Thought Gang: Messages From the Black Lodge

A discussion on the collaborative album from Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch, with an eye on its relevance to the Twin Peaks canon.

The previous post on Fire Walk With Me Dr Spin swag

2023 Album Showdown Results: Tier 1, Week 4

New results for Tier 1!  Nuff said..... 

Rufus du Sol – Solace VS. Sloan – Steady

Sloan – Steady

The songs are memorable and the production quality is ridiculous on Solace, but Sloan captures the heart of what I consider to be power pop in an irresistible way.  Easy win for me.

Viewer’s Choice: Rufus du Sol – Solace

Charlotte Wessels – Tales from Six Feet Under v. 1 & 2 VS Sault – Today and Tomorrow

Charlotte Wessels – Tales from Six Feet Under v. 1 & 2

There’s a lot to say about the dirty bomb that Sault suddenly dropped at the end of last year.  Surpassing even their own prolific ways, they released five albums at once with Today and Tomorrow being their “rock” entry in the set.  It’s a pretty raw release, but like many Sault albums, it has several really great high points and a few less convincing moments.  Tales From Six Feet Under is bigger, cleaner, and more consistent across its two volumes.

Viewer’s Choice: Sault – Today and Tomorrow

Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals – King Cobra VS. Nnamdi – Please Take a Seat

Nnamdi – Please Take a Seat          

Nnamdi was the clear winner for me here.  King Cobra is a pretty refined rap album, but Nnamdi crushes genre in a playful and complex way that I find really appealing. 

Viewer’s Choice: Nnamdi – Please Take a Seat

Floating Points – Eleania VS. Frank Sinatra – Watertown

Frank Sinatra – Watertown

This right here is the reason for the redundancy of the mid-year Tier 5 bracket.  Both Elaenia and Watertown could potentially emerge as a Top 20 album, so eliminating one of them in Tier 1 seems premature.  With that in mind, I have to go with Watertown. 

Keep in mind that Floating Points has been a fixture in my Top 20 for the past couple of years.  He’s a genius at what he does and his uniquely exploratory style really resonates with my intellectual side.   Watertown, however, hits me in the gut.

When you listen to Sinatra, there is no question as to what he is singing about.  Especially in his later work, his performances dripped with a sense of nostalgic reflection.  Coupling that with the topics of loss and longing that sit at the core of Watertown results in some masterfully tear-jerking moments. That’s special.

But Floating Points will be back.

Viewer’s Choice: Floating Points - Elaenia

2023 Album Roundup Series: March Tier 2 Contenders

New listening! Including albums from:

Riverside - ID.Entity (2022) Soccer Mommy - Sometimes, Forever (2022) Broken Bells - Into the Blue (2022) Meule - Meule (2021) Tegh & Adel Poursamadi - Ima (2022) Skald - Huldufolk (2023)

---> NEW!

Dr Spin's Merch Shop

2023 Album Showdowns: Tier 1, Week 3

Another week of thought-provoking showdowns.  This year’s Tier 1 brackets were generated by statistics over stylistic similarities, which in many cases resulted in unfathomable genre clashes.  Never fear, as the tiers to follow take genre into consideration!  In truth, it's fun and interesting to use these mismatches as a guide for combing through my ridiculously large Bandcamp wishlist, looking for albums that make sense as a contender for either outcome.  

Adventures of Jet - Part 3: Coping With Insignificance VS. Nordic Giants - Build Seas, Dismantle Suns

Adventures of Jet - Part 3: Coping With Insignificance

It would seem that this is another example of musical depth VS. accessibility, but Adventures of Jet (or, as they are sometimes known, Bobgoblin) are an example of a project that is able to excel in both metrics.  As great as Build Seas, Dismantle Suns is, I don’t walk around with Nordic Giant’s tunes in my head (well, maybe not all the time). 

Viewer’s Choice: Nordic Giants - Build Seas, Dismantle Suns

Sault - AIIR VS. Gunship - Dark All Day

Gunship - Dark All Day

The orchestral thread in Sault’s music is compelling from a musical standpoint and thought-provoking as a cultural statement.  I think that AIIR is a great companion piece to AIR, but Gunship’s dark, gothic, and pristinely produced gothic synthwave edges Sault out by a narrow margin.

Viewer’s Choice - Dark All Day

The Sun Ra Arkestra - Living Sky VS. Laurie Anderson - Big Science

Laurie Anderson - Big Science

This was actually a pretty tough one, because both of these projects represent an avant-garde take on an established style.  As a current-day release, however, Living Sky endeavors to recapture the experimental ethos of the past.  In contrast, Big Science was innovative at the time of its release, and remains a transfixing listen despite a couple of strident (but musically meaningful) moments.

Viewer’s Choice - Big Science

Rammstein - Sensucht VS. Pink Floyd - More

Pink Floyd - More

Although this is really the first clear step that Pink Floyd would take towards their most popular iteration, it is a problematic album when taken on its own.  Still, its high points predict some of Pink Floyd’s most characteristic work, and although I do love the beefy industrialism of Sensucht, the militaristic German language vocals wear me down by the album’s end.

Viewer’s Choice - Rammstein - Sensucht

Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop: The Last Gasp

A look at Jeff Beck's 1989 album Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop, with Terry Bozzio and Tony Hymas.

2023 Tier 1 Album Showdown Results: Week 2

This week presented some problematic showdowns.  I usually make generalized comments on these posts, but most of these really had compelling arguments for either to move on. 

Ghost – Meliora VS. Air - 10,000 Hz Legend

Ghost – Meliora

This one was pretty decisive for me, as I think that 10,000 Hz Legend falls off on its back end.  Ghost’s indulgence satanic imagery was the only real argument against them, but for me, their alluring musicality and songwriting skills outweigh this subjective concern.

Viewer’s Choice: Ghost – Meliora

Taylor Swift – Folklore VS. Steve Reich – Runner/Music for Ensemble and Orchestra

Steve Reich – Runner/Music for Ensemble and Orchestra

I genuinely appreciate the artistry that Swift is mining on Folklore, but as an album, its reliance on lyric-based songwriting makes the album feel a bit musically repetitive by its end.  Paradoxically, Steve Reich’s style is largely based on repetition, yet it never fails to keep me engaged with kaleidoscopic, meditative cross-rhythms and angular melodies.  I have gotten no small amount of entertainment wondering what it would be like if Steve Reich had collaboratively composed the accompaniment to Folklore.  Anyone feel like starting a petition?

Viewer’s Choice: Taylor Swift – Folklore

 

The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention VS. Martha – Please Don’t Take Me Back

The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention

In all of the problematic showdowns from this week, the tension between accessible songwriting and musical depth was a significant metric.  In this case, Martha’s punky power pop is immediately infectious, whereas The Smile takes more musical chances in lieu of memorable songwriting.  In this particular case, however, I felt like leaving A Light for Attracting Attention behind for the immediate gratification of Please Don’t Take Me Back would be a misstep.

Viewer’s Choice: The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention

 

Ziemba – True Romantic VS. Soup – Vision

Ziemba – True Romantic

This was easily the most difficult one, again dealing with accessible songwriting VS. musical depth.  I was surprised as anyone about this outcome, because Soup created what I consider to be a personal classic in this album’s predecessor, Remedies.  Although Visions is a beautifully rendered album with influences that I sincerely connect with, it also contains some frustrating production choices and downplays the incredible songwriting of its predecessor.  Although True Romantic often dips into cliché, Ziemba’s straightforward songwriting skills are inarguable, and the production serves the songs admirably.

Viewer’s Choice: Soup – Vision