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Album Club: 19th September

posted on Fri 18th Mar 2011

Yes, the date there does say 19th September…. By all rights I should’ve got this post up before leaving for my first term of uni but I guess I was too preoccupied with packing etc. I say ‘I guess’ because I can’t really remember, it’s a good thing I’ve got notes of our discussions or I would be a bit stuck. Hold onto your hats, this could get interesting.

  • Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster (2009) (Me)
  • Japan – Tin Drum (1981) (Mum)
  • Stromae – Cheese (2009) (Brother)
  • Kaiser Chiefs – Employment (2005) (Other brother)

  • Genesis – A Trick of the Tail (1976) (Dad)

So why Lady Gaga? Search me…no that’s a joke, I do know why I chose this album. I just felt it was about time, the whole world has been going Gaga-crazy and we’d never even listened to the album. I like to think of this as musical curiosity rather than bowing to any kind of media pressure but whatever, I like Lady Gaga. She may be as mad as a hatter^∞ but she’s talented and produces solid pop music and that’s something. What did everyone else think? Let me consult my notes…My dad was pleasantly surprised, saying that he thought it would be a samey album on the whole, but then you come across a song like Speechless, which adds a lot of variety. He loved the singles that the album has produced and commended Gaga’s singing ability, comparing her to Madonna and Gwen Stefani. My brother said that she’s definitely found her niche and also, although not exactly relevantly, that her music videos are cool too. It says in my notes that he thought the album was “quite sexy”…I can only presume that he was referring to the lyrical content. My other brother loved it, also commenting on her strong singing ability. My mum also loved, saying that it was her favourite album of the lot, with some excellent tracks, some excellent dance music and to top it all, a range of styles and a wow voice. So definitely an album that has made an impact, both for us and in the musical world…even if the singer does come with a marmite flavour.

My mum’s choice was the art rock group Japan, whom she chose because she has been a fan of theirs for a while. She chose Tin Drum simply because, out of all of their classic records, she wasn’t entirely sure which one to give preference. My initial reaction was: wow, Indochine. No, this isn’t an attempt on my part to shoehorn my favourite French band in; I genuinely saw a parallel in terms of the fusion of Eastern and Western music. On top of that, I thought this album was very artsy, echoey, and minimalist. That doesn’t go a whole way to suggesting that I enjoyed it, and it’s true that I found it musically challenging. My dad thought it was almost too experimental and avant-garde. The Vivianne Westwood of music. He liked Ghosts but said it was had a tune -  and there weren’t enough tunes. I too liked Ghosts and Canton; they were examples of songs where the experimentation really paid off. My brother saw and Indochine comparison too (ha!) and also found the album to be really atmospheric. To cap us off, my other brother liked this album, liking in particular the Asian influence and David Sylvian’s voice, comparing him to Phil Oakey of The Human League. All in all, a very experimental and musically intriguing album that caused ambivalence in nearly all of us.

My brother chose Stromae, the Belgian rapper/producer best known for his summer hit Alors On Danse. Needless to say this came as a bit of a shock to the rest of us. What? A French album?? And it wasn’t chosen by Kim??? After joking that he chose it because it French and called Cheese, and he like French Cheese etc. he admitted that he liked it because it was different. My other brother appreciated the production and the beat, liking it overall. It wasn’t however, my dad’s cup of tea. He liked Alors On Danse saying it’s instant catchiness stood out, but the rest just wasn’t his kind of music. And obviously there’s the whole language barrier to overcome. My mum liked it, found it occasionally samey beat-wise but liked everything up to Summertime (which is just over half of the album – result?) As for me, well, I like Stromae. I said as much in my review of his album in August: it’s intelligent dance music, mixing the beats with oft-dark views on life. Obviously I had the benefit of looking up and understanding (for the most part) the lyrics, but even without this extra dimension you can enjoy the album as a collection of catchy, electronic tunes. And after experiencing freshers’ week and the student clubbing scene for a couple of months, I think it’s safe to say Alors On Danse will be sticking around, at least in some circles, for a while.

My other brother’s choice this time (yup, still reviewing five albums) was the Kaiser Chiefs. Why? Well, he REALLY LIKES THE KAISER CHIEFS!!! It was written just like that in my notes, with the further elaboration of ‘voice!’ and ‘guitar!’ So I can presume that he was doubtlessly enthusiastic about his choice. And perhaps with good reason too, as it was well received by the rest of us. My brother said that he’d always liked the album, and the Kaiser Chiefs; in fact he would’ve nominated it himself given the chance. He loves the singles and Ricky Wilson’s voice. Mm dad agreed that it remains an excellent debut, with relatively few filler tracks. He described them as being akin to a 6th form band – unpolished and youthful. My mum equally appreciated their rawness, but she also was more ambivalent about liking the album, although she did concede to liking a good amount of it. Personally, I find this album both fun and funny. The lyrics are occasionally hilarious; the music is bold and solid. However, I also felt that it runs out of steam and energy towards the end. All in all, a boisterous and entertaining album from the Leeds boys.

Our final album of the week took us back in time to listen again to one of prog rock’s giants: Genesis. Having previously nominated Foxtrot, this week my dad went for A Trick of the Tail, the first album to be released with Phil Collins on lead vocals. He chose this album after Porcupine Tree took him on a trip down memory lane, and thought that he would like to listen to some earlier prog rock again. He added that he really loves this album, thinking that it’s one of their best ever, with some really beautiful songs. Everyone’s reaction’s to this album were somewhat spaced out. Both brothers described it as ethereal and atmospheric, saying that it gave them chills down the spine and that they found themselves being submerged in the music. My brother also pointed out that he like liked it a lot more than Foxtrot and that the track Ripples was particularly awesome. My mum liked lots about it, saying that it was nice to have the chance to listen to it again, even if she didn’t understand it all (although my dad went to the trouble of providing a nice lyric booklet for us). As for me, I certainly liked it better than Foxtrot, which was perhaps a little out there for my personal tastes, and with the benefit of a recent re-listen, actually like it a lot. I thought it was musically excellent in places, and lyrically excellent in places, speaking of fairytales (get the pun in the title?) and quirky stories. My dad agreed that it wasn’t always lyrically top, calling to attention Entangled (although, unfortunately, I have no idea why, having just looked up the lyrics they don’t seem that terrible) and Robbery, Assault and Battery (which, okay yeah). However, dodgy stuff aside, this truly is a stonking album, and a fine example of Genesis’ best music.

As always, fancy a listen? (yeah, I'm not even gonna pretend that I can remember what the album of the week was...)

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