#386: Sister Sledge - We Are Family (1979)

Emily: As soon as I turned on this album I was immediately transported to car rides with my mom. She and I both love to sing along (poorly) with the radio, and disco hits are some of the best fodder for an afternoon of carpool karaoke. The first track on this album, He's the Greatest Dancer, has definitely been in that rotation, along with the iconic title track that has been a staple at weddings and bar mitzvahs for decades. Disco may catch some heat as a genre, but when Sister Sledge up the R&B grooves alongside the dance fever, it makes for an album perfect for singing, dancing, and grooving - especially from the comfort of your car.
Favorite Tracks: He's the Greatest Dancer; We Are Family; One More Time

Zack: It’s fitting that right before I begin my annual music marathon where I catch up on all the new albums I missed over the course of the year while I was being productive, in what I’ve heard was yet another great year for the Philadelphia music scene, we came across Philadelphia’s own Sister Sledge. Everyone knows Sister Sledge from their hit song We Are Family, which is featured in approximately 40% of all movie soundtracks. But apparently that song was on an album, which had other songs besides We Are Family on it. There were as many as seven other songs, in fact! I know, it’s shocking. Most of the other songs have the same sort of feel to them as We Are Family, with that upbeat disco/soul vibe to them. Which is to say it was quite the pleasant listen. Overall, I probably won’t revisit this album ever again, and it’s a long way away from my favorite Philly albums of all time, but it was exactly what it needed to be and you can’t fault it for that.
Favorite Tracks: We Are Family; You’re a Friend to Me; He’s the Greatest Dancer

#385: Morrissey - Your Arsenal (1992)

Zack: I had, up to this point, been underwhelmed by the musical offerings of Morrissey that we had come across. Both Meat is Murder by The Smiths and Viva la Hate – Morrissey’s debut solo album – just felt sort of empty to me in a way that reminded me a lot of what I dislike about 80s post punk (perhaps not surprisingly, both of those albums came from the 1980s). But whatever happened once the decade turned is a godsend, because I was really drawn into Your Arsenal. It had a more definitive oomph to it that prevented it from just whisking by. Wikipedia tells me that this was Morrissey drawing more influence from glam rock, and that is a thing I really hope he kept doing on the other two solo albums that we have left. Because the change in his sound, and the excitement that gets imbued into the music from that change, make all the difference between a forgettable album and one that can contend for one of my top 5 favorites come album 400.
Favorite Tracks: Seasick, Yet Still Docked; We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful; You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side

Emily: I had come to expect a certain sound from Morrissey - indie pop, emotional, brooding, dark...I could go on, but you probably get the point. I liked that sound from Morrissey and the Smiths. And then he goes and puts out Your Arsenal. The underlying emotion is still there, but infused with rock, glam, and rockabilly. It sounds like he's having a lot more fun with the music, and I had more fun along with him. Now that I know that Morrissey's sound isn't just the somewhat singular (but compelling) note from his earlier work, I'm even more curious to delve deeper into his discography.
Favorite Tracks: You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side; I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday; Tomorrow

#384: Weather Report - Heavy Weather (1977)

Zack: This album made me realize how painfully unequipped I am to discuss jazz music. I’ve mentioned before about how I’ve enjoyed a lot of what we’ve come across, but even when I like something I don’t quite know how to express it. It’s very different than talking about hip-hop or alternative rock or just about any other genre, where I know the language. With jazz, I always feel like I should have a translation dictionary on hand. Which is why it’s so hard to write a post about why I enjoyed Heavy Weather. It was a really solid album, and I loved how it…sounded. That’s about the best I can do. Something about it really stuck with me, and hopefully listening to it a few more times will shake some useful adjectives out of me so I can say why.

Favorite Tracks: Birdland; The Juggler; Harlequin

Emily: I was catching up on the New York Times as I listened to this album today, and by the end I was reading an article about Kamasi Washington. If you don't know who Washington is, you should, because his debut album The Epic is simply fantastic. Washington is a contemporary jazz musician that very well might bring jazz back to the forefront - he's already started by working with Kendrick Lamar on To Pimp A Butterfly, and from the article I also learned that he's toured with both Snoop Dogg and Lauryn Hill. Washington's jazz comes from many different eras and influences, creating something entirely his own. It made a lot of sense, then, that I was listening to Heavy Weather while reading about him. Heavy Weather is a jazz-fusion album, with elements of rock and funk alongside the quintessential jazz arrangements and feel. The jazz artists of today - like Kamasi Washington - pull from contemporary influences as well (like hip-hop and electronic). I'm sure there's a long line of this tradition within the jazz community (and probably a lot of naysayers and purists as well), but the two artists I've connected with today at least begin to tell that story.

Favorite Tracks: Birdland; Palladium; Teen Town

#383: Moby Grape - Moby Grape (1967)

Emily: A recent trend that's popped up on this blog is '60s psychedelic-rock bands named after fruit. First the Electric Prunes, and now Moby Grape. I didn't even plan it that way! I wonder if they ever shared a stage in 1967, because that pairing is ripe (heh) for so many branding opportunities. And it's not like sharing a stage would just be a novelty because of their names. Both bands emerged around the same time into an emerging psychedelic rock scene that drew on rock and roll, blues, country, and so many other influences and created something uniquely of that moment. Here, Moby Grape draws on all of that, creating links among all of these influences and starting to shape the psychedelic rock sound that defined that year and that era. I can only hope that there's a third band to round out a psychedelic fruit trifecta, but it'd be hard for that band to stand up against the Prunes and Grapes of the day.
Favorite Tracks: Mr. Blues; Omaha; Come in the Morning

Zack: Remember like 10 albums ago when I ranted about Beau Brummels? If not, go read that review, because it’s like a paragraph and the site navigation on Blogspot isn’t THAT bad. Basically, I found it preposterous that an album as weak as Triangle should be included, especially considering that the musical scheme around that album (the year 1967) was so lush. Triangle’s one claim to fame was that it tried to merge a lot of different genres (folk, country, psychedelic, rock, etc.), but I was confident that there had to be a better example out there. Turns out I was prophetic, because Moby Grape is exactly that. Coming from the same year (Triangle was released about a month later), Moby Grape successfully blended a bunch of different musical styles being practiced by their contemporaries into a single cohesive sound that is actually interesting and worth listening to. While I wouldn’t say I was particularly blown away by it, I enjoyed it enough that I think you can make a great case that it’s worth listening to.

Favorite Tracks:  Changes; Mr. Blues; Indifference

#382: LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)

Zack: I was just a little too young and a little too uncool to have been into LCD Soundsystem when they were active. Which is a shame, since I’ve long thought that Daft Punk Is Playing at My House is a great song, and thought so for a good year before I knew whose song that actually was. Sound of Silver is not an album with Daft Punk Is Playing at My House on it, but it has its own merits. For one, it is an interesting blend of The Strokes with, perhaps not surprisingly, Daft Punk. For another, it’s just a fun album to listen to. I actually liked the more Strokes-y parts the best, which sort of surprised me since The Strokes are comically overrated (#shotsfired). Sound of Silver was a great introduction to the band, although I’m certainly eager to listen to their other two albums so I’m prepared when they reunite five years from now.

Favorite Tracks: New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down; All My Friends; Someone Great

Emily: As we've discussed before, Zack and I don't listen to albums at the same time. We live in different states, so we have a list of albums that we go through individually. Zack sends his reviews to me and I post everything. Usually, this results in me being really behind and attempting to catch up with Zack's prolific review-writing. Today, though, my delay brings me somewhat of an advantage. Zack wrote his review about a month ago, predicting that we wouldn't see an LCD Soundsystem reunion for five years. However, just a few days ago, the band announced that they're coming back in 2016. They're headlining Coachella (with Guns 'n Roses...), releasing a new album, and most likely touring the world. So today seems like a perfect time to discover where this band all started, since I definitely wasn't cool enough to be listening to them in 2007. I was surprised by just how much I liked this album. It's a great blend of Daft Punk-esque electronic and 2000s punk-revival, with some alternative influences thrown in for good measure. It's the kind of album that you can dance to, tap your feet to, or just sit around and listen to. I can see it playing really well live too (perhaps explaining the reunion festival appearance). With this first exposure, I'd like to hear what else they've done, and I definitely wouldn't be opposed to seeing them live when they hit the East Coast later this year.

Favorite Tracks: Us vs. Them; North American Scum; All My Friends

#381: Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair (1985)

Zack: We, as a society, need to come together and come up with some real, substantive regulation over the playlists in all retail locations. I get that they are private businesses and that this may seem like too much, but I think I actually recoiled in actual horror on the train when Everybody Wants to Rule the World came on this album. I heard that song twice a day, 4-5 days a week, for almost 2 years while I worked in the hell-on-Earth that is Modell’s Sporting Goods. I’m sure that normal people would hear that song and think that it is an acceptable new wave song. I hear it and start shrieking “Kill it! Kill it with fire!” And I haven’t even worked there in more than 2 years. In a world with Pandora, Spotify, and a million other music services, there is just no reason for retail stores to be playing the same shitty CD with the same shitty songs on repeats for eternity. Moving on from that #calltoaction, Tears for Fears have a pretty good band name and the same exact sound that almost every other new wave band we’ve listened to has had. Seriously, were the funky haircuts of the 80s just a means of telling bands apart, like a more vertical color coding system? Songs from the Big Chair is an album we’ve already heard a dozen or so times, and I’m honestly too sick of it to even bother complaining anymore.

Favorite Tracks: I Believe; The Working Hour; Head Over Hells/Broken [Live]

Emily: You're not going to get a band like Tears for Fears today. Their particular combination of bombastic synths, feathery mullets, and sung-spoken vocals on Songs from the Big Chair comes distinctly out of 1985. It would maybe work as a nostalgia act today, but not as much else. I don't even think Tears for Fears today (yep, they're still together and making new music) would try to capture the Tears for Fears of 1985. I suppose this is true of most new wave, actually. But Songs from the Big Chair is one of the more interesting albums of the genre and era, mixing up the tempo and pop/rock vibes from track to track. Trying to capture that distinct musical moment in time today would seem a little silly, synths and all - though I totally support bringing the sweaters from the album cover back.

Favorite Tracks: Shout; Everybody Wants to Rule the World; Broken

#380: Radiohead - Kid A (2000)

Zack: We’ve previously talked about our system for picking albums, which involves me throwing nominations for different genres at Emily and her deciding on the basis of which name she likes best. Among my powers within the nomination stage is controlling how we get acquainted with the biggest bands and artists on the list. For the people with only one album, that’s it for them. Except in rare cases like Drive-by Truckers (just got done re-listening to The Dirty South by them and it is soooo good), we’re not delving any deeper into those catalogues. But the people with 2+ albums are trickier because the order can really matter. We’re going to listen to another Byrds album soon but I’m already dreading it because of how much I disliked the first one. In general, I think Emily is predisposed to want to go in chronological order. I like to switch it up. Sometimes a band improves, and I would rather capture that with our first listen. That said, I really wish we’d gone chronological on this one. Radiohead just seems to be a very reactive band. The Bends, which I finally realized I loved 6 months after I initially listened to it when I was trying to work on a paper during a hurricane, was a reaction to their first album, Pablo Honey. Likewise, I’ve heard that Kid A is a reaction to the sound they had created on OK Computer. Having not listened to OK Computer before, it sort of felt like I was missing part of the picture. That said, I liked Kid A, and I’m certainly open to the possibility that it will grow on me as hard as The Bends did. Perhaps 6 months from now I’ll be caught in a maelstrom and I’ll put it on and be blown away while I try to paddle away. But right now, I liked The Bends better.

Favorite Tracks: The National Anthem; Optimistic; Everything in Its Right Place

Emily: I just think I'm one of those people who will never get Radiohead. Once in a while I'll listen to The Bends again, and I like it, but it doesn't blow me away to a point where I understand why they're so critically adored and have so many albums on this list. I thought Kid A might help me towards that point, but it just made me more confused. Departing from the band's alternative roots, Kid A sees Radiohead leaning way in to electronic and experimental rock. There are very few actual lyrics, creating an atmospheric effect where the songs seem to blend into each other. It's an interesting album, but doesn't make a whole lot of sense for alternative music in 2000. Maybe, as Zack notes, I need to listen to OK Computer to really understand the evolution from The Bends to Kid A. Until then, I'll probably remain a Radiohead skeptic.

Favorite Tracks: The National Anthem; Idioteque; In Limbo