Bloodflowers

                                                       


     I've already covered the Smiths on this blog but now its time to cover another gloomy 80's band, The Cure. I had to write at least one article about these guys. They have a lot of really great albums but I chose this one because one, I really enjoy it and two, I feel like it has a very unique sound compared to their other stuff. The songs on this album sound a lot more like soundscapes if that makes any sense. A lot of the Cure's earlier work sounds a lot less droney and is more to the point. Their earlier sound is really classic and great but I think its cool how they sort of changed things up a little bit with this album but, where careful not to change too much.

    My favorite songs off this album are, Watching Me Fall, Where The Birds Always Sing and, Maybe Someday. Watching Me Fall is a really good example of what I mean when I say that I feel like this album has more soundscape like elements to it. In the beginning theres like this really light twinkly guitar then it goes in to this really droney and repetitive lead guitar. It almost reminds me a little bit of the shoe gaze genre which I think is really cool. Where Birds Always Sing also starts off with some very interesting light guitar. This arpeggio plays right at the beginning that is really brief but also captures this unsettling feeling really well. Then the droney guitar comes in again and, for a little while theres like two lead parts that work really well with each other. Eventually one of the guitars switches over to rhythm guitar but, I think its really cool how they have those two guitars playing off each other in that way. Maybe Someday is the final song I want to talk about off this album. The lead guitar on this song again reminds me of shoegaze. It has this really droney up and down sound that just screams shoe gaze to me. Im not sure what else to say about this song but, its just a really good and solid song.

  Overall, The Cure are just a super classic band and all though I'm not sure if id recommend this album to someone first getting in to the Cure, I think its a very strong and important album in their discography.


                                              

                                                                        Butterfly Joe

    This is a really fun album. It's a project by Joseph Genaro and Dean Sabatino. Some people might know them as the guitarist/singer and drummer from, The Dead Milkmen. I guess calling this album "fun" is a little weird considering how dark this album can gets at times. Even though the topics of these songs definitely do get dark, Joe conveys such a playful feeling in his songwriting. This playfulness is what really cements his sound on all his projects, ranging from The Dead Milkmen to his later solo stuff. That's one thing that's so great about all the projects Joe is on. If you like some of his stuff, there's so much more you can explore that you will probably also enjoy.

   Some of my favorite songs off this album are, Fancy Walls, Seventeen, Little Pill, and the song called April, May, June, July. The song Fancy walls is the first song I really enjoy off this album. It kind of has this relaxing whimsical feeling to it and it sort of just chugs along. The second song I want to point out on this album is the one called Seventeen. This one is a little more upbeat then Fancy Walls and it has a lot of nostalgia for me. I use to listen to this song a lot when I would take late night drives back when I was in highschool. Joe Genaro sings it in this tone of voice that sounds kind of like he's bored but, it also sounds really nice. Overall, this song really reminds me of the feeling of youth. The third song I'd like to highlight is the one called Little Pill. This song is a little depressing but is also really good. Finally, the last song I have to talk about off this album is the one called, April, May, June, July. This song Is again more upbeat and I really like the guitar in the beginning. For some reason it kind of reminds me of the Cure, which of course is a very good thing.

                                                 Is This It: The Sound of 2000's Indie Rock

  Is this It is an album that helped me discover one of my favorite genres off all time, 2000's indie rock. I've listened to this album hundreds of times but I still get excited every time I listen to it. This album was released by the Strokes in 2001 and, was one of the albums that really kicked off the whole wave of 2000's indie rock. Is This It inspired so many young kids to create indie rock bands of their own and lead to the creation of so many other great bands. Two of my other favorite bands, the Arctic Monkeys and the Libertines where heavily influenced by the Strokes and this album in particular. Is This It also helped the indie rock scene by just giving it a whole lot more attention and listening ears. Just like how the success of Nirvana in the 90's also brought success to many other grunge bands. The success of the Strokes brought more attention to all of indie rock, and gave it a chance to really flourish in the 2000's.

The Strokes throw off this effortlessly cool vibe that I think is very special and was just mesmerizing to me as a young teenager. I remember when I first got in to them in high school and I watched all their videos on youtube, videos like their MTV $2 Bill concert. Watching them was a major epiphany for me when I was growing up. It felt like I was watching everything I found cool and everything I identified with combined in to one perfect band. When I first saw/listened to them it felt like a bunch of puzzle pieces I had been gathering my whole life finally coming together. Shit, maybe I'm being a little bit dramatic but I just found everything from the bands sound to their amazing sense of style to be utterly mind blowing and even life changing. Besides their sound and their style I also just loved the way the band carried themselves. They have this perfect mixture of giving a fuck and not giving a fuck. They take their music very seriously but also have such a calm and sly demeanor. They make great music but also come off as just a bunch of young best friends having a good time.

Some of my favorite songs off this album are Barely Legal, Trying Your Luck, and New York City Cops. I love how Julian starts Barely Legal off with the lyrics "I didn't take no short cuts, I spent the money that I saved up." The reason I like these lyrics so much is because almost all the members of the Strokes come from very rich families. This lead to a lot of accusations early on in their career that they had taken short cuts and gotten money/help from their parents. Julian might not have intended these lyrics to be taken this way but, I have always viewed them as an F you to all the people accusing the Strokes of not creating their own success. Another song I love off this album is Trying Your Luck. Julian again has great lyrics on this song and I love how the song builds up and Julian almost strains his voice at certain points to really give off a feeling of distress. The vocal build up is also accompanied by this really insistent drum beat played by Fabrizio and a smooth bass line played by Nikolai. The last song I want to talk about off this album is the song New York City Cops. This song is just fucking amazing. It starts off with this droning feedback then just erupts in to this sweet and fast paced bass/guitar riff. Julian ad libs over it for a bit then eventually gets in to the verse. The lyrics I really love on this song though take place on the chorus. Julian says "New York city cops, New York city cops, New York city cops, they ain't too smart." This chorus is just so catchy and hilariously cheeky. It's pretty much the indie rock equivalent to NWA's Fuck the Police. After the first chorus Nick also plays this sweet guitar solo that just gets me so hyped up every time I hear it.

This album is just a prime example of 2000's indie rock and I really recommend people giving it a listen. The great thing about this album is that if you like it, there's so many other great indie rock bands it can lead you too. This album is the opening to a rabbit hole I strongly recommend everyone who's a fan of alternative/indie music jumping down.

                                           

                                               Doolittle: The sound of 90's Alternative Rock

  Ok, I'm going to start off by saying I love the Pixies. Yes, I know I say that about every artists I've mentioned on this blog but I really mean it. I've only been to three concerts in my life and two of those have been Pixies concerts. In fact, my first concert ever was when I saw the Pixies in Boston. I remember walking out of the concert in a daze with my eardrums violently ringing, it was one of the best feelings I've ever felt. The next day me and my friend where walking around Boston and actually saw Joey Santiago, the lead guitarist of the Pixies just hanging out on the street. It took my mind a couple of seconds to register the fact that I was literally right in front of fucking Joey Santiago. It's the most bizarre feeling to see someone you look up to, just hanging out on the street like a normal person. I tried to play it cool and went up to him to say that I really enjoyed the show from the night before. He accidently dropped his earbuds but was super nice and also took a picture with me and my friend. In fact, I'm going to put the picture at the end of this article and you can even see his earbuds laying on the ground, he didn't bother picking them up until after the picture. Later my friend told me he was actually using the earbuds to make a phone call, I thought he was only listening to music. So basically, I rudely interrupted his phone call, caused him to drop his earphones and after all that damage he was still polite and took a picture with us. It was so amazing to me that a rock legend could be so down to earth and nice even when I accidentally interrupted his phone call.

Ok, now that I've shared that thrilling encounter with Joey Santiago we can move on to the actual album. The Pixies have a lot of solid albums but their third album, Doolittle is what I would consider to be the best Pixies album. So many classic Pixies songs live on this album. Songs like Debaser, Here Comes Your Man and, Monkey Gone to Heaven. Debaser is the very first song on Doolittle and is the proper way to start such a great album. It has such a fast and hectic sound that pairs so great with Black Francis's wailing and surrealist vocals about slicing up eyeballs. Here comes your man is another great song off this album but it's very different then Debaser. Instead of being lead by screeching guitars its much more restrained and locked in to this really amazing and bouncy bass line played by Kim Deal. Kim Deal is one of my favorite bass players of all time and the bass line to this song was one of the first ones I ever learned. Monkey Gone to Heaven is another song off this album that I have to mention. This was the first Pixies song I ever heard and I heard it when I was a young kid playing Guitar Hero World Tour.  I didn't fall in love with the Pixies until my teenage years but a big thanks to Guitar Hero for introducing us for the first time. I'm not sure what else to say about this song besides, its just really good. One part I love in this song is when Black Francis says "rock with me Joe" before Joey Santiago goes in to the guitar solo. It's a small detail but, one I really enjoy and it gives the song character.

The Pixies are one of the biggest names in 90's alternative music. Kurt Cobain even stated that when he made Smells Like Teen Spirit he was "trying to rip off the Pixies."If you're in to alternative rock I'm guessing you've already heard the Pixies but if you haven't then definitely check them out, this album is a really good place to start.

                                                 The Queen is Dead: Indie Pop of The 80's

 The Queen is Dead is such a special album and the Smiths are such a special band. On the list of albums I really love this one would have to be somewhere at the very top. The first time I heard the Smiths was in high school and I remember staying up all night watching their Top of the Pops performances over and over again. This band has so many talented members that it frequently amazes me that the stars could align so well. For one, you have Johnny Marr who is a musical prodigy and wrote some of the best Smith's Songs when he was still only a teenager. The way he plays the guitar is so beautiful and complex, he also manages to look like a complete badass when he plays. Ever sense I first saw/heard him play he's been someone I really look up to. Another famous figure emerging from the Smiths is of course Morrissey. Morrissey has such a unique and elegant voice that perfectly matches his very deep, heartfelt, and witty songwriting. Morrissey is a bit of a drama queen with very strong opinions that he finds greatly important to share. I think this really adds and works with his songwriting but sometimes it can be a bit much. His personality borders right between lovable and obnoxious, though as he gets older, it's starting to lean a little bit more towards the obnoxious side. The last two members of the classic Smiths lineup are bassist, Andy Rourke and drummer, Mike Joyce. While Marr and Morrissey seem to get almost all the attention, Andy and Mike make a very strong rhythm section that shouldn't be ignored. I especially like Andy's bass playing and how he makes keeping up with Johnny Marr look easy.

Now to get on to the actual album. One song I really love on this album is the song called The Boy With The Thorn In His Side. This song stabs me in the heart every time I listen to it and I love it for that. Another song that really gets me on this album is the song called I Know It's Over. Its so eerily sad and beautiful. Some songs that are more fun on this album are the songs Bigmouth Strikes Again and Frankly, Mr. Shankly. The song Bigmouth Strikes Again shows this really funny self awareness on Morrissey's part. Like I said earlier, Morrissey isn't shy about stating his opinions. Morrissey kind of makes fun of himself in this song but does it in a really clever way. Johnny Marr is also in top form like always. I love his frantic rhythm guitar paired with bouncy lead and slide guitar on top. The Song Frankly Mr. Shankly is another really fun song on this album. It's a song about a person just ripping in to their boss. Like most people, I've certainly wanted to do exactly that many times before. This song does a great service in helping me live out that fantasy.

Two songs I also have to talk about off this album are the songs, Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. The main reason I like the song, Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others is mostly because of Johnny Marr's guitar playing on it. The main riff of this song is so intricate snd twinkly. I like There Is A Light That Never Goes Out because it's such a classic Smiths song. In this song Morrissey fantasizes about being hit by a bus and dying by the side of this other person. Yeah I know its pretty dark but it's also a ridiculously catchy song. The Smiths do such a good job of making dark subjects so fun and catchy. Like usual I would definitely recommend listening to this album if you haven't already. The Smiths are just a classic band in music history and on this album they are really in top form. All their albums are really great but I would have to say this ones my favorite.

                                                                             Bleach

  Bleach is Nirvana's first album and was released in 1989. While Bleach had success on a lot of college radio, Nirvana didn't blow up until the release of their second album, the famous Nevermind. I kind of feel bad for Bleach in a way, being stuck in the shadow of your younger brother must be quite embarrassing. Even if it is sort of permanently stuck in the shadow of Nevermind, Bleach has nothing to be embarrassed about. It's an album that I feel perfectly fits in to Nirvana's discography. I love how on all three of Nirvana's studio albums (and Unplugged too) Nirvana is able to give the listener a new kind of sound while staying Nirvana at their core. So many bands mess this up, they either don't change enough and people get bored. Or they change too much and completely distance their fans. Anyways, to get back on topic I think Bleach is a great album, just like all of Nirvana's albums. Can you tell I'm a Nirvana fan?

Two of my favorite songs on this album are School and also Negative Creep. I love the bouncy and hard grove on the song School that sort of melts into the chorus when you hear Kurt yell "NO RECESS." then you eventually get to the bridge were he keeps repeating "you're in high school again" which builds in to another "NO RECESS." Nirvana use their instruments to create this kind of winding tension on the verse. The chorus is the release. Once you get to it you just want to scream the, "NO RECESS" at the top of your lungs along with Kurt, and trust me I have. Besides the sound of this song I also love the complex story Kurt tells by just repeating basic lines. I didn't know this for a while but the song is about Kurt while he worked as a janitor at his old high school which, makes perfect sense and is really clever. My other favorite song on this album is the song Negative Creep. This is another really badass and heavy song. The reason I like this song so much though is because of its lyrics. I remember the first time I heard the line, "I'm a Negative Creep and I'm Stoned." I was at some tourist center in Canada and I just remember thinking that they had to be the most relatable and angsty line of lyrics I've ever heard.

One thing I noticed about this album is that Kurt repeats lines a lot. Two great examples of this are the two songs I talked about above. While this might at first sound like a bad thing, trust me it's not. Kurt has such a way of picking the perfect phrases to drill in to your skull and these repeating lines are such a big part of the albums style along with its rougher sound. I know its common practice to repeat lines on the chorus but repetition is definitely taken to an excess on this album, especially compared to other Nirvana albums like Nevermind and In Utero. Even though I mostly chose to talk about my two favorite songs off this album, every song on this album is really good. Just like In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (which is the last album I talked about) I think this album is great and, I love it but, I can't guarantee everyone will. If you like Nirvana's other work or if you like heavy and aggressive music like Punk rock or even metal I suggest you give this album a listen. This album deserves just as much love as Nevermind and being Nirvana's first album it certainly has a special place in music history.

         In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

     

  

     In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is an album that I only first listened to about two months ago. With that being said, I’ve probably listened to the album about a hundred times and I feel such a connection to its songs that it’s hard to believe I haven’t known them my whole life. That’s one of the things about this album, not everyone enjoys it but the people who do tend to get a feeling of sacredness or great importance from it. These feelings this album invokes is what has given it such a cult status. Released by a band called Neutral Milk Hotel in 1998 it is still widely celebrated. My absolute favorite thing about this album has to be Jeff Mangum’s songwriting on it. With his songwriting, Jeff taps in to a surreal and magical world. A magical world filled with carrot flowers, Anne Frank, and semen stained mountaintops. I would like to stress the word surreal. If you aren’t a big fan of surreal songwriting that’s totally fine but, this is probably not the album for you. Personally, I didn’t know I was such a big fan of surreal songwriting until I heard this album. It’s almost as if Jeff Mangum uses his songwriting to bombard your brain with bizarre images straight out of circus freak shows and lonely attics. Jeff Mangum’s vocal delivery on this album is also something I truly love. He has such a unique voice and the way he stresses/holds certain words is very iconic. 

While I do think Jeff Mangum is what makes this album so special, I still find every other musician’s contribution to be immensely important. The horns on the song Communist Daughter or the singing saw that whistles over the title track, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea add a whole other dimension to the music. I didn’t even know that the singing saw was an instrument until I listened to this album. I love its unique sound and the way it’s perfectly used to almost sound like wind, replicating what it would truly sound like to be in an aeroplane over the sea. While we are on the topic I would really like to point out this title track. If I had to pick a favorite song it would be this one, it’s a very beautiful song and from the moment I heard it I knew it was a song I would treasure. In fact, from the moment I heard this album I knew it was something I would treasure. I can't promise this album will be everyones cup of tea but it's definitely worth listening to and has a kind of magic if you're a certain kind of person.