Project 365! is an ongoing series of posts in which I listen to some albums and write a little about them. They’re mostly records I’ve not heard before, and there’ll be one for every day of the year. It should also provide some lols as we all learn more things about which I am ignorant. Good times!
Previous posts in the series: Albums 1-9, Albums 10-13, Albums 14-17, Albums 18-22, Albums 23-32, Albums 33-42, Albums 43-52, Albums 53-60, Albums 61 – 72, Albums 73-83.
84 – Michael Franti & Spearhead – Yell Fire
A politicised reggae/funk/rap record that someone recommended to me in 2006, but I never actually listened to it. Bad me. Yell Fire is pretty cool and I like the sensibility behind the lyrics, but while I enjoyed listening to this I don’t know how often I’ll be returning to it. Hell, I dunno. Maybe sitting around in the sun getting stoned and putting this on would be neat.
85 – The Killers – Hot Fuss
Haha. Ahahaha. Terrible, but sometimes compelling in a mindless, saccharine pop fashion. Perhaps slightly akin to the draw of crack cocaine, except lacking the authenticity.
86 – La Dispute – Hear, Hear EPs 1 + 2
A pair of spoken-word EPs. As far as I know all of the lyrics are excerpts from stories (e.g. Wind in the Willows), poetry (e.g. Annabel Lee by Poe), or… well, something or other (an actually somewhat poignant story by J. M. Straczynski). The music is pretty simple and sets the atmosphere well. I quite like these just because they’re that little bit different.
87 – Man Is The Bastard – Sum Of The Men
A 32-track complete discography, I think. Apparently these guys were one of the formative power-violence bands; that’s not a subgenre I’m too familiar with but apparently Born Against were influential figures, so I can get behind that. The early tracks on this were pretty weak and I found myself getting really bored after a dozen broadly similar tunes, but it definitely picks up as the record goes on. I guess this is the problem with comprehensive discographies that are ordered chronologically.
88 – Sick Of It All – Blood, Sweat & No Tears
I never really cared for Sick Of It All, and on further evaluation I still don’t.
89 – O’Death – Broken Hymns, Limbs & Skin
A folksy mish-mash of Americana and bluegrass through a filter that veers from punk to metal to… whatever they feel like, really. Enjoyably inventive, O’Death lean toward invention and fun despite their material being sourced from traditional forms of music. Seriously, they should play this shit in clubs. I would get the fuck down. I might even unleash some righteous air-fiddle.
90 – The Sonics – Here Are The Sonics
It’s been a little surprising, when listening to the two Sonics albums I acquired recently (this and Boom), how many songs I recognise. That’s what I thought until I got suspicious, listened a little closer, and realised some of the songs on here are covers. Oops. But hey, they do ‘em with style. I can see how these garage rockers are considered a proto-punk band. I may have to start digging out more old garage rock, and maybe revise that whole “I don’t really bother with music pre-’76″ attitude. Oh god. I am never going to stop searching out new music, am I? ALAS CRUEL FATE.
91 – Titus Andronicus – self-titled
I am digging this a whole lot. Cacophanous, arty indie rock with the occasional tongue waggling in the occasional cheek. The sound is big and fuzzy, almost shoegazey, but without the sedate pace I tend to associate with that subgenre. The lyrics are usually personal, sometimes witty, occasionally genuinely funny. The vocals sound like a bastard hybrid of Conor Oberst and Hutch Harris (of the Thermals).
92 – Propagandhi – Supporting Caste
The latest Propagandhi album is finally here! Only a four year wait this time – I guess they’re slipping. Of course, it fucking rules. What more is there to say? It’s big, it’s fast, it’s angry, it’s eloquent, and you should listen to it.
93 – The Sound of Animals Fighting – Tiger and the Duke
Back in ’05 my housemate got quite into these guys and so I nabbed a copy of their first album. For some reason, I never really felt it, and it’s only recently that I’ve come back to it and listened again. I’m actually pretty impressed – this is experimental post-hardcore with some awesome licks and riffs, tight and progressive. I suspect I probably reacted badly to it back in 2005/6 because I was pretty pissed off with the Mars Volta and Coheed & Cambria at the time. Of course now both of those bands have become pompous running jokes, so my head’s cleared a bit, haha.
94 – Meat Puppets – Meat Puppets II
Generally considered the band’s magnum opus and it’s not hard to hear why. The songs on here range really broadly, picking from all sorts of styles and genres, and they’re all played with skill and passion. I never realised ‘Lost’ wasn’t actually a Minutemen song, either. Huh.
95 – Lightning Bolt – Wonderful Rainbow
I don’t really know where to begin trying to describe Lightning Bolt, so I won’t try. I’ll just say this is weird and awesome, and blame me not liking them live on the fact that the Brighton Enigma is kind of a shitty venue.
96 – Isodora Crane – The Impossibilities of a Static Universe
Intense, violent screamo from ’02. This is fucking furious and I really like it. Sorry, the rest of my descriptions are gonna be really short because my dinner is cooked and I intend to post this and go eat it.
97 – Sonic Youth – Syr 4 Goobye 20th Century Discs 1 + 2
Experimental, heavily instrumental, somewhat odd music from Sonic Youth. Will I listen to these albums again? Nah. Am I glad I did listen to them. Yup!
98 – Fake Problems – It’s Great To Be Alive
One of my favourite records so far this year. It’s hard not to love this band, even if they do overdo the cowbell at points. They’re as fun, frivolous and sweet as ever, but this is a huge leap forward from (the also excellent) How Far Our Bodies Go. Listen to it.