CD Odyssey Disc 1595: Rico Nasty

After a very successful trip to the record store I am champing at the bit for a weekend where I can listen to all my new music. I like my first listen of a new album to be just me and Sheila, hanging out and playing board games. Then two or three more listens with just me and the record before I put it on the shelf and hope to roll it for a review.

Disc 1595 is…. Nightmare Vacation

Artist: Rico Nasty

Year of Release: 2020

What’s up with the Cover?  The vacation depicted here doesn’t seem all bad. There’s a lovely rainbow and a floating bed is pretty great. However, flying about in one at high altitude with lightning forking all around you could turn nightmarish very quickly.

How I Came To Know It: I read a review of this album, checked it out and liked it enough to buy it digitally on Bandcamp (I don’t believe it was released on CD).

How It Stacks Up: Rico Nasty has a bunch of mixtapes but only one full length album, and this is it. I don’t have any of the mixtapes (and the genre confuses me. Are these simply albums on cassette or is it a ‘length thing’ like an EP?). Anyway, I have the full length album but one album can’t stack up.

OK, I looked up “mixtape” and it sounds like something artists release free of charge, except when they don’t. Hmm… The modern world is so confusing.

Ratings: 2 stars but almost 3

I like melodic rappers, dropping rhymes on funky beats that make your head bob or your backbone slide. Rico Nasty is none of those things, but through sheer force of talent and chutzpah she convinced me to try something a little different, at least for a while.

In this case, that something different is a rough-edged, aggressive rhymes in short, staccato statements, with heavy synth beats dressed up in samples that reminded me of nineties industrial metal. A bit of cursory research revealed this style to be something called “trap metal” but I think it is a misnomer. This is not metal, although it does deliver its fair share of crunch on certain tracks.

Whatever it is called, Rico Nasty knows how to do it well, and she attacks these songs with a stylized snarl. It is a good match for lyrics that tend to be in your face. Sometimes this takes the form of a beef with someone (usually for reasons that aren’t fully defined but seem very serious nonetheless). Other times, the tunes are about partying, drugs, or sex. So, you know, the usual.

Rico Nasty is also quite good at swearing. You might say to yourself, most modern rappers are good at swearing but trust me when I say that Rico Nasty raises it to an art form. Swears are both violently emphasized and thrown with a disdainful disregard that makes it clear she’s got a bottomless bag full of those F and B bombs.

For all that, after multiple listens I am already feeling a bit restless about her aforementioned flow and beat choices. On the flow front, she has solid couplets with clever turns of phrase, but she doesn’t string together the kind of intricate rhymes that I tend to favour in rap.

On the beat front, these beats feature lots of weird syncopation and soundscapes, but they aren’t toe tappers. Clever is welcome, but I also want tunes I can tap my foot to. These ones are a bit too ‘robot love’ or ‘nineties modem’ for my taste.

When it all comes together, as it does on a few tracks, I can overlook all that and enjoy the mastery of the style. Unfortunately, there are too few of these moments for me to keep this record in my collection. I like it, but it just wasn’t for me. I can imagine what Rico Nasty would say in response to that, but I don’t think it fit to print on a friendly blog like this one.

Best tracks: IPHONE, Pussy Poppin, Smack a Bitch

CD Odyssey Disc 1594: Linda Ronstadt

For the second straight review I find myself in love with an artist’s voice, but not always with the songs she chooses to sing with it.

Disc 1594 is…. Living in the USA

Artist: Linda Ronstadt

Year of Release: 1978

What’s up with the Cover?  Caught in the Crushing Hallway Trap, Linda desperately tries to hold the walls back. Our heroine is doubly disadvantaged in her struggle: first because it is hard to get good leverage on roller skates, and second because that 1978 perm job can really sap a girl’s confidence.

How I Came To Know It: This was just me recently giving Ronstadt’s discography an even deeper dive, and finding a few more gems in the process.

How It Stacks Up: My ever-growing Linda Ronstadt collection is now at six records (and I’m hunting for two more). Unfortunately, one of these has to be last, and “Living in the USA” is it. #6.

Ratings: 2 stars but almost 3

Linda Ronstadt has one of those voices so sublime she could sing any song in any style. Of course, that doesn’t mean she should. “Living in the USA” is a bit of both experiences – a few gems, and some other songs that, for all their technical excellence, feel like square pegs in round holes.

The record begins with one of the latter, with her covering Chuck Berry’s “Back in the USA”. Can she sing it? Absolutely? Does she have a better voice than ole’ Chuck? You bet she does. But that doesn’t mean this song suits her vibe, and I found it a bit awkward. Similarly “Just One Look” feels a bit stilted, although I think it is just that I’m thoroughly done with that song: a weary fact well outside of Linda Ronstadt’s control.

At other times, Ronstadt falls into the old trap many great vocalists do, which is that you can tell she is very conscious of the fact that she is SINGING. You’ll see this a lot on singing competition programs, where having a great vocal is put in front of making the song emote. On “Living in the USA” we have a few such culprits, the worst being the old thirties classic “When I Grow Too Old to Dream” which ends with a powerhouse, “look at me” moment that felt like a pageant performance. And on “Ooh Baby Baby” she almost puts Smokey Robinson to shame with that high “ooh-ooh-ooh” hook, but for all its perfection, it just didn’t resonate with me. It didn’t help that the song was suffused with neo-eighties saxophone noodles.

Weirdly the saxophone flourishes didn’t bother me much at all on her cover of Elvis Costello’s “Alison”. Here they replace the guitar licks of the original, which is not the way I would have gone if I’d been in the studio. That said, any replacement of Costello’s affected warble with the artistry of Linda Ronstadt’s vocals is a welcome upgrade. Here, Ronstadt gives one of her best performances on the record, mixing that down to earth storyteller vibe she possesses, with the sweet power of her tone.

Also great is her cover of Warren Zevon’s “Mohammed’s Radio”. Something about covering Zevon makes Linda Ronstadt come alive. She just gets his songwriting, and this is one of her best. I could listen to Linda Ronstadt belt out this tune every day until I die and never tire of it. It is sheer brilliance.

My last favourite was also a cover, but this time it was a song I’d never heard before. Near the end of the record, we are treated to a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “Blowing Away” (well, Eric Kaz wrote it, but you know what I mean). Like “When I Get Too Old to Dream” this song is a master class vocal performance, but here Ronstadt pours pure emotion into the performance. When that first step-down occurs in the melody, and Ronstadt sings “Love is blind, and it cannot find me” it will break your heart.

Despite some other tunes that are either poor matches for Linda Ronstadt’s vibe, or just feel like she’s trying too hard, the greatness of a few songs ended up being enough for me to keep this record in my collection.

Best tracks: Alison, Mohammed’s Radio, Blowing Away

CD Odyssey Disc 1593: Martina McBride

After a few days listening to Ghost this next review was a bit of a shock to the system.

Disc 1593 is…. Greatest Hits

Artist: Martina McBride

Year of Release: 2001 but featuring music from 1993-2001

What’s up with the Cover?  A very enthusiastic Martina McBride. This cover needs to turn the enthusiasm down about three notches, because that look on her face makes me feel like I’ve accidentally walked into one of those all-day timeshare seminars, or maybe a Tupperware party.

Side note, while this cover doesn’t fully show it, Martina McBride has the bluest eyes in musicdom. I’m talking Paul Newman-level awesome. Don’t take my word for it, though – just check out the video for “Whatever You Say” See what I mean? BLUE.

How I Came To Know It: Martina McBride is a pretty big deal in the mainstream country world, and for about ten years there she was hard to avoid. Over time, enough of her songs stuck in my head that when I saw this album available for dirt cheap at the local record store I decided to give it a go.

How It Stacks Up: Greatest hits records don’t stack up because they aren’t ‘real’ records, at least not as far as I see it. If you look up the best albums of all time on Rolling Stone magazine you’ll find they feel differently, but they are horribly wrong in both this, and many other things. Thank goodness you came here for your musical advice instead.

Ratings: Best of records don’t have ratings because they are not real records. Seriously, we just covered this.

Mainstream nineties country music is not typically my jam but every now and then someone comes along with a voice that makes me give it a second chance. Martina McBride has one of those voices, and while I don’t always like her song choices there’s no avoiding that she sings the hell out of them.

McBride’s Greatest Hits record has 19 tracks, which is a hell of a lot of something that is not your jam. The more so that I bought this because I really like two of her songs and decided to gamble I’d like enough of the other ones. Did this gamble pay off? Reader, it did not.

But lest I lead you wholly into despair, let’s start with the good stuff. “Independence Day” is a perfect song. Narratively it is brilliant, telling the story of a young girl with an abusive father, and the sacrifice mother makes to put an end to the situation. I won’t cheapen it by quoting the lyrics, I’ll just say that when McBride peels out that chorus it will cause you to throw your fist in the air in triumph, even as it causes a lump in your throat.

The other tune is not as objectively brilliant, but I love it all the same. “Whatever You Say” is bolstered by some sweet violin flourishes, but as songs go it is pretty by the book, with lyrics that will not surprise you. However, when McBride hits that chorus her voice blows the God damn doors off. I always want to sing along, but within a note or two it is painfully clear I can’t keep up. That’s OK, just mouth along silently and it will feel like you’ve got the voice of an angel.

As for the rest of the record, there are a whole lot of schmaltzy mid-nineties country songs with very obvious messages. McBride’s first hit, 1993’s “My Baby Loves Me” is a good example. It starts out with an almost “Born in the USA” vibe, but don’t let it fool you. You are about to be treated to a whole lot of vacuous rhyming couplets about how much her baby loves her. I admit this song is pop-country genius, with a hook that won’t be denied and an inoffensive running time of 2:34 which means its over before you start getting bored with all the rhymes (although only just). However, that doesn’t mean I need to hear it anywhere other than in the background while I’m grocery shopping.

“Happy Girl” is another bit of sugar pop that you will secretly enjoy, but it is empty calories, and the main thing that is happening is Martina McBride’s voice is fooling you into thinking it is worth your time.

In the end, I did find a couple of other tunes (“A Broken Wing” and “When God-Fearin’ Women Get the Blues”) that have lasting appeal. Both were hits and again I was reminded what a hit machine McBride was through the nineties. But despite McBride being one of the great vocalists in country music history, there were too few songs that inspired me in a sustained way.

Best tracks: Independence Day, A Broken Wing, Whatever You Say, When God-Fearin’ Women Get the Blues

CD Odyssey Disc 1592: Ghost

Driving home today my volume control got stuck on my car. Hopefully it is just a temporary glitch, but if not, at least it was turned up nice and high when it happened.

Disc 1592 is…. Impera

Artist: Ghost

Year of Release: 2022

What’s up with the Cover?  In some cyclopean cathedral, a horde of Satan’s technicians work day and night to build a massive Papa Emeritus IV who will, no doubt, bring in a new era of darkness. A sort of “shipyard of terror” or something.

How I Came To Know It: I’ve been a Ghost fan for almost ten years but for whatever reason haven’t managed to roll any of their albums for review. Now it has been so long I can’t remember how I discovered them in the first place, but for “Impera” it is easy – I just bought their new album when it came out and hoped for the best.

How It Stacks Up: Including two EPs, I have seven Ghost albums, which is pretty much all of them. “Impera” lands at #4, or plumb in the middle.

Ratings: 4 stars

A few years ago I overheard a couple shopping in the metal section of the local record store. “How about ‘Ghost’?” asked the young woman making up half of the duo. Her young beau responded with a derisive, “Ghost isn’t metal.” I had a laugh under my breath, thinking that, despite his Comic Book Guy vibe, the guy was at least half right.

Ghost both is and is not metal. At their heaviest they have a definitive thump to them and are not strangers to a well-placed power chord. At the same time, they mostly occupy a space somewhere in anthemic hard rock, with a bit of artful harmony. The best equivalent I would say would be a latter-day Blue Oyster Cult, with the theatrical addition of Alice Cooper’s unknown progeny. Frequent readers will know this is high praise.

“Impera” is their latest album and after a much heavier foray on 2018’s “Prequelle” they opt for a lot more of the artful harmony side of things. These are songs that are meant for raising your arms in praise, with choruses that are catchy earworms; easy to remember, and inspiring to sing along with. The guitar is powerful, and the songs are buoyed by the clean streamlined production that I am an eternal sucker for.

Now, if you decide you want to do some singing along, you should know first that Ghost likes Satan, and they like him a lot. Songs like “Call Me Little Sunshine” are not about having a positive outlook on life, they are references to Lucifer. The lead singer is Papa Emeritus IV, with previous Papa Emerituses often being removed from the band for not being sufficiently Satanic.

At this point, lest I scare any with a timid heart, I should point out that the Satan thing is entirely an act (all the Papa Emerituses along the way are played by the same guy – the band’s principle songwriter and lead singer). I shall not name Papa, however, because Ghost is like professional wrestling; way more fun if you suspend your disbelief and just get into the theatre of it all.

That said, this band is a lot more than theatre. They make great music, and after a slight downturn with their previous record, on “Impera” they return to form. This album is chock full of anthemic glory. It isn’t the most creative thing the band has ever done (their early work has some serious prog elements) but it is so good at those soaring melodic structures that all its simplicity is not only forgiven but is cause for celebration. This is a record that will have you waving your lighter aloft by the second track, and not bring it down until the metal bit scalds you.

My favourite track on the record is “Call Me Little Sunshine” which combines a perfect guitar bit at the beginning with the heaviest thump on the album. This song will have you thinking of Ronnie James Dio at his Holy Diver heights.  Songs like “Hunter’s Moon” and “Watcher in the Sky” will also have you reminiscing of the glory days of eighties metal, mixed with the creepy dissonance of late seventies Blue Oyster Cult.  Ghost are masters at incorporating old school forms into their work and making it a celebration, rather than a heist.

This also makes “Impera” one of their most accessible albums and there is no sin in that. Sure earlier, weirder records like Meliora and Opus Eponymous are overall superior, but I found this latest entry in their catalogue an eminently enjoyable record to find yourself frozen on “loud” on an October drive home.

Best tracks: Kaisarion, Spillways, Just Call Me Little Sunshine, Hunter’s Moon, Watcher in the Sky, Darkness at the Heart of My Love

CD Odyssey Disc 1591: Garbage

It’s not a good sign when you are at the front of a long weekend and it still feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day, but here we are. I’m squeezing out an hour to review this next record. While I’ve enjoyed it, I’ve enjoyed it for over a week, and it is time to move on.

Disc 1591 is…. Beautiful Garbage

Artist: Garbage

Year of Release: 2001

What’s up with the Cover?  A rose in the centre of what looks like a computer-generated assortment of geometric shapes. At least I hope this is computer generated, because if it isn’t it means a human did this on purpose.

How I Came To Know It: This album came out back when music videos were still a thing you watched on TV. I think I saw videos for a couple of these songs and both Sheila and I liked them. I probably bought this for her as a birthday or Christmas gift but given it has been over twenty years my memory is a bit hazy.

How It Stacks Up: I have three Garbage albums (they have seven, but the three I have are plenty for me at this point). This is my last review of those three. I had saved a spot for, “Beautiful Garbage” at #2, but it outperformed my expectations and I’m going to land it at #1. Here is the revised and complete recap:

1. Beautiful Garbage: 3 stars (reviewed right here)
2. Self-Titled: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 1374)
3. No Gods No Masters: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 1504)

 Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

“Beautiful Garbage” is one of those rare albums that has all the failings of early oughts production but uses them so artfully they become an asset.

Music from the early oughts can be a tough slog. Music producers were in love with loud, turning up all the channels all at once to the point where it feels like the music is shouting at you. There was also a fascination with mixing electronic sounds into rock music which could sound very forced and artificial when mishandled.

That ‘loud’ element is ever-present on “Beautiful Garbage” – I played it at about three ticks lower in the car just to hold it at arm’s length - but somehow it feels festive and powerful rather than annoying. There is a kind of electronic crunch when this kind of production is done right that makes everything feel melodramatic, but in a good way. It kind of made me feel like I was in an extended episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer; angsty but heroic.

The record opens with “Shut Your Mouth” which has all of this sound in spades. There is a heavy effect on lead singer Shirley Manson’s vocals that makes them metallic and Matrixy, and the guitars are fuzzed out to the edge of reason. It all works great, however, and the song feels powerful. It is the musical equivalent of a very thick and delicious strawberry milkshake; delicious and sweet but a bit hard to get up the straw.

I was surprised to find that this record only spawned one Top 20 hit. That’s the album’s second track, “Androgyny” which landed at #19 in Canada. This song is an anthem to gender fluidity and acceptance, and in 2001 delightfully ahead of its time. It also has a cool groove to it, and despite throwing every mixing board trick at the wall like spaghetti, the resulting pattern ends up once again working.

“Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go)” is a sugary pop tune that is vacuous and silly and wholly enjoyable to bounce along to even after all these years.

While those are the songs I remember from back in the day, on this listen I was struck by some of the album’s subtler offerings. “Can’t Cry These Tears” sounds like a sixties Supremes tune, albeit gussied up with that early-oughts production. “Cup of Coffee” and “Drive You Home” both showcase the gentle side of Manson’s voice, the former being a melancholy break up, and the latter an undulating tune for lovers yearning for one another late at night.

If I were to read a review of “Beautiful Garbage” today, it would be full of all kinds of warnings to stay away – the overblown production, the flourishes of electronica, and the melodramatic topics. However, it not only overcomes these elements, it converts them from bugs into features. I’d been away for a good ten years and had forgotten how much I used to like this album. Rediscovering it was a lovely treat during an otherwise busy week.

Best tracks: Shut Your Mouth, Adrogyny, Cup of Coffee, Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go), Drive You Home

CD Odyssey Disc 1590: Amon Amarth

This is my second straight review of an album released in 2013. They are very different…

Disc 1590 is…. Deceiver of the Gods

Artist: Amon Amarth

Year of Release: 2013

What’s up with the Cover?  I believe this is Thor in his goat-drawn chariot (last seen in our “What’s up with the cover?” for Tyr’s album, “Lay of Thrym” back at Disc 1570). Here he is giving what-for to a horned figure we must presume to be Loki, aka “deceiver of the gods”. If you’re betting on the outcome, the smart money is on Thor.

How I Came To Know It: I have been digging with wild abandon through Amon Amarth’s discography, as they are one of my favourite discoveries of late. I initially decided “Deceiver of the Gods” didn’t warrant purchase, but I gave it a second listen as my appreciation and understanding of the band deepened. This time around, it easily made the grade.

How It Stacks Up: I now have eight Amon Amarth albums, and they are all “bitchin’” as we say in the world of metal. At least we used to say that. I have bought all eight of these albums over the past year, so it is hard to know exactly where they fall, but since I passed “Deceiver of the Gods” over the first time I’m going to mark it a bit more harshly and say it is…seventh. Don’t worry; it is still good.

Ratings: 3 stars

In previous reviews I have expounded on how much love Viking metal likes to throw Thor’s way. The old Thunder God gets more than his fair share of songs, but I get it. He’s pretty cool. On “Deceiver of the Gods” Amon Amarth parts ways (temporarily) with all the Thor talk and focuses on the gods’ oft-times nemesis, and occasional ally, Loki.

The record does branch out eventually, but the first four are all about the Loki love, starting with the record’s title track. Stylistically, this song has a bit more melodic elements than you’d expect, but by 2013 Amon Amarth were lightening up ever so slightly. Fear not: you’re still going to get Johan Hegg’s guttural vocals and the furious double-base mastery of Fredrik Andersson, but the guitar riffs are a bit higher in the mix.

I’m not saying you’ll be able to dance to this stuff, but it does lift itself out of the black metal sludge ever so slightly. Think, waist-deep in sludge, which in this case feels just right. No sludge at all and you might as well listen to the radio.

The second Loki-tune, “As Loke Falls” is a lot thicker and heavier, but Amon Amarth still find room for guitar noodles that would make Iron Maiden proud. These tunes have that same Maiden gallop you know and love, it’s just that they’re riding heavy warhorses covered in steel barding. It thumps a bit more, but still gets you there.

The Loki lovefest rounds out with “Father of the Wolf” (the giant Fenris Wolf is a child of Loki, who had quite a few problematic children, the other two being the death goddess Hel and the Midgaard Serpent) and then “Shape Shifter” (Loki often changed form while engaging in one of his various grifts for or against the gods).

From here, Amon Amarth get into more run of the mill Viking topics, including the ritual torture that is a “Blood Eagle” (this involves pulling the lungs out of a still living human, and the lyrics are, unsurprisingly, not for the faint of heart). Also there are various battles, wars and sieges and other examples of Viking derring-do. If you like this sort of stuff (and I do) then this record will really float your longship. If you don’t, then you might want to avoid Amon Amarth’s entire discography. Your loss, though, because these guys are awesome.

Overall, I tend to lean towards the songs on the melodic side, but I like that Amon Amarth remain heavy as hell regardless of how awesome a guitar riff they deploy. This stuff will always thump, growls like the Fenris Wolf himself, and will generally get your blood pumping. The double-bass in “Blood Eagle” is particularly glorious, and a brilliant accompaniment to the gallop of the song.

Lyrically, the band can get stilted and literal in places, but it is a minor quibble and at least they sing even the hokiest lines with a gusto that sells you on them.

Near the end of the record, Amon Amarth return to the Loki theme, with a song about Hel herself. This tune has a guitar riff so chunky it should be illegal to play it above the knees. Get down near the floor, let your hair hang over the strings and let the metal flow like lava onto the ears of year listeners.

“Hel” also features guest vocals from Candlemass frontman Messiah Marcolin. This adds a bit more of an anthem singing style and I briefly mused about whether all of Amon Amarth would be better with that style instead of the black metal growl of Hegg. After careful consideration I decided that while I love what Marcolin brings to “Hel” overall, Amon Amarth are perfect just as they are.

I’m glad I returned to this record, and while I rank it kind of low compared to their other albums, that’s just a sign of how much I like everything these guys do, this record included.

Best tracks: Deceiver of the Gods, Father of the Wolf, Blood Eagle, Hel

CD Odyssey Disc 1589: Alex Cameron

I spent a lot of the past week on the road for work, and as a result I didn’t get a chance to review this next record until today. On the plus side, it meant I got to listen to it a lot. The worst part of the CD Odyssey is constantly having to bid adieu to a record and move on to the next, so I take a little extra exposure to a good record as a welcome accident.

Of course, I could technically listen to a record as long as I want, but then how would there be more reviews for you to read?

Disc 1589 is…. Jumping the Shark

Artist: Alex Cameron

Year of Release: 2013

What’s up with the Cover?  Alex Cameron, done up in his sleazeball failed actor persona. This picture screams, “I coulda bin somebody!” Yeah, and we’re going to hear all about it as we listen to the record…

How I Came To Know It: This was just me drilling backward through Alex Cameron’s discography after I discovered him through his 2019 release “Miami Memory”.

How It Stacks Up: I have four Alex Cameron albums, with “Jumping the Shark” landing at #3.

Ratings: 3 stars

On each successive record, Alex Cameron has added a bit of additional production or instrumentation but on his first, 2013’s “Jumping the Shark” you get Alex Cameron with no frills, bells or whistles. It is just him, a synthesizer and an organ.

This approach sets a very electronica type backdrop, and you’d feel like you were at some late-night club scene with a lot of flashing strobe lights if it weren’t for Cameron’s stellar lyrics, painting a story well beyond what your average minor dance tune might employ. It keeps your frontal lobes as interested in what’s going on as your amygdala grooves along with the fuzzy beats.

If anything it keeps your frontal lobes much more engaged overall, as the synth sounds on “Jumping the Shark” are very basic. For the most part, they are a loop of relatively few notes, designed to set a vibe and then withdraw to the back of the room so you can pay attention to Cameron’s tales of dirtbaggery and woe.

The best of these by a good measure is “Real Bad Lookin,” the first of Cameron’s brilliant exploration of the lowlifes and drunks you meet in cheap, rundown bars. This song featuring one woman who is decidedly not a paragon of virtue. I love this verse:

“My husband's at work, my baby's in a Daewoo sauna
I hold my breath when I check, just to see that she isn't a goner
The little dream sits there, she's like a fly in a jar
Yeah who the hell are they to tell me that I can't leave my kid in the car”

Earlier verses make it clear this is all happing mid-day while the woman gets drunk in the pub.

On “Gone South” his lyrics and delivery reminded me of something between Nick Cave and the Handsome Family. They are apocalyptic and teetering off the edge of sanity:

“I spent some time making bird calls
But none responded out of fear
I dug myself a spider's hole, and it was hungry work
And then I ate from my geo-stash”

Who is this semi-feral, disturbed character scrabbling in the dirt and creeping about in the back country? Cameron never fills you in completely, and you are left to imagine how they came to be there, digging holes. Later, they also build a bear trap.

The central character theme gets explored on “The Comeback” where our anti-hero complains about how he once had a hit TV show that was later cancelled. If you’ve ever had someone bend your ear at a pub about how they’ve been hard done by (the story usually involves a lawyer and a stack of documents stuffed in the pockets of a thread-worn blazer) then you’ve also met this guy.

Through all these tales, Cameron’s synthesizer sets a competent backdrop, but don’t expect any musical genius here. He’s more storyteller than composer, and if you need a complex melody to see you through, this music is not for you. Sometimes I longed for his later albums where the music is a bit more developed, but most of the time I was happy to be absorbed into the tales of woe he spins so artfully.

Best tracks: Gone South, Real Bad Lookin, The Comeback

CD Odyssey Disc 1588: The Buggles

Cat update – Vizzini’s blood pressure is still high but down out of the danger area. However, his vision has regressed again, and he is once again functionally blind. This plus work has made for a very long week, and I’ve had to focus a bit on lowering my own blood pressure. Finally rolling a good record to review helped. Here it is.

Disc 1588 is…. The Age of Plastic

Artist: The Buggles

Year of Release: 1980

What’s up with the Cover?  This cover speaks of the future! Behold that digital font and the way that ‘buggle’ has been plugged into the network like some kind of replicant or cyborg.

Interesting that the Buggles predicted man/machine interface for the future, but not high-resolution imaging. Predicting the future is tough. That’s why in mythology it usually takes a three-woman team to get it done right.

How I Came To Know It: Like everyone not living in a cave in the eighties, I knew the hit “Video Killed the Radio Star”. Like 99% of the population, I never thought to look into the record until I saw a reference to it on a list of some sort or other (albums from 1980, New Wave albums…I forget). Anyway, I decided to give it a listen and liked what I heard.

Then it became devilishly hard to find on CD, as some of this early eighties stuff is. Once again good ole Japan came through for me, with this re-issue.

How It Stacks Up: The Buggles released two albums but I only have this one. I have listened to the other but it is not my cup of tea and won’t be getting a review. Since the one album on its own can’t stack …on to the review.

Ratings: 4 stars

The Buggles will be remembered for one of pop music’s greatest songs, and for little else. This is unfair, but as Sheila remarked to me earlier this week, “Video may have killed the radio star, but you know what else does that? Only having one hit single.” True words, but since we’re here, let’s give that one hit the love it receives, and then get into the rest of the record, for the love it is denied.

First, the song. “Video Killed the Radio Star” was the first song ever played on MTV, and while the song’s subject made it a natural choice, you can bet the producers also picked it because it is so damned good. It is a perfect pop song in all respects.

It has all the hallmarks of what makes a pop hit great. First, the hook is exceptional; an anthemic sing-a-long of the song title that is easy to keep up with, and with an arrangement that keys up even the most amateurish among us to locate the timing. On top of that, we put that cutsey “oh-wah, oh-wah” that is delightful to hear, and better still to coo alongside. In essence, the song has not one, but two irresistible hooks.

Even the arrangement is amazing. The song ends with the dreaded fade-out, but mid-fade the Buggles insert an additional off-time refrain of “radio sta-a-ar…” that literally makes you want to listen until the very last note.

OK, so that’s the hit, but what about the rest of the record? Can you count on a similar experience? The answer is both yes and no.

Yes, the record has some cool melodies, but it will take you a few listens to sink in, as the Buggles double down on their love of futuristic synthy sounds. This record is meant to sound like the future, and the robotic, metallic quality of a lot of the tunes takes some getting used to. However, it is well worth the effort.

This effort ranges from the relatively straightforward “Ellstree” which has a fairly standard structure, and some lovely piano, but with vocals on the verses that have a metallic filter which makes you wonder if there is some robot love involved. The chorus reassures you, it is good old fashioned human love, albeit in the New Wave disconnected kind of way that was a burgeoning scene in 1980.

Later, songs like “I Love You (Miss Robot)” throw off any vestiges of accessibility. This is a song for reclining on plastic furniture, or maybe taking futuristic pills while being taxied about in a flying car. The first listen this song was decidedly weird, but on future listens it gets better and better as your ear adjusts to the weird and wonderful soundscapes the Buggles create.

That is a microcosm for the record. When you first hear it, you’re not sure what to make of it, but the longer you listen the more you appreciate its brilliance. The way the band mixes in traditional instruments (piano, violin, bass) alongside synthesizer and voice modulation is inspired. “Living in the Plastic Age” and “Johnny on the Monorail” are two standouts. “Johnny on the Monorail” in particular will give you the breathless joy of what it must feel like when you take on of those Tron motorcycles through a tight curve, laying a beam of solid neon light behind you.

In short, this record is a hidden treasure that deserves the same kind of love that its hit single receives. All you have to do is let it in. Like a neural shunt, it feels a bit weird at first, but once you’re plugged in, it is pure immersive joy.

Best tracks: Living in the Plastic Age, Video Killed the Radio Star, Kid Dynamo, I Love You (Miss Robot), Elstree, Johnny on the Monorail

CD Odyssey Disc 1587: Soundtrack

This week brings better news on the cat front. It turns out our poor cat is only mostly blind, and after ten days on blood pressure medication he has recovered a small portion of his vision. It is not a lot, but it’s enough for him to jump on and off stuff with a bit more confidence. Along with this newfound sight, he’s decided the veterinarian-approved food is not to his liking, and so is currently taking a stand against it. Argh…

Anyway, here is a new review.

Disc 1587 is…. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Radio Sunnydale

Artist: Various artists

Year of Release: 2003

What’s up with the Cover?  A graveyard angel. You’d think you’d want to market a Buffy the Vampire Slayer album with a picture from the show but here we get what I assume either a stock photo from the Interwebs or a prop from what Sheila and I affectionately call “the Buffy backlot”.

How I Came To Know It: This is one of two Buffy albums a former coworker gave me when she and her partner were downsizing their CD collection in 2020. Thanks, Anna!

How It Stacks Up: I have so many soundtracks that I have a hard time keeping track. I think I’m up around 36. Of those, I’ll say “Radio Sunnydale” slips just in front of my other Buffy soundtrack from 1999, landing at #28.

Back in the late nineties/early oughts both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and compact discs were all the rage, so it should not surprise you to hear that I have three different Buffy soundtracks. Of those, this one comes in at #2.

Ratings: 2 stars

If you are not familiar with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, my condolences. This show was some amazing TV that has more than held up over the almost two decades since it’s final episode aired. At some point I’m sure I’ll be pulling the DVD collection down to watch the whole thing for a 4^th time. Maybe not for a few years yet, but it will happen.

Those who are familiar with the show will know that music features prominently. The songs are generally selected because they either do a good job of setting a mood for a scene, or just appeal to young people of the day. Often it feels to be a mix of both.

While I know some of the songs on this record, most were new to me when I first got the record in 2020. This is because like today, back in 2003 I was not listening to the radio – Sunnydale or otherwise. For example, Sheila advises me that the Dandy Warhols’ “Bohemian Like You” was a big hit and even today gets occasional airtime. Good to know and I declare the song…OK.

The opening track was very familiar mind you, being a Breeder’s cover of the Buffy Main Title Theme. The original is by Nerf Herder, but the Breeders do a fine job of it, making it a bit grimier in the process. I liked it but I did miss that glorious drum roll featured at the end of the original.

Instead my favourites tended to be from artists I already liked, and songs I sometimes already had. Most notable is Aimee Mann’s “Pavlov’s Bell” a glorious track off her 2002 masterpiece, “Lost in Space.” Aimee Mann even was featured playing live on Buffy in one season, although I had forgotten the context and had to look it up. Playing herself, she gets to deliver the line, “Man, I hate playing vampire towns.” Nice. Anyway, it is a great song and well worth your time here or anywhere else it shows up.

Also good was Sarah McLachlan’s “Prayer of Saint Francis” which was apparently released on early editions of her 1997 record “Surfacing”. I am sad to say I don’t have that version, but that’s OK because here it is, and the song reminded me how much I used to love McLachlan back in the day. I still love her work, but I overplayed it a bit and am giving that part of my collection a rest. It was nice to have something “new to me” to enjoy by her. Like the Buffy series itself, I’ll be revisiting her collection one day down the road.

There are some unfortunate tunes that are very much of their time. “Sound of the Revolution” has a lot of weird Matrix-like sound effects hiding what is otherwise a boring and overproduced assortment of noises. “Ballad for Dead Friends” is exactly the overwrought Emo stew of sound which I expect was better when overlaid on some significant sequence on the show but fails to hold its own as music alone.

The CD ends with “The Final Fight” a soaring instrumental that had me thinking of Lord of the Rings travel sequences. It also had me remembered the glory of that final fight sequence as the show wrapped up. The song is full of bombast and majesty and probably only great if you are a fan looking to get nostalgic over the amazing final episode. I am, so it worked for me.

Overall, this record is a lot like how I imagine listening to the radio feels. Some great songs if you wait for them, sprinkled in with a bunch of others that are OK, but maybe not what you’d pick for yourself if you were making a mixed CD of your own. All the same, I had a good time and I’ll be keeping this collection of memories.

Best tracks: Buffy Main Theme – The Breeders, Stop Thinking About It – Joey Ramone; Pavlov’s Bell – Aimee Mann; Prayer of St. Francis – Sarah McLachlan

CD Odyssey Disc 1586: Eades

Today marks the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. She reigned for over 70 years and was the only monarch in my lifetime and then some. Throughout her long reign she was a picture of grace, dignity and duty. We will not see her like again, and while she will be sorely missed, she has more than earned her final rest.

OK...before I get all emotional, let's switch gears and get back to music. 

Disc 1586 is…. Delusion Spree

Artist: Eades

Year of Release: 2022

What’s up with the Cover?  Whoever thought this half-baked idea of an album cover was a good idea was in the depths of a delusion spree.

How I Came To Know It: I read a review on Paste Magazine and checked it out. Paste gave it 7.7/10 so it is fair to say they liked it a lot more than me, but obviously I liked it enough to download it from Bandcamp.

How It Stacks Up: This is my only Eades album, so it does not stack up.

Ratings: 2 stars but almost 3

Eades is an English post-punk band that sounds like someone crossed American nineties rockers Cracker with the Cure. I’ve had a bit of a ‘thing’ for these post-punk English bands in the last few years and Eades’ sound sufficiently intrigued me to draw me in.

I like these guys well enough, but on multiple listens this album made me feel restless more than interested. They are tight and have some pretty nifty bass lines, but overall this record did not speak to me. Nothing I can point to specifically, and the songs are all fairly good, but on balance I was not overwhelmed in a kind of “play it over and over again” kind of way.

The boys have plenty of energy, and these would be great songs to engage in the pogo stick variant of slam dancing. Just lean and bounce and maybe thrash your arms around at your sides a bit. They mix in some clever song construction decisions with all the bounce and are not afraid to shift a song’s tempo or approach midway through to catch your attention anew.

There are also times when the music, goes from feverish celebration to overheated. Kind of like that last song you dance to after once too many beers that leaves you feeling a bit clammy and wishing your group had arrived early enough to secure a table with seating. The production is dense in places and while I liked the shifting approaches, they also sometimes felt a bit forced.

My favourite song on the record is the title track, which as a very Cure-like lilting bass lick. A theme song for walking through some blue-collar English suburb. The song also mixes in some genuine guitar crunch with those wistful basslines. They do a solid job of suggesting a nihilistic wandering with a hint of angry purpose. Also, ‘delusion spree’ is a good expression and something most of us can remember going on at least once or twice in our lives.

“Delusion Spree” (the song) along with “Saying Forever” and “Voodoo Doll” form a trio of songs that form the heart of the record both in terms of their location and their strength.

That said, even these songs don’t stand out strongly from the collection, and for the most part I found myself enjoying every song a little bit, but not ever getting a lasting impression of brilliance. It was just a bit of background driving music, and I need more from my music listening experience than that.

Consequently, while “Delusion Spree” is every bit worthy of Paste’s 7.7 rating (the band is tight, and the music is compelling and interesting) it never really spoke to me. It could be that it was a bit too frantic, or maybe overly busy in the production, although it is neither of those things to a fault. It just didn’t speak to me at an emotional level, and maybe with some of those Cure-type basslines I really wanted it to.

I bought it as a digital album and it isn’t so bad that I’ll be deleting it from my digital collection, but it falls short of shelf-worthy, so no physical copy needed for my CD shelves.

Best tracks: Delusion Spree, Saying Forever, Voodoo Doll