Shade, Chestnut

We sit in the shade
Beneath the spreading chestnut
Conkering the world

Atomizer by Big Black

Steve Albini was one of the most influential voices in music in the last 40 years, mainly as a self described audio-engineer for bands like Nirvana and Pixies, but also as an acerbic commentator and reviewer. He earned his musical stripes with Big Black though - a punk band that combined huge clanking guitars with smart use of a drum machine and some of the bleakest lyrics that you will ever hear.

The opening track Jordan, Minnesota tackles child sexual abuse in a small town in the bluntest possible way and from there the rest of the album continues at a similar level of ferocious anger at the injustices inherent in American society. Racism, drugs, alcohol and being so bored in a dead end town that you want to set yourself on fire make this an uncomfortable listen but an essential one.

For the record, Albini did say that he regretted some of his more confrontational and controversial statements that he made in his earlier days, and people like Kim Deal of the Pixies respected him as a thoughtful and considerate human being. He passed away from a heart attack in 2024, aged 61.

Toss, Quilt

Sweating in the heat
Another tropical night
Time to toss the quilt

Seventh Tree by Goldfrapp

Back in the day I used to have an MP3 player that I would plug into my car stereo. By the inevitable logic of alphabetical sorting, the track A&E would always start playing automatically when I turned the car on, and I would always listen before switching to something else. I always associate this track with setting off on journeys on a summer’s day, and the hope and optimism that flows from that.

As a result, I didn’t listen to the rest of the album quite as much, which was an oversight because it’s excellent. After the haunting ambient sounds of their debut and the more dance and glam sounds of the next two, this album strikes a balance with acoustic elements mixed with dreamy, shoe-gazy keyboards. Alison Goldfrapp’s ethereal vocals (and occasionally surreal lyrics) are the main attraction. Gorgeous stuff!

Mahogany-titties-tastic!

Pastoral

The closest I get
To a pastoral life is
Shepherd's pie for tea

Vibrant, Winter

A fresh fall of snow
Berries on a holly bush
Vibrant winter scene

American Pie by Don Mclean

The title track of this album looms large over everything else, taking up a quarter of the entire running time, and as revered as this track is, it’s pretty much a case of diminishing returns. Does the chorus really need to be repeated seven times? What was all of the nostalgia for the music of the 60’s for in a song on the cusp of a brand new decade? What the heck is a Broncing Buck anyway? For what it’s worth, I prefer Madonna’s version which is (a) shorter and (b) skips the faux mawkishness in favour of wistful longing.

The rest of the tracks on the album are a mixed bunch, with a strange religious narrative with an arrangement of The Rivers of Babylon and a song about a Catholic saint. The song The Grave is a bit of an oddity too. The highlight for me Starry, Starry Night which is probably the only hit song about Vincent Van Gogh.

Broncing-Buck-Tastic!