25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die

dankrsta · 06-20-2010, 07:52 PM

^^This is a very good song. I have a soft spot for these innocent or seemingly innocent pop songs with very simple melodies that just flow, as you said, very effortlessly. I've never heard this before, but I can only imagine how childhood nostalgia can color and enhance the enjoyment even more.

**Janszoon** · 06-20-2010, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dankrsta

^^This is a very good song. I have a soft spot for these innocent or seemingly innocent pop songs with very simple melodies that just flow, as you said, very effortlessly. I've never heard this before, but I can only imagine how childhood nostalgia can color and enhance the enjoyment even more.

If you like that song I think you'd definitely like the the album as whole, since it's pretty representative of what the rest of it sounds like. There was also an animated movie made of it, which I've never seen.

**Janszoon** · 06-20-2010, 08:09 PM

Since it looks like it ended up at the bottom of the last page, I just wanted to point out to anyone else following this thread that there's a new review up.

Alfred · 06-20-2010, 09:14 PM

Definitely downloading that Unsane album... sounds awesome.

**Janszoon** · 07-21-2010, 08:43 PM

17. Sons of Otis—Spacejumbofudge (1996)

So you think you're coping pretty well with the end of the world, savoring life, while it lasts, in a healthy and stable fashion. Then one night you're driving, late, on an empty country road. Maybe you've had a few too many drinks to be behind the wheel. Maybe not. But as you pass under a break in the tree branches you see it, the thing you've been forcefully ignoring for quite some time. It's hanging there, pale, cold and ominously huge. You shiver as the intro to Spacejumbofudge floats out of your car's speakers on a current of distortion and reverb.

Sons of Otis have, to say the least, a confusing history: dumped or otherwise departed from label after label, band member rotations, geographical relocations, even a name change early on. They're from Tortonto, sort of, though the only constant member of the band, Ken Baluke, is actually from Detroit, and as far I can ascertain, the original incarnation of the band, simply called Otis, was from Detroit as well. Baluke played everything on the first album and he plays everything except bass on Spacejumbofudge, I think, but don't quote me on that.

I guess in a way it's easy to classify Spacejumbofudge, and this band in general, as some kind of stoner doom metal or some other related sub-sub-genre but for me it stands alone. The most amazing thing about this album to me is its ability straddle seemingly opposing moods with ease. It's trippy and spacey but also heavy as fuck. It's laid-back, end of the day music but also somehow very ominous. And even though it's utterly effects-drenched it's somehow very rootsy.

Insane Guest · 02-10-2011, 09:33 PM

Uhh, sorry for the bump, but what the ****? Where is the rest of this list? Is it somewhere else, because it should be a crime to start a list like this and end it half way. What the **** man, what the ****.

**Janszoon** · 02-10-2011, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lone Misfit

Uhh, sorry for the bump, but what the ****? Where is the rest of this list? Is it somewhere else, because it should be a crime to start a list like this and end it half way. What the **** man, what the ****.

Heh. Thanks for bumping it. I really am planning on finishing it, I'm in the middle of buying a home/moving at the moment though so it's going to be at least another month before I fire it up again. Watch this space though because I promise you I will be finishing this list.

Engine · 02-10-2011, 10:00 PM

Yeah, man, what the ****? I stole the image from the intro post and I've been making lots of money from it by passing it off as my own design so more google hits would be nice.

Seriously, though, great writing on Sons of Otis. Your review made me think of them as more than just another stoner doom band. Some 80s industrial and no wave stuff in there I think. I hadn't noticed before.

**Janszoon** · 05-07-2011, 10:22 PM

16. Lodger—Hi-Fi High Lights Down Low (2004)

Some days, impending annihilation of all life on Earth or no, you just feel like saying fuck you to the world because it's hard and mean and generally makes no goddamn sense. Some days, when you're feeling particularly jaded, you want to do so in a sarcastic, sneering-yet-sing-songy tone of voice with catchy pop hooks. On those days this is the go-to album for me.

Lodger is a three piece (I think) rock band from Helsinki that sound a bit like an indie-ish version of The Cars with Beck on vocals, or at least that's how I look at them. Yes, as I mentioned, their lyrics are cynical as hell but holy shit do these guys know how to write a catchy pop song. One of their other notable attributes is the fact that their bass player makes these great, stylized animations for their songs which really add a whole extra dimension to the band.

Hi-Fi High Lights Down Low, their debut album, is fairly unique in this list I'm making here as it's more just a collection of terrific pop songs than an album that hangs together in any particular way. It's great to listen to all the way through—every song on it is quite good—but at the same time skipping from song to works well too. "I Love Death" and "24 Hour Candy Machine" are the real standout tracks for me but really every everything from the lonesome horns of "Two Smiles" to the folky "Short Man on TV" to the moorish-tinged "Ordinary Men Make Ordinary Music" to the shimmering, Church-esque tones of "Radio" is wonderful and would be a welcome addition to any good pop radio playlist.

I'm sure somewhere, in some imaginary universe, Lodger is the band that comes on the radio late at night as you're smoking a joint in your living room and shakes you out of your contented haze with a message, terrifying in content, but cheerfully delivered: the moon is back motherfucker.

Insane Guest · 05-08-2011, 11:23 AM

This is why I love this damn Forum! Once again, this list is fantastic!
Can't believe I've never heard these albums before, makes me wonder how much I'm missing out on, but that's where this thread steps in and fills the holes.

Both of those songs where terrific, and the video just made them that much better at explaining what the song is really about. You where spot on about their music and their lyrics, it's delivered in such a catchy song, but the overall meaning is eye somewhat disturbing, but no matter, I will be checking out the rest of the album. Thanks, and hope you continue the list.

06-20-2010, 07:52 PM	#41 (permalink)
dankrsta ... Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,776	^^This is a very good song. I have a soft spot for these innocent or seemingly innocent pop songs with very simple melodies that just flow, as you said, very effortlessly. I've never heard this before, but I can only imagine how childhood nostalgia can color and enhance the enjoyment even more. __________________ Last.fm

06-20-2010, 08:09 PM	#43 (permalink)
Janszoon Mate, Spawn & Die Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Rapping Community Posts: 24,593	Since it looks like it ended up at the bottom of the last page, I just wanted to point out to anyone else following this thread that there's a new review up. __________________ A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man Time & Place 25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die last.fm

06-20-2010, 09:14 PM	#44 (permalink)
Alfred one big soul Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 5,096	Definitely downloading that Unsane album... sounds awesome. __________________ LAST.FM / VINYL COLLECTION / RYM

07-21-2010, 08:43 PM	#45 (permalink)
Janszoon Mate, Spawn & Die Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Rapping Community Posts: 24,593	*17. Sons of Otis—Spacejumbofudge* (1996)** So you think you're coping pretty well with the end of the world, savoring life, while it lasts, in a healthy and stable fashion. Then one night you're driving, late, on an empty country road. Maybe you've had a few too many drinks to be behind the wheel. Maybe not. But as you pass under a break in the tree branches you see it, the thing you've been forcefully ignoring for quite some time. It's hanging there, pale, cold and ominously huge. You shiver as the intro to Spacejumbofudge floats out of your car's speakers on a current of distortion and reverb. Sons of Otis have, to say the least, a confusing history: dumped or otherwise departed from label after label, band member rotations, geographical relocations, even a name change early on. They're from Tortonto, sort of, though the only constant member of the band, Ken Baluke, is actually from Detroit, and as far I can ascertain, the original incarnation of the band, simply called Otis, was from Detroit as well. Baluke played everything on the first album and he plays everything except bass on Spacejumbofudge, I think, but don't quote me on that. I guess in a way it's easy to classify Spacejumbofudge, and this band in general, as some kind of stoner doom metal or some other related sub-sub-genre but for me it stands alone. The most amazing thing about this album to me is its ability straddle seemingly opposing moods with ease. It's trippy and spacey but also heavy as fuck. It's laid-back, end of the day music but also somehow very ominous. And even though it's utterly effects-drenched it's somehow very rootsy. __________________ A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man Time & Place 25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die last.fm

02-10-2011, 10:00 PM	#48 (permalink)
Engine air quote Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: pollen & mold Posts: 3,108	Yeah, man, what the ****? I stole the image from the intro post and I've been making lots of money from it by passing it off as my own design so more google hits would be nice. Seriously, though, great writing on Sons of Otis. Your review made me think of them as more than just another stoner doom band. Some 80s industrial and no wave stuff in there I think. I hadn't noticed before. __________________ Like an arrow, I was only passing through.

02-10-2011, 09:33 PM	#46 (permalink)
Insane Guest Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: CA Posts: 1,322	Uhh, sorry for the bump, but what the **? Where is the rest of this list? Is it somewhere else, because it should be a crime to start a list like this and end it half way. What the man, what the **.

05-07-2011, 10:22 PM	#49 (permalink)
Janszoon Mate, Spawn & Die Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Rapping Community Posts: 24,593	*16. Lodger—Hi-Fi High Lights Down Low* (2004)** Some days, impending annihilation of all life on Earth or no, you just feel like saying fuck you to the world because it's hard and mean and generally makes no goddamn sense. Some days, when you're feeling particularly jaded, you want to do so in a sarcastic, sneering-yet-sing-songy tone of voice with catchy pop hooks. On those days this is the go-to album for me. Lodger is a three piece (I think) rock band from Helsinki that sound a bit like an indie-ish version of The Cars with Beck on vocals, or at least that's how I look at them. Yes, as I mentioned, their lyrics are cynical as hell but holy shit do these guys know how to write a catchy pop song. One of their other notable attributes is the fact that their bass player makes these great, stylized animations for their songs which really add a whole extra dimension to the band. Hi-Fi High Lights Down Low, their debut album, is fairly unique in this list I'm making here as it's more just a collection of terrific pop songs than an album that hangs together in any particular way. It's great to listen to all the way through—every song on it is quite good—but at the same time skipping from song to works well too. "I Love Death" and "24 Hour Candy Machine" are the real standout tracks for me but really every everything from the lonesome horns of "Two Smiles" to the folky "Short Man on TV" to the moorish-tinged "Ordinary Men Make Ordinary Music" to the shimmering, Church-esque tones of "Radio" is wonderful and would be a welcome addition to any good pop radio playlist. I'm sure somewhere, in some imaginary universe, Lodger is the band that comes on the radio late at night as you're smoking a joint in your living room and shakes you out of your contented haze with a message, terrifying in content, but cheerfully delivered: the moon is back motherfucker. __________________ A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man Time & Place 25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die last.fm

05-08-2011, 11:23 AM	#50 (permalink)
Insane Guest Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: CA Posts: 1,322	This is why I love this damn Forum! Once again, this list is fantastic! Can't believe I've never heard these albums before, makes me wonder how much I'm missing out on, but that's where this thread steps in and fills the holes. Both of those songs where terrific, and the video just made them that much better at explaining what the song is really about. You where spot on about their music and their lyrics, it's delivered in such a catchy song, but the overall meaning is eye somewhat disturbing, but no matter, I will be checking out the rest of the album. Thanks, and hope you continue the list.