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

  (Original art) (2021 re-release) Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (1997) My copies: 2010 limited reissue on translucent blue vinyl by Plain Recordings and Alista and special edition remastered, repressed reissue on blue vinyl by Fat Possum Records.  Spiritualized was formed by Jason Pierce in the wake of his deteriorating relationship with Spacemen 3 collaborator Pete Kember (A.K.A. Sonic Boom). While Spiritualized does maintain some of the harsher psychedelic elements of Spacemen 3, it certainly reveals a softer side to Pierce’s writing, especially on the 1997 critical masterpiece that is Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space.  Boundless is the number of unsuspecting emotional teenagers who switched on this record only to find their eyes watering uncontrollably in the hazy catharsis of the title track. Pierce’s disconnected delivery of “all I want in life’s a little bit of love to take the pain away…” is capable of sending a sho...

  The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour (1984) My copy: 2016 reissue by Superior Viaduct. The Fall’s Hex Enduction Hour: a cult record with such a lofty reputation that it’s become a mecca of sorts for fans of post-punk music. And yet, late frontman Mark E. Smith is not without controversy, especially in the eyes of modern internet-equipped crowds. Essays upon essays have been constructed examining Smith’s volatile use of the N-word in opening track “The Classical.” So what’s my take? As the Brits would say: I don’t bloody know. Now, I do believe that it shouldn't be left to white, twitter-addicted snobs to decide what music Is or isn't offensive on behalf of people whom they assume will be offended. If a person of color took issue with me listening to “The Classical,” there would be reason to reexamine the line, but that scenario hasn’t occurred. The lyric itself is most likely a snide dig at corporate commodification of minorities, but I really have no place in arguing the necessit...

  Capcom Sound Team - Resident Evil 4 - Original Soundtrack My copy: 2020 limited deluxe remastered box set on gold vinyl by Laced Records. Every so often, a game is released that totally reshapes the landscape of its genre. Resident Evil 4 is probably the most influential action/survival TPS game of all time, totally reworking the controls and camera style from all prior entries in the series to create a visceral and frantic experience. While the gameplay itself is amazing and highly addicting, the game would lose a tremendous amount of personality if the soundtrack had come out any different.  There are your typical cutscene/establishing tracks that do well to set the tone (“End Of Umbrella,” “The Drive ~ First Contact,” “Sorrow (Ending Credits),” etc.) but then there are the combat and environmental pieces that do wonders at constructing rich atmospheres. Simply hearing a few seconds of the dread-inducing percussion and ambient drone of “Ganado I” as it shuffles in susp...

  Unwound - New Plastic Ideas (1994) My copy: 1994 press by Kill Rock Stars. Unwound are unique in that they are probably the most consistent post-hardcore band to come out of the 1990s. They followed each of their LPs within minimal wait time, doubling down with new levels of density at each turn. New Plastic Ideas is no exception; coming just one year after their 1993 debut LP, the record tightens up the production and writing to offer a killer balance of brutal force and intelligent composition.  “Entirely Different Matters” roars with an aggression and pace that shows Unwound are not beating around the bush. The guitar wheezes and twists around addicting bass melodies, while Sara Lund’s percussion serves as a rhythmic glue. Justin Trosper’s renewed rage carries into the stilted blasts of “What Was Wound” where the shouting vocals fall perfectly in line with a quickened pace. The intro to “Envelope” is a furious miasma of dissonant riffs until the track opens up to Tros...

  Viet Cong - Viet Cong (2015) My copy: 2015 press by Jagjaguwar. Canadian post-punk outfit Viet Cong’s (now Preoccupations) musical output began in 2013 when they self-released their debut EP. Viet Cong then exploded onto the scene in 2015, launching the band into indie-stardom. Their concise brand of off-kilter jangle-pop/post-punk fusion still manages to hold up to this very day. Booming, distorted bass drums blast through the first half of “Newspaper Spoons” where borderline monotone singing furthers the dystopian vibes. At first, crackling feedback reinforces the apprehensive mood, but shining guitar fades in like stalks of light pouring through cracks in a wall. The song then fully concedes to synthesized loops and tender guitar. Tension is revived on “Pointless Experience” where shifting drums roll with static-noises and strong bass melodies. The production of the album is odd - it is somewhat strangled and boxed-in, but it fits the general tone most of the time. The jan...

  Animal Collective - Tangerine Reef (2018) My copy: limited 2018 press on green vinyl with etching on one side by Domino. Tangerine Reef is an ambitious audiovisual album that followed 2016’s Painting  With. The future of Animal Collective’s sound was subject of much debate: Painting With and its byproducts instilled fear in some while 2017’s Meeting Of The Waters restored faith that they had not abandoned their roots. Tangerine Reef proved that Animal Collective are not a band that can be qualified so easily, as the sound here most closely resembles their early electronic albums.  The record is meant to be heard while viewing the accompanying film provided by Coral Morphologic as it is said to enhance the experience, though this review will focus solely on the music. Woozy guitar strums help build the atmosphere on “Hair Cutter” with most other sounds being synthesized. The sharp percussive noises pop like bubbles from an oxygen tank. Avey Tare’s vocals are largely...

  Steve Roach - Structures From Silence (1984) My copy: 1984 press by Fortuna Records. An American disciple of Tangerine Dream and other forerunning names in experimental electronic music, Steve Roach became obsessed with producing synthesizer music in the early 80s. Classified at the time as “new age” music, Roach tackled long, atmospheric meditations with a sound that would truly come into its own with his 1984 record Structures From Silence. With his third album, Roach builds an impeccable landscape of colorful melodies and mysterious echoes.  Fragments of shimmering staccato synth melodies slowly fade into focus, like golden beams of light poking through a mesh of leaves. “Reflections In Suspension” is the calmest track, engulfing listeners in a childlike mix of serenity and wonder with its joyful twinkling melodies. The bass is warm but thick, it cautiously builds vague tension so as to not reveal its hand too early. As the drones swell, the movement releases all anti...

  The Microphones - Mount Eerie (2003) My copy: 2013 remastered reissue by P.W. Elverum & Sun, LTD. Mount Eerie was devised in part to retire Phil Elverum’s Microphones moniker as he pondered his relationship with music and art. Having always been an existential lyricist, Elverum at last succeeds in creating a musical experience that transports listeners into the world of his philosophical poems. Mount Eerie transcends whatever genres Elverum’s past works are labeled as, elevating his blend of noise and lo-fi folk arrangements into full blown musical set-pieces that grow and die as if they were living beings themselves.  The almost 20-minute odyssey that is “The Sun” begins quietly with a droning bass tone that has appeared in several other Microphones songs. A deep percussive heartbeat pans across channels before a new rhythm takes over, mixing in a variety of both digital and organic percussive elements. The track eventually drops the more electronic sounding aspects...

  Sonic Youth - Sister (1987) My copy: 2016 reissue by Goofin’ Records. Following Evol in ‘86, Sonic Youth released the middle child of their most famous three album run. Though it precedes Daydream Nation (their most famous release of the 80s and potentially of all time) by just one year, Sister is not overshadowed. The production still wasn’t quite slick enough to warrant major praise, but the twisting walls of despondent guitar are at their most effective here while being contrasted by oddly genuine bouts of melody.  “Schizophrenia” is well known for its lyrics, with Kim Gordan playing the titular mentally ill “sister.” While the song predates American pop culture fascination with uncleanliness and disease in the 90s, “Schizophrenia” paints an almost mystical image of the disease with airy open guitars strumming in alternate tunings. The two guitars battle each other, though the tone is kept light until after Gordan’s vocal passage. The building tremolo and drums loosen...

  The Jesus And Mary Chain - Psychocandy (1985) My copy: 2006 reissue by Rhino Records. Psychocandy is the debut full-length from Scottish brothers Jim and William Reid. experimenting with extremely dense and tinny guitar tones, the brothers are credited with creating one of the first major entries into the canon of shoegaze and noise-rock music. The short, rigid and structurally simple tracks have industrial influence, though the core melodies are sweet and poppy.  The major single is the vacuous and light hearted “Just Like Honey,” which introduces the sharp guitar tones in a more sedated fashion. There are stunted elements of goth rock, though the Reid brothers are self aware enough to not delve into the long-winded writing tropes of the style. “The Living End” dives forward into a frenzy of screeching guitar; their chords almost totally obscured. The rhythm section, simplistic as it often is, is the main anchor through the whole album. The vocals have a disenfranchised...