ACE TRACKS: July 2013

*SIGH*…. So much for my hockey hopefuls. Why do I continue routing for teams that never quite make it? Maybe I just dislike the successful teams because they’re always beating the teams I like. In that case, go Tampa Bay Lightening, I guess. I’ve no quarrel with you, even supported them during their first Cup win (because LOL Calgary Flames), it’d be cool to see Steve Stamkos win a Cup early in his career, and all those goals Tyler Johnson’s scoring would be such a waste if he doesn’t win Conn Smythe. Doesn’t make me any more interesting in the NHL Playoffs though – heck, the NBA Playoffs are looking more intriguing about now. The remaining teams are all title starved, the last any of them having won a Ring two decades ago, another four decades ago (to say nothing of the zilch victories of Atlanta and Cleveland). Some long-suffering fanbase is gonna’ be celebrating and flipping cars long into the night this June! What? Oh, right, here’s ACE TRACKS: July 2013. Knew I was ignoring something.


Full Track List Here.

MISSING ALBUMS:
Mind Distortion System - He Claims To Be Not Human

Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 26%
Percentage Of Rock: 28% (though a chunk of it is technically Neil Young folksy stuff)
Most “WTF?” Track: Ice Cube - You Can’t Fade Me (seriously, those lyrics)

Another weird month, this one. It started with a couple Greatest Hits CDs, got seriously grimy with Ice Cube and Grooverider jungle, chilled for a bit with Swayzak, Kruder, and Dorfmeister, a little UK mainstream with Fatboy Slim and Gorillaz, banged it out with hard desert trance, Neil Young came in with an acoustic guitar, and ended with some mishmashed stuff at the end. Clearly the only way to treat such an erratic collection of tunes is another alphabetical playlist. Except for AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted and Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits, which are lumped at the end as full albums. A bizarre, unworkable contrast, you say? Heh, welcome to what it’s like listening to all this music as I have for the last couple years.

The Beatles - Revolver

Capitol Records: 1966/2009

The only Beatles album you’re supposed to have, even if you’re not much of a Beatles fan. Revolver’s the Liverpool band’s ‘middle’ album, catching the foursome in transition from preppy, mop-topped lads to daring studio songsmiths. If you preferred their early rock work with sweet vocal harmonies and catchy pop choruses, Revolver has that. If you preferred their later psychedelic sounds and genre fusions, Revolver has that. And if you preferred hearing The Beatles as a unified band at the peak of their creative powers, that’s Revolver to a tee. Seriously, what isn’t there to like about this album?

Okay, maybe the stylistic jumps could be a bit much, especially back in the day when no one had a clue just how out there The Beatles would soon get (oh hi, White Album). The A-side of Revolver must have one of the wildest runs of pseudo-rock music ever crafted to that point ( and yes, I’m reviewing the ‘proper’ UK version). It all starts innocently enough, railing against The Man in Taxman for a chipper jaunt, but then McCartney turns out such a sad tune about lonely people (Eleanor Rigby) with a backing string section. Wait, wasn’t this band making happy love songs like Please Please Me and Love Me Do but a mere three years prior? Man, fame really did turn them cynical in short order, didn’t it? Oh wait, here’s bouncy I’m Only Sleeping after that, so they haven’t gotten all so serious yet, though the weird’s creeping in with a guitar recording played in reverse.

And the A-side lunacy doesn’t end yet with Revolver. Love You To is our first introduction to Harrison’s fascination with Indian instruments, which is all kinds of awesome or terrible, depending on what era of Beatlesmania you fall under (awesome!). Following that are Here, There And Everywhere and She Said She Said, which aren’t that weird compared to all else that’s performed, but lodged right in the middle of that is Yellow Submarine. Most know it as that song their parents played for them as a kid in hopes of being turned into Beatles fans at an early age. I cannot deny its sing-songy nature, fun nonsensical lyrics and cartoony sound effects is catnip to children ears. Plus, how brilliant is it that Ringo gets to sing Yellow Submarine, making the song relatable as an everyman pub chanty since you don’t need impeccable vocal harmonies to sing along.

Side number two obviously can’t compare to the first half of Revolver, though there are charming bits about (plus a total downer in For No One for the miserable sorts). On the other hand, Tomorrow Never Knows is at the end, the most big-beaty, sampledelic meaty, off-the-wall kick-assery Beatles tune ever – it’s ‘90s Brit rock thirty years early, though I’m sure all those bands freely admit Tomorrow Never Knows being an influence. It was the most perfect capper to an already dynamic album. No way The Beatles could top it. No way. (they did)

ACE TRACKS: October 2013

That’s it, then. I’m done with In Trance We Trust. I don’t care if they keep releasing mix CDs, it’s over for me, finished. 020 surprised me in how much I enjoyed the results, so why risk ruining that positive afterglow of a series that did right in the end. They corrected their missteps, found the groove they always hinted was possible, and now it’s time to close that chapter, move onto other things. Eh? Anjunabeats? No…. no! Never! Here, how about some ACE TRACKS that I reviewed way back in October of 2013? There be In Search Of Sunrises here.


Full track list here.

MISSING ALBUMS:
Jean Michel Jarre - Jarremix
Various - Influence 1.1: A Hardtrance Experience
Sounds From The Ground - High Rising
Sounds From The Ground - Brightwhitelight

Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 16%
Percentage Of Rock: 4%
Most “WTF?” Track: Brian Sanhaji - Cortosis (why did I like this track again?)

Still no Waveform Records on Spotify, thus still a significant chunk of missing music by Sounds From The Ground. ‘Tis odd that Influence 1.1 isn’t available though, as many Hypnotic Records compilations are floating throughout the streaming service. Maybe Cleopatra wasn’t satisfied with the sound quality? Oh, and no ‘Italo Classics’ either, obviously – besides, I could never do those tunes justice as Zyron did for his mixes.

This month was quite a diverse one, which usually results in a fun, eclectic playlist, but I dunno. Between all the Waveform dub, In Search Of Sunrise trance, eastcoast hip-hop, and funky-house house, things never quite clicked the way I hoped it would. Maybe I’m just being needlessly self-critical this time out. I do find it funny how, in the time since going through that particular stretch of albums starting with “I”, I’ve added twenty-two more releases within that block. Mind, two-thirds of that are In Trance We Trust mixes, but still.

ACE TRACKS: January 2015

What a bizarre month. There’s been a few in the past where one or two styles of music dominated a playlist, but never in the way this one turned out. Hope you like a lot of hip-hop. Wait, you do? Well, cool, but I hope you enjoy a bunch of psy-trance mixed in with that. Wait, you do? Who are you, some kind of weirdo? Oh, wait, that’s just my reflection in the monitor. Looks like a bit of yolk dripping off my nose at that. Well, here’s the ACE TRACKS of January 2015 in any event:



Full Track List Here.

MISSING ALBUMS:
John ‘00’ Fleming - Psy-Trance Euphoria 2
Various - Psychedelic Goa Trance
Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - Psychick Rhythms Vol. 1
Various - Psychotrance 2001: D:Fuse
Various - Cosmic Funk
Various - Dub Selector
Amon Tobin - Piranha Breaks

Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 25%
Percentage Of Rock : 10%
Most “WTF?” Track: The Statler Brothers - Flowers On The Wall (for its glorious ‘movie moment’, though it’s certainly an odd one here too)

You know who makes for surprisingly good bed fellows? Early Burial and early Nine Inch Nails! Or maybe in a playlist fighting for space in the crowds of Wu-Tang Clan and French psychedelia, they found common ground, comfort in their outsider status. But yeah, with a few extra inclusions of lengthy Neil Young rock and borderline EBM, this is a weird assortment of tunes. Whatever happened to the regular ol’ house and techno, eh? This playlist should be a hoot if you’re daring to wander outside those comfort zones.

ACE TRACKS: March 2014

Ah yes, the “Sykonee Listens To Ishkur’s Old CDs” month. And that was only the last-half! Prior to that, it was all those Mixed Goods CDs of mine, and a few odds and ends of weird variety before that. We got ourselves a fun one, folks, for ACE TRACKS: March 2014!



Full track list here.

MISSING ALBUMS:
The Future Sound Of London - Environments 3
The Future Sound Of London - Environments II
Tool - Ænima
Fehrplay - Meow
And obviously all Mixed Goods, but at least a third of those tracks are available on Spotify anyway.

Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 0%
Percentage of Neil Young: 0%
Most “WTF?” Track: Aqua - Roses Are Red (not for the actual song, but for how I’ve strategically placed it for maximum “WTF” potential)

Whoa, a whole month’s worth of reviews with nary a hip-hop cut or Neil Young croon. And yet, this is undoubtedly the rock-heaviest Playlist I’ve done, and am likely ever to do. There’s hard rock, arena rock, alternative rock, metal rock, other-metal rock, and grunge too. Unless I take on another friend or associate’s old CD collection, I can’t see any more Playlists veering so far off the electronic music path as this one. And yet, it never feels like the house, techno, downtempo, and experimental chill-out are shoved to the side, flowing almost seamlessly between the post-guitar-blues material. I never though FSOL and Beck needed pairing together, yet here it is - now I desperately want them to get wicked-stoned in a studio and cranking out nothing short of a double-LP of weirdness.

I feared this playlist would turn into as much of a clusterfuck as April 2014’s, but as long as you don’t mind all the rock, it’s good listening. No doubt it helps when I don’t award ACE TRACK status to full 2CD-length albums.

Sykonee Surveys Spotify's Senseless Suggestions: Round 1

You’re always getting recommendations from them – Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, Songza (really…?) – but how often do they align with your actual tastes? Does it depend on how effective their data algorithms are, or how large a pool of information they have to work with? Simple shameless marketing? Not that I ever bothered following their suggestions, as I beat to my own drum, seeking out the music I want to hear, not what some other thinks is best for me. Hmph. *adjusts monocle*

So when Spotify sends me an email of their suggestions (geez, already, guys?), I’m ready to automatically send it to the Trash. “But wait,” says the little spider in my head, “why not turn this into an opportunity?” “How do you mean, little spider coiled around my cerebellum?” “Reviewing the music from your personal collection’s fine and all, but why not spice things up a little? Listen to the recommendations Spotify sends you, maybe discover some new acts while giving a chance to those you’ve casually dismissed in the past.”

The Spotify Spider makes a point. I really ought to mix my content up some, lest I burn myself out on standard reviews all too quickly again. Plus, I’m curious to see whether Spotify’s suggestions might improve, narrow in on my tastes as I sample their catalog more and more.

Here’s how this’ll work. Spotify sends me ten suggestions with each email (I don’t know how frequent these will be yet). I will sample the first two songs of that artist/band/act I see on Spotify and give a quick summation of what I hear, plus a ‘rating’ based on how close Spotify got it to my interest. Sounds good? Alright, no sense wasting time, let’s get onto the first round!


Cake - 1. The Distance / 2. Short Skirt/Long Jacket

Okay, this is unexpected. I think I’ve heard of Cake, a rock/funk/hop/etc. fusion band that’s been around since the early ‘90s. The second tune sounds like something that would have come about in the late ‘90s ska era (those trumpets…), which isn’t surprising as it came out in 2001. The Distance sound more punk-grungey, again unsurprising as it’s a mid-‘90s song. I’ve a feeling their discography’s far more eclectic than this though. It’s funky enough to pique my interest. Will check some later.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 3/5

Jungle - 1. Time / 2. The Heat

Hey, I like me some jungle! Amazing Spotify would recommend a whole genre though. Oh, wait, the band’s name is Jungle. And they’re… another fusion band, though the electro/synth-pop/glam-funk vein. Jungle’s very new too, both these tracks coming from their self-titled debut album released this year; also signed to XL Recordings, which is why Spotify suggested them to me? Both tracks are rather similar, The Heat a tad slower and groovier. They’ve definitely got a nice sound, but come off a bit too fluff and hipster-bait. Not that it’s a bad thing, as Hercules & Love Affair proved.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 3/5

Katy Perry - 1. This Is How We Do / 2. Dark Horse

Oh dear. This is going to mess up future suggestions, isn’t it. What else is there to say about Katy Perry? She’s hot, she got an annoying high pitch, and is somehow a pop music juggernaut, currently towering over every other female in the business. She seems like a nice enough lady, even if she’s constantly presenting herself as a total ditz. I don’t need to hear anything more from her on Spotify because every pop radio station won’t stop playing her songs. Ugh. Dark Horse, her weak jump on bass music, you’ve almost certainly been forced to hear at some point this year. Not sure why This Is How We Do was the first song though, as it’s a fairly generic dance tune, even by Perry standards.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 0/5, at least on Spotify; there’s no escaping her radio presence.

Hybrid Minds - 1. Meant To Be / 2. Lost

Ah, here’s the jungle. Liquid funk to be exact, but these two tunes blend the blissy vibes of atmospheric jungle too. Hybrid Minds are another newish act, though the members have been players in the D’n’B scene for a while. Even with the standard, brisk 2-step in action, these are some lovely chill-out soul tunes. I can honestly say I haven’t heard much like it before, and I’m apparently not the only one, a quick scan of their PR praising them for an innovative direction in the liquid funk scene. Lord knows it could use it. Mmm, that Mountains album looks tantalizing…

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 4/5

Radiohead - 1. Creep / 2. No Surprises

Wait, I thought Radiohead wasn’t on Spotify! Ah, it’s just Thom Yorke that pulled his own material. Everything Radiohead released with the EMI group is here. Go figure. Also, I can’t say I’m eager to hear much more Radiohead. Creep I’ve heard plenty of times, especially at karaoke nights. I’m sated, thank you. OK Computer’s an album I’ve kinda-sorta thought about getting some day, but I’m in no rush. I totally forgot about No Surprises, those charming bells reminding me of Brian Wilson down in the mopes. I like that era of Radiohead better than their early work anyway. *gasp*

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 3/5

Angels & Airwaves - 1. Paralyzed / 2. The Adventure

Apparently a rock supergroup, comprised of members of bands that I’ve kinda liked (NIN, The Offspring), not at all liked (Blink-182), or never heard before (*shrug*). Paralyzed is their most recent single, sounding like a heavier arena rock anthem, but is over before it ever gets warmed up. Damn radio versions. The Adventure, on the other hand, instantly reminds me of jangly ‘80s U2, but with shouty vocals rather than Bono’s operatic bellow. I can see this being a favorite of folks growing too ‘mature’ for outright angst rock, but totally not for me, thanks.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 1/5

Mayday Parade - 1. Stay / 2. Terrible Things

Another ‘punk-opera’ band? Why is Spotify recommending this to me? It says because its “popular in [my] area”, which may be true, but I haven’t a clue about that. This is a scene I don’t follow at all. A few of my old high-school friends living nearby might like it though. Actually, these two songs remind me more of emo’s more twee moments, especially so with Terrible Things, a simple piano ballad that erupts into an overblown arena-rock cry for emotion. Perfect for a teen drama. Pass.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 1/5

Grateful Dead - 1. Friend Of The Devil / 2. Casey Jones

The Grateful Dead are a very important hippie jam band in the world of hippie jam bands. I remember seeing a cool video of theirs where the band members became skeleton puppets, but they’re not a group I’ve cared to dig into much. Not from a lack of interest, oh no! There’s just so damn much of it out there, and most claim their live material’s better than studio recordings anyway. I had no idea they had a blues-rock number named after a Ninja Turtles character (hur hur!). A Dead Dive could happen some day, if I’m in the mood for ‘70s folk rock again.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 3/5

Snow Patrol - 1. Chasing Cars / 2. You Could Be Happy

Yay, another ‘inspired by Radiohead’ shoegazey rock band. I know I’ve seen Snow Patrol name-dropped before, almost certainly on indie sites eager for the next Radiohead to emerge. I feel like I’ve heard both these songs before too, though maybe the ‘gentle twee beginning into widescreen wall-of-rock’ song writing became so prevalent in the mid-‘00s, it all mushed together from my perspective. They probably have different songs, but I’m already bored by these Radiohead clones. Moving on.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 2/5

The Strokes - 1. Reptilia / 2. Someday

Alright, real rock! Or revivalist garage rock - something with teeth at least. I still remember when The Strokes were being counted upon to save rock music from its current doldrums like it was a decade ago. Most had written them off when they went on a half-decade hiatus, but they’re back, making their same brand of unapologetically simplistic rock ‘n’ roll. I assume anyway, since these two songs are from their breakout years. Now I’m curious whether they have evolved as a band or not. Not dying to hear, mind you, but one of these days, perhaps.

Odds I’ll Listen Again: 3/5


And the final tally for this round of Spotify Suggests is 23/50. Oh dear, that’s not good at all. Then again, it is early in this experiment. We’ll see how things improve whenever I get another email.

Huey Lewis & The News - The Only One

Disky: 1997

I got this as a joke. All right, also because I kinda’ like Workin’ For A Livin’. What harm was there in getting a Huey Lewis & The News CD, though? It was just sitting there in that bargain bin, little more than a buck or two of investment. It didn’t have any of the ‘notorious’ songs on it either, mostly a collection of the band’s early material – the good stuff, in theory. Yeah, this would be fun for a laugh if folks are over for some drinks. I mean, it’s not like I was going to share the fact I had a Huey Lewis CD in my collection to the world at any point, was there? Haha, ha…!

If you want an extensive history of Huey Lewis & The News and a nuanced description of their musical facets, go read All Music Guide or American Psycho. Know only that what started as a San Francisco answer to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (*chortle*) turned into a corporate beast embodying all that was weak and abhorrent about mainstream ‘80s rock music. Plus, they were a talented bunch of successful musicians that got a bad rap as cooler, alternative music took to the college airwaves. The story depends on how fond of memories you have of the group, if any at all (I’m looking at you, people who’ve never seen Back To The Future). Some of their music could be incredibly insipid, true, but they had some fun jams in their discography too.

That said, The Only One is a curious CD. The content seems straight-forward enough, a concise gathering of the band’s first two albums, the self-titled debut and Picture This. Oddly, it’s a Dutch label that’s responsible for it, Disky, and it came out in 1997. Bear in mind that’s nearly a decade since Huey Lewis & The News had any significant hit, three other ‘best of’ collections on the market, and well into an era deeming anything they did uncool (the Dutch sure know their cheese, though). You might think The Only One serves as a greatest hits package for the European market then, but that can't be true with only two album's worth of songs, all from their pre-fame period. The biggest hit here is the “Mutt” Lange produced Do You Believe In Love, Workin' For A Livin' the closest second. Tattoo could have been too, if it wasn’t already a B-side to Believe In Love. Hey, there’s a reason to get this CD: rare B-sides! Or not.

The only theory I have for The Only One's existence is somehow, someway, Disky got the distribution rights to Huey Lewis' first two albums, and knocked this quicky-discy out to capitalize on whatever selling potential Mr. Lewis and his News had in the Netherlands - in 1997, mind you. And this CD somehow found its way into a supermarket bargain bin in Western Canada. Now my head hurts, the logic of that theory twisting my brain in upon itself.

Neil Young - Harvest

Reprise Records: 1972

The only Neil Young album you’re supposed to have, even if you’re not much of a Neil Young fan. Or at least, that was the assumed case waaaayyy back in the ‘70s, when all his Boomer fans would turn to Harvest’s charming, laid-back good ol’ country rock vibes to ease themselves from whatever bad trip they might be suffering from (citation needed). I can’t even think of what album could be considered “the only Neil Young album you’re supposed to have” now, as the man’s musical career’s all over the place. True, there are releases that are good representations of what he’s capable of (After The Goldrush, Rust Never Sleeps, Sleeps With Angels, any live album), but you’re almost always missing out on some aspect of his career. Even Archives, Vol. 1 only reached as far as Harvest, which capped off the first ten years of ol’ Neil making music. Holy shit, he’s been doing this for a freakin’ half-century now, hasn’t he!

Anyhow, what Harvest definitely became was Mr. Young’s most popular album, likely because it was also one of his best selling ones, especially in ’merica, where they love those home-grown country-rock tunes. Just, sshhh, don’t remind them he’s actually Canadian.

The big hits off here were Heart Of Gold, Old Man, and The Needle And The Damage Done. That last one isn’t even two-minutes long, a brief, somber reflection dedicated to those he saw losing their lives to drug addictions. The first two though, hoo boy, were they ever major tunes at the time. You’ll still hear them on the radio, though whether a rock or country one, I’m not sure – that banjo bit in Old Man definitely would sound out of place along all that Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones. And Heart Of Gold, you’ve heard it. No, really, I can guarantee you’ve heard a version of it at some point. Heck, I heard it long before I even knew who Neil Young was, when Boney M covered it on their Nightflight To Venus album I frequently played as a child. Hey, maybe that’s where this Young obsession stems from!

As for Harvest, the album, it’s definitely one of Young’s odder collection of songs. The old-timey country bits (and hits) were put together at Nashville with ridiculously talented session musicians he dubbed The Stray Gators (seriously, Ben Keith’s pedal steel guitar work almost steals the whole album). A short while later, Young brought the group out to a barn at the ranch he’d recently purchased, and recorded one-take rockier tunes on the fly. In between, he got to record a couple songs with the London Symphony Orchestra, lending almost ridiculous bombast to an album that typically comes off down to earth.

Predictably, Harvest ends up quite a slap-dash listening experience, even for a Young album. It may have been his most popular effort, but as you can find most of these tunes elsewhere now (and in stronger renditions), it’s not the most essential purchase anymore.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Greendale

Reprise Records: 2003

I mean, what else was Neil Young gonna do in his career? He'd explored rock music in nearly all its forms: country, punk, grunge, etc. He did classic rock before it was ever 'classic', and he even did proper classic rock, rockabilly. Folk music? Done it. Blues music? Conquered. Electronic music? Damn straight he went there! Death metal? Well, okay, maybe not that one – I can't imagine ol' Neil's 'baying at the moon' singing working too favourably when Cookie Monster growls are the norm. Still, Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) isn't too far off from power-chord distortion metal...

Anyhow, what I'm getting at here is, after a long, long history of having done about all one could ever hope to in rock music, taking a stab at a rock opera wasn't so daft – no less odd than his other quirky ventures over the years. This being Neil though, Greendale wasn't going to be a performance piece on the scale of The Wall. Rather, it was a small, intimate effort, relying on just him and Crazy Horse’s brand of kick-ass country-blues rock to tell the tale, though the tunes are musically simple, even for them. Incidentally, so was the production itself, almost on the level of a community theatre show, which makes sense from a thematic standpoint, as it's all about a small town and a series of events that shake a family to their very core.

Spoilers? Well, since I know barely anyone reading this on an electronic music blog is likely to listen to Greendale - even long time fans were rather confuddled over it – I may as well let you in on the story that takes place.

A family called the Greens lives in a sleepy town called Greendale. About the only major ruckus they caused was when Edith and Earl Green changed the name of a rancho they bought. Sacrilege! How can anyone change the Double L to the Double E? Aside from that though, not much happens for the first few songs of Greendale. Then, in a chance pullover by Officer Carmichael, he catches Jed Green drug running. No one knew Jed was a bad apple, and he only makes things worse when, in a panic, he shoots the policeman! Oops.

As you can imagine, the townsfolk aren’t too pleased, and following Carmichael’s funeral, the media seeks to interview Grandpa Green about the incident, an old curmudgeon traditionalist (with a sense of the Fourth Wall no less, often complaining about “that guy singing”). Just as the old man literally tells the media to get off his lawn with a shotgun, he has a heart attack and dies.

Sun Green, the firebrand young activist girl, doesn’t take kindly to seeing her family fall apart due to the media, and... oh dear, I’m running out of self-imposed word count. I’ll just leave on the note that by the end, the FBI kills a cat, and the final song, Be The Rain, is all kinds of awesome!

Eurythmics - Greatest Hits

BMG Records (UK) Ltd.: 1991

Don’t worry, we won’t be getting bogged down with greatest hits CDs for the coming week, as this is the only other one I have. Well, titled ‘greatest hits’ anyway. I also have a pile of ‘best of’s, plus an annoying auto-label quirk turned a bunch of ‘collection’s into ‘super hits’ (damned reissues). Since I prefer getting original albums of artists, I don’t have that many such releases, but there are a few acts where all you’re interested in are their best songs, and little else. Why yes Eurythmics is one such group.

Maybe one day I'll pick up their sophomore (and most memorable) effort, but aside from those icy-cool synth pop classics, a lot of the music Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart crafted together doesn't do it for me, at least enough to enjoy but a cursory listen every once and awhile. Their stabs at gospel, blues, and soul were never awful or anything, but there's only so much tinny harmonica I can handle, and the '80s were not kind to most wind instruments (oh God, what have you done to the saxaphone? And why do you insist on still using it!?).

For anyone that wasn’t around during Eurythmics’ run, listening to Greatest Hits can be startling. Sweet Dreams has endured as a classic synth ‘anthem’ (and been raped by shit remixes for years as a result), and other tasty keyboard goodies like Here Comes The Rain Again and Who’s That Girl will get rotation on many ‘hey, remember the ‘80s’ channels or theme-nights. So tied to Lennox and Stewart are these tunes that many of the younger generation probably figure that’s their only sound. As Greatest Hits clearly showcases, this is not so. Your moms and pops (we’re not yet at the grandparent stage with the ‘80s yet, are we…?) won’t find it shocking hearing gospel-rock (!) Sisters Are Doin’ For Themselves (the Aretha Franklin collab’) or Motown tribute Would I Lie To You? alongside pure new wave cuts like Sex Crime (1984) or oh-so ‘80s ballad Miracle Of Love. It’s just what Eurythmics did, taking the new wave ethos of post-genre bending, mixing it along with a crafty sense of fashion (alright, so Lennox was just doing David Bowie; still cool to see a gal on that though).

Not much more I can say about this one. You know the big tunes, and if you’re curious to hear what other musical stylings Eurythmics dabbled in, Greatest Hits is a fine primer to get (mostly because, as a former Columbia House option, you can find it anywhere for bargain bin cheap). If you’d just rather hear more pure synth pop though, their early ‘80s albums are worth your investment instead. Well, except for their debut In The Garden, unless you’ve a fancy for the off-kilter side of new-post indie-wave rock something-or-other nonsense. Well, okay, it’s not that bad, but nothing from that album appears here – and damn, what a swerve into Sweet Dreams one year later, eh?

The Steve Miller Band - Greatest Hits 1974-78

Capitol Records: 1978

You’ve likely heard more Steve Miller Band songs than you’re aware of. While everyone – and I mean everyone - knows The Joker, Jungle Love, and Fly Like An Eagle are by the space-folk rock act, there’s plenty more they’ve released that you’re going to recognize without even realizing it’s the same band. Yes, even within the narrow time frame of their discography this greatest hits package covers.

For instance, I always associated Swingtown with my old man, as it’s been one of his staples for whatever bar band he happens to be playing in, easily and awesomely nailing the opening “Ohhhhh” refrain and lyrics. It was years before I discovered this was one of Steve Miller Band’s biggest hits, yet after hearing so many practice sessions growing up, I can’t help but think it’s my dad on the vocals, and not Steve Miller. Oh my, this is quickly turning into an anecdote review, isn’t it?

Can’t be helped. Steve Miller Band’s music has become so ubiquitous on radio stations (not to mention endlessly licensed out for soundtracks) that you’re almost guaranteed to have at least known someone older playing the ever-living shit out of these tunes. Some sort of memory will become associated with a Steve Miller Band song – even if it’s nothing more than, say, a teenaged Homer Simpson singing along to The Joker - that almost any discussion about their music will undoubtedly turn anecdotal over where you heard it (more often than not, at a bar or house party).

Despite the band having a long history with plenty of variety, this particular release deals with the peak of their radio popularity, and boy did Steve Miller ever hit upon a winning formula: good ol’ Southern blues, folk and rock, with just enough psychedelia to stand out from their peers, and dance floor savvy (ooh, is that a touch of disco I hear in Jungle Love?) to make these bar staples for decades to come. Despite this particular greatest hits collection gathering up music from a mere three album’s worth of material, very little AOR makes up this package; maybe the synth-effects lead-in to Jet Airliner, Threshold, could be considered one, but Miller realized he could get double the royalties if Threshold was considered a separate track, and you can’t imagine your classic rock station playing Jet Airliner without that lead-in, now can you.

Look, you don’t need me to tell you Greatest Hits 1974-78 is a solid package of charming pop-rock. You’ve heard tunes like blues-stomper The Stake, starry-eyed hippie folk Wild Mountain Honey, and inoffensive rock-chugger Take The Money And Run plenty of times, even if not these songs in particular. Steve Miller took blues-rock staples, turned them about as radio friendly as one could in the ‘70s, and crafted a pile memorable hits as a result. You wouldn’t want to hear these all the time, but good luck holding back a nostalgic grin on your face when one of these songs crops up.

The Police - Ghost In The Machine

A & M Records: 1981

2 Unlimited was incredibly influential in developing my musical tastes – it’s possible I might not even be writing electronic music reviews were it not for them (what would this blog be instead? Rap Music Critic? Grunge Music Critic? Country Music Cri- oh, God no!). There is a group, however, that I heavily enjoyed well before that, predating even the obligatory Raffi stage we all go through as children. Well, two, but no point in getting into Boney M right now, as this review’s already in danger of getting lost down Anecdote Alley.

Right, The Police. I’m surprised how ingrained memories of playing Ghost In The Machine are. Fiddling through my father’s record collection, always looking for that distinct black cover with the weird LCD markings (it's the band's faces, Toddler Sykonee). Putting it on the turntable, instantly being mesmerized by the opening synth stabs of Spirits In The Material World, feeling giddy over the pop-romp of Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, and eagerly anticipating that haunting, emergent pulse of Invisible Sun. I don’t recall listening to much beyond that. I was only ever after the opening salvo, the rest of the tunes going way over my young head.

I could also point to this album as planting seeds for my fascination for things electronic based, but that's stupid, exposure to themes of technology overtaking humanity an inevitability growing up in the '80s (well, where such technology existed anyway). Maybe it was the recession of the time souring moods, but Ghost In The Machine finds The Police (re: Sting, mostly) far more contemplative than they'd been in the years prior. Sure, they still have time for uptempo rock numbers like Rehumanize Yourself, reggae jam One World and the like, but aside from Hungry For You (a sort of sister track to Everything...), the themes of fear for the future and where mankind's heading persist. End the album with a melancholy track titled Darkness? Yeah, definitely far more mature topics than I could have hoped to understand.

Significantly older now, I've not only come to appreciate the themes of this album (if somewhat snicker with the benefit of hindsight), but the musicianship as well. The Police have long been one of those remarkable bands where their talents were often overshadowed by their hit-making ability. Four albums deep now, and they've started experimenting with jazz fusion (oh, Sting loves to honk on that sax throughout) and prog rock (Secret Journey has lovely guitar effects in play); and yes, more synthesizers than ever used before. And damn, that bassline in Spirits In A Material World is bonkers, utterly remarkable how such a screwy hook gels with the rest of the song. I got to catch their reunion tour, and Sting couldn't get it right, causing a muddled rendition of the song.

Ack, that's yet another anecdote. Too many, gotta abort this review now. Check out Ghost In The Machine if you haven't already, it's easily the darkest of The Police's efforts.

Neil Young - Freedom

Reprise Records: 1989

Even for my generation, I came to the Neil Young Wagon rather late. My first proper exposure was during his Harvest Moon period, when you couldn't escape that song's video on MuchMusic. For quite a few more of my demographic, however, they'd been hip to the old rocker since the late '80s, when they either learned of Young's initially banned-from-MTV video This Note's For You, or the rousing follow-up chart hit Rockin' In The Free World. I probably heard it at some point, but I was more into The Beach Boys in those years.

More so, Young was getting named dropped as a major influence by several up-and-coming alt-rock and grunge acts like Sonic Youth, The Pixies, and such. Growing inspired by this new legion of noise makers, ol' Neil dropped his current blues outfit and gathered a few chaps for a straight-up rock session, the results of which became the rare Eldorado EP, limited to only five-thousand copies and not sold in America. Da'fuq?

Oh well, most of those songs showed up on his next full-length, Freedom, and thank God they did, 'cause they're some of the most kick-ass music he’d made since the early '80s Crazy Horse album Re-Ac-Tor. Though his wonderful mess of noise occurs on songs On Broadway, No More, and Eldorado, Don’t Cry’s a real highlight for that sound, twice featuring a blistering wall of incredible distortion (having an industrial clank as part of the rhythm’s hilarious too!).

But Freedom wouldn’t have been considered a comeback album if it’d been a bunch of noisy rock. Young’s musical appeal was broad, many enjoying his folksy side along with forays into country and blues. This album has it all, which is a win-loss situation, depending on where you stand on such things. Me, I’m all for a little pleasant folk like Hangin’ On A Limb, plus the lengthy blues-rock Crime In The City’s great if you enjoy tales of everyday people (Eldorado’s awesome for this too, though obviously with more of a Mexican bent). Heck I don’t even mind the country tunes The Ways Of Love and Too Far Gone - Young’s about the only guy I can stand doing country, for some reason (probably because it’s Neil F’n Young). Unfortunately, two of his ballads - Someday and Wrecking Ball - are pants, especially so the former, coming off like an incredibly weak mid-‘80s country ditty (okay, not everything he does turns out). Really, the whole album has that “only in the ‘80s” production sheen to it, though not nearly as bad as many other releases of that decade.

So obviously I’d recommend Freedom if you’re looking to get acquainted with ol’ Neil, but aside from Rockin’ In The Free World, there aren’t any all-time classics on here. It’s probably more enjoyed after indulging in a greatest hits package or something, to find out if his style of music’s even your taste. While Freedom does have something for everyone, it’s unlikely everyone will enjoy it all.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil's Tattoo

Vagrant Records: 2010

This is a rock album.

*waits for 90% of readers to leave*

More specifically, this is a ‘rawk’ album.

*waits for half of remaining readers to leave*

In fact, I’d even peg this as Brit ‘rawk’, though some may call it ‘shoegaze’.

*waits for nearly everyone else to leave*

For those left, don’t expect this to be much of a review. I don’t know anything about this group, beyond what their Last.fm bio provides (based out of West Coast of America, been around for over a decade, some tumultuous issues with band members over the years). Nor am I much inclined to do more research than that. This is a style of music that barely registers on my Interest Barometer, perhaps due to an overexposure of it during the 90s when Oasis and Blur were Next Big Things.

So why do I have this? Simple answer: their name piqued my curiosity, as I’m sure it did yours. How could it not? Black Rebel Motorcycle Club? Oh, God, I just got’s ta’ hears what they sounds like! Maybe it’ll be an awesome Steppenwolf tribute. Or maybe crazy-ass metal! Perhaps it’s some quirky IDM experimental thing using a totally ironic handle. Come on, Record Shop Man, let me hear some!

Really, all I wanted to hear was rock music that ‘rawked’, guitar tones that either built intense walls of distortion or were dragged through gravel pits, and drumming that wouldn’t sound out of place in a pub or garage. Expectations were met, and I gave Record Shop Man some digital dimes for a copy.

There were some nice bonuses too. Peter Hayes, their singer, gets plenty of treatment on his vocals, sounding like something you’d expect to hear at Glastonbury dawn (or a Chemical Brothers collab’). A definite influence of 60s rock is present, with folksy ditties and psychedelic sounds creeping in here and there. And plenty of catchy hooks and charming choruses abound, rounding out a solid overall listening experience.

Is this a great album? Well, I like it, and though it’ll only cross my ears once every year or two, that’s still far more often than anything I’d be willing to hear from bands like Coldplay or post-2000 U2. For all I know, Devil’s Tattoo has been lauded and bestowed multiple kudos from Pitchfork, NME, and several trendy rock publications. Or maybe it’s been heavily criticized as derivative and cheap, a shameless sell-out of an album that decries their earlier output. Again, that’s research I don’t care to do.

After all, the music here gives me warm, fuzzy feelings, and in the end, isn’t that all that matters?

5 Song Weekly Mini-Review #3

So I know I’ve intended for this to be a weekly thing, but it seems I keep getting pushed back a day, turning these into ‘8-day’ Mini-reviews. I’ve got to right this ship somehow, so, with luck, the next Mini-Review will be in only five days from now. Er, provided I don’t get too distracted by NHL and NBA playoffs in the meantime. That said, let’s see what this week’s group of Randoms brings us!


1. Neil Young - On The Way Home (Live At The Riverboat 1969)
From the box set Archives, Vol. 1.

Oh yes, Young again. Hey, I’ve got a lot of his music, so odds are he’ll be cropping up a fair bit in these. As for this particular tune, it’s quite typical of the singer-songwriter folksy stuff he was doing after the split-up of Buffalo Springfield - in fact, this was one of the last songs written for the group. Being that it's early in his solo career, Young got to perform a number of small, intimate venues while on tour. That vibe certainly comes through in this recording. I’m sure he’d love to go back to that sort of show at some point but it ain’t gonna happen these days.


2. LFO - LFO (Leeds Warehouse Mix)
From the compilation Tracks From The Best Dance Albums Of All Time.

Yeah, the name of the compilation’s kind of corny, but you couldn’t fault the track list (given away for free with one of Muzik Magazine’s issues). This really is a classic in many ways: bleep techno pioneer, bass-bin demolisher, Warp Records flag planter, Speak’n’Spell trendsetter …and on it goes. If you haven’t heard this yet, get on it, damn you. This is MF’n techno history, man!


3. Nirvana - Pennyroyal Tea
From the album In Utero.

I personally never got into the grunge movement - too busy getting into ‘techno’ at the time, y’see - but several peers were, so I was hearing tons of Nirvana and Pearl Jam whether I wanted to or not. Fortunately, Nirvana was good enough that I’d enjoy most of their songs whenever they came within earshot, and quite liked this album for its general rawness of feeling. Pennyroyal Tea is about the sort of grunge tune you’d expect to hear around the time: quiet part, loud part, etc. You can’t go wrong with some Cobain scraggly singin’ though.


4. Jonas Steur featuring Jennifer Rene - Fall To Pieces
From the DJ Mix Intuition Sessions Volume 1: South Africa by Menno de Jong.

Vocal trance, with Jennifer Rene. And as usual, she seems to breathily mumble the words about losing love or some other damn thing. Yet, this is actually quite a pleasant tune. Steur keeps things melodically simple and to the point, and Rene does sound nice complimenting the gentle touches in the track, like pianos and subtle synthy washes. This was actually a minor hit, appearing on a few high-profile mixes, and has held up quite well when compared to the bilge that gets passed off as vocal trance lately.


5. The Beatles - Michelle
From the album Rubber Soul.

W’ah…? Another rock song? Well, not really, but the third from a name folks associate with rock music. Hey, I swear I do have more EDM than rock in my music collection, but I can’t predict how these Randoms go. Anyhow, the song at hand. Um, what else can I say about it that hasn’t been said before? It’s the freakin’ Beatles, man! If you don’t know this song, it’s probably because it’s one of their lesser known ballads, mostly known for a few French lyrics. That’s all I have to say about it.


So, three songs from three icons of rock music, one classic techno cut, and a vocal trance tune. Heh, it reminds me of one of those “which of these things doesn’t belong” skits from Sesame Street. Not that Steur turned in a poor effort or something - it’s a very nice track, for vocal trance. I can’t help but wonder if my Randomizer had a bit of a rock bias this week though. Wouldn’t surprise me if next week I end up with a hip-hop bias, further confounding readers who come here looking for electronic music. But that’s what makes this fun, eh?


Written by Sykonee, 2010. © All rights reserved.