Mirror me your memories please...

Felt - Andy Kershaw Session (11-09-1986)

2008-11-20T21:55:00.000-08:00

Andy Kershaw Session (11-09-1986)
Felt
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Here's a rare gem for all you Felt fanatics out there: the Andy Kershaw Sessions from 1986. It features only four songs: When the Dawn Starts Creeping In, Sapphire Mansions, Rain of the Crystal Spires, and All the People I like Are Those That Are Dead. The only thing that really stands out about this session is the inclusion of the ever so elusive song When the Dawn Starts Creeping In. The recording of When the Dawn Starts Creeping In included in this session is probably the only recording you'll be able to find of it on the internet, which really makes this specific session somewhat special to hardcore Felt fans such as myself. Enjoy!

The Boo Radleys - "Wake Up!"

2008-11-07T15:04:00.000-08:00

Wake Up!

The Boo Radleys

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The Boo Radleys fourth album Wake Up! gave the band huge commercial success... which means that this is their most user friendly album. It's possible to fall in love with the first six tracks or so on your first listen, but the second half of the album takes a few listens to fall for. The Radleys' fuzzbox fed guitars found on their previous albums are toned down a bit this time around and replaced with softer more pop friendly sounds. With that being said, this is by far their most poppy album. "Wake Up Boo", "It's LuLu", and "Find the Answers Within" are instantly lovable pop songs, mixing somewhat fuzzy guitars with horns and wonderfully crafted melodies. It's safe to say that this album was the bridge that connected The Boo Radleys to commercial success and a larger fanbase, and rightly so.

The Telescopes - "The Telescopes"

2008-11-04T14:05:00.001-08:00

[sorry, couldn't find an image of the album art]

The Telescopes

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This is going to be a very biased review, so be prepared: Probably one of the most beautiful albums I have ever heard in my life. There's no definition for what the Telescopes have done with their second album: The Telescopes. Obviously, they jumped the dream-pop bandwagon that was floating around at the time and developed it into something that was completely beyond anyone's expectations. From the opening track to the last track, this album is a beautiful piece of dreamy art. Who would have guessed that The Telescopes; the band that had just perviously released the incredibly abrasive almost non-listenable album Taste could have produced an album so perfect.

The Telescopes - "Taste"

2008-11-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

Taste

The Telescopes

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The Telescopes' debut album, Taste, packs an abrasive sonic sound full of grungy screaming, powerful fuzz, and ear-piercing feedback. "The Perfect Needle" is by far the most listenable song, and their most renowned track as far as popularity goes. The album itself is, like I said, very abrasive... sounding very much like a less poppy version of The Jesus and Mary Chain's Pyschocandy. That being said... this is not the most easily loved album in The Telescopes' catalogue. This album is the hardest shoegaze is going to come, by far.

Stereolab - "Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements"

2008-11-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

"Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements" [1993]

Stereolab

The amazingly titled second album by Stereolab, “Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements” is a collage of chord trances and subtle synth that will undoubtedly leave you intrigued. While the album is not immediately catchy, it is an extremely interesting listen, and will gradually become catchier as you become more familiar with it. “Tone Burst” and “I’m Going Out Of My Way” are two highlights from the album, which feature quick tempos and Velvet Underground sounding chord sequences. The music itself is very alien, something that can’t really be defined with words. It’s simple, yet something entirely original emerges from the simplicity. Stereolab has their own sound, it's far out, it's melodic, it's beautiful, it's hypnotic, it's like nothing you've ever heard before.

1. Tone Burst

2. Our Trinitone Blast

3. Pack Yr Romantic Mind

4. I'm Going Out of My Way

5. Golden Ball

6. Pause

7. Jenny Ondioline

8. Analogue Rock

9. Crest

10. Lock-Groove Lullaby

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The Pastels - "Mobile Safari" & "Illumination"

2008-10-21T19:17:00.001-07:00

The Pastels - Mobile Safari

"On Mobile Safari, the Pastels stretched out to an American audience with their calm and reflective style of blissful indie pop. Stephan Pastel remained the band's primary songwriter, while Katrina Mitchell (drums) and Aggi Wright (bass) began to contribute more this time around. Mitchell sings bittersweet and awkward lead vocals on "Mandarin" and "Token Collecting." Her untrained crooning is part of the allure of her songs. Wright leads on vocals on the festive "Yoga" and composed the instrumental "Mobile Deli." Pastel leads the way on the rest of the songs with his dry and deep vocal style. His delivery speeds up from its normally sluggish pace on the toe-tapping "Classic Line-Up" and "Strategic Gear." He collaborated with former member David Keegan on "Exploration Team" and "Flightpaths to Each Other." The whole trio of Pastel, Mitchell, and Wright collaborated on the disc's final track, the sublimely cool and horn-filled "Worlds of Possibility." Gerard Love added guitar and vocals to some of the tracks, while Luna's Dean Wareham also appeared as a guest guitarist. Mobile Safari was recorded at CAVA Sound Workshops and Stuffhouse Studios, both in the band's home of Glasgow, Scotland. Seattle's Up Records released the disc in 1995." - allmusic review

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The Pastels - Illumination

"Illumination finds the Pastels in a similar mood to its predecessor, Mobile Safari. Scaling back the snappy production and crisp guitars of their earlier releases, the group crafts a collection of subdued, lovely melodies in the vein of the Velvet Underground's third album. While the Pastels lack Lou Reed's lyricism or the Velvets' assured experimentalism, the hushed ambience and sighing melodies of Illumination make it a charming listen." - allmusic review

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The Modern Lovers - "The Modern Lovers"

2008-10-14T13:11:00.001-07:00

"The Modern Lovers" [1976]

the modern lovers

All I can say about this album is that it's brilliant. Produced by John Cale of The Velvet Underground, excellently. Very amateur and charming, most of the songs being about girlfriends or wanting a girlfriend. "Roadrunner" starts off the album, a fast tempo garage rock song that makes you feel like you're right in front of the band experiencing their energy. "I'm Straight" and "Pablo Picasso" will make you grin, while "Government Center" and "Old World" will make you dance.

1. Roadrunner

2. Astral Plane

3. Old World

4. Pablo Picasso

5. I'm Straight

6. Dignified and Old

7. She Cracked

8. Hospital

9. Someone I Care About

10. Girlfriend

11. Modern World

12. Government Center

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Teenage Fanclub - "Bandwagonesque"

2008-10-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

"Bandwagonesque" [1991]

teenage fanclub

Certainly a cult classic. Teenage Fanclub went out on a limb here to create one fuck of a brilliant power-pop record. Inspired by Big Star, Dinosaur Jr, and the likes, this album showcases Teenage Fanclub at their best. Far more commercial friendly than "A Catholic Education" [though, that remains my favorite Teenage Fanclub album]. Overrall, this is a great fucking album. Pure power-pop from start to finsih. The highlights include "What You Do to Me", "The Concept", "I Don't Know", and "Star Sign". If you're just getting into Teenage Fanclub, this is a great place to start.

1. The Concept
2. Satan
3. December
4. What You Do to Me
5. I Don't Know
6. Star Sign
7. Metal Baby
8. Pet Rock
9. Sidewinder
10. Alcoholiday
11. Guiding Star
12. Is This Music?
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My Bloody Valentine - "Glider" & "Tremolo"

2008-09-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

"Glider" [1990]

my bloody valentine

1. Soon

2. Glider

3. Don't Ask Why

4. Off Your Face

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"Tremolo" [1990]

my bloody valentine

1. To Here Knows When

2. Swallow

3. Honey Power

4. Moon Song

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The Associates - "Sulk"

2008-09-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

"Sulk" [1982]

The Associates

Sulk is by far The Associates best album. It shows the band molding itself from a post-punk band into a band that fuses post-punk influences and synth-pop influences into something beautiful. The album features some extremely upbeat songs, and also some extremely gloomy songs. Compositionally the album is extremely mature, we can thank Alan Rankine for that, who plays the guitars, keyboards, and various other instruments. On top of the complexity, Billy Mackenzie's voice makes the album quite the spectacle, turning otherwise typical synth-pop sounding music into something powerful and operatic. This album is full of poppy hits, including "Party Fears Two", which is arguably The Associates most renowned song. "18 Carat Love Affair" is another highlight from the album, the keyboards are beautiful and Billy's voice really shines, working it's way perfectly within the blasting synth, funky bassline, and pounding drums. Sulk really shows The Associates at their best, no doubt in my mind about that. [Side note: I think the version of "Sulk" that I uploaded has a sort of strange track-listing, below is the list of tracks on the album... I think it might be a combination of the original UK release and the 2000 reissue of the album. Either way, every song from the album is on it, plus extras.]

1. Arrogance Gave Him Up

2. No

3. Bap De La Bap

4. Gloomy Sunday

5. Nude Spoons

6. Skipping

7. It's Better This Way

8. Party Fears Two

9. Club Country

10. nothinginsomethingparticular

11. Love Hangover

12. 18 Carat Love Affiar

13. Ulcragyseptimol

14. ANd Then I Read a Book

15. Australia

16. Grecian 200

17. The Room We Sat in Before

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The Associates - "The Affectionate Punch"

2008-09-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

"The Affectionate Punch" [1980]

The Associates

I know this album, at least for me, was impossible to find on any blog out there, so I’m being nice and uploading it on mine. It’s not my favorite Associates album [Sulk is], but it’s very ambitious. Billy Mackenzie and Alan Rankine set a very high bar when making this album that might be hard to overcome when making future albums. The sound is far more post-punkesque, whatever that means, than their later albums, which eventually evolve into synth-pop music. Here's what allmusic.com's Andy Kellman had to say about it: "All ten songs on The Affectionate Punch are nearly swollen with ambition and swagger, yet those attributes are confronted with high levels of anxiety and confusion, the sound of prowess and hormones converging head-on. It's not always pretty, but it's unflaggingly sensational, even when it slows down. Having debuted with a brazen reduction of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" to a spindly rumble, multi-instrumentalist Alan Rankine and vocalist Billy Mackenzie ensured instant attention and set forward with this, their first album. Mackenzie's exotic swoops cover four octaves, from the kind of isolated swagger heard in Bowie's "Secret Life of Arabia" to a falsetto more commonly heard in an opera house than a bar. (Dude sounds like a diva, so proceed with caution if you'd much rather hear a voice in line with PiL's John Lydon or Magazine's Howard Devoto.) Though the subject matter of the duo's songs would later veer into the completely inscrutable, there's some abstract wordplay here that scans like vocal exercises or Scott Walker at his most surreal: "Stenciled doubts spin the spine, Logan time, Logan time"; "If I threw myself from the ninth story, would I levitate back to three"; "His jawline's not perfect but that can be altered." Meaningful or not, there's always a sense of great weight. When Mackenzie runs through the alphabet in "A," he could be singing in code about the butterflies of love. Rankine, with help from drummer Nigel Glockler and a background appearance from then labelmate Robert Smith, covers most of the other stuff, specializing in spare arrangements that can simultaneously slither and jump, crosscut with guitars that release weary chimes and caustic stabs, as well as the occasional racing xylophone. Two years later -- a year after the genius run of bizarre singles collected on Fourth Drawer Down and the same year as the high-drama overdrive of Sulk -- Rankine and Mackenzie partially re-recorded and completely remixed this album to spectacularly layered and glossy effect. Get both versions."

1. The Affectionate Punch

2. Amused As Always

3. Logan Time

4. Paper House

5. Transport to Central

6. A Matter of Gender

7. Even Dogs in the Wild

8. Would I... Bounce Back

9. Deeply Concerned

10. A

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Felt - "Train Above the City"

2008-09-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

"Train Above the City" [1988]
Felt

I guess Lawrence was just bored, or maybe he was working on other things… but Train Above the City is entirely not composed by Lawrence. I suppose Martin Duffy composed the music, since it seems that Martin Duffy is perhaps the only musician who played on this album. The funny thing is, Lawrence named all of the songs, and brilliantly I might add: "Press Softly on the Breaks Holly", "Teargardens', "Book of Swords", etc. Firstly, the music is mediocre at best. I'm not going to lie and say "best Felt album!" just because Lawrence declared it his favorite in some lo-fi interview. The whole album is instrumental; every song is a little piano ditty that makes you feel like you're in a bar full of old hipsters drinking martinis and what not. Perhaps Lawrence just thought that releasing this album would have been a clever thing to do. I mean, it's obvious that Lawrence was trying to maintain indie stardom… and perhaps "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word" and "The Pictorial Jackson Review" was making Felt a little bit too popular for his liking…

1. Train Above the City

2. On Weegee's Sidewalk
3. Run Chico Run
4. Press Softly on the Brakes Holly
5. Spectral Morning
6. Teargardens
7. Book of Swords
8. Seahorses on Broadway

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Felt - "The Pictorial Jackson Review"

2008-09-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

"The Pictorial Jackson Review" (1988)

Felt

If you haven't noticed, Felt is one of my favorite bands... that explains why I'm uploading every Felt album (besides The Splendour of Fear, because I bought it off iTunes and can't find it anywhere else.) With that being said... on with the review of The Pictorial Jackson Review. To make it short and sweet, The Pictorial Jackson Review is a great album. I can listen to it all the way through, hum the lyrics, and even occasionally dance along with it while playing air guitar or air keyboard. In my opinion, this album is the definition of a pop album. Lawrence obviously aimed to make a pop album with this one, and since Lawrence is so quirky, he even added two completely instrumental tracks at the end of the album (one being twelve minutes long) just to fuck with our heads. In addition to that, just to add, the guitar in the song "Don't Die On My Doorstep" sounds eerily similar to the guitar in the song "Centerfold" by the J Geils Band, I don't know if anyone else noticed that. In conclusion, The Pictorial Jackson Review is a great poppy record... it's quirky, witty, funny at times, and overall very upbeat (if you ignore the last two tracks, which aren't bad, but they're just not exactly 'upbeat'.) To me, the record records Felt evolving from the music they once made (Strange Idols, Ignite, Forever Breathes, etc.) A Felt fan can probably tell that Lawrence (and the rest of the band, I suppose) tried to take a different approach to song writing this time around, and although it's not altogether perfect, it's still a stellar record. The last two tracks foreshadow what Felt's next album (Trains Above the City) would sound like, and the rest of the album foreshadows what Felt's final album (Me and a Monkey on the Moon) would sound like. Also, Lawrence sings a bit more melodically on this album, making him sound sort of like a young Lou Reed... or an older Lou Reed impersonator.

1. Apple Boutique

2. Ivory Past

3. Until the Fools Get Wise

4. Bitter End

5. How Spook Got Her Man

6. Christopher Street

7. Under a Pale Light

8. Don't Die on My Doorstep

9. Sending Lady Load

10. Darkest Ending

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Felt - "Poem of the River"

2008-09-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

"Poem of the River" (1987)

Felt

Felt's "Poem of the River" is the follow up album to "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word". It's pretty, shimmering, and slow... and I mean really slow. Out of the six songs on this album there's not one that instantly catches my attention, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a nice album to play while you're doing other things, very peaceful and soothing... but that's the most I can say about it.

1. Declaration

2. Silver Plane

3. She Lives by the Castle

4. Stained Glass Windows in the Sky

5. Riding on the Equator

6. Dark Red Birds

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Teenage Fanclub - "A Catholic Education"

2008-09-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

"A Catholic Education" (1990)

teenage fanclub

"Hard to believe now, but Teenage Fanclub first attracted critical attention for a record far removed from the sparkling power pop on which their fame largely rests -- with its gloriously sloppy and sludgy sound, their debut album A Catholic Education instead prefigures the emergence of grunge, its viscous melodies and squalling guitars owing far more to Neil Young than Big Star. With not one but two songs dubbed "Heavy Metal," it's pretty obvious where A Catholic Education is coming from; the title track (also here in duplicate) is a surprisingly snarky attack on the church (at least for a band not exactly renowned for its political agenda), while the great "Everybody's Fool" is a merciless scenester put-down without any of the gentle sarcasm that characterizes similarly themed efforts like Bandwagonesque's "Metal Baby." Regardless, for all its glaring differences in attitude and approach, there's no mistaking the effortless melodicism that remains the hallmark of all Teenage Fanclub records -- in particular, the opening "Everything Flows," for all its meandering abrasiveness, is still as good as anything the band ever recorded, and that's saying something."

- allmusic review by Jason Ankeny

1. Heavy Metal

2. Everything Flows

3. Catholic Education

4. Too Involved

4. Don't Need a Drum

6. Critical Mass

7. Heavy Metal II

8. Catholic Education II

9. Eternal Light

10. Every Picture I Paint

11. Everybody's Fool

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My Bloody Valentine - "Geek!" & "The New Record by My Bloody Valentine"

2008-09-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

"Geek!" (1985)

my bloody valentine

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"The New Record by My Bloody Valentine" (1986)

my bloody valentine

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Felt - "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word"

2008-09-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

"Forever Breathes the Lonely Word" (1986)

Felt

The definitive Felt album, supposedly. I'm not too sure I agree with that, but "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word" is one hell of an album. It's probably the most listener-friendly album Felt ever released. Martin Duffy's organ playing dominates this record, there's no question about it. "Rain of the Crystal Spires", "Down But Not Yet Out", "Grey Streets", "A Wave Crashed on Rocks", and "All The People I Like Are Those That Are Dead" are must hear Felt songs. By far, "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word" should have been a number one selling hit. Every song is very commercial, and instantly lovable... If you're just now getting into Felt, this should be the first album you listen to.

1. Rain of Crystal Spires

2. Down but Not Yet Out

3. September Lady

4. Grey Streets

5. All the People I Like Are Those That Are Dead

6. Gather up Your Wings and Fly

7. A Wave Crashed on Rocks

8. Hours of Darkness Have Changed My Mind

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Felt - "Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death"

2008-09-07T11:33:00.001-07:00

"Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death" (1986)

Felt

"Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death" is the first purely instrumental album by Felt. It's the first album released without contribution from Maurice Deebank. The music is completely focused on Martin Duffy's keyboard playing. "Sapphire Mansions" and "Song for William S. Harvey" are the two greatest songs on the album, the rest of the album, to me, is decent. Let the Snakes is an album that grows on you, but by no means is it instantly lovable. The title of the album is genius though...

1. Song for William S. Harvey

2. Ancient City Where I Lived

3. Seventeenth Century

4. Palace

5. Indian Scriptures

6. The Nazca Plain

7. Jewel Sky

8. Viking Dress

9. Voyage to Illumination

10. Sapphire Mansions

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2008-09-06T03:15:00.000-07:00

"Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic" (1990)

the sundays

The essential Sundays album, if you have to listen to one album by this band, make sure it's this one.

1. Skin & Bones

2. Here's Where the Story Ends

3. Can't Be Sure

4. I Won

5. Hideous Towns

6. You're Not the Only One I Know

7. A Certain Someonee

8. I Kicked a Boy

9. My Finest Hour

10. Joy

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Felt - "Ignite the Seven Cannons"

2008-09-06T01:22:00.000-07:00

"Ignite the Seven Cannons" (1985)

Felt

"Ignite the Seven Cannons" is Felt at their most ambient, that's probably Robin Guthrie's doing... seeing as how he produced the album, and he was in Cocteau Twins. The production, though some say it's poor, I think it's fine. "Ignite the Seven Cannons" starts with a slightly upbeat bliss out by Maurice Deebank. "My Darkest Light Will Shine" features Lawrence, with his typical holier than thou attitude, and of course... his darkest light has shone, he's proved it. The second song on the album, "The Day the Rain Came Down", is a masterpiece... though the production puts a slight damper on it's brilliance. It's a perfect pop song in every aspect, but it sounds like it should be on "The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories", but that's just my opinion. The third song, "Scarlet Servants", I believe was written by Lawrence. In my opinion, Servants is probably the least impressive song on the album... but the song following it is excellent... "I Don't Know Which Way To Turn". The guitar work on "I Don't Know Which Way to Turn" sounds like the high pitched wailing of a banshee, which contrasts Lawrence's deadpan vocals... the song is amazing, one of my favorite Felt tunes. Following "I Don't Know Which Way to Turn" is the popular "Primitive Painters", which may be overrated, but it's overrated for all the right reasons. "Primitive Painters" finds Felt at their most ambient. Though some say the song would be nothing without Elizabeth Fraiser's backing vocals, I think otherwise. Maurice Deebank's guitar sounds so utterly beautiful in Painters... and the amazing lyrics just add to the splendor of the song... "I just wish my life could be, as strange as a conspiracy"/"You should see my trail of disgrace, it's enough to scare the whole human race"/"Primitive painters are ships, floating in an empty sea, gathering in galleries, were stallions of imagery"... brilliant, probably the best lines Lawrence ever wrote with Felt. The next song, "Textile Ranch", is one of Felt's not-so-impressive instrumental tracks, though it's a great listen... when compared to earlier works it's nothing special. "Black Ship In the Harbour" is yet another brilliant low tempo song on the album. "Elegance of an Only Dream" follows Black Ships, and it leaves Black Ships looking very dull. Elegance is a shimmering instrumental track, one of Felt's best. The tempo has a mind of it's own, and that mind suffers from schizophrenia... constantly changing personalities, constantly changing tempos. The song features a surprise organ solo from Martin Duffy, it's really the first song on the album that showcases Duffy's unique style of playing the keys... immediately following the organ solo is a quick and very energetic tempo change from Deebank... truly an instrumental masterpiece... Guthrie's production works perfectly with Elegance. "Serpent Shade" follows, though it's nothing special when compared to the song before it. After Shade, "Caspian Sea" rolls in quickly... starting quickly and ending quickly. Lawrence starts singing right when the first note hits... and doesn't stop until the very abrupt ending, very catchy. The album ends with "Southern State Tapestry", which... my god, it's amazing. It's "Elegance of an Only Dream", only better... so that makes two instrumental masterpieces in one record, not biased at all, eh? Overall, "Ignite the Seven Cannons" is brilliant. It's not as catchy as "The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories", but it's a pure and utter bliss out from start to finish. The sad thing about this album though is that it bids farewell to Maurice Deebank, seeing as how it was his last album with Felt. But Lawrence just trades one virtuoso for another... Maurice Deebank for Martin Duffy, who later dominates future Felt albums just as Maurice Deebank dominated the first four.

1. My Darkest Light Will Shine

2. The Day the Rain Came Down

3. Scarlet Servants

4. I Don't Know Which Way to Turn

5. Primitive Painters

6. Textile Ranch

7. Black Ship in the Harbour

8. Elegance of An Only Dream

9. Serpent Shade

10. Caspian See

11. Southern State Tapestry

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Felt - "The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories"

2008-09-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

"The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories" (1984)

Felt

Shimmering and beautiful, Felt finally mold their gloomy aura (found on "Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty" and "The Splendour of Fear") into something almost playful and poppy with "The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories". By far one of my favorite Felt albums ever released. Songs like "Dismantled King is Off the Throne", "Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow", "Spanish House", "Crystal Ball" and "Whirlpool Vision of Shame" are insanely addicting. Just like the pervious two albums, Maurice Deebank still maintains his classical reputation, the song "Sempiternal Darkness" is a perfect example of that... which by the way is probably my favorite Felt instrumental... it sounds so surreal and beautiful. Also, it seems Lawrence has finally come out of his shell of embarrassment about his singing, as he sings on seven out of the ten songs on the album... and obviously there was nothing to be embarrassed about, Lawrence's vocals work perfectly with Deebank's guitar play. Overall, the album is perfect from start to finish, and it's also a great album for first time Felt listeners... as it provides catchy pops songs as well as deeply moving instrumentals.

1. Roman Litter

2. Sempiternal Darkness

3. Spanish House

4. Imprint

5. Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow

6. Vasco de Gama

7. Crucifix Heaven

8. Dismantled King is Off the Throne

9. Crystal Ball

10. Whirlpool Vision of Shame

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Felt - Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty

2008-09-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

"Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty" (1981)

Felt

Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty is the first official album by Felt, it's short... but not so sweet. It shows Felt in their early stages, primitive and immature... yet brilliant. Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty is not my favorite Felt album, but it is by far my favorite Felt album title, so beautiful... don't you think? The album's sound is sharp, every note out of Maurice Deebank's classically trained fingers is like an icicle stabbing into your ears. Then, when you add Lawrence's bleak deadpan vocals you get a beautiful sounding, very haunting record. Too bad Lawrence only sings in about two songs, but that's not necessarily a bad thing since Deebank's guitar work is more than enough to keep you intrigued. Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty is a great record to listen to if you want to hear something sinister and depressing, yet oddly beautiful.

1. Evergreen Dazed

2. Fortune

3. Birdmen

4. Cathedral

5. I Worship the Sun

6. Templeroy

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Galaxie 500 album discography

2008-09-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

"Today"

galaxie 500

1. Flowers

2. Pictures

3. Parking Lot

4. Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste

5. Temperature's Rising

6. Oblivious

7. It's Getting Late

8. Instrumental

9. Tugboat

10. King Of Spain

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"On Fire"

galaxie 500

1. Blue Thunder

2. Tell Me

3. Snowstorm

4. Strange

5. When Will You Come Home

6. Decomposing Trees

7. Another Day

8. Leave the Planet

9. Plastic Bird

10. Isn't it a Pity

11. Victory Garden

12. Ceremony

13. Cold Night

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"This is Our Music"

galaxie 500

1. Fourth of July

2. Hearing Voices

3. Spook

4. Summertime

5. Way Up High

6. Listen The Snow Is Falling

7. Sorry

8. Melt Away

9. King of Spain Part Two

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Orange Juice album discography

2008-08-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

"You Can't Hide Your Love Away Forever" feb. 1982

orange juice

This is the definitive Orange Juice album. Tracks like "Falling & Laughing", "Dying Day", "Intuition Told Me Pt.2", "Wan Light", and pretty much every other song on the album are fucking brilliant... consider yourself incomplete if you haven't heard this album. Orange Juice doesn't get any better than this.

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"Rip it Up" nov. 1982

orange juice

Not quite as good as "You Can't Hide Your Love Away Forever", but still a great listen. "Rip it Up" is a great track, and so are "Louise Louise", "Breakfast Time", "I Can't Help Myself" and "A Million Pleading Faces".

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"Texas Fever" mar. 1984

orange juice

It took me forever to find this short album, and when I did I was pleasantly surprised by how great it was, and still is. "Craziest Feeling" is by far the best song on the album, Elvis-esque lyrics and all. Followed by "The Day I Went Down to Texas", and the spooky "Out For The Count".

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"The Orange Juice" nov. 1984

orange juice

One would figure that after three albums any band would lose their touch for making brilliant music, but Orange Juice surely didn't. It's a shame that this was the last official Orange Juice album. The two years in between "You Can't Hide Your Love Away Forever" and this album was just enough for Orange Juice to evolve their sound into something far more complete and professional sounding. With other bands that's usually a bad thing, but not for Orange Juice. Songs like "Salmon Fishing in New York", "What Presence?!" and "Poor Old Soul" display the real genius of this album. The only thing I find myself annoyed with by this album is the recycled "Out for the Count", not only is it recycled from Texas Fever, but it's also not as good as the older version.

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Sparks - "Kimono My House"

2008-08-31T10:28:00.000-07:00

"Arguably one of Sparks' best albums, 1974's Kimono My House finds the brothers Mael (Ronwrote most the songs and played keyboards, while Russell was the singing frontman) ingeniously playing their guitar- and keyboard-heavy pop mix on 12 consistently fine tracks. Adding a touch of bubblegum, and even some of Zappa's own song-centric experimentalism to the menu, the Maels spruce up a sleazy Sunset Strip with a bevy of Broadway-worthy performances here: as the band expertly revs up the glam rock-meets-Andrew Lloyd Webberbackdrops, Russell sends things into space with his operatic vocals and ever-clever lyrics. And besides two of their breakthrough hits (the English chart-toppers "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" and "Amateur Hour"), the album features one of their often-overlooked stunners, "Here in Heaven." Essential."

- allmusic review by Stephen Cook

1. This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us

2. Amateur Hour

3. Falling in Love With Myself Again

4. Here in Heaven

5. Thank God It's Not Christmas

6. Hasta Mañana, Monsieur

7. Talent Is an Asset

8. Complaints

9. In My Familiy

10. Equator

11. Barbecutie

12. Lost and Found

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The Pastels - "Up For a Bit With the Pastels" & "Sittin' Pretty"

2008-08-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

"Up For a Bit With the Pastels"

the pastels

The first album by The Pastels. It took me a while to find it, but eventually I stumbled upon it and now I am sharing it with you all. The album itself is mediocre musically, but extremely catchy at times, just like The Pastels intended themselves to be. Songs like "Up For a Bit", "Crawl Babies", and "Baby Honey" are instantly lovable. Though tagged as a C86 shambling band, they are far from it musically and that tag doesn't really look good on them. I understand that Stephen tried to distance himself from that label all together, and I'll respect his wishes. Overall, this album is a great listen for hardcore fans of The Pastels. I think it's far easier to love than Mobile Safari or Illumination. If you're a Pastels fan, and you don't have this album, download it now.

1."Ride"

2. "Up for a Bit"

3. "Crawl Babies"

4. "Address Book"

5. "I'm Alright with You"

6. "Hitchin' a (Ride)"

7. "Get 'Round Town"

8. "Automatically Yours"

9. "Baby Honey"

10. "If I Could Tell You"

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"Sittin' Pretty"

the pastels

Personally, Sittin' Pretty is my favorite album by The Pastels. Almost every song is instantly lovable, especially "Nothing To Be Done", "Holy Moly", "Anne Boleyn", "Sit On It Mother", "Sittin' Pretty" and "Swerve". Speaking of which, "Nothing To Be Done" is probably one of the best songs ever composed by The Pastels, seconding maybe "Comin' Through", which unfortunately isn't on this album (but it should be!). Strangely enough though, this album was received with negative reviews, which astonishes me really... but who cares about the reviews, this album is grand. You must have it.

1. "Nothing to Be Done"

2. "Anne Boleyn"

3. "Sit on It Mother"

4. "Holy Moly"

5. "Ugly Town"

6. "Zooom"

7. "Baby, You're Just You"

8. "Ditch the Fool"

9. "Sittin' Pretty"

10. "Swerve"

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Pale Saints - "The Comforts of Madness"

2008-08-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

"When thinking of the finest dream pop records from the early '90s, The Comforts of Madness tends to get lost in the shuffle. Frequently and unfortunately, the Pale Saints were disregarded as just another part of the 4AD sound, lacking distinction and relying on the clichés of the time. Though they might have (arguably) fallen into those traps later in their brief career, their debut really does stick out from the remainder of the 4AD roster as well as the remainder of the then-current scene. The touchstones -- Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Galaxie 500 -- are somewhat apparent, but their debut is certifiably unique. Noise and melody duke it out, but in an arrestingly off-kilter fashion. Comforts is really as much of a "quirk-out" as it is a "bliss-out," experimental in many ways and apparently so from the beginning of "Way the World Is." The noisy rattling eventually gives way to wobbly bass and tunefully violent Wedding Present-like strumming, whipping up a tempestuous haze of frenzied pop. Throughout the record, the trio throws in countless tempo curveballs (with no sense of pomposity) and effectively balances the blasting chuggers with levitational banks of piled-on guitarscapes. The somewhat thin production lent by John Fryer and Gil Norton (on separate sessions) actually serves Comforts well, though it may take a few listens to settle in. The somewhat trebly, un-anchored production is properly suited for Ian Masters' boyish vocals, which sound like they're just on the brink of pubescence. His vocals are just as important to this record as Graeme Naysmith's guitars, not vanishing into the gobs of guitars like your typical shoegaze. "Sight of You" (retooled from their debut EP) is the centerpeice, a lovelorn gem that sounds vaguely like the lost track to Psychocandy. In whole, this debut remains a brilliant example of insular, adventurous, and charmingly flawed noise pop."

- allmusic review by Andy Kellman

1. You Tear The World In Two

2. Sea Of Sound

3. True Coming Dream

4. Little Hammer

5. Insubstantial

6. A Deep Sleep For Steven

7. Language Of Flowers

8. Fell From The Sun

9. Sight Of You

10. Time Thief

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My Bloody Valentine - "Sunny Sundae Smile" & "Ecstasy & Wine"

2008-08-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

"Sunny Sundae Smile"

my bloody valentine

Fans of My Bloody Valentine that love the band solely for their Loveless and Isn't Anything shoegaze albums will probably have a hard time falling in love with this EP. It's far more poppy and structured than their later shoegazing efforts. Extremely poppy and considerably catchy, but the poor production makes the album sound extremely loud and obnoxious at times. Download at your own risk, but to make this short review biased... I love this EP.

1. Sunny Sundae Smile

2. Sylvie's Head

3. Paint a Rainbow

4. Kiss the Eclipse

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"Ecstasy & Wine"

my bloody valentine

Ecstasy & Wine is a compilation album released by Lazy Records. In actuality, it's the Strawberry Wine EP and the Ecstasy EP complied into one almost full length album. Once again, like the Sunny Sundae Smile EP, this album should be listened to with an open mind. It's not the typical My Bloody Valentine, though you can hear a lot of shoegaze influence within the music, the songs are at best short and poppy. One song that stands out in particular is "Never Say Goodbye", in which Kevin and Blinda sing alternating vocals amidst a fuzzy yet poppy chord progression, making the song an almost perfect pop masterpiece.

1. Strawberry Wine

2. Never Say Goodbye

3. Can I Touch You

4. She Loves You No Less

5. The Things I Miss

6. I Don't Need You

7. (You're) Safe in Your Sleep (From This Girl)

8. Clair

9. You've Got Nothing

10. (Please) Lose Yourself in Me

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The Durutti Column - "The Return of the Durutti Column"

2008-08-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

"More debut albums should be so amusingly perverse with its titles -- and there's the original vinyl sleeve, which consisted of sandpaper precisely so it would damage everything next to it in one's collection. Released in the glow of post-punk fervor in late-'70s Manchester, one would think Return would consist of loud, aggressive sheet-metal feedback, but that's not the way Vini Reilly works. With heavy involvement from producer Martin Hannett, who created all the synth pieces on the record as well as producing it, Reilly on Return made a quietly stunning debut, as influential down the road as his labelmates in Joy Division's effort with Unknown Pleasures. Eschewing formal "rock" composition and delivery -- the album was entirely instrumental, favoring delicacy and understated invention instead of singalong brashness -- Reilly made his mark as the most unique, distinct guitarist from Britain since Bert Jantsch. Embracing electric guitar's possibilities rather than acoustic's, Reilly fused a variety of traditions effortlessly -- that one song was called "Jazz" could be called a giveaway, but the free-flowing shimmers and moods always revolve around central melodies. "Conduct," with its just apparent enough key hook surrounded by interwoven, competing lines, is a standout, turning halfway through into a downright anthemic full-band rise while never being overbearing. Hannett's production gave his compositions a just-mysterious-enough sheen, with Reilly's touches on everything from surfy reverb to soft chiming turned at once alien and still warm. Consider the relentless rhythm box pulse on "Requiem for a Father," upfront but not overbearing as Reilly's filigrees and softly spiraling arpeggios unfold in the mix -- but equally appealing is "Sketch for Winter," Reilly's guitar and nothing more, a softly haunting piece living up to its name. The 1996 reissue is the edition to search for, containing six excellent bonus tracks. Two are actually solo Hannettsynth pieces from the sessions, but others include an initial tribute to Joy Division's Ian Curtis, "Lips That Would Kiss," and "Sleep Will Come," featuring the group's first vocal performance thanks to Clock DVA member Jeremy Kerr."

- allmusic.com review by Ned Ragget

1. Sketch for Summer

2. Requiem for a Father

3. Katharine

4. Conduct

5. Beginning

6. Jazz

7. Sketch for Winter

8. Collette

9. In "D"

10. Lips That Would Kiss [*]

11. Madeleine [*]

12. First Aspect of the Same Thing

13. Second Aspect of the Same Thing

14. Sleep Will Come

15. Experiment in Fifth

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The Crayons! first album: Fun! with The Crayons!

2008-05-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

I'm in a band named The Crayons! and we just finished our first album called "Fun! with The Crayons!". It was recorded in my room, so the quality is very poor. Despite this, I feel that it is a major accomplishment for me. This was the first band I was in that actually got something done... a whole album done! I'm very proud of it. I played bass, keyboard, and sung for most of the songs (Big Happy, Model Car, etc). The guitarist, Robert, sung on a few songs (Serious Sorceress, Prom Night, etc). My friend Emily sung in a few of the songs as well (Sleep Sleeps Me, To the Milky Way, etc.) Other than singing, playing bass, and playing the keyboard, I also made the cover art for the album.

Of course, I am handing it out to random people I know free of charge, and if you're at all interested in our music you can download it from our last.fm. Here is the direct link to the album if you have trouble getting around on the last.fm page, since I know some people don't really understand the last.fm layout: Fun! with The Crayons!

Unfortunately, though... I am moving to Charleston on Sunday to live with my Grandma, so The Crayons! will no longer be making any new music. But, there's no doubt I will try my hardest to find musicians with similar interests in the Charleston area... anyways, enjoy the album if you downloaded it.

First Entry

2008-05-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I suppose this is my first blog entry. I don't have much to say other than I honestly just made a blog because I stumbled across someone's and liked the layout. I've been using livejournal since I started blogging, which was when I was thirteen... I'm seventeen now.
But Blogger seems and looks more professional, so I'll probably stick with it and ditch livejournal.