Fever Tree

 

  Just imagine ... if possible, an even kitchier version of the Doors that explores a pastiche of 60’s stereotypes that isn’t too bad.

David Bowie — The Man Who Sold the World

   As my friend and I were digging in my record collection we came across The Man Who Sold the World.  There might have been a time where I might have said this is a underrated classic, but those days are long gone, so today I’m saying this is a colossal piece of crap. 

Fleetwood Mac — Tusk

     Yes, I totally realize that’s it’s stereotypical for a record collector to proclaim that Tusk is the best Fleetwood Mac album ... you’ll just have to face the fact that it is.  No it doesn’t have the wall to wall hits of Rumours, but it’s chalk full of timeless artistry that can be played alone in morning having a cup of coffee or at night having a drink with friends, which to me is the mark of a great record.  Critics and fans seem to hear an artsy post-punk New York sound to the music but I hear more a continuation of where Todd Rundgren was going with A Wizard, a True Star.

Thin Lizzy — Bad Reputation

 

   I’m not super in love with Thin Lizzy but they do have a certain charm and this is my favourite of their albums.  Not only does it include the virtuoso producer Tony Visconti, giving the record great sound, but also the band was really able to make a flawless bridge of 70’s rock, metal and punk ... who else can say that? 

Tyler, the Creator — Igor

   Igor is a deeply personal record about love, loss and all the other messy feelings that reside in the grey areas in between.  Sonically it’s a brilliant pastiche of synth, soul, funk and hip hop.  Basically the kind of music I was expecting when hearing about how great Kanye West is, who has a cameo on this very album.  Tyler found a way to epitomize the spirit, sense of humour and style of the millennial generation, this music will only grow better with age like a time capsule for a certain period. 

Fiona Apple — Fetch the Bolt Cutters

  Man, I can see why pitchfork gave this such a high rating.  Fetch the Bolt Cutters has a acoustic industrial feel with a constant sense of structure-less rythme that guide the tracks to wherever Fiona means for them to go.  There’s a dark, personal but playful mood drenched all over the album that very much mirrors the shack wacky feelings during the initial lockdowns and mandates, which made it the perfect release for beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. 

Rolling Blackouts C.F. — Hope Downs

 

  Totally the amalgamation of early REM jangle and later Feelies Velvets style jams.  I can’t say there is anything mind blowing on this album, other than they’re just great tunes. 

MC5 — Back in the USA

  This subtly subdued stripped down version of MC5 rock ‘n’ roll is way more relevant to the first wave of punk than the bombastic stoner sludge of Kick Out the Jams.  Both are great records, but only one you can play at a wild party and also in the morning while having a cup of coffee.

Parquet Courts — Content Nausea

 

  I really like this underrated Parquet Courts album.  It has their classic sound but is drenched in Lou Reed New York drippy laziness, which works so well.  This band epitomizes  what I thought in the early aughts reading reviews of The Strokes should have sounded like but very much didn’t live up to their hype.  

Big Thief — Dragon New Mountain I Believe In You

   It took me a while to get into this band, there was always something cheesy to their hipster indie folk shtick that kept me away and Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is chalk full of that, but also comes off like a greatest hits album, mixing genres and styles that they seem to have perfected, from hippie country to weirdo new wave.  I’m still probably not going out and buying all their records, but I love this one.  Question is why are the animals at the campfire jam joined by a dinosaur and not a dragon?

I’m back ... I think!

   As the pandemic rages on with endless amounts of weirdness and insanity; my life has changed so much and my record collection has grown.  It seems the mental malaise of isolation, government mandates and boredom has made me nostalgic about having several little personal projects on the go!