I’m cheating a little bit on this one–when I went through my Bruce-buying spree a couple months ago, I accidentally ordered the CD version of this. But never fear: a proper LP is on its way. But until then, the music’s the same.
Record #80: Bruce Springsteen – The River (1980)
And after Darkness on the Edge of Town, Springsteen returned to the studio with the E-Street Band and emerged with a massive 83 minute double offering that transcended everything he had done before.
Record #79: Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
According to tradition, after the release of 1975’s Born to Run and the superstardom and legal battles that ensued, The Boss spent some time soul searching, trying to find himself, as he put it, “stripped away [of] all of your celebrity and left…with all your essence.” What resulted was an album free of commercial ambition (or singles) and the super-ensemble that raced through his breakthrough. In its place was a collection of songs that is at once intensely personal and endlessly relatable. After all, who hasn’t woken up with an urge to get in a car and drive until your weariness and cynicism disappear from your rear view mirror? And while it’s admittedly much darker than the anthem-filled Born To Run (and also, free of saxophone), there is a peace in the album’s escapism that transcends its darkness and brings a sort of lightness to it.
Record #78: Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run (1975)
And here, we have the record that made Bruce Springsteen the Boss.
And I’ll admit–I didn’t care about Springsteen at all until last year when I got into the double-headed beast of Kurt Vile and the War on Drugs, but I’m glad that I was made to care.
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)
Compared to its landmass, Canada has a rather miniscule population. It’s a wonder then that two of the hardest hitters in indie rock call the Great White North their home. Arcade Fire, which often includes the entire music scene from Montreal, is the premier Canadian indie band, but in my opinion, Broken Social Scene (or, Everyone From Toronto Who’s In A Band) is the country’s true national treasure.
If you don’t know BSS, all you need to know is that the Associated Acts section of their Wikipedia page is rivaled only by the Members section (notable members include Feist and all of Stars and Metric), and that the group doesn’t get together all that often, but when they do, magic happens (as evidenced by every full length).
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.
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 #76: Broken Bells – Broken Bells (2010)
When I heard that Danger Mouse and James Mercer of the Shins started a band, I had to hear it to believe it. I have long been a huge fan of both, and the prospect of a collaboration set my mind racing with what it might sound like. My curiosity was sated release of of lead single The High Road, with its drunken keyboard intro and gospel-choired refrain, with Mercer’s trademark wordsmithing and melody making, and Danger Mouse’s signature sonic exploration.
My expectations were exceeded.
Record #75: Bright Eyes – Cassadaga (2007)
When I got my first job, and consequently my first steady paycheck, I began to buy music. And I bought a lot of music. It was the same summer I started buying records, but until after I bought about a dozen CDs (that I’ve since upgraded to vinyl). Unlike the cautious and surefooted way I buy music now, the norm back then was for me to buy albums based on one or two songs I heard on college radio.
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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