Long Live Rock?

      A couple big topics in the world of Music YouTube lately have been; "Does New Music Suck?" and "Is Rock Music Dead?" and "Is AI Going to Replace Musicians?". You might be surprised to know, I have some opinions on these questions that I haven't really heard anyone discussing. Before I get to that, here are my general observations about the state of Rock Music. I don't believe Rock is dead. It might be on life support, but it's not quite dead yet. 25 years ago, Radiohead mused that there was nothing new that could be done with the guitar. Maybe that's true, but there are still great bands putting out great albums every week. Most of it is the pastiche of the nineties, or the sixties, like The Lemon Twigs, but it's good stuff. The main problem for "new" Rock Music is there are now only two outlets for a band to be discovered - The Internet and College radio. The issues with these platforms are a matter of scope. The Internet is a vast arena of content that on the surface appears to have no "Gatekeepers", but actually does. A band breaking through on the internet is only slightly more likely than winning the lottery due to the sheer amount of posted content and nostalgia for the past. College radio has a much smaller scope of broadcast coverage, although there are a few stations that have decent streaming audiences, like KEXP in Seattle. Breaking through to the mainstream on College radio is also a long shot. I also disagree with the premise that new music sucks. Certainly, if you go on the internet and listen to an episode of Casey Kassem's Top 40 from the 70's, when I was growing up, that "new music" is superior to the new music on today's Top 40 radio. Yes, I know that's just my opinion, but come on...it's true. Back then, record labels and DJ's were the gatekeepers. Now it's algorithms and streaming. Rock radio, in general, today is mostly nostalgia. Other than College radio, Rock stations only play "Classic" Rock". When I was a kid, that WAS Rock radio. It seems counter-intuitive, but it seemed easier to find new Rock music back when all we had was radio and music magazines...before the Internet. Much of YouTube is young people "reacting" to classic rock music that they've supposedly never heard before; like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and RUSH or the "Vinyl Community" discussing reissues of albums by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and RUSH. NOSTALGIA! At least that's what I'm being fed by the algorithm. Results may vary. As far as AI goes...who knows. If AI replaces Travis Scott then I say "Thank you robot". 

     You've probably heard most of that before. Now, I'm going to blame the kids (and their parents). The Western world has become a place where kids go to school to get a job that they can support themselves on and helicopter parents are flying around all over the place. "Risk" and "Failure" are to be avoided at all costs. It's unimaginable today that four kids from Liverpool could run off to London, have a club residency, go to Germany with a minor in the band (George Harrison), play until all hours of the morning for drunk sailors, come back as conquering heroes and invade America. I'm not asking for anything that exciting, but could we allow kids to be a little more free range again. Let them try things that may not be practical. God forbid, let them fail...or succeed spectacularly. Take some chances before they have a mortgage and a family and health insurance. Whatever happened to scenes like CBGB's or The Whiskey A-Go-Go or The Cavern Club where kids could start a band and learn their musical chops playing shows all the time? Where are the kids like Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart playing 300 shows a year, driving around the country in an old van, taking turns driving all night from show to show? Today, if you allowed your kid to do that someone would call Child Protective Services. It's the loss of these opportunities for bands to develop that's killing Rock music. Most of the successful "Classic Rock" bands had no Plan B. They were committed and willing to take chances and pay the price for the music. Everything today is a hedge. Why risk all of that when you can sit in your room with a laptop, record an album and try to go viral on the internet? Why play 300 shows a year when you can get a few shows in your town opening for other bands and try to sell some merch to their fans? Do you want to know what really sucks? Never taking chances and being stuck in shitty, straight jobs until the day you die. Peace.

Discogs Median Value: Box Sets

      I generally don't buy box sets, unless they're on sale or used. While I'm a completist, I don't really need outtakes and alternate versions of songs. I've been holding out on the Revolver box because of the expense, even though I would actually like the alternate version of "Rain". So anyhow, my collection of box sets is a mixed bag of acquisitions. 

1. Dio - A Decade of Dio ( $258.33 )

     This set includes Dio's albums from 1983-93. Mine is a cut-out that I won for free from the Record Den in an online contest. So, the price was right. I won because I commented that Dio is my favorite metal frontman, which is true. I still haven't listened to all the records, yet. I just keep listening to Holy Diver and Last in Line. I need to rectify that situation soon.

2. Goo Goo Dolls - Pickpockets, Petty Thieves and Tiny Victories ( $150.00 )

     This set includes their first five albums. Goo Goo Dolls are one of my guilty pleasures. This was a Record Store Day release, but I held out until it was marked down and I had a gift certificate. 

3. Cheap Trick - The Classic Albums ( $144.96 )

     This set spans from the debut album to Dream Police and also has At Budokan. I probably own more copies and formats of Budokan than any other record in my collection. I fell in love with it when I was a kid and it's still my favorite live album. I also have O.G. copies of all these albums, but the set is awesome and pristine. 

4. Guided by Voices - Suitcase 3 ( $138.29 )

     This collection is the highest valued CD I own. 

5. The Flaming Lips - Heady Nuggs ( $132.39 )

     I don't actually own this box set, but Discogs insists that I do. Record Den broke up a box set and sold it as individual records. I bought some of them, entered them into my Discogs account, and now I supposedly own it. 

6. Triumph - Allied Forces 40th Anniversary ( $131.39 )

     This is a fantastic box set to commemorate a great album. It was a Record Store Day release and I ponied up for it. Worth every penny. 

7. The Beatles - The Beatles ( $117.50 )

     This CD box set was a birthday gift from my parents. It's the 2009 remasters of all the UK albums in a glossy, black box with the apple on it. Beautiful packaging. 

8. Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet - Oh, I Guess We Were a Fucking Surf Band After All ( $109.00 )

     I got in line at midnight to get this set for Record Store Day. Record Den only received one copy and I had to have it. There was only one guy ahead of me, and luckily it wasn't on his radar. They are a great band, but are only semi-famous because the Kids in the Hall used their song "Having an Average Weekend" for their theme. 

9. Various - Manchester, North of England ( $103.58 )

     This CD box covers the Manchester indie music scene from 1977-93. Lots of amazing bands included in this set. 

10. Various - Children of Nuggets ( $77.96 )

     Great psych rock collection that covers the years 1976-96. This was a marked down, cut-out. The first track is a Dukes of Stratosphear ( XTC ) song. It includes many Sound Mind favorites, such as, Teenage Fanclub, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Dream Syndicate, The Soft Boys and The Smithereens. It also has the song "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape" by The Times. Really cool set. Peace.

Discogs Median Value: Records

      One of the Vinyl Community YouTubers I enjoy watching is Tim from the University of Vinyl. Today he released a video about the most valuable records in his collection according to their median value on Discogs. This video was in response to the stock market plummeting the last two days and not intended as financial advice. So, I decided it would be fun to do the same thing on Sound Mind. Today I will list my Top 10 albums and tomorrow it will be box sets. Spoiler alert: half of my Top 10 is albums by RUSH. 

1. RUSH - RUSH ( $694.50 )

     Buying this record for $5.97 was the greatest bit of Karma I've ever experienced. When I moved to Cleveland from Detroit, I gave my US Mercury copy of RUSH's debut album to a friend as a going away gift. Shortly after settling in, I went to a small record store that specialized in classical music, but also had some used rock albums. I was stunned to find a rare Canadian Moon records copy of the same album on the shelf. It's not in pristine condition, but well worth the six bucks I spent on it. 

2. Misfits - Walk Among Us ( $450.00 ) 

     I know virtually nothing about Misfits, except that Glen Danzig was in the band. I was surprised to find this record in my father-in-law's collection after he passed. I cleaned it up and gave it a spin and it sounded amazing. I was equally surprised to see how valuable it was when I entered it into Discogs. 

3. RUSH - Test For Echo ( $222.26 )

     The reissues of these Nineties RUSH albums, on vinyl, from 2015 go for quite a bit on Discogs. I bought all of them because I'm a completist. In truth, Test For Echo is probably my least favorite RUSH album. Hopefully, for my family, it's still worth something after I'm dead. 

4. RUSH - Counterparts ( $202.19 )

     This is another vinyl reissue from 2015. I remember going to a midnight release at Dearborn Music to pick this album up on CD back in 1993. Just about everyone else at the midnight release was there for Vs. by Pearl Jam, but not me. 

5. RUSH - Snakes & Arrows ( $188.99 )

     This was actually released on LP in 2007 and I had a copy of it in my hand. I didn't buy it because it was $40. It's Max value on Discogs today is almost $300. I have the 2016 reissue, which is still quite valuable. I wish I had bought it in 2007, though. Great album. 

6. RUSH - Roll the Bones ( $163.04 )

     Yet another 2015 vinyl reissue. That makes 5  of my top 6 most valuable albums being RUSH records. Crazy. 

7. Sparklehorse - Good Morning Spider ( $126.54 ) 

     It's remarkable that Sparklehorse would be this high in my collection. Must have been a limited reissue. 

8. The Zombies - Oddessey and Oracle ( $123.50 )

     I found this record in a random cardboard box of albums at a thrift store. I know we were on vacation, but I don't remember where. The jacket is in rough shape, but the record is near mint and sounds fantastic. What a miraculous find!

9. Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen ( $115.00 )

     This is a 2017 reissue on blue vinyl. One of my favorite albums of the '90's and Ben Folds is a Top 5 pianist in my opinion.

10. The Beatles - The Beatles ( $112.19 )

     Of course, The Beatles had to crack this list. This is the 2014 Mono reissue on vinyl. I own several different pressings of the White Album and this is my personal favorite. It's worth the price for the mono version of "Mother Nature's Son" alone. 

Honorable Mention: Doves - Kingdom of Rust came in at #11 at $111.11. What are the odds of that? Peace.

     

2004 Deep Dive: Top 40 Songs

      OK, I'm doing 40 songs so this will be a long one. I love multiple songs from some of these albums, as well as many songs from albums that didn't make my Top 20. I don't know where Sound Mind is going after this post. I'm in a time squeeze and have nothing in particular to focus on. The Patreon group I'm in is doing a 1969 deep dive next, but that's probably a couple months away. I'm also a little burnt out on deep dives. I may try to circle back on revisiting some of my crappy old posts and re-imagine them. Time will tell. Peace.

1. Clubfoot - Kasabian

     This song is a banger and the bass is killer.

2. Ocean Breathes Salty - Modest Mouse

     Love the guitars on this and the lyrics are delightful. "For your sake I hope Heaven and Hell are really there, but I wouldn't hold my breath".

3. Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud - Guided by Voices

     This is my personal theme song. It should be playing in the background like I'm a TV character. "This is not my day and nobody really cares anymore, anyhow. Nobody called again cuz they say that I'm to lazy to stay alive", 

4. Miracle Drug - AC Newman

     My favorite new discovery. 

5. Decent Days and Nights - The Futureheads

     My second favorite new discovery. "If the least you can do is show some restraint, then the most you can do is get carried away".

6. Criminal Piece - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

     Very scrappy and jangly. Kinda sounds like a Superchunk song.

7. Huffman Prairie Flying Field - Guided by Voices

     Gorgeous pop gem featuring a guest appearance by Tobin Sprout. "If that is what you want to hear, then that's what I will sell you". 

8. I.D. - Kasabian

     The trippy keyboard intro is brilliant. "No one else is here, but I can't get a sense of nothing".

9. Girls of Wild Strawberries - Guided by Voices

     Another beautiful pop gem. "Undelivered sermons to the sea". 

10. L.S.F. - Kasabian  

     The chorus is FIRE!

11. All Because of You - U2

     I love Bono's vocals in the chorus. I also love up-tempo, high energy U2. 

12. When the Fool Becomes a King - The Polyphonic Spree

     EPIC! "Love the life you choose". 

13. Float On - Modest Mouse

     The main guitar riff is fantastic. 

14. Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand

     It was the biggest rock song of 2004 for a reason. 

15. Slow Hands - Interpol

     This song is a straight-up jam. "You make me want to pick up a guitar".

16. Rebellion - Arcade Fire

     I love this song, but hate that it spawned a ton of shit bands. I wish more of their songs were like this.

17. Here Comes Everybody - Autolux

     The transition from the breathy vocals at the beginning to the bombastic chorus is sublime. "Sha-la-la". 

18. C'mon C'mon - The Von Bondies

     A garage revival classic. The album doesn't hold up but this song is still great. 

19. Vertigo - U2

     "Hello, hello, hola". 

20. 10 A.M. Automatic - The Black Keys

     Not a big fan of this band or album, but this track is very White Stripes adjacent. 

21. Pretty - Elliott Smith

     Gorgeous. It makes me wish John Lennon and George Harrison had started a band together after The Beatles broke up. It probably would have sounded like this.

22. American Idiot - Green Day

     This song is still a great jam. "One nation controlled by the media". 

23. Ride - The Vines

     Another album that doesn't hold up, but I still love this song.  

24. Mason City - The Fiery Furnaces

     I can't put into words what I love about this song. You'll have to listen to it. It's simple, yet complicated.

25. Woman's Prison - Loretta Lynn

     What a heartbreakingly, beautiful song. Legend!

26. C'mere - Interpol

     Interpol really knows how to get a great guitar sound. 

27. Wake Up - Arcade Fire

     See my comments for "Rebellion". 

28. Robots in the Garden - Autolux

     Fun, drum-driven, stop and start song. And there are fucking robots in the garden. 

29. Catherine Dupree - Will Johnson

     My favorite songwriter all stripped down. 

30. The Day John Henry Died - Drive by Truckers

     I never got into these guys, but this song has a nice, classic rock feel. 

31, All They Ever Do Is Talk - Earlimart

     A brooding, Smashing Pumpkins adjacent track. 

32. Closets of Henry - Guided by Voices

     Jangly in the verse and a soaring chorus. Classic Bob. 

33. Coast to Coast - Elliott Smith 

     More of a rocker with Steven Drozd on drums.

34. Portland, Oregon - Loretta Lynn

     Nice mash up of Loretta and Jack White.

35. Tour Guide at the Winston Churchill Memorial - Guided by Voices

     Nice, mid-tempo song with a great vocal performance by Uncle Bob.

36. The Good Times Are Killing Me - Modest Mouse

     Wacky collaboration with The Flaming Lips. 

37. Shadows of Tomorrow - Madvillain

     This could change when I know the album better, but this one stood out.

38. A Long Day Continues/We Sound Amazed - The Polyphonic Spree

     Beautifully picks up where the first album left off. Quite Abbey Road-esque. 

39. Guinnesses - MF DOOM

     Love the grooves and flow. 

40. Winners and Losers - Social Distortion

     I need to check out more Social D. Really like this one. 

     

     

     

     

         

        

2004 Deep Dive: Part Four

      The Top 5 albums of 2004 means I'm about to reveal my Mt. Rushmore. If I had thought this out better  I would have done four albums at a time instead of 5 since I only did 20 this time. Oh well. I'm also about to reveal the final first-time listen of 2004 to make my top 20. Since I only did 20 albums for 2004, I will expand my top songs list to 30. Let's do this thing.

5. Madvillain - Madvillainy ( 4.5 Stars )

     Just missing my Mt. Rushmore is first-time listen, Madvillainy. This is one of those albums that's always on best albums lists and there's even a 33 1/3 book about it. I've meant to check it out for quite some time and this was finally the excuse I needed. Madvillain is MF DOOM, who was in my Top 20 with his album MM...FOOD, and Madlib. MF DOOM provides the lyrics and Madlib the production. Like MM...FOOD, I really enjoy the lyrics and flow, as well as the samples and mid century links. My favorites are "Shadows of Tomorrow" and "Figaro". Another standout track is "Eye", which features Stacy Epps on vocals. I'm still not well-versed in Hip Hop, but it seems I mostly like good flow, jazz influence or sci-fi production and cool samples. It's a start.

4. Guided by Voices - Half Smiles of the Decomposed ( 4.5 Stars )

     First up on my 2004 Mt. Rushmore is Guided by Voices. Sorry if you're sick of these guys after my recent deep dive, but this album is great. Half Smiles of the Decomposed is helmed, as always, by songwriting machine Robert Pollard, with the able assistance of current band members Doug Gillard and Kevin March. Also on this album are Nate Farley on rhythm guitar and Chris Slusarenko, of the band Eyelids, on bass. It features five of my all-time favorite Guided by Voices tunes, "Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud", "Girls of Wild Strawberries", "Closets of Henry", "Tour Guide at the Winston Churchill Memorial", and "Huffman Prairie Flying Field". The other nine tracks on this albums are great, too. Pollard temporarily retired the band after this album, but he would later reunite the "Classic Lineup" in the early 2010's and then the current lineup in 2017. 

3. U2 - How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb ( 4.5 Stars )

     This album has a special place in my heart. During the winter of 2004-5, this CD lived in my wife's car and we listened to it on a loop driving back and forth to Lamaze classes before our daughter was born. She's now going into her sophomore year of university. I don't get the haters of U2, and this album in particular. It has a Rate Your Music score of 2.75. That's bonkers! These people must all be miserable bastards. "Vertigo" is a straight-up banger. "Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own" is a gorgeous song that Bono wrote for his father. "Love and Peace or Else" has an irresistibly, languid vibe. "City of Blinding Lights" is one of Bono's best lyrics and The Edge is smokin'. My favorite track is "All Because of You". The whole band is firing on all cylinders. The chorus is soaring. It's easily a Top 5 U2 album, along with War, The Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. Suck it trolls!

2. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News ( 5.0 Stars )

     During 2004, when the only two songs that existed in the world were "Take Me Out" and "Float On", my wife was one of those who loved "Float On". Then I bought this CD and started listening to it and she hated the rest of it. This was probably a common occurrence. Luckily for me, it was right in my sweet spot. I know Isaac Brock's vocals are divisive, but I love how he veers from fragile to angry to sarcastically hilarious. They also have that weird, woozy guitar sound, like Built to Spill. And "Float On" is a tremendous song. It's remarkable that it was so popular. It didn't take much to sell me on this album, because they did a collaboration with The Flaming Lips (The Good Times Are Killing Me). Every song on Good News...Bad News is great. My favorite is "Ocean Breathes Salty". It has some of the best lyrics of the 2000's. "You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste the after-life?" I think what put my wife over the edge was the back to back assault of "Bury Me With It" and "Dance Hall", which features Isaac at his most shouty. That's what clinched this as a 5 Star album for me. 

1. Kasabian - Kasabian ( 5.0 Stars )

     I instantly fell in love with Kasabian the first time I heard "Clubfoot". The hype for them in the British music magazines was off the chain and they lived up to it. The bass grooves on "Clubfoot" are intoxicating. I could hear that song a million times and it would still be as great as the first time. The single, "L.S.F" (Lost Souls Forever), is almost equally as brilliant. One of the highlights of a Kasabian live show is everyone singing along to the chorus, "Ah, oh come on. We got our backs to the wall. Get on and watch out, say, you're gonna kill us all". Another mind-blowing track is I.D.. It begins with an extended electronic intro, then the drums count in the rest of the band. The lyrics are great and it has a hypnotic groove that you lose control to. This is easily one of the Top 5 albums of the 2000's. Epic! Peace.

2004 Deep Dive: Part Three

      We're now into the Top 10 for 2004 and there are two more new listens in this 6-10 group. It's a fun assortment of albums with only one obvious selection. Let's get to it.

10. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose ( 4.0 Stars )

     I certainly wasn't expecting a Loretta Lynn album in my Top 10. I remember Van Lear Rose coming out to considerable critical acclaim, but never listened to it despite the involvement of Jack White. I probably viewed it as a cynical move on his part to reinvent a Country Music legend. As I listened to this for the first time, I vaguely remember hearing the track, "Portland, Oregon" back in the day. It turns out Jack White did a respectful job on Van Lear Rose. He judiciously adds some rock elements to an outstanding collection of traditional Country songs, most notably on "Have Mercy" and "Mrs. Leroy Brown". "Trouble on the Line" sounds like it arrived in a time machine from the 70's. The pedal steel on that track is beautiful. "Women's Prison" is a powerful song about a woman who kills her cheatin' man and ends up on Death Row. The last thing she hears is her mama cry. It's easily my favorite track on the album. It runs out with a great slide guitar performance by Jack White. I suppose in 2004 we all needed a reminder that Loretta Lynn was a national treasure. 

9. Earlimart - Treble and Tremble ( 4.5 Stars )

     This is another CD I was all about in 2004. I think I read a review of it in a music magazine and took a flyer on it. It's not surprising that Treble and Tremble is in my wheelhouse. It has a dreamy Sparklehorse vibe and was co-produced by Jim Fairchild of Grandaddy. Apparently, Earlimart's Aaron Espinoza was friends with Elliott Smith and this album was inspired by him. The single from this album was "Heaven Adores You". Probably a connection there. What I love most about Treble and Tremble is the vocals. They are a breathy combination of Jason Lytle of Grandaddy and Billy Corgan. One of my favorite tracks is "Tell the Truth", which has the lines: "Well I know I'm out of reach. And all these songs are out of key. But I guess you just don't know. You don't know shit about me". Good stuff.

8. Arcade Fire - Funeral ( 4.5 Stars )

     I know this was the consensus Best Album of 2004, but I have it at #8. Maybe it's because part of me blames them for all the horrible bands like The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons. That's probably not fair, but life's not fair. There's no denying, however, that Funeral is a phenomenal album. "Wake Up" is a sweeping, majestic indie rock anthem. The first time I heard of Arcade Fire was when I saw the music video for "Rebellion". It was mesmerizing. And it's a fantastic song. If the rest of the album was as powerful as these two songs it would be a 5 Star lock. But they aren't, so 4.5 it is.

7. The Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy ( 4.5 Stars )

     Together We're Heavy is the hilariously titled second album by The Polyphonic Spree. With over 20 members, their combined weight would have been well in excess of one ton. The implication is separately they were not heavy in a personal outlook sense. They were a band, lead by Tripping Daisy's Tim DeLaughter, who found community and joyous expression through music. Their albums had an unusual conceit where the song numbers continued to go up. like their music was one continuous journey. It's awesome that there was a time in music where a band like The Polyphonic Spree could even exist. Over the years, I've come to this band for enjoyment, solace, inspiration and a renewed faith in humanity. The opening track, "Section 11 (A Long Day Continues/We Sound Amazed)", is a larger than life, Beatlesesque quest for meaning that calls back to their first album. "Section 12 (Hold Me Now)" was the "hit" song. It's a spirited, uplifting track with full band instrumental bombast and a beautiful message. "Section 13 (Diamonds/Mild Devotion to Majesty) is a gorgeous song that features some tremendous theremin playing. Delaughter's usually fragile vocals are actually quite powerful on this track and the backing vocals are amazing. I could literally highlight every song on this album, but my favorite is probably "Section 19 (When the Fool Becomes a King)". It's a multi-part song that runs over ten minutes. After an opening fanfare section there's the fantastic "Hail to the sky", sing-along section. My favorite section follows when DeLaughter brings it down and has the line, "The best place is to find your home. The coolest is to find your way". The song closes out with the inspiring "Reach for the sun" movement. My one complaint about Together We're Heavy is that "Section 19" clearly should have been the album closer. There's nowhere for them to go after such a cathartic anthem. Honestly, if your soul hasn't been completely crushed by Neoliberal austerity, capitalism, mass shootings and forever wars listen to The Polyphonic Spree and recharge your Spirit. It's not a cult.

6. A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder ( 4.5 Stars )

     This is my favorite new discovery of this dive. The Slow Wonder is the first solo album from A.C. Newman of The New Pornographers. It's not really much of a departure, but it's fantastic. Newman hits it out of the park with the opening track, "Miracle Drug". "He was tied to the bed with a miracle drug in one hand. In the other, a great lost novel that, I understand, was returned with a stamp that said, "Thank you for your interest, young man,". The third track, "On the Table" is a rollicking, high energy indie rocker. The following track, "Most of Us Prizefighters", is a moodier, Shins adjacent song, that's also quite good. "The Battle For Straight Time" is classic New Pornographers and features some sweet recorder playing by Newman. The only thing keeping The Slow Wonder from being 5 Stars is that it lags somewhat towards the end. It's still great though. Peace. 

     

2004 Deep Dive: Part Two

      Albums 11-15 feature a diverse group of artists. Two of them are first listens. One is my favorite songwriter. Let's go.

15. The Futureheads - The Futureheads ( 4.0 Stars )

     Yes, I just mentioned these guys in my Franz Ferdinand selection. They were a first listen and I'm not sure how I missed them back in 2004. They are Franz Ferdinand adjacent with their angular guitar sound and dance club rhythms, but The Futureheads are more sophisticated lyrically and in terms of song composition. Yet they are quite fun and exuberant, less aloof than FF. "Carnival Kids" and "Decent Days and Nights" are the best examples of this. And they had the stones to cover Kate Bush's "Hounds of Love". I could see this album getting to 4.5 Stars with more listens. I'm already questioning my current ranking. 

14. Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill ( 4.0 Stars )

     For whatever reason, Elliott Smith is an artist that has fallen through the cracks for me. I bought this CD back in 2004 because Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips played on the fantastic opening track, "Coast to Coast". However, I only listened to it a couple times and never explored Elliott Smith's catalog. Maybe it's because I felt weird about jumping on after his suicide. This turned out to be a nice revisit. This time around, From a Basement on the Hill gave me a late period Beatles vibe, George Harrison in particular. It's almost eerie on a track like "Pretty (Ugly Before)" or the trippy "A Passing Feeling". Listening to this record it's apparent Smith was going through some tough times. There are countless allusions to suicide, drugs, failed relationships and being broke. Sadly, this is the recipe for great songwriting, like on the hauntingly beautiful song, "Twilight". I considered not including this album because it was recorded over a three year period before his death and was cobbled together posthumously, but it's a 2004 release and the end product is quite good. I really need to do an Elliott Smith dive. 

13. Will Johnson - Vultures Await ( 4.0 Stars )

     Followers of Sound Mind know my favorite songwriter is Will Johnson of Centro-matic and South San Gabriel. In general, his solo albums usually fall somewhere between the ramshackle bombast of Centro-matic and the slow-core beauty of South San Gabriel. Vultures Await is probably the best example of this generalization. The opening track, "Catherine Dupree", leans more into the SSG vibe. It's a haunting story song about a woman who burns down a university because of her useless degree. It is slow and sparse, just Will singing and playing a minimalist piano part. "Closing Down My House" is closer to the Centro-matic end of the spectrum. While the playing on Vultures Await is restrained, Will's lyrics and vocals are in top form. If these songs had a full band treatment this would probably be a 5 star album, even though it might lose some of its fragile beauty. 

12. The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat ( 4.0 Stars )

     This was another first listen. I didn't really know what to expect, but I didn't expect this. The opening track, "Quay Cur", concerned me at first. It features the electronic bleeps and bloops that were prevalent at this time in indie rock. Also it's over ten minutes in length. And Eleanor Friedberger was singing like Bjork. About four minutes in, her brother Matthew comes in and completely changes the vibe of the song. Eleanor takes over again in her normal voice and Matthew comes back in occasionally with some jazzy bits. It turned out to be a great song. Once I got my bearings, I really enjoyed this album. It straddles the line of pretentious crap and inspired madness. I grew to like the electronics and the Brubeck-ian piano jazz and Eleanor's idiosyncratic vocals. My favorite song is "Mason City". Eleanor gives a beautiful, straight-forward vocal performance, accompanied by toned down electronics and piano and hand claps. Matthew provides a great guitar solo a couple minutes in and takes a vocal turn about halfway through the track. "Chief Inspector Blancheflower" is an interesting song. It's a story song about a hyperactive kid who grows up to be a cop...I think. It's long and confusing. The only thing keeping this from 4.5 stars is there are too many excessively long songs. I would love to hear this on a good sound system.

11. Interpol - Antics ( 4.0 Stars )

     While Antics is a step down from Turn on the Bright Lights it's still really good. I love their guitar sound. It's fantastic how he shifts from stop and start, staccato playing to insistent chord strumming. The rhythm section is stellar, as well. Antics features the classic Interpol tracks "Evil", "Slow Hands" and "C'mere". "C'mere" may well be my favorite Interpol song. It's the perfect amalgamation of everything I love about them. Even the vocals are great. Peace.