Despair and Deception, Love's ugly little twins
Came a-knocking on my door, I let them in
Darling, you're the punishment for all of my former sins
I let love in
I let love in
So if you're alone and hear a knocking at your door
And the air's full of promises
Buddy
You've been warned
A great song from what I think is probably my favourite Nick Cave album. Goddamn it's good... might have to listen to it tomorrow while I tidy the house.
So I have finally started to embrace having a Spotify account, giving a listen to as much stuff as I can that I either had never heard of or that I had heard of but never listened to.
It's been revelatory. Some classic albums haven't held up to me that well, but some of them have kicked my brain open to stuff that I wish I'd been listening to my whole life.
Artists that were 100% new to my ears just recently:
- The Sonics - Here Are the Sonics - Fred Smith from his band went on to form the MC5, a favourite of mine. This album is punk before punk, it's rawkous, loud rock'n'roll that does not give a shit about audio fidelity or much else. An absolute riot.
- Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum - Heavy but dated as absolute shit. Couldn't give it a second spin.
- Deep Purple - Machine Head - I think it is going to be a real issue for me to take most of these 70s rock acts seriously, with their WOMANNNNNNNNNN type lyrics and wailing and shit. Great guitar wanking, though. This album has 'Highway Star' on it, too, which is simply an unstoppably great song.
- Rush - 2112 - Most of this is everything that I hate about prog. The segments of the long, long songs don't feel to me like parts of the same whole and don't feel like they have enough transitions. Geddy Lee has some pipes on him, though. The shorter tunes, like 'Twilight Zone,' I liked a lot more. Coheed and Cambria lifted this sound almost wholesale, didn't they?
- The Cars - The Cars - man, I really, really expected to love this and I just didn't. Not even the big singles.
- Pentangle - Basket of Light - Worth it for Danny Thompson's bass playing alone.
- The United States of America - The United States of America - This is goddamn commie music. I need to give it a few more listens, but from the title downwards 'I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife For You, Sugar' is very biting, and quite ahead of its time even for the 60s.
- Dead Kennedies - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables - I can't believe it took me this long to listen to this. I needed this album. This is an album that comforted me with its sheer, scattergun hatred - 'Kill the Poor,' 'Holiday in Cambodia,' 'Let's Lynch the Landlord' and especially the ludicrous cover of 'Viva Las Vegas'? Sign me the fuck up.
- Slayer - Reign in Blood - Another one of those albums that I always knew was a classic, but didn't realise how much it deserved it. Title track is an absolute beast, 'Angel of Death' is great too. I will say I feel like the lead vocalist is a bit of a dead ringer for Hetfield, is that just what 80s thrash singers all fucking sound like?
- Meat Puppets - II - I'm gonna be honest, the more I delve into Kurt Cobain's favourite albums the more I appreciate his taste. When it came to rock and punk he had an eye for my kind of weird. Filter bluegrass through hardcore and you basically get Meat Puppets II - he infamous covered three of their songs for the Nirvana Unplugged show, and they are the three best songs on the album, but even with those three songs known to you this record will surprise you if you've not heard it before. Recommended.
- Living Colour - Vivid - I don't think there are many bands on Earth that could follow 'Cult of Personality' as an opener with anything that could match it. 'Glamour Boys' I think I quite like but I can't decide if it's problematic?
- The Replacements - Let it Be - I'd been building up to listening to this band for many years, and I am so glad I did. This is another classic punk record, by turns stupid and profound. Also features the ridiculously ahead of its time 'Androgynous', a song about a non-gender-conforming couple ('He may be a father but he sure ain't a dad') and makes references to how one day things like urinals will be laughed at by humanity the way the two of them are laughed at now. Honestly, that one song has guaranteed that I will listen to the rest of their catalogue now.
- Frank Black - Teenager of the Year - This is a long, long album, but don't worry; if one of the songs bores you, it'll be over in two minutes and the next one will sound totally different. Shoutout for 'Headache,' simply because headaches suck and it's about time someone wrote a song about that
- Elliott Smith, generally - This guy should be in my DNA. Can't believe it took me this long to believe Patrick that I should listen to him. This guy is so much of a musical kindred spirit to me that I think listening to my music, you wouldn't believe that I had only just listened to him recently.
- Liam Gallagher's solo records - These are by no means great. They're not even that good. If you want lyrical insight then Liam Gallagher and some paid co-writers are not the people you want. But they're fun, low-stakes and a good ol' listen, especially if like me you actually enjoy Oasis still.
- The La's - The La's - Why yes, I too have heard The Beatles. A spectacular record of pop gems but zero original thoughts in its head.
- The Undertones - Honestly, I love The Buzzcocks, but I think the Undertones might actually leave them standing. What a band. Pop-punk in its purest form, even down to songs about Mars bars. What a shame most people only know 'Teenage Kicks.'
- Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime - Such an influential record on the more complex post-hardcore releases, somehow a massive singalong despite being all twisty atonal riffs. A fucking masterpiece. Wish I'd heard it sooner.
- The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps - Actually kinda disappointing; if you thought Frank Black hopped genres often, this album pulls that trick multiple times per song. Unfortunately I think that means it has no real character of its own. Some great songs on here - 'Lazarus,' 'Best Lose the Fear,' - but I don't know how any of it can be pinned down as being the vision of any one artist.
- Spiderland - Slint - I can't believe that in this forum's Bad Old Days that people were actually letting this album be in the discussion for the greatest album ever made. I think I was six songs in before I noticed music was happening.
- American Music Club - California - Sad, airy, beautiful country-rock. Cannot recommend it highly enough if you're sad and overheated and want some company.
- Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking - Massively disappointing, remember nothing else about it.
- American Football - All three of these albums, particularly their third, have become lifesaving for me of late. The song 'Home is Where the Haunt is'... I wish I'd had that one a few years ago, I tell you what.
- Currently listening to John Mayall's Blues Breakers featuring Eric Clapton and I am exactly as bored as I expected to be