(November 2020) Episode 299 of the “opus project” is THE GLANDS. Melodic, catchy lo-fi indie rock. Being from Athens, GA, I would have thought them part of the Elephant 6 collective; they’re not, but they sure sound like it. Also, a great band name.
Favorite album: The Glands
Favorite song: i can see my house from here
Compared to expectations: ↑
(November 2020) Episode 298 is JONATHAN RICHMAN. The Troubadour of Boston. I became a fan early on with the proto-punkish Modern Lovers songs that made him a cult favorite. But to be honest, the solo work that followed was disappointing. The songs are simple and pleasant, but would be better enjoyed in a coffeehouse rather than by listening to albums, and they never attained the cleverness or weirdness of the early stuff.
Favorite album: The Modern Lovers
Favorite song: Pablo Picasso
Compared to expectations: ↓
(November 2020) Episode 297 of the “opus project” is JON GIBSON, begun after his passing last month. A woodwind player and founding member of the Philip Glass Ensemble, he was at the center of the minimalist movement, and I mean literally: Gibson played the premieres of Riley’s “In C,” Reich’s “Drumming” and “Reed Phase,” and Glass’s “Music in 12 Parts.” But he also composed fine minimalist/avant-garde pieces of his own, which is what is covered in this episode.
Favorite album: Two Solo Pieces
Favorite “song:” Relative Calm: I. “Rise”
Compared to expectations: same
(November 2020) Episode 296 of the “opus project” is MÖTLEY CRÜE. They stood out from the hair metal crowd by pushing all the buttons: a mix of cock rock, double kick pedal thrashers and power ballads, a party/bad boy reputation they more than lived up to, Hollywood glam, theatrics, a devil name-drop, and of course the umlauts.
Favorite album: Shout at the Devil
Favorite song: Looks That Kill
Compared to expectations: same
(October 2020) Episode 295 is MODEST MUSSORGSKY. Composer of the well-known Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on Bald Mountain and Boris Gudonov (but that’s about all you need to know). One of a group of Russian romantics who incorporated Russian national aesthetics (although not subversively aimed at national liberation, as contemporaries from other nations did), Mussorgsky did not leave a large oeuvre as he held a day job, was an alcoholic and died young.
Favorite piece: Night on Bald Mountain
Compared to expectations: same
Episode 294 is ZZ TOP. There are tons of boogie-blues bands out there, but none finer than ZZ Top, who stand out with their tight, top-notch musicianship, wry lyrics and proclivity for funky grooves. While their 80s synth- and gated drum-laden songs and videos were their height of popularity, I prefer the Texas BBQ-drenched 70s classics we grew up on, like “Cheap Sunglasses.” I still chuckle that Frank Beard is the only member without a beard.
Favorite album: Tres Hombres
Favorite song: La Grange
Compared to expectations: same
(October 2020) Episode 293 is WENDY CARLOS. A pioneer of electronic music and arguably its earliest popularizer through her synthesized versions of classical works (like “Switched on Bach”). You may know her best through the excellent soundtrack to “A Clockwork Orange.” While the classical albums presented the possibilities of Moogs, it was her own compositional explorations that proved most influential — “Sonic Seasonings” practically invented the New Age and ambient genres.
Favorite album: Sonic Seasonings
Favorite song: Spring
Compared to expectations: same
Episode 292 is CHUCK BERRY. Of the Founders of Rock ‘n Roll, he is the most important. He cemented the guitar as its primary idiom, not only for the intro and the solo, but as an essential lyrical element on par with voice (see: “School Days”). Plus, his antics and teen-focused, innuendo-filled lyrics set the form and attitude of rock. Like his fellow Founders, his early hits are the essential stuff, and the subsequent albums are largely redundant, unless you really love old-timey rock ‘n roll. But to his credit, he never departed from his commitment to it (as in, he never had a disco phase).
Favorite album: Chuck Berry Is On Top
Favorite song: Johnny B. Goode
Compared to expectations: same
Episode 291 of the “opus project” is DREAM SYNDICATE. I did this episode because they are identified with the Paisley Underground and emerged from my college town, and on the strength of the Lou Reed-flavored initial EP. But the mid-80s albums sound little better than a strained-voice, strum-beat bar band. The reformed band’s recent three albums are OK.
Favorite album: The Days of Wine and Roses
Favorite song: Apropos for Nothing
Compared to expectations: ↓
(October 2020) Episode 290 is ALBAN BERG. He is one of the important composers of one of my favorite periods (early 20th Century modernism/avant-garde), although his body of work is not large. His compositions tend to have a more Romantic aesthetic than others of the time, such as his mentor Schoenberg.
Favorite piece: Violin Concerto
Favorite piano piece: Piano Sonata
Compared to expectations: same
