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.