There are flashes of late Fugazi, TNT era Tortoise, Modest Mouse fury, My Bloody Valentine guitar wash, horn section slow jams a la Anathallo, Radiohead-esque effect pedal jams, and Arcade Fire’s indie stomp–sometimes in the same song. It’s a wild ride, and well worth it.
Author: Nathaniel FitzGerald
Record #106: Coldplay – Viva La Vida, or, Death and All of His Friends (2008)
Then, I heard “Violet Hill” on the radio. This wasn’t the Coldplay I had known. This was bombastic and loud and violent.
I loved it.
So I listened to the album online, and finding it filled with brilliant textures (“Life in Technicolor”), carefully crafted guitar lines (“Strawberry Swing”), catchy melodies (“Lost!”), and Paul McCartney-style song cycles (“Death And All of His Friends”), I grabbed that fistful of cash and rushed out to the record store.
After a careful listen, one could easily credit the artistic leaps found here producer Brian Eno, and you’d be correct. Eno brought his ambient soundscaping and adventurous experimenting to the studio in full force, and Viva La Vida was all the better for it. I mean, not only did it make a self righteous hipster like me care about Coldplay (and their previous albums, for that matter), but it also made an album that I loved, if the wear this album has sustained is any indication.
Record #78: Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run (1975)
The Boss is nothing less than a force of nature, howling tales of America as the powerhouse that is the E-Street Band races behind him.
And their influence can be seen even today, from the aforementioned War on Drugs to Arcade Fire. And it’s easy to see why: Springsteen pretty much invented the American rock anthem with all its fury and pathos.
From the opening strains of Thunder Road, painting pictures of screen doors and dirt roads, to the title track’s passionate refrain (the title track is worth the price of the whole record, by the way. Pure gold), the Boss takes Dylan’s mantle upon himself and adjusts it to suit his context, and he does so without hubris or insincerity.
And while Bruce Springsteen may have spent time some time dabbling in self-parody over the years, his breakthrough record is still, even over thirty-five years later, the stuff legends are made of.
Record #77: Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record (2010)
Forgiveness Rock Record is, outside of the context of their discography, an album filled with stage-crowding ensembles, gang-sung lyrics, glistening guitars, and shimmering electronics. A steady pop-ready four four leads most of the record, balancing noise collages and horn freakouts, becoming almost kraut-ish in places. But the record’s greatest asset is the combined skill and knowhow of the ensemble, which keeps the record’s sixty-three minutes from ever getting boring, or anything less than good. A great record from a bunch of people who know how to make great records.
Record #75: Bright Eyes – Cassadaga (2007)
Record #74: Bright Eyes – I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (2005)
I distinctly remember the first time I heard the opening minute of this album, wherein Conor Oberst tells a tale of a girl on a plane that begins crashing into the sea and is told that she is going to her own birthday party, and that everyone loved her very, very, very, very much.
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Record #73: Bright Eyes – Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
Having largely evoked band leader Conor Oberst folk influences, it’s not surprising that many were taken aback when Bright Eyes released an album* where synthesizers were as prominent as acoustic guitars were elsewhere.
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Record #72: Bright Eyes – LIFTED, or, The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (2011)
Much has been about Conor Oberst and his distinctly ragged singing voice and self effacing/exalting lyrics. The range of tags assigned him is “whiny kid who can’t sing” on one end and “the new Dylan” on another. As with all things, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
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Record #66: Bon Iver, Bon Iver (2011)
The years between 2007 and 2011 were rather significant for Justin Vernon, the man behind Bon Iver. His debut album had been picked up by a label, and launched him into international (indie) stardom.
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Record #49: Blind Pilot – 3 Rounds And A Sound (2008)
As I said earlier, music is one of the biggest triggers of memory for me, and this album is tied strongly to one very significant night. Continue reading