Emily: Zack has every artist on this list categorized so we can arrive at some semblance of balance as we work our way through. The Velvet Underground is labeled as "experimental," a subset of rock that can vary wildly in its tone and general enjoyability. That moniker made sense for The Velvet Underground & Nico, an experimental album and earlier foray by the band that I rather enjoyed when we listened to it a few years ago. However, the category doesn't fit at all for this later self-titled album. I found the music to be remarkable in its simplicity, a sweet yet melancholy collection of ballads that veer toward the folk end of folk-rock. It's a supremely unexpected step for a band known for the unexpected, and it's a step that I rather enjoyed.
Favorite Tracks: Pale Blue Eyes; What Goes On; Candy Says
Zack: Before this album, we’ve listened to one of the
three Velvet Underground albums (Velvet Underground & Nico) and one of the
two Lou Reed albums (Berlin). In addition, I did a pretty serious binge of Lou
Reed’s other albums after he died a few years back, which led me to a pretty
strong appreciation of tracks like this. I’ve kind of stayed away from anything Velvet Underground/Lou Reed since
then. Not intentionally, but there is just so much music out in the world, plus
podcasts, movies, TV, and other things to preoccupy time. You look up one day
and realize it’s been like 2-3 years since you’ve listened to a band. Happens
to the best of us. Anyway, Velvet Underground, the album, was pretty good. A
bit more folksy than I was expecting, especially since it came only two years
after the more experimental and psychedelic & Nico. But the artists behind
Velvet Underground all strike me as people who always wanted to try new things,
so the abrupt change in style didn’t catch me that off guard. It was good, but
I think I would prefer either & Nico or Berlin to this album.
Favorite Tracks: Pale Blue Eyes; That’s the Story of My
Life; Jesus
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