Arcade Fire - Astral Weeks

Arcade Fire by Arcade Fire
It's almost amazing that this band evolved into the one that made Funeral. It's a bit sloppy - the production is very low-fi, the songs are mostly unremarkable, both lyrically and in composition. The real gem, though, at least in retrospect, is the original version of "No Cars Go". The version from Neon Bible is shorter, and cleaner, but the ending of this version has context - "I don't want any pushing, and I don't want any shoving. We're gonna do this in an orderly manner. Women and children! Women and children! Women and children, let's go! Old folks, let's go! Babies needing cribs, let's go!". Maybe not the better version, but it makes the rerecorded version more enjoyable at the very least, in addition to being a damn fine song in its own right.

The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae
Fun, fun album. The music Miss Monae makes - I hesitate to categorize it - is so welcome to the landscape of popular music. She is so energetic, so quirky, and her voice is magnificent. The Metropolis-inspired concept doesn't quite jive with me that well, but it's also not that prevalent, so it's not a huge detraction. I am very interested in seeing how she does once she finishes Metropolis Suite IV.

Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
This is an undisputed classic. Top to bottom, truly a great album from three brilliantly talented musicians. It's a shame that Hendrix never made 30, and that Mitchell (perhaps the greatest rock drummers ever, in my estimation) and Redding never had any success after Jimi's passing. "Manic Depression" and "Red House" are among my all-time favorite songs. If you don't have this album, you don't have any reason to be reading this blog. But you should keep reading this blog even if you don't, because if you don't have this, you're probably missing a lot of other great things!


Are You Shpongled? by Shpongle
Great music to completely disconnect from the world to. Put this on, tune out the world. Come back some time later, feel refreshed. Not a whole lot to say here (partially because this sort of music is not my forte, but eh).

Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? by The Like
Surprisingly adept pop rock from a trio of young ladies. Great melodies, strong percussion, courtesy of Tennessee Thomas, daughter of Elvis Costello's long, long-time drummer Pete Thomas. I understand that they have had a dramatic lineup shift and a change in sound since Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?, but I'm hoping it's not too different, because this is a very enjoyable rock record.

Arm's Way by Islands
It'll be a long time before I get to either of the other Islands albums I have, so let me get this out here now - this album is long, meandering, and sloppy and does not really compare well to their other works. Somehow, though, it is still a decent album that is carried mainly by the band's ability to get a little something stuck in your head.

Armed Forces by Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello's first three albums might be the single greatest stretch of music that any artist has put out in the age of popular music. Armed Forces was the third of these. It's not the best of the three, I don't think, but it is still an undeniable classic. Most artists don't have one classic, much less three. Costello's cover of Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" has the Attractions at their most inspired. Elvis's lyrics are as sharp, as verbose, as intelligent as ever, and he bounces from syllable to syllable, word to word effortlessly. It is an album that leaves me short on words to describe just how excellent it truly is. If you have any interest in lyricism, punk, new wave, intelligence... hell, if you have an interest in music, pick this up.

Around the Fur by Deftones
There are few albums I enjoy as much as Around the Fur... when the situation is right. For me, the situation tends to be when I'm in a foul mood, or when I am stressed out. There's just a... harshness to their sound; the guitar and the bass explode from the speakers, the vocals are abrasive. It just diffuses anger, stress, whatever. I often put "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" on my running mixes. So good.

Arular by M.I.A.
M.I.A. is one crazy lady. I'm not a huge fan, but I have recently come around on this particular entry in her discography. She has this bizarre knack for making a pretty good pop song out of loud, junky sounds. It's almost uncanny how she takes things that would just annoy you on their own and turns them into a great hook or a great beat. As an album, this is probably her best, though she has, as you likely are aware, made better individual tracks than anything on this particular disc.

Astral Weeks by Van Morrison
This is, I think, the greatest album I have listened to thus far. It is so heartfelt, so introspective, but at the same time, so simple. It's like as beautiful as a stained glass window, and no less delicate. I'm not sure I know anyone who has heard this album and not connected with it in some fashion. There is a reason that Astral Weeks is often considered one of the greatest albums ever. I'm not sure I can fully grasp it. I'm not sure I ever will. All I know is that at the age I am now, Van Morrison wrote some of the most profoundly brilliant music not only of his career, but perhaps ever. And this isn't even my favorite album of his.

...And Justice for All - Aquemini

...And Justice for All by Metallica
I'm not a huge fan of metal, really. It's not that it's a bad genre or anything, it just generally does not appeal to me, mostly from a lyrical viewpoint. This album is one of few where the lyrics are at least serviceable (and sometimes better than that) and the instrumental side is excellent, as is usually the case with Metallica. "One", of course, is a classic, but I think the highlight of the album for me is the opener, "Blackened". Someone needs to use that in a movie, for a chase scene or something.

...And Out Come the Wolves by Rancid
I will always have a soft spot for this one. It reminds me of my youth, spent laying in bed, listening to the radio at night when I was supposed to be sleeping, hearing "Time Bomb" and "Ruby Soho" playing seemingly every hour of the mid-90s. "Maxwell Murder" boasts one of the best basslines I have ever heard. ...And Out Come the Wolves is a great punk album with pop hooks, and it still feels fresh every time I hear it. I personally hope that it continues to for many more years.




Angel Dust by Faith No More
I don't even know what to write about this album. Faith No More is just hard to put into words. It seems to me that people either know if they like FNM or not. I do like them, and this album, to be sure, but it's very difficult to write about. Check it out. Or don't.

Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black by Public Enemy
This is almost certainly the worst Public Enemy album. It has two, count 'em two, good songs. One is the metal-tinged version of "Bring the Noise", featuring Anthrax, which, while good, is still a rerecording. The other song is the magnificent "By the Time I Get to Arizona". The beat on that one is just out of this world. It might be my favorite Public Enemy song ever - Chuck D just kills it and Flavor Flav is virtually nonexistent. Unfortunately, the rest of the album lacks both the fire and the production quality of Arizona, and the album suffers.

Apollo Kids by Ghostface Killah
This album isn't even technically out yet, I think. Pretty sure it comes out tomorrow. After Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City, this is very welcome, even if it's not quite one of Ghost's top tier releases. The production, despite being from a bunch of guys I've never heard of (one unremarkable track by The Hitmen excepted), is very solid, and does a good job of approximating the traditional Wu sound. Ghost, as usual, is on his game - raspy, urgent and smart. The problem I take with this album is that the guest spots are mostly uninspired. Do we need two guest verses from Cappadonna? No, of course not. With the exception of Raekwon and Black Thought, that same question and answer could be applied with the guest in question in place of Cap. Fortunately, Ghostface still carries the album, making for an ultimately enjoyable listen.

Apollo Sunshine by Apollo Sunshine
Continuing the trend of albums by local artists that the "A" albums, we have the middle album by Apollo Sunshine. It is a fantastic indie pop album that often flies in the face of convention, incorporating country twang, psychedelia and punk sensibilities in the span of less than 40 minutes. They really seem capable, at least on this album, of writing a great pop song in whatever subgenre of rock they feel like playing. The album is chaotic, it's fun, and it's bordering on genius. Shame they haven't followed it up with something of the same caliber. Please, do yourself a favor, and get this.


Apologies to the Queen Mary by Wolf Parade
Oh Wolf Parade. I have tried to like you. I truly have. I gave you second and third chances because my girlfriend loves you. Sadly, I cannot reconcile the vocals. They are just awful. Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug both manage to have singing styles that make me want to do horrible things. It's a shame, because the rest of it isn't bad.

Apparatus by subtractiveLAD
Within a few minutes of putting this on, I found myself spacing out, staring into nothing in particular. Apparatus has a very entrancing quality to it, but it only works for a limited amount of time, at least on me. Some time around the 35 minute mark, the magic starts to wear off. The problem is that the album is about 60 minutes long. This left me almost too aware of the last 20 minutes, and when you become aware of it, it's actually really boring. Weird.

Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses
Oh come on now, you've heard this. I don't need to write about this. (It would be better without "Think About You" and "You're Crazy", though.)

Aquemini by OutKast
I think this is my favorite OutKast album. It's not easy to pick, they really have never made a bad album. Aquemini is a bit long, but Big Boi and Andre3000, along with their guests, turn in excellent verse after excellent verse. Production, handled by a pair of OKs - OutKast themselves and Organized Konfusion - is the quintessential southern rap soundscape, I think. Distinctly "dirty", but not as over-the-top as the early 2000s southern rap boom. It's a definite classic, and a must-have for any hip hop fan.

Alligator - Amputechture

Alligator by The National
I don't really enjoy The National much. They are musically talented, and I appreciate that, but Matt Berninger's voice is just too syrupy for my tastes. His voice makes it hard for me to hone in on the lyrics very well, to the point where I don't immediately recall lyrics to any National song. Instrumentally, they're a great group, on Alligator especially. Their drummer is fantastic, but it's harder to enjoy it when Berninger is singing. I know a lot of people love this one though, so don't let me dissuade you from giving it a go.

Alone in a Crowd by Catch 22
A nice solid ska album. Not nearly as good as their debut, Keasbey Nights, but for their first album without Thomas Kalnoky, it's a very nice effort. Their cover of the Beach Boys' "Sloop John B.", "Wreck of the Sloop John B," is a very different take, but a great interpretation. Not a lot else to say about this one. Pick it up if you like ska or punk, see what you think.

Alright, Still by Lily Allen
As female pop stars go, Lily Allen is my favorite. I realize that's not saying a whole lot, considering how vapid most of them are. Allen is different though, at least on record. She is acerbic, she is mean, she is what she feels like being. She doesn't cutesy things up for radio play. Her lyrics are subversive, and they are backed with some of the most lush pop instrumentation in recent memory. "LDN" is so fantastically upbeat, yet the lyrics show the very unglamorous side of London. It's this juxtaposition that makes Alright, Still fun to listen to, even now, almost 5 years later. I have a feeling this will still sound great in 5 more years, if not longer.

Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series by The Decemberists
People who love the Decemberists always know what they are getting from a new release, and this is no exception. Released over a period of months as three 12" singles, Always the Bridesmaid bridged the gap between The Crane Wife and The Hazards of Love, and did so in a lovely fashion. The first volume - "Valerie Plame" and "O New England", is undeniably the strongest pair of songs, but the whole package is very solid. I think it would be a bit better without both versions of "Days of Elaine" - either the short or the long should go, I don't really care which - but I still greatly enjoy it as a short album / EP.

Aman Iman by Tinariwen
I don't partake in any sort of recreational drugs, but this music gives me the distinct feeling that it would be great to listen to if you were completely stoned. Even sober, I can put it on and just sort of let it ride, and enjoy it without really paying direct attention to it. And it's not like there's a lot to pay attention to - the lyrics are in Arabic (I believe). The instrumentation is somewhat sparse and winding, and it lends itself well to relaxation and clearing out your mind.

Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele by Amanda Palmer
I don't believe I mentioned it in the writeup for A is for Accident, but Amanda Palmer is the voice of the Dresden Dolls, for those of you who aren't aware. She has developed a successful solo career over the last few years, and this is her most recent release - an EP of her covering Radiohead songs on ukulele. It is surprisingly good. Her voice is well-suited to the songs she selected, particularly "No Surprises" and "Exit Music (For a Film)". Some tracks mix in piano along with the uke, but they all sound excellent. 

American Gangster by Jay-Z
There is a distinct possibility that this will go down as the last great Jay-Z album. It's well over three years old now, The Blueprint 3 has come and gone, and it was lackluster at best. American Gangster, inspired loosely by the film of the same name, is back to basics mafioso rap from one of the guys who has done it best. He goes light on the guest spots - there are only really 3 - and the production from Diddy and the Hitmen is both soulful and bombastic in equal measure. I won't go so far as to say that it's the best album Hova has ever released, but damn, sometimes it feels like it might be. And no lie, "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)" might be my favorite Jay-Z single ever. That brass section...! Fantastic.

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted by Ice Cube
It's hard to believe Ice Cube used to be this good. He goes so hard on every single track here, it's ridiculous. I can't even imagine where that fire went, or how it turned into shit like "Are We There Yet?" or whatever terrible PG comedy he's doing these days. Shameful. Production on this was handled by Public Enemy's Bomb Squad, and they came up with some of the best work they've ever done. There are beats on here that people will recognize without ever having heard an Ice Cube song, I think. Come back, Cube!

Amnesiac by Radiohead
Not including Pablo Honey, which I don't even have any more, this is probably my least favorite Radiohead record. There are certainly some great tracks - "Like Spinning Plates" and "Pyramid Song chief among them - but the songs in between just... don't do anything for me, as a listener. I feel mostly disengaged from the music when I listen to Amnesiac, like the songs between the high points are only there because they have to be there. The whole experience just feels dull too often.

Amputechture by The Mars Volta
Not one of the better Mars Volta albums, by any means. It's not out and out bad, but it's not something I would listen to regularly. "Viscera Eyes" is a great track (and remains the only Mars Volta song I've ever heard on commercial radio), but there's both not enough and too much going on in this album for it to be good cover to cover. I did do math better when listening to it, though, so there's that.

Aerosmith - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

Aerosmith by Aerosmith
Yet another Bostonian band shows up, and again, with a debut album. Aerosmith's eponymous album is kind of a marvel. It's rock solid from cover to cover, filled with heavy blues-rock riffs, pounding drums, and thumping basslines. It features "Dream On", which is certainly one of the greatest rock songs ever written. It's amazing to me to see how thoroughly excellent this album is, when so many albums today seem unable to cut the fat and make an album leaner and stronger.This is definitely a must have if you appreciate good "classic" rock. Top to bottom, a winner.


Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens
Man, what is this. There are moments, mostly in the early parts of the album, where this sounds like good old Sufjan Stevens. Then there are parts where he screams, auto-tunes himself, or says stuff like "I'm not fucking around", and I can't help but scratch my head. It's not "the worst thing ever", as some people have called it, but it's also not "the next Kid A", which some others have called it. It's just sort of a messy hodgepodge of things Sufjan probably needed to get out of his system.

The Airing of Grievances by Titus Andronicus
I cannot speak highly enough of Titus Andronicus. I have seen them three times, all in support of Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, and each time, they tore the roof off the place. And each time, they were better than the last. After the first show of theirs I saw, my friend Matt and I met them at their merch table. They hung out and just talked with us for like half an hour. During that half hour, it became very clear that they are every bit as intelligent as their music makes them sound, and no less brash. Their appreciation for lyricism and emotion mixed with their already well-honed punk chops shines through on every track they've ever made. The Airing of the Grievances is just phenomenal.

Alive and Amplified by The Mooney Suzuki
If you ignore the high schoolish lyrics, this is a pretty rad album. The riffs and licks are good, the songs all move along at the perfect pace. It's a solid little rock album, much in the way the typical AC/DC album is - you just have to tune out the lyrics. Though in this case, it's much easier to do, because the lead vocalist's voice is nowhere near as grating as either of AC/DC's.

All Day by Girl Talk
Gregg Gillis is a genius. I think after three albums of this caliber, we can agree on that much. He has a peerless ear when it comes to pop music. He can pull things from any genre, any decade, put them in a pot and stir, and whatever comes out is delicious. On All Day, he takes the tried and true formulas of his previous efforts and stretches them out, turning the individual movements into long-form mash-ups. Unsurprisingly, it works brilliantly. Whether it is Fugazi x Rhianna or Peter Gabriel x Foxy Brown x Nine Inch Nails, Gillis gets it right.



All Delighted People by Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan calls this an EP. At over 60 minutes, that's a bit of bullshit. It's pretty good. Not too crazy, like Age of Adz. Pretty standard Sufjan for the most part. The two versions of the title track are entirely unnecessary, and "Djohariah" is far far too long, much like Adz's "Impossible Soul". All told, it's a good album, better than Age of Adz, but nowhere near Sufjan's previous works. Worth a look if you like his brand of folk.

All Eyez on Me by 2Pac
Goddamn it 2Pac. One of these days you'll learn how to make an album. All Eyez on Me is too long, and there is a lot of filler. If someone had had the sense enough to tell him to make it a single album instead of a double album, it would probably be among the all-time great rap albums. As it is, it's still a solid 7.5-8.0 kind of album - it does still have "California Love" and "I Ain't Mad at Cha".

All Hail West Texas by The Mountain Goats
Lo-fi at its best. Humorous, but touching lyrics, simple but effective guitar. I don't have a lot to say about this, but if I were to give four concrete recommendations instead of three, this would be #4. Very good album.

All Mod Cons by The Jam
The Jam are a band everyone should have some appreciation of. This is almost certainly their best album, and it features their best song "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", an excellent narrative about a man being brutally assaulted for petty cash in a tube station by three young ruffians. Great mod / punk album. A must for fans of those styles of music.

All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone by Explosions in the Sky
I don't really like post-rock, but, on occasion, I greatly enjoy this album. It's tense, but also calming, in some strange way. I absolutely adore the percussion. The guitar work is... nice. This album, to me, is sort of like listening to a good thunderstorm. Tumultuous but relaxing.

A Grand Don't Come for Free - Ænima

A Grand Don't Come for Free by The Streets

This is a fantastic album, no doubt about it. In 2004, the concept album was functionally dead in virtually all genres, and virtually non-existent in anything resembling hip hop. Sure, there was Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... in the 90s, among a few others, but nothing really told a cohesive story as well as A Grand Don't Come for Free, nor as relatable. The protagonist loses a thousand pounds, and goes through the many ups and downs of life - framed mostly by his disastrous relationship with a woman named Simone - before finally finding the lost money in the end. The entire story is backed by production that fits the particular segment of the story to a T, making the entire experience wonderful to listen to.

A is for Accident by The Dresden Dolls

I feel like it is exceptionally rare for a band to have its full length debut be a live record, but then again, the Dresden Dolls aren't exactly a common band. In most every way, this fits the duo. They built up a reputation for their live performances, and this album gives listeners an ample taste of what those early shows were like - intimate, raucous, risque. Lots of whaling on the piano. It's a great entry point to their music; after listening, you'll either love them or you won't. And really, that's what makes it a great debut.

Abandoned Language by Dalek

Abandoned Language is good, but it could be better. Dalek is a very capable lyricist, and the production is good. The beats aren't memorable, and I can't say that I recall any lines that jumped out at me. This is perhaps the result of the album coming in around 62 minutes. It's just too long, even if it is pretty good head-noddin' music.

Abbey Road by The Beatles

What can I say about this that hasn't been said a thousand times over? It is almost always either #1 or #2 in my ranking of Beatles albums. It's almost perfect. I think if you took out "Octopus' Garden", it's a 10/10 album. As it is, it's still 9.7+. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is just brilliant. It's so vastly different from every other Beatles composition. It's long, brooding, utilizes variation and repetition, and then, it just ends. That's it. The perfect way to end the first side of the album. The second side opens with "Here Comes the Sun", which feels like the dawn after a tumultuous storm-filled evening. You then go into the medley, which is something like 17 minutes long and truly wonderful throughout. I'd go on at length, but these are supposed to be brief.

Absolute Value by Akrobatik

Another album by a local artist. Akrobatik is perhaps most famous for his work in The Perceptionists, or for his work narrating the video game Amplitude. He is a very capable MC. Nothing overwhelming, but a good, solid MC. He, like his friend and collaborator, Mr. Lif, is generally a socially conscious rapper, though Ak tends to be much less political than Lif. Generally, he's preaching the value in getting along, being respectful, that sort of thing, and he does it pretty well. Where he really shines is when he goes off of that script and does a track extolling his own awesomeness or about everyday life. If he can continue to diversify his subject matter, he's bound to break out.

Accipio by Mountains in the Sky

Man, I don't even know what to say about this one. It is like a neon carnival populated by children and robots. It's not bad... just weird. Really weird. I can't even begin to explain it better than I already have. If someone else wants to, by all means, please go ahead. That's what the comments are for.

Ace of Spades EP by Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves

Apparently the early A's have quite a few local acts in them. This is a gem. Eli Reed and co. cover Motorhead's "Ace of Spades", The Miracles' "Bad Girl" and Merle Haggard's "I'm Gonna Break Every Heart I Can", and throw in two live cuts of their own. You would never know by listening to his soulful wailing that Eli Reed is a Jewish kid from Brookline. His voice could rival the soul greats - Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, you name it, his voice is on that level. He's not quite the writer that they were, but he's young. He's been singing in blues joints since he was 18. He's only 28 now, and just got signed to Parlophone. I think you can expect great things from Mr. Reed in the future.

Acrobatic Tenement by At the Drive-In

At the Drive-In is a tricky band. Sometimes, I listen to them, and wonder how on earth they became the principal parts of The Mars Volta. Other times, I listen to them and the jump is clear as day. Acrobatic Tenement is mostly the latter. It's a good album, mostly. Typically loud, complex. It's not beautiful music, but nonetheless, it's very enjoyable, at least to my ears. I can easily see the jarring percussion, the jagged guitar, or the manic vocals giving people headaches, but man, do I enjoy it.

Act III: Life and Death by The Dear Hunter

This is a weird album. I have no idea why I have it. Presumably it was recommended to me and I actually got it. But I can't tell you who recommended it to me. No idea. Musically, it's a bit odd. It feels sort of like it would work well with visuals by Tim Burton. It's a bit dark, a bit odd in terms of instrumentation and composition, but in good ways, usually. It seems to be part of an overall narrative (as you may conclude from the title), but I didn't really pick up much plot from the lyrics. This is one I'd have to classify as "listen for yourself". Can't recommend it, but I can't tell you to avoid it either. You be the judge.

Ænima by Tool

Ænima is almost certainly the best Tool album there ever will be. Danny Carey's drumming propels the listener, the band, and everything in between through 75+ minutes of music that is both guttural and intelligent. Maynard James Keenan, at this point in time, sounded just crazy enough; I think in recent years he has pushed his lyrics a little bit too far into the fringe. Ænima is fairly accessible, thanks to that (at least relative to other Tool albums).

Here's How This is Gonna Work

I will listen to the albums when I can.

When I get to 10, I'll whip up a post. I have no idea what the timetable will be on these. It could be a couple days, it could be a couple weeks. You know how it is.

The post will have three albums with art. Those three are the cream of that particular crop, ones I would recommend to anyone. The rest, well, you'll have to judge if you're interested based on my not-very-technical blurbs.

Happy listening!

Welcome to Albumphabet*

*Name tentative

I like to write.
I like music.

This will be where I do that. Sometimes intelligently, sometimes not so much. The primary focus of this blog is to keep track of an undertaking I have begun - listening to every album I have, in alphabetical order. Interspersed will be lists, write-ups and musings about albums, songs, concerts, etc.

Cheers, and enjoy!