Before I fall to pieces

Razorlight - Razorlight (2006) ***

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Back to the Start.

This was Razorlight's second album, mostly known for the big hit America at the time. When this came out it fell between a few stools for my kids. Keegan was 22 and had left home some years ago, Adam was starting University and playing in a Heavy Metal band, but Jade (15) and Samantha (18) were teenagers and this was a band on their radar. So I heard it via them.

Like a lot of British bands, you can tell a lot about the band and their sound from their clothes and haircuts. Check out these four jack the lads - stretch black skinny pants, trendy loafer style shoes, black jackets (yes, I'm aware it's a black and white photo but I bet their clothes are black), T-shirt under the jacket. Haircuts - rock star models apart from one.

What do I take from all this? An attempt to stylise them as indie rock gods with shortish, sharp, snappy songs. That prediction holds true as they sound like a lot of other indie guitar bands of the late 1990s to early 2000s like Hard Fi, Embrace, Kaiser Chiefs and The Kooks. I bought albums by all of those bands, but, back in the day, Razorlight remained my daughters' band (like Franz Ferdinand, and The Libertines).

There was that, plus they tended to sing about things other than life in England (which I prefer). America's lyrics are telling - it seems Johnny Borrell grew up dreaming of other places, like America. Hence the name check for Kings of Leon (Pop Song 2006 betrays their Kings of Leon influence - I had to check Spotify to see if I'd strayed into one of their albums). Los Angeles Waltz is another paean to the home of the free. I get it, but I'm not that fussed with bands like U2 and Razorlight immersing themselves in American culture. There's something off about Bono wearing a cowboy hat.  

All of which makes me wonder about the appeal for GK. Unless he came to them much later, I'm pretty sure he would also have come across them thanks to his own teenage children. This doesn't sound like his kind of thing somehow.

All of the above is preamble - there is a lot to like about the band's approach. I'm a big fan of guitar based indie bands, These guys sound committed to the task and they certainly are a cut above other indie guitar bands of the time. Even though GK suggested avoiding the three live tracks I actually enjoyed them more than the studio versions - they sound tougher, more granular, more a band.

Highlights for me were (the genuinely thrilling) Back to the Start and America is such an ear worm. It doesn't exactly dominate the album, but it's deffo the catchiest song on offer.

Dialling a prayer

Straitjacket Fits - Straitjacket Fits (1998) ***

Nominated by: KS

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Down in Splendour

Listening to this compilation of NZ's Straitjacket Fits, I was again reminded of my Beatles/VU theory - that all post sixties pop music can be traced back to two potential influences - either The Beatles influence or The Velvet Underground influence. This holds especially true for the Dunedin bands of the eighties and nineties.

Straitjacket Fits sit comfortably in the Beatles' camp in my humble opinion. The lead singer Shayne Carter has listened closely to John Lennon's vocal style and remains faithful to this inspiration, the vocal harmonies are fab, a real strength of the band, and the jagged guitar sounds are Helter Skelter McCartney like at times. Dialling a Prayer would be exhibit A as far as that White Album Beatles' sound goes.

Key moments apart from Dialling a Prayer, Burn It Up has a terrific guitar riff, Down in Splendour is a glorious pop song (Melt is my favourite studio album), She Speeds is a classic NZ song.

It's not all great though - Headwind takes an old rock'n'roll beat and mind melds it with eighties Dunedin alt rock but it's off putting for me. The cacophonous side of the band sits uneasily against the pop side on the compilation, Let It Blow after Down in Splendour being an example.

All up, the band remain another fascinating example of how a Flying Nun band revolves around one central character to create a distinctive sound. Shayne Carter's vocals create the crucial point of difference to distinguish the band from The Chills say.

The band had a brief 15 minutes of fame and flamed out but they remain an important component of the Dunedin scene (maan). Good choice to kickstart our AOTW again, KS!

Professional widow

Tori Amos - Boys for Pele (1996) ***

Nominated by: Tom  

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition:  In the Springtime of his Voodoo.

I'm not sure where to start with this album, Tom. Maybe with an admission that I have no idea what she's on about. That starts with the album title, Boys for Pele, and the cover image. That title isn't a song title so it must be a personal reference of some sort, but who knows what. The cover points to Tori having just killed what may be a peacock or a pheasant. She's been out in the mud barefoot and now she's reclining with a rifle across her lap with ripped pants and a snake at her feet. Clearly there are some heavy symbols at work here, and happiness is a warm gun, according to JL, but - what the hell??

The songs leave me equally non-plussed - maybe they are just sounds that match the rhythms (Neil Finn's modus operandi)? Probably not.  

The music? Well, I'm on shaky ground discussing music at the best of times. So, I can't comment on her musical prowess that much.

That leaves only my subjective opinions, I'm afraid. Generally, I enjoyed her expressive/emotional vocal style and her piano playing on solo sounding songs like Horses and Marianne. The early highlights for me were those two and Caught a Lite Sneeze.

Unfortunately, by the midpoint, it's a loooong album, my attention span drifted away each time somewhat, and all those slowish songs started morphing into each other until I came to, with the swinging In the Springtime of his Voodoo - my favourite song on the album. Dare I say it, it even sounds like fun.

That's my problem with the whole endeavour I think. There's not much to smile about here is there? Which I guess is fine, who am I to want to be entertained?

Ultimately, listening to the album felt like hard work without the empathetic payoff of understanding what she's on about.

This has been one of the hardest albums to listen to and sort out my feelings for. Which is why it's taken me so long to get my thoughts together. It's probably a great work of art and everyone loves it, but it just doesn't do it for me.

The storm, it's coming.

Glen Hansard - Rhythm and Repose (2012) ***

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Talking with the Wolves

GK is right - I'm a fan of GH. That comes on the back of my love for Once - both the film and the soundtrack, plus his on and off collaborations with Markéta Irglová in The Swell Season. Those albums and that Once soundtrack are my go to albums. I tend to find the solo Glen Hansard ones more problematic.

The cover art to R and R gives this first solo album away - pained and haunted for the most part.

Rhythm and Repose came after his breakup with Markéta Irglová. So, there's not a lot of up-beat joy on offer on the songs. 

I'm not averse to break-up albums - they can be cathartic experiences with visceral moments of angst along the way. I'm thinking of albums like Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago, Here My Dear - Marvin Gaye, and Bob's Blood on the Tracks. Idiot Wind is a terrific song, but I bet Sara didn't enjoy it much.

Interestingly, GH covered similar break up ground on the Strict Joy album, under The Swell Season name. Of the two albums I prefer Strict Joy from 2009. The album's songs again reflect the breakup of Hansard and Irglová's relationship, while remaining in the same band, Fleetwood Mac style (as on another classic break up album - Rumours). Ironically, given the personal relationship situation, it has a warmer sound with a fuller band and some lovely pace changes, whereas R and R is just pretty bleak.  

I'd recommend that one over Rhythm and Respose, but I understand why GK likes the tone and pace of it. It's definitely more folky for a start.

Great selection Gregarious. Glen Hansard is a really talented guy, with a fascinating discography (and I haven't even mentioned his work in The Frames).

Goodbye good fortune

Street Talk - Battleground of Fun  (1980) ****

Nominated by: KS

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Lonely at the Top

It's a curious thing - how listening to blues albums/songs/artists always cheers me up. What is that about? Here's my theory:

The blues is not about wallowing in misery and suffering! Oh No. It's about overcoming hurt, dealing with failures, moving on despite calamities and down times. It's about hope, belief that things will improve, faith in the process and it's about the human spirit and for some, a higher presence.

It's about the little guy at the bottom staring up to the top, saving goodbye to good fortune (for a while), getting blood out of a stone, living without a loved one, leaving town because the future looks bleak. Basically, and perversely, it's about a battleground of fun!

Street Talk suffered from being an early eighties band who struggled to replicate their high energy, blues based live approach in the studio. I can attest to the difference as I saw them a few times back in the day (and even one memorable gig where guitar hero Hammond Gamble was joined by Sam Hunt and Gary McCormick for an alcohol-soaked evening at the Govett Brewster in New Plymouth). They ripped it up live with Hammond Gamble playing the axe hero role brilliantly.

I first heard Street Talk on Radio Hauraki in the mid-seventies. Barry Jenkins, a.k.a. Dr Rock, played a recording of Hammond Gamble and the boys playing a wonderful live in Albert Park version of Crossroads. A new guitar hero had arrived.

Their first album was unduly influenced by their producer Kim Fowley, an American pop Svengali/legend. Their second is better, produced by fellow New Zealander - Bruce Lynch. While truer to their bluesy beginnings, it still didn't match the excitement of Street Talk live.

That said there are plenty of belters on this album and it's tough to choose one highlight from Leaving The Country, What Happened to Lucy, Lonely at the Top, Blood Out of a Stones, and Goodbye Good Fortune.

Note all of the songs are of that standard but there isn't a duff track either. Given it's 1980 Stuart Pearce employs some synths but I'd much prefer he stuck to piano/organ.

Great choice by KS. Brought a smile to my dial all week (and it was a tough week at Maple Grove with Jacky's horse having to be put down).

Hung up

Dear Nora - Mountain Rock (2004) ***

Nominated by: Alex

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition:  You Are A Bear (For A New Friend)

I'm trying to resist the obvious impulse to retitle the band as Flaming Nora. It's not without merits, but suffice to say I struggled to play this album three times without skipping ahead. It seems a very long album as well which also made it tricky to navigate. 'Seems', because many of the tracks are under a minute. Maybe they are draft sketches? Whatever the purpose, they flit by quickly without embedding themselves deeply in my consciousness, but that also paradoxically stretches the album out so there are 17 songs.

Dear Nora is really Katy Davidson and the band is her plus others in various guises/formations. She's the main musician/vocalist on this album.

The subject matter seems to be fairly bleak throughout (I don't know the back story) and the music (anti-folk) is deliberately (?)/ suitably austere and discordant at times which suits the purpose but I may have mentioned before that 'I'm a daaay person'. I prefer feel good moods rather than being confronted by negativity so this all added to the challenge of replaying Mountain Rock.

She gets a bonus point for the hilarious album title. This is not monolithic heavy metal by any means! I also like the way some songs are short and to the point like You Are a Bear. She doesn't faff around until Love Song to My Friends.

All up - I wouldn't buy a physical copy of it and I probably will not have a repeat listen, but as with all of our AOT fortnight albums, I'm glad I heard it/ was introduced to it because I never would have listened to it otherwise. So, thanks, Alex!

Rolling on

Peter Wolf - A Cure for Loneliness (2016) ***

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Rolling On

Peter Wolf was the voice of the J Geils Band (John Geils being their lead guitarist) until the early eighties. So he has a very recognisable voice, which comes in handy, but can also be a problem if he sings rock songs (like the Rolling Stones sounding 'live' track - Wastin' Time) or a bluegrass version of Love Stinks because it's easy to compare him to his time with J Geils et al.

Sensibly, he takes on Americana shapes throughout this album, with loping drumbeats, acoustic guitars, fiddle, pedal steel, harmonica (not by Magic Dick though), mandolin, and lap steel guitar all contributing to a very non-rock tapestry for his easy vocals.

Rolling On is a great opener and the rest of the album's next seven songs are all pretty good. But then the end of the album kind of unravels thanks to another live song - a country tonk version of J Geil's Band's hit Love Stinks and then Mr. Mistake. Those songs are the kind of songs I know GK loves, but it riles up the flow and ambience too much for me, especially as it's followed by two weepy songs - Tragedy and Stranger.

All up - a very pleasant listening experience and good to hear him in another genre with that smooth delivery.