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.