Blue Cadet-3: A Music Blog by Josh R.

  Alex G - House Of Sugar (2019) My copy: 2019 press on purple vinyl with additional 7” by Domino. While 2017’s Rocket proved to be a controversial shift for Alex Giannascoli, 2019’s House Of Sugar came as a half-hearted attempt to bridge the gap between old and new . House Of Sugar does contain a few great tracks, but its second half feels like a bloated and desperate attempt to reconnect with his singer/songwriter roots.  Digitally stretched vocal moans open the album on “Walk Away” which makes impressive use of layering to build walls of reversed instrumentals, piano melodies and repetitive vocals; the only issue being that nothing interesting happens with the structure of the song. “Hope” is probably the best of the singer/songwriter tracks with heightened emotion being that it was written about the passing of a close friend. “Southern Sky” introduces a fun piano rhythm that promptly fades away and is never heard again, instead replaced for more Rocket era alt-country ...

  Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West  (1997) My copies: 2015 limited reissue on red and green vinyl by Glacial Pace and 2022 limited reissue picture disc by Glacial Pace.  Only a year after their debut, Modest Mouse followed up with a knockout punch that retained the charismatic aggression of its predecessor while patching up holes in their production style. The Lonesome Crowded West is widely praised for doubling down on themes of corporate expansion and loneliness. “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine” unleashes a tangle of distorted guitar that bends every which way over pounding drums and bass. Isaac Brock is back with a fury, delivering verses with the vigor of a mean drunk and choruses with the emotion of a sad drunk. “Heart Cooks Brain” mellows out for a genre-bending take on indie-rock that mixes in a hypnotic guitar melody, atmospheric effects and record scratching. Brock’s anger is refocused into the muted roller coaster of “Convenient Parking” before turning t...

  Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F♯ A♯ ∞ (1997) My copy: 2000 reissue by Constellation. Canada’s most famous (probably) nine-piece post-rock band made their official full-length debut in 1997 with the haunting apocalyptic broadcast of F♯ A♯ ∞. The original vinyl release of the album is much shorter and includes a few pieces that were later scrapped, while digital and CD releases are now expanded to include more material. The sole conceptual downfall of the digital and CD releases is that they are incapable of maintaining the infinite loop that occurs via the locked groove in the vinyl release. Aside from failing conceptually, the later expanded version of this album is a much more immersive experience and should be checked out.  The A-side of the vinyl release is labeled as “Nervous, Sad, Poor…” and begins with low growling drones. A spoken word passage gives context to the atmosphere of the record: post-apocalypse with heavy allusions to nuclear destruction. Mournful strin...

  Grouper - The Man Who Died In His Boat (2013) My copy: 2013 press by Kranky. Liz Harris’s 2013 record attempted to recapture what made Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill unique; it sees a return to mostly guitar based songs in open tunings, albeit with some departures that add variety.  “6” is reminiscent of early, ethereal and untethered Grouper songs but it is cut short to lead into the melancholy of “Vital.” The production on this record is quite strange: there is some kind of flange filter applied to the background noise on “Vital” while other tracks see background noise entirely removed. The rising, reverb soaked vocal melodies and lethargic guitar strumming on tracks like “Cloud Places,” “The Man Who Died In His Boat” and “Towers” would fit right in on Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill.   Bass tones prod around in darkness on “Being Her Shadow” while guitar and effects glisten softly in the background, like some unreachable goal. “Cover The Long Way” is one of...

  Modest Mouse - This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About (1996) My copies: 2014 reissue by Glacial Pace and 2018 limited reissue on pink vinyl by Glacial Pace. Sad Sappy Sucker was originally intended to be the debut Modest Mouse full length, but the record was shelved in favor of the much more expansive and conceptual This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About. Not quite post-hardcore and not quite emo, Modest Mouse were able to carve a name for themselves by combining the ferocity of the former with the lyrical sincerity of the latter.  “Dramamine” was an instant favorite upon release; it perfectly encapsulates emotional destitution with a spiraling repetitive bassline and drowsy harmonics. Jeremiah Green’s shuffle beat propels the track like an eighteen-wheeler barreling down a bumpy stretch of desert highway. There are moments of aggressive post-hardcore where the guitar tones borrow from Lync, Built To Spill and occasionally Unwo...

  Silver Jews - American Water  (1998) My copy: 2018 remastered reissue by Drag City. When reviewing music, I typically focus on three core elements: the sound, the production and songwriting. So where does lyricism fit into my critique? Typically, unless lyrics are overwhelmingly obnoxious I tend to gloss over them in favor of simply viewing the voice as another instrument, as deconstructing another individual's poetry is a laborious and far more subjective task. However, In the case of David Berman the lyrics are at the very core of the album.  American Water very well may be the absolute best execution of Berman’s approach: not quite as choppy and personable as the Silver Jews debut record but instrumentally creative unlike some later releases. If the dry, honest wit of “Random Rules” doesn’t immediately pull you into Berman’s world, you should just quit while you’re ahead. Berman was a master of disguising his more depressing thoughts behind timely jokes and wordp...

  Built To Spill - Built To Spill Plays The Music Of Daniel Johnston (2020) My copy: 2020 limited press on clear vinyl with yellow and blue splatter by Ernest Jenning Record Co. Daniel Johnston was a deeply creative musician who suffered from serious mental health concerns, making him an icon of “outsider music.” In spite of his struggles with mental illness, Johnston was a talented writer who released dozens of simple songs that could be challenging due to the often lo-fi, amateur or honest nature of the recordings and words. Some later Johnston albums would feature backing bands and higher quality production with Johnston still doing most of the writing. In 2017, indie legends Built To Spill were asked to play as a backing band for Johnston; they decided to release these recordings of practice sessions following the passing of Johnston in 2019. Unfortunately, there really isn’t much to say about Built To Spill Plays The Music Of Daniel Johnston as the record was probably reco...

  Radiohead - Amnesiac (2001) My copy: 10” reissue by Parlophone. After years of comfortable rock music, Radiohead began to vary their approach with Kid A: an album that sought to trade guitars for keyboards. While Kid A is a solid contender, it is clearly the more marketable material over Amnesiac, with flashier choruses and obvious riffs. Where Kid A basks in bright production and safer instrumentation, Amnesiac is stripped down to the marrow with darker vignettes that broadcast a side of Radiohead that should never quite resurfaced.  Immediately Amnesiac steps off into the dark minimalist carnival ride of “Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box” which rejects the on the nose payoffs of its sibling opener “Everything In Its Right Place.” The music on Amnesiac churns and hums dissonance around more subtle vocal melodies, instantly distinguishing itself. “Pyramid Song” spotlights Thom Yorke’s voice with a piano ballad that expands into an orchestral movement from the und...

  Melody’s Echo Chamber - Melody’s Echo Chamber  (2012) My copy: 2017 limited reissue on peach sherbert vinyl by Fat Possum Records. Following her band’s tour with Tame Impala, Melody Prochet enlisted Kevin Parker to aid in the creation of Melody’s Echo Chamber, her debut solo record. Parker helped push the production in the right direction, resulting in a sound that perfectly fits Prochet’s writing style.  The production on the bass is warm and inviting, giving “I Follow You” a vintage psych energy while the mids and highs ring through crystal clear. Prochet’s voice is the highlight of the record, with the best moments being her layers of self harmonizations. There is a softness to the synths while guitar serves only to gentrify the good ideas on the record. A guitar solo bites into “I Follow You,” and while it’s mixed well, it feels forced.  “Crystallized” makes clever use of bit-crushing and EQ to turn what would be a repetitive slog into a cavern of lush ar...

  Gang Gang Dance - God’s Money (2005) My copy: 2005 press by The Social Registry. With God’s Money, Gang Gang Dance combined the maximalist energy of NYC’s experimental scene with eastern melodies and psychedelic influence; producing an album that is an odyssey across seas of strange repeating tones, alien vocals and tribal clattering. “God’s Money I (Percussion)” introduces the album with primitive drums and indistinguishable spiritual chanting that is lifted into psychedelia by an assortment of effects. An expanse of synth opens under patient percussion on “A) Glory In Itself B) Egyptian” where the vocals appear to speak in never before heard tongues. Playful eastern scales dance through the fever dream while the shaman-esque vocals carry us into a wormhole that swallows all coherent tones. “Egowar” rebuilds the album with nostalgic lo-fi chimes that are tempted away by sudden but calm bouts of percussion. “Egowar” then descends into a hollow cave of synth, with pounding bas...