#462: The Birthday Party - Junkyard (1982)

Zack: I fucking hated this album. Absolutely despised it. The first two tracks had this edgy hardness to them, and I thought I was in for a post-punk album that was heavier on the punk. And that was true, from a certain point of view. Unfortunately, it was a pretty shitty punkishness. Honestly, I think Wikipedia sums it up pretty well: Despite limited commercial success, The Birthday Party's influence has been far-reaching, and they have been called ‘one of the darkest and most challenging post-punk groups to emerge in the early '80s.’ The group's ‘bleak and noisy soundscapes’… provided the setting for vocalist Nick Cave’s disturbing tales of violence and perversion.” The Birthday Party are certainly…challenging. They seemed to be trying to create a sound where every element sounds like that moment where a motorcycle goes screeching past your window right at the moment where you’re getting frustrated that you are still awake and doing work at 2 a.m. It’s noise for the sake of being noise. What’s disappointing is that the vocalist Nick Cave mentioned above is that Nick Cave, whose album Henry’s Dream is one of the gems we’ve encountered and an album that I return to frequently. That album is also dark, but at least the music is, well, musical. From start to finish, this album was just the parts of Sonic Youth I dislike the most, amplified, and I am just glad it’s over.

Favorite Tracks: Blast Off; Dead Joe [2^nd Version]; She’s Hit

Emily: Birthday parties are supposed to be fun and festive. Friends gathered together, balloons and streamers, snacks and drinks. There should be cake! The Birthday Party, sadly, doesn't have any cake. It doesn't even have fake "birthday cake" flavor (which I don't like but would be appropriate). It's loud and mostly unpleasant, not even close to festive. So I guess it's more Junkyard than Birthday Party, and not exactly how I wanted to spend 45 minutes of my day off.

Favorite Tracks: Blast Off; Several Sins; She's Hit

#100: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Henry's Dream (1992)

Emily: Do you know Nick Cave? If you’re like me, then probably not. As we organized the list by genre and artist, Zack and I were both perplexed as to why this guy was honored with multiple listings. Now that we have listened to the first of these albums, I understand why. For the uninformed, Nick Cave is an Australian musician who has dabbled in alternative rock and post-punk since the mid-‘80s. Henry’s Dream, Cave’s seventh album with the Bad Seeds, is both alternative and post-punk, but not like anything I’ve heard before. It plays like a soundtrack to a rock opera musical – and I mean that as a high compliment. It’s theatrical and vaguely over-the-top, but the band backs it up with great music. It sounded like blues meets post-punk meets orchestra; an odd combination that somehow works together harmoniously. I’m not quite sure why Nick Cave is so unknown (or maybe I’m just not paying attention), but the creators of the list definitely got it right this time. With one album down, I look forward to the music to follow.

Favorite Tracks: Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry; Christina the Astonishing; I Had a Dream, Joe

Zack: I had admittedly never listened to much Nick Cave before today, but I will look to remedy that unfortunate circumstance in the very near future. There was a subtle, dark beauty to this album. Even on the first listen, the passion perfectly placed into the songwriting process is practically palpable. Isn’t alliteration awesome? I developed an especially strong liking to the sing Brother, My Cup Is Empty; probably because I too am a poor whiskey enthusiast. I found it really relatable, especially that part where the protagonist is begging for whiskey. Not every song has such a simple narrative, however. Other tracks tell complex, five-minute dramas which can move you to tears. Alright, maybe they weren’t that emotionally taxing, but there was a certain power behind them. I can’t wait to explore Nick Cave’s lyrical genius further in the three albums of his that remain.

Favorite Tracks: Brother, My Cup Is Empty; Straight to You, Loom of the Land