#365: Miriam Makeba - Miriam Makeba (1960)

Zack: I’ve semi-recently taken to a few north African bands/artists, namely Bombino (who I believe we’ve talked about before) and Tinariwen, and I really enjoyed the album by Ali Farka Toure we listened to a little while ago. I also have loved everything by Fela Kuti I’ve ever come in contact with, and eagerly await listening to a whole album of his. But my exposure to southern African music has been more mixed. Ladysmith Black Mambazo sucked (not even going to try and be diplomatic about it), and I similarly disliked the South African-influenced Graceland. So that makes Miriam Makeba the first “W” South Africa has gotten their hands on. The album is strong, and does an impressive job of blending together traditional South African sounds with a little bit of jazz and soul. Everything is tied together with Miriam Makeba’s impressive voice, which can slip into a sort of Billie Holiday zone when it’s appropriate but has a range that can evoke almost anything. I wouldn’t say I loved Miriam Makeba as much as any of the above northern African artists, but this album was certainly strong enough to warrant another listen at the very least.

Favorite Tracks: Mbube; Lakutshn, Ilanga; House of the Rising Sun

Emily: Miriam Makeba was also known as Mama Africa, an apt name for the woman who was one of the first to bring the sounds of South Africa to the rest of the world. This self-titled album shows why she was able to do that and earn her nickname. Rather than only covering the traditional sounds of her country, Makeba incorporates elements of jazz and soul to create a unique sound that's accessible to a broad audience. Some of the songs are in English (including a cover of House of the Rising Sun), others are in native African languages, and few mix in both. The result is an album that takes on the world and succeeds.

Favorite Tracks: Where Does It Lead; Olilili; Suliram

#364: The Monkees - Headquarters (1967)

Zack: Ah The Monkees. The giant bag of Fruit Whirls on the bottom shelf of the grocery store that your Mom hovered over for a second, weighing the savings against the sin she would commit, before grabbing the box of Fruit Loops like a true American…of bands. I never heard much about them growing up, so my socialized view is pretty much entirely based upon that flashback scene in The Simpsons when little-kid Marge is told by a bully on the bus that the band on her lunchbox doesn’t record their own music and she has a total breakdown. Apparently, that phase was only temporary. Headquarters actually was primarily written and played by the members of the band, rather than no-name scrubs. It was the first album where they were given the freedom to do so, and they enjoyed an entire week as the top-selling album as a result before the Fruit Loops ended up in the cart in the form of Sgt. Pepper’s being released. And while I’m happy for them, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s pretty boring. It’s sort of like the Drake-Meek Mill beef that is recent as of when I wrote this post: Is it worse to have a ghostwriter or to live with the shame of having actually written bars as bad as some of Meek Mill’s? Headquarters was pretty dull from start to finish. Part of that is probably due to my general disinterest toward the Beatles, the band they were so blatantly emulating, which I’ve discussed on here numerous times. But part just has to be due to how uninspired everything feels. It’s almost like they were a complete corporate project, assembled by a soulless record company that could not possibly comprehend how to build a heart into its design. I give The Monkees a lot of credit for trying to insert their own heart here, but it just seems like maybe they should have left it to the professionals.

Favorite Tracks: Sunny Girlfriend; Forget That Girl; No Time

Emily: My knowledge of the Monkees only stems from watching Brady Bunch reruns as a kid, where there were multiple (I think) episodes where Marsha is really into Davy Jones and then Davy Jones actually shows up. I'm not sure where the Monkees and the Brady Bunch intersect as TV shows and pop culture touchstones, but they definitely have the same aesthetic going on. Both are cheery, family-friendly, and not all that substantial - much like Zack's aforementioned sugary breakfast cereals, in fact. Headquarters is supposedly the Monkees first "real" album, in that they actually sang and played the instruments themselves, but that doesn't stop it from being sugary, manufactured pop. It's a fairly enjoyable way to spend 30 minutes, but you'll forget about almost as soon as the last notes play.

Favorite Tracks: Sunny Girlfriend; For Pete's Sake; No Time

#363: The The - Infected (1986)

Zack: The only things I knew about The The are that they one of those bands that rock critics think is way more important than anyone else and that they seem to have picked a name just to fuck with Microsoft Word. Even as I type this document, every time I write “The The,” like 17 words get underlined. Word is so sure that that cannot be write. Anyway, Infected was a solid album, and definitely less boring that most of The The’s contemporaries (or at least those that we’ve encountered so far). Infected is dark and complex. Unfortunately, while this complexity did make the listen more interesting, it didn’t really entice me into peeling back the layers. I can’t see myself listening to Infected on a long bus ride at any point in the future or even putting any of the songs listed below in any playlists I have planned. But, hey, I still didn’t hate the album!

Favorite Tracks: Heartland; Twilight of a Champion; Out of the Blue (Into the Fire)

Emily: The The is another band on this list that seems to have been really big in the UK while barely getting a blip of recognition here. Much like the other bands of that sort we've encountered before, The The is also an '80s New Wave/post-punk band that came about while Americans were much more focused on Michael Jackson and Madonna. While you can decide for yourself if that is a good or a bad thing, I definitely prefer American '80s pop music over relatively obscure British '80s New Wave. That's probably an unfair comparison to make, though, since they're totally different in both their scope and their sound. Infected is a pretty good album, in fact, when considered alongside its peers. Although bombastic at times, it's more human and interesting than many of its bleep-bloop synthesizer-heavy counterparts. But does that mean I'll choose it over Thriller? Of course not.

Favorite Tracks: Infected; The Mercy Beat; Heartland

#362: Nightmares on Wax - Smokers Delight (1995)

Zack: With a band name like that, I was sort of prepared for the worst. The electronic genre can get kind of kooky and unpleasant, and I will just say that – based off nothing other than the name – I was worried that this album would be rough. Combined with the length, and I found myself routinely coming up with excuses to put off listening to it for another day. Those days added up to about a week (whoops!), but I eventually got around to it. When I finally built up the confidence, I found that there really wasn’t much to worry about. Smokers Delight wasn’t particularly stunning, but it was smooth. It was a good album to bob your head to while you work, which is exactly what I found myself doing. The album is probably like 25 minutes too long, and I question the necessity of having a 1:46 reprise of the previous 5+ minute song, even if it the latter was my favorite song on the album. But it isn’t particularly intrusive or anything like that.

Favorite Tracks: Rise; Pipes Honour; What I’m Feeling (Good)

Emily: For once, I wasn't daunted by the prospect of listening to an album longer than an hour when it came to listen to Smokers Delight. I actually needed the motivation to sit in front of my computer for an extended period of time to work on an assignment for the class I'm TAing this upcoming semester, and a long blog album was just what I needed. Smokers Delight actually turned out to be a good choice in this endeavor. Although I don't love the electronic genre as a whole, the chill, kinda trippy vibe of the album was great background motivation for research and writing. I could pay enough attention to it to know what was going on, but it faded into the background just enough that I could focus on the tasks at hand too.

Favorite Tracks: Bless My Soul; Nights Introlude; Rise

#361: Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (1957)

Emily: I've talked before about how I've started studying and writing to a John Coltrane Pandora station during the school year, a habit that I carried over to my internship this summer and may continue throughout my professional career. Although I can't keep the volume as loud in an office than at my bedroom desk (and headphones are frowned upon), there's nothing like some low-volume, wordless, classic jazz to keep me focused during a long day. I rarely check to see which artists show up on that station, but I'm sure Thelonious Monk has popped up at least a few times. He's another great jazz musician of the '50s, and this album is a complex, up-tempo collection of the genre at its finest. And that means it's exactly the kind of jazz I like to listen to. Brilliant Corners will likely work its way into my studying and work rotation, and perhaps I'll even be able to recognize its tracks in the sea of Pandora-curated jazz I keep on repeat.
Favorite Tracks: Brilliant Corners; Bemsha Swing; Pannonica

Zack: I like jazz music, but I have been hesitant to call myself a fan. I worry that people will call me out and I won’t have a proper reply. For example, when people talk to me about how they’re HUGE fans of hip-hop and they know everything about it, I ask them a very simple question: “Rakim or Kane?” The answer isn’t really important (although it clearly is Rakim), what’s important is discovering if this fan is aware that the genesis of the music and culture predates 2Pac and Biggie. That might sound snobbish, and I wouldn’t hide from the allegation, but I think it’s valid. I can still have a conversation with someone who likes hip-hop that isn’t knowledgeable about all the history, I just need to know what the temporal brackets are to the conversation. Anyway, because I aspire to not being a total hypocrite, I’m aware that certain other prerequisites are probably in place for fandoms of other types of music. And for jazz, I’ve always thought of Thelonious Monk in that category. Because I hadn’t formulated an opinion on Thelonious Monk, I wasn’t ready to adopt the “fan” moniker. But now I’ve listened to one Thelonious Monk album, and I quite enjoyed it. I would put it behind Birth of the Cool and Love Supreme, but Brilliant Corners had a lot of flair to it that made it a great listen. I feel like I’ve really taken a step forward today in feeling comfortable labeling myself a jazz fan, but I may check out a few more Thelonious albums before I make the leap.

Favorite Tracks: Brilliant Corners; Bemsha Swing; Pannonica

#360: Scottt Walker - Scott 2 (1968)

Emily: Blessedly, this album has nothing to do with Wisconsin governor and GOP presidential candidate named Scott Walker. Unfortunately, it's still not great. To me, Scott 2 felt like the soundtrack to a bad musical. It was just over-the-top without much substance that I could pick up on with a first listen. Maybe it's a little better as you hear it more, or if it were actually staged with a cohesive story. But for now, I think I'll take a pass on Scott 2.
Favorite Tracks: Jackie; The Girls from the Streets; Best of Both Worlds

Zack: Much like Carole King, I originally listened to this album back in early June. Unlike Carole King, I didn’t remember anything about it. I couldn’t remember what genre it was, if I had known any songs, or even if I thought the album was good or bad. So my relisten here essentially involved flying in blind. I hope I don’t forget about this album again, because it’s kind of a trip. Walker’s voice booms out in accompaniment of grandiose instrumentation. For the most part, it feels kind of over the top. Even borders on cheesy. But the topics of the songs are serious enough and the sincerity is so strong that Scott 2 drifts away from the Meatloaf zone into a more fun region of the enjoyment spectrum. I think it’s safe to say that the favorite Scott Walker tournament is officially over, and the champion is not anyone currently seeking the GOP nomination.

Favorite Tracks: Jackie; Next; Wait Until Dark

#359: Carole King - Tapestry (1971)

Zack: I originally listened to Tapestry sometime in early June I think. I then didn’t bother to write a review. By the time I remembered that that was a thing I was supposed to do, I had absolutely no recollection of this album other than a vague memory of liking it. Instead of faking it, I resolved to relisten to it. Once again, I liked it. But apparently the main problem wasn’t that I couldn’t remember what I had thought but that I hadn’t thought much beyond that it was a good album. Tapestry has a certain timelessness to it. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see it had been released at any point between 1965 and 1996. But that it could so easily slip into so many decades has more to do with a lack of anything distinctive or exciting enough that would tie it to a certain point in musical history. Let me put it this way: I’ve been listening to A$AP Rocky’s ALLA a lot lately. That album is very good, although I don’t know if I would call it great. Tapestry is probably objectively better. But musically it is very clearly an album from this decade. It couldn’t have come out at any other time. A Rod Stewart feature credit wouldn’t have the same sort of ridiculous effect it has now. And there’s something very comforting in knowing the context that an album belongs in. I didn’t get that with Tapestry. It was a pleasant album that isn’t really bounded to anything. It’s just songs. Good songs, to be sure. But without something more attached to it, I was struggling to find any reason to cherish it.

Favorite Tracks: Will You Love Me Tomorrow?; You’ve Got a Friend; So Far Away

Emily: Tapestry has a feeling of familiarity to it. I was surprised at how many songs I recognized (even 40+ years after the album was released), and I definitely enjoyed the 45 minutes I spent listening to songs both familiar and unfamiliar. However, I do agree with Zack that there wasn't much to distinguish this albums from others of its era and genre. It was pleasant and enjoyable, but I don't think it's going to stand out in my mind when it comes to our next awards post.

Favorite Tracks: Will You Love Me Tomorrow?; You've Got a Friend; It's Too Late