#350: Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted (1992)

Zack: The first time I ever heard about Pavement was when a kid who lived in Emily and my hall freshman year hyped them to me. He also thought The Strokes were the best band ever, though, so I took that endorsement with a grain of salt. The second time I ever heard about Pavement was in the context of their long-running feud with Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins. Despite my love of Mellon Collie, I am aware of what a colossal dick Corgan apparently is, and so I was very conflicted. Did this mean that Pavement was sort of cool? Now that I’ve actually listened to a Pavement album, I think my evaluation is somewhere in the middle. Slanted and Enchanted reminded me of a better Sonic Youth album. There were weird abrasive phases, but the album was a catchy and melodic brand of alternative rock for the most part. I appreciated that. So even if it means I’m in a similar boat as Pitchfork, I’m going to admit that I liked this album.

Favorite Tracks: Here; In the Mouth a Desert; Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era

Emily: I was better friends with that guy on our hallway than Zack was, so rather than just getting Pavement hyped to me, I was gifted with a few of their albums in my iTunes to listen to on my own time (along with, of course, a couple of Strokes albums). I never actually sat down and listened to any of the Pavement music he gave me, and anytime the band came up on shuffle or through a Genius playlist I usually just skipped it. I listened to a few of the songs I think, but nothing really stuck with me. Surprisingly, he didn't give me Slanted and Enchanted, so this was my first encounter with Pavement's debut album. Overall, it's a solid effort, but not the greatest thing ever. It veers away from the grunge sound that was emerging at the time and comes off with more of a late-80s alternative/college-rock vibe - perfect for lounging in your dorm room circa 1992. Or, for that guy on our hallway, lounging in your dorm room in 2009.

Favorite Tracks: Summer Babe (Winter Version); Here; Zurich is Stained

#349: David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name (1971)

Zack: Poor Graham Nash. He’s the only member of the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young quartet/trio that doesn’t have his own solo album on the list. Of those four, it has never been in doubt that Neil Young would take pole position. And with Graham by default absorbing the place at the bottom, that just leaves Crosby and Stills to duke it out for the No. 2 place in the CSNY power rankings. Crosby gets to shoot first, although I’ve already been bored to tears by him in The Byrds and decently impressed with Stills in Buffalo Springfield, so he’s not coming in on even terrain. That said, I think he made up his deficit here. If Only I Could Remember My Name is a solid album. Musically, it’s actually really impressive, which I attribute to the all-star cast of supporting musicians Crosby brought in to assist. But the vibe and cohesion aren’t as otherworld as the guitar on Tamalpais High, so I docked some points there. Overall, then, I would say Crosby is a little behind, while Stills still has two albums to cement his lead.

Favorite Tracks: Cowboy Movie; Song With No Words (Tree With No Leaves); Traction in the Rain

Emily: I'm not the biggest fan of the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young school of folk-infused classic rock. While it can be unique and deservedly classic, more often than not I've found it pretty boring. Unfortunately, David Crosby's solo debut fell on the more boring side. If I Could Only Remember My Name was pleasant enough, full of long instrumentals and shorter vocals performed by some great musicians of the era (Jerry Garcia, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and more), but nothing about it really grabbed my attention. It doesn't have the lyricism of Neil Young or of the quartet as a whole that we've encountered before, and that's what really makes their albums special. Crosby on his own, though, was just okay.

Favorite Tracks: Cowboy Movie; Traction in the Rain; Song with No Words (Tree With No Leaves)

#348: The Roots - Phrenology (2002)

Zack: The Legendary Roots crew may be known nationally for patiently waiting while Jimmy Fallon stops laughing at random things, but in Philadelphia they’re known more for the incredible two decade run of amazing albums they are still somehow still in. Seriously, this is a power ranking of all Philly rappers:

1) Black Thought

2) Malik B.

3) Beanie Sigel I guess

4) Gillie da Kid (just because he has a song featuring DeSean Jackson and Louis Williams, which 4 years ago was the most Philly shit ever. Also, he ghostwrote all of Tha Carter, which isn’t relevant but worth mentioning since I’m a Lil Wayne truther.)

5) Black Thought one more time

6) Black Thought two more times

7) BIG WILLIE STYLE?!?!?!?

8) Dosage (For you backpack fans out there)

9) GrandeMarshall (Check out his Mugga Man mixtape. It’s not bad.)

10) Black Thought a final time

[...]

998) Meek Mill

Besides for the shots I’m firing at Meek Mill (he’s engaged to Nicki Minaj, so I’m sure he’ll get over it), the important thing to note about is that Black Thought is seriously that amazing. His super lyrical style is backed up perfectly with the jazzy, neo-soul sound of The Roots, and the product is absolutely amazing. Phrenology is my favorite Roots album and I think what I love most of all is the way they allow this album to breathe. They take advantage of the negative space on this album by easing into songs and letting the music linger in the mind before moving on. It’s important that they do so, since the arrangements have this delicate vibe to them. Another thing this album has going for it is that it has The Seed 2.0, which holy shit that song is fantastic. It’s my second favorite Roots song, only behind You Got Me. Anyway, I could probably write a whole dissertation on why The Roots are amazing and Phrenology is a metaphor for colonialism or whatever music theorists write dissertations on, but I think I’d rather close by saying that this is the Roots album anyone should listen to if they want to work their way into this gem-filled discography (after that, Things Fall Apart and then Undun) and that Black Thought contributed to my all-time favorite BET cypher, which you should also check out here.

Favorite Tracks: The Seed 2.0; Complexity; Rollin’ With Heat

Emily: Even though I'm actually from Philly and had never lived outside the Philly area until about a week ago (hi, DC!), I've never listened to The Roots. They rep my hometown so hard, giving us a good name where it's otherwise been tarnished - being Jimmy Fallon's house band and playing in great videos like this one, throwing an all-day festival called the Roots Picnic, and backing every single artist that plays the Philly Fourth of July free concert on the Art Museum steps. All of these things make them the first ambassadors of the Philly music scene, and I've definitely seen them perform at least at that last event, but somehow I'd never heard their own music. That is, until today, when I sat down and listened to Phrenology. I'd need to listen a few more times to really understand what Zack loves about them, but from my first impression I'm a fan. Maybe it has something to do with them being an actual band that has a rapper instead of a singer, but I really liked the soul influence that backs up Black Thought's raps. It just didn't sound like your typical rap album - but then again, Philly's not your typical city, and The Roots are not your typical rap artists.

Favorite Tracks: Rollin' With Heat; Complexity; Water

#347: Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Emily: I was really disappointed that this Meat Loaf album isn't the one that has I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That). That song is the epitome of over-the-top arena rock cheese, best belted out off-key at the end of a night of karaoke. Bat Out of Hell has that same kind of cheesiness going on, but it's not quite ridiculous enough to match Meat Loaf's signature hit. It actually sounds more like the soundtrack of a rock-tinged musical than a rock album in and of itself - the composer is actually trying to make it into a Broadway musical now too, almost 40 years later. I can envision Meat Loaf driving a makeshift motorcycle on stage and dueting with a rock chick standing on a balcony above him, while the title track sounds like it's made to be sung by an entire Broadway chorus. When you look at Bat Out of Hell this way, it makes a bit more sense (at least to me) than seeing it as just an overproduced, cheesy '70s rock album. I don't know if that's what Meat Loaf was going for, but I'll take it.
Favorite Tracks: Paradise by the Dashboard Light; Bat Out of Hell; All Revved Up with No Place to Go

Zack: For about four straight days, I would stare at my iPod before starting my daily walk to school, trying to come to terms with the fact that Meat Loaf was the next artist. And for four straight days I found the courage to listen to literally anything else. But I eventually caved into the cowardice and submerged myself in the Loaf. It was sort of like the bastard offspring of Elton John and Dio. As awesome as that sort of sounds like, I do not in fact mean that as a compliment. Bat Out of Hell was so campy that it almost defies all logic. It is about 15 minutes too long. It is trying way too hard to be whatever it is it’s supposed to be. It also takes some getting used to. I hated the first half of the album, but around the midway point I sort of acclimated to how corny it is and appreciated the second half a bit more. Still, I can’t say I expect to have a craving for any Meat Loaf at any point in the future.

Favorite Tracks: Paradise By the Dashboard Light; All Revved Up With No Place to Go; For Crying Out Loud

#346: Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom (1974)

Zack: Rock Bottom is a sort of weird album, but not in that particular brand of weird that has made quite a few albums we’ve listened to borderline unbearable. What makes Rock Bottom so weird, at least to me, if that I could totally see how this album would blow someone’s mind. I’m just not that person. I listened to the entire album from a third-person perspective, totally aloof, but aware that there are probably people who felt like their entire worlds were opened before them in the same ways that guys like Hendrix, Cash, Pink Floyd, and Kanye (not going to apologize for slipping that in) have done for me. But I just couldn’t really climb inside of it the way this album really demands if enjoying it is the goal.

Favorite Tracks: Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road; Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road; Sea Song

Emily: I thought that an album called Rock Bottom would've been creepier, or at least more fitting for that episode of Spongebob where our favorite anthropomorphic sponge hero gets stuck on a bus in the abandoned underwater town of Rock Bottom. Unfortunately, Robert Wyatt's album was neither of those things. Instead, Rock Bottom was an experimental progressive-rock album that took neither the experimentation nor the progressiveness that far. The result is an album that wasn't unpleasant to listen to, like others of the genre, but also that wasn't all that interesting.
Favorite Tracks: Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road; Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road; A Last Straw

#345: Minor Threat - Out of Step (1983)

Emily: I was actually really excited to listen to this album. I'm a big Foo Fighters fan, and Ian MacKaye, Minor Threat, and the DC hardcore/punk scene that they helped to form were a big part of a biography about Dave Grohl I read last year. Grohl was a few years younger than those guys and lived in the DC area, so that scene was where he really started out. Ian MacKaye was also instrumental in running a label for the scene that released the EPs and albums of tons of DC artists in the '80s, including Grohl's first bands. Before that, though, came Minor Threat. The band was only around for two years before MacKaye moved on to other projects (like the label and his subsequent band Fugazi), but in that short time they had a big impact on hardcore music. Out of Step shows why. It's an 18-minute long album of 8 fast-paced, hard-driving songs that embody the '80s hardcore punk sound. It's over almost as soon as it started, but in that short time it packs a wallop of sound and fury.
Favorite Tracks: Look Back and Laugh; Betray; Little Friend

Zack: Minor Threat had a lot of things working against them in terms of getting me to appreciate this album. For one, they were one of the progenitors of the hardcore punk movement, which is probably my least favorite flavor of punk, perhaps only trailing cowpunk. I kid, cowpunk is awesome. Besides that, they are also essentially for popularizing the straight edge movement, which means they also created a whole army of people in high school who really annoyed me. But Minor Threat avoided garnering a third strike by turning out a really solid album. Out of Step is everything you want from punk album: fast, loud, political, and really, really fast. It blasts out of the gate and sprints for 18 minutes. It is exactly as advertised, which I really appreciate. In general, I would still rather listen to punk rock from the 70s or punk rock revival from the 90s/00s than just about any hardcore album from the 80s, but if this is your thing then you can’t do much better than Out of Step.

Favorite Tracks: Look Back and Laugh; It Follows; Little Friend

#344: Basement Jaxx - Remedy (1999)

Zack: Basement Jaxx are essentially British Daft Punk, which makes Remedy the British Homework. With that in mind, I think Remedy was clearly the superior of the two. Both are (mostly) highly danceable and fluctuate significantly in the sorts of musical styles that songs place their roots in. But whereas Remedy has weird digressions every few tracks, these interludes are always less than a minute, as opposed to the 7-and-a-half minute horror that is Rollin’ and Scratchin’. The other thing I really appreciate about Remedy was the same reason I included the word “mostly” before danceable above. Whereas a great deal of this album was clearly designed to be played loudly at a club where the ecstasy runs freely as well as the water, there are still a number of less bouncy, more moody and atmospheric tracks that really balance out the vibe. There’s a certain complexity that really comes across in Remedy, which was more than enough to make it one of the electronic albums that I would be willing to recommend.

Favorite Tracks: Stop 4 Love; Red Alert; Being With U

Emily: When Zack and I went to the Firefly Music Festival last year, there were a whole bunch of electronic artists (that we largely skipped) and a "silent disco" in the woods (that we also skipped) where you put on headphones that presumably played EDM music and danced in the woods while everyone around you was listening to the same music on their individual headphones and dancing along. A friend of mine tried it the year before and she said it was a super weird experience - there were two different music streams you could listen to, so the crowd was divided into 2 groups dancing to totally different things. Kinda makes me wish I had tried it, but I don't think I could take bass drops so close to my ears. Now, if this was happening in 1999 and Basement Jaxx was on the silent disco headphones, I think I would've been willing to give it a shot. Unlike today's rise-and-fall, crazy loud bass EDM, Basement Jaxx's late-'90s house stylings are a much smoother auditory ride. Though I'm still not big on songs that are just random sounds (I'm looking at you, Daft Punk), most of Remedy is a cool blend of upbeat and melodic electronic music that's well suited for a club, chilling, or even a silent disco with 300 of your closest headphone-clad friends.

Favorite Tracks: Jump 'N Shout; Red Alert; Always Be There