Bruce Springsteen – Greetings from Asbury Park NJ: When my wife bought me a turntable a few years ago, I vowed to use it to fill some of the gaps in my musical knowledge. Springsteen is one of the more egregious gaps. Some friends told me to listen from the beginning, so I started with Asbury Park this week. What an album. I listened while reading the lyrics and I listened in the background, and it’s great in every way. The funny thing is that I never expected his lyrics to reflect a thread that directly links back to Dylan. Some of the lyrics feel a bit nonsensical, as if the wordplay exists to create a vibe rather than tell a story, but even then, I feel as if Springsteen is layering metaphors and symbols that I am completely missing.
Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights: I couldn’t afford to buy music in 2002 and I never got into downloading, so Turn on the Bright Lights is another gap in my knowledge. I discovered this scene a couple years later through The Killers and Franz Ferdinand, and I love this sound, with the spiky guitars and the driving basslines and the angsty vocals. With all that said, though, I don’t hear anything terribly special here. The energy comes across better in the car than at home, but even there, the album doesn’t hook me. I’ll be shocked if I don’t sell my copy within the next 6 months, but I said the same thing about Laufey a year ago and here I am today.
Laufey – Typical of Me | A Night at the Symphony (with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra): Speaking of Laufey, it was just (ahem) a matter of time until I went back to the only two albums in her catalog that I hadn’t heard. The simplicity of her first studio record is both sweet and startling, and that energy carries onto her first live record. They both showcase her ability to combine the storytelling of Folklore era Taylor Swift with the vulnerability of “I Fall in Love Too Easily” era Chet Baker, and then mix it with sly wit and heartfelt emotions. “Best Friend” is a highlight on both records.
Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl: I’m glad I took a break from this record. I want it to be great. It’s not. But it is good, and this week, I could finally hear that.
Mono – Holy Ground: NYC Live with the Wordless music Orchestra: While the 24-piece orchestra on Holy Ground explicitly brings something that was always implicit in Mono’s music, I’m disappointed by the occasional separation between the rock band and the orchestra. When the two forces come together though, like they do in the closer “Everlasting Light,” the power is wondrous.
Sigur Ros – Atta: The combination of Laufey and Mono forced me to acknowledge another gap in my musical knowledge, the very specific gap of Icelandic post-rock. Atta is a beautiful record, totally different from the handful of bands who I’ve always associated with Sigur Ros. Also, it’s physically a beautiful package and I appreciate the designers who collaborated with the band.
Jay Som – Belong: This music is the sound of trying to hold things together when they’re constantly at risk of falling into pieces. Up until now, I’d only listened in my car and I was hesitant to buy Belong, but I’m so glad I did. The record sounds great. The way the music fills the room is absolutely gorgeous. I love every aspect of the production, from its poppiest moments to the devolved noise of “Meander/Sprouting Wings.” The humanity of Belong is palpable.
Big Brave – A Chaos of Flowers: This is heavy, in the way that Sunn O))) and A Silver Mt. Zion are heavy, and layering the intensity of those sounds behind poems by Emily Dickinson and others gives the words a unique mood. “Moonset” closes the album with noise and fire, which is one of my favorite ways to close an album. I had an emotional reaction to my first listen, and I’m curious if that sustains into my next playthrough.
Shirley Scott – Great Scott!!: This record fills the room with warmth and joy.
Grateful Dead – 7/1/73 (Studio City, CA): This is the second 1973 show I’ve listened to in a row, and so far, both are defined by a laid-back energy that is like a slow, simmering ember rather than the roaring fire I expected from this year. I’m going to keep digging into ’73, and I’m curious if this is an anomaly or if it’s the norm.
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Sharon Van Etten: We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong; Gracie Abrams: Good Riddance; Laufey: A Matter of Time.
Record store finds this week: My big treat was finding two Shirley Scott records, and as a bonus, they had the CD of The Life of a Showgirl as an impulse buy at the counter. I traded my LP copy of Showgirl for some Grateful Dead live CDs a few weeks back, and while it’s not something I need on vinyl, I’m glad to have it back in my collection.