On Mingus’ The Clown, I referred to the composer/bandleader’s ability to balance beauty and chaos. On Oh Yeah, he eschews both the more pleasant side of that balance and his upright bass, leading a sort of post-apocalyptic blues album from piano.
Month: May 2012
Record #96: Charles Mingus – The Clown (1957)
Given that I’m not entirely sure how to best describe the perfect combination of chaos and beauty that is typical of Charles Mingus’ works, I’ll just leave this video of Haitian Fight Song, the best and most famous of the tracks here. Enjoy.
Record #95: Caveman – CoCo Beware (2011)
If you listen with a cynical ear, it would be easy to dismiss Caveman as just another Brooklyn based indie band playing mid-tempo jangly guitar rock with some keyboards thrown in for good measure. But among the throngs of indie-rock/psych-folk groups that found their genesis in the wake of Grizzly Bear’s success, Caveman stands a full head taller, and they were the only one I featured on my end-of-the-year list last year.
Record #94: Cat Stevens – Foreigner (1973)
Sometimes, my wife says it best. About eight minutes into the side-long Foreigner suite, she remarked, “Well, in terms of hit or miss, this is definitely a miss.” I asked her what she meant, and she gave me a number of answers, along the lines of, “it’s cheesy” and “it sounds like the music for some Sims Medieval video game.” She went on to remark, “it makes me want to listen to Flight of the Conchords, because they do stuff like this as a joke.”
Record #93: Cat Stevens – Teaser and the Firecat (1971)
Yesterday, I noted how much like a fairy tale Cat Stevens’ Tea for the Tillerman seemed. It’s ironic then that, while it shares a name with a children’s book written by Stevens, Teaser and the Firecat lacks the easy, story-like quality of its predecessor.
Record #92: Cat Stevens – Tea for the Tillerman (1970)
There are albums that are kind of like a spouse: you’ve played them so many times that you have every sound memorized, and you love them completely. Then, there are albums that are more like a crush: you love the idea of them, and every time you hear them, you fall in love, but you’re unfamiliar enough with them that it still surprises you.
I definitely have a crush on Tea for the Tillerman. But I’d definitely be down for getting a few cups of coffee with it to get to know it a little better.
Record #91: The Cars – Heartbeat City (1984)
I have mentioned before my music snob roommate in Chicago. Truth be told though, I benefited more from his snoot than it was a detriment to me. The Cars is among the best examples. We were at a used media shop one day and he said to me, “There’s a copy of The Cars’ Heartbeat City over there for two dollars. If you don’t buy it, you hate your life.” And so, partially to keep him off my back, I gave it a shot. And it opened the door to the Cars’ entire discography, which I am, for the most part (I’m looking at you, Panorama), a huge fan. And this was the record that piqued my curiosity.
Record #90: The Cars – Shake It Up (1981)
And then, the Cars returned to making pop music with new-wave and art-rock influences, rather than art-rock with pop influences. It seems a wise choice, since their greatest triumph was in their debut’s ability to walk the line between pop sensibility and avant-garde experimentation like it was a tightrope. And while Shake It Up might not match the finesse and memorability of the first classic, it easily leapfrogs over Panorama with radio-ready singles as well as paranoid, freakout tracks.
Record #89: The Cars – Panorama (1980)
As the saying goes, nothing gold can stay. Like their spiritual heir apparent Weezer a decade and a half later, after two winning albums, the Cars fell into a bit of a slump.