28 new-to-me albums for February

I participate in something on twitter called #MWE, where you listen to an album you never heard before every day in February then write one tweet about it. These are the albums I listened to. I discovered a lot of new good records, didn’t like a couple, and fell in love with some.

1. Stone Roses, self titled. groovy and trippy and evokes the music i listened to in my 60s/70s childhood, but on a higher plane. it’s like digging into a bowl of ice cream and getting nothing but delicious toppings.
2. Jesus and Mary Chain — Psycho Candy. it’s pure sonic noise, a fuzzy treatise on turning new wave on its head in ’85. it bounces, it rocks, it lays low and goes hard. it’s so evocative of the time, yet far ahead of itself. good stuff.
3. Frank Zappa — Overnight Sensation. i’d heard a couple of the songs but never listened as a whole. the music is funky and rich and full of groove but holy shit these lyrics do not hold up well. it’s a good ride if you’re half listening.
4. Scarface — The Fix. built on strife, the fix wasn’t meant to lift you up. former geto boy scarface takes you on a pretty good ride through some tough times on this album. while the beats may sometimes come off as formulaic, the rhymes are enough to see you through.
5. Coldplay — Rush of Blood to the Head. The only songs I knew/liked were the Scientist and Clocks. The rest of the album is full of dull attempts at sweeping profundity. I was left feeling like I was served a meal with missing ingredients. Except for those two songs.
6. Sufjan Stevens — Illinioise. wo minutes in and i thought it wasn’t for me but i hung on and i’m glad i did. it’s a fantastic trip. light and airy for the most part, almost whimsical. sufjan is a lyrical master; every song is a story and every story is compelling
7. Envy on the Coast — Lucy Gray. my daughter had been trying to get me to listen for years and i’m so glad i did. part glassjaw, part coheed and cambria, EOTC put forth melodic post-hardcore like nobody’s business. this is exactly my thing. i am smitten.
8. Robbie Williams — Life Through a Lens. I expected pure pop and what I got is innocuous soft rock with tinges of Britpop. It’s like if Nickelback were British. Safe music that stops just short of being something more expansive.
9. The Decemberists — The Crane Wife. musically off-kilter, lyrically engaging, i imagined myself tucked into bed while colin meloy sings tales of love and death in a darkened room. from lullabies to rousing choruses, the crane wife is a lush, dense adventure worth your time.
10. Bjork — Vespertine. (on the rec of my son) The music speaks of nightmares and fantasies and dream-like states alike. At times it feels like fairy dust, at times it feels like drowning. This album gave me an existential crisis.
11. Television — Marquee Moon. I vaguely remember listening to them in high school, but they were just on the periphery. This album is completely unstructured and it works. Waves of dark and light crash over you. It sounds and feels timeless. I feel like I caught up to something special
12. Sonic Youth — Dirty. an album that feels familiar on first listen, like you know you are going to be good friends. Hooked in from the first notes by the pure energy, I felt invigorated after my first listen. Then I went in for another. Pure rock
13. La Dispute — Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair. imagine intense spoken word poetry alternately screamed and sung at you over blistering guitar and drums and you’ve got this album. I was absolutely floored at how this one spoke to me. Fan for life now.
14. The Hold Steady — Boys and Girls in America. Craig Finn is a master at turning memorable phrases. He’s also a great storyteller. This album made me want to see the Hold Steady live because every song sounds like a singalong.
15. Circa Survive — Juturna. the music sounds disjointed and Anthony Green’s voice is abrasive. Given my history with bands similar to circa survive, I thought I’d love this but it was absolute *work* to get through this album. Just messy and irritating.
16. D’Angelo — Voodoo. lush grooves. slow jams. sizzling sensuality. voodoo is at once dark and light, a trip through d’angelo’s soul. the sheer quality of each song, the craftsmanship, the passion, it’s all palpable. i listened at work, now i’m going to listen at home, in low light.
17. Spiritualized — Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. spacious and grand, sweeping and majestic, LAGWEFIS explores themes of addiction and love while maintaining a certain buoyancy. It’s part rock, part gazing into outer space, an all encompassing trip. Pack your bags and go.
18. PJ Harvey — To Bring You My Love. this album starts off with such a riveting tune I wasn’t sure how the rest would hold up. Oh, but it does. PJ shines through intense noise and the low key alike. Her voice draws you in, each note a story in itself. Raw and powerful.
19. The Tragically Hip — Day for Night. Everything on this record seems to stem from a dark and angry place, but the music rises above that and turns the songs into rollicking jams, which makes for an interesting juxtaposition. I came back to “Fire in the Hole” for a second and third listen.
20. TV on the Radio — Dear Science. horns and handclaps abound, catchy riffs and joyous sounding vocals are plentiful. This album where lyrics seem to center around death sure is a foot tapper. It’s groovy, full of luscious beats and sweet harmonies. It’s also damn sexy in parts.
21. Broken Bells — S/T. There are a lot of different genres at work here and while this might make a record seem all over this place, it works here, resulting in a full-bodied effort. It’s danceable, it’s thoughtful, it’s a good album to listen to after a long day and lazily hum along.
22. Vampire Weekend — Modern Vampires of the City. Has anyone ever described an album as friendly? Because that’s how I feel about this. I never heard it before and I immediately felt at home with it, like it was an old friend welcoming me. The kind of songs you want to sing out loud. Just all around pleasant.
23. Sade — Lover’s Rock. this is a beautiful album. Her voice is absolutely gorgeous, it wraps you up and comforts you and fills your heart with a warmth you didn’t know existed. I highly recommend listening to this if you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed and need some solace.
24. Pulp — Different Class. this album is exuberant. fist-pumping, chorus-singing, unbridled joy even if the lyrics don’t speak to the same. evokes a scene of revelers in a club bouncing along (especially Disco 2000), high on life and whatever else, expending the energy of their youth.
25. Massive Attack — Mezzanine. listened to this album while in sort of a fugue state between napping and wakefulness. I eventually fell into a light sleep and dreamed I was punching numbers into an ATM while it glowed varying colors at me. I could still hear the music. I didn’t like it.
26. Bright Eyes — I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning. Conor Oberst has taken on many forms; here he’s a folk singer, a troubadour, a rock star. He invites himself into your home and takes up residence, and you’re glad for it. A stellar album.
27. Bayside — S/T. expected more from a band that is in my general wheelhouse, and whose reputation precedes them. It’s a perfectly serviceable album if you like your emo guitar driven, but I spent the album feeling like I was waiting for something else to happen.
28. Talk Talk — Laughing Stock. This album feels like drowning, but where you’re welcoming the undertow. It pulled me under, tried to suffocate me, but released me at the last minute and allowed me to swim to the surface. Surreal, spacious, incredible. RIP Mark Hollis.