Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
Life would be much easier if I could stick to the simple fact that “there’s no good music that’s been made after 1974”. Yet every now and then I’m surprised to hear something that’s new, fres(ss)h and something completely different (and not been taken from an unreleased 60’s master tape). In my books Sufjan’s the most talented modern pop composer, and what’s even better, he still seems to be accompanied by the spirit of “but wait, there’s more!”
David Axelrod – Release Of An Oath
If you merge Shadow’s brilliant debut Entroducing with a guy standing on top of a mountain, playin’ a nasty fuzz guitar, you get Axelrod’s “Release Of An Oath”. The album does carry the name of band “Electric Prunes” but in fact pretty much everyone in the group had been dumbed. Instead you get the cream of the crop LA session musicians, including Carol Kaye (everyone bow, NOW!) on bass and Earl Palmer on drums, performing some of Axelrod’s finest compositions.
Love – Forever Changes
Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds are still far more famous but I predict this album will keep on climbing up on the “best albums ever”- lists. The plain reason for this is that Forever Changes is one of the most timeless 60’s recordings. In fact, it could have been recorded any time between 60’s and today (ok, maybe not 80’s). I really love the fact the album is both big and small at the same time: there’s strings and other orchestral stuff going on, yet the backbone of the whole album is acoustic guitars. No effects, no gimmicks… it should be damn boring but I guess sometimes when the music is good enough you don’t really need any makeup.
Husky Rescue – Ghost Is Not Real
One of the very few modern bands that I’m sometimes very afraid of. Marko’s got his own Pocket Universe he keeps nurturing and picking ideas from. This album is not as easy for the humanoid brain as the first one, but that’s usually a sign of a good album: too much instant ear candy can make you sick pretty fast.
Jimi Hendrix – Are You Experienced
To quote Mike D of Beatie Boys: “There have been acouple of times in my life when I have become completely obsessed with Jimi Hendrix.” Mike, you’re not the only one. Just imagine what poor Erick, so used to fans wearing “Clapton Is God” T-shirts, must have felt when he heard the Wildman of Borneo for the first time.
Los Shains – El Ritmo De Los Shains
Take Dick Dale’s “Misirlou”, play it on 78 and record it in the thin air of mountains of Peru: voilá, the sound of Los Shains! One of my biggest disappointments in music came from from enjoying a furius gig by an excellent surf group, and the hearing their album immediately after that. Like removing Wonderbra or very tight jeans… only much much worse! The music and playing was there but the sounds …oh the sounds. This ain’t the case with Los Shains: somehow the engineer has managed to capture both the fire and the brimstone. I’m green with envy!
Genesis – Nursery Cryme
It’s very very hard for me to imagine that a band coming from any other land than the “green and pleasant” one could have written this album. From artwork to music to lyrics, it’s so perfect that I’m almost willing to Phil Collins (this is the first Genesis album featuring him) what he did to drums sounds in the 80’s. Almost.
Money Mark – Mark’s Keyboard Repair
To me Mark’s debut is special in two ways: it has lots of great music that’s very inspirational and enjoyable. It’s also a testimony of an organic, home cooked, bad-meaning-good sound, that made so many ears (including mine) open up.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
A classic I’ve just recently rediscovered. Bill Ward is one of the most under-rated drummers on the planet. I do agree with Yngwie Malmsteen: “Less is less, more is more”. But on “The Wizard” we have the exception that proves the rule: In the middle of the blitzkrieg of drums Bill plays just one single cowbell hit. Absolute genius!
Rick Wakeman – Journey To The Centre of the Earth
This album is one of the ultimate musical paradoxes: we have The London Symphony Orchestra, The English Chamber Choir, a “hand picked” (read: “pub mates”) rock band … and one guy wearing a long white cape, poisoning the whole thing with fart/laser Moog lines. Had there been even a tiniest dose of tonque-in-cheek, this would be the ultimate hip-hop attitude album, bar none. Unfortunately prog rock was no laughing matter, thus it’s really the record you put on when you want to tell your friends “I guess the party’s over now”. After everyone’s gone, you can really crank the volume up and enjoy uncle Rick’s Moog-supercharged version of the “In the Hall of the Mountain King”. YEAAAAAHHHH!!!! RAAAAAWK!!
Pepe Deluxé ‘Go For Blue’, the third single taken from the band’s critically lauded new album ‘Spare Time Machine’ is out now.
