The Ugly Organ

Today my commute CD was the reason why I am going through my loosely alphabeticised CD albums. The reason why I needed to listen to things I may have missed, the reason I needed to give something a second chance.
Today the CD was The Ugly Organ by Cursive. At the very least I may have listened to this once before but I suspect this was the first time I had played this album. It came to my notice as I think at the end of 2003 it was featured highly in the year end lists of people who’s opinion I trusted. I must have lost it in a bulk of other CD’s though as it never made an impression at all.
So to the CD, as I said this CD and other CD’s like it is the reason that I am going through my collection, it is an absolute beauty, a real genuine great album.
Released on Saddle Creek it draws its influence, not massively, but a little from Saddle Creeks most famous son, Conor Oberst. However it’s main influence is Brand New. Sonically it draws heavily on the sound Brand New explored on their first two albums. Vocally Tim Kasher falls between that of Brand New’s Jesse Lacey and Bright Eyes’ Oberts, musically they are more aligned, at least on this album with Brand New than Oberst’s folk leanings.
It’s a stunning album though, and one I am pretty angry for missing, it is 6 years old after all, and 6 years it has been on a shelf of mine ignored. I strongly suggest that if either of the influencing artists float your boat, you seek out The Ugly Organ.
How this does differ from Brand New and Bright Eyes though is this album displays a little more aggression than those two are seemingly capable of. The Ugly Organ is a concept album that explores, Wikipedia tells me, the ugly organists life of love lust and empty sex. At times anger comes through but also despondency. It really does take you on a rather fantastic musical journey.
This all leads to the final track, Staying Alive, you recall my criticisms of the bloated Coheed and Cambrai album? Well the final track is a 10 minute epic, with contributions from a Nebraskan who’s who, after 10 minutes, I wanted another 10, I didn’t want it to end and as the album drew to a close, I wanted more. A brilliant and ridiculously good album. 10 out of 10, easily.



Staying Alive by Cursive

Is This It? NME's Best Albums of the Noughties.

The NME like lists, as do Kev and I. I dislike the NME though so I got this list from The Guardian. This latest in an ever ongoing list of lists tells us of the 50 best albums of the noughties. 2000-2009.
First of all this is the NME, that’s an apology by the way, but basically its going to be NME favoured bands, and why not, if I wanted Def Leppard to be in there I would buy Classic Rock. You get the gist.

OK, number one, surprisingly was the debut by The Strokes, Is This It. The one with the lady’s bum on it. I like that album sleeve. Its nice. Its not a bad album as well. We had been playing the demo’s of it for a long time prior to its release, and then when it was released, it was pretty good but there was the element of, is this it? If this is the best album of the noughties, is the response, is this it? No it isn’t it, its good, but its not quite right.



Hard To Explain by The Strokes from Is This It

10 years of albums condensed into a list of 50 and the best of that list is The Strokes debut? At this point I refer myself back to my opening comments. Of that list though what should take its place? I do rate a large selection of the top 10 quite highly, oddly enough. I think a large selection are better than The Strokes, Libertines debut being a perfect example (however did The Strokes begat The Libertines???), Arctic Monkeys debut, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Fever To Tell and The Street’s debut and undoubtedly Arcade Fire’s genius Funeral. Obviously just in the ten there is some head scratching pile of shite Primal Scream’s xtrmntr, (Ld f bllcks more like) being the one that leaps out.



Wake Up By Arcade Fire from Funeral

The album that I rate the best of the noughties though isn’t on that list, the one that I rate as the second best of the noughties is on that list but is way down at number 31. The best is of course the eponymous debut by Tenacious D. Its time for a review will come, at the rate my commute CD’s are taking me, some time at the back end of 2019. The second best, and the NME’s 31st best of the noughties is Bright Eyes I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, an album, according to the NME, worse than Klaxons’ Myths of the Near Future, really?



At The Bottom of Everything by Bright Eyes from I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning

Taste is a personal thing though, hence no mention of Tenacious D, and after all this list was put together by bands, label owners and producers, so would not expect to see The D propping it up. What we do learn about popstars taste though, they like mainstream indie. The care little for pop, be it crafted and shiney, not much for folk, for jazz, for easy listening, for dance, hip hop or RnB, world music has passed them by and gabba techno no longer floats their boat. For innovation, for forward thinking music, for being groundbreaking, for the future? In the main, Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you white boys with guitars.

1. The Strokes - Is This It
2. The Libertines - Up the Bracket
3. Primal Scream - xtrmntr
4. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell
6. PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
7. Arcade Fire - Funeral
8. Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights
9. The Streets - Original Pirate Material
10. Radiohead - In Rainbows

Full list

Sunrise Sunset A Bright Eyes Compendium

The predicted Billy Bragg spell didn’t really materialise and this morning it was instead Sunrise Sunset A Bright Eyes Compendium. A very well made compilation of Bright Eyes songs someone, forgotten, made me in around 2001.
I first became aware of Bright Eyes when the Virgin Megastore in which I worked stocked the split single Bright eyes did with Her Space Holiday in 2000. Virgin stocked about 5 copies of this and I could get in the car now and drive to where 3 of them copies are. Admittedly work might wonder where I was and it would be a drain on the petrol purely to prove a point. None the less. That single was fantastic and on my way to the next B album this morning I flicked past it.
This album as I said was done for me but someone long forgotten as an exchange for a Hefner disc I did for them, the sleeve is professionally printed and it was, even more than the split single, the catalyst for my love of Conor Oberst, in a purely platonic heterosexual way.
The compilation takes tracks from the albums prior to and including Fevers and Mirrors, with tracks from the odd EP thrown in for good measure. The Fevers and Mirrors tracks are the strongest, with the odd exception, drawing on The Calendar Hung Itself, Something Vague, Sunrise Sunset and The Center of The world, but the real joy is a track from Every Day and Every Night EP, and that track is A Perfect Sonnet. A song that has been known to reduce a grown man to tears and THE track that cemented my love of the band. The only reason I don’t give this compilation a ten is that it is a compilation, nothing more. The songs are strong enough as the mix draws on the best elements of Obersts Bright Eyes work prior to 2001. Stunning. 9 out of 10.



A Perfect Sonnet by Bright Eyes

Dix-ing about.

During those quiet moments before my morning bath I pondered on what was my favourite album ever, so the pondering happened and I pondered some more and then I dwelled, dwelled and pondered then I thought OK whats my top ten. So here they are, just for you…not covered in sequins.

The greatest album ever made is the debut and self titled album by Tenacious D. One day all music will sound this great and all musicians will hold this album up as the greatest contribution to recorded sound since singing was invented. Not a single week goes by without me listening to this album, the follow up, Pick of Destiny is as mind achingly majestic as well.
Favourite Track: Dio.

The second best album ever is In an Aeroplane over the sea by Neutral Milk Hotel. It was released 10 years ago and is as wonderful now as it was then, massively critically acclaimed and a huge influence on numerous US indie bands since, (Clap your hands say yeah and Bright Eyes to name 2) Jeff Magnum, head honcho of Neutral Milk Hotel did this and then retired the band. A crime.
Favourite Track: The King Of Carrot Flowers.

Third is I’m Wide Awake, Its Morning by Bright Eyes. Conor Oberst, for he is bright eyes released 2 albums at the same time, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn and I’m wide awake its morning, the latter was the more acoustic of the two and by far the better. Veering from folk, to rock to country, touching on the September 11th attacks and also his upbringing across the length of the album. This along with the previous 2 always seem to get played a few times a month.
Favourite Track: Lua.

Fourth is War on Errorism by NOFX, US Punk band with more great albums than any other band. War on Errorism is relatively new and like most of their recorded work is very politicised, more so this one is very up front about its condemnation of the Bush Administration. Any other week this would be my favourite album ever.
Favourite Track: 2 Jealous Again’s.

Fifth favourite is White Light by Gene Clark, Clark was a former member of the Byrds and like most former members of the Byrds, never really got the acclaim for his solo work. Released in 1971 and backed by members of the Steve Miller Band and The Flying Burrito Brothers, this album was given to me by a friend and went unlistened for 2 years, and it was only out of boredom that made me listen to it. Its a work of art, they should make kids listen to this in schools. It is THE country rock record, its loose, its impromptu, its excellent.
Favourite Track: The Virgin.

(The Virgin isn't on Youtube, but this is.

Six is Orange Blossom Special by Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash was responsible for the first record that changed my life, as a six year old I played one of his lesser singles over and over. As I got older I started listening to things like Straight A’s in love, Folsom Prison etc and I consider myself lucky to have seen him in concert. All his albums mean a lot to me, even his religious work, but the one that I love more than the rest is Orange Blossom Special.
Favourite Track: Orange Blossom Special.

Seven is The World Won’t End by The Pernice Brothers. Released in 2001 its the story, almost a concept album of the latter stages of head songwriter, Joe Pernices marriage and its subsequent breakdown. It is blindingly good, I don’t think Joe Pernice ever came close to this before or after, Cronulla Breakdown from this album invariably makes it on to almost every mix tape/CD I do.
Favourite Track: Cronulla Breakdown.

Cronulla Breakdown isn't on Youtube, you need to listen to it though, its superb, in the meantime, here is Wrking Girls.

Eight is Goats Head Soup by The Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones I am a late convert to, I always appreciated them but over the last five years, I have liked them more and more and particularly their post Brian Jones output. Exile on Main Street is universally acclaimed as their best work, not for me though, Dancing with Mr D, Angie, Heartbreaker and Star * all on one album, its very diverse and one that shows off Jagger and Richards songwriting to the fullest.
Favourite Track: Heartbreaker.

Nine is Glasvegas’s self titled album. I managed to get hold of a recording of their Demos and loved them, I was hoping that they wouldn’t change massively when they finally came to record their album. They did change, but for the better. They do what the Raveonettes do, take influences and make them their own, coming from a similar view as The Raveonettes, mixing the best of Jesus and Marychain, with a classic 50’s songwriting aesthetic. With the case of Glasvegas, adding a healthy dose of Glasgow living to it. This album grows on me more and more with every listen.
Favourite Track: Go Square Go.

Finally Ten. Coral Fang by The Distillers. Its a punk album by former wife of Rancid’s Tim Armstrong and current girlfriend of Queens of the Stoneage’s Josh Homme, Brody Dalle and her former band The Distillers.
I had seen The Distillers a number of times and the experience varied between dull, dreadful and one of the best concerts I ever went to.
The latter was promoting their final album, Coral Fang. Not as visceral as their previous two albums, have more light and shade and therefore more interesting than say Sing Sing Death House. I do not recommend driving to it though.
Favourite Track: The Hunger.”