Trollheart takes on "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die"

[Trollheart]

988

Album title: Street Signs
Artist:  Ozomati
Year: 2004
Nationality: American
Genre: Now there's a question! According to Wiki, Ozomatli combine elements of jazz, hip-hop, world music, fusion and Latin funk!
Chronology: Third album
Have I heard of this artist before? No
Tracklisting: Believe, Love and hope, Street signs, (Who discovered) America?, Who's to blame, Te estoy buscando, Saturday night, Dejame en paz, Santiago,Ya viene el sol, Dona Isabelle, Nadie te tiera, Cuando canto
Comments: I was interested on seeing this being up next, as it mentions Latin funk, hip-hop, jazz and fusion and I was wondering how these guys would meld all these odd influences together. But I must say, I pretty much love this album. The energy and the optimism and the just overall sense of let's have a party is infectious. The music is upbeat and uplifting, and even the raps and scratching added to, rather than detracting (as would usually be the case with me) from the music. Excellent album. Very impressed. Never knew music like this existed.
Favourite track(s): Believe, Street signs, (Who discovered) America, Nadie te tiera, Te estoy buscando, Santiago, Dona Isabelle, Cuando canto
Least favourite track(s): Who's to blame, Saturday night
My impression: Definitely among the best I've heard off this list so far.
Am I glad I heard this album before I died? Oh hell yeah!
Rating:

[Trollheart]

987

Album title: Heroes to Zeroes
Artiste: The Beta Band
Year: 2004
Nationality: Scottish
Genre Folktronica?
Chronology: Third and final album
Have I heard of this artist before? No
Tracklisting: Assessment, Space, Lion thief, Easy, Wonderful, Troubles, Out-side, Space beatle, Rhododendron, Liquid bird, Simple, Pure for
Comments: The first thing I hear when the album begins is U2 and Big Country, that big, wide guitar sound that we associate with both those bands. The vocal however is not as strong as either of those singers, more restrained but decent. Can't say I hear much of any folk here though, but then again this is only the first track. Some nice vocal harmonies on the second track, pleasant enough. I hear the folk influences now on "Lion thief" and the boppy bass on "Easy" is nice too. So is the string section in the next track, but "Liquid bird" seems to go all over the place.
Favourite track(s): Lion thief, Easy, Wonderful, Troubles, Rhododendron
Least favourite track(s): Space Beatle, Liquid bird
My impression: Decent album, but I'd hardly call it essential listening.
Am I glad I heard this album before I died? I could have lived without it, but it's ok
Rating:

[Trollheart]

986

Album title: Fly or Die
Artiste:  N*E*R*D
Year: 2004
Nationality: American
Genre: Funk rock/Hip-hop
Chronology: Second album
Have I heard of this artist before? No
Tracklisting: Don't worry about it, Fly or die, Jump, Backseat love, She wants to move, Breakout, Wonderful place/Waiting for you, Drill sergeant/Preservation, Thrasher, Maybe, The way she dances, Chariot of fire/Find my way
Comments: Apparently this is a side project for rap superstars Pharell Williams and Chad Hugo. Yeah. Very much a sense of Prince in the opening track, not bad at all. Next one's okay too, nice guitar work and it hops along in a really smooth groove. "Jump" is great, really boogies along with some fine piano and synth, and I like the way it's written from the point of view of someone making or taking a telephone call from their parents (possibly while they're at college or certainly moved away anyway). Not mad about "Backseat love", but in fairness that's the first track here that hasn't impressed me. I don't hate it, just don't like it as much as the other three.

There's sort of a Latin feel to "She wants to move". Meh it's okay but I'm not that bothered with it. There's an oddly French flavour to "Breakout", while "Wonderful place" engages my attention again, really nice laidback ballad with a hidden track running on a really nice orchestral line, and I really like "Drill sergeant", very bouncy, rocky feel about it. "Thresher"'s great too. But "Maybe" is just brilliant. Love this. "The way she dances" is funky fun too, and that leaves us with just one track to go. Oh, and a hidden one. "Chariot of fire" is good and the hidden track is great. Really impressed here.
Favourite track(s): Don't worry about it, Fly or die, Jump, Wonderful place, Drill sergeant, Thresher, Maybe, Find my way
Least favourite track(s): Backseat love, Breakout
My impression: A whole lot better than I had expected. Really quite excellent.
Am I glad I heard this album before I died? Damn right.
Rating:

[Trollheart]

Okay that's it for the albums already done in the original thread. As you will have seen, if you've been reading, the format changed slightly and my reviews towards the end became more like the kind of thing I usually do, longer and a bit more informative. Whether this will continue as I pick up the project again, almost ten years later, is something I don't know. I suppose it will depend on the level of interest I end up having in it, and who if anyone reads the thread, or even comments. I guess we'll see.

For now, I'm off to listen to some more albums and should hopefully have the next ones up by tomorrow. Maybe earlier.

[Trollheart]

985

Album title: Franz Ferdinand
Artist: Franz Ferdinand
Year: 2004
Nationality: Scottish
Genre: Garage Rock revival/Post-punk revival/Indie rock/Dance-punk
Chronology: Debut album
Have I heard of this Artist before?: Yes, wasn't he the one whose assassination brought about... World ... War... um. Not that one, you say?
Have I heard anything by this artist before? No
Tracklisting: Jacqueline/Tell Her Tonight/Take Me Out//The Dark of the Matinee/Auf Achse/Cheating on You/This Fire/Darts of Pleasure/Michael/Come On Home/40
Introduction: Not much to say really. Like the Kaiser Chiefs and Kasbian and probably a hundred other bands, I know the name but that's about it.
Comments: Pretty decent rock album. I like the way it starts off by fooling you into thinking it's some sort of folky/singer-songwriter deal then bursts into an energetic rock song. I feel I may have heard "Take Me Out" before, just probably didn't know who it was. It's very much music that glorifies the joy of being young and alive and in love, isn't it? Hard for me to identify with, then. Doesn't sound all that different from The Killers, to me. Catchy stuff for sure. I'd single out "Auf Achse" for particular praise, but I've liked everything I've heard so far. The so-called "dance-punk" energy comes through on "Cheating On You", and in fact "Michael" is the first track I don't care for.
Favourite track(s): Everything other than
Least favourite track(s):  Michael
My impression: Pretty good album. Might want to hear more, might not. Honest stuff anyway.
Is this an album I'm glad I heard before I died? Yeah
Rating:

[Trollheart]

984


Album title: Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
Artist: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Year:  2004
Nationality: Australian
Genre: Gothic rock/Blues rock/Gospel rock (?)
Chronology:   Thirteenth album
Have I heard of this artist before?: Oh yes
Have I heard anything by this artist  before? Just about everything
Tracklisting: (Abattoir Blues) Get Ready for Love/Cannibal Hymn/Hiding All Away/Messiah Ward/There She Goes, My Beautiful World/Nature Boy/Abattoir Blues/Let the Bells Ring/Fable of the Brown Ape (The Lyre of Orpheus) The Lyre of Orpheus/Breathless/Babe, You Turn Me On/Easy Money/Supernaturally/Spell/Carry Me/O Children
Introduction: Most people would call this two separate albums - perhaps like what Springsteen did when he released Lucky Town and Human Touch together on the same day - but Cave prefers them to be seen as one entity, with the harder, rockier, darker songs on Abattoir Blues and the more sensitive, sad and mostly love songs on The Lyre of Orpheus. Personally, I've always treated them as two different albums.
Comments: Someone wrote about this that it's almost a bit of everything he's done in his long career, and I'd agree. In ways, it's almost able to serve as an introduction to the man. You have the understated dour delivery of the title track, reminiscent of his work on maybe the first three albums, almost sounds like there's a Jew's harp running through "Cannibal's Hymn", while "Fable of the Brown Ape" could have been lifted directly from Let Love In, even contains a similar guitar last to "Loverman" off that album. Nick's tribute to the late Johnny Cash, "Let the Bells Ring" is certainly a highlight, as is the excellent "Messiah Ward", both of these seeming to me to be more in his post-Murder Ballads era. I get more of a Henry's Dream vibe from "Nature Boy" and you really hear the joyous gospel coming through on "There She Goes, My Beautiful World".

Still, even treating these as two separate albums as I do, I've always considered The Lyre of Orpheus to be far the superior recording, because whereas the other one has its weak tracks, such as the very ordinary "Get Ready for Love" and the very annoying "Hiding All Away", every track on The Lyre of Orpheus is pure gold, from the easy blues of "Babe, You Turn Me On" to the island-flavoured "Breathless". A song that would not be out of place on No More Shall We Part, "Carry Me" continues the grand gospel tradition begun in the first half/on the other album, "Easy Money" has a scraping, slightly industrial sound behind the lush piano and the violin buildup on "O Children" perfectly counterpoints the acoustic guitar melody it rides along, with a definite nod to Pink Floyd in the choir backing. "Supernaturally" somewhat breaks the sequence here, a harder, edgier rock song that pounds along with a big shouted chorus, thematically reminds me of "Jack the Ripper" off Henry's Dream, and "The Lyre of Orpheus" also has a sort of punchy, industrial-folk idea to it too.
Favourite track(s): There She Goes, My Beautiful World/Nature Boy/Messiah Ward/Let the Bells Ring/Breathless/Babe, You Turn Me On/Easy Money/Supernaturally/Spell/Carry Me/O Children
Least favourite track(s): Hiding All Away/Get Ready for Love
My impression: I seem to remember not being very impressed with Abattoir Blues, but I certainly enjoyed it this time, and The Lyre of Orpheus was always great. There are better Cave albums, but this is a very good guide to what you'll find on them. I might have chosen a different one for the list - assuming there aren't others - but for what it is, it's a good representation of the man's work.
Am I glad I heard this album before I died? I already had done
Rating: (rating as one release)