February is Music Writer Exercise Month #MWE • Page 66

Love that record, need to go back to it. Was into them when De La Soul's And the Anonymous Nobody... came out because I wanted to educate myself

 

On most days I’d tell you Giraldo is my favorite guitarist. He’s just getting warmed up on that one (“You Better Run” shows some of it), but he really experiments with what you can do in a tight melodic guitar solo with technique and noise later on. He hardly plays one explicit note in the solo on “Shadows of the Night” and it works like gangbusters. And his solo on “Promises in the Dark” is my vote for the greatest guitar solo of all time.

I still think it’s bonkers that Myron Grombacher didn’t get inducted with the two of them to the Rock Hall. That was a BAND

I’m really glad you enjoyed it

 

The band is so good. I wasn't necessarily expecting that aspect.

I appreciate the extra homework you're giving me here, haha

 

Slowdive - Souvlaki

I've definitely heard this before, but not for a long long while, and I did fancy exploring a bit more of Slowdive. This is pretty much what I expected from it, lush guitar soundscapes, and floaty dream pop esque vocals. Reminds me lots specifically of Loveless from a couple of years previously.

Some beautiful sounds here, with vocals just washing over you. Lovely stuff.

 

Haha just two songs I promise!

 

Rodan - Rusty
Pretty good blend of post-hardcore and post-rock. I doubt I will go back to it but I am enjoying it as I listen

 

He really was so far ahead. You can hear generations of spiritually exploring singer-songwriters being born in “On the Road to Find Out”

 

2Pac - Me Against The World

I'm so excited to spend more time with this and really let the lyrics sing in. Musically fun to jam to, great flow. I definitely need more listens for it to sink in but right off the bat it's great.

Had to switch Luda today for a shorter album. Then realized I'd heard Let's Get It On but hadn't heard What's Going On so went with that.

Could've sworn I'd heard this many times but then looked at the song titles and didn't recognize any outside the obvious. Eddie Brown was so effortlessly groovy on Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler). Maybe one of the smoothest voices there ever was.

 

The production on What's Going On is truly a thing of beauty. The blend between band and orchestra is perfect. The arrangements are flawless. There's a natural warmth in the sound of it despite layers and layers of musicians. And the whole thing manages to just sound so cohesive. Beautiful, beautiful record.

 

The first time I heard “Comfortable” I flipped out. I don’t buy many hip hop records on vinyl but that A-side run is incredible. Not a dud until “Phone Home”.

 

turns out even a minor Radiohead album is fantastic

 

i didn’t know that album was filled with live takes but explains why it’s always been my fav of theres

 

Primal Scream - Screamadelica

I'm certain I will have listened to this in full before, but not for a long time. I know the big singles anyway.

I always forget they're a Scottish band, as this feels like the defining sound of Madchester music to me, that blend of rave and house culture and music, meeting the tail end of 80s indie rock. It's a blast to listen to, full of energy and great production from Andrew Weatherall, adding samples and making it feel like you're listening to a DJ remix your favourite band.

The bits of gospel that come through here feel even more glorious and transcendent because of that. Really feels like it captures that 1am vibe in a club, where everything is on the up, and the morning feels a lifetime away.

 

Andrew Weatherall is great (as is Keith Tenniswood for that matter) and a great loss

 

THIS ALBUM.

 

I thought it would be more of a "rough draft" version of what they did on later albums, once they had a little more clout and budget and experience. But nope, it's just another fully-formed, great-sounding album very much in the vein of the next two. I was very impressed.

 

Jim O'Rourke - Eureka
There's some pretty brilliant stuff on this and then some meandering bullshit

 

I've never really been a fan of anything I've heard that people class as ambient, but I loooooooved Music for Airports. There's something just instinctively, primally beautiful about it.

 

Playing catch-up today.