Emotional Listening #14

Longer Waves - C-Clamp (Ohio Gold, 1999)
I had been interested in C-Clamp for a couple of years due to their being a part of the 90s Chicago emo/indie rock scene. I'd spent the last couple years dabbling in their clean channel guitar swells and mid-to-down-tempo bummer jams, and finally found the inspiration to fully immerse myself in an entire album of theirs. While only featuring seven songs, Longer Waves is a welcome addition to Chicago's 90s guitar rock canon, fitting in nicely between Hum and American Football. Downer songs at epic lengths with subtly mathy time signatures that meander and mostly fizzle out, this is pure winter music. "Meridian" and "Taste of Metal" stand out the most.
Top jams: "Meridian," "Land Meets Sea," "In Tow," "Deep Green," "Taste of Metal"


Ocean Rain - Echo & the Bunnymen (Korova, 1984)
Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko film first tipped me off to "The Killing Moon," easily one of the greatest songs of the 1980s. Then, sometime in 2008 or 2009, Jensen put "Seven Seas" on a mix for me, and that hooked me onto the idea of getting into Echo & the Bunnymen's fourth LP, Ocean Rain. Over the past two or three weeks, I've finally been giving it the attention that it deserves, and let's just say I've become a bit obsessed. Ocean Rain fits in nicely with the gothic-tinged post-punk of the late-70s and 80s such as The Cure, The Smiths, New Order, etc., but what separates Echo & the Bunnymen a little bit from that group are the acoustic guitars and other more organic, almost folk elements that sneak in on every couple tracks. In a way, Ocean Rain is even more dramatic sounding than almost anything Robert Smith and co. did (if you can believe that), in part to all the additional orchestration (acoustic guitars, strings, etc.). I love every track here, but in addition to the two listed above, "Crystal Days" and "My Kingdom" are THE mega-jams. Even the reissue bonus track, "Angels and Devils" is fantastic. Ocean Rain is pretty much perfect, and it's fun to fall so deeply in love with an album that Arcade Fire and The National got a lot of their ideas from.
Top jams: "Silver," "Crystal Days," "The Killing Moon," "Seven Seas," "My Kingdom," "Ocean Rain," "Angels and Devils"


Long Hair in Three Stages - U.S. Maple (Skin Graft, 1995)
I'm truly surprised that I was able to find so much merit in such a difficult record. U.S. Maple's debut LP, Long Hair in Three Stages, sounds every bit as improvisational as it does intentional (if that's even possible). Al Johnson's creepy whispering and sudden outbursts are backed by obnoxious guitar screeching and squealing, and sometimes loose, sometimes tight, groove-oriented drumming that at times toys around with a jazzy style. Sounds like a mess, doesn't it? Well, if you're willing to put in the work, underneath all the noise, you can discover some nice albeit bizarre guitar melodies. After a couple of listens, the complete insanity and outright ballsiness of Long Hair in Three Stages became appealing and enjoyable to me. I can see this record being a huge influence on Women, one of my favorite bands of the past few years. That all being said, that aren't too many of you who will read this that I would necessarily recommend this record to. Ah, well.
Top jams: "Letter to ZZ Top," "Home-Made Stuff," "Magic Job," "The State is Bad," "Lady to Bing"


Something That No One Else Could Bring EP - The Wake (Factory, 1987)
Chalk up another awesome post-punk band from the 80s, at least on this four song EP. Captured Tracks started reissuing some singles from The Wake last year, and that was the first I had heard of them. I came across Something That No One Else Could Bring a few weeks ago and I haven't looked back. The Wake play post-punk/goth in the same realm as The Cure and New Order (and all the awesome Captured Tracks bands of today), and they do it extremely well. Regarding this particular EP, all four tracks are good. "Pale Spectre" and "Plastic Flowers" are especially awesome. "Gruesome Castle" is THE BEST.
Top jams: "Gruesome Castle," "Pale Spectre," "Plastic Flowers"


Drums and Wires - XTC (Virgin, 1979)
My interest in XTC began with Skylarking back towards the end of 2007. In late 2008, my bud Julian discovered Drums and Wires, the band's third LP, and tipped me off. I instantly loved "Making Plans for Nigel" and "When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty," but I had never given the rest of the album a fair enough chance until now. Overall, Drums and Wires is a great power pop record with jangly, sometimes angular guitars, upbeat tempos, catchy melodies (though Andy Partridge's more obnoxious vocal performances can surely be grating on the ears and heart), and sometimes some new wave corniness. "Life Begins at the Hop," "Outside World" and especially "Scissor Man" are examples of excellent tracks that I had slept on prior to my recent resurging interest in the record. Even the album's b-sides (which are featured on the 2001 reissue) rule, namely "Day In Day Out" and "Limelight." The only detail I am confused about here is why the band chose "Complicated Game" as the original closer for the album. This is not only bad for an XTC song and an absolutely terrible closer, it is one of the worst songs I've ever heard! Anyway, the rest of the album is pretty great! Get it!
Top jams: "Making Plans for Nigel," "Life Begins at the Hop," "When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty," "Ten Feet Tall," "Roads Girdle the Globe," "Outside World," "Scissor Man," "Day In Day Out," "Limelight"