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Josef K · 11-29-2014, 07:42 PM

The Kinks - Arthur

This is without a doubt my favorite Kinks album. Completely essential, even if I prefer the Fall's version of "Victoria". Pretty much flawless after the first two tracks. If you haven't heard this (along with Something Else, Village Green Preservation Society, and Muswell Hillbillies), what are you waiting for?

Track pick: "Some Mother's Son", "Australia", "Shangri-La", "Arthur", just listen to the damn thing.

5/5

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Nico - The Marble Index (1969)

The issue with Chelsea Girls was that the vocals and the instrumentals both struck me as pretty boring, so all my interest came from the tension between the two. Musically, this one is much more my speed. It's dark, much more consciously avant-garde, and it sounds a lot like more modern stuff I like (although I'm drawing a blank right now). Nico's vocals - hypnotic now that they're freed from the constraint of trying to sound "pretty" - are a little spooky, as I listen to the album in the dark in my room, but that works to its advantage. Really good stuff.

Track pick: "Frozen Warnings", "Evening of Light"

3.5/5

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Can - Monster Movie (1969)

My first exposure to pre-Damo Suzuki Can is a good one, though it isn't going to displace Neu! as my favorite Krautrock album or anything. The album starts with "Father Cannot Yell". I know the obvious reference for it is the Velvet Underground, but it sorta reminds me of the Fall in a weird way. It's a little headachey, but when I haven't been listening to music all day it doesn't have that effect, so I end up feeling pretty good about the song. Next is "Mary, Mary So Contrary", which I was prepared to hate because, y'know, it's based on a nursery rhyme, but which ends up being a clear highlight for me - the guitar playing throughout is excellent, but the solo is immediately one of my favorites ever, and I really enjoy Mooney's vocal performance. "Outside My Door", which closes out the first side, is more conventional in a sort of ranting, garage-y way. It dawns on me that this is a very different beast from Suzuki's Can - a lot less subtle, a lot more aggressive, but maybe just as good. "Yoo Doo Right", then, is the closest to later Can that this album gets, a hypnotic (yeah, I've used that word twice now - deal with it) 20-minute jam anchored by a rolling drumbeat. Even if it were terrible, the album would still be quite good because of that awesome first side, but luckily it's a pretty fantastic song, and a pretty fantastic album.

4/5

11-29-2014, 07:42 PM	#2 (permalink)
Josef K A Jew on a motorbike! Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 800	The Kinks - Arthur This is without a doubt my favorite Kinks album. Completely essential, even if I prefer the Fall's version of "Victoria". Pretty much flawless after the first two tracks. If you haven't heard this (along with Something Else, Village Green Preservation Society, and Muswell Hillbillies), what are you waiting for? Track pick: "Some Mother's Son", "Australia", "Shangri-La", "Arthur", just listen to the damn thing. 5/5 ---------------------------------------- Nico - The Marble Index (1969) The issue with Chelsea Girls was that the vocals and the instrumentals both struck me as pretty boring, so all my interest came from the tension between the two. Musically, this one is much more my speed. It's dark, much more consciously avant-garde, and it sounds a lot like more modern stuff I like (although I'm drawing a blank right now). Nico's vocals - hypnotic now that they're freed from the constraint of trying to sound "pretty" - are a little spooky, as I listen to the album in the dark in my room, but that works to its advantage. Really good stuff. Track pick: "Frozen Warnings", "Evening of Light" 3.5/5 ---------------------------------------- Can - Monster Movie (1969) My first exposure to pre-Damo Suzuki Can is a good one, though it isn't going to displace Neu! as my favorite Krautrock album or anything. The album starts with "Father Cannot Yell". I know the obvious reference for it is the Velvet Underground, but it sorta reminds me of the Fall in a weird way. It's a little headachey, but when I haven't been listening to music all day it doesn't have that effect, so I end up feeling pretty good about the song. Next is "Mary, Mary So Contrary", which I was prepared to hate because, y'know, it's based on a nursery rhyme, but which ends up being a clear highlight for me - the guitar playing throughout is excellent, but the solo is immediately one of my favorites ever, and I really enjoy Mooney's vocal performance. "Outside My Door", which closes out the first side, is more conventional in a sort of ranting, garage-y way. It dawns on me that this is a very different beast from Suzuki's Can - a lot less subtle, a lot more aggressive, but maybe just as good. "Yoo Doo Right", then, is the closest to later Can that this album gets, a hypnotic (yeah, I've used that word twice now - deal with it) 20-minute jam anchored by a rolling drumbeat. Even if it were terrible, the album would still be quite good because of that awesome first side, but luckily it's a pretty fantastic song, and a pretty fantastic album. 4/5 Last edited by Josef K; 12-20-2014 at 12:17 PM.