Category: Episodes

176. Red Hot Chili Peppers

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(July 2018) I have completed episode 176 of my “opus project.” This edition: RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS. Many excellent songs. But overall, the sum does not equal the (funk + rock + punk + jazz) parts. Their early stuff was ground-breaking (esp. Get Up and Jump). Everything after Californication is boring. In the 1980s, you’d put on their latest album to show how punk you were. In the 1990s, you’d put on their latest album to show you were edgier than your friends who listened to Gin Blossoms and Dave Matthews. In the 2000s, you put on their latest album to show that you once thought of yourself as punk and edgy.

Favorite album: One Hot Minute

Favorite song: Give It Away

Special sauce: Flea

Compared to expectations: same

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175. Fiona Apple

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(July 2018) I have completed episode 175 of my “opus project.” This edition: FIONA APPLE. Of the many female singer-songwriters to come out of the 1990s, she is perhaps the most enigmatic and interesting.

Favorite album: The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

Favorite song: Criminal

Compared to expectations: ↑

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174. Len Price 3

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(July 2018) I have completed episode 174 of my “opus project.” This edition: The LEN PRICE 3. If you like early The Who, early Kinks, or garage rock in general, you should check out this contemporary revivalist group. It’s like listening through a kick-ass time machine.

Favorite album: Pictures

Favorite song: Mr. Grey

Compared to expectations: same

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173. Roxy Music

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(July 2018) I have completed episode 173 of my “opus project.” This edition: ROXY MUSIC. The review confirmed my impression that much of Roxy’s music is unremarkable. But it did introduce me to their first two superbly glam-tastic albums — the ones with Brian Eno (because everything Eno touches turns to gold).

Favorite album: For Your Pleasure

Favorite song: The Bogus Man

Least favorite album: Flesh + Blood

Nostalgic album: Avalon

Compared to expectations: ↓

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172. Edgard Varèse

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(June 2018) I have completed episode 172 of my “opus project.” This edition: EDGARD VARÈSE. An avant-garde composer from the first half of the 20th century, his works, unbounded by conventional structure, influenced many threads of that century’s music, including electronic. Any fan of Frank Zappa should get to know his compositions, as Varèse was a major influence on him.

Favorite Piece: Amériques

Favorite electronic piece: Poème électronique

Compared to expectations: same

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171. Steve Reich

~ ernopepper ~ 1 Comment

(June 2018) I have completed episode 171 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to the complete works of an artist. This edition: STEVE REICH. As a devotee of minimalist music, of course I am a fan of one of its founding fathers, arguably one of America’s greatest living composers. I especially appreciate Reich’s early experimentation with tape loops and phasing, as they have had such a wide influence across a wide range of musical styles. He has kept innovating with African polyrythms, unique orchestrations, mixed-media operas, religious themes, etc.

Favorite Piece: Music for 18 Musicians

Favorite orchestra-ish piece: The Four Sections

Favorite tape loop: Come Out

Favorite use of amplified noise to explore a concept: Pendulum Music

Compared to expectations: same

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170. Leonard Cohen

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(June 2018) I have completed episode 170 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to an artist’s full discography. This edition: LEONARD COHEN. He is a legend. And yet, I can’t get much beyond meh with much of his work. As a poet, his lyrics are the heart of his music. But since lyrical content is the last thing I listen to in music, I am missing the depth of appreciation. I prefer the earlier folk material, but also the last sparse, dark recordings. One interesting observation is how the pitch of his voice drops with each album, from medium-high register on the first albums to nearly inaudible depths by the final ones.

Favorite album: Songs of Love and Hate

Favorite song: Suzanne

Compared to expectations: ↓

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169. Badfinger

~ ernopepper ~ 1 Comment

(June 2018) I have completed episode 169 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: BADFINGER. One of the three Pillars of Power Pop (along with Big Star and the Raspberries). No one excelled at the power ballad quite like Badfinger.

Favorite album: Straight Up

Favorite song: No Matter What

Hidden Gem: the first album (Maybe Tomorrow, issued as The Iveys), with period-apt psychedelics and baroque pop

Compared to expectations: same

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168. Wu-Tang Clan

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(June 2018) I have completed episode 168 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: WU-TANG CLAN. I’m not much into rap but I can dig the them for their hardcore approach, inventive lyrics, entrepreneurialism, and kung-fu ethos. I limited this episode mostly to the albums released as Wu-Tang Clan; I didn’t have the stamina for all the projects put out by the Wu-Tang collective.

Favorite album: Iron Flag

Favorite song: Bring Da Ruckus

Compared to expectations: same

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167. Mazzy Star

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(May 2018) I have completed episode 167 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: MAZZY STAR. An underrated band from the 1990s IMHO. A distinct sound — hazy, echo-y, spare, not quite alt-country, with subtle bits of psychedelia — that I might label “sultry shoegazing.”

Favorite album: So Tonight That I Might See

Favorite song: Halah

Compared to expectations: same

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