February is Music Writer Exercise Month #MWE • Page 34

First part of my catch-up from the weekend.

 

I know this is somewhat of an unpopular opinion when it comes to the classics, but I've never been wowed with Dark Side of the Moon. Sure, there's plenty of good stuff on the album, but it's so meandering and a drag at times. I understand in context, that in 1973 this album was groundbreaking, but without living through it I've always had a tough time really loving the album for the music without the context.

 

They've written some of the best songs I've ever heard and also a ton of stuff that I don't care for. Getting into the classics when I was a kid, I found that a lot of their albums dragged.

 

I don't think I've ever dug in much to the music before Dark Side, so I'm interested if that style might speak to me more. But from what I've heard, I think I prefer Animals and Wish You Were Here to Dark Side and The Wall, which is kinda the opposite of most historical takes

 

Outside of the classics on it, I don't think I've listened to The Wall in full more than once in like 7th grade lol.

 

I remember being blown away by Dark Side when I was a kid and then thinking The Wall was mostly kind of a drag outside of “Comfortably Numb.” Been a bit since I listened to either.

 

Pipers is where it's at

 

pipers, animals and wish you were here are pretty much perfect albums

most conceptual albums and/or most double albums kinda drag. that's pretty much baked into the recipe.

 

WYWH is easily my favorite

 

ok glad I'm not alone here. Anyone dig much into their pre-Dark Side stuff? I'm kinda curious, it sounds like they were much more of a psyc/druggy kinda band, sounds weird

 

Today's album was Scum by Napalm Death, and I can't really remember why I chose this one haha.

I'm always slightly fascinated by extreme metal (especially the absolutely mad Norwegian Black Metal scene in the 90s), but then never really come close to enjoying the actual music. I guess this album was the first Grindcore album, and it's pretty chaotic, with frenetic drumming and completely unintelligible barked vocals. Instrumentally it's perhaps not *quite* as heavy as I expected, sounding like a heavy thrash band, as opposed to the other Grindcore bands I've heard little bits of.

Didn't get a lot from this, but the 2 second song is objectively quite a funny idea.

 

Oh hell yeah, glad you loved McLaughlin. I was and am mystified about him not hitting bigger with this album. So many of these songs are just undeniable, and he kind of came along at a time when other similar artists were making a mark. He never quite recaptured this level of greatness, IMO.

Favorite songs?

 

Second part of my catch up day.

 

This is always so hard for me on a first listen to an album with this many good ones but “Beautiful Disaster” really leaps out immediately as a huge highlight.

 

That was the lead single, I think. I remember hearing on Sirius radio back in the day. I don't know why it didn't catch on more.

I've always been partial to the title track. There are bigger hooks elsewhere, but he really announced himself as a great lyricist on that one, IMO.

 

Yeah that one was excellent. So was "Human". It's really just chock-full of excellent stuff.

 

Caught up to today, and I've finally heard Pet Sounds.

 

"Human" is lovely as well. A cowrite with the Better Than Ezra guy, I believe!

 

Struggled through the first few tracks of Roxy Music's For Your Pleasure, but I just can't do it. The vocals just feels so theatrically cheesy and poor that I can't do it. Sorry.

 

saying bryan ferry's vocals are "poor" is quite the take

 

I said sorry.

 

I wasn’t a huge fan of the vocals either, still gonna go back and give it another shot eventually

 

Some out-of-this-world musicianship on this one.