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My Record Collection from A–Z Aphex Twin I didn’t intend for there to be such a long duration between posts. Being hospitalized back in April didn’t help but mostly I’ve just struggled with Aphex Twin because every time I start to work on it I fall down a crazy Richard D. James rabbit hole. Each link leads to another fascinating connection and before I realize it, I’ve watched a few hours worth of video. His liberal attitude towards uploading his music and also everyone’s collective fascination with his work has generated so much information and mystique that, well, it’s hard to finally put it all down in one blog post. I also need to publish this before I get anymore Aphex Twin EPs and LPs and start all over down that rabbit hole.  I stumbled upon a BBC radio broadcast that touches on all my key points in a much more coherent and interesting way.  So, I recommend listening to the show while you look at the pictures in this blog:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b88k6l A
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My Record Collection from A–Z Animotion It’s hard to think of a band that's more '80s sounding than Animotion. From the clever word play of the band name to the cover art to the band member photographs on the back. So stylish. And happy. This is not a record that I’ve retained from my youth. I think I pulled it from the dollar bin a few years back.  The first track, Obsession, is probably their most well-known song—at least to me. Lots of synthesizer. Very dramatic. And amazingly stalkerish lyrics. It should make anyone's stalker play list, and it has:  http://rateyourmusic.com/…/The…/the_greatest_stalking_songs/ Here’s the video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIs5StN8J-0 And, in keeping with the 80s songwriting rulebook, the song breaks down into an aggressive guitar solo at the end. At some point, you have to shred. Those of you who grew up or live anywhere near Toronto would recognize this song as the theme music for Fashion Television. Originally on City
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My Record Collection from A–Z The Animals: The Most Of Ok, just for fun, I thought I would try to get through a record a day here on Facebook...alphabetically. Could be fun and maybe a bit embarrassing. I remember an The Onion article once called something like, "Roomate's taste in music is drawn into question by single record in collection." I'll stick to the vinyl... Anyway, here's the first one. The Best of The Animals . I don't really gravitate towards greatest hits records but I believe my friend Darren Lichty gave it to me in high school.  So, that's how I started this project the first time around (four years ago!?). With the Animals. And it's true, there are definitely some records coming up where my taste will be drawn into question. Including this one, not because it’s the Animals but because it’s a greatest hits collection. I think “The Most Of” was a series of greatest hits records. I should probably get some legitimate Animals albums to
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My Record Collection from A–Z Alvvays Alvvays is a relatively new band from Toronto. I don’t quite remember how I heard about them but I like them quite a bit. They’ve been played a lot on college radio, topping charts and whatnot so I’m pretty much just jumping on a bandwagon here. They have a low-fi, noisey pop sound that reminds me a lot of the late 80s band, the Primitives (they will appear later in this blog but here’s a little sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57OxGHfI_j0) There’s a similar contrast between the jangly, feedback guitars and the sweet, almost childlike quality to the singer’s voice. The only complaint I have are the songs here and there that seem just a bit out of reach for the singer, like she just can’t quite hit that high note. At other times these songs remind me a bit too much of the Cardigans or a bunch of kids trying to sing Christmas carols. I watched them on redbull.tv this summer, playing Lollapalooza. They seemed to exhibit a comical lack of stage
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My Record Collection from A–Z Alt-J My record reviews aren’t off to the best start, as listening to these three Alt-J records leaves me a bit indifferent in a manner similar to Algiers. Maybe it’s the lead singer’s voice, described in a pitchfork review: “The biggest offense one could take is the way Joe Newman sings through his nose, like a mean-spirited hobbit mocking the singing voice of another hobbit.” Ouch. Maybe it’s the eclecticism of the songs or that music nerd aesthetic that seems to hang over the band. Sometimes all of the layers come together in a captivating way but a lot of the time I’m just wondering if they’re doing one of those “let’s explore a century of musical styles” project. And what is it about English rock bands and English folk music? Can’t say that the genre appeals to my ears and I have to endure it so often—Cream, Led Zeppelin—who hasn’t indulged? But they did win the Mercury Prize and were touted as the “next Radiohead”, so what do I know? Can’t imagine
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