My Desert Island Top 10, Round 2

So not too long ago, I posted "My Desert Island Top 10".  The idea was taken from Tower Records's now-defunct magazine, "Pulse".  They invited readers to imagine that they were stranded on a desert island, and you could only take ten albums with you.  Which ones would you take?

I posted my ten, but, being me, I could not take just ten.  So I decided to include a second round of another ten albums.  The rule I made for myself is that I could not include any album from any band that I have already reviewed on this blog.

I invite you to include your top 10 on the comments section, or on my Facebook page.

Well, here it goes, in no particular order:

Catherine Wheel

1.  Catherine Wheel "Chrome" - Back in the early '90s, I didn't know what "shoegaze" was.  I only knew that, even though this band rocked hard, there was something about them that reminded me of Cocteau Twins.  This band alternated between soft verses and explosive choruses.  Their guitars had a swirly quality, something ethereal about them.  It has been said that bands like Death Cab For Cutie and Interpol would not exist without the influence that Catherine Wheel had on them.  The main single off this album is "Crank", a delicious ode to meth consumption and the lack of sleep that accomapies usage.  The whole album is good, but my favorites are "Broken Head", "Pain", and "The Nude".  I tried out other albums, but they never had the same feel as this one.  I have heard that their debut album is good, but I have never heard it.  I will have to check it out.  But for now, this album is their opus.  It is one that I never get sick of no  matter how many times I listen to it.

Sons & Daughters

2.  Sons & Daughters "This Gift" -  I have this standing private joke that my musical tastes are identical to actor Elijah Wood.  I usually wind up liking bands that he has promoted, except that I wind up liking them three years later.  Such was the case  with bands like Sigur Rós, Modest Mouse, Gogol Bordello.  Sons & Daughters, a quartet from Scotland was no different.  I was saddened to hear last November that they had broken up.  We were just barely getting to know them, with only a few albums and a couple of EPs.  I discovered this band while I was working in South Carolina in 2009.  This album stayed on constant rotation on my phone.  It is raw and stripped down - a hint of rockabilly and a heavy dash of '60s psychedelia.  This is The Smiths with a hangover and a pissed-off lady singer.  My favorite songs are "Gilt Complex", "Split Lips", the title track, and "House In My Head", which sounds like it could be from Throwing Muses' early album "House Tornado".  A great listen.

Tori Amos

3.  Tori Amos "Scarlet's Walk" -  Tori Amos is an artist that I listened to from the beginning.  I was introduced to her work when I was in college in Utah when her first album, "Little Earthquakes", came out.  After that, I didn't follow her work that closely.  Mainly because at age 25, I isolated myself by moving onto my ranch with no power.  I had no computer, no internet, no TV, no way of learning about new music except by occasional magazine or trip to a record store in Phoenix.  I did listen to a bit of 1996's "Boys For Pele".  In 2001, my brother-in-law ordered "Scarlet's Walk" from a CD mail-order thing, and he didn't like it.  He asked me if I wanted it, and I said yes.  Who am I to turn down free music?  I took the CD to my office and drove my coworkers nuts by playing this CD over and over and over.  Like most of Tori's albums, it is dominated by her sweet voice and her piano playing.  She has described herself as "the Little Mermaid on acid", and this description seems to fit.  This is a concept album that tracks her roadtrip across the United States.  There are the sparkling pop songs like "A Sorta Fairytale" and "Taxi Ride"  But it is the other songs that speak to me.  I love the otherworldly softness of the title track as well as "Carbon", "Virginia", and especially "Gold Dust".  This is my favorite Tori album.  I have a few friends who are rabid Tori fans, and they are appalled that "Scarlet's Walk" is my favorite when there are other apparently better albums.  But as I have described, it is totally circumstantial that this is the album I have been exposed to.  But I don't think anything would change what this album means to me.

Sonic Youth's 1986 album "EVOL"

4.  Sonic Youth "EVOL" - I almost picked their 1990 album "Goo", because, musically, I think it is better, and I listened to it much more than I did their third album, "EVOL", which was released in 1986.  I picked "EVOL", because this album changed so much of how I view music and art.  In the '90s, everyone knew who Sonic Youth was.  They even had a shout-out in the movie "Juno" as the go-to band for aging hipsters.  But I can honestly say that I was into this band before most people even knew who they were, back when they were playing small clubs.  I had heard of them, because they came to Arizona a lot.  The 1995 greatest hits collection, "Screaming Fields of Sonic Love" even has an old flyer in the liner notes of one of their shows at Phoenix's Mason Jar.  This was a venue where I have seen many, many live acts and had some good times.  So I was sixteen years old and had seen the flyers.  I knew they were on the SST Record Label, which included bands like Meat Puppets and Black Flag.  I assumed that they were a hardcore band, so I bought it.  I didn't know what they were - a white wash of noise, a wall of distortion that didn't seem to make any sense.  They were avant-garde, but they weren't punk.  I didn't know what they were.  This was a bit before the term "alternative" was on everyone's lips, so these guys were way ahead of their time.  Soon, these guys exploded onto the scene.  My favorite is still "Shadow of a Doubt" which is a subtle song featuring lyrics whispered by Kim Gordon.  Other favorites are "Expressway to Yr Skull" and "Star Power".  This is a very nostalgic record.

Tool

5.  Tool "Lateralus" - Tool is the perfect example of my opinion that rock music can be just as complex, emotive and artistically relevant as classical music.  I hope that 100 years from now that works like this will be lauded as much as we revere classical masterpieces today.  This is a progressive magnum opus that ranges from tentative and tender to hard, raw and ugly, all of it tied together with crafted filigrees of artful noise.  Whether it is the strange, off-kilter rhythms of "Schism" to spacey themes of "The Grudge", "Eon Blue Apocalypse", and the staccato interplay between guitar and Maynard J. Keenan's mournful voice in "The Patient", it is evident that this is not your ordinary, run-of-the-proverbial-mill heavy metal.  This is art rock.  Back in the day, heavy metal bands donned pentagrams and flashed their "devil horns" in your face, claiming a sort of theatrical satanism.  Tool is truly a band that delves into the occult, the hidden geometry and sacred psychology found in the universe that is our human experience.  This is a serious album.  If you have not see the YouTube video that illustrates Tool's use of mathematics and the Fibonacci sequence in the song "Lateralus", it is a must see.  This is much more than rock music.  This is a celebration of the mysteries.

Hugo Largo

6.  Hugo Largo "Drum" - This EP was very important to me in my high school years.  This was definitely art rock.  The arrangement was very minimalist - two bass guitars, one violin, and the swooping vocals of Mimi Goese, with her vivid poetry and bizarre enunciation.  The music is languid and slow, drawing influence from Southern Blues.  Their debut EP was produced by Michael Stipe from R.E.M.  In fact, he sings background on a couple of songs on here - including a rapidly shouted poem on "Eureka".  In fact, I saw R.E.M. twice in huge venues in Arizona.  During both intermissions, Michael Stipe would emerge onto the stage, tired and sweaty, singing powerful a capella songs.  I was one of the few who recognized those songs as Hugo Largo songs.  It was like being included in a well-kept secret.  The best songs on here are "Grow Wild", "Scream Tall", and "Country".  Following this EP, which was released in 1988, they came up with one album, "Mettle", which was really good, but then they sadly broke up.  I have always wondered and wished that they would return.  The most that happened was that Mimi Goese sang vocals on a couple of songs by Moby in the '90s.  This album is what true alternative was really about - unlike anything that was playing on the radio back then.

Arcade Fire

7.  Arcade Fire "Funeral" -  There is a reason that this band has been declared a favorite by such artists as Coldplay's Chris Martin as well as David Bowie.  They are the coolest music to come out of French Canada.  (Sorry, Celine.)  The reason is their unique sound.  This band is known to unfold layer after layer of sounds in their music, using complex arrangements of unique instruments like pianos, violins. cellos, xylophones, French horns, harps, accordions, and and hurdy-gurdies.  The result is a richly textured sound accented by Win Butler's wavery Talking Heads-like vocals balanced by Regine Chassagne's lush voice, singing often in French.  I have all of their albums, and think that they are all really good.  But I keep coming back to their 2004.  Every song has me grooving, including the four-part "Neighborhood" arrangements.  The best songs are the wistful "Haiti", featuring Chassagne singing about the troubled nation, and "Rebellion (Lies)" where Arcade Fire does what they do best - introducing a simple melody and then building upon it and building upon it until it turns into a rousing anthem.  The new album is supposed to come out next month.  I am excited and will definitely be writing a review.  I have already downloaded the first single, "Reflektor".  If the rest of the album is as good as this song, then it promises to be excellent.

R.E.M.

8.  R.E.M. "Life's Rich Pageant" - My introduction to alternative music took place around 1984 at the tender age of 14.  My older brother came back from college, and, without his knowledge, I raided his box of cassettes that included some mixes of what was called - not "alternative music" - but "college radio music", because college radio stations were the only ones playing this kind of music back then - The Cure, New Order, Depeche Mode, and a little jangle pop song called "Radio Free Europe" by a band from Athens, Georgia called R.E.M.  I was hooked.  All this culminated in 1987, my senior year in high school, when Rolling Stone featured the boys on the cover with the caption:  "The Best Band in the World".  I had arrived.  My music was finally relevant.  Soon after, they left their IRS label and went big time.  I followed them for a couple of albums, but mostly lost interest after that.  For me, their heyday was the '80s when the took '60s psychedelia and made it their own.  1986's "Life's Rich Pageant" is still their best album to me.  Every song gets my fingers tapping from the rocking start "Begin the Begin" to the end, a cover called "Superman".  (I always liked Mike Mill's voice better than Michael Stipes's.)  There are tons of good gems on this one - the nonsensical "Fall On Me" and the nostalgic "These Days" and "Cuyahoga".  "The Flowers of Guatemala" is a nod to Simon & Garfunkel, and the acoustic "Swan Swan H" is a throwback to my wannabe hippie days.  The thing that I love about this album is how timeless it is; it is still relevant.

TV On The Radio

9.  TV On The Radio "Dear Science" - This band from Brooklyn is one of those groups that defies description, being insanely original.  There are certainly elements of jazz, funk, and R&B - especially on songs like "Crying", "Dancing" and "Red Dress", and they are known to erect walls of noise like Sonic Youth.  But by and large the music on their third album is hard to pin down.  They belong to the prestigious 4AD label, which is known to discover unique talent.  I am going to go out on a limb here - there is quite a bit of the music here that reminds me of This Mortal Coil, the collaborative showcase band created by 4AD founder, Ivo Watts-Russell.  It makes me wonder how much of it is his influence.  I hear it in "Halfway Home" - which is by far my favorite song.  It starts out with a funky beat, but ends up in an angelic wash of noise.  I also hear it in the ghostly "Family Tree".  One of my favorites is "DLZ" which was featured in the 2nd Season of Breaking Bad as the music when Walter White first makes the transition from concerned dad to bad guy.  It was fitting music.

Nickel Creek

10.  Nickel Creek "Nickel Creek" - Here is a strange thing - I am not a fan of country music in general, although there are some country artists that I like.  But I love, love bluegrass.  In the year 2000, I was at my sister's house flipping through the channels and came across a video on CMT for Nickel Creek's "When You Come Back Down".  I wan entranced.  It reminded me of music that I loved, like Cowboy Junkies.  I went and bought the album.  This CD made the rounds around my family, and, when I say family, I mean the whole extended family, even my dad.  In the year before his passing, he listened to this album often.  For me, they were not only a bluegrass band, but a cool bluegrass band that did covers by Collective Soul and Pavement.  It is amazing what you can do with a mandolin, a fiddle, an acoustic guitar, and some exquisite harmonies.  My favorite songs are "Out of the Woods", "Reasons Why", and "The Hand Song".  It was sad when this band broke up, but the members are still busy.  Chris Thile still does some intricate plucking on his mandolin, even doing classical pieces for live audiences.  Sara and Sean Watkins often perform with Glen Phillips from Toad the Wet Sprocket, another one of my favorite bands.

Moroni's Retro-Review of Elliott Smith's "Either/ Or"

Elliott Smith

I had never even heard about Elliott Smith until his untimely death in 2003.  At that point, I went and checked out his music, which I found haunting and achingly beautiful.  His tale is one that is all too common - the tortured artist haunted by drugs and depression, capable of making exquisite music, and then taken from us when they are too young.  Jim Morrison.  Tim Buckley.  Nick Drake.  Jeff Buckley.  And of course, Elliott Smith.  All of them were gone before their time.  None of them received the appreciation they deserved until they were gone.  All of them were a huge influence on artists that followed.  Elliott Smith is an admittedly huge influence on one of my favorite bands, Silversun Pickups.

Previous to this, the only music I had from Elliott Smith was the soundtrack to "Good Will Hunting".  And of course, "Needle in the Hay" from "The Royal Tenenbaums", which was set ironically to an attempted suicide scene.  I always had the intention of exploring his music further, but I always had other music that I wanted to get.  Being laid up in bed after leg surgery this summer, I was reviewing EW's July issue of "100 Greatest Albums of All Time".  In my boredom, I was cataloging how many I owned or had owned.  (I think I scored around 40.)  Elliott Smith's third album, released in 1997 - "Either/ Or" - was included on that list.  That very day, I decided to download it.

Coming out of the post-grunge era, this album is considered by many to be the quintessential Elliott Smith album.  Stripped down to mostly just an acoustic guitar, Smith whispers his intelligent lyrics with a soft voice.  The album is somber and contemplative.  It is hard to imagine that - with just a guitar and his voice - that a person can evoke such feeling with songs like "Between the Bars" and "Angeles", which is my favorite song on the album.  Then there are songs like "Pictures of Me" that show a definite Beatles' influence, and "Cupids Trick" that almost rocks hard.

This album is a very good place to introduce yourself to Elliott Smith's music.  I am looking forward to exploring more of his music, which is the legacy of a musical genius, haunted by his inner demons and taken from us too soon.

Moroni's Review of Kitten's "Like A Stranger"

Kitten

Every music lover needs to have a friend like my awesome friend, Nikki, my tattooed Mormon mom friend who has great taste in music.  I would have never heard of Kitten if it had not been for her.  Truthfully, this band is new.  "Like A Stranger" is their third EP, and their debut album won't even come out until next year.

So other than Nikki's raves about them, I knew nothing about them.  I started the music, and my wife Martha immediately observed, "This sounds like '80s."  And their first song does.  It is so '80s that Nu Shooz would be proud.  But that is not altogether a bad thing.  It is catchy.

The next song is "Yesterday", and it continues with the '80s obsession.  The drum beat is lifted from Prince, and the guitar riffs have an uncanny resemblance to the Fixx.  The whole album continues like this.  "Doubt" is a sythpop gem that evokes Camoflauge, and the EP finishes out beautifully with shoegaze distortion on "King of Kings" that would make Jesus & Mary Chain hang their mop heads in approval.

This album is catchy and infectious.  Each of the six songs will have you grooving incessantly, even though it is a throwback to days when things were prettier in pink - and in leg warmers.  It will be interesting what mysteries their new album holds.

Moroni's Review of Frankie Rose's "Interstellar"

Frankie Rose

I have a theory that most of the '80s alternative acts were influenced largely by music of the '60s.  R.E.M. took a page from the Byrds, and Joy Division admittedly worshiped the Doors.  Furthermore, most of the alternative acts today find their roots in the music of the '80s.

I first downloaded Frankie Rose's solo album, "Interstellar", when a friend posted a link to one of her videos on my Facebook page.  One of the comments described her as "post modern + Cocteau Twins".  So I took a listen.  Sure enough, like most shoegaze acts that have ever existed, Cocteau Twins - who are probably  my favorite band ever - are a huge inspiration to this music.  This is especially true with Frankie Rose.  Her vocals on songs like "Know Me" and "Had We Had It" evoke Elizabeth Fraser's distinct vocal style and layering.  There are the swirly guitars, the dreamy sound, and ambient arrangements.  On "Daylight Sky" and "Moon In My Mind", there is even a bass solo that could be Will Heggie, from Cocteau Twin's early days.

Cocteau Twins were always known to have a unique sound that people could not classify, and yet they were even influenced by acts like Kate Bush, as well as '60s acts like the Shangri-Las.

I had never heard of Frankie Rose, and so I did a little research.  She had been in such acts like Crystal Stilts, Dum Dums, and Vivian Girls.  When I checked out the music of these bands, I was surprised to learn that all of them had a faux '60s vibes - mimicking girl bands from the '60s like the Shangri-Las.

It has never bugged me when music is influenced by music from another era.  Everything is influenced by something.  For me, I like it.  It is a reminder that my tastes are still relevant, and it stirs up nostalgia for other days.  I am certain that this album will be nostalgic for me someday.

This whole album is very good.  It has a very ethereal quality to it and is richly textured.  My favorite song is probably "Night Swim".  If you don't check out the whole album, at least listen to this one song.  It would make any playlist that much more diverse.  In the meantime, this whole album is on heavy rotation on my playlist.  Enjoy.

Moroni's Review of Avenged Sevenfold's "Hail To The King"

I have already talked about here about how Avenged Sevenfold is one of my favorite bands.  I have greatly anticipated their sixth record, "Hail to the King".

In December of 2009, the tragic and untimely death of drummer James "The Rev" Sullivan was a huge blow to me.  There was a part of me that thought, "Man, this band is finished!"

The Rev was one of the principal songwriters.  His influence on the band was undeniable.  Arguably, he was the creative force that made it all work.  All of my favorite songs - like the dark and quirky "A Little Piece of Heaven" - were written by the Rev.  So I wondered how they were going to survive.  I have seen it with other bands - their songwriter dies, their creative muse dies, and the band withers, like with Gin Blossoms.

Avenged Sevenfold went into the studio without the Rev and finished their fifth album, "Nightmare", recruiting the Rev's favorite drummer, Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater, (also one of my favorite bands), as a session and touring drummer.  They have since added Arin Ilejay as their new drummer.  "Nightmare" was a great album, but it still was dominated with songs written by the Rev.  This included the final track, a eleven-minute opus called "Save Me", written just days before his death and containing an  uncanny prediction.  The last lyrics of the song contain the haunting refrain:

Tonight we all die young

So "Hail to the King" is the first album totally written and recorded without the input of the Rev.  I'm going to be honest - I miss his contribution.  I miss his background vocals and his distinct impression on the group.  Frankly, this album does not grab me as firmly as "Nightmare" or their eponymous record, or any of their other albums, for that matter.

There.  Now that I have said that, I can say - regardless, this album rawks!  They have shown that - without the Rev - they can still craft good rock songs.  At the moment I write this, this album is the #1 album on the USA Billboard charts, and there is a reason for it.  From the first song - "Shepherd of Fire" - you can immediately tell that this is a different sound for A7X.  On this record, the band has scrolled back from the screamo in favor of an old school metal grind - not quite Black Sabbath, maybe more like Dio.  Absent is the Iron Maiden "gallop" that usually pushes their music at a break-neck speed.  This one has a slow and heavy inevitability like a glacier sliding across the landscape, a more adult adult sound for a band that has been making us headbang for more than a decade.

James "The Rev" Sullivan - R.I.P.

Arguably, the best song is the title track, "Hail to the King", suspended effortlessly by Matt Shadows's growl and Synyster Gates flawless guitar-picking.  "Doing Time" and "This Is War" hit you hard and heavy.  "Requiem" and "Acid Rain" display the band's penchant for the dramatic.  The former starts with a chorale arrangement that would make Mozart proud before crunching down into a fist-pumping rhythm.  The latter is a progressive piece dominated by the piano.

Every heavy metal album needs a ballad, and "Crimson Day" fits the bill nicely.  "Heretic" and "Coming Day" are among my favorite songs.  If you are going to download this album, make sure you download the version that has the bonus track, "St. James", which is one of the best songs on the album.  It is the only track to feature the vocal harmonies that are prominent on their other records.

All in all, I am pleased with this album.  I am glad that they found a way to survive the tragedy of losing their friend.  It is a good way to honor his memory.  I hope that they will be around for a long time.

Moroni's Review of Phoenix's "Bankrupt!"

Previous to purchasing their new album "Bankrupt!", I had never really listened to French group, Phoenix.  I did own a copy of their fourth album, "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" released in 2009, but I had only downloaded that album for their single "1901".  That was a catchy pop song, and it went really well with the playlist that I developed for when I was working the fair circuits.  The song just grabs you and makes you want to dance.  It stayed on my playlist for two seasons straight.  I don't know why I didn't listen to the rest of the album.  Too busy, I guess.

So when I first listened to "Bankrupt!", I hated it.  Absolutely hated it.  It was too jazzy, to disco-y - something that seems common with a lot of French pop music, and something I dislike.  The whole album was too sappy, too... happy.

I think I posted something about this earlier - that many bands today have a nauseatingly giddy sound - fun., Passion Pit, etc.

But like Passion Pit, the more I listened to it, the more I came to like it.  There are still some aspects that are fairly annoying to me, but it is actually a pretty good listen.

The album begins with "Entertainment", and the first sound you hear are grating Chopsticks keyboards.  But if you wait for a few moments, you will see that these guys don't just produce mindless pop.  There is actually some well-crafted songwriting here.

This is no more visible than on the seven minute opus "Bankrupt!" which focuses on making synthesizer-driven sonic landscapes that would make Pink Floyd proud, a piece much like "Love Is Like A Sunset, Parts I & II" on their previous album.  These songs showcase their writing abilities, just like the song "Chloroform", which seems like a nod to the Beatles like many of their other songs.

There are some other upbeat pop gems here like "The Real Thing", "S.O.S. in Bel Air", and "Drakkar Noir".  My favorite song is the piano-heavy "Oblique City" where they seem to be channeling Elton John.

This album is a proof that one should not judge a book by the cover, or an album by the first listen.  There are actually several finger-tapping moments here.

Moroni's Review of Eisley's "Currents"

Previous to purchasing "Current", I had not heard much by Eisley - a group from Tyler, Texas that consists of four siblings and one cousin.  Around 2007, I had a friend who gifted me one of their songs on a mix CD, saying that they sounded a bit like Throwing Muses.  And they do.  They also remind me of other '80s and '90s acts like the Sundays, Belly, and the little-remembered Downey Mildew.

So I have this little OCD thing.  If I purchase a download, I will put it on queue on my phone until I have a chance to listen to it.  And I won't listen to it until I have a chance to sit and listen to it in its entirety.  Many times I keep the music on rotate.  Periodically, I would come across a song by Eisley, and, being the stubborn individual that I am, I would skip the song.  But what I heard gave hints to me that this would become one of my favorite albums.

And it has.

With a name like "Currents", this record has many marine references.  It is soft and languid like lolling on blue-green waves on weathered dinghy.

The album starts out with the title track, "Currents", which starts out with Stacy King's quavering voice and a dulcid piano waltz, and then bleeds into a bridge with a textured lead guitar, and then changes again into a catchy melody, its rhythm driven by an acoustic guitar.

This whole record is piano-driven, interlaced with the beautiful harmonies of the three sisters.  There are several songs that are reminiscent of Tori Amos, especially from her "Scarlet's Walk" album.  These songs include "Blue Fish", "Drink the Water", "Real World", and especially "The Night Comes".  The latter song consists of haunting vocals, an acoustic guitar, and a chamber orchestra.  It is so beautiful it makes the heart ache.  Most of this album is like this.  My favorite song is "Save My Soul" - another song carried by the vocal arrangements.  This song is the closest they come to rocking hard.

I know that I have drawn many comparisons to other artists.  But, really, this band owns their own sound.  They are breathtakingly original, and this album will go down as one of my favorite records of this year, of all time, maybe.  These melodies will captivate you, and, if you let them, they will wrap you in nostalgia.  For me, it will remind me that - during a difficult time of my life - there was some beauty.  I can't wait to explore their back catalog.