365 Albums A Year » Previous Writer: Sean
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Yes, we do take a day off on February 29thWed, 08 Sep 2010 11:44:37 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1Day 123: Julian Casablancas – Phrazes for the Young (2009)
http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/02/17/day-123/
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by Sean
The Strokes have always been a band that I've appreciated more than I've enjoyed for the most part. At least, their landmark debut album, 2001's "Is This It" has been. I've always preferred its follow-up, "Room on Fire," and found their third and most recent album, "First Impressions of Earth," to be largely hit-or-miss. So it was with very few expectations that I approached "Phrazes for the Young," the 2009 solo debut from the New York band's frontman, Julian Casablancas. However, much to my surprise, the album is a thoroughly enjoyable and shockingly replayable little synth-pop album that's a sharp contrast from the Strokes' jagged riff rock.
Billy Corgan has never understood subtlety. He’s always been about making grand gestures. What separated the Smashing Pumpkins from every other band in Alternative Nation was the fact that they were the only ones who actually wanted to be rock stars. Forget the Pixies and the Melvins – Corgan wanted to be as big as Led Zeppelin, and he very nearly got his wish for a few years in the mid-‘90s.
]]>http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/02/10/day-116/feed/0Day 109: El-P – I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead (2007)
http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/02/03/day-109/
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by Sean
Def Jux founder El-P’s sophomore album, “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead,” was released about a month before Nine Inch Nails’ “Year Zero.” And while his work isn’t as overtly conceptual as Trent Reznor’s end-of-the-world opus, the two records are strikingly similar, even beyond Reznor’s guest spot on “Flyentology.” Both came down very much on the conspiracy-theory side of the wave of Bush-bashing music, although El-P’s album dealt much more strongly with current issues, rather than “Year Zero’s” futuristic totalitarian nightmare.
]]>http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/02/03/day-109/feed/4Day 102: Scorpions – Tokyo Tapes (1978)
http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/01/27/day-102/
http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/01/27/day-102/#commentsWed, 27 Jan 2010 05:00:57 +0000365AAYhttp://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/?p=1188
by Sean
I don’t pretend to be a huge Scorpions fan. Most of their more well-known, “Rock You Like a Hurricane”-era material I could take or leave, and I don’t own any of their albums besides their 1978 live album “Tokyo Tapes.” I don’t recall exactly how this disc came into my possession—it was either a gift or a radio prize, many years ago—but over time it’s become an album that I feel compelled to spin once or twice a year even though I haven’t been actively into metal for ages. As it turns out, the pre-‘80s pop-metal version of this German band was one of hard rock’s best-kept secrets.
]]>http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/01/27/day-102/feed/0Day 95: Rush – Power Windows (1985)
http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/01/20/day-95/
http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/01/20/day-95/#commentsWed, 20 Jan 2010 05:00:51 +0000365AAYhttp://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/?p=1082
by Sean
Rush fans are extremely divided about the band’s mid-to-late ‘80s work. Following 1981’s landmark “Moving Pictures,” the Canadian trio moved sharply away from the prog-rock arrangements and sci-fi lyrics that had defined their work to that point, and adopted a more modern, synth-oriented sound. A lot of older fans resented this switch, which they perceived as a pop move that betrayed the group’s progressive roots. But a closer examination of this stage of Rush’s career, and in particular 1985’s overlooked “Power Windows,” shows that Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart were developing a constantly maturing melodic sensibility that complemented, rather than detracted from, their formidable instrumental chops.
]]>http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/01/20/day-95/feed/2Day 88: Nirvana – Live at Reading (2009)
http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/01/13/day-88/
http://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/2010/01/13/day-88/#commentsWed, 13 Jan 2010 05:00:29 +0000365AAYhttp://www.365albumsayear.com/blog/?p=1029
by Sean
It’s common knowledge that Kurt Cobain resented Nirvana’s level of popularity. In fact, it’s safe to say that no musician has ever made as much money off of hating to be famous as he did. This being the case, it’s more than a little weird to hear Nirvana presented as stadium-rock heroes, as they are on “Live at Reading”, Geffen’s long-overdue official release of the band’s legendary, oft-bootlegged 1992 set at the UK festival.