Weekend Music Roundup

 

Well, another weekend slipped past me as I'm caught up in this endless cycle of day after day being the same. But on the bright side, I suppose everyday is kind of like a weekend...but more like everyday is like Monday. Also, minus any drive time, I'm falling behind on my new digital music and have to resort mainly to recent vinyl purchases which are likely to dry up pretty soon. You'd think working from home would allow me to explore my digital library, but that's not really possible when you have to keep one ear open for the kid's never-ending needs.  But I digress...here are some choice albums to explore during your shelter in place days. Enjoy.

Hanoi Rocks - Back to Mystery City: The third album from the Finnish glam band was released in 1983 and is one of their best. This album put them on the verge of stardom in the U.S., but unfortunately, tragedy would strike the following year when drummer Razzle was killed in a car accident (car driven by Vince Neil), essentially ending the band's career. This band would never reach the heights they were destined to reach when glam metal peaked, which is too bad, because they were one of the best of those bands, with a punk / new wave influence to their glam sound. 

The Amazons - Future Dust: The second album from the British indie rock band came out last year. I wasn't familiar with them going into this, but figured it was worth a shot. It's definitely rock, and definitely British, a combination that is usually appealing to me. It's built for the stadium, has influences in the rock that came out of that country in the 00's and is pretty enjoyable. Nothing groundbreaking, but a decent rock album nonetheless. "Mother," "Doubt It," and "25 (Reprise)" are my personal favorites. 

Michael Nesmith - Tantamount to Treason: Released in '72, this is the former Monkee's fifth solo album. I only recently became aware of his solo work, despite being a big fan of the Monkees. His solo records fall into the L.A. style of country rock that was going on at the time, think Gram Parsons. Always the most talented of the band, he proves it on this fantastic solo records. An amazing vibe, with slight nods to pysch folk, I was glad to find this on my first trip out after putting him on my search list. "Lazy Lady," "You Are My One," "Talking to the Wall," and the truly brilliant "In the Afternoon" are standouts. 

Grade 2 - Graveyard Island: The third album from the Isle of Wright Oi! punk band is my first introduction to them, and one of the 2019 albums that I didn't get to review before the year ran out on me. Like many, my early teen years were dominated by punk music, and like most, I kind of grew out of it. But I still like to delve into the genre every now and then and see what it's producing. Oi! is sort of the British equivalent to hardcore bands in the U.S. It's aggressive, clouded by fascist bands from the past, and quite straightforward and bare. It's angry and political and doesn't aspire to be anything different. This is a solid enough effort and brought back a lot of memories of my angry youth. 

Happy Mondays - The Early EP's: Back in the days when it was still possible to be an innovator of a new genre of music, ie. the mid-80s, the Happy Mondays turned the club scene in Manchester on its heels. These are the pioneering tracks that developed the Baggy Madchester scene, paving the waves for bands like Stone Roses. Though, in my opinion, they didn't reach their full potential until Pills, Thrills, and Bellyaches in 1990, these are the songs that built that foundation. Definitely only for fans and music history aficionados.

Sam Cooke - My Kind of Blues: Released in '61, this is part of the soul singer's rapid output before his death in '64. Though the soul singer had a string of hits in his career, he never really had a hit album, partially because this was before the album era. This record is a collection of covers that are not typical blues songs. In fact, it's an upbeat album, a soul interpretation of the blues and because of that, it has a very unique sound. Definitely a good score for $2.