Disintegration - The Cure (Elektra/Fiction, 1989)
As big of a fan of The Cure as I consider myself to be, I have never really spent all that much time with their seminal, enormous sounding 1989 LP, Disintegration. There is absolutely no reason for this negligence, and I severely regret it. I finally bought it a couple of years ago and have listened to it every once in a while since, but it never has been as good as the most recent time I've had it on the stereo. "Plainsong" and "Pictures of You" are obviously two of the best Cure songs ever, and "Love Song" and "Lullaby" (despite its overt creepiness) are obvious jams as well. But, "Closedown," "Disintegration" and closer "Untitled" are three amazingly unsung epics. The two formers are drenched in synths and arena sounding drums, thus fitting the huge sound of the rest of the album. "Untitled," which has become my favorite song on the album, still has big drums, but is sparse as well as completely gorgeous. I'm not ready to join the bandwagon that says Disintegration is The Cure at their best, but I won't defy the validity of that argument.
Top jams: "Plainsong," "Pictures of You," "Closedown," "Love Song," "Lullaby," "Disintegration," "Untitled"
Wish - The Cure (Elektra/Fiction, 1992)
I hadn't listened to it in several years, but the follow-up to Disintegration, 1992's Wish, has always been, and I think still is, my favorite record by The Cure. It is just as huge and dramatic as its predecessor, but there is even more variety (which gets a little corny in places). "Friday I'm in Love" is another one of the bands' amazing, classic singles. "Open" and "End" are appropriate albeit repetitive bookends. "Trust" is too melodramatic for its own good, but its beauty cannot be denied. "A Letter to Elise" is simply incredible. And lastly, "High" isn't only my favorite song of all time by this band, it just has to be their absolute greatest. Wish does not just present an early 90s version of The Cure; it sounds like a natural progression from Disintegration and features some seriously brilliant moments.
Top jams: "Open," "High," "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea," "Doing the Unstuck," "Friday I'm in Love," "Trust," "A Letter to Elise," "End"
Homework - Daft Punk (Virgin, 1997)
I have a lot of friends who love Daft Punk's disco-house masterpiece, Discovery, but no one seems to give a care about their full length debut, 1997's Homework. Don't get me wrong, it's not nearly as good as Discovery. Not even close. But, it still is a damn fine French house album that subtly hints at where Daft Punk were moving toward at the time. "Da Funk" and "Around the World" are obvious jams as well as the group's most popular songs leading up to Discovery. But, there are some hidden gems, namely "Fresh," which is my personal favorite song here.
Top jams: "Revolution 909," "Da Funk," "Phoenix," "Fresh," "Around the World," "Teachers," "High Fidelity," "Indo Silver Club"
Stands for Decibels - The dBs (Albion, 1981)
I have neglected this album for too long. Stands for Decibels is the debut album from jangly power pop group The dB's. It is pretty much on par with R.E.M., The Feelies and The Bats at their best. What sets The dB's apart from these other bands (at least on Stands for Decibels, for it is the only album of theirs I've listened to) is the zaniness and complexity throughout. Yes, The dB's are a power pop band, but these dudes are fantastic musicians and they let that come out quite a bit here, whether it be through their impressive playing or the complex arrangements and structures of these two to three minute longs songs. "Tearjerkin'" and "Cycles Per Second" are especially impressive, while "Black and White" has to be one of the greatest songs of the 80s. "Judy," which was added to the album later on in reissue form, has some nice emoting and those chimey guitars that I love so much. Stands for Decibels is definitely on pace to become an all time favorite.
Top jams: "Black and White," "Dynamite," "The Fight," "Espionage," "Tearjerkin'," "Cycles Per Second," "Big Brown Eyes," "I'm in Love," "Judy"
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