Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory ?

Ok... so it's been nearly half a year since I've penned an album a day entry, but I need to get back into the swing of writing because I've committed to penning a number of "best of 2014" articles and I need to practice.  So lets ease into this entry together, celebrate my joy of owning this Oasis album on Vinyl.

Picked this up last night after debating the need to add this into my collection for two or so weeks.  I own a number of Oasis albums on CD and I don't revisit them to often...  they're also kinda long so having them on Vinyl means you get to listen to about 3 tracks and then you have to get up and flip one of the 2 LPs over to continue your listening session.

All the worries of it being a regrettable purchase went away when I listened to the warm vinyl mix of the opening track "Hello"...  in addition to the great sound, the album great packaging too. The gatefold contains a number of pictures that differ from the original Compact Disc release. 

You never realize how much bigger an LP is until you have it sitting next to Compact Disc.

You never realize how much bigger an LP is until you have it sitting next to Compact Disc.

There's something nice about throwing something on and knowing every signature guitar riff the second before it rings out into the room...  Rhiannon is sound asleep in the bedroom so I'm taking in this listen alone right now and showcasing my air guitar talents in private.

I think my favorite parts on the album, are some of the tracks I kinda considered throw-away numbers in my youth.  Some Might Say - would be an example of that...  I was walking thru the kitchen when this came on and I stopped in my tracks when I heard the guitar riffs fill the room.  The wall of fucking rock is impenetrable and unrelenting... something I desperately miss in music these days.

Lastly... its grey out this morning and temperatures are unusually low for Central Texas in mid November.  The lighting and feel in the room right now almost feel perfect for listening to Wonderwall this morning.  I don't really have to spend any time telling you why it sounds so fucking great.   I did however spend some time this morning thinking about how the band and producer felt while tracking the song.  I mean, they had to know instantly that this was going to be fucking huge.

Stand out tracks:

Artist: Oasis
Album: (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
Producer: Owen Morris, Noel Gallagher
Label: Creation
Recorded: Rockfield Studios

No Coast

Citizens of Earth...

Hi there...

It's been a while huh?

I feel like I sorta owe you an explanation...   I kinda lost my mind a few weeks ago.   I entered the month of June, knowing that it would be impossible to continue my album a day journal and complete a work assignment that nearly sent me to a therapist.

I know I have a flair for being over dramatic...  but I'm seriously not fucking around.  My work assignment seriously sent me over the edge and I've been slowly cycling down the past two weeks as I ease back into a normalized work/life balance.

I want to quickly thank my family, mentors, friends and especially the people I reached out to in the past couple of weeks as I acclimate back to being "Rollie" again.

I've been thinking a lot about my new years resolution and the Album A Day Project I began earlier this year.   I feel compelled to catch up and see it through...  I mean - I knocked out 5 complete months of daily reviews.   I learned a lot about myself in the process and at the same time I learned that there's something very exhausting about constantly looking the next new thing to listen to.   The past 40 or so days have allowed me to revisit a number of records I've really enjoyed in 2014...   It was nice to not squeeze in 50 minutes to purposely listen to an album and then spend another 30 minutes thinking about what that record made me feel.

I've come to the realization that I really want to push myself to share stories and thoughts on this site... If they happen to touch on music/film/lit/life/love... so fucking be it.  I don't want to confine myself to a box anymore...

Maybe I'll write 2,000 words about a quote from a movie I saw the other night (Francis Ha) tomorrow....  Perhaps I'll vaguely pen 1,000 words about a certain someone that has my head and heart in a pretzel.

What I do know, is that I'm going to keep it 300 - here on out through 2014.   If you've enjoyed what I've scribbled thus far, I guess you're going to be in for a treat because from here on out - I'm going to approach this like Braid approached their latest album.  

No knock on music within.  I'm not really a fan of the sleeve work.

No Coast

What, you thought I wouldn't weigh in on my favorite band releasing their first album in 16 years this week? Are you fucking mental?   Did I pre-order the album a number of months ago?  YES.  Did I lose my shit when NPR made the album available online for streaming? YES.  Did I redeem my MP3 download from TopShelfRecords on midnight July 8th? THRICE YES.

Before I share my initial thoughts on the new Braid album...   I want you to understand that I have an irrational love for this band.  I vividly remember the first time I heard their music.  I've seen them numerous times live in my lifetime and I've seriously considered flying to a city in the near future to catch them perform on the first leg of the No Coast tour.

I'm in the tank for this band.   Possibly more so than any other band in my musical library.

A couple of years ago, the band put out 4 song EP entitled Closer to Closed - the release consisted of 3 new tracks and a cover.  It sorta provided a trajectory of where the band was heading as a collective group of friends (in their 30s) who above all enjoy recording and performing music together.

Roughly a year or so ago, Braid released 2 songs (which are on No Coast) on a split EP (entitled SPLIT) with Balance and Composure.  It took a number of listens... but I sorta cobbled the two releases and I came to grips with what Braid was going to sound like 16 years after Frame and Canvas.

When I listened to the opening track Bang - I kinda settled into setting my expectations for the record.  I've always championed Chris Broach songs over Nana ones so I was really stoked to hear him reins on the second track of the album - East End Hollows.

The album is freakishly balanced in that respect...  Nana and Broach are equally represented on this album.  The song No Coast (a play on Chicago being in the midwest and the band not wanting to coast through the recording of this album) - equally features the two trading vocal duties.  It's possibly the song I'm most excited to hear them perform live...  

I'm slowly starting to explore and get a lot more familiar with the later tracks of the album now.  Two stand out tracks: Put Some Wings On That Kid  and Life Crisis - are interesting and cryptic in way that only Nana can deliver.  In a recent interview Nana opened up about his documenting habit and recently meeting his real parents (he's an adoptee). 

All in all - I think the album is great. 10 of the 12 songs were new to me and my favorite band has released 15 new tracks over the past 3 years.  

If you get a chance to watch Killing A Camera (re-shot in 2004) you can begin to see that these guys never wanted to really break up.  This is the sound of 4 friends truly not compromising their friendships or artistic visions.

There's something nice about loving a band that isn't intending to break through in terms of fan base recognition.  They just continue to effect those who stop long enough to listen. 

Built to Spill - There's Nothing Wrong with Love

I didn't get much sleep last night.  I got in just before 3 am and everyone got back to the office before 11 am.

Calendar days continue to slip away and our conversion day continues to get closer and closer...  brought in a favorite album to listen to at the office.

This was the second Built to Spill album I ever purchased...  I had picked up Keep it Secret a couple of months earlier and I decided to check out some of their earlier stuff.

When I heard the song "Car" I was pretty convinced that this band could never do any wrong...  Doug's guitar work and lyrical compositions managed to win me over in record time.  

There's something about Built to Spill songs that bend and turn unexpectedly at times.  He finds ways to bend notes and words in ways that are unlike any other artists in my library.

If you've never heard this album, I can't stress how good it is.

Standout Tracks:


Plague Vendor - Free to Eat

Completing this entry a few days after starting the entry during my listen of Plague Vendor's - Free to Eat.

Been working some insane hours the past couple of days...  I could have selected one of 20 albums I listened to in its entirety today.  I got out of the office at some point Saturday morning 2ish AM after punching through a full day at the office.

I'm officially 14 days (as of June 1st) away from launching our ERP conversion.  The entries from this point forth are going to be very scattered.  I just noticed that my entry for May 28th didn't post from my work computer....   

Strange.

Anyhoo..  I've been listening to this album for nearly a month now.  I haven't been able to arrive at a conclusion just yet on wether I like it or not.  By that I mean, should I add it to my collection of albums...

The album is good.  I would actually go out of my way to recommend it a number of my friends who especially listen to West Coast (California) Punk.   There's something however that I can't put my finger on...  something that is keeping me from wanting to plunk down my hard earned money on it and I can't seem to figure out what it is.

Standout Tracks:

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Days Abandon

Earlier this year, I read that the Pains of Being Pure at Heart - were releasing an album... I learned it was going to be released some time in May and I totally forgot about it.

While flying over to Seattle the other day, I made it a point to download the record so that I could give it a proper listen and I was quite surprised to hear an album so heavily influenced by danceable beats and Johnny Marr (the Smiths).

I've been listening to this band for several years now because of earlier releases on Slumberland records...  this album has a very polished sound.  

I just read that the band also features a new vocalist from another band called - A Sunny Day in Glasgow.   Her voice is quite angelic.  

This one has slipped into my growing list of must buy new albums.  If you get a chance to listen to this album from beginning to end, I highly recommend that you do.

Standout Tracks


Seahaven - Goodnight

Having to pen this entry again... managed to loose it somehow last week.  Which sucks because I weighed in on the album and I also weighed in on their performance at the Karova.

I wish I had kept a draft of the entry some where, but I keyed the entry up on the CMS website tool and I apparently discarded the entry instead of "saving" the entry.

Ugh.

Anyhoo - in preparation for the show, I decided to listen to some earlier material by Seahaven.  I really love their new album and I kinda wondered what their earlier stuff sounded like.

It kinda reminds me a little bit of the Brand New...   but in a good way.

Standout tracks: 

The band was great live too.


Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians - Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars

I'm an Edie Brickell fan.

This may be due to the fact that she's a fellow Texan and she kinda reminded me of 10,000 Maniacs.

My heart was crushed the moment I heard Paul Simon got her to marry him...  they recently had the cops called on them after getting into a fight and she's on my mind ever since.

Of all the artists that I wished I fit into the drunken podcast over the weekend, I think I would have selected a deep cut from this album.

Listened to this album for the first time in maybe 15 years and I can't really put my finger on why I loved it so much...  a lot of the songs are pretty poetic tho'.  I can't believe that I still remember all the lyrics to "Air of December".

This album also contains the song I casted a vote for when it came down to selecting a "Class Song" for my high-school.  The song was called "Circle" and I'm not quite sure why I thought it would be a good class song after hearing it this evening.  

Standout Tracks:

Paws - Youth Culture Forever

Memorial Day, 2014 and I'm on a return flight from Seattle to San Antonio.

paws.jpg

Saved a special record for today's entry...  it's an album (Youth Culture Forever) by a band called Paws.

It doesn't get formally released for sale until June 3rd I think... but I've been streaming it for weeks now.

I fucking LOVE the production on this album.   It kinda reminds me a little bit of the Detachment Kit... only because the tracks can go from a gentle strum to a roaring buzz in a heartbeat.

I can't stress how great the drums and guitars sound on this album... they laid the vocals down really nicely behind the fuzz too.

I've been trying to find more time in the day to really listen to the lyrical content of the album.  There's a lot of interesting heart break themes that can kinda get lost in sound of the album.

On some tracks like: Owls Talons Clenching My Heart - one can really get lost into the heartbreak mood it sets off..  then they turn around and play something really catchy like the song Give Up.

I can't wait to see these guys live. 

Standout Tracks:


Cheap Girls - Famous Graves

Just got back from a successful software drill in one of our warehouses outside of Seattle.

I have about an hour and a half to kick back and relax before meeting up with the team for dinner at Elliot's Oyster House.

Just learned this past Thursday that the new Cheap Girls album got released this week and I've listened to it about 8 or so times since.

I'm so in the tank for their throwback - college sound.   I really don't want to compare them to the Hold Steady, because they midwestern/Michigan groove of their own.

I just saw them a few months ago, open up for Against Me! and I think they played a few tracks from this album at that show but I can't really recollect which.

This album might be the first recording that I think really captures the open guitar feed and soaring vocals that make this band so incredible to see live.

One of the stand out tracks on this album is called: Knocked Me Over

It's a fine example of how this band sorta takes root into a box of chords and notes that 88% find themselves in - but it doesn't matter because its so fucking good.

I really need to take a nap...  I managed to work through a hangover and if I don't get some serious sleep soon - I'm going to crack.

If you have a few minutes to spare - take some time to listen to the track - Amazing Grace

I think its some of the best stuff they've ever put out.

Standout Tracks:

 

 

Weatherbox - Flies in All Directions

Got pretty drunk today and before I plug in to record a Late Night Conversations podcast, I want to quickly pen together some thoughts on an album I've been streaming all week.

It's by a band called Weatherbox that I've been into now for a couple of years.  It wasn't until the other day that Fin reminded me that we saw them open up for Look Mexico a couple of years ago and they were kinda dickish on stage.

I totally remember thinking that an opening band performed that night who appeared to not be in the mood to perform - but I didn't know it was the same band tho'.

Anyhoo --  this new album - Flies in All Directions - is an absolute keeper.  It kinda fits in nicely with a number of albums I've been listening to a lot this year (The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die, You Blew It!, Everyone Everywhere, Cloud Nothings, Manchester Orchestra, Nothing, Modern Baseball)

I know there's an "emo revival" of sorts that has gone through a rather odd progression.  One could actually track the roots back for  2007 or so and technically  this band has been at the fore-front.

I really don't want to think about what sound or genre to classify this band into.  They've put out a great album along with a number of other bands who are putting out some incredible shit right now.

Can't wait to pick this up on vinyl and add it to my 2014 purchases.

Standout Tracks: