#395: Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975)

Zack: This is the second of four Joni Mitchell albums on the list. When we started this project, I had no idea who Joni Mitchell was, and so I was skeptical that that was an appropriate number. But then I heard Blue, and album that I listen to maybe once a year and think “Wow, this album is perfect. Why don’t I listen to this more than once a year?” Despite the fact that I’ve only listened to Blue like 3 times, how incredible it is had me pretty excited for The Hissing of Summer Lawns. But the two albums are completely different. Whereas Blue is a pretty straightforward folk album, The Hissing of Summer Lawns draws on a more eclectic mix of genres. There’s a fair mix of jazz here, and it gets a lot more rockish on songs like In France They Kiss on Main Street. The last track, Shadows and Light, even gets a bit experimental by drawing on some looping and electronic-y music. I didn’t like that song, but still. What remains constant is the thoughtful lyrics. I didn’t pick up on a lot of this while I listened to the album, but in reading the lyrics now I can see what intricate stories Mitchell is trying to craft. Between the two, I definitely think Blue is the superior album. But The Hissing of Summer Lawns certainly has its moments, and the way Mitchell pushes the boundaries of folk can be are pretty interesting.

Favorite Tracks: The Hissing of Summer Lawns; In France They Kiss on Main Street; Edith and the Kingpin

Emily: Looking back at where we wrote about Joni Mitchell before, my search brought me to our 200-album award post. I had nominated Blue, our first foray into Joni Mitchell's catalog, for an album that I wanted to return to later on. Since then, I don't think I've actually relistened to it. Perhaps I've heard a song here or there as it popped up on a playlist, but I haven't sat down and played the whole thing since then. Now, after listening to The Hissing of Summer Lawns, it appears I have double the Joni Mitchell albums to return to in the future. For one, I love the title of the album. It evokes such a strong and beautiful image of a quiet street, lined with trees and houses, on a breezy, sunny summer day. And the title fits the tone of the album beautifully as well. It's another intimate take on folk, balanced out with jazz, rock, and a touch of experimentation. As Zack noted, the lyrics deserve a deeper listen to fully understand the scope of the story. I intend to learn more about that story, alongside Mitchell's stories on Blue, when I return to them again.

Favorite Tracks: Harry's House/Centerpiece; In France They Kiss on Main Street; The Boho Dance

#394: The Avalanches - Since I Left You (2000)

Zack: Of the four albums I listened to while working on my prospectus, this one suffered the most form my diminished attention. It faded into the background a bit too easily, unlike Tarkus, and wasn’t compelling enough to get me to go back and relisten, unlike Marcus Garvey. That said, I’m not super sure I would have liked it even if I had been enraptured. I’ve come around a lot on electronic music, but I’m pretty particular. The Avalanches key sound is plunderphonics, which is a made-up word that means sampling a lot. Apparently, Since I Left You has somewhere in the ballpark of 3500 different samples in it, which is a thing that sounds wrong but I can’t refute. This type of music is something I have historically disliked (I can’t emphasize my dislike for Girl Talk enough), but at least when you have that many samples it’s impossible to know who precisely you’re just straight up stealing from so it actually is sort of your own work. Still, it just didn’t have the smoothness of Air or the soulfulness of Daft Punk, so I can’t imagine it would have grabbed me even if I was locked in.
Favorite Tracks: Etoh; Close to You; Live at Dominoes

Emily: Wikipedia decided to call Since I Left You a "plunderphonics" album. That doesn't seem like a real word, and it appears to be essentially the same thing as a mashup. The only difference between this type of album and, say, Girl Talk or The Grey Album appears to be that the insane number of samples draws from less-well-known sources rather than Top 40 pop, rock, or hip-hop. I still consider it a mashup, though, mostly because I really don't want to give the term plunderphonics any credence. Either way, anytime I listen to a mashup now I think about the copyright implications (what can I say, I'm almost a lawyer). Music and copyright is a hot topic right now, with the Blurred Lines/Marvin Gaye case saying that a song with a similar "vibe" to a copyrighted song is infringing, as well as continued controversy over what constitutes the fair use of a sample as a beat or in a mashup and whether the sampled artists should provide compulsory licensing. My guess is that here The Avalanches paid nothing for the samples they used, and it doesn't appear that they got in any trouble for it - regardless of the similarity between the original compositions and the final product. They created something original and new, but only by standing on the shoulders of others. This means of creativity has been embraced by musicians for decades and across genres, but the law hasn't really caught up yet. While I doubt that The Avalanches will get caught up in this evolution, as this album is already over 15 years old, it'll be interesting to see how artists and musicians - both the samplers and the sampled - adapt to a possible new legal regime that overlaps with artistic expression.
Favorite Tracks: Frontier Psychiatrist; Since I Left You; A Different Feeling

#393: Def Leppard - Pyromania (1983)

Zack: Tragically, Prince passed away earlier this week (at least the one in which I’m writing this). And as I thought about what an important figure he was and how much incredible music he made, I also couldn’t help but think about how weird it is that he existed in the same decade that gave us music like Def Leppard. As I was thinking that, I didn’t have Def Leppard specifically in mind, but they’re a handy stand-in for right now. Pyromania is not a good album. It is a pretty shitty album. Honestly, I don’t really know what is supposed to be redeemable about it. I tried to like Photograph, the biggest single off the album, and I guess it’s my favorite track? Notice that question mark. It is very important, because I want you to picture me, all handsome and whatnot, shrugging because I am very uncertain about what my favorite track is supposed to be off an album that is just not very good. Now, picture me shrugging even harder when I see that this album somehow went Diamond. Not Gold. Not Platinum. Platinum times 10. Diamond. How? How! I don’t know. This album came out in the year between Prince releasing 1999 and Prince releasing Purple Rain. Both of those albums sold very well too (Purple Rain went Diamond with an extra 3 Platinums to spare), but how could people be content to buy Pyromania when there were Prince albums right there to buy for the 3^rd or 4^th time. Doesn’t make any sense. The 1980s, you’ve still got some explaining to do.

Favorite Tracks: Photograph; Billy’s Got a Gun; Comin’ Under Fire

Emily: As Zack said, the '80s were a weird time for music. There were amazingly talented superstars whose music transcends the decade - people like Prince, Michael Jackson, and Madonna come to mind. There was a whole bunch of experimental post-punk and early alternative stuff, which isn't always my favorite, but it's at least interesting and created the foundation for great bands in the following years. And then there's a ton of schlocky hair metal that was insanely profitable and successful for a good 10 years, but 100% does not stand the test of time. Def Leppard falls into that latter category, and Pyromania exemplifies the crass, commercial nature of the genre. The album is radio friendly for sure, but it's a lot of flash with not a lot of substance. I understand why it did well in 1983, but it also just should've stayed there.

Favorite Tracks: Photograph; Rock of Ages; Too Late for Love