Over-hyped space rap, stepped in static laptop beats, R&B samples, and found sounds from former Digable Planets dude. cLOUDDEAD was doing this ten years ago, albeit with murkier beats and self-effacing lyrics. This is definitely rap aimed at a white audience.
Buy this record if the club doesn't have vodka service and you want to burn one out in the parking lot but it's too cold.
Tribal in nature, pounding floor toms, frantically strummed acoustic guitars coupled with pulsing electric guitars, oh, and lots of tambourine. The vocals stand out as the incongruent piece, faux-crooning, emotively twee-ish with soaring background choruses, which takes them out of a hippie family circle and squarely into the indie world. Not sure why Neko Case is singing backup on this record though, her distinct voice is rendered homogenous here, they could have used any female singer for those parts. The band calls the Best City in America their home, San Frantastic, so points for that.
Buy this record if you can't choose between the endive and the watercress.
Imagine a peppier version of Tame Impala with soul-inflected vocals and that's about what you'll get from this Kiwi cum Portland, OR trio. This band displays a rare pop restraint, giving individual instruments plenty of room to breath, and linger on your ear palette. A pastiche of psych music, "Thought Ballune", and garage rock, "Nerve Damage", adds to a very rewarding listening experience.
Buy this record when you just want a big plate of gravy fries.
By the release of Henry's Dream in 1992, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds were just beginning to find a global audience. Henry's Dream reached #29 on the UK charts while six of the next seven Bad Seeds releases cracked the UK's top 20 list, three went to #1 in Norway, and all seven reached the top 5 in Cave's native Australia. Cave's lyrics had been steadily evolving from vague subject matter to detailed narratives and a quasi-concept album seemed like a good idea, at the time. Apparently Cave really disliked the production on this record and ultimately re-mixed it himself. It didn't detract from the quality of the record, "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry" became a concert staple for years to come while "Straight To You" was one of the prettiest ballads the group ever released. Henry's Dream really encapsulated the Bad Seeds distinctive ambience: timeless tales of drunken louts, lost souls, and unrepentant marauders traipsing through the Outback with bible in pocket and gun in hand, like an Australian version of the classic American Western.
Buy this record if the cops are busting in and you need to get out the back door.
Standard issue indie fare. Singing can best be described as a steroid addled Tom Waits backed by the firm for Manchester United. A big draw for this English band was their declination of interviews and a relative anonymity. Now that their first full-length is being released they have to open up and explain what they were thinking.
Buy this record if you think a hamster is an exotic bird.
Throughout the 1970's and into the 80's, Bryan Ferry fronted Roxy Music, a seminal art-rock band with gender-bending theatrics and a glam appeal. Ferry is renowned for his dapper stage presence and wildly unique vocal inflections, a cross between Roy Orbison's croon and a seducer's howl. It's always been one of the more distinctive voices in rock music, now exhibiting more restraint with the passage of time. Olympia follows the blueprint of Ferry's first solo record, his only top 10 UK record. Boys and Girls, with a series of back lounge dance numbers about temptation and heartbreak. The album drifts along on his smooth vocals, the characteristic chiming piano notes of his earlier Roxy Music work, and sparse wah-wah guitar fills. Once again, Ferry delivers AOR friendly fare without losing his unique edge.
Buy this record when the your glass is chilled and the house is on fire.
This compilation, from Big Beats Records, gathers material released by obscure British band The Prisoners between 1983-1984. They blended garage, psych, and mod pretty effortlessly, but never found mainstream success despite their consistent touring presence throughout the UK. They borrowed from the Jam and bequeathed their sound to the Charlatans UK, buoyed by the sweet Hammond organ playing of James Taylor (not the "Fire & Rain" Taylor) who went on to form the successful band The James Taylor Quartet. The Prisoners are the reason music collectors still scour dusty record bins and thrift shop racks for lost treasure.
Buy this record if you want to dive into the deep end of the pool.
