like them because of who recommended it!) I don't dislike it but there’s nothing special to make me like it, either.

59)       The Clash ‘London Calling’ 1979 (Catherine and Liz)

This is undeniably iconic, but I’mnot sure whether that is because it is anything special or because history has made it so. I prefer the vocals on ‘Lost in the Supermarket’ to many of the other tracks (a particular that I don’t like is ‘The Right Profile’)- I think it’s Mick Jones on the former rather than Joe Strummer who does most of them. My opinion definitely improved as the album went on, possibly because it's quite a varied album. It is difficult listening to such an iconic album because you expect it to blow you away, but after a first listen the jury was definitely out; on a second listen, I decided I really liked it. The songs got stuck in my brain!

60)       Sarah Blasko ‘I awake’ (Luke)
            I like this. A lot. Listening to it at work a lot.

August 

61)       Catatonia 'Way beyond Blue' (Liz C) 1996

Notwithstanding the dulcet tones of Cherys Matthews (mmmmmm) this was underwhelming. Not unpleasant, but even after listening again and trying to listen carefully, I was uninspired. I then also listened to 'International Velvet' as I knew a few of the songs, but I had much the same reaction. Sorry Liz!
62)       The cribs 'Men's Needs, Women's Needs' (Catherine) 2007

This isn't bad, at all. I'm fairly certain if I'd have heard it first when it was released, in 2004, it would have been something I'd have really enjoyed and I'd probably now love due of nostalgia. But because it's new to me now, I can't derive anything special out of it and I am not particularly motivated to come back to it now I've had my first couple of listens! 'Be Safe' is interesting; spoken word over music. 

63)       Nirvana 'MTV unplugged in New York' (Kieran) 1994               

There's something special about Kurt Cobain's voice. I only know a few of these songs in their original version, and it makes me want to listen to more Nirvana.... 

64)       Rodrigo y Gabriela ‘Rodrigo y Gabriela’ (Kieran) 2006

This is really fun, instrumental Mexican guitar excellence. Have listened to it several times!

 

Albums: a break

Since it's halfway through the year, I thought I would address a question a few people have asked me when I requested their album choice; what two albums would I recommend? I've not been able to give anyone a good answer, but here's an attempt (I can't stick to two, though!) So, in no particular order, here are 6.
(You may notice it differs a bit from what I've been listening to on recommendation!)

1) Andy Palacio 'Watina' (2007)
Andy Palacio is a figurehead of Garifuna/Belizean Punta music (I lived in Belize for 7 months). He died in 2008, just a year after this album; it's in the Garifuna language, and although I didn't listen to it for the first time until just before I left Belize, it's now one of my favourites.

2) The Streets 'Original Pirate Material' (2002)
This album is brilliant. The beats are divine and lyrically it's genius (political too:- I defy anyone to produce a more effective argument about the relative impact on English society of weed and alcohol than "The Irony of it All".) I remember listening to songs from this live from One Big Weekend (I think) while revising for my GCSEs. Happy days. Also, for anyone who instantly thinks 'fit but don't you know it', that's on "a grand don't come for free"- you are safe!

3) Lauryn Hill 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' (1998)
Great album. I think I was heart-broken on two different occasions and this album got listened to A Lot. Still a great album now all's good with the world.

4) Various Artists "Handel's Messiah: A soulful Celebration" (1992)
This is possibly the most obvious of a long list of musical influences that I wouldn't have if I hadn't been part of what's now called OneSound (which I should blog about another time... but for now http://www.onesound.org.uk/). In short it's a place of fellowship, sharing faith, life-long friendships (I'm not exaggerating- I have 10year friendships, I know people with 15 year friendships, and at our forty year anniversary concert there were people with, well, 40year friendships!) and stonking music (and rather fabulously diverse repertoire). I can trace an awful lot of my favourite music back to music performed there, or recommendations from friends met there, or activities I've only taken part in due to OneSound!
Anyway. The repertoire we've covered is something else (as implied above) and this gem is a part of that (we only did a few of the tracks, I should clarify). It's a reworking of Handel's Messiah influenced by a whole heap of African-American musical styles. Some tracks work better than others but 'But Who May Abide' is something else. It kicks in at 2:05 and I go a bit mad. And 'Unto Us...' starts like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air...

5) Hypnotic Brass Ensemble "Hypnotic Brass Ensemble"
This one is attributable to Greenbelt, and so possibly to OneSound, as I first went with friends from there and it now forms an annual extra reunion. Seven brass-playing brothers from Chicago. And a mate who plays the drums. (I think). Funktastic, and you may recognise a track from 'The Hunger Games' (which I haven't seen...)

6) Bellowhead "Broadside" (2012)
And here's another musical influence that appeared indirectly as a result of OneSound! One of the friends I made there (hey Liz!) was my housemate for a year in Reading, and by the time she had spent a year telling me how great this lot were, only for me to miss them at Greenbelt festival because I was stewarding, I went to see them in Reading a while later. And, erm, wow. If you don't like this, go to see them live. If you still don't like them, then if you're very lucky I might still trust your judgement occasionally. But probably not. Folky madness.

Albums 2014: June

Welcome to the June installment (I'm halfway there!) This month we have hiphop and possibly the strangest musical comparison you've ever seen...
I should add that I've introduced some colour coding, because someone asked me whether I was buying, borrowing, spotiyfing, etc... so generally I'm borrowing or spotifying, but there are a few I've bought (in green), either because I like them a lot or because I wanted something to listen to in the car; and a few I intend to buy, because I really like them, which are in red.

48)   Athlete ‘Vehicles and Animals’ (2003) (Ian)

Great album. I’m astonised I’ve not listened to it before. It contains the familiar ‘El Salvador’ and ‘You Got the Style’ so I had a good singalong (although I thought I  knew the words, and didn’t); some religious allegories (good Samaritans and houses built on rocks); some quirky bits; all in all I like it. 'Westside' and 'One Million' are both good songs that sound like they could be on a TV or movie. I really like the fact that they aren't just soppy love songs. I can't quite work out what they are, really, but in an interesting way, not a 'they make no sense at all' kind of way. On that note, I like 'vehicles and animals', it’s cute. 'Out of Nowhere' is my favourite I think, a bit of a genre crossover.

49) Velvet Underground ‘White Light/White Heat’ 1968. (Sean)

The award for ‘album most likely to give me nightmares’ goes firmly to this, for its pure (lyrical) weirdness. I listened to it in the car, so had a relatively large amount of attention to spare for said lyrical weirdness, and I think this was probably apparent on my face. Anyway, a bit of a mix of responses here; first an ‘OHHH it’s Lou Reed’, then a ‘this is weird, and somewhat self indulgent’ (basically it feels like listening to a long jamming session) and then ‘hmmm, there’s some cool guitar going on’- it’s a very raw 60s guitary sound and mostly I find it goes on too long and does nothing for me but there’s also something pleasing about the sound.  I should clarify I bought this one before I listened to it!

50) Lifehouse 'Lifehouse' (James H) 

This is one of husband-to-be’s favourite albums so I felt I should give it a proper listen (rather than half listening in the car). It’s kind of generic, guitar-led, American-TV-show-scene-music (things like Scrubs…) which explains why I didn’t really know it, and also why it’s always seemed to me a bit like background music. However, some of the songs are really beautiful lyrically and good for singing along to, so I have to say I quite like it!

51) Dire Straits 'Brothers in Arms' (no one really)

This was a cheat; I started listening because we were playing ‘Walk of Life’ in a band I play in and it was stuck in my head, but mostly in a good way... Anyway, I suspect I am turning into an old man when I admit this; but it's impossible not to like it! It’s catchy, sing-along-able, and there's even a nice touch of sax 'Your Latest Trick'. I’d forgotten I’d already listened to another Dire Straits album, but it’s very different- it's much less involved, i.e. poppy and requires no thought input to enjoy, than 'Love Over Gold'.

52) Nas ‘Illmatic’ (Ray Bell) 1994

Since  my knowledge of 'old school hip hop' is fairly limited, this instantly reminded me of the Fugees: The Score, which is my only other venture into this (and which I love- I blame this on middle-big-sis, who used to play it into my ear on car journeys and remove it at diplomatic moments. Listening to it as a Grownup I understand why her 14-yr-old self decided to shelter my 8-yr-old self from certain bits...). Anyway, I have quite a lot of love for this- I'm always impressed by the lyrical skills (skilz) in anything rap/hiphop, and plus, it makes me want to drive around like a Gangsta with my windows down. (Because y'know, I strongly resemble a gangsta when I drive around in a Yaris in my converse, Next jeans, and geeky tshirt...)

53) Local Natives 'Hummingbird' (Matt Y) (2013)

Nice album- chilled, I don’t really know how to describe it. So I won’t try, you can google it. But I really like it. I’ve listened to it a lot at work.

54) Passenger 'All the Little Lights' (Ekbal) (2012)  
Now, it's weird musical analogy time:- he's like a folk-pop mike skinner; or a cross between Mike Skinner and Paulo Nutini, maybe! The link with Mike Skinner (of The Streets) is partly subject matter, partly how poetic it is, and partly that it’summer lying-on-a-clifftop-enjoying-life music. However, the best thing about this album is that the song “All the little lights” sounds just like cult kids TV classic “spider in the bath”. Don’t believe me? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgQ1JuUIexA 45seconds in. Bet you didn’t expect that. That said, this is one of my favourites of the albums I've listened to. I think.
 

Albums: May

May has been a bit sparse- although I have just managed one a week- but I have made up for it by listening to everything a few times and writing a few rambling reviews. It’s a bit of a niche selection this month…

42)              Hank Green ‘Ellen Hardcastle’ (2011) (Sian)

·         Sian hadn’t recommended a specific album, so I picked this one at random. This is a really rather enjoyable album of clever songs and maybe erring on musical comedy, and on my first listen I had to give up at 'My Phone' because it is NOT work music! Listening again of an evening I enjoyed it just as much. The first two songs on the album are an education about quarks (“up down strange charm top bottom...”) followed by a song about the failure of other young adult fiction to match Harry Potter, which contains one of the best song lines I have ever heard which ends in 'better than anything in Breaking Dawn'.  This guy is well worth a listen (and has a new album out recently entitled ‘Incongruent’, which I’ve yet to listen to.)

43)              Caravan Palace ‘Panic’ (2012) (Chris)

·         I think I have had Caravan Palace recommended to me before, and I see why. It feels as though dancing is required; I'd probably have to describe the genre as 'gypsy swing' or something. The third track very much suited the album name of 'Panic'.

44)              Skunk Anansie ‘Stoosh’ (1996) (Meg)

·         I can't say I'm very inspired by this; on the first couple of listens I found it musically and lyrically repetitive. It is also angry and a bit dark, which isn't a problem in and of itself but it means I have higher demands of the lyrics and music to make me appreciate the whole package, which this didn't do. Having listened to this album more however, there are aspects of it that have grown on me; the intros on the first few are quite interesting, although I just don’t like the songs in their entirety and I find bits of it a bit shouty; but the middle three tracks (‘Infidelity’ through ‘Twisted’) I have got quite into, and Skin’s vocals on the softer tracks are stunning.

Interestingly, I thought I knew some stuff by Skunk Anansie, but the only song I knew was ‘Weak’, which is actually off their first album, ‘Paranoid and Sunburnt’; and I actually prefer that to anything on ‘Stoosh’. It might just be familiarity, of course.

45)              Mazzy Star ‘So Tonight That I might see’ (1993) (Ana)

·         This band were completely new to me, and nothing about the music particularly grabbed me, but that said I found it really good calming background-work-music, and they are nice songs. My year four teacher would lynch me for use of the word nice.

46)              Saint Raymond ‘Ghosts’ (2014) (Jess)

·         Whenever someone is described as a 'new singer-songwriter', I don't have high expectations because there are lots of singer-songwriters around that I just don't like (for example, James Blunt is the classic case of a singer-songwriter that the world raves about and who leaves me cold if not downright angry). However, although Saint Raymond is breaking out onto the big-time (he's done Radio One's live lounge and is supporting Ed Sheeran), this came as a recommendation several months before said Ed Sheeran/Radio One stuff so I thought I'd give it a shot. Moreover, when I pre-ordered the EP (I have never done this before, how exciting) I was given one track 'Brighter Days' as a pre-release, and on a first listen it seemed a bit quirky, I liked the texture and the rhythm, it was upbeat and summery, and his voice didn't annoy me (this is a good start!) However. The other tracks on the EP, while each having their own distinctive sound and pulling me in to start with, were a bit repetitive within themselves and really didn't hold my interest. I’d have to rank him as better than many in the singer-songwriter camp, and I can see why he’s getting big, but still not totally my cup of tea (although ‘Brighter Days’ might make it onto a summertime playlist).

47)              Joseph Curiale  ‘Awakening’ (1997) (Matt and JB, I think)

·         This was completely new to me and since I obviously wasn’t paying attention when I scribbled it down in my phone, I had no idea what it was, other than that the Royal Philharmonic were involved somehow. It turns out, its a modern symphonic composition (oooooh). The first movement opens with that big joyous sound that I associate with Jupiter (from Holst’s The Planets), and the second with the folksong feel that I associate with Vaughn Williams, and throughout there is the kind of evocative story-telling feel that goes with blockbuster movie soundtracks, a feeling reinforced by the names of the movements. All in all, good stuff.

Albums 2014: April

36)  Chemical Brothers ‘Exit Planet Dust’ (1995)
This was recommended by Greg, via Jill. From their more recent big hits such as ‘Push the Button’ this didn’t really meet my expectations, and I didn’t ever really get into it despite listening to it a couple of times

37) The Black Keys ‘El Camino’ (2011, recommended by Cameron) and ‘Brothers’ (2010, recommended by Mary A) 
 This is possibly one of my favourite bands so far. I again like the bluesy influences (this seems to be becoming a theme), and I love the riffs. There is some fantastic groove here! Of the two albums, I prefer ‘El Camino’. The first song had me hooked, and I wasn’t disappointed by the rest (although on a first listen I was listening while working so my attention kept wavering!) If I had to guess when this album was released I’d probably put it a few years earlier- it feels like the kind of music that was around when I was at school, so 2005ish. It reminds me of someone and I can’t work out who- hints of bands like ‘The Coral’ perhaps, but it’s a rockier sound. (Having looked on Wikipedia I have to agree with comparisons to the white stripes, however). 9/10 if I had to rate it! On the other hand, James really doesn’t like it. 

38) London Grammar ‘If you Wait’ (2013) (Rosie, Mary and Jess) 
 Brodie described this as ‘like Florence and the Machine’, but I would beg to differ. There is a similar emotion in the vocals but they are distinctive (and I don’t like the vocal tone as much as Florence’s!) Also it is much more understated than Florence. I did like it and it was a soothing album for while working, and I can also imagine thumping mixes of some of these tracks making good club classics (not that I know anything about club classics)

39)   Sigur Ros ‘Agaetis Byrjun’ (1999) (Jen  P)
   This is a popular one, and a band that I know a lot of people I know listen to. Sadly, I think I could only really appreciate it properly if I was lying by a lake, or up a mountain with lots of mist in a valley, and some really good clouds (preferably time-lapsed clouds, actually). It was just too mystical for Reading, and not in a good way that made me want to get out of Reading, just in a frustrating ‘I live in Reading’ kind of way. If I ever go to Iceland, New Zealand or Canada I promise to take it with me and I think I’d fall in love with it.

40) EST ‘Seven Days of Falling’ (2003)
 This is another album that I fell in love with while driving, and I’ve therefore concluded that driving is the best way to listen to new music. EST stands for Esbjorn Svenssor Trio and this is jazz, although I’d say its kind of easy listening jazz, only that tag might make it sound boring and unimaginative, which it definitely isn’t. Since this isn’t the kind of music I often listen to, I can’t tell what particularly makes it stand out as ‘better’ (or more worthy of recommendation) than other music that might be similar, but I’m assuming based on the people that recommended it (Matt B and JB, who both know what they are talking about) that it does. Among other things I enjoy the way the album develops and the blend of sounds.

41) Dire Straits- Love Over Gold (1982)
My impression during ‘Telegraph Road’ was that while I don't know what I expected, I think I expected something heavier. Instead, it's a very classic sound, evocative of something but I am not sure what… I’d have to call it ‘old man’ music, yet I did like it. I enjoyed the long tracks, which actually felt they were going somewhere (which long tracks do not always). Thankfully Neil B, who recommended this, was not offended when I told him I thought it was old man music!

As an addendum, I should explain that I listened to 37-40 in the same week, in mid-April, which is possibly cheating a bit, so I need to get back onto strictly one a week rather than averaging one a week...

Albums 2014: February/March

Yes, there are less albums in February AND March combined than in January:-

 22)  AFI ‘The Art of Drowning’ (2000)

·         A recommendation from Liz F, but no comments from me (I wrote nothing down). Sorry!

23)  Joni Mitchell ‘Blue’ (1971) and ‘Ladies of the Canyon’ (1970)

·         Amazing! This was a recommendation from Liz C, I never expected to be a Joni Mitchell fan and I love it and want to devour her whole discography. This has become a default for listening to at work.

24)  Limp Bizkit ‘Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavoured Water’ (2000)

·         Both James and Aidan told me to listen to this one. On a first listen, I really liked it musically, particularly the later songs (from ‘My Way’.) But I do dislike the excessive use of the F word (I’m generally fine with swearing in songs to a point. This is beyond the point and just irritated me.)

25)  The Piano Guys ‘The Piano Guys’ (2012)

·         An excellent recommendation from Sian. These guys have been on the edge of my consciousness for a while, not least seeing a video of theirs in a Christmas morning service, but I’ve never actually listened. A lot of fun and musically brilliant too.

26)  ‘Reckless Love’ by Reckless Love (2010)

·         This one was a recommendation from Adrian, who then disagreed strongly when I called it ‘cheese’. It is 'Finnish glam metal' according to Wikipedia. However, it feels like the kind of music you would sing your head off to at a 80s party, and thus 'cheese'. Thoroughly enjoyable.

27)  Arcade Fire ‘Funeral’(2004) Rob F and others

·         Technically I think I had heard this before. I like it.

28)  Death Cab for Cutie 'Plans' (2005)

·         Another one from Simon T and Peter H. I like it.

29)  Pain of Salvation “Remedy Lane”  (2002)

·         I listened to this in a funny order, but I did really enjoy it. I was particularly enjoying ‘Thorn Clown’ until it went off on one in the last minute. (Recommendation by Peter H)

30)  Tom Waites ‘Closing Time’ (1967)

·         Another one for the ‘listened to driving’ list, and it suited. This was another recommendation from Simon R, and another one I liked.

31)  Quantic Soul Orchestra ‘Pushin On’ (2005)

·         I also listened to this in the car. The first tracks were a bit more frantic than the kind of music I like most, but I then really enjoyed it, and have enjoyed subsequent listens.

32)   Perfect Circle ‘Mer de Noms’ (2000)

·         I listened to this first with James, but I fell asleep. However, he was singing along with such joy that I couldn’t help but like it. When I listened to again, I was not convinced- perhaps partly because I was a bit uncomfortable with the imagery in ‘Magdalena’ and the sentiment in ‘Judith’.

33)  Rage against the Machine ‘Battle of Los Angeles’  (1999)

·         This (or their self-titled album) was recommended by a number of people, notably Aidan, James and Len. Now my reaction was possibly not helped by the sound quality but: I really don’t get it. I realise it’s the kind of music I might not be expected to ‘get’ but there is heavier stuff I really like. This however; the one or two interesting riffs get boring fast, lyrically (where I can hear it) it does nothing for me, and there's not a sufficiently strong mosh-bass either. I can’t see a context where I’d want to listen to this- on a night out, one song would be plenty. And it is the screaming-type.

34)   Michael Jackson ‘Thriller’ (1982)

·         This was a recommendation by Jon, I think. Also I felt I should probably listen to it! It’s good ole’ pop, really. I didn’t realise so many of the classics were on this one album (Beat it, Billy jean, Thriller and Gotta be starting something). I also didn’t realise that the 90s classic ‘Right Here’ sampled Michael Jackson, namely ‘Human Nature’- although now I know it this is very obvious, his voice is distinctive! It was a fun fact to discover.

35)  Tori Amos ‘Boys for Pele’

·         This was another recommendation by Liz C, and as I’d loved her previous recommendation and I know the remix of ‘Professional Widow’ I had high hopes! I’m not sure what I think of it, but this could just be because it didn't live up to expectations.

Finally, a pledge: in April I will attempt to find new ways of expressing liking and enjoyment, as my use of the word 'like' in the above is prolific...

Albums 2014: January

 As promised, here is the first installment of 'the sound of 2014 according to Caroline'. This particular installment is rather long, because I was enjoying the challenge a lot. To give you a spoiler before you plough through it though, if I had to recommend one of these to listen to, I would say Jeff Buckley 'Grace'. I think I would also argue for Lou Reed 'Transformer' and Regina Spektor 'What we saw from the Cheap Seats'.

1)      Kasabian ‘Kasabian’ (2004).

This is a bit of a cheat really- if anyone recommended it, it was James, but I think I partly listened to it because I had been meaning to do so for at least five years. I quite enjoyed it, but it sounded exactly as I expected it to sound; not necessarily a bad thing, but no musical surprises here!

2)      Bastille ‘Bad Blood’ (2012).

This was recommended by Sammie B, and others I think. I surprised myself by enjoying it- I don’t think I’ve actually heard any of their songs (somehow) except ‘Pompeii’ which I listened to when everyone was raving and really didn’t enjoy that much. I listened to this before I’d resolved to record my thoughts, so sadly I can’t think of anything to say except that that I liked it.

3)      Fleetwood Mac ‘Rumours’ (1976)

Recommended by Sammie B and later Rob F. This I enjoyed, it didn’t meet my preconceptions in that it was more ‘poppy’ than I thought but I enjoyed the pop. I hadn’t realised that Songbird and Dreams were Fleetwood Mac originals, and I enjoyed hearing them in their original form.

4)      Regina Spektor ‘What we Saw from the Cheap Seats (2012)

Brodie P recommended Regina Spektor – I’m not sure he meant this album, but it was the first I found so I went for it. I’m not sure what I expected but I think I expected her to not sound distinctive. How wrong I was. I really liked this, I found it interesting, and really, really powerfully emotive- from song to song varying between uplifting and evocative of pain. It reminded me a bit of Duke Special in the storytelling themes and the piano-driven nature.

5)      Above and Beyond ‘Group Therapy’ (2011)

Nat M responded to my question ‘what should I listen to’ with ‘don’t ask me, I listen to trance’. So I said, ‘try me’. And this is what he suggested. I really enjoyed it; I was having an errand-y evening and it very much fitted with that level of engagement, rather than a proper ‘listen to’ album but that isn’t meant to do it down.

6)      Delta Rae ? (?)

Hannah G said Delta Rae, who I’d never heard of. My general feeling was that they were good, big anthems, but they didn’t particularly do anything for me.

7)      Pink Floyd ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ (1973)

I had already listened to this this year when Rob L told me I had to, because it is so well touted as an iconic album. As mentioned in my previous post, I have heard it before, but I couldn’t particularly remember much about it. I ‘got’ it more on this occasion, and I understand why it has its iconic status. I have to say I didn’t particularly love it, but I didn’t dislike it.

8) Lou Reed ‘Transformer’ (1972)

This came as somewhat of a surprise from Simon R, who I has as a dead cert on Springsteen, but again I had been meaning to listen to it since his death last year. All I wrote down was ‘Yes, I should definitely have heard this before’. Again, lacking in anything more profound. But if you haven’t heard it, GO NOW.

9)      Enter the Haggis ‘Gutter Anthems’ (2009)

Another one from Hannah G, and another I’ve only listened to once (this was before I made the ‘two listens each’ resolution.) I liked it, but again, it didn’t grab me with anything especially interesting.

10)  Emeli Sande ‘Our Version of Events’ (2012)

I can feel people recoiling that she’s on the same list as Pink Floyd- however, I did want to listen to some new, popular stuff, and I really like some of her releases (Clown, for example). Sadly, she’s released all the good bits. I got exceptionally bored in the middle of the album, and felt a bit like I was listening to All Saints (note, I loved All Saints, but I wouldn’t recommend them as a classic).

11) Tool ‘Lateralus’ (2001)

Meg C and it turns out Jamie T rave about this album. I listened to it on a Sunday afternoon after a run and fell asleep… and haven’t got around to trying again yet.

12)  Jeff Buckley ‘Grace’ (1994)

Pete G for this one, although other people didn’t mask their belief it was madly depressing and wonder at why I’d want to listen to it. Again though, as with Lou Reed- stonking. I was expecting all mellow, and yet there’s a great diversity in the tracks. I thought it was great on the first listen, and have listened several times since. Great album. Listen to it.

13)  The Pixies ‘Bossanova’ (1990)

For some reason I thought the Pixies were a 1960s band, so this was a bit of an education… Roberto suggested this one, and although there were bits I enjoyed. There was too much screaming for my liking, though.

14)  The Smiths ‘The Queen is Dead’ (1986)

I was really unsure of this on the first listening, but I did recognise a few songs. Another recommendation from Roberto… I got into it on the second listen however, it’s a very distinctive sound. There was some good upbeat sound though, and down to earth gritty lyrics.

15)  Greenday ‘Dookie’ (1994)

I enjoyed this, recommended by Jill. It reminds me of being a teenager. It also sounds as I expect Greenday to sound, and there were no surprises (after one listen). I did really like the song ‘Longview’.

16)  Jamie Cullum ‘Twentysomething’ (2003)

This was a bit of a cheat, on many levels, as it was one of my favourites as a teenager and so I was listening again, on my own recommendation. It’s still great.

17)  Panic! At the Disco ‘Pretty Odd’ (2008)

Recommended by a couple of people- Peter H and Simon T.  I didn’t write anything down at the time except that I recognised one of the songs. So it can’t have made a very strong impression.

18)  Cream ‘Disraeli Gears’ (1967)

Another education, since I hadn’t really heard of Cream and didn’t realise it was Eric Clapton. I listened to it driving, which I’ve discovered is always a good way to listen to albums. My main revelations were ‘wow, it’s short’ and ‘wow, it’s that riff’ (in 'Sunshine of your Love'). However, it turned out I really like the blues/rock overlap, and I enjoyed it almost equally but in very different ways the first and second time of listening.

19)  Frank Turner ‘England Keep My Bones’ (2011) & ‘Love Ire and Song’ (2008)

This was recommended by various people, and I’ve heard it celebrated before. The first few tracks of ‘England Keep My Bones’ generally felt like happy, pratting around with mates, summer festival music, and were generally enjoyable, but didn’t stand out as anything special. However, the more folky themes e.g. ‘English curse’ didn’t feel haunting enough for me; it felt it needed a bit more time, space and development. “One foot before the other” was different and therefore refreshing for about a minute. Generally some nice songs, but the angry no-God song just got my back up a bit.

As for the other album, ‘Love, Ire and Song’, I found less to dislike, and I thought I’d heard some of it before. I found him overly angry though, and I gave up at ‘Imperfect tense’.

20)  Neutral Milk Hotel ‘In the Aeroplane Over the Sea’ (1998)

I think both Simon and Sean recommended this. I surpirised myself by enjoying it- it was gentle, and normally I don’t `do’ gentle. On a second listen I found it a really mixed bag, however; some of it a bit too odd (‘Oh Comely’), some of it really great (‘Two Headed Boy’ and ‘Holland 1945’) but there were moments that sounded as if they were just wrong, although this could be my laptop having an off day. The jury is out on this album!

21)  This was another cheat re-listening to ‘Reel Big Fish’ and ‘Less than Jake’, because I went to see them (yes, I am a 16 year old boy…), and also ‘John Butler Trio’ because I’ve always loved ‘Ocean’ but never listened to a whole album.

"Albums 2014": An introduction!

Hello! It has been a very long time since I blogged anything. However, I've been undertaking a challenge so far this year and people wanted to know how I've been getting on, so I'll be using this blog as a record.

Here's the thing: I’ve never been a big one for new year’s resolutions. The standard ones (exercise more, eat less, don’t drink) have never been ones I’ve particularly felt the need or desire to do, and any I do make are vague and therefore, hard to demonstrate to myself that I’m sticking to. This year was no exception, until, setting off on a long car journey on 2^nd January, I realised that the CD collection accumulated in my car contained nothing I wanted to listen to with the exception of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. I was heading off to an Orchestra and Choir weekend, too (a wonderful organisation called OneSound, do check them out!) which made my lack of musical interest even more upsetting. I quickly resolved to undertake a project; each week in 2014, I would listen to an album I had never listened to before (and really should have done).

I’ve known for a long time that my musical education has gaping holes; my parents’ influences mean that I can almost sing along note-for-note to the base line of Widor’s toccata and fugue (OK I can’t but let’s pretend), but their grasp of anything 20^th century extends to the Seekers, Simon and Garfunkel, a bit of Bob Marley, and Karl Jenkins.  This is admittedly a good snapshot, but a small one. Whilst some of my contempories were subjected to endless repeats of Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ on childhood car journeys, I was listening to ‘Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat’ and ‘Hello Children Everywhere’ (both experiences I would not trade for the world, by the way). 

So. It came to pass that I came to the start of my twenties having never listened to more than one or two of the so called ‘classic albums’. Aged 21 I listened to Dark Side of the Moon on a flight across the Atlantic (probably a good place to do so) and I heard Metallica on Radio One’s excellent classic album series. I came into 2014, aged 25, not knowing that David Bowie was Ziggy Stardust, never having heard of Cream, and not identifying Ozzy Osborne with Black Sabbath. (I am going to be entirely honest in this blog, so please take compassion on my ignorance!) I have my own mental list of brilliant albums- Lauryn Hill’s ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ (this having been introduced to me thanks to my sister Alison), The Streets ‘Original Pirate Material’, various albums by Muse, Red Hot Chilli Peppers ‘By the Way’ and Bellowhead ‘Broadside’ would all feature- but it is short and a matter of luck by what has come my way. It is time, I have resolved, to rectify this. Since I like to be different, and do not like to buy into industry what-I’m-told-to-do lists, I have been asking friends and colleagues; what two albums must I listen to? They can be old or new, but I want them to be recommended because my friends think my life will be the richer for it.

I have unintentionally phrased the questions slightly differently to different people (a poorly conducted experiment) which may have conditioned the answers I have received. But the answers I have received have been brilliant. In some ways they are a product of my sampling; the majority of people were growing up in the late 90s or mid 2000s, and so Britpop features, as does a lot of indie music from the last decade. I also seem to know a lot of people who like metal. Some people recommend exactly the album I thought they would. Some astonish me because they give me a band I didn’t expect, and then another band of a totally opposite nature in the next breath. Some people who I have no clue are really into music come up with crackers; and some people who I thought were, can’t think of anything. Some give me their favourite album; others avoid doing so because they don’t think I’ll like it. Yet one thing that’s agreed on seems to be, that people want to know how I’ve got on. Therefore, I’m going to blog each month about the albums I’ve listened to, and my first (and second/third) impressions.

A side note- initially the resolution was ‘one a week’. I then found myself enjoying it so much, and getting so many suggestions, that I changed to ‘one a day’. I was then told in no uncertain terms that this would not do; if I was to do this I had to listen to the albums properly, not as background music, and some of the albums will definitely demand a second listen. I’ve settled therefore on around about two a week, each with two listens; but one can be the absolute minimum. This means that January has an average of 4 or 5 a week, and the later months more like 1 a week! I’m generally picking them by using a ‘random number generator’ (ie ask an officemate) and picking the album that is that number on the list, but sometimes I pick an album that I think will fit my mood. I’m also going to give a mention to a few albums I liked years back and haven’t heard for a while!

So: for each album I’m going to reference the person or people who suggested it (first name and initial only) and the year of the album. I don’t promise to say what the industry would want me to say, or to try to be clever, as I’d fail; my aim is to be as honest as possible. My comments might get better as the year progress, as I didn’t decide to blog my thoughts until a month or two in and so wasn’t keeping good notes. On the other hand, as my year gets busier and the keen New Year feeling wears off, my notes might get worse as I forget to write the albums down!

So, let's go...click to the next post for January's installments.