A big collection of short album reviews

Since today is a very slow day, I've decided to collect a bunch of the "reviews" I've made for albums I've listened to over the past two months or so. Some of these come from previous blog posts, while others are entirely new and/or mildly rewritten. If there's anything I hope this lazy-ass attempt at content does, I hope it inspires someone to listen to one of these records and experience the same amount of joy (or lack thereof) it gave me.

- "Boc Maxima" by Boards of Canada: an early version of Music Has the Right to Children from two years before release! It begins and ends much like the final album but rockets off in wildly different directions in-between. It is quite surreal hearing the pleasant "Roygbiv" be followed by the eerie, somewhat atonal "Nova Scotia Robots" and the heavy "June 9th". Also, why in the hell did they leave "Whitewater" off any future releases? That one's golden.

- "Reckoning" by R.E.M.: this is one of those classic albums that everyone needs to listen to. Here, R.E.M. have a more developed sound than Murmur (a sound which is heavily inspired by them touring in support of that album) but at the same time I do feel like the natural timeless rhythms and wanderlust of that record is a bit compromised here. Nevertheless it's nothing but hits from beginning to end (despite Stephen Malkmus's hatred of "Camera", as documented in that one Pavement song).

- "And Their Refinement of the Decline" by Stars of the Lid: currently the last album by this minimalist duo, the ambient compositions here defy conventional description, serving as the soundtracks to paracosms (detailed imaginary worlds), ones which, evidently, have found inner peace. Maybe they're the worlds you see in near-death experiences; all of them have this stark, yet understanding finality to them, or maybe that's just the background knowledge surrounding Brian McBride's tragic death colouring my perception.

- "How It Feels to Be Something On" by Sunny Day Real Estate: frank, eternally relevant and (obviously) depressing emo. I think everyone goes through a point in their life where every significant event seems to match or line up with the lyrics on these particular songs. Jeremy Enigk's piercing vocals strike right through your heart. It's crazy to think Dave Grohl stole both Nate Mendel and, for a time, William Goldsmith for his incredibly mediocre "alternative" band. Although I'm sort of glad Mendel isn't on this record despite his talent. Grohl can keep him and his shitty AIDS denialism. 

- "Old Ramon" by Red House Painters: I think this is probably my favorite Kozelek effort. It's a refinement of everything he had done with RHP in the past, more mature than the despondent Down Colorful Hill or Rollercoaster yet a lot more involved than Songs for a Blue Guitar. A powerful collection of songs: "River" is a favorite, even though he's singing about his cat I always figured that the lyrics were about a strained relationship. I just wish Mark Kozelek wasn't a piece of shit.

- "Emergency & I" by The Dismemberment Plan: this is where the Plan really came into their own. I feel like their three previous releases had a lot of moments that were too immature for my tastes (...Is Terrified has like 4 songs where Travis Morrison does a funny voice and that's it that's the joke please laugh). Meanwhile on this record they write and play with conviction and heartbreak; see the tragic "The City" or perhaps "Spider in the Snow" for great examples. Unlike Pitchfork, I don't think it's the best record of 1999 ("California" by Mr. Bungle takes that crown), and that's due to the godawful "Girl O'Clock". If they removed that and replaced it with "Just Like You" or "Since You Died" (two B-sides), it would've been a perfect record.

- the "Il Duce" single by Big Black: the A-side was written and performed with their first bassist Jeff Pezatti (whose distinctive bass tone is very pleasurable to listen to), and features one of the few (if not only) times a synthesizer was used on a Big Black song. If you're talking to someone and they think this song's in support of Benito Mussolini, quit speaking to them immediately, because it isn't. The flipside is "Big Money" from their album Atomizer, which is a fast-paced hardcore track about the joys of police brutality ("He been walking this beat, you little punk/since you were still swimming in your daddy's balls!"). This single is tragically not on streaming.

- "Alien Lanes" by Guided by Voices: this album cost like $10 to produce, if Jim Greer in the GBV biography "Hunting Accidents" is to be believed, and the rest of the budget went to beer and gas money. So, that means this album proves Tears for Fears wrong: you don't need a million bucks to make a masterpiece. 28 lo-fi rockers for 40 or so minutes of your time? Yes please...

- "Replica" by Oneohtrix Point Never: hyperactive yet depressive nostalgia for the commercialism and consumerism of a decade that feels worlds away. Daniel Lopatin, on this record, takes a role not unlike Dr. Moreau: stringing together these mutant, offbeat electronic soundscapes from wildly different sources. Traditional instruments are scant save for "Andro", "Submersible" and "Explain". That beautiful piano that feels reminiscent of Tim Hecker's "Virgins" on "Power of Persuasion"? Michel Legrand shilling for American Express. The clusterfucks that are "Nassau" and "Child Soldier"? Strung together from bits and pieces of different vivisected ads.

- "Total Devo" by Devo: the fun thing about this record is that it sucks ass.