Currently listening to: Week of May 28, 2012

 









I'm so sorry to bring this to you a little late, but life happens. Here are the albums I am listening to this week. Enjoy!

To really hear an artist's work, you must look past the hit singles. The entire album is worth hearing to truly get a glimpse of it all in one body of work. Here are some of the albums I am listening to this week.


New Model Army - Vengeance (1984)

The debut album from postpunk band New Model Army. A great combination of folk music and sneering punk rock. While many bands of their ilk did not talk about the world around them, New Model Army pulled no punches in talking about societies ills. From what I hear from many today, the lyrics of Smalltown England are just as relevant today as they were in 1984. The band later evolved into something different, yet they never gave up their ideals. This album is essential listening if you are a fan of bands like The Damned or Billy Bragg. Here are some of it's best tracks:
Vengeance:

Great Expectations:

Smalltown England:

Nirvana - In Utero (Albini mix)

In 1993, after the success of their multiplatinum selling album, Nevermind, Nirvana recorded their followup, In Utero. Instead of Butch Vig producing this album, they decided to work with Steve Albini. Steve Albini has had a reputation of being an innovative producer and famous for not liking overdubs and preferring for bands to record live, along with his famed stints with Chicago noise band Big Black. Kurt Cobain wanted to work with Steve Albini solely because Steve produced two of Kurt's favorite albums (The Pixies Surfer Rosa and Pod from the Breeders). The label wanted to polish up some of the production that Steve Albini did, which is most evident on the tracks Heart Shaped Box and All Apologies. Producer Scott Litt (R.E.M) was brought in to make a few changes. Still, In Utero stands as a seminal album for the band and the original mixes are much more raw than the finished product. Here are a few great songs from this album.
Heart Shaped Box:

All Apologies:

Very Ape:

Duran Duran - Duran Duran (Wedding album) (1993)

Duran Duran were on top of the world in the 1980s, by the time the 90s hit, they were seen as has-beens, they were perceived as old hat, this album proved all those critics wrong. They literally came out of nowhere with this album. No one thought it would sell. It would sell over a million albums and go platinum, sadly the last Duran Duran album to do so. Two of it's four singles would hit the top 5 in the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The songs were Come Undone and Ordinary World. These are two of their best known songs and true classics. Here are some great songs from this album.
Ordinary World

Come Undone:

Too Much Information:

Black Flag - My War (1984)

This is the official second full-length album from Black Flag. Greg Ginn played guitar and bass on here, and Henry Rollins returns on lead vocals. The first 6 songs are straightforward hardcore punk, including the great title track and song Beat My Head Against a Wall. The last 3 songs are a bit of a puzzle to everyone, they all clock in at more than 6 minutes each, which is unheard of in punk rock. It shows the band at their most experimental. They do owe a debt to Black Sabbath on these last tracks and it is seen as a precursor to grunge, which is amazing. It also shows how truly influential Black Flag were and continue to be. A great record and to me second only to Damaged. Here are some of the best songs here.
My War:

Beat My Head Against a Wall:

Nothing Left Inside: