The Album Review Club - Week #128 - (page 1587) - Pretty Vicious - The Struts

Saddleworth2 said:
I can appreciate a great film without knowing diddly squat about the director.
I can appreciate a great meal at a restaurant without knowing the chefs background.
I believe Mozart was a childish **** but I still think some of his stuff is ok.
I can like the themes of a record without any real life empathy for them. In fact i would say it’s impossible to like a wide range of music if that was a criteria for enjoying it. One of my favourite Albums is Pet Sounds. I like it for the songwriting and harmonies that sound like they were made in heaven. I have zero connection with what the songs are about. I am as far from a love sick Californian wannabe surfer dude dominated by his dad as it’s possible to get but god I love Brian Wilson.
I don’t need to understand the note sequence on Airbag to think it’s a good opening track. My ears (or nowadays my left ear) tells me that.

This week has made blindingly obvious how we appreciate music is completely different, from those that simply want to listen and enjoy, to those at the other end of the scale. Isnt it great that we are all so unique.
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It is so interesting you bring this up. Last night whilst trying to fall asleep I was reading about The Beach Boys. Before I have brought up the question of "Who is the greatest American band?" I never really considered the potential proper answer which very well might be them. That Brian Wilson was so ahead of his time and couldn't bring himself, his record company or the band to truly manifest his vision across multiple years is in part due to the absolute domination The Beatles had during The Beach Boys' most prolific period, which is no shame, but, man, what a difficult bar to measure yourself against. Track after track of the BBs sounds like no other band and so often are perfectly realis(z)ed. I think I have put it on record that "God Only Knows" is by far and away the most beautiful song I have ever heard; it makes me weep instantly. As a born-in-LA-but-raised-in-SF kid, I was naturally fed SF-based musicians, but underneath it all I have always loved LA bands more -- I'd rather The Beach Boys, X, The Minutemen and Van Halen than Jefferson Airplane, Green Day, Journey and The Grateful Dead every day and twice on Sundays (however, a special place is reserved for The Tubes per my earlier nomination). If I picked my favo(u)rite 20 Beach Boys songs, I very much doubt more than two or three bands I like could compete. Criminally underrated here even still; over there, history says, Brits appreciated them even more than we did which is truly sad.
 
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  • only artist to have 2 albums in Top 100 so far (KID A - 33rd)
  • Rumours by Fleetwood Mac is 11th
  • Top 10 to follow
 
Well, well well...4 listens now and I'm sort of digging their scene and sort of not.

The first half of the album is desperately slow and although every song is different it seemed to merge in to one. Karma Police was the first track that actually peaked my interest but then I have always liked it for some reason. No Surprises is a jolly little tune with not so jolly lyrics. No wonder my cousin had it played at his funeral. Mind you he was a tortured soul, full of anger, drugs and moments of clarity so that sort of makes sense. I also enjoyed the last two songs. Mainly because of the guitar work.

Hit and miss for me. First half background music at a dinner party, second half a semi decent effort with a few tunes I liked.

5/10
 
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