Tag: rock

266. Hawkwind

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(June 2020) Episode 266 is HAWKWIND. My interest is their role as a pioneer in space rock. The acidly cosmic albums of the early 70s are good head trips. Their peak featured Lemmy before he founded Motörhead (from the name of a Hawkwind song). But then they became Yet Another British Band That Never Ends, with multiple lineup amid countless recordings over half a century. Their dip into New Wave wasn’t bad, but mostly it’s Dave Brock’s (the only consistent member) shifting efforts to put out spacey material (new age, techno, tepid prog rock).

Favorite album: Hall of the Mountain Grill

Favorite song: Silver Machine

Compared to expectations: ↓

Hawkwind-mountaingrill

261. Porcupine Tree

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(April 2020) Episode 261 is PORCUPINE TREE.  When many others were going back to basics with grunge in the early 90s, these guys were reviving prog rock.  Some of the music is enjoyable, especially the heavy metal-tinted later recordings, but the vocals/lyrics tend toward the prog-pretentious which is kind of a turn-off.

Favourite album: Deadwing

Favourite song: Shallow

Compared to expectations: ↓

Pt_deadwing

260. Luscious Jackson

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(April 2020) Episode 260 is LUSCIOUS JACKSON.  Their funk, syncopation and semi-rap is a Very 90s sound, but unlike so many others of that decade, it holds up.  It is not a surprise they have links to the Beastie Boys.  Did you know they made a children’s album?

Favorite album: Fever In Fever Out

Favorite song: Under Your Skin

Compared to expectations: same

fever in fever out

255. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

~ ernopepper ~ 1 Comment

(March 2020) Episode 255 is KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD.  As I continue prospecting Australian psychedelic bands, I hit the friggin’ gold mine with KG&tLW (out of Melbourne, not Perth, this time). They are My New Favourite Band!  Strong prog-rock elements here, so I label their sound “Progadelic” (if no one else has coined the term).  Each album has its own personality and offers its own experience: melodic acoustic ballads, psych freak-outs, jazz fusion, thrash metal, microtonal tuning, garage rock, and a sci-fi concept album featuring vomit.  Their output is as prolific (15 albums and 2 EPs in less than a decade) as their music is propulsive, which often feels like skydiving after downing a case of Red Bull. Try it!

Favourite album: Nonagon Infinity

Favourite song: Head On/Pill

Possibly a Reincarnation of Olivia Tremor Control: Paper Mâché Dream Balloon

Special sauce: whoever’s on bass guitar

Compared with expectations: ↑↑

Nonagon_Infinity

253. Buzzcocks

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(February 2020) Episode 253 of the “opus project” is BUZZCOCKS.  WOW! those first three late-70s punk pop albums kick ass!  Buzzcocks near the top of my “regret” list: bands I should have been listening to at the time instead of the crap I was listening to. Their later output (90s-10s) is decent but unremarkable guitar-driven rock.

Favourite album: Another Music In A Different Kitchen

Favourite song: No Reply

Special sauce: Pete Shelley’s guitar hooks

Compared to expectations: ↑

Buzzcocks_-_Another_Music_In_A_Different_Kitchen_album_cover

252. Tame Impala

~ ernopepper ~ 2 Comments

(February 2020) Episode 252  is TAME IMPALA.  Continuing my tour of psychedelic rock bands from Perth, Australia (yes, it’s a thing). I hit a speed bump with Tame Impala.  Not sure why they’re labeled “psychedelic” (especially after retiring their guitars). Merely the overuse of echo?  It’s all lush synth-laden pop which is not interesting to me (but gets them arena gigs, I guess).  I recommend Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and Pond instead.

Fun fact: I finished this episode on the same day their most recent album was released.

Favourite album: InnerSpeaker

Favourite song: Solitude Is Bliss

Compared to expectations: ↓

Tame_Impala_-_Innerspeaker

251. The Easybeats

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(February 2020) Episode 251 of the “opus project” is THE EASYBEATS.  This is the best 1960s rock band you’ve probably never heard of (likely because they’re from Australia*).  And if you have, you might agree they belong in the same discussion as the Stones, Kinks, Pretty Things and Yardbirds of the same period.  Catchy melodies, sweet harmonies, groovy beats, guitar hooks.   You might recognize “Friday on My Mind.”  Bonus: they recorded albums of all-original materials before most other bands did.

Favourite album: It’s 2 Easy

Favourite song: Sorry

Compared to expectations: ↑

* Guitarist was George Young, elder brother of Angus and Malcolm of AC/DC.

The_Easybeats-It's_2_Easy-LPcover

250. The Beach Boys

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(February 2020) Episode 250 of the “opus project” is THE BEACH BOYS, a band whose popularity and influence need no description.  I divide their recording career into four chapters:

  1. Surf music (62-65) (the perfect period piece worth an occasional dip)
  2. Pet Sounds and Smile session remnants (66-67) (pure magic; a must-listen)
  3. Struggle and transition (68-73) (trying to find their voice amid a changing musical scene and Brian’s troubles)
  4. Phoning it in/running on fumes (76-onward) (avoid at all costs)

It may seem odd I waited so long to get to them, but that’s because I knew two-thirds of their recordings were crap (but I listened to them anyway).  Special mention goes to Brian’s (solo) completion of Smile in 2004; it’s a masterpiece.

Favorite album: Pet Sounds

Favorite song: God Only Knows

Close second: Good Vibrations

Favorite surf-era song: Help Me Rhonda

Worst album (among many): L.A. (Light Album)

Special sauce: Brian Wilson

Compared to expectations: same

PetSoundsCover

245. Oh Sees

~ ernopepper ~ 1 Comment

(January 2020) Episode 245 is OH SEES (also known as OCS and Thee Oh Sees).  One of my favorite bands of the ’10s; a good representation of the music I’ve been into in recent years, although its style is hard to describe. Their initial lo-fi experimentalism is not so interesting, but they hit the gas around 2010 with psychedelic garage-rock freakouts.  The evolution to space- and prog-rock in the recent albums is excellent.

Favorite song: The Dream

Favorite album: Floating Coffin

Compared to expectations: ↑

Floating_Coffin