Emily's Albums A to Z

Listened: Thursday August 5

It’s a Bit Complicated made me realize that Art Brut are the pop-punk musical version of Seinfeld; it’s all about the details, and when it comes down to it, a lot of nothing.

Pump Up The Volume is all about whether it’s appropriate to break from making out to turn up a song on the radio.

Blame it On The Trains is about blaming being 30 minutes late on public transit when really it was because of lying around having sex and concocting a scheme to explain the absence.

Sound of Summer fetishizes making mix tapes, down to the outmoded acts of pressing both play and record and breaking off the security tabs on the tape so no one can record over it.

Jealous Guy is about a guy obsessing that he isn’t getting as much sex from his girlfriend as her prior boyfriends, but finding his only expression of this frustration is to pull the covers to his side and silently fume.

Any of these could be central to a Seinfeld episode, right?

Listened: Wednesday August 4

It’s fitting that Is This It immediately follows The Invisible Band, since both were immediately post-college albums for me. When it came out, this album felt like the perfect soundtrack to being young and uncertain and free, all of which I more or less was. I remember driving around San Francisco at the time and seeing Strokes logos in people’s windows. Those same hipsters probably think they’ve sold out now.

I remember making a big point of getting the import version of the album with the original nude chick cover and tracklisting because I was annoyed at the censorship of both. The cover was rejected in the US for being too sexually explicit and New York City Cops was taken off the original album because the album was released immediately following 9/11 and “New York City cops, they ain’t too smart” was considered inappropriate for the times.

I went to their show when they came to San Francisco and I remember it being a horrible mess. Julian was sloppy drunk and didn’t sing well at all. I still always enjoy this album, but that was a little too much “I am going to pretend I don’t give a shit” posing for me and I didn’t buy their next album when it eventually came out. Hopefully they have gotten more professional since.

Listened: Wednesday August 4

The Invisible Band was the first Travis album I experienced anticipating, since I had gotten introduced to the band when their prior album The Man Who was already released. I love the album cover (the picture was taken near Santa Cruz).

I have great memories of hearing these songs for the first time when the band played Yerba Buena gardens in San Francisco. Afterwards we stood in line for a very long time to meet them and get autographs (and at that point it was old hat, since we had met them twice before, once at their Sacramento show, and once at Now and Zen Festival).

This was soon after I had graduated from college, so it was a very memorable and important time in my life. I also had the free time to wait in line in front of Mod Lang the day before for the bracelets that guaranteed us autographs. Wish I had time to do such things anymore!

Listened: Wednesday August 4

Introducing collects a bunch of good songs from Gorky’s early works, and as the title suggests, it’s a good introduction to the band. I also love the artwork.

I’ve given a good description of the band in my earlier entry about Barafundle. I blew most of my material about them there!

Listened: Wednesday August 4

I believe I bought Into the Blue Again because Amazon had it onsale for $5. It was one of the better new things I’ve ever bought because of such a deal.

The Album Leaf are kind of like an American Sigur Ros, though not quite as atmospheric. Many of their songs are songscapes more than ballads or anthems. Pictures form in your mind when you’re listening to them and it feels like you’re going on a voyage.

Another great crafty album cover too – I love it!

Listened: Wednesday August 4

Inside Your Guitar is another cheap buy. I like the guitar’s modern indie sound. I like the album well enough when I’m playing it, but it’s a little forgettable. It’s well-done shoegaze, but I couldn’t hum any tracks for you.

The crafty album cover is different, I like it.

Listened: Wednesday August 4

As I was searching Google images to find the album art for Aeroplane I saw a tattoo of it someone had done. Wow, that is dedication. It’s a good album and all, but…

Aeroplane reminds me of college. It was a big album with my indie friends at the time. It’s a little bit of an acquired taste, what with “I love you Jesus Christ” and all the semen mentions. The music is amazing though; so unique and beautiful. Plus one can bust out a headbang now and then.

It’s discouraging that the rumored followup seemingly will never come out. It’s been 12 years now, so I guess we’re out of luck.

Listened: Wednesday August 4

Yeahhhhh… I bought In Search Of at Tower back in the day because it was insanely cheap. Something like $5, new. The blending of rock music and rap is interesting and catchy, but a lot of the lyrics are ridiculously explicit. Not just vulgar and humorous like a lot of rap, but very straight and detailed. I don’t need to intimately know about someone’s sexual fantasies… at work, anyway.

Listened: Wednesday, August 4

As with The Eraser, In Rainbows is hauntingly sexy. Particularly Thom crooning “I don’t wanna be your friend, I just wanna be your lover.” in House of Cards. All I Need and Reckoner also press all the right buttons, vocally and musically.

I remember what a kick in the head it was when this came out as a “pay what you want” download. Both the method and the sound were game changing.

When I saw Radiohead play at Outside Lands, their only area appearance on the In Rainbows tour, I was very bummed out that extreme sound problems plagued them on a bunch of songs, particularly House of Cards. That was the worst experience I’ve ever had at a concert in terms of sound issues. I’d been looking forward to hearing the new songs and was extremely let down. I have no idea when they’ll tour again, either, so who knows when I get to hear them in all their live glory.

Listened: Tuesday August 3

I love how high in the mix the guitar is on Jose Gonzalez’ albums; you can hear every string.

I also love his voice. It’s very soothing and beautiful without being sleep-inducing. I always feel good after hearing it.