Weekly Listening Roundup #2

Here's another recap of what records I've been enjoying over the past week.


Singles Going Steady - The Buzzcocks (Capitol, 1979)
I unintentionally surpassed this collection of singles and b-sides from these 70s love-punks in my alphabetical journey. It seems like most of late 70s punk rock had a political leaning, while The Buzzcocks spiced things up with fast and angry sounding songs about love. This is punk in the same way that The Clash was: simple, fast and loud. Not every song is good, but there sure are some jams. "Why Can't I Touch It?" sticks out, sounding more post-punk ala Television or Wire.
Top jams: "I Don't Mind," "Everybody's Happy Nowadays," "What Ever Happened To...," "Why Can't I Touch It?"


Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! - Devo (Warner Bros., 1978)
I was shocked to discover how much I would come to love this record. Devo present a post-punk, borderline new wave record that is phenominal through and through. Every song is at least really good and about half of it is AWESOME. The instrumental work (guitar, bass drums, some synths) is appropriate while at the same time completely fascinating, and Mark Motherbaugh's zany personality tops everything off while not being overbearing. This record will stick with me for a long time to come.
Top jams: "Uncontrollable Urge," "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Space Junk," "Gut Feeling (Slap Your Mammy)," "Come Back Jonee," "Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin')"


Without a Sound - Dinosaur Jr. (Reprise, 1994)
Of course I have been familiar with the jam of jams from this record, "Feel the Pain," for several years, but I didn't really dive into Dinosaur Jr. until 2007's return to indie rock royalty in Beyond. I now own three of their albums, and two of them are better than this one (Beyond and 1993's Where You Been). I can't shake that almost everything sounds the same with this band, and that denies them status of one of my favorite bands. But, still, this (and all of their records I am familiar with) showcases raw power and emotion, and some bad ass guitar playing. For me, J. Mascis' melodies are hit or miss, but there are moments where he shines.
Top jams: "Feel the Pain," "Yeah Right," "Even You," "Over Your Shoulder"


Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - The Flaming Lips (Warner Bros., 2002)
I know, I know, I know. I was not born under a rock. I have no idea why it took me so long to get around to devoting some time to this, The Flaming Lips' most recent claim to fame. Granted, it was almost a year ago that I purchased this album. I guess I just didn't have my priorities straight, being much more interested in 1995's Clouds Taste Metallic over Yoshimi... Sorry! But anyway, yeah, this is an incredible, beautiful and weird pop album. I will also honor the consideration of this as a classic, though it is my third favorite Lips album (I like Clouds Taste Metallic better).
Top jams: "Fight Test," "One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21," "In the Morning of the Magicians," "Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell," "Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)"


The Colour and the Shape - Foo Fighters (Capitol, 1997)
Here's an album I seriously hadn't listened to since 1997, maybe 1998. I remember then, in my young, incredibly immature days, that I found it to be ovwhelmingly inconsistent. Sure, I loved the singles ("Monkey Wrench," "Everlong," "My Hero") which still are totally awesome, and I was into the bad ass rocker that was pretty late on the record, "Enough Space." But, I didn't get all the ballads and catchy pop songs hidden in between. This time through I was floored. There are still one or two of the ballads that I think are completely corny, but aside from that, Foo Fighters nailed it. I guess I'm just not as stupid as I was then.
Top jams: "My Poor Brain," "Up in Arms," "See You," "Enough Space," "New Way Home"