(Slowdive Danforth Music Hall 2014)
Friday, 28 November 2014
Who I've Seen
So, I've been thinking about all the bands/musicians I've seen and decided that in lieu of a massive box full of concert tickets I would start compiling a list. While many of them I could remember right away, some took a bit of research and asking around. It was a fun project though because I remembered shows that I hadn't thought about in years. I've been lucky since only a few of these have been terrible. Tv on the Radio being the most heartbreaking example of an amazing band who are awful live. Any band I've seen more than once has a number beside the entry. These are from 1997 to the present and will be updated.
Monday, 28 July 2014
Nine Inch Nails & Soundgarden Concert Report
Nine Inch Nails with Soundgarden at Molson Amphitheatre July 27
This was a reunion of a pairing that occurred 20 years ago at the much-loved Molson Park. At that concert, in 1994, my mum's boyfriend at the time got a concussion from the intense moshing. In the intervening decades, the crowd has mellowed somewhat but the bands are still as powerful as ever. Electronic improviser Oneohtrix Point Never opened with some heavy drones and beats backed by some very impressive abstract visuals. He replaced the habitually unreliable and now dissolved hip-hop/noise duo Death Grips. OPNs music was fairly compelling but was largely ignored by the hard rock-craving masses.
Soundgarden came out strong, sounding entirely undiminished by time, though they are definitely more of a nostalgia act than Nine Inch Nails since their sound is largely unchanged in the last 20 years. Their set was fairly heavy on songs from 1994s Superunknown, an album that is generally considered their best. "Black Hole Sun", their signature hit, was a little disappointing as it was played a bit slow with the vocals in a lower register. Chris Cornell's distinctive high-pitched wail was in full force elsewhere though, especially on the closing song, 1988s "Beyond the Wheel", a song that I was formerly unfamiliar with but that blew me away. They wisely only played one song from their 2012 solid but unremarkable reunion album King Animal, "A Thousand Days Before". The band sounded typically fantastic, with guitarist Kim Thayil playing busy and intricate guitar lines and replacement drummer Matt Chamberlain fitting in seamlessly.
This is my fourth time seeing Nine Inch Nails and considering they're basically my favourite band, it's hard to be too objective but they definitely put on one of the most all-around impressive shows of any band today. As they have a consistently evolving style and often rearrange older tracks, they avoid seeming like a 90s time capsule. Frontman Trent Reznor began the show solo, with just a sequencer on stage for an excellent rendition of "Copy of A" from last year's amazing Hesitation Marks album. The current version of the band gradually joined in for a set that covered all of their albums, save for 1999s The Fragile.
Their set was heavy on the hits but made room for some fully out-there album tracks like "The Great Destroyer", which climaxed with three minutes of abstract electronics. Their use of visuals was stunning, with abstract computerized patterns that reacted to the music. Trent Reznor is still an amazing frontman, though some of their earlier super-angsty lyrics do sound a little silly sung by a 49 year-old man with arms the size of fire hydrants. Their pacing was perfect, finding a balance between rock and electronic, blunt and abstract. Standard closer "Hurt" provided a pleasingly emotional come down after an intense three hours.
Soundgarden came out strong, sounding entirely undiminished by time, though they are definitely more of a nostalgia act than Nine Inch Nails since their sound is largely unchanged in the last 20 years. Their set was fairly heavy on songs from 1994s Superunknown, an album that is generally considered their best. "Black Hole Sun", their signature hit, was a little disappointing as it was played a bit slow with the vocals in a lower register. Chris Cornell's distinctive high-pitched wail was in full force elsewhere though, especially on the closing song, 1988s "Beyond the Wheel", a song that I was formerly unfamiliar with but that blew me away. They wisely only played one song from their 2012 solid but unremarkable reunion album King Animal, "A Thousand Days Before". The band sounded typically fantastic, with guitarist Kim Thayil playing busy and intricate guitar lines and replacement drummer Matt Chamberlain fitting in seamlessly.
This is my fourth time seeing Nine Inch Nails and considering they're basically my favourite band, it's hard to be too objective but they definitely put on one of the most all-around impressive shows of any band today. As they have a consistently evolving style and often rearrange older tracks, they avoid seeming like a 90s time capsule. Frontman Trent Reznor began the show solo, with just a sequencer on stage for an excellent rendition of "Copy of A" from last year's amazing Hesitation Marks album. The current version of the band gradually joined in for a set that covered all of their albums, save for 1999s The Fragile.
Their set was heavy on the hits but made room for some fully out-there album tracks like "The Great Destroyer", which climaxed with three minutes of abstract electronics. Their use of visuals was stunning, with abstract computerized patterns that reacted to the music. Trent Reznor is still an amazing frontman, though some of their earlier super-angsty lyrics do sound a little silly sung by a 49 year-old man with arms the size of fire hydrants. Their pacing was perfect, finding a balance between rock and electronic, blunt and abstract. Standard closer "Hurt" provided a pleasingly emotional come down after an intense three hours.
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks Concert Report
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks with Dustin Wong at Lee's Palace April 19
An evening with Animal Collective's pseudo-frontman was opened by guitar expressionist Dustin Wong. Dustin played forty minutes of solo, looped electric guitar accompanied by occasional wordless singing. Under a bed of intricate, classical-influenced loops, he unleashed furious riffs and cosmic leads. The crowd stood in rapt attention, letting out screams for particularly impressive guitar lines and the occasional times that Wong stood up to sing.
The audience was pretty pumped to see Avey Tare since the last two Animal Collective shows had been respectively cancelled and performed without his vocals. While this show was dedicated exclusively to the Enter the Slasher House album, there were definitely serious Animal Collective fans in the crowd. The loose b-grade horror-movie concept of the album was visualized with plastic skulls and the occasional rubber mask, both seemingly from the Dollarama Halloween section. Once the lights went out and the projections hit the skulls, the setup created a pleasantly disorienting effect. The band was barely visible for the entirety of the show.
The band's style of performance was far more aggressive but also somewhat more straightforward than Animal Collective. While they stuck mainly to songs on the album, Tare's group extended most of the songs well beyond their recorded limits with the inclusion of spacey keyboard interludes and furious drumming. Tracks like "Duplex Trip" and "That It Won't Grow" drastically surpassed the album versions. While all three of the band members were great, the drummer stood out, playing rhythms both driving and unnatural. Tare's singing, while heavily processed, was as intense as a punk singer, delivering mostly incomprehensible lyrics. By the end of the show, the front of the crowd had become a big, ecstatic mosh pit hanging on every beat and pulsation.
An evening with Animal Collective's pseudo-frontman was opened by guitar expressionist Dustin Wong. Dustin played forty minutes of solo, looped electric guitar accompanied by occasional wordless singing. Under a bed of intricate, classical-influenced loops, he unleashed furious riffs and cosmic leads. The crowd stood in rapt attention, letting out screams for particularly impressive guitar lines and the occasional times that Wong stood up to sing.
The audience was pretty pumped to see Avey Tare since the last two Animal Collective shows had been respectively cancelled and performed without his vocals. While this show was dedicated exclusively to the Enter the Slasher House album, there were definitely serious Animal Collective fans in the crowd. The loose b-grade horror-movie concept of the album was visualized with plastic skulls and the occasional rubber mask, both seemingly from the Dollarama Halloween section. Once the lights went out and the projections hit the skulls, the setup created a pleasantly disorienting effect. The band was barely visible for the entirety of the show.
The band's style of performance was far more aggressive but also somewhat more straightforward than Animal Collective. While they stuck mainly to songs on the album, Tare's group extended most of the songs well beyond their recorded limits with the inclusion of spacey keyboard interludes and furious drumming. Tracks like "Duplex Trip" and "That It Won't Grow" drastically surpassed the album versions. While all three of the band members were great, the drummer stood out, playing rhythms both driving and unnatural. Tare's singing, while heavily processed, was as intense as a punk singer, delivering mostly incomprehensible lyrics. By the end of the show, the front of the crowd had become a big, ecstatic mosh pit hanging on every beat and pulsation.
Monday, 31 March 2014
Warpaint Concert Report
Warpaint with Cate Le Bon at Danforth Music Hall March 25
I always enjoy going to the Danforth Music Hall. It's one of the nicest venues in the city with a slightly-inclined floor that affords excellent site lines. Opener Cate Le Bon performed an odd variety of song-oriented psychedelia with a pleasantly Welsh vibe. While the music was fairly simple, the band occasionally veered off into oddball free-jazz jam territory while Cate herself would vocalize what could only be described as aggressive bird calls. Not brilliant but she definitely has potential.
Warpaint's distinctive gothic-psychedelic atmosphere was evident as soon as their lighting came on. They played for the better part of an hour and a half, focusing mainly on the moody electronic grooves of their newly-released, self-titled album. A few tracks from their first album, The Fool, showed off their more rock-oriented sound. They seemed very skillful and comfortable as a band, frequently jamming and locking into extremely tight grooves.
They were very charismatic, with the two singers splitting vocal duties fairly equally as well as regularly interacting with the crowd.. The crowd seemed to love them, especially a group of very drunk people behind us. The highlights were a couple of better known songs: "Love is To Die", a groovy and catchy number from the new record, as well as "Undertow", a melodic rocker from their first record. For the encore, they played the excellent "Elephant" which became a full-on rock epic. Overall, their mix of good songs, beguiling atmosphere, solid musicianship and sonic variety makes them a compelling group.
Friday, 14 March 2014
Between the Buried and Me with Deafheaven Concert Report
Between the Buried and Me with Deafheaven at the Phoenix February 28
Deafheaven
This was only my third proper metal show after seeing Dillinger Escape Plan and later Opeth with Mastodon. I was initially more excited to see Deafheaven since they've gotten tonnes of great reviews and even made the cover of Now magazine in Toronto. Deafheaven play a blend of black metal and shoegaze that is like catnip for music critics. Having extremely long songs, they played only four songs with three brief interludes. I was a bit disappointed because the only song from the awesome Sunbather album that they didn't play was "Vertigo", which is my favorite. They sounded very impressive live though. While their wall of noise was quite similar to the album, the addition of a full band created a bigger, more powerful effect. The song "Sunbather" was particularly stunning. They maintained a solid balance between black metal screaming and melodic, almost sunny guitar lines. The singer had a looming, energetic and vaguely frightening presence that made up for the lack of variety in his vocal delivery. The mixing was successful in that the singing felt like another guitar part, as it should with a band like this. For both bands, the crowd's enthusiasm was hugely invigorating.
Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me, despite their questionable, Counting Crows-derived name, were definitely the more impressive of the two bands offering a fusion of technical death metal and prog-pop. I recently discovered the distinction between black and death metal. Black metal has higher pitched screaming vocals with fairly steady, consistent rhythms while death metal involves lower-pitched, growling vocals combined with frequent time changes. It was interesting seeing examples of both, with Deafheaven representing the former and Between the Buried and Me the latter. BtBaM (or maybe just BBM?) fairly boldly decided to make their main set consist only of their newest album, The Parallax II: Future Sequence. Luckily, it's a quite good album that represents a wide variety of sounds. As well, this gave the set an amazing flow as the songs segue nicely into one another. The band's technical skill was clearly through the roof, being able to switch from one genre to another at the drop of a hat. The best example of this was "Bloom", which in three minutes captured everything the band is good at. They encored with "Sun of Nothing" from Circles, a triumphant finale and likely their best song.
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Bowie in Total 4: The Music is Outside
On to part four (!) of David Bowie's substantial discography where he reunites with some old comrades and tries some new tricks. The 1990s were definitely one of the more interesting periods in Bowie's career as makes more of an effort to follow musical trends while being as iconoclastic as he's ever been. Overall, a good decade where his worst album of the era, 1999's Hours..., is still better than most music put out at the time.
Black Tie, White Noise (1993)
This album serves as a wedding album of sorts for Bowie, who had recently wedded supermodel Iman Abdulmajid, as the first and last songs are "The Wedding" and "The Wedding Song" respectively. Bowie reunited with producer/guitarist Nile Rogers and, as such, I like to imagine this album as the sequel to Let's Dance, with the intervening ten horrible years erased. In fact, I find this record to be much more enjoyable than Let's Dance, and to be a much more successful fusion of Bowie's disparate styles. He dives headfirst into early 90s dance music with greater success than one would expect while contributing an impressive amount of his distinctive saxophone playing. He continues his trend, dating back to Let's Dance, of including cover songs on the album, though of a far superior variety than those on albums previous. A cover of Cream's "I Feel Free" has Bowie reuniting with Ziggy-era guitarist Mick Ronson for a track that fuses dance-funk with a bit of classic rock jamming. His cover of Scott Walker's "Nite Flights" captures the eerie, driving feel of the original while including some Happy Mondays-style production. My favorite tracks are "Jump They Say", a superficially upbeat pop song with unsettling lyrics detailing the disorientation of living with schizophrenia, and "Pallas Athena", a mostly instrumental dance track that foreshadows the material that Bowie would put out later in the decade.
The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
A soundtrack of sorts to a BBC miniseries of the same name, this album is often ignored but is a surprisingly good low-stakes effort by Bowie. He played most of the instruments himself, making this album the closest to a true solo effort for Bowie. Despite this, the songwriting is very good and the sound of the album, while somewhat dated, is consistently interesting. Many of the tracks are either instrumentals or have minimal, repetitive vocals. The only track I would omit would be the reprise of the title track at the end, featuring a superfluous guitar solo from Lenny Kravitz. My favorite songs are "Sex and the Church", a mostly instrumental mix of dark dance beats and free jazz, as well as "Dead Against It", a poppy track with a backing reminiscent of Neu! and late period Cocteau Twins.
1. Outside (1995)
Easily one of my favorite Bowie albums, this is his longest and strangest. It is a somewhat confusing though detailed concept album about a child murder in a near future of interest drugs and self-mutilation art. This album absolutely must be listened to with the accompanying booklet, which has amazing artwork and detailed narration on the plot and characters. Bowie reunited with Brian Eno, Tin Machine guitarist Reeves Gabrels and his 70s keyboardist Mike Garson to make for one of his best bands. The songs were largely formed from extended jams inspired by the various themes and characters of the album. The album fuses elements of jazz, avant-garde and industrial to create a wholly unique sound, exemplified by lead single, "The Heart's Filthy Lesson". There are a number of spoken-word interludes where Bowie portrays the various characters with surprising skill for a terrifying effect. I don't think it would be fair to pick my favorite songs since the album works so much better as a whole. If you're looking for a challenging and engaging listen, check this album out!
Earthling (1997)
Stylistically, somewhat of a continuation from Outside, this album is simpler and more immediate. As one of the major elements of the album is Bowie's interpretation of Drum and Bass, I thought this album would sound very dated but, surprisingly, it feels as fresh and contemporary as when it came out. Using many of the same musicians as Outside, this album is probably Bowie's loudest and heaviest. Somewhat less successful are the lyrics, which were largely composed using a William Burroughs-influenced cut-up technique. Even the songs where the lyrics and melody fall somewhat flat, such as "The Last Thing You Should Do" and "Looking for Satellites", are still enjoyable due to the strong musicianship and general enthusiasm of the process. To me, the best tracks are "Dead Man Walking", which has both the Drum and Bass influence and a strong lyric and melody, as well as "I'm Afraid of Americans", one of Bowie's better, more provocative singles from this era.
Hours (1999)
After a string of excellent albums, this one proved to be a bit of a let down with impressively ugly cover art. Originating as a soundtrack to the video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul, these songs lack the coherence or power of his previous few albums. Hours has a quieter, more contemplative mood that contrasts with the heavy, intense material of previous years. I see this album as a somewhat cynical attempt to cash in on the adult contemporary sound that was popular at the time with TV stations like Much More Music and VH1. Lead single "Thursday's Child" perfectly exemplifies this with a middle-of-the-road beat, wispy strings and soft, generic backing vocals. Despite this, the melodies of most of the songs are still strong, certainly way ahead of his 80s material. Also, Reeves Gabrels contributes some solid guitar playing for what would prove to be his last collaboration with Bowie. My picks for this album are "Something in the Air", a fairly adventurous track that involves a sickly funk groove and unhinged, digitally distorted vocals, as well as "If I'm Dreaming My Life", a classic rock epic with great guitar playing and a solid energy. After this comes the far more interesting Heathen and the beginning of the most recent phase of Bowie's career.
Black Tie, White Noise (1993)
This album serves as a wedding album of sorts for Bowie, who had recently wedded supermodel Iman Abdulmajid, as the first and last songs are "The Wedding" and "The Wedding Song" respectively. Bowie reunited with producer/guitarist Nile Rogers and, as such, I like to imagine this album as the sequel to Let's Dance, with the intervening ten horrible years erased. In fact, I find this record to be much more enjoyable than Let's Dance, and to be a much more successful fusion of Bowie's disparate styles. He dives headfirst into early 90s dance music with greater success than one would expect while contributing an impressive amount of his distinctive saxophone playing. He continues his trend, dating back to Let's Dance, of including cover songs on the album, though of a far superior variety than those on albums previous. A cover of Cream's "I Feel Free" has Bowie reuniting with Ziggy-era guitarist Mick Ronson for a track that fuses dance-funk with a bit of classic rock jamming. His cover of Scott Walker's "Nite Flights" captures the eerie, driving feel of the original while including some Happy Mondays-style production. My favorite tracks are "Jump They Say", a superficially upbeat pop song with unsettling lyrics detailing the disorientation of living with schizophrenia, and "Pallas Athena", a mostly instrumental dance track that foreshadows the material that Bowie would put out later in the decade.
The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
A soundtrack of sorts to a BBC miniseries of the same name, this album is often ignored but is a surprisingly good low-stakes effort by Bowie. He played most of the instruments himself, making this album the closest to a true solo effort for Bowie. Despite this, the songwriting is very good and the sound of the album, while somewhat dated, is consistently interesting. Many of the tracks are either instrumentals or have minimal, repetitive vocals. The only track I would omit would be the reprise of the title track at the end, featuring a superfluous guitar solo from Lenny Kravitz. My favorite songs are "Sex and the Church", a mostly instrumental mix of dark dance beats and free jazz, as well as "Dead Against It", a poppy track with a backing reminiscent of Neu! and late period Cocteau Twins.
1. Outside (1995)
Easily one of my favorite Bowie albums, this is his longest and strangest. It is a somewhat confusing though detailed concept album about a child murder in a near future of interest drugs and self-mutilation art. This album absolutely must be listened to with the accompanying booklet, which has amazing artwork and detailed narration on the plot and characters. Bowie reunited with Brian Eno, Tin Machine guitarist Reeves Gabrels and his 70s keyboardist Mike Garson to make for one of his best bands. The songs were largely formed from extended jams inspired by the various themes and characters of the album. The album fuses elements of jazz, avant-garde and industrial to create a wholly unique sound, exemplified by lead single, "The Heart's Filthy Lesson". There are a number of spoken-word interludes where Bowie portrays the various characters with surprising skill for a terrifying effect. I don't think it would be fair to pick my favorite songs since the album works so much better as a whole. If you're looking for a challenging and engaging listen, check this album out!
Earthling (1997)
Stylistically, somewhat of a continuation from Outside, this album is simpler and more immediate. As one of the major elements of the album is Bowie's interpretation of Drum and Bass, I thought this album would sound very dated but, surprisingly, it feels as fresh and contemporary as when it came out. Using many of the same musicians as Outside, this album is probably Bowie's loudest and heaviest. Somewhat less successful are the lyrics, which were largely composed using a William Burroughs-influenced cut-up technique. Even the songs where the lyrics and melody fall somewhat flat, such as "The Last Thing You Should Do" and "Looking for Satellites", are still enjoyable due to the strong musicianship and general enthusiasm of the process. To me, the best tracks are "Dead Man Walking", which has both the Drum and Bass influence and a strong lyric and melody, as well as "I'm Afraid of Americans", one of Bowie's better, more provocative singles from this era.
Hours (1999)
After a string of excellent albums, this one proved to be a bit of a let down with impressively ugly cover art. Originating as a soundtrack to the video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul, these songs lack the coherence or power of his previous few albums. Hours has a quieter, more contemplative mood that contrasts with the heavy, intense material of previous years. I see this album as a somewhat cynical attempt to cash in on the adult contemporary sound that was popular at the time with TV stations like Much More Music and VH1. Lead single "Thursday's Child" perfectly exemplifies this with a middle-of-the-road beat, wispy strings and soft, generic backing vocals. Despite this, the melodies of most of the songs are still strong, certainly way ahead of his 80s material. Also, Reeves Gabrels contributes some solid guitar playing for what would prove to be his last collaboration with Bowie. My picks for this album are "Something in the Air", a fairly adventurous track that involves a sickly funk groove and unhinged, digitally distorted vocals, as well as "If I'm Dreaming My Life", a classic rock epic with great guitar playing and a solid energy. After this comes the far more interesting Heathen and the beginning of the most recent phase of Bowie's career.
Monday, 24 February 2014
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Concert Report
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks with Disappears at Lee's Palace Feb 23
Disappears
The opening band, Disappears, were quite different from Malkmus' indie/classic rock. They played a kraut-inflected variety of shoegaze that was both familiar and strange at the same time. The vocal parts were not especially interesting, largely consisting of repetitive chants. On the other hand, the band was consistently challenging with shifting and driving grooves. The lead guitarist had some amazing guitar sounds that at times were reminiscent of Neu!/Harmonia's Michael Rother and at other times sounded like a transmission from an alien society.
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Malkmus and company casually sauntered on stage quite excited about the fact that they were starting five minutes early. They played a somewhat-rambling hour-and-a-half set that was brought down somewhat by a less than exuberant crowd who talked amongst themselves for much of the show. Despite this, the band seemed to be having fun and were very chatty. Their loose but skillful style of playing was evident throughout but it was a good but not great show.
The set largely consisted of songs from their solid new album Wig Out at Jagbags from which they played ten songs. The songs benefited from the looser, heavier sound of their live incarnation, particularly the singles "Lariat" and "Cinnamon and Lesbians". Unfortunately, the sound mix was a bit muddy and the bass was overemphasized. The songs didn't exactly start or stop, they gradually came together then collapsed. Malkmus has grown into an amazing guitarist and he threw in improvised riffs throughout the set. Their drummer often added backing vocals that reminded me a bit of Bruce Springsteen.
Another highlight with great guitar playing was "Senator", from the Beck-produced Mirror Traffic. They played seven songs from that album and they fit well with the new material. For the encore, the played "Stereo", one of Malkmus' previous band Pavement's better known songs, which got the crowd a bit more excited. They ended the show with a very loose medley/jam while Malkmus left the stage, allowing the band to finish the show on their own. While I saw how they could be a great band, I was left with the feeling that I wasn't seeing them at their best.
Saturday, 15 February 2014
Wavelength Night 2 Concert Report
Wavelength Festival Night 2 at Adelaide Hall Feb 14
I'm taking a break from my Bowie project to report on some awesome bands. Marnie Stern was originally headlining this night but, due to flight issues, couldn't make it. Since I'd been listening to Marnie Stern all this week, I was pretty disappointed but I decided to check the show out since Wavelength always has something interesting and last year's festival was excellent. It ended up being quite worthwhile.
Hail Matrox, our new robot overlords! The first band of the night and probably my favorite, these guys owned the robot rock. I was immediately impressed by the level of commitment in the costumes and presentation of Matrox. The music had elements of Kraftwerk, hardcore techno and some of the funkier Daft Punk songs, but still felt completely unique. My favorite track used TTC announcements like "506 Royal York, call control", to create a synthetic transit soul anthem. Could this replace Kardinal Offishall's "The Anthem" as the official Toronto theme song? Being the first band, they had the smallest crowd but definitely got the biggest response. "DISPERSE!!!.....DISPERSE!!!"
As someone with an occasional musical project titled And More, I appreciate a good ambiguous name. This duo was a last-minute replacement for Marnie Stern but still put on a polished performance. Their sound felt like a more sprawling, experimental take on Unforgettable Fire era U2. They combined strong melodies, plaintive vocals, soaring guitar riffs and occasional pounding drum breaks to a powerful effect.
A strange combination of avant-garde and blues, Weaves have a very unusual sound largely held together by an outgoing and charismatic vocalist. The instrumentation was consistently unpredictable, veering from Zepplin-esque blues to atonal, aggressive riffage more reminiscent of no-wave acts like DNA or early Sonic Youth. Their songs often had a wandering structure characteristic of the blues. The only downside is that I think they could really benefit from a physical drummer as the programmed beats seemed stiff compared to the variable bass and guitar. I particularly enjoyed the bass player's intermittent thrashing on his instrument, a level of aggression one rarely sees with bass players.
These guys were one of the bands that I was most excited to see as their sound particularly appeals to my tastes. Having listened to their music online as well as seeing them in person, I find that they are a band in transition. Their earlier material has a heavy Swervedriver influence on their sound and they perform this type of music quite proficiently. Their newer material has a much heavier industrial punk edge to it, and I feel that this sound suits them better and exposes more of their personality as a band. "Are We Friends" effectively demonstrates their newer sound and is one of their most memorable tracks.
I'm taking a break from my Bowie project to report on some awesome bands. Marnie Stern was originally headlining this night but, due to flight issues, couldn't make it. Since I'd been listening to Marnie Stern all this week, I was pretty disappointed but I decided to check the show out since Wavelength always has something interesting and last year's festival was excellent. It ended up being quite worthwhile.
As someone with an occasional musical project titled And More, I appreciate a good ambiguous name. This duo was a last-minute replacement for Marnie Stern but still put on a polished performance. Their sound felt like a more sprawling, experimental take on Unforgettable Fire era U2. They combined strong melodies, plaintive vocals, soaring guitar riffs and occasional pounding drum breaks to a powerful effect.
DIANA are easily the most well-known of all the bands playing this night. Oddly, in researching them, I found that they have a decent profile in Britain. They specialize in hazy, new-wave influenced synth rock. It's a sound that is fairly common in indie circles but they pull it off fairly well with strong melodies and good musicianship. They varied it up a bit with some heavy percussion breakdowns that got the crowd grooving. My favorite DIANA song is probably "Born Again".
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Bowie in Total 3: Never Let Me Down?
And the decade started so well! Now we're entering the third and most painful section of Bowie's career, the 80s (with a little bit of 90s). Two awful solo albums and an ill-advised re-branding as Tin Machine managed to alienate most of Bowie's fan base while giving him his greatest commercial success. Many stopped here and never listened again, despite his excellent albums that followed this drought of talent. Bowie also develops a weird obsession with Iggy Pop, covering him on three albums in a row. Even after reading Bowie's various explanations and excuses, I still can't understand what could make a great artist go so bad. Fortunately, it gets better!
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980)
Bowie's last record produced by Tony Visconti for twenty years and his last good album for thirteen years, this album is easily one of my favorites and the one I come back to the most often. This is Bowie's last record with the rhythm section that he'd been with since Station to Station. Bowie offers some of his tightest songwriting with a generous dose of venom toward contemporary society. On the opener, "It's No Game (No. 1)", Bowie screams the vocals while Fripp wails discordant riffs and the lyrics are recited in Japanese, making for a thrillingly alienating start. The first side of the record is a burst of pure energy, spawning a couple big hits in "Ashes to Ashes" and "Fashion" while being as aggressively avant-garde as Bowie has ever been. The second half is comparatively quieter and more contemplative. "Teenage Wildlife" and "It's No Game (No.2) are about as intimate as Bowie gets while still being catchy as hell. My favorite songs on the album are the title track, which sees Bowie at his most fist-pumping, as well as "Teenage Wildlife", which conveys urgency and desperation perfectly.
Let's Dance (1983)
What was intended as a one-off experiment changes the direction of Bowie's career for the next decade. Produced by Nile Rogers, Bowie drags himself into the faux-funk, forced nostalgia and empty hedonism of the 1980s. Sometimes it works. The title track, "Modern Love" and a cover of Iggy Pop's "China Girl" have remained three of Bowie's most enduring songs. Bowie's vocals are uniformly strong throughout and the musicians are all on point, though Stevie Ray Vaughn's guitar doesn't quite fit. Unfortunately, "Cat People (Putting out Fire)", which was so awesome in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, seems a bit dull in it's full form. As well, other songs on the album, like "Ricochet", fall apart on their ill-conceived arrangements. Interestingly, producer/guitarist Nile Rogers, producer Giorgio Moroder and drummer Omar Hakim all featured on Daft Punk's fantastic album Random Access Memories 30 years later. While I would recommend "Modern Love" and "China Girl" as pop songs, the only great song on the record is "Let's Dance", which blends futurism and nostalgia into a dance sound that isn't revisited until 1993s "Black Tie / White Noise".
Tonight (1984)
A quickly recorded follow up to Let's Dance without Nile Rogers or any good songs, Tonight managed to further bolster Bowie's commercial success while firmly establishing himself as a mediocre, middle-of-the-road pop act. This was the most painful Bowie album to listen to, without a doubt, though at least it's short. The fact that Bowie thought it was a good idea to cover the Beach Boys classic "God Only Knows" in this style demonstrates that his judgement was way off. Iggy Pop, who was going through a similarly mediocre period, co-wrote five tracks on this album. One of Pop's co-writes, Tonight is a pseudo-reggae duet with Tina Turner that manages to embarrass both parties. The only songs that I found tolerable are "Loving the Alien", which was salvaged and rearranged to become a half-decent song for Bowie's 2003 tour, and "Blue Jean", the best attempt at a pop song on the album. Still, avoid at all costs.
Never Let Me Down (1987)
A marginal improvement over Tonight, this is still a fundamentally terrible album. Bowie seems to be more invested in this album than the previous two, playing more instruments and more actively developing the concept. Despite this, virtually every element is horribly ill-conceived, featuring a hideous cover and some of the worst musical excesses of the 80s. Massive, reverbed drums drown out any attempt at subtlety while Peter Frampton's obnoxious lead guitar manages to consistently annoy and somehow Bowie thought it would be a good idea to include a rap from Mickey Rourke. The sad thing is that, unlike Tonight, the potential for a good album is buried here somewhere. While some of the songs have good bits, I can't recommend any songs in their entirety.
Tin Machine (1989) and Tin Machine II (1991)
These were Bowie's only albums under another name and a partially successful attempt to restore his reputation. Backed by talented guitarist Reeves Gabrels, who would play on Bowie's albums for the next decade, and rhythm section Tony and Hunt Sales, Tin Machine is Bowie trying out late 80s hard rock. Overall, these albums are forgettable and the second album entirely unnecessary, but the performances are strong and there are some decent songs on here. Gabrels' guitar playing is strong throughout though often goes far over the top. A cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" fails miserably, drowning out Lennon's mournful lyrics in hard rock excess. At their worst, Tin Machine sound like the house band at a blues bar. The only songs I would recommend are "I Can't Read", which is a solid song with genuinely interesting instrumentation reminiscent of Sonic Youth, and "Baby Universal", which has the strongest melody of all the Tin Machine tracks. It gets much better after this!
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980)
Bowie's last record produced by Tony Visconti for twenty years and his last good album for thirteen years, this album is easily one of my favorites and the one I come back to the most often. This is Bowie's last record with the rhythm section that he'd been with since Station to Station. Bowie offers some of his tightest songwriting with a generous dose of venom toward contemporary society. On the opener, "It's No Game (No. 1)", Bowie screams the vocals while Fripp wails discordant riffs and the lyrics are recited in Japanese, making for a thrillingly alienating start. The first side of the record is a burst of pure energy, spawning a couple big hits in "Ashes to Ashes" and "Fashion" while being as aggressively avant-garde as Bowie has ever been. The second half is comparatively quieter and more contemplative. "Teenage Wildlife" and "It's No Game (No.2) are about as intimate as Bowie gets while still being catchy as hell. My favorite songs on the album are the title track, which sees Bowie at his most fist-pumping, as well as "Teenage Wildlife", which conveys urgency and desperation perfectly.
Let's Dance (1983)
What was intended as a one-off experiment changes the direction of Bowie's career for the next decade. Produced by Nile Rogers, Bowie drags himself into the faux-funk, forced nostalgia and empty hedonism of the 1980s. Sometimes it works. The title track, "Modern Love" and a cover of Iggy Pop's "China Girl" have remained three of Bowie's most enduring songs. Bowie's vocals are uniformly strong throughout and the musicians are all on point, though Stevie Ray Vaughn's guitar doesn't quite fit. Unfortunately, "Cat People (Putting out Fire)", which was so awesome in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, seems a bit dull in it's full form. As well, other songs on the album, like "Ricochet", fall apart on their ill-conceived arrangements. Interestingly, producer/guitarist Nile Rogers, producer Giorgio Moroder and drummer Omar Hakim all featured on Daft Punk's fantastic album Random Access Memories 30 years later. While I would recommend "Modern Love" and "China Girl" as pop songs, the only great song on the record is "Let's Dance", which blends futurism and nostalgia into a dance sound that isn't revisited until 1993s "Black Tie / White Noise".
Tonight (1984)
A quickly recorded follow up to Let's Dance without Nile Rogers or any good songs, Tonight managed to further bolster Bowie's commercial success while firmly establishing himself as a mediocre, middle-of-the-road pop act. This was the most painful Bowie album to listen to, without a doubt, though at least it's short. The fact that Bowie thought it was a good idea to cover the Beach Boys classic "God Only Knows" in this style demonstrates that his judgement was way off. Iggy Pop, who was going through a similarly mediocre period, co-wrote five tracks on this album. One of Pop's co-writes, Tonight is a pseudo-reggae duet with Tina Turner that manages to embarrass both parties. The only songs that I found tolerable are "Loving the Alien", which was salvaged and rearranged to become a half-decent song for Bowie's 2003 tour, and "Blue Jean", the best attempt at a pop song on the album. Still, avoid at all costs.
Never Let Me Down (1987)
A marginal improvement over Tonight, this is still a fundamentally terrible album. Bowie seems to be more invested in this album than the previous two, playing more instruments and more actively developing the concept. Despite this, virtually every element is horribly ill-conceived, featuring a hideous cover and some of the worst musical excesses of the 80s. Massive, reverbed drums drown out any attempt at subtlety while Peter Frampton's obnoxious lead guitar manages to consistently annoy and somehow Bowie thought it would be a good idea to include a rap from Mickey Rourke. The sad thing is that, unlike Tonight, the potential for a good album is buried here somewhere. While some of the songs have good bits, I can't recommend any songs in their entirety.
Tin Machine (1989) and Tin Machine II (1991)
These were Bowie's only albums under another name and a partially successful attempt to restore his reputation. Backed by talented guitarist Reeves Gabrels, who would play on Bowie's albums for the next decade, and rhythm section Tony and Hunt Sales, Tin Machine is Bowie trying out late 80s hard rock. Overall, these albums are forgettable and the second album entirely unnecessary, but the performances are strong and there are some decent songs on here. Gabrels' guitar playing is strong throughout though often goes far over the top. A cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" fails miserably, drowning out Lennon's mournful lyrics in hard rock excess. At their worst, Tin Machine sound like the house band at a blues bar. The only songs I would recommend are "I Can't Read", which is a solid song with genuinely interesting instrumentation reminiscent of Sonic Youth, and "Baby Universal", which has the strongest melody of all the Tin Machine tracks. It gets much better after this!
Monday, 27 January 2014
Bowie in Total 2: The Return of the Thin White Duke or It's Not the Side-effects of the Cocaine
We are now moving into the beginning of Bowie's full-on cocaine phase as well as its aftermath. Some of his boldest and most misunderstood music came from this period. The centrepiece is the so-called "Berlin Trilogy", only one of which was recorded in Berlin after Bowie went clean. Most of these albums have Bowie's longest lasting backing band of rhythm guitarist Carlos Alomar, bassist George Murray and drummer Dennis Davis, who followed Bowie into funkier, more rhythmically complex territory.
Diamond Dogs (1974)
This was Bowie's first album after firing his Spiders from Mars backing band as only keyboardist Mike Garson remained. As such, Bowie played most of the instruments himself, giving the record a rougher, slightly unfinished sound. Bowie did deliver some of the best guitar playing of his career, from the incredible riff of the immortal "Rebel Rebel" to the thrashing outtro of "Sweet Thing (Reprise)". The album was originally intended as a full-length reenactment of George Orwell's 1984 but due to issues with Orwell's estate, the concept ended up being shifted into something more Bowie-esque, which I think was for the benefit of the album. This is the Bowie album I remember hearing most when I was young. The spoken-word intro "Future Legend" outlines his unique dystopian concept using a heavily processed vocal technique that reappears throughout the album. Overall, this album used more electronics and post-production techniques than its predecessors. The songs are almost uniformly excellent, with the sole exception of the questionable "Rock 'n' Roll with Me", the only song on the album not solely written by Bowie. The album has the same dystopian, futuristic darkness that is common to The Man Who Sold the World, Scary Monsters, and Outside, which are some of my favorite Bowie albums. My favorite tracks are the title track, a strong rocker with intense cowbell and the great opening line of "This ain't rock and roll, this is genocide", as well as "Big Brother", one of the few 1984-specific songs on the album, which has a very powerful chorus and outtro and hints at some of the experiments of future albums.
Young Americans (1975)
Bowie's attempt at what he called "plastic soul" is an album that was new to me until recently. It is not one of my favorites but I can definitely see its merits, particularly in terms of lyrics and songwriting. With only eight songs, one of which is a cover and two of which are co-written, this album has the least original Bowie content of any of his proper albums up to this point. Bowie's vocals show major development here but also shows a move away from the high-pitched yelp of the Ziggy albums to a deeper croon that is closer to Bryan Ferry or Scott Walker. A young Luther Vandross contributed backing vocals and arrangements to the album while John Lennon co-wrote and played on the album's hit "Fame". Bowie also covers the Beatles' song "Across the Universe" with very limited success on this album. Overall, the album is an interesting one-off experiment but certainly not an essential part of Bowie's catalogue. This album can also be seen as a precursor to some of Bowie's worst material from the 1980s. My favorite tracks are the title track, which has an excellent, complex arrangement, a great melody and solid lyrics, as well as "Somebody Up There Likes Me" which is a powerful and affecting ballad.
Station to Station (1976)
One of my absolute favorite Bowie albums and a massive leap forward creatively for him and his band as he entered his "Thin White Duke" phase. This album sees the late 70s band firmly in place along with some excellent guitar work from Earl Slick, who is still working with Bowie today. Bowie and his band were deep into the cocaine at this point and Bowie claims to remember nothing of the album's recording sessions, contributing to the often vague and obtuse lyrics. Despite this, Station to Station has some of the best musicianship and songwriting of Bowie's career. "Golden Years" and "TVC 15" from this album are two of Bowie's catchiest songs (I think I first heard "Golden Years" in an American Express commercial). My picks for this album are the title track, which is ten minutes of pure greatness, as well as "Stay", which fuses hard rock and funk to great effect and has one of Bowie's best vocals.
Low (1977)
The beginning of Bowie's so-called Berlin Trilogy as well as his first collaboration with Brian Eno, Low sees Bowie diving in head first into electronic and experimental music. In addition, the influence of German artists like Can and Neu! is evident when listening to this record. This album has a completely unique sound and deserves a listen in the highest-quality form possible. Guitarist Ricky Gardner, who only played on the one Bowie album, produces an amazing phasing, driving guitar tone that gives momentum to the fractured pop songs of the album's first side. The lyrics on this album have a dark and somewhat empty feeling, reflecting Bowie's mood after giving up cocaine. Despite the challenging nature of the material, Bowie still managed a hit with "Sound and Vision", a song whose pop structure disguises one of the most intricate and progressive arrangements ever heard. This album is known for being hugely influential and the influence of "Subterraneans" on Nine Inch Nails is obvious. The instrumental tracks of the second side are more challenging than the first side but no less enthralling. Brian Eno's contributions to this album are often overstated but "Art Decade" sounds very much like one of the instrumentals on Eno's "Another Green World." My favorites from this album are "Breaking Glass" for its insane rhythm and great guitar riff and "Warszawa" for its mournful sound and plaintive vocal.
"Heroes" (1977)
A continuation of the ideas from Low, this album in nonetheless very different from its predecessor. Both more uplifting and crazier, there is huge variation from one song to another on this album. The iconic cover image was reappropriated for 2013s The Next Day cover. Robert Fripp of King Crimson played much of the guitar on the album and his work heavily contributes to the general wildness, especially on the track "Blackout" which sounds like it's about to fall apart completely at any moment. Bowie's vocals are wilder and listening to the album now, I can see how his vocals were a huge influence on The Cure's mid-80s material. To me, the instrumentals that make up this album are not quite as strong as those on Low but the vocal songs are more fully formed and memorable. The title track is one of Bowie's most enduring and best loved songs and anchors much of the record with its huge vocal and melody. My picks are the title track, of course, as well as "Joe the Lion", which fuses all the best elements of Bowie's divergent styles at the time.
Lodger (1979)
A shorter and more song-oriented album compared to its predecessors, this album is often neglected by Bowie enthusiasts despite its many excellent songs and particularly great artwork. While this album is considered the last album of the "Berlin Trilogy", it is not recorded in Germany, nor does it have the instrumentals that figured prominently in the previous two albums. Guitar on this album is provided by Adrian Belew, who previously toured with Bowie and would go on to play with the Talking Heads as well as becoming the frontman for King Crimson. An excellent player, he holds much of the album together with his unique style. At times, especially with songs like "Yassassin", this record is very similar to what the Talking Heads were doing around the same time. Despite the great songwriting, this album didn't manage to spawn any real hits. One issue with the album is that most of the best songs are on the second side. My two favorites, both from the second side, are "Look Back in Anger" which is powerful and anthemic with a strong groove and "Repetition" which joins a strange and unsettling rhythm to disturbingly real lyrics about male privilege and domestic abuse.
Stay tuned for my next installment where things start well but get very ugly!
Diamond Dogs (1974)
This was Bowie's first album after firing his Spiders from Mars backing band as only keyboardist Mike Garson remained. As such, Bowie played most of the instruments himself, giving the record a rougher, slightly unfinished sound. Bowie did deliver some of the best guitar playing of his career, from the incredible riff of the immortal "Rebel Rebel" to the thrashing outtro of "Sweet Thing (Reprise)". The album was originally intended as a full-length reenactment of George Orwell's 1984 but due to issues with Orwell's estate, the concept ended up being shifted into something more Bowie-esque, which I think was for the benefit of the album. This is the Bowie album I remember hearing most when I was young. The spoken-word intro "Future Legend" outlines his unique dystopian concept using a heavily processed vocal technique that reappears throughout the album. Overall, this album used more electronics and post-production techniques than its predecessors. The songs are almost uniformly excellent, with the sole exception of the questionable "Rock 'n' Roll with Me", the only song on the album not solely written by Bowie. The album has the same dystopian, futuristic darkness that is common to The Man Who Sold the World, Scary Monsters, and Outside, which are some of my favorite Bowie albums. My favorite tracks are the title track, a strong rocker with intense cowbell and the great opening line of "This ain't rock and roll, this is genocide", as well as "Big Brother", one of the few 1984-specific songs on the album, which has a very powerful chorus and outtro and hints at some of the experiments of future albums.
Young Americans (1975)
Bowie's attempt at what he called "plastic soul" is an album that was new to me until recently. It is not one of my favorites but I can definitely see its merits, particularly in terms of lyrics and songwriting. With only eight songs, one of which is a cover and two of which are co-written, this album has the least original Bowie content of any of his proper albums up to this point. Bowie's vocals show major development here but also shows a move away from the high-pitched yelp of the Ziggy albums to a deeper croon that is closer to Bryan Ferry or Scott Walker. A young Luther Vandross contributed backing vocals and arrangements to the album while John Lennon co-wrote and played on the album's hit "Fame". Bowie also covers the Beatles' song "Across the Universe" with very limited success on this album. Overall, the album is an interesting one-off experiment but certainly not an essential part of Bowie's catalogue. This album can also be seen as a precursor to some of Bowie's worst material from the 1980s. My favorite tracks are the title track, which has an excellent, complex arrangement, a great melody and solid lyrics, as well as "Somebody Up There Likes Me" which is a powerful and affecting ballad.
Station to Station (1976)
One of my absolute favorite Bowie albums and a massive leap forward creatively for him and his band as he entered his "Thin White Duke" phase. This album sees the late 70s band firmly in place along with some excellent guitar work from Earl Slick, who is still working with Bowie today. Bowie and his band were deep into the cocaine at this point and Bowie claims to remember nothing of the album's recording sessions, contributing to the often vague and obtuse lyrics. Despite this, Station to Station has some of the best musicianship and songwriting of Bowie's career. "Golden Years" and "TVC 15" from this album are two of Bowie's catchiest songs (I think I first heard "Golden Years" in an American Express commercial). My picks for this album are the title track, which is ten minutes of pure greatness, as well as "Stay", which fuses hard rock and funk to great effect and has one of Bowie's best vocals.
Low (1977)
The beginning of Bowie's so-called Berlin Trilogy as well as his first collaboration with Brian Eno, Low sees Bowie diving in head first into electronic and experimental music. In addition, the influence of German artists like Can and Neu! is evident when listening to this record. This album has a completely unique sound and deserves a listen in the highest-quality form possible. Guitarist Ricky Gardner, who only played on the one Bowie album, produces an amazing phasing, driving guitar tone that gives momentum to the fractured pop songs of the album's first side. The lyrics on this album have a dark and somewhat empty feeling, reflecting Bowie's mood after giving up cocaine. Despite the challenging nature of the material, Bowie still managed a hit with "Sound and Vision", a song whose pop structure disguises one of the most intricate and progressive arrangements ever heard. This album is known for being hugely influential and the influence of "Subterraneans" on Nine Inch Nails is obvious. The instrumental tracks of the second side are more challenging than the first side but no less enthralling. Brian Eno's contributions to this album are often overstated but "Art Decade" sounds very much like one of the instrumentals on Eno's "Another Green World." My favorites from this album are "Breaking Glass" for its insane rhythm and great guitar riff and "Warszawa" for its mournful sound and plaintive vocal.
"Heroes" (1977)
A continuation of the ideas from Low, this album in nonetheless very different from its predecessor. Both more uplifting and crazier, there is huge variation from one song to another on this album. The iconic cover image was reappropriated for 2013s The Next Day cover. Robert Fripp of King Crimson played much of the guitar on the album and his work heavily contributes to the general wildness, especially on the track "Blackout" which sounds like it's about to fall apart completely at any moment. Bowie's vocals are wilder and listening to the album now, I can see how his vocals were a huge influence on The Cure's mid-80s material. To me, the instrumentals that make up this album are not quite as strong as those on Low but the vocal songs are more fully formed and memorable. The title track is one of Bowie's most enduring and best loved songs and anchors much of the record with its huge vocal and melody. My picks are the title track, of course, as well as "Joe the Lion", which fuses all the best elements of Bowie's divergent styles at the time.
Lodger (1979)
A shorter and more song-oriented album compared to its predecessors, this album is often neglected by Bowie enthusiasts despite its many excellent songs and particularly great artwork. While this album is considered the last album of the "Berlin Trilogy", it is not recorded in Germany, nor does it have the instrumentals that figured prominently in the previous two albums. Guitar on this album is provided by Adrian Belew, who previously toured with Bowie and would go on to play with the Talking Heads as well as becoming the frontman for King Crimson. An excellent player, he holds much of the album together with his unique style. At times, especially with songs like "Yassassin", this record is very similar to what the Talking Heads were doing around the same time. Despite the great songwriting, this album didn't manage to spawn any real hits. One issue with the album is that most of the best songs are on the second side. My two favorites, both from the second side, are "Look Back in Anger" which is powerful and anthemic with a strong groove and "Repetition" which joins a strange and unsettling rhythm to disturbingly real lyrics about male privilege and domestic abuse.
Stay tuned for my next installment where things start well but get very ugly!
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Bowie in Total: Before and After Ziggy
I recently saw the David Bowie exhibit at the AGO, which was very illuminating and inspired me to start this project. I listened to every Bowie album produced and tracked his progress from one album to another. What I found was the greatest discography of any musician I have ever heard and reinforced my opinion that Bowie is the greatest artist of any kind of the last hundred years. His catalogue is startlingly original and fairly consistent, save for a ten year period of awfulness from 1983 until 1993. Even this awfulness is illuminating as it is some of the worst music ever produced by a talented artist. For sake of readability, I will break this analysis up into sections.
David Bowie (1967)
This is an interesting debut, largely indebted to English folk with little of the daring or edgyness that would characterize his later work. It is miles away from the daring English rock from the time that he would end up covering on Pinups. Still, the songwriting is fairly strong and it is quite polished for a debut, not surprising since he had been in music for years prior to this album. Overall, a good but not especially memorable debut. The song "Uncle Arthur" is excellent, but the best songs are on the bonus disc such as "The London Boys" and the sublimely ridiculous "The Laughing Gnome".
Space Oddity aka David Bowie (1969)
The impact of the title track diminishes the importance of the rest of the album. Bowie is beginning to make a transition both away from folk to more ornate arrangements as well as a move towards the themes of science fiction and mental illness that become prominent in his work soon after. Generally a solid album but somewhat inessential except for a few tracks. The title track and "The Cygnet Committee" are both excellent, while the rerecording of "Memory of a Free Festival" on the bonus disc featuring the early incarnation of the Spiders from Mars stands out as one of his best songs.
The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
This album represents his biggest leap forward and still stands up as one of the best albums amongst many other great albums. Bowie's trademark piercing wail is fairly well developed by this point. Bowie and his backing band of guitarist Mick Ronson, producer/bassist Tony Visconti and drummer Mick Woodmansey create a daring hybrid of cutting-edge hard rock and freakish folk. The twin themes of dystopian futurism and insanity come to the forefront of this album, both musically and lyrically. "Saviour Machine" tells a Terminator-esque story of a sentient computer tasked with running the world who, in it's boredom, contemplates annihilating humanity. "All the Madmen" looks at the treatment of mental illness from an ambivalent and disoriented perspective. "Running Gun Blues" is the first of Bowie's aggressive anti-war statements that have continued to 2013s "I'd Rather Be High". "She Shook Me Cold" is a surprisingly effective evocation of Jimi Hendrix's style that highlights Ronson's guitar mastery. While I can't say if it's one of Bowie's very best albums, it is definitely close to being my favorite. The standout tracks of this record are hard to pick but the hard rock epic "The Width of a Circle" and the psychedelic madness of "After All" particularly stand out.
Hunky Dory (1971)
The precursor to Ziggy Stardust has many of the folk and psychedelic elements of Bowie's earlier work but adds a large element of cabaret to the mix. While Mick Ronson also plays on this album, his distinctive than on its predecessor and successor. Instead, the most prominent instrument is the piano, played by Rick Wakeman from Yes. Wakeman's work on this album is not nearly as showy as with Yes but is the driving force of songs like "Life on Mars". This album also has Bowie temporarily (for four albums) suspending his long relationship with producer Tony Visconti. The cabaret elements can be overpowering at times but the songwriting is excellent, perhaps Bowie's best up to this point save for "Kooks" and "Song for Bob Dylan" which are too derivative and simplistic to make much of an impression. My favorite songs from this album are, of course, "Life on Mars" which has largess and drama to spare as well as "Queen Bitch" which is the clearest antecedent to Ziggy Stardust and is a generally appealing rocker and finally "The Bewlay Brothers", a powerful though inscrutable epic with a distinctive and very cool string sound.
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
This is one of Bowie's most loved albums as well as his most famous alter-ego. This album defined the glam rock movement both in concept and execution. The concept of an alien rock star on a pre-apocalyptic Earth is interesting though not particularly well-developed, especially compared to later concept album Outside. The songs are uniformly thrilling though. Sonically, the album is a mix of acoustic wanderings and electric intensity. "Hang on to Yourself" and "Suffragette City" are particularly driving. The impending doom of "Five Years" is reminiscent of the menace of The Man Who Sold the World with a new, more polished sound. "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" is the ultimate breaking up the band, while emphasizing the optimism before the end with the chant of "you're not alone!" Starman, with its striking arrangement and catchy chorus, became one of Bowie's biggest hits up to this point. My only complaint about the record is that it doesn't rock nearly as hard as the live albums Live in Santa Monica and Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture. My favorites on this album are "Moonage Daydream" for its excellent progression and awesome coda as well as "Hang on to Yourself" for its sheer speed and intensity.
Aladdin Sane (1973)
The final proper album of the Spiders from Mars line-up sees Bowie and company fusing the cabaret elements of Hunky Dory with hard-driving rock of Ziggy's more intense songs. We also find Bowie's saxophone playing becoming more prominent, an element that is increasingly important to later albums. Piano wizard Mike Garson joins the band at this point, adding his virtuosic skills to songs like "Time" and "Lady Grinning Soul". Garson adds a new sense of fullness to the band's sound that makes this one of Bowie's most sonically-pleasing albums. Bowie's vocals rise to the occasion, showing a previously undeveloped strength. Songs like "Time" and "Cracked Actor" (which would make a great theme song for Toronto's mayor) add a level of sexual explicitness to his lyrics that must have been unheard of at the time. My favorite songs on this album are "Aladdin Sane" which sees him revisiting the theme of mental illness with one of his most complex arrangements, getting close to the free jazz sound of Outside, as well as "Panic in Detroit" which matches one of the best intros of all time with an equally awesome song and lyric.
Pin Ups (1973)
Bowie, in typically idiosyncratic fashion, caps off the Ziggy era with a covers album of songs from 1964-1967 Britain that influenced him. This album was the only one from this era that was new to me and it was a very pleasant surprise. The remaining Spiders put in some of their strongest performances while the songs range from the very familiar to fairly obscure. Bowie's respect for Ray Davies is made clear by having Davies' lyrics to the Kinks song "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" as the only printed lyrics on the package. Both the Yardbirds and the Who are represented twice on the album. The strongest tracks are a slowed-down version of the Who's "I Can't Explain" and a soulful version of the Mersey's "Sorrow".
David Bowie (1967)
This is an interesting debut, largely indebted to English folk with little of the daring or edgyness that would characterize his later work. It is miles away from the daring English rock from the time that he would end up covering on Pinups. Still, the songwriting is fairly strong and it is quite polished for a debut, not surprising since he had been in music for years prior to this album. Overall, a good but not especially memorable debut. The song "Uncle Arthur" is excellent, but the best songs are on the bonus disc such as "The London Boys" and the sublimely ridiculous "The Laughing Gnome".
Space Oddity aka David Bowie (1969)
The impact of the title track diminishes the importance of the rest of the album. Bowie is beginning to make a transition both away from folk to more ornate arrangements as well as a move towards the themes of science fiction and mental illness that become prominent in his work soon after. Generally a solid album but somewhat inessential except for a few tracks. The title track and "The Cygnet Committee" are both excellent, while the rerecording of "Memory of a Free Festival" on the bonus disc featuring the early incarnation of the Spiders from Mars stands out as one of his best songs.
The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
This album represents his biggest leap forward and still stands up as one of the best albums amongst many other great albums. Bowie's trademark piercing wail is fairly well developed by this point. Bowie and his backing band of guitarist Mick Ronson, producer/bassist Tony Visconti and drummer Mick Woodmansey create a daring hybrid of cutting-edge hard rock and freakish folk. The twin themes of dystopian futurism and insanity come to the forefront of this album, both musically and lyrically. "Saviour Machine" tells a Terminator-esque story of a sentient computer tasked with running the world who, in it's boredom, contemplates annihilating humanity. "All the Madmen" looks at the treatment of mental illness from an ambivalent and disoriented perspective. "Running Gun Blues" is the first of Bowie's aggressive anti-war statements that have continued to 2013s "I'd Rather Be High". "She Shook Me Cold" is a surprisingly effective evocation of Jimi Hendrix's style that highlights Ronson's guitar mastery. While I can't say if it's one of Bowie's very best albums, it is definitely close to being my favorite. The standout tracks of this record are hard to pick but the hard rock epic "The Width of a Circle" and the psychedelic madness of "After All" particularly stand out.
Hunky Dory (1971)
The precursor to Ziggy Stardust has many of the folk and psychedelic elements of Bowie's earlier work but adds a large element of cabaret to the mix. While Mick Ronson also plays on this album, his distinctive than on its predecessor and successor. Instead, the most prominent instrument is the piano, played by Rick Wakeman from Yes. Wakeman's work on this album is not nearly as showy as with Yes but is the driving force of songs like "Life on Mars". This album also has Bowie temporarily (for four albums) suspending his long relationship with producer Tony Visconti. The cabaret elements can be overpowering at times but the songwriting is excellent, perhaps Bowie's best up to this point save for "Kooks" and "Song for Bob Dylan" which are too derivative and simplistic to make much of an impression. My favorite songs from this album are, of course, "Life on Mars" which has largess and drama to spare as well as "Queen Bitch" which is the clearest antecedent to Ziggy Stardust and is a generally appealing rocker and finally "The Bewlay Brothers", a powerful though inscrutable epic with a distinctive and very cool string sound.
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
This is one of Bowie's most loved albums as well as his most famous alter-ego. This album defined the glam rock movement both in concept and execution. The concept of an alien rock star on a pre-apocalyptic Earth is interesting though not particularly well-developed, especially compared to later concept album Outside. The songs are uniformly thrilling though. Sonically, the album is a mix of acoustic wanderings and electric intensity. "Hang on to Yourself" and "Suffragette City" are particularly driving. The impending doom of "Five Years" is reminiscent of the menace of The Man Who Sold the World with a new, more polished sound. "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" is the ultimate breaking up the band, while emphasizing the optimism before the end with the chant of "you're not alone!" Starman, with its striking arrangement and catchy chorus, became one of Bowie's biggest hits up to this point. My only complaint about the record is that it doesn't rock nearly as hard as the live albums Live in Santa Monica and Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture. My favorites on this album are "Moonage Daydream" for its excellent progression and awesome coda as well as "Hang on to Yourself" for its sheer speed and intensity.
Aladdin Sane (1973)
Pin Ups (1973)
Bowie, in typically idiosyncratic fashion, caps off the Ziggy era with a covers album of songs from 1964-1967 Britain that influenced him. This album was the only one from this era that was new to me and it was a very pleasant surprise. The remaining Spiders put in some of their strongest performances while the songs range from the very familiar to fairly obscure. Bowie's respect for Ray Davies is made clear by having Davies' lyrics to the Kinks song "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" as the only printed lyrics on the package. Both the Yardbirds and the Who are represented twice on the album. The strongest tracks are a slowed-down version of the Who's "I Can't Explain" and a soulful version of the Mersey's "Sorrow".
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