Tag: rock

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

242. Hüsker Dü

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(December 2019) Episode 242 is HÜSKER DÜ. This is what I should have been listening to in the 1980s instead of what I was listening to.  Well, at least the first two kick-ass punk-ish albums; the rest were rather meh.  Highlight is drummer Grant Hart until he let the gated reverb ruin it.  IMHO Hüsker Dü is America’s The Jam.

Favorite album: Zen Arcade

Favorite song: I’ll Never Forget

Compared to expectations: same

HuskerDuZenArcade

239. Nazz

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(November 2019) Episode 239 is NAZZ. This psychedelic-tinged group out of Philadelphia enjoyably touched the sounds of the late 60s.  As the launching pad for Todd Rundgren, Nazz also, not surprisingly, previewed power pop and soft rock.

Favorite album: Nazz

Favorite song: Open My Eyes

Compared to expectations: same

Nazz

235. The Knickerbockers

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(October 2019) Episode 235 is THE KNICKERBOCKERS. I did this on the strength of their 1965 song “Lies” — the song that sounds more like the Beatles of that era than the Beatles themselves.  This New Jersey outfit had a few other groovy recordings as they responded to the sounds of the British Invasion, although outnumbered by their tepid covers.

Favorite song: Lies

Compared to expectations: same

knickerbockers.jpg

234. The Cramps

~ ernopepper ~ 1 Comment

(October 2019) Episode 234 is THE CRAMPS.  Eventually, someone had to fuse a punk attitude onto a rockabilly sound, and Lux and Ivy get the credit.  But the concept of psychobilly is better than the execution, IMHO; it can get redundant.  The Cramps is, however, one of the greatest band names of all time.  Don’t recall if they were every included on a Tarantino soundtrack, but the growl and reverb would make it a natural fit.

Favorite album: Songs the Lord Taught Us

Favorite song: Human Fly

Compared to expectations: ↓

Songsthelordtaughtus

233. Daniel Johnston

~ ernopepper ~ Leave a comment

(October 2019) Episode 233 is DANIEL JOHNSTON. Oddly, I knew nothing of him, but the obituaries compelled me, and I discovered his pure songwriting genius. His tinny voice and no-fi cassette recordings make it hard to listen in anything but small portions, but once he went into the studio, it solved the latter (but not the former). His struggles with mental illness are a part of his story, but at its heart are a bunch of fun and wistful songs that are much covered and emulated.

Favorite album (solo): Fun

Favorite album (collaboration): It’s Spooky (with Jad Fair)

Favorite song: Favorite Darling Girl

Compared to expectations: same

Fun_Daniel_Johnston