Five Albums I’ve Been Enjoying This Term That You Might Like Too By Alex Tippett
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Before Today (2010) Ariel Pink takes every pop music trope your mom, dad, and favorite advertising executive love and skewers them mercilessly. On each of the songs on this album bits and pieces of coherent bubble gum pop songs come in, only to be interrupted by different pop cliches or drowned out by static and nonsensical lyrics. The lead single “Round and Round” is interrupted by a ringing phone, while “L’etat (Acc. to the Widow’s maid)” is punctuated by the occasional childlike scream. Yet these interruptions are never abrasive - instead they add character to these already colorful songs. By manipulating and pasting together such a variety of sounds, Ariel Pink creates a fascinating pastiche that remains constantly engaging due to its schizophrenic nature. Favorite Songs – Beverly Kills, Fright Night (Nevermore)
Talking Heads – Remain in Light (1980) Their fourth studio album, Remain in Light is widely seen as the Talking Heads’ best work. A revolutionary album that fused African poly-rhythms with pop music for the first time, Remain in Light is incredibly catchy and emotional album. Most of the album is composed of pulsating and driving jams that are overlaid with David Byrne’s typical cryptic lyrics, heavily resembling James Murphy’s performances with LCD Soundsystem. Byrne’s tortured performance combined with these driving grooves lends Remain in Light a terrible sense of urgency that is only slightly assuaged by slower tracks like “Once in a Lifetime.” Thanks to Brain Eno’s production there is real clarity in this album. Even as the jams grow increasingly complex and intricate, each instrument is given a large amount of space within the mix allowing you to hear and appreciate various subtleties. Remain in Light is a classic album for a reason and you should probably take sometime to listen to it. Favorite Tracks – Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On), Houses in Motion
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