James

Two albums I have been constantly revisiting for a long time got full plays today. And I had a record night last night with my friends and we had good chat with a smoke and a few beers. Soundtrack was incredible. So I'm gonna post five albums.

The Wrens - The Meadowlands
Jesus christ, I've been listening to this album constantly for what feels like a year now. I now know this album in and out, I know every lyric and every piece of instrumentation, yet it still isn't getting old. This album still sounds fresh and exciting after what must be hundreds of plays. I think the lyrics on this album are among the best ever put to paper, with Charles Bissell writing songs that don't appear overly poetic or wordy but have hidden depths. The real talent lies in the way Bissell writes songs that can be read multiple ways, as love songs as well as allegorical tales of the album's development. 'Thirteen Grand' is about the record contract The Wrens were asked to sign, on the surface at least. Individual lines can be abstract enough that they could apply to any personal or professional crisis that the writer was experiencing at the time. These lyrics are equal parts beautiful and honest. The words themselves and the metaphors Bissell creates are gorgeous (not to mention the music!), but also deeply detailed in regards to his personal life and mental state.
To mention the music, because my inner reader and writer sides are always quick to jump on the literary value of an album's themes. I don't want this album to sound like one of those with high quality lyrics but dull and lifeless musicianship. Most of my favourite lyricist's are singer/songwriters, artists that aren't particularly talented in regards to innovation musically. Not that The Wrens are innovative, but they're interesting. They craft perfect pop melodies yet perform them so unconventionally that there's always something to discover. A lot of thought goes into these arrangements and it's blatant in the replay value. The juxtaposition of these grand pop tunes with seething lyrics about the industry, an unlikely combination that just works seamlessly.
What The Meadowlands does to music is what films like Singin' In The Rain, Adaptation, and especially The Player do to the film industry. Even recent Best Picture winner Birdman. They criticise the politics and the ins and outs of the medium, while also celebrating it in earnest. The Wrens create something joyous out of using the influence of popular music while also pointing out the flaws in the concept.
10/10 album, honestly.

The Clientele - Suburban Light
This is just the perfect album for a rainy Saturday, and another album I have decided to call an 'all time favourite'. Both of my choices here are poppy indie rock albums, both from the 2000s. That little period has become a real hideyhole for underrated gems. Currently residing in the limbo period between being contemporary and 'an era' in it's own right, the early 2000s are populated by some annoying buzz bands but a few really original and genuinely cult bands that produced excellent albums. Pop music has been my thing lately. having ran out of steam listening to dark albums on repeat such as my obsession with Swans' early albums and recent releases like The Body's I Shall Die Here, and adjusting my mindset for a more positive look on life. While not having the energy to push my taste to its limits by experimenting with jazz and avant-garde. Between the art-pop of Bjork's latest and a couple of recent chart hits that I put on in between things then these two that have been on near constant rotation. This album is just so warm, and so lush in its instrumentation. With mellow guitar tones and to top it off, a singer with one of the most welcoming voices I've heard in rock music. These songs create an incredible atmosphere. Perfectly conjuring up a feeling of Summer-Autumn aimlessness and the feelings of blissfulness or melancholy that surround it. I can appreciate the album all year round though, these songs can act as a fireplace. I think this album achieves what other people find in the work of Real Estate, watercolour portraits of bygone days in suburbia. I always found Real Estate a bit alienating, but The Clientele hit all the right notes and feel very organic.
Still haven't checked out anything else by this band, because this one has just floored me for months. I'm going to have to remedy that quick. Gonna try to work some overtime and get a bit of money to order this on vinyl. It'd be great to put on just when I'm around the house in between lectures and I want to see if any of my friends rate it. Great album for sure, close to perfect. Reflections After Jane and (I Want You) More Than Ever are highlights.

Last night:

The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow - Stuck this on while getting ready and trying to craft a DIY ashtray out of a Queen record and some boiling water. It didn't work at all, but I still insisted everybody use it. I will try to make a better one at some point, cause it's fun. The Smiths are one of those bands I discovered so long ago, and overplayed so much that I hardly revisit them. It proved to be a reminder of everything that I love them for. I am firm in the belief that this is their finest body of work. The recordings of certain songs on here, noticeably on This Charming Man, are far superior to the album versions. The triple threat of 'Hand In Glove', 'Still Ill', and 'Heaven, Knows I'm Miserable Now' all jumping out at me as amazing songs from a band I really do neglect. Glad they adorn my living room.
Mac DeMarco - Rock And Roll Nightclub - I hadn't paid much attention to Mac's debut despite many people recommending it to me. Then one of my friends brought it along and it really seems like something I should give more than a passing listen to. II and Salad Days are both great records, while Mac at The Arches was one of the best gigs I attended last year. I don't know why I haven't checked it out already. Sounds just as fun as his other releases, and nice to see he had that winning charisma even early on.
David Bowie - Scary Monsters - There has been a great deal of Bowie talk in my life recently. Ranking his albums and assessing the quality of the many phases of his career has been a hot topic with friends, family, and even in daily reviews of his albums running in The Dissolve's comment community. This is one I underrated, and it's become my go to Bowie this month. We played the record last night, side one before we wanted a change. What a wonderful collection of songs though. I really think everything he touched from Diamond Dogs through to this album was turned to gold. That is all peak Bowie for me. I'm tempted to include the Let's Dance era too solely for Modern Love, which I believe to be his greatest single. Scary Monsters is a definite classic though, I just haven't listened to it quite as much as The Berlin Trilogy, or Station to Station. This is the same kind of rediscovery I came across a few months ago with Young Americans, and I'm getting to the point where all of his albums from that period will be rated either 9/10 or 10/10.
Pixies - Trompe Le Monde - This was my contribution, I tried to push for Spacemen 3 or Darkside but you can't resist the power of the Pixies. I have their last two albums and their first EP but we went for side two of Trompe Le Monde. Some of their best songs there. Pixies are the ultimate sentimental attachment band for me - conjuring memories of Glasgow-Dundee car journeys with my dad with this band firmly featured on the soundtrack, and a trip to Holland in pursuit of a band me and a friend both adored. We decided to book tickets for the first music festival Pixies announced they'd play. Planned a Dutch trip, then typically they announced a festival appearance an hour's journey from our homes. It was worth it for the adventure, and Pixies still stick in my mind for giving me one of the best weeks of my life.
Distance Equals Rate Times Time is the best. Short and sweet burst of that distinctive Pixies' energy.