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

Well, I'm going to buck the trend on this one.

I've heard the Prefab Sprout hits and I think they are great songs - quirky and clever.

I am going to sound like a hypocrite now, but I had this on today whilst working and I enjoyed it's laid back sound. Yes, I criticised David Gray for the same kind of sound a few days ago. However, the songs and lyrics are far more interesting. It sounded slightly jazzy in parts and reminded me slightly of something Donald Fagen was doing on Nightfly a few years earlier.

I couldn't pick out a song that I thought was the best, but I enjoyed the whole album. It took me back to the 80s (I know this was 1990 according to Spotify). Actually, probably my favourite was Moon Dog - I just didn't expect it, and wondered where it was going.

I also liked the production - I think it's a matter of taste, but I like my music to be well produced. Thomas Dolby has made the bass bassy, hi hits trebly and the stuff in the middle sounds good. Of course, it sounds like it was made in the 80s but that's no bad thing for me. On my recommendation (Planetary Unfolding) I said I loved that soft synth sound and this album is packed full of warm synthy sounds.

My only criticism is that the album was maybe 2 tracks too long. I'm not sure which ones would go, but maybe I'm being a bit harsh.

I was pleasantly surprised with this album, I'll come back to it again I think. I will definitely explore Prefab Sprout a bit more too. Thanks for suggesting this album!

Overall:

8/10
 
GoatersLeftShin said:
Well, I'm going to buck the trend on this one.

I've heard the Prefab Sprout hits and I think they are great songs - quirky and clever.

I am going to sound like a hypocrite now, but I had this on today whilst working and I enjoyed it's laid back sound. Yes, I criticised David Gray for the same kind of sound a few days ago. However, the songs and lyrics are far more interesting. It sounded slightly jazzy in parts and reminded me slightly of something Donald Fagen was doing on Nightfly a few years earlier.

I couldn't pick out a song that I thought was the best, but I enjoyed the whole album. It took me back to the 80s (I know this was 1990 according to Spotify). Actually, probably my favourite was Moon Dog - I just didn't expect it, and wondered where it was going.

I also liked the production - I think it's a matter of taste, but I like my music to be well produced. Thomas Dolby has made the bass bassy, hi hits trebly and the stuff in the middle sounds good. Of course, it sounds like it was made in the 80s but that's no bad thing for me. On my recommendation (Planetary Unfolding) I said I loved that soft synth sound and this album is packed full of warm synthy sounds.

My only criticism is that the album was maybe 2 tracks too long. I'm not sure which ones would go, but maybe I'm being a bit harsh.

I was pleasantly surprised with this album, I'll come back to it again I think. I will definitely explore Prefab Sprout a bit more too. Thanks for suggesting this album!

Overall:

8/10
Click to expand...
Thanks mate. I thought I was alone in really liking this. I agree with you around the production - for me its part of the appeal. I found the more you play it the more you find to like. Hope that works for you too.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
Thanks mate. I thought I was alone in really liking this. I agree with you around the production - for me its part of the appeal. I found the more you play it the more you find to like. Hope that works for you too.
Click to expand...
Yes, I've put it on again whilst I work and I find that I'm enjoying it more second time around. I think this is one album that the more you listen to, the more you'll get from it. It's just very clever songwriting and it moves in directions you don't expect and I really like that from my music. I guess part of my David Gray criticism was it was laid back and I could telegraph the next chord change where as this is laid back and is clever enough to be background music but also engaging with how the song progresses.

I will be a complete hypocrite on production too. I love my music both raw and well produced, I can't pin down why but I can completely appreciate this well produced album as well as the rawness of Rage Against The Machine. I think the reason is, if you write good music then it's good music and the producer just makes it sound better! Of course, I'd also say that both bands have great songwriters too.

It's been said before, but the beauty of this thread is that is makes you listen to an album you'd not normally listen to. Some you won't like, some you will! I've had plenty from these threads that have surprised me and given me new avenues to explore and that's priceless. Of course, it's completely subjective and not everyone will like the production/his voice/the songs/whatever but we're all respectful and it's great to explore what people think. Let's be honest, if we all agreed on music and football, it wouldn't be worth bothering with :)

I'll definitely be playing this a good few times!
 
I was looking forward to hearing this again after all these years but alas, like DLBH
I now why i stopped buying PS albums after this one.
Yes there’s the over production as many have mentioned, but after the first set of songs upto and including’Jordan,the comeback’ I lost interest.I don’t really like concept albums although my next choice could well be one.
However, I must thank Saddleworth2 for reigniting my interest in PS as Ive been listening to the remastered ‘Steve McQueen ‘ with the acoustic versions. if that album had be nominated it would’ve got an 8 or 9.

sadly this gets a 6
 
I'm somewhat surprised by how quickly some of the reviews on this thread appear after a nomination. Not wanting to judge because some of us have more time to invest than others but for me I need probably at least three listens to start getting a proper sense of whether particular music is for me or not. I go through phases of listening to a lot of new stuff (usually just after I've got the new copy of Uncut and earmarked albums after the reviews) and then returning to the familiar. First impressions can count for a lot but second and third probably add a bit more to an understanding.

Prefab Sprout are another band I've rarely listened to although I'm aware they can bang out a great tune and I have had one or two randomly on my playlists in the past and always thought I should listen to more so a good shout that they have turned up here. My preference when listening to albums is to listen in it's entirety but even with my not too pressured life I struggled to do that initially here (I mean, an hour... good value but...) but managed on the way to the match yesterday to follow the end of the second piecemeal listen with the full thing.

Impressions are it's a definite 80s vibe. The comparison with Deacon Blue seems a fair one and the other artist from (I think) that era that came to me was Black (Wonderful Life anyone, a criminally underrated album). Interestingly Black for me suffered a bit of what I think PS have suffered here in that his first two albums were very good (and I'm assuming that to be the case with PS) before becoming a bit bland and generic in the aim of, well I don't know what.

Not that this album is bland. In places it's good. I don't know if it's the "overproduction" or over writing but there were bits I found irritating. I'm being picky but the affection of how "wild" is sang in Wild Horses and a musical shift in Moondog spoiled what I thought were potentially very good songs.

The straighter they play it the better I like it and songs like "All the World Loves Lovers" are fine but the Jesse James songs I thought, well why? And the middle suite of songs Ice Maiden, Paris Smith etc were not for me although I think I understand what was being aimed for.

I'm aware that Paddy McAloon is considered something of a genius but I didn't think I was in the presence of genius here, rather someone striving too hard to show he is one.

After my second listen ended yesterday Apple Music very kindly provided me with a playlist of "similar" music which was instructional. No Black and no Deacon Blue so what do I know? China Crisis who I've also never listened to and then the Blue Nile, another band I did listen to after reading a gushing retrospective about their lost genius only to think, what, is that it?

I think Prefab Sprout are probably better than this. I always like to read up on the nominations and can see how lauded the album is but for me it's over reaching, too varied and in going for grandiosity has lost something. I imagine I'm going to listen to Steve McQueen later today and who knows it might lead me back to a greater appreciation of this but for now, with a slightly heavy heart, it's a 5
 
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