Albums of the Week for 2/26/24
LEAP WEEK
In the spirit of an extra day this week (not really how it works, I know), we will have FOUR albums of the week this week. This is three-fold.
There are a lot of great records released this week in history. I had a hard time choosing, so in addition to the 1 that is focused on for “this week in history” which is totally new to me, I have 2 more in the Wildcard spots that are very very important records to me.
I have no idea if said “this week in history” album is any good
The “recent” release is a 45-minute sound exploration record that I expect to absolutely adore and expect fewer than 5 of my followers/friends to feel similarly.
Let’s transition to March though, for real. I’m turning 38 this month (I think?) and I’m stoked. Beyond that, despite the next week or so here in Portland looking like a typical February and/or March with rain and snow, we have had a handful of “false Spring” days that have been absolutely crucial for a mental health boost and turned out to be genuinely special.
I finished my “complete” Supertramp re-listen project. I had a couple of live records I couldn’t find complete online, so I decided to punt those rather than buy them at this point. I’m not going to make a whole post like I did with Helmet - because I don’t have a lot to say. They were a good band, sometimes a not so good band and their last record, regarded as one of their worst is maybe my second favorite in the whole canon. I WILL talk about that one soon.
Expect quite a few posts this week if all goes as planned. As I write this, I have something partially written that will come out a few hours after this, as well as a “look back at February” post and an additional piece about some “new to me” records that have absolutely floored me in the first two months of the year that I haven’t had an opportunity to talk about. Don’t feel obligated to read it all, the cool thing about Substack is that you can bookmark posts or always visit my hub to find stuff.
Have a good week, y’all.
Thoughts on Albums of the Week from 2/19:
Al di Meola - Casino
Wow, what a ripper. I love everything from Al di Meola I’ve ever heard and while I’m sure he has some NOT GOOD records, I’ve yet to hear them. I have been a big fan of his since I was like 14 and someone posted Friday Night in San Francisco on a message board I was on. It blew me away, having been previously familiar with John McLaughlin. I explored and loved with Chick Corea’s Return to Forever project and have found most Al solo albums super enjoyable. I just listened to his two Beatles covers albums this past week and really thought they were pretty great! I first heard Casino probably close to 20 years ago, though I would count the number of times I’d heard it since then at about 2. The album cover, however, is permanently etched into my brain as one of the coolest images you’ll ever see. The casino tables with big stacks, the white suit with black butterfly collar, the cowboy boots, the beautiful guitars and Al sitting in the high-backed rattan chair. This is a vibe that few can match. The music on this record blends flamenco chords and speed with the late 70s jazz fusion sounds, Al ripping in, out and through the percussion. It’s not abrasive, but it’s not smooth. To dumb it down - you can easily see hints of Santana in the music, but the compositions are their own thing. It goes pretty heavily into Prog on tracks like “Senor Mouse” and of course the “Fantasia Suite” but the 38 minutes fly by for me. I can imagine this becoming a true “throw on when nothing sounds good” type of record for me, it’s super listenable.
Les Amazones d’Afrique - Musow Danse
I feel pretentious and a little weird when I say it, but this is an album where your experience will shift dramatically if you stream it in hi-def and not on Spotify. I get it, I pay for Spotify, you pay for Spotify. It’s ubiquitous, accessible and has so much music. But albums like this are reasons why YOU as a music fan should really entirely switch or invest in trying out streaming services like Qobuz (my choice), TIDAL or even Apple (I can’t stand Apple Music fwiw). This sounds like an entirely different record between Spotify and Qobuz. It’s awesome, pretty and impactful on both services, but the production really PUNCHES you in the face in the higher quality and sounds terribly muted on the average Spotify bitrate. Listening on Qobuz, this is one of my favorite records of the year, on Spotify - it’s merely really good. Look, do the work. My music appreciation in the streaming era (if you stream!) has improved dramatically with the higher quality files (also, Qobuz pays artists the most per stream).
All that aside, I chose this record as sort of a hail mary, last minute pick before last week’s post came out. I had a different record chosen that I really loved and listened to a bunch but it actually all worked out, because I enjoy this one even better. Interestingly enough, the previous 2 Les Amazones d’Afrique albums were good, but didn’t grab me the way I expected, given the talent involved. This one though, with the SLIGHTLY more poppy production is really something special. The voices in this project are always going to be top notch, no matter who is singing or guesting on a track, but the whole package here of solo voices, choral voices AND top notch production shoot this one to must listen. I’ve listened to this record 6 times in the past week and each listen is more exciting than the last. I do think it ends with my two least favorite tracks on the record which is never a good way for a record to go. If that wasn’t the case - this would be my clear cut album of the year and true 5-star record.
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
This is a record I’ve known about for probably 25 years, never listened to, but decided to finally take the dive this past week. I know it got a vaunted 5-star review from All Music Guide (as well as 5 star rating from nearly 600 user reviews). I remember when the Legacy edition came out in 2006 and it got some press and hype that nearly caused me to buy it. And I think one of the songs was recently featured in some show or movie because I’ve been seeing it talked about a fair amount in the past year (who knows, I don’t even know how to verify that). Now that I’ve listened to it, I just don’t…get it. It’s fine. It’s good at places (“I’ve Been Waiting” is insanely good), but overall I just can’t get into it like I can other guitar pop of the era or the era right before this. I asked my buds who are even MORE into music than me about the record and the guitar tones really came through as a selling point - and I’ll admit, that is generally the best part of the record, but I just don’t find the songwriting compelling nor do I find Sweet’s voice even…serviceable. I think it’s a below average voice for the era, and especially for the poppiness the record tries to convey. I will listen to other Sweet records down the road and see if I find something I like or love on those because I do like this STYLE of music a lot, I just didn’t like this record.
Albums of the Week for 2/26/24:
Album #1 - This Week in History
Babble
Ether (Reprise) (released 2/27/96)
Thompson Twins guy’s second downtempo/trip hop record
Album #2 - Recent Release
Rafael Toral
Spectral Evolution (Moikai)
47-minute guitar and drone exploration
Album #3 - Wildcard #1 / This Week in History #2
Kathleen Edwards
Back to Me (Zoë) (released 3/1/2005)
Gorgeous, emotional alt. country record I hold very dear
Album #4 - Wildcard #2 / This Week in History #3
Todd Rundgren
A Wizard, A True Star (Bearsville) (released 3/2/1973)
One of my absolute favorite pop records of all time - it’s nuts.
Thanks!