Emotional Listening #31

Mission: Control! - Burning Airlines (DeSoto, 1999)
Burning Airlines was a post-Jawbox project from J. Robbins, producer extraordinaire of a lot of seminal/popular albums in emo/post-hardcore/punk/indie rock. Mission: Control! was their debut, and it is phenomenal. While Robbins certainly knows his way around a melody or hook, these songs aren't of the typical pop song structure. They are heavy, complex (with some truly insane but completely rock solid drumming), and yet still, very catchy. Mission: Control! is a melodic, technical rock 'n' roll record of the most excellent type. If you like jagged, distorted guitars, intricate drumming and pop melodies, this record is for you.
Top jams: "Wheaton Calling," "Pacific 231," "Scissoring," "The Escape Engine," "3 Sisters," "Flood of Foreign Capital," "Sweet Deals on Surgery"


Gone Glimmering - Chavez (Matador, 1995)
I hesitate to call Chavez math rock, as they were quite a bit more melodic and accessible than, say, Don Caballero. So, I will describe them as heavy, melodic, technical rock. A couple years ago my bud Julian called me crazy for not being familiar, and now I understand why. The sounds on Gone Glimmering are not unlike those of Hum, Shiner, Burning Airlines, etc. Huge guitars, vocal melodies akin to J. Robbins and Allen Epley, and impressive, intricate drumming that somehow is both focused and aimless (and also big). This record is right up my alley, and I regret not realizing that until now.
Top jams: "Break Up Your Band," "Laugh Track," "The Ghost by the Sea," "Peeled Out Too Late," "Wakeman's Air," "Relaxed Fit"


Porcupine - Echo & the Bunnymen (Sire, 1983)
Last year, I got way into Echo & the Bunnymen's 1984 masterpiece, Ocean Rain. This year, it's their prior LP, Porcupine, that is completely slaying me. While the highlights on Porcupine aren't quite as obvious as those on Ocean Rain, they are two equally stellar albums. Porcupine is brighter, louder and more full (more electric guitars and upbeat tempos), but, there is still a goth element to these songs. I wouldn't be surprised if I come to prefer this to Ocean Rain. This band was really good!
Top jams: "The Cutter," "The Back of Love," "My White Devil," "Clay," "Heads Will Roll," "Ripeness," "Higher Hell," "Gods Will be Gods"


Dear You - Jawbreaker (DGC, 1995)
I've known since high school that I am supposed to care about Jawbreaker, and I just never had. That was until I came across a used copy of an awesome vinyl reissue of Dear You at Underground Sounds in Ann Arbor a year or so ago. I've been listening to the record pretty frequently of late, and it's about damn time, right? I don't know that I would agree with those who throw the band under the emo umbrella, though I also do recognize that these songs have some elements of that genre. However, Dear You is simply a dark, melodic punk record with plenty of pop sensibility. The first three tracks here set the tone with Blake Schwarzenbach's thought provoking storytelling and excellent sense for melody. "Accident Prone" is one of the more emo jams, with all of its drama and dynamics. "Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault," a straight up pop punk song, takes the title for best moment on the album, though. I am very happy that I've finally come around.
Top jams: "Save Your Generation," "I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both," "Fireman," "Accident Prone," "Oyster," "Million," "Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault," "Sluttering (May 4th)"

Emotional Listening #30

Black Tambourine - Black Tambourine (Slumberland, 2010)
Black Tambourine are considered one of the more seminal bands of the indie pop/twee movement of old. I get it, though I still find bands like Beat Happening and The Pastels a bit more interesting. Still, Slumberland's 2010 collection compiles quite a set of good jangly and fuzzy pop tunes. Call me crazy, but my favorite of the original batch of tunes is the short, aimless instrumental "Pam's Tan." Also, it's telling that the later recordings, including the "Lazy Heart" and "Dream Baby Dream" covers, are better than said original material. Bands like this once were and again have become a dime a dozen, but I do sense something special to Black Tambourine, even if I can't elaborate any more.
Top jams: "Black Car," "I Was Wrong," "Throw Aggi Off the Bridge," "We Can't be Friends," "By Tomorrow," "Pam's Tan," "Heartbeat," "Lazy Heart," "Tears of Joy," "Dream Baby Dream"


Key Lime Pie - Camper Van Beethoven (Virgin, 1989)
Last year I spent some good time with CVB's debut LP, Telephone Free Landslide Victory, and while somewhat inconsistent, it definitely grew on me and I came to appreciate it in all of its silliness. Next up for me is their 1989 pre-reunion swan song, Key Lime Pie, which I'd say is a much more serious listen. It's interesting because sonically, this is a much more cohesive album, but the band still incorporated a lot of the same genres they toyed with on TFLV (ska, polka, etc.). There are still moments here where I get distracted, but man, their are some great songs here. "Borderline" is a current knock-out jam for me.
Top jams: "Jack Ruby," "Sweethearts," "When I Win the Lottery," "(I Was Born in a) Laundromat," "Borderline," "June," "All Her Favorite Fruit," "Flowers," "Pictures of Matchstick Men"


Off the Wall - Michael Jackson (Epic, 1979)
As a youth, I didn't give much thought to MJ. I knew the singles and liked 'em fine, but that's as far as my relationship with his music went. I acquired Off the Wall and Thriller several years ago when I first started to collect vinyl, and I fell for them both pretty hard, especially thanks to the fact that I had since acquired immense appreciation for other music like this (smooth, sexy, funky, awesome chords). Lately I've listening to Off the Wall a bit more intimately, and my love for it has grown exponentially. If only it weren't for "She's Out of My Life," this record would be just about perfect. No joke.
Top jams: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Rock With You," "Workin' Day and Night," "Get on the Floor," "Off the Wall," "I Can't Help It," "It's the Falling in Love"


Dropping the Writ - Cass McCombs (Domino, 2007)
I developed an interest in Cass McCombs' third album, Dropping the Writ, after a friend had put a song from it on a "best of 2007" mix she had made in early 2008. I'm not exactly sure why it took me until now to give it the opportunity it deserves, as it is a completely gorgeous record, and another in this batch that I'm focusing on in this post that is nearly flawless. I like if not love all ten songs here. This record is nowhere near as boring as 2009's Catacombs and 2011's Wit's End, and is much more in line with, and far surpasses, McComb's other 2011 album, Humor Risk. I guess I would generally describe this music as a mix of folk and classic pop music, and there are instances that really remind me of XO-era Elliott Smith and a smidge of Jim O'Rourke's more accessible albums. I wonder if I had started with Dropping the Writ, I would have experienced a higher level of enjoyment from McCombs' more recent albums?
Top jams: "Pregnant Pause," "That's That," "Petrified Forest," "Moving Shadows," "Deseret," "Crick in My Neck," "Full Moon or Infinity," "Wheel of Fortune"