Anything On Your Mind?
And now we move backwards to 2004, another year in which the job was stable, the hobbies and life were good, and it was just all a pleasant if unremarkable time in my life. I suppose it was the last full year of my 20s, which would seem remarkable, except that it really wasn’t. It was just part of the long period of post-college, pre-kids life, which was certainly enjoyable but I don’t really have specific memories of this year. At least not off the top of my head.
Is that sad? That seems like it might be a little sad, honestly. If I sit for a while, I could probably come up with some stuff that happened this year, but otherwise this is just kind of year of just vaguely plesant associations. I’m not sure that we took a cool vacation this year or anything like that. I guess nothing bad happened that I recall that year either, so maybe it’s OK. Musically, I was still working a block away from Sonic Boom, so I do expect to be reasonably plugged into the zeitgeist. Looking at the chart, only eight are in my collection. Fewer than I would have guessed! I do have the top four, at least.
What Do You Listen To From 2004, Josh?
A sampling of albums from 2004 that I want to write about.
It’ll Be Cool, Silkworm
I’ve decried the “underrated” maneuver in the past, so I’ll just elide past that and note that I think it’s a shame that Silkworm isn’t enshrined among indie rock royalty alongside other 90s stalwarts. Across nine albums, they created as consistent a discography as any of their peers did, leaving behind a body of work that would be the envy of so many other bands. I suppose if you talk in terms of influence, I don’t know that I’ve ever read of anybody who claims to be influenced by them, so maybe that’s part of the reason why they’re not in the pantheon. But influence isn’t the only measure of greatness, and they can stand up their records against anybody’s. Talk to five different Silkworm fans, and I’ll first ask where you are that you found five Silkworm fans. But if you ask them about their favorite album, they’ll probably each give you a different answer (me, it’s Libertine).
Anyway, this is their final album. Michael Dahlquist (drums) perished in a tragic car accident, and the band ended at that point. Dahlquist had been part of the band all along, along with Tim Midgett (bass) and Andy Cohen (guitar), and continuing forward without him was not an option. (Joel Phelps also played guitar on the first three records.) I don’t think there’s any wrong point to start with Silkworm’s discography, truthfully, although I probably wouldn’t start with the first record (L’Ajra), so this could be as good a place to start as any other.
Books, Belle and Sebastian
I’ve said repeatedly that Belle and Sebastian’s EPs and singles have some incredible material on them, to the point that their best collection of songs might be the singles collection Push Barman To Open Old Wounds. So, here I am backing it up: this single just has “Wrapped Up in Books” from Dear Catastrophe Waitress, which is a fine song, but they added “Your Cover’s Blown” which is one of my favorite songs they’ve ever done, and “Your Secrets” is also excellent. Did you want to hear B&S get downright slinky? Here you go!
Convict Pool, Calexico
I do so love EPs. I tossed out the name of this EP in that post, but it’s time to write it up now. This was released just after one of my favorite albums from them (2003’s Feast of Wire), and it follows in that vein. It’s got three originals, all strong, alongside some covers: a Françoiz Breut song (“Si Tu Disais”), a Love cover (“Alone Again Or”), and a Minutemen cover (“Corona”). The three covers are gorgeous, the whole thing hangs together beautifully, and it’s basically a perfect record.
The Grind Date, De La Soul
Going to throw in one more because there’s a single and an EP in the list today. There’s nothing magic about the three album thing!
De La Soul parted ways with Prince Paul after 1993’s Buhloone Mind State and managed to defy expectations by following up that great record with another great one, Stakes is High. But after that, they hit a down period. There are moments on Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000) and AOI: Bionix (2001) which are good, but the records overall are very uneven. It seemed like their peak had definitively passed. But, 2004’s album, The Grind Date, showed that they still had something left in the tank. They had some great guest spots (with MF DOOM in particular crushing it), Dave and Pos sound fantastic, the beats are excellent support, and the album as a whole is a pretty tight 12 track presentation (De La have always had a bit of a tendency to not edit their albums very well). Living up to their classic records is basically impossible, but this is probably…the fourth best De La Soul record? Which is really saying something.
Let’s Talk New Releases
Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!
I am going to do some new releases, as it’s been a bit since I’ve thrown some new records in here.
Noč, Poguba
The hardcore EPs will continue until morale improves.
I Challenged The Master… AND WON!, Nenjah Nycist & Cut Beetlez
I’m a sucker for martial arts imagery in hip-hop, which is probably just Wu-Tang influence. But who cares where it comes from, that shit rules. This is a collaboration between a NY MC (Nenjah Nycist) and a Finland production team (Cut Beetlez), which is also fun. The production here is more Antipop Consortium than it is RZA, so this isn’t a Wu-Tang bite or anything. But lyrically, it’s in the neighborhood. Anyway, if you are also a sucker for martial arts stuff, check this one out.
New Racehorse, media puzzle
I don’t really know exactly what this is. Like, it sounds a little post-punk (especially the bass tone), a little plain ol’ punk, a little bit new wave, there’s a trumpet involved that at times reminds me a bit of mid-period Belle & Sebastian (but that might just be because I just listened to “Your Cover’s Blown”), it’s really a lot of things. We here at Five Songs have plenty of time for things that don’t fit neat categorization, so I’ve been listening to this a lot.
Five Random Songs
Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.
“Dull Knife”, Greentrials
Every now and again, an album pops up from the collection that I have no recollection of getting. Sometimes it turns out it was part of a grab bag, sometimes it was part of some digital bundle, sometimes it’s just something I forgot. In this case, I did buy it, I can find the receipt. I apparently bought it the same time as a Wilco record and a Zumpano record. So, yeah, I have no idea why I bought this, how I heard of it, or indeed what it is. There’s very little on the internet about it either. Your guess is as good as mine! Anyway, this track isn’t very good.
“Lose the Right”, The Dead Weather
The Dead Weather is a supergroup, featuring Jack White (White Stripes, Raconteurs, uh literally being Jack White), Alison Mossheart (the Kills), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age), and Jack Lawrence (Raconteurs). Formed out of impromptu playing on tour, they ended up recording three albums together. I think it’s pretty fun stuff. It’s bluesy in the way most things involving White are, but with him on the drums, it’s a pretty different feel from a lot of his other work. Mossheart is the big attraction here, as her vocals are usually the strongest part of the songs. This one comes from their third album, 2015’s Dodge and Burn.
“Petty Wage”, Swingin’ Utters
Pure punk revival, the Swingin’ Utters pretty much just sound like the Clash, but, like, only specific songs from the Clash. Like somebody made an entire band out of “Complete Control”. Don’t expect any “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais” or “Wrong ’em Boyo” here. I did get one more album from them after this debut, but I don’t think I heard any evolution, so I don’t really know where they ultimately ended up.
I stopped this song halfway through to go listen to “Wrong ’em Boyo”.
“How Do You Quit (Someone You Love)”, Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas was one of the stars of Stax, along with her father, Rufus Thomas. This comes from the Atlantic years of Stax, the early period of the label. I think that horn part is really interesting, it’s kind of melancholy in a way that I think is uncommon for this period of Stax.
“Nova Baby”, The Black Keys
I know that at some point, the Black Keys become a punch line to some folks, the daddest of dad rock, cornier than an ear of corn dusted in cornstarch and deep fried in corn oil. But I did enjoy their records up to a point. Specifically, I generally liked their records up through Brothers. This, the following record? This is not good. I got off the train here. They seem to be still making records to this day. None of my business!
Josh, What Are You Doing Here?
I’m just writing about music. A structure like this blog helps me get my thoughts out, and it’s a way for me to explore my own music collection through various lenses. My sincere hope is that some folks out there find some new music they love. That’s all I’m up to. Sincere thanks to everybody who sends me feedback, with news that they’ve found a new favorite especially fun for me. There’s no monetization, no metrics, no ads, no promos, no nothing. Just some static web pages, some links, and my scribbling. If you want to support it, just shoot me a note! Thanks for reading.
Some Better Places To Learn About Music
Check these folks out, you’ll learn more for sure. In no particular order: To The Teeth, Wolf’s Week/Plague Rages, The Devil’s Mouth, Burning Ambulance, Lamniformes Cuneiform, Hex Records, See/Saw, Starkweather.