Category: Album Reviews

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David Bowie – Re:Call 1 (2015)

Posted on by Michael

David Bowie started released boxsets split up by eras starting with Five Years (1969-1973) that was released in 2015 and has continued with four more sets since then. One of the selling points of the  boxes is the inclusion of compilations which mop up stray singles, alternate mixes, B-sides, etc. Re:Call 1 is a double disc affair that includes the classic “Space Oddity” in two of the first three tracks. The first in mono and the second version sung in Italian. B-side “Conversation Piece” is a psychedelic folk song about a shy boy to nervous to talk to others – “I’m a thinker/Not a talker/No one to talk to anyway”.

“Holy Holy” appears twice and is a good bit of nonsensical fun. Both “Moonage Daydream” and “Hang On To Yourself” appear in Arnold Corn versions, a band that Bowie put together as a lead up to Ziggy Stardust. The versions differ from their more familiar album versions by being slowed/stripped down takes – the former losing it’s glam/metal stomp and the latter sounding like a track from the late 50s.

“John, I’m Only Dancing” also appears twice, in its single edit and the sax version which adds a touch of that horn to great effect.  A Chuck Berry cover of “Round and Round” appears with Bowie doing his best Mick Jagger impression. The whole set is closed off with impressive B-side “Velvet Goldmine”. The track left off albums, possibly due to its risqué nature is a stomper before it slows with its piano chorus.  While there are a few skippable moments, Re:Call 1 is a terrific collection of odds and sods from Bowie’s first phase.

8/10

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Mitski – The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We (2023)

Posted on by Michael

On the song, “The Deal”, New York’s Mitski’s voice swoops and swoons over an acoustic guitar during the first verse before the chorus brings the orchestral noise… drums sound like galloping wild horses towards the end. Like the album, there is a lot going on in that short burst of sound. Northern residents will know what it’s like for “The Frost” to look like dust on the landscape and shoveling the snow off the driveway like memories being swept away on “When Memories Snow”.

“Sometimes a drink feels like family” Mitski sings on first single “Bug Like An Angel”, a track where a choir bursts in to punctuate key points. “My Love Mine All Mine” is a love song to the love she feels inside. Country tinges songs like the aforementioned “The Frost” and on “Heaven” where “something set free is running through the night”. Mitski’s seventh studio album is a quiet album, raw at times, but one that is full of power and emotion. 

8.5/10

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Van Halen – Women and Children First (1980)

Posted on by Michael

Van Halen’s third album welcomed the band into the 80s. Once again produced by Ted Templeman, the band introduces a heavier sound. First track “And the Cradle Will Rock…” starts with an electric piano that sounds like a metallic guitar courtesy of Eddie Van Halen. A good rock song about the new metal generation of kids. The jungle drums and David Lee Roth making jungle noises opens “Everybody Wants Some!!”. The straightforward track about getting it on has been a long concert favourite.

The first half of the album is mostly about the kids, rock, and partying.  While the second half is mostly about that as well, a few different musical ideas start to appear. The punk/metal of “Loss of Control” sees Alex Van Halen doing double time on the bass drum. “Take Your Whiskey Home” and “Could This Be Magic” both turn in fine acoustic guitar moments. The former seeing a girl tell Diamond Dave, “well, I think that you’re headed for a whole lot of trouble” and the latter sounding like a good yet throwaway Doors song. 

The album ends with “In a Simple Rhyme” that starts as a 70s rock ballad before the rock comes in.  Nice vocals on the chorus make it a memorable album closer. Women and Children First sees Van Halen continue their party lyrics but the harder sounds is pushing the band forward.

7.5/10

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Paul Simon – Paul Simon (1972)

Posted on by Michael

Nearly two years to the day that the last Simon & Garfunkel album was released, the mega selling Bridge Over Troubled Water, Paul Simon returned with his second solo album.  The self titled album is based on acoustic singer-songwriter tracks but here Simon adds reggae touches and a couple blues based songs. The first two singles have pop elements with a nice flow. 

“Mother and Child Reunion” starts off the album on a track that reached the US #4 on the singles charts. Here Simon adds an island flair with some reggae flourishes on a track based on his pet dog dying.  Similarly, the enduring second single “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” is a pop track about a woman who calls the police as “what the mama saw, it was against the law” but the crime is never revealed.

“Everything Put Together Falls Apart” seems to reference drugs and the toll they can take. Later, the deep guitar sound of “Peace Like a River” sounds like CCR while he sings about what it would be like to live under martial law. “Duncan” is six verses of a story of a boy born to a fisherman before moving away, flutes between the verses add a nice touch.

A couple of songs refer to Simon’s then rocky marriage to his first wife, Peggy Harper. “Run That Body Down” sees Simon sing about going to see his therapist while on “Congratulations” he sings that “love will bring you down”.  Paul Simon’s first album since the dissolution of his highly successful duo is an eclectic record but rooted in acoustic sounds.  He leaves behind some of the bombast and skyscraper singing of the Garfunkel years, instead goes for breadth with various flourishes added to his sound. A very good early 70s album.

9/10

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Emma Anderson – Pearlies (2023)

Posted on by Michael

When Lush reunited in 2015, Emma Anderson worked on songs for a new album but then the band once again fizzled away.  Instead, she uses those songs for her first solo album that was produced by James Chapman who in his own music goes by the name Maps. “Bend the Round” is one of the first singles and has a bit of a spy noir sound before muted handclaps in the second first give it lift. “The Presence” is a peppy song those verses have crisp drum beats before an ocean of guitars hit on the chorus. 

A Ronettes drum beat and organ like keys, gives “I Was Miles Away” a 60s feel while the acoustic lead “Willow and Mallow” has a psychedelic folk sound courtesy of Richard Oakes who appears on several tracks. One of the most memorable moments is on “Clusters” where Anderson sings about “all the pretty boys, all the pretty girls”.  In some spots, Anderson’s voice floats high and in other parts it’s grounded and plaintive. This is not life changing stuff, but it’s mature indie rock for those who used to have music badges on their school bags. Sometimes drifting away while staring up at the stars is a good thing.

7.5/10