Can rock the world. Really fucking hard. If you don’t know this in your body and soul, then take the time to either A) reassess your lifestyle, or B) start listening to their albums and make life a little better for your self and loved ones alike.
ahead of its time
Bill Fay
Bill Fay is a criminally forgotten singer-songwriter musician with a handful of releases under his own name, all orbiting within the few years before and after 1970, when his eponymous debut LP was released. Obscured by the curtains of history, I’m drawing them back to reveal a vital force in pop songcraft.
Wondrously baroque orchestral arrangements embrace his Dylan-echoing lyrics, conveyed via endearingly imperfect vocals. The instrumentation dances a fine line between the majestic pop of early Scott Walker and the near-cheese overblown nature of Burt Bacharach, yet feels all the more appealing for this uneasy blend. The near-awkward earnesty of his approach grows by leaps and bounds upon repeated plays, buffeting apprehension, giving way to an elated comfort with the style. There’s an nigh-indefinable attraction built in to this album which manages to defy any and all possibly-unfavorable comparisons to the exalted greats like Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, or Donovan. (I’d toss in Harry Nilsson‘s tenuous sound connection to this album because of my personal affinity and the fact that his Nilsson Schmilsson album entered my mind upon first listen). Fay simply exists in his own musical ecosystem, relating to but standing outside the historical idioms and standardized notions of his more famous peers. This certainly isn’t a perfect cup of tea for everyone, but those of us struck by the sounds of any artist I’ve mentioned here should spare the necessary time to take the whole record in.
Note: The final track, one of two bonus cuts, has an added poignancy and heft for fans of the film OLDBOY. I won’t give anything away, other than to urge a close listen, and possibly a cracked grin upon the first few seconds.
[although reissued this decade, it’s semi-difficult to obtain. thankfully amazon has a selection of new and used copies, and it’s available digitally as well]
Disco Inferno – D.I. Go Pop
This is not your mother’s disco. It’s one of the most innovative yet short lived bands in the last 20 years!
Disco Inferno are pretty much the definition of “post rock” – though certainly not in the mould of nearly any band currently saddled with the oft-abused label. DI made records truly beyond the rock idiom in nearly every way, and paid the price of an untimely death with slim recognition and anemic sales. Of course now, in the internet age, they’ve been somewhat resurrected… for another generation to ignore. I’m trying to rectify such a musical travesty.
D.I. Go Pop was the band’s second LP, issued after a string of increasingly brilliant singles and EPs which took them from the humble roots of post-punk also-rans to the heights of rock experimentatation. Although the title begs otherwise, this is probably the most ‘challenging’ DI release. However, it’s not a reaction against pop forms. These 8 songs feel like someone broke the model for modern rock and, after forgetting how it originally went together, decided to assemble the pieces into something new and different. They don’t simply de- or reconstruct it, but fashion something more ambiguous, personal and interesting. I won’t try to describe the sounds other than, generally speaking, they were far ahead of their time in the use of sampling, presaging everything from Matmos to The Books to Animal Collective‘s later albums.
[grab this truly worthy yet well-hidden gem at amazon]
Billie Holiday – Lady In Satin
Billie Holiday is a true-blue goddess. This is not debatable opinion; it is straight fact. Her interpretations and originals are some of the most enduring recordings in modern popular music. Her voice lacerates soul and body alike and has been known, on occasion, to reduce grown men to tears. Her spirit is defiantly eternal.
Her final recorded work is Lady in Satin.
The Avalanches – Since I Left You // My Desert Island Record
Since this is the first post on my blog, I feel the need to share one of the truly essential albums in my life. Since I Left You, by The Avalanches.
Optimistic Underground 