No. 308: Primus - "Green Naugahyde" (2011)

Every now and again a record comes along that snaps you out of your depression and gets you excited again about the current state of music. And this is the one that's done it for me.
I had no idea a new Primus album was even on the cards before a mate of mine texted me the good news and suggested I check it out. I must admit that I had my reservations - but I'm glad to say the results are conclusive: this album rocks!
Bass-slapping legend Les Claypool has got the old band back together for their first album in 12 years and the results have been pumping out of my car stereo speakers on a continuous loop for the last week. It's funky, funny and has an energy that totally draws you in - all the characteristics that make Primus such a great band. Tracks such as "Last Salmon Man" and "Lee Van Cleef" (about Les's fondness for the actor who played the baddie in The Good, The Bad & The Ugly) are musically punchy and contain some amazingly catchy bass riffs that you'll have a hard time getting out of your head. These guys sound like they had fun making this album - and in a world full of bad news, it's actually quite refreshing.
One final thought: any record that can inspire some spontaneous "air-bass" from a listener has to be worth checking out immediately, right?

No. 309: Beatles - "Magical Mystery Tour" (1967)

Anyone who thinks Please Please Me was the cheesiest Beatles album cover ever obviously hasn't laid eyes on this train-wreck of an album sleeve...
More of a soundtrack E.P. to the TV special (with a few bonus singles added), this compilation came just after the cultural milestone and ultimate behemoth that was Sgt. Pepper - back in the year 1967, when the Beatles stalked the earth as one united and invincible juggernaut.
As it turned out, the TV special proved the Beatles were human after all: it was widely panned and has subsequently gone down in history as the "Beatles' biggest folly" - best enjoyed in hindsight under various degrees of chemical intoxication.
Nevertheless the music contained on this album is some of the finest the group ever put down. Lesser known gems like "The Fool On The Hill" and "Your Mother Should Know" sit comfortably next to brilliantly innovative classics such as "I Am The Walrus" and "Strawberry Fields Forever", demonstrating again, after Pepper, why this band was so far ahead of their peers in terms of song-writing and studio experimentation.
Check out the clarity of sound on the 2009 remastered edition: it is simply stunning. The bass runs, the layers of guitar and keys and the multiple phasing effects are all incredibly clear and head-shakingly unreal. It's hard to believe this thing is nearly 45 years old....
My advice to those who have never had the pleasure: pop on your headset and immerse yourself in this classic. The only issue you may have is trying to erase the image of Ringo in a furry animal suit out of your mind..
Goo-goo-ga-Joob!

No. 310: Pink Floyd - "Animals" (1977)

An underrated gem of an album about pigs, dogs & sheep...
When you mention Pink Floyd, most people name-check Dark Side of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall, but somewhere in the middle there was this record: Roger Waters' dark, scathing, study of an Orwellian world where humans are classified as either pigs, dogs or sheep - an allegorical concept straight out of the book Animal Farm. Musically, this is probably the last real triumph of the "classic MKII" line-up of Floyd, as Waters virtually took over everything on The Wall & The Final Cut after it (aside from the odd tasteful guitar solo from David Gilmour) - and there are many who would argue (myself included) that "Dogs" contains the finest guitar work Gilmour ever committed to tape - mostly played on a Telecaster too! "Sheep" also contains Rick Wright's last major contribution on keys to the band, and is reminiscent of "One Of These Days" off the Meddle album in 1971 - even employing a vocoder voice effect for a warped interpretation of "The Lord's Prayer" in the middle of the track. Sinister stuff indeed.
The big aggressive tunes are nicely bookended by two verses of "Pigs On The Wing" - a simple song of hope performed by Waters on acoustic guitar. Overall it was an album that suited the uncertainty and despondency of the times (ie: the socio-political climate in Britain in the late 70's), and proved that a big old dinosaur like Pink Floyd still had something to say after the Punk Rock meteorite hit the Earth....

No. 311: Paul Simon - "Paul Simon" (1972)

The 1970's was the age of the "singer-songwriter", and Paul Simon - arguably one of the finest singer-songwriters of his generation - dropped his solo debut on us in 1972, two years after saying goodbye to his musical sparring partner Art Garfunkel.
Simon & Garfunkel's melodious folk ballads came to define the sound of the 1960's, but Simon was itching to experiment with other musical styles, as evident on this underrated pearler of a solo debut.
The reggae tinged "Mother & Child Reunion" and the Latin-influenced "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard" show him embracing the sounds of world music well before the mega-success of Graceland in the 80's - and there's even some cool, jazzy figures that wind themselves through "Everything Put Together Falls Apart" - a far cry from the early folk-ballad days indeed.
The most revealing thing about this album, however, is Simon's skills as a guitar player. There are some amazing acoustic guitar licks, and some unexpected phrasings in places, which are testimony to the immense talents of this man. Check out the bluesy "Peace Like A River" for a healthy dose of what I'm talking about. And as for the tunes: McCartney is possibly the only real peer of Paul Simon when it comes to the gift of melody & songwriting, which is about the highest compliment you could ever pay anyone.
Find the 2004 remastered CD version of this album with the three extra tracks and put some time aside to get into it. It won't take you very long.

No. 312: Grinderman - "Grinderman 2" (2010)

You either love Nick Cave or you don't  - and if you don't then this may be the one that changes your mind...
This is the second album from Grinderman - the side project of selected members from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - and they've delivered a great, dark, moody, rock album that is more aggressive and adventurous than their 2007 debut.
Longtime Cave collaborators & Bad Seeds' Warren Ellis, Martyn P. Casey and Jim Sclavunos pull together with the great man himself to create a sinister-sounding set that bristles with tension and an otherworldly, haunted spookiness.
These guys are getting on in age a bit, but there's something Johnny Cash-like in Cave's powerful tenor which seems to mark it as ageless, and his performance on this record is the perfect blend of confidence and outright menace. Which is always a winning combination. The album bursts out of the blocks with three great tunes - but the best is the brilliant "Heathen Child", a shuffling voodoo blues that also has a great video clip (with just the right amount of humour added too).
A great release that's well-worth a listen.

No. 313: Talking Heads - "The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads" (1982)

A superb double live set from one of the best bands to emerge from the New York "New Wave" scene in the late 1970's.
Originally released in 1982 (and also as an expanded reissue with extra material in 2004), this live album is divided into two distinct parts. The first disc shows the quartet in stunningly raw form on selected performances from 1977 to 1979, with David Byrne's intelligent observations on everyday life cutting through the tight, funky tones of Fender Duo-Sonic guitars like a knife. Really great stuff. There is plenty of evidence from these early performances that this band were on there way to stamping their identity on the 80's, albeit with much more radio-friendly fare than what can be found here.
The real treat however is the second disc, featuring the expanded 10-piece line up from the 1980-81 Remain In Light tour which showcased that album's experimentation with percussion and African polyrhythms. The results are glorious: from the percussive overload of "I Zimbra" to the electro-funk of "Crosseyed And Painless" this band deliveries in spades. And the version of "The Great Curve" contained here is definitely one of the best things I've ever heard on a live album. Seriously good.
At the risk of sounding like Molly, do yourself a favour, check this out. I would even go as far to say it is flawless. Or as close to it as you can get.

No. 314: Madvillain - "Madvillainy" (2004)

Superb beats. Lyrically inventive. Totally uncommercial.
One of the great hip hop albums from the last decade - a brilliant yet underrated collaboration between MF Doom and DJ/producer Madlib.
The songs are short and snappy and make use of some obscure samples - from artists like Sun Ra & Bill Evans - the outcome being a clever and often bizarre sonic tapestry weaved by master-producer Madlib. Doom's deadpan drawl is the real highlight though: his rhymes are inventive, funny and above all, super-cool - a totally refreshing presence in a genre dominated by chest-beaters & Jay-Z wannabe's.
This album demands repeated listens - and you'll need it to get accustomed to the endlessly clever lines dropped in by Doom. There are no noticeable hooks or conventional "verse-chorus-verse" structures on this record, and it's this unpredictable feel which adds to its appeal. And make sure you check out the cartoon music video for "All Caps" - a fine piece of work which avoids all the cliches found in modern day hip-hop music videos. There's even a Madvillain action figure out in the market too. How cool is that??
This record is best enjoyed in the half-light of dawn on a head-set after a big night out - a great listen indeed. And if the rumours are true (and I pray they are), a second Madvillain album may be unleashed on us in the near future.
All hail the Villain!