Emily's Albums A to Z

Listened: Friday April 29

Stairs and Elevators is like a self-help or motivational book in rocking album form.

“I march my feet to a different drum”

“My new resolution is to be someone who does not care what anyone thinks of me”

“I really want to live”

“Don’t forget to quench your own thirst”

“I just gotta swallow my pride and let things fall naturally. Just be who I am”

“I will never fit into a mold. I know me better than you will ever know”

Then, oddly, after all these feel-strong aphorisms, the irrepressible Erika busts out with:

“I can’t do the things I used to, ’cause I feel old.”

I guess everyone’s allowed their moment of weakness, even a badass take-no-prisoners rocker.

Listened: Friday April 29

Spoon and Rafter is another very beautiful album from Mojave 3. Like Excuses for Travellers, Spoon is very mellow, but still very pretty and engaging. I think I prefer Excuses for Travellers, but Spoon and Rafter doesn’t fail to entrance me with its gentle melodies.

Listened: Friday April 29

Imogen Heap is another artist I’m so sorry I missed when this album came out. My friend Leslie suggested we check her out at Coachella 2006, and it was a great performance, despite sound issues that clearly upset her, but she soldiered on with the proverbial stiff upper lip. Even after this though, I still didn’t really get into her album until the album blogging project.

After finally really absorbing this album, I don’t understand how she didn’t become wildly famous in 2006. Her music seems so interesting, yet very accessible. I think she might have been ahead of her time; if Speak For Yourself was released today I think things would have been different. But maybe it’s better this way; she really seems like someone who does art for art’s sake, and that might be trampled upon if given too much attention all at once.

I need to pick up her new one, Ellipse, and see where she’s taken herself.

Listened: Friday April 29

It’s only fitting that there’s a dog on the front of Spanish Dance Troupe – I can’t help but get down to “Poodle Rockin'” every time I listen to this album, even though it’s a totally bizarre song. The entire album is much more cohesive and pop oriented than previous releases, which in some ways is less fun, but is still really well done.

When SDT came out in 1999, I was in college, and naturally I went to an in-store performance of theirs at Mod Lang. It was pretty hilarious to see all 5 or 6 of the band members crammed into the infamously pack-ratty space, trying to play their instruments. I still have (analog) pictures of this, which are some of my earliest pictures of a show. My copy of SDT is also autographed!

Listened: Thursday April 28

How did I miss LCD Soundsystem the first time around? Maybe the reeky whiff of hipster scared me off.

Then I happened to hear Someone Great somewhere, and the dark creepy groove drew me in like a tractor beam. As soon as I heard the album all the way through, I knew I should forget my hipster biases.

And he’s not just a groovehound, he’s also sensible when he says “Sound of silver, talk to me, makes you want to feel like a teenager, until you remember the feelings of a real live emotional teenager, then you think again.” Preach on, brother!

Listened: Thursday April 28

Something to Remember Me By is a very important album from my teenage years, one I haven’t listened to in quite a while. I loved Grandpaw Would and Noise Addict already, and then Ben dropped this amazing album in 1997.

This album is what got the attention of a more mainstream audience, and it’s easy to see why. Every song here has special meaning to me, but I especially love Eight Years Old and Daisy for their sweet, simple imagery and feeling. If he was a grown man singing such things, it wouldn’t be as touching, but it’s the words of a lovesick 18-year-old, something which I hope most people can understand, even just a little.

Also, amusing to a kid of the 80s, he shouts out tons of 80s sitcom stars on Household Name. It’s not all songs about puppy eyes and saying goodbye!