Usually when I hear that an artist is a singer/song writer I don’t get too excited, but there are some exceptions out there, Pete Yorn, Ray Lamontagne, Jacob Dylan, & Ingrid Michaelson all of which I have gone to see because their albums are usually pretty solid. However, none of these artists have ever put an album out that really just blew me away.
Bon Iver self titled his newest album and it will probably define him as an artist for the rest of his life. I’ve sampled him in the past, but I have been totally absorbed in his newest album for the past couple of days thanks to NPR’s First Listen (Everyone should really keep a close eye on this segment of NPR’s website, they are putting out a lot of good stuff).
This album is very delicate and is definitely one of those albums that is great for a rainy day. A lot of finesse going on, the percussion is the perfect amount of seasoning throughout the album and all kinds of extra sounds going on in the background that makes this album rich and constantly flowing and changing from start to finish. You must listen to this album from start to finish.
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/09/136855313/first-listen-bon-iver-bon-iver?ps=rs#playlist
Click on the “Hear ‘Bon Iver’ In Its Entirety” link
On a side note there are not too many albums that I love from start to finish. The few I can think of are
Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
OK Computer – Radiohead
Astral Weeks – Van Morrison
Graceland – Paul Simon
And now Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Let me know what albums you enjoy from start to finish.
You. Are. Welcome.
ReplyDeleteMy Faves start to finish:
1. Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
2. Trouble - Ray Lamontagne
3. Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin
4. Lungs - Florence + the Machine
In no particular order:
ReplyDeleteSigur Rós - Ágætis byrjun
Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Margot & The Nuclear So & So's - Animal
Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds and a Sound
Radiohead - The Bends
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Tom Petty - Wildflowers
The Black Keys - Attack and Release
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Cold Play - Parachutes
The list goes on and on, I could even throw Matchbox Twenty's Yourself or Someone Like You in there because every fucking song on that album rocked my earballs out in the summer of '97.
And really, Dark Side of the Moon? I mean unless I'm on cloud 9, I'm skipping thru all the nonsense to get to the actual songs. Sames goes for Fitter Happier. And while I do really like this new Bon Iver album, I'm not sure I can ever place them in ANY Top 5 list with the likes of Radiohead and Pink Floyd.
Just look at that list. Very nice, Roy. A sly declaration of new classic status slipped into a bunch of safe ones- very pussy!
The only Radiohead album I can listen to all the way through is In Rainbows. There just aren't many albums that I can do that to, even from bands that I really like. Here are the few that I can listen to without skipping.
ReplyDeleteRadiohead-In Rainbows
Ugly Casanova-Ugly Casanova
Fugazi-The Argument
Led Zep-Phyisical Graffiti
I have to say I find it shocking that people can't listen to albums in there entirety. One of my pet peeves is when people skip songs a lot on album to get to the 'good songs'.
ReplyDeleteI would say that I have an extensive collection of albums and I listen to almost everyone in its entirety every time I listen. I think albums are meant to be listened to this way (though I do believe that people should be able to enjoy music however they please), with the exception of pop albums.
I'm just slightly flabbergasted. To me it seems like saying you are just going to read a few chapters in a book in no particular order. I know that's a far stretch, but I think you get the point.
I guess radio has just trained us to like the singles and not the album, I know I fell victim to this in high school. But now I'm able to find something I like in almost every song I listen to, and if I come across an album where I don't enjoy it on a whole, even with a couple of really good songs on it, I just won't listen to any of it. This guy doesn't buy singles.
Edit: Ugly Casanova- Sharpen Your Teeth
ReplyDeleteHDL, I have to slightly disagree with your book analogy. With the exception of a few albums, most are not structured like a book, where fully understanding song t depends on your knowledge of song t-1. I find albums to be more akin to a collection of essays or short stories. The album might be tied together by a loose theme, but each song can be enjoyed independently of the other. That being said, I often listen to albums all the way through. Two albums I almost always listen to in their entirety when I do listen to them are The Who's Quadrophenia and Tommy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't literally mean that skipping thru and album is like reading random chapters of a book. I fully agree with the short story collection analogy. I was just trying to convey that when people don't really like to listen to entire albums, I'm equally as shocked as if they had told me they only read certain chapters of a book.
ReplyDeleteFuneral is another album I have to listen to all the way through. One song will not suffice.
ReplyDelete