(February 2021) Episode 318 is SHOCKING BLUE. The Netherlands’ top contribution to the psychedelic explosion of the late 1960s, Shocking Blue is most famous for “Venus” (you know, covered by Bananarama). They put out several decent albums of rock songs with a somewhat groovy/hippie vibe.
Favorite album: Inkpot
Favorite song: Shadows
Compared to expectations: same
(February 2021) Episode 314 is OF MONTREAL. I like most anything that comes out of the Elephant 6 collective, but of Montreal was overall a disappointment. They start out in typical E6 fashion — lo-fi, Beatles-philic songs — followed by a couple of Kinks-esque, music hall-style, baroque pop albums, all with quirky song titles and lyrics. But after that it’s mostly synth-laden electro-pop stuff that did not interest me.
Favorite song: Doing Nothing
Favorite instrumental song: The Gay Parade
Compared to expectations: ↓
Episode 308 of the “opus project” is AMON DÜÜL. Core Krautrock, and I love it. They started as a German art commune experimental drug circle, but then spun off into a more musically proficient unit, known as Amon Düül II, which made the essential early 70s Krautrock recordings. Another spin-off was called Amon Düül UK in the 80s. It’s hard to describe this music; it’s within the bounds of rock music but is thoroughly unconventional.
Favorite album: Yeti
Favorite song: Phallus Dei
Best Amon Düül I album: Disaster
Best Amon Düül UK album: Hawk Meets Penguin
Compared to expectations: ↑
Episode 305 is BEULAH. Another fine band from the Elephant 6 label (although they are from San Francisco not Athens, GA) delivering its characteristic sound of 60s-inspired melodic pop rock and lo-fi indie style. Very puzzling that I didn’t catch on until now.
Favorite album: When Your Heartstrings Break
Favorite song: Score from Augusta
Compared to expectations: ↑
(December 2020) Episode 302 is BELLE AND SEBASTIAN. They’ve always seemed like the iconic indie band to me. If you can get past Stuart Murdoch’s twee vocals you’ll find an abundance of catchy, melodic pop songs. And as they moved into the 00s and 10s they expanded their vocalists, instrumentation and styles, so it never gets stale.
Favourite album: The Life Pursuit
Favourite song: White Collar Boy
Best song that mentions the San Francisco Giants: Piazza, New York Catcher
Best non-album single and wannabe Austin Powers soundtrack: Legal Man
Compared to expectations: ↑
(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 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
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
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
Opus Project 