February is Music Writer Exercise Month #MWE • Page 27

Probably this super gorgeous indie-rock/dream-pop album called Different Stars by the band Trespassers William. They kind of felt like the spiritual successors to Mazzy Star.

 

Day 13 is Board up the House by Genghis Tron. One of the benefits and downsides of making my list of albums really quickly, is that I really can’t remember why specifically I picked this album, it’s not like they’ve been a band I’ve been wanting to check out for a while or anything, I must have just seen their name somewhere and figures they’d do. Which I suppose is exciting in its own way.

Its extreme metal with electronica flourishes, so early Dillinger Escape Plan meets Enter Shikari.

It isn’t an album I have a huge amount to say about really, I appreciate that they’re innovative and making the sort of hybrid music that not many others are, but there wasn’t any individual moments or songs that particularly stood out for me as well crafted, or particularly interesting.

Was an okay listen, but nothing in here I’ll be back for in a hurry.

 

The X album I have today is SO fucking good. I assume their hardcore fans probably though they were past it by this point because they were more melodic but oh man. A lot of this gives The Replacements a run for their money.

 

there is no “past it” for X. remarkably consistent

 

Clearly I’m inclined to agree, but I know the wiki said Christgau was kinda down on it

 

christgau is baffling at times

 

He is, which makes him the most fascinating critic. Even when I think he’s dead wrong, I always find his take interesting. And some of his pithy turns of phrase are just inimitable.

 

Queer classic for sure. Also some of my favorite work from Jason McGerr

 

That album has a fistful of some of the great songs ever by anyone (“Call It Off”, “The Con”, “Nineteen”, “Soil Soil”)

 

i didn’t love it when i did it earlier in the month. my wife played stuff from so jealous after and i definitely liked what i heard from that way more

 

“Maybe I would have been something you’d be good at” is maybe the line I’ve spent the most time thinking about in my life, tbh. Just a definitive heartbreak album.

Though I’ll admit I’ve also spent a lot of time relating to “Just call. I’ll be curled on the floor, hiding out from it all.”

 

Yeah that always fucks me up just as much as the first time I heard it. Similarly, no matter what mood I’m in I have to sing along to the chorus of “Back In Your Head”

 

I wish I liked T&S but I just simply don't like their voices, just personal preference not working for me

 

Listening to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless and wondering what in the world am I listening to

 

oh my. what a magical album

 

Day 14 was Fables of the Reconstruction by REM. REM are a bit of a blind spot for me, I've definitely heard Automatic for the People & Out of Time once or twice, but not albums that are on regular rotation for me at all.

I was looking forward to this, as I always feel like they'll be a band that'll click for me at some point, but this unfortunately didn't do a hell of a lot for me. Reading up on it afterwards, I can see that it is a concept album, but unfortunately that was lost on me during the listen.

It's a darker, murkier and overall gloomier record than I've heard from them before, with a bit more of a folk-rock sound to it. Nothing that I specifically didn't enjoy, but it's an album I'd be struggling to say much about, or recall once it's over.

Will have to wait for another day to get into REM, I suppose...

 

That's certainly a... weird choice of REM album to go with, may I ask why? That might be the absolute last REM album I'd recc to anyone haha

 

I have no real answer to that haha! I did my list very quickly, and wanted to listen to more REM after hearing maybe two or three records, and I liked that album title and it seemed well received on Wikipedia, which was about the extent of it.

There was very little research or thought that went into my list for the month, there are a few other odd choices that I can’t recall really why they’re there.

 

Fables of the Reconstruction does have a great title! I remember being drawn to that one early on in my R.E.M. fandom because the name held a certain mystique. To this day, though, it’s probably the only album of theirs that has never really clicked for me. Feel like you’d be into Lifes Rich Pageant, @George.

 

Sam Cooke, goddamn.

 

That bowed bass that starts “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” is such an amazingly dramatic way to open an album.

 

I did not realize how long this Unwound album was. Gonna probably have to do it in two sittings today and tomorrow

 

The perfect mood-setter.

Another album where the band is really locked in. I've had a bunch of those.