February is Music Writer Exercise Month #MWE • Page 35

@Meerkat and @irthesteve have you heard Avalon? I think you owe that album a listen as penance for what you’ve said about Bryan Ferry.

Also, it’s one of the best albums of the 80s

 

I haven't, their only other album I gave a shot was Siren and just.... wasn't into it either

 

@cshadows2887 in my defense I was having a miserable day and said I owed it a second shot! I’ll listen to both though

 

If I’ve established any credibility with you over the years, trust me on this one. At the very least, you should have heard “More Than This” in your lifetime.

 

oh wow, yes I completely love that song. That's the same band?!?! Wow.

 

Back to hip/hop for me today with a Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

 

Three weeks into the four week process. How’s everyone doing? I find that choosing a different time of day to listen helps me power through.

 

Having a blast. It's definitely been interesting which albums click right away and which ones need 3-5 listens throughout the day.

@Matt Chylak, you're doing Hounds of Love today too, right?

 

Yes! I already gave it my first listen. "Running Up That Hill" overwhelmed me so much that I had to stop and start over a few times. The word that keeps coming to mind is "propulsive" but I need more listens.

 

"Running Up That Hill" is the one song I already knew really well, so I was prepared for that one. The rest was kind of a wild ride, though. Listening again now.

 

I actually start my morning with a new album each day. Gives me something to look forward to

 

The back half is where she really seems to move into more conceptual territory. "Waking The Witch" is going to take some time. On the other hand, I'm fairly certain The Killers could cover "The Big Sky" without many changes.

 

Yeaaahh, was not fond of "Waking the Witch" at all.

The modern band that came to mind for me was Arcade Fire. Regine sounds a lot like Kate Bush on a bunch of the songs where she takes lead vocals.

 

I can hear that. They're also a band where the instrumentation, texture, and "flavor" of the music itself often seems like a really direct extension of an underlying intentionality/conceit.

I don't know if it's because I first listened to Björk's Post like ten days ago but this felt like a way more accessible way to do what she does -- these songs paint a sonic scene to visualize what they're going for in a really overt manner. When it works ("Under Ice", "The Morning Fog") I'm all in. On the other hand, sometimes it feels like she's doing Art for Art's sake instead of simply writing immaculate songs (such as in "Waking The Witch" and "Jig Of Life", which weren't so much my speed).

Actually I fucked up, Brandon Flowers would totally cover "Hounds Of Love" in a karaoke bar.

 

Bjork has talked a lot about how much she loves Kate Bush, particularly her album The Dreaming, so it’s definitely a fair comparison!

 

It’s been dreamy. So far I’ve only had 2 records I didn’t really connect with. I pinched a nerve about a week and a half ago and have been stuck on the couch so it’s been nice to feel like I still have something to do everyday

 

TWF the band you tweet about for MWE retweets it.

 

This album rules, the bass playing especially. I'd heard a little Fugazi before and I'm definitely going to check out more of their stuff soon.

 

oh man yr in for a treat

 

Today’s album was Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die, which is a pretty good album title. I suppose it is a relatively early pre cursor to post rock from 1996. It opens up with a whopping 20 minute track, before 5 tracks of about 5 minutes each.

It’s a strange album, with some songs that sound like recognisable post rock, with the build up and general tones and mood of the music. Then there are some tracks that just sound a little off kilter and a little unusual, like they’re just playing with sounds, with little electro flourishes and bleeps, and seemingly locked into a little groove and just ending as opposed to progressing like you’d expect a song too.

Intriguing and probably would be an album that needs more listens - not entirely sure what I made of it at first, and not exactly what I was expecting.

 

@George Tortoise are a really interesting band to me. I need to delve into their back catalogue more deeply. I really like 'Standards' - it's such a dense, weird, off-kilter album that shouldn't really work but somehow does. I think a lot of their stuff (that I've heard) is like that. Multiple listens are a given.

 

lol that’s why I always tag them in the album photo

 

Where should I go next with Kate Bush?

 

Probably The Dreaming