Record #322: Coldplay – Parachutes (2000)

Coldplay has been accused of being many things: lame, boring, unoriginal—and much of that is true. Over the years, they have become a bloated self parody, pausing occasionally to dabble in top 40 pop (which makes sense, considering their place in pop culture).

But on their debut Parachutes, there’s no success to go to their heads, no past catalogue to lazily copy, no misguided attempts to reinvent themselves.

Parachutes is a simple record—pleasant enough, middle-of-the-road guitar pop that immediately betrays their fondness for OK Computer. There’s little exploratory ambition here: most of the sonics had already been mined by Blur, Oasis, and Radiohead.

But none of that makes Parachutes a bad record. It’s actually pretty dang good. When the opening tracks first blossoms into chiming, single note lead guitar and a refrain of “we live in a beautiful world,” it’s almost thrilling.

Much of this success can be owed to the group’s ability to reappropriate tried-and-true pop/rock tropes into something fresh. Chris Martin’s lyrics may not be the best penned, but his sky-high, delicate delivery more than makes up for it. Johnny Buckland might never rip through an incredible solo, but his minimalistic lead guitar style is flawless (see: the slide guitar in “Trouble”).

​And unlike most Coldplay records, there isn’t an out of place track on here. Rather, we have a gentle, beautiful record that serves as an excellent introduction to one of the most lauded bands of their time.

Record #321: Can – Ege Bamyasi (1972)

ege bamyasi

The last time I wrote about Can, I worried if the internet could handle anymore of its finite data being used to write about the legendary Krautrock pioneers.
Because friends, there have been terrabytes written on their importance and influence.
​The lion’s share of that code is occupied with musings on this album.
Ege Bamyasi is, with no room for debate, Can’s most long-reaching record. It found the group tightening their free-form, chaotic noodling into slicker, more sophisticated arrangements. While they would perfect this approach on their next album, Future Days (my personal favorite), Ege Bamyasi is absolutely unparalleled in its cultural importance. It’s been covered by Stephen Malkmus and Beck, sampled by Kanye West, and offered Spoon their band name. And it’s not for no reason: the songs contained on this disc are incredible. Pinch creeps darkly across a hardbop shuffle. Sing Swan Song is as morose and soothing a ballad the group ever wrote. One More Night writes Stereolab a love letter twenty years in advance. Vitamin C shivers with manic energy. Soup rocks and rolls heavier with a tempo that accelerates until it crashes into whooshing and whirling tape effects and formless improvisation. I’m So Green is as far from that as you can get–a simple, short, happy pop song (remember: Beck covered it). Spoon is a nocturnal, half-asleep chant set to a slow samba. Every minute of this record is brilliant, and it is deserving of its crown as King of the Krautrock Albums.

Record #320: Electric Light Orchestra – Eldorado (1974)

Record #320: Electric Light Orchestra - Eldorado (1974)
The way the legend is told, it took Jeff Lynne some time to properly align his project with his imagination. It wasn’t until this, his fourth album, that the Electric Light Orchestra actually...

The way the legend is told, it took Jeff Lynne some time to properly align his project with his imagination. It wasn’t until this, his fourth album, that the Electric Light Orchestra actually used an orchestra in its recording. The result is ELO’s first great record. While Lynne’s songcraft and pop mastery have always been apparent, the addition of an orchestra brought the lushness that would make ELO legendary.

 

Record #319: Echo & The Bunnymen – Heaven Up Here (1981)

Record #319: Echo & The Bunnymen - Heaven Up Here (1981)
The early 80s were famous for great post-punk lead singer/guitarist duos. Bono & The Edge, Morissey & Johnny Marr, Ian McColluch & Will Sargeant…wait, what do you mean you’ve never heard of Ian...

 

The early 80s were famous for great post-punk lead singer/guitarist duos. Bono & The Edge, Morissey & Johnny Marr, Ian McColluch & Will Sargeant…wait, what do you mean you’ve never heard of Ian & Will?

That, my friend, is a tragedy, and I’m sorry that society has largely ignored Echo & The Bunnymen, who remain one of the most under-heard bands of all time.

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Record #317: The Doors – Waiting for the Sun (1968)

Record #317: The Doors - Waiting for the Sun (1968)
For being psychedelic mainstays, the Doors are tragically unhip among certain musical circles. A lot of that has to do with Hello, I Love You, a hokey, clumsy pop single released by a band that just...

For being psychedelic mainstays, the Doors are tragically unhip among certain musical circles.

A lot of that has to do with “Hello, I Love You,” a hokey, clumsy pop single released by a band that just the year earlier released two classic albums in the psychedelic canon. It has always been my least favorite Doors single (well…excepting their cover of Backdoor Man).

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Record #316: Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms (1985)

Record #316: Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (1985)
One of the things that confuses me about hipster music snobs (pot and kettle, I know. Shut up) is how they can use “dad rock” as an insult while pointing to the picture of Dire Straits next the...

 

One of the things that confuses me about hipster music snobs (pot and kettle, I know. Shut up) is how they can use “dad rock” as an insult while pointing to the picture of Dire Straits next the dictionary definition (”dad rock” is in the dictionary, right?).

The War on Drugs (who are excellent) have been pejoratively compared to Dire Straits for using the same sort of atmospheric new wave/roots rock mixture, and I’m so confused about why the hell that’s a bad thing. 

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Record #315: Deep Purple & the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra- Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969)

Record #315: Deep Purple & the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra- Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969) Classic music and metal have always has a strange sort of kinship. Both explore the outer reaches of human emotion through big, dramatic bombast....

 

Classic music and metal have always has a strange sort of kinship. Both explore the outer reaches of human emotion through big, dramatic bombast. When you think about it, metal is sort of like the long haired, torn jeaned cousin to the straightlaced, tuxedoed classical music. They may argue over Thanksgiving dinner, but at the end of the day, they still love eachother.

And on Concerto for Group and Orchestra, we’re in for a family reunion.

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