2024 Album-A-Day: Week 19

Continuing to link to the playlist even if I don't think anyone's read a word of these. But this is more for me than it is for anyone else.

May 6th: Happiness... is Not a Fish That You Can Catch by Our Lady Peace

This is a band I've been meaning to learn more about for a while, as this particular album was on Crash Thompson's wall of favorites for a long time (Subscribe to Crash Thompson) and I was not disappointed. This album has a great combination of heavy production and big catchy choruses, with the best examples being "Blister" and "Annie." It's the kind of thing where the songs work both as singles and as album tracks.

May 7th: Some Rap Songs by Earl Sweatshirt

This album is a whirlwind. The songs all have these ambient synths and weird sample flips, Earl's delivery is weary and occasionally a bit offbeat, and the songs trend under 2 minutes, which means the moment I get a handle on the current song, we're already in the next one. I really enjoy it, but I feel like it might take a few more listens to fully understand. My favorite was "Nowhere2go."

May 8th: Back to Black by Amy Winehouse

Before you ask, no, it's not because of the recent Winehouse biopic of the same name. I haven't seen it and don't plan on it. Anyway, the album: I love this. It's a pretty faithful recreation of the Motown sound for the most part, although I'm not sure if "Tears Dry On Their Own" counts, because that's a sample, but still, that song's good. Amy is consistently a fascinating presence, feeling like she's lived a thousand lifetimes of heartbreak. My favorite song is "You Know That I'm No Good," because it has all of the hallmarks of classic soul while still being recognizably modern. (Thanks, Mark Ronson)

May 9th: Them Crooked Vultures by Them Crooked Vultures

This is a supergroup composed of three legends: Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones, and Josh Homme. However, I have a theory that this is secretly a Queens of the Stone Age album. My evidence:

1. This sounds a lot like Queens of the Stone Age
2. This band contains Josh Homme, the only consistent member of QOTSA
3. This band contains Dave Grohl, a one-time member of QOTSA
4. This album is very good, much like QOTSA.

I rest my case. Like I said, this album kicks ass. Big, driving, powerful rock with a devil-may-care attitude and John Paul Jones being awesome. Also, "Interlude with Ludes" samples the same Optigan preset as "Chirp" from Minecraft. My favorite song on this album is "New Fang."

May 10th: I Am The Movie by Motion City Soundtrack

After loving "Everything Is Alright" for a long time, I decided to sit in with a full MCS album, and I like it. It's distinctly emo/pop-punk, but still distinct from other bands, mainly because of the synths. There's occasionally clunky lyrics (Like the one about Will and Grace) but the music is energetic and heavy enough to be able to get past that. My favorite song is, appropriately, "My Favorite Accident."

May 11th: Nightclubbing by Grace Jones

I would like to express my disappointment with whoever is responsible for changing the album cover on streaming services. This new one is nowhere near as cool as the original. Anyway, I like this album. Even if the production is slightly dated (Definitely feels like they had just discovered synthesizers) the songwriting is strong enough to be able to look past that, and Grace Jones is a powerful presence on record. From "Walking In the Rain" onward, it's fun and groovy all-around, especially the "Use Me" cover. My favorite is "Feel Up."

May 12th: Inside In/Inside Out by the Kooks

After loving "Naive" for many years, I thought I'd listen to the full album. It's a collection of pretty solid, post-Strokes guitar pop with a distinctly British feel, and the songs sometimes have unconventional structures, with my favorite quirk being how they really relish in outros of songs. The Kooks probably aren't going to be my favorite band of all time, but I'll probably revisit most of these songs. My favorite non-"Naive" song is probably "See the World."