Friday, August 31, 2012

Vol. 3 Episode 34

I am so excited, I got the new Man or Astro-Man? 7" in the mail to day! There is a sticker holding the top closed though. I don't think that I am going to open it. I am going to download the tracks when they become available on the internets.

I also got a CD in the mail from Run For Cover Records. I am a little miffed at this release. They sent it in a simple paper envelop with out any kind of stiffener. Because of this the CD has a crack on the outer edge where the track that I want is located. I have sent them an email asking for a replacement. We'll see what comes back.

I also got an email from the company that I ordered the new XX album from. It has been delayed two weeks. It is a little disappointing but I am still excited to hear the album and get it in my hands.

Anyway, on with the show...



This is the third studio album from Chic. It was released in 1979. This is a great disco album and has been sampled by many hip-hop and rap groups. I love disco and have loved it since I was a child. The music had its heyday when I was a child though so I don’t know many artists or songs names from the time. I stumble on them from time to time and buy then as soon as I figure out who they are. I bought two albums from Chic when I realized who they were and what they sang. This is one of them.

There are three singles released from this album. The first is called Good Times. The bass line in this track is stand out amazing and creative. I remember the chorus being so happy and energetic. This was what disco was about to me, happiness and enjoyment. This bass line has been sampled most famously from The Sugar Hill Gangs’ song Rapper’s Delight to a more recent Daft Punk song called Around The World.

The second single released from this album is called MyForbidden Lover. This song was not as popular as Good Times but still has a great bass line. I don’t remember hearing this song ever until I heard this album. The song is good but it doesn’t have that nostalgic feeling to it that I have with Good Times.

The third single released from the album is called My FeetKeep Dancing. The bass line in this one is a little bit simpler. It uses octaves and repetitive notes. There are little flourishes but for the most part it just keeps the song moving. This is another one that is very good but doesn’t give me that feeling that I want, nostalgia.

Over all this is a very good album. If your not into disco don’t bother. If you are into disco but just want that nostalgic feeling then just get the single, Good Times. You will be more than happy with that.


This is a compilation album of non-album singles. It was released in 1998. I remember being in Let It Be records when it was still in the heart of Minneapolis MN and seeing it displayed on vinyl on the main level of the store. I thought it would be cool to get but it was too expensive for me at the time. I remember going to that store and going to the basement to look through their huge collection of techno music. I probably bought less than ten techno records from them but I absolutely love then to death. They are probably some of the best records that I own. They were all singles with only two or three tracks on them but they remind me of a special time in the music industry and in my life. I wish I had bought that record but it doesn’t really matter because I still got it on CD. Actually, I am probably happier that I have it on CD because there are extra tracks on the CD version. The extra tracks were just short interstitials on the disk but they change the feel of how the music is laid out.

There was only one song on this comp that was released for radio play. I have never heard it on the radio but I like the track a lot. The track is called In/Flux. It is a twelve minute track that goes through some broad changes. Through out the whole track the drums remain consistent. What I mean is that the tonality of the drums doesn’t really change. This is pretty amazing since they are samples and usually when the song changes so drastically the drum samples will slightly change. I have a lot of respect for DJ Shadow because of this.

This is the first album from Elefant. It was released in 2003. I found out about this group in 2005. I remember taking a drive with some of my friends, this doesn’t happen very often, and turning this album on for them. The driver, Shorty, said that he loved the music that I found and did not know how I found out about this underground stuff. I felt so proud but told him that all I did was surf the internet to find new acts really. I love to be able to turn friends on to new music. I don’t know if he really liked the music but it was definitely new and different to him. There is something special about this album though. I am not sure if it is the tones or the rhythms or the combination of the two but it is perfection. The vocals are clear and normal.

There was only one single released from this album. It is too bad really because there is so much great music on this album. The single is called Misfit. This track does stand out over the rest of the album but only by a hair. I wish that I could make a track like this really. It is exceptional. The guitars are layered four deep at least. There is the bass, a clear tone guitar, a distorted guitar and then a different tone distortion used for stabs and separate rhythm from the first distorted guitar. And the song gets better with the fact that you can understand the story that is being told through the vocals.

To a lesser extent the rest of the album is just as good as Misfit. This is an underground album that I think everyone should listen to and fall in love with. Go and get it today!
 
This is the first album from Harvey Danger. It was originally released in 1997. I got this album and instantly fell in love with the album. It is so much fun and easy to sing along with. The first track, Carlota Valdez            sets the tone for the album, punchy and energetic. It is really a fun album.

The single released from the album is called FlaggpoleSitta. The song is an introspective on life as a teen ager. Mainly their view on sexuality but it also looks at psychological changes as one grows up as a teenager too. The music is very expressive as well. It is very punchy and energetic but also has a lull in the middle of the track that keeps me interested in the song. The lyrics are easy to sing along with and are not so convoluted that they don’t make any sense.

This is one of my favorite albums from the late 90s. This was a period of time when nobody knew where the music industry should be moving. This was also when everyone putting out music was still trying to make a light version of grunge music. This was a light for me during that time. something that was musically incredible and didn’t suck. 

That is all I have for now...

No comments:

Post a Comment