2. music
  3. 1065197565

Album of the Week - Opinion/Samples

Okay - a thread along the lines of "What are You Listening to Lately". Hopefully this won't get out of hand, but - my thoughts are for thread participants to recommend (on a weekly basis) a single album/CD from their stacks, make a few personal comments, and add a link so people can hear some of the album. Keeping it to a once a week basis should let the pleasure extend indefinitely...

To link - add a mark-up tag to an Amazon page that has a "Listen to Samples" selection.

I'm sure everyone here has GREAT musical taste, and probably know quite a few hidden gems/personal treasures that have yet to hit mainstream consciousness ...

Starting out from my collection, I'm going to dust off the jacket and select:

The Blue Nile - Hats

The Blue Nile puts out an album about once every six years, and god knows I wish they were more prolific. Their first two albums - A Walk In the Rain and Hats from the mid-late 80's - are tone poems more than anything. I'd probably describe these two as "Impressionistic rock" or "smoky cabaret rock". It's sort of haunting and uplifting at the same time, with mournful horns - synthesized beats/keyboards - yearning vocals with a Scots burr. And the lyrics are poetry of an everyman ...

Last heard from with 1996's "Peace at Last". A little less atmospheric than the other two - but still great.

Hoping they release at least once more in my lifetime, because they are so damned good. I assume they were bigger in the UK - but are little known over here. Unfortunately "Hats" and "A Walk In The Rain" only appear to be on import labels now, but they are worth forking over the dough for...
regiolanthe
danvetc
527 posts
 
Jayhawks, Rainy Day Music. How did I miss these guys?

http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2788038

Charlie
ben_campbell
1,169 posts
 
Charlie I love The Jayhawks but hated this album.
It's very seldom I recycle my new purchases but I got rid of this.
It was also spotted by another Audiogon member that this recording distorts and it does.........
danvetc
527 posts
 
I just bought Rainy Day last week after hearing the Jayhawks on NPR. I have only been listening in my truck where I have been having a ball with it and think others might, as well. Maybe you should have saved it as a road listen. A quick listen on the big rig suggests a typical sibilant mike was used, which I can tame with my eq, thank goodness. Ben, what discs do you recommend from the Jayhawks?
ben_campbell
1,169 posts
 
Charlie-I'm a really big fan of Sound Of Lies although most purists enjoy Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow The Green Grass before Olsen left.
These are probably closer in tone to Rany Day Music with their Alt-country sound (but not as like The Byrds) but imho much better written,varied and with a deftness of touch missing from their last album.
Sound Of Lies is both rockier and a bit more out there but the key songs really are excellent and feature really great guitar lines.
This was also a break up album and as such appeared to be written from the heart (Louris was on the verge of divorce from his wife).
I think the new one song's are a bit lame lyrically as well.
regiolanthe OP
75 posts
 
RE - The Jayhawks. Danvetc, if you like the CSN(Y) sound of Rainy Day Music, you'd like The Thorns debut (Matthew Sweet - who also appars on RDM; Pete Droge; Sean Mullins). The album nails vocal harmony/instrumentation of CSNY and their wide-open spaces Americana sound. I haven't listened to it that much - but it's pretty impressive as a stylistic recreation. See http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2902676 for samples.
More to discover