My Little Corner Of The World – Volume 38

by Vinh on November 3rd, 2009

Badly Drawn Boy – Have You Fed The Fish? (2002)
Badly Drawn Boy seemed to drop off the map of relevant artists pretty quickly following his couple of years clinging to the cool factor brought about from his excellent Mercury-Award-winning 2000 debut The Hour Of Bewilderbeast. This sophomore album is one that initially disappointed and is a record I have not returned to for some time. Now in a setting devoid of expectation or disappointment, it is easier to tune into the abundant charm that Damon Gough oozes on Have You Fed The Fish?. There are plenty of big tunes on offer, especially ‘You Were Right’ where Gough reassures his sweetheart that fame will not change him. “I’m turning Madonna down, I’m calling it my best move” he sings. Sure, this album is certainly no classic but it does make for an enjoyable listen seven years after its release. Badly Drawn Boy might not be the working class folk hero we thought he was going to be but in retrospect, he has written some great pop moments that after a few pints will have you singing along. – Matthew James

Destroyer – Your Blues (2004)
Dan Bejar is known for his consistency in quality, but not in style. Every album offers something different, and Your Blues is easily the most peculiar and jarring with its MIDI-based orchestration. Many fans, myself included, dismissed it, preferring to hear the songs re-done in typical Destroyer fashion on the Notorious Lightning & Other Works EP. But when the Bay Of Pigs EP was released earlier this year, I revisited Your Blues and found it to be among Dan’s best work, and not some half-baked experiment; the songs contain some of his best songwriting this decade — his trademark witticisms and evocative lyrics are still present — and the simulated orchestration grants the songs a grandeur that his other albums seem to lack. Of course, all the electronic nonsense leaves the listener completely unprepared for the simplistic style of closer ‘Certain Things You Ought to Know’, and I wouldn’t trade that punch to my guts for anything. – Shane Lawless

Attack In Black – Years (By One Thousand Fingertips) (2009)
When I was first introduced to this Welland quartet, remnants of their youthful punk origins were still evident on their material, as Marriage had just been released and we Canadians were blaring ‘Young Leaves’ on warm summer car rides. Inevitably, winter came, years passed, and a young Ontario crew has grown into a mature group of artists. Early this year, Years (By One Thousand Fingertips) was released, where experience has replaced innocence, and hope and desire has been traded in for a harsh reality. “Today I begin to write in verse that is frightening, of new ages, ageless and wildly empty”, remarks Daniel Romano with undeniable conviction. He has never been so sure of himself, and never as capable of unwavering honesty as he struggles to keep pressing forward into the cold. It can be difficult to remain optimistic while reminiscing about those summer days and those “angels envious of mystery”, but we must never lose sight of our ambitions, and “the surface [we] would travel to find a life”. – Rick Southwick

MF Doom – MM…Food (2004)
Among his various monikers (MF Doom, Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah, etc.), media recluse Daniel Dumille has become one of the premier indie rappers on the strength of his incomparable flow, sharp wit, and the shroud of mystery that surrounds his persona. Released after classics Madvillainy and Vaudeville Villain, MM…Food features not only Dumille’s skill as an MC, but also as a producer. He handles the boards on all but 3 tracks, and his comfort with his backgrounds is evident. Opener ‘Beef Rapp’, ‘Hoe Cakes’, and ‘One Beer’ are classics, but these plus Doom’s untouchable use of hip hop and superhero samples make this a necessary album for fans of Metal Face’s more popular efforts. Oh, and the title is an anagram for his handle, so it’s got that working for it, too. – Paul Bulow

Van Morrison – Moondance (1970)
According to my parents, the first song I ever heard was Van Morrison’s ‘Into the Mystic’. I can picture myself, only a few days old, lying in a crib listening to that beautiful song. Now 18, I am in love with the album that started my musical experience. Coming off the bleak but brilliant Astral Weeks, Morrison crafts another masterpiece in the form of the vibrant, jazzy, Moondance. On the title track, Morrison celebrates the beauty of nature and night, as well as offering that vocal interpretation of a saxophone that he has become so famous for. Other choice tracks include ‘Caravan’, which seems to be about gypsies and the radio; an odd combination that somehow works. The second to last track, ‘Everyone’, always brings back glorious memories of Wes Anderson’s last scene in The Royal Tenenbaums, which utilizes the song to perfection. To anyone who has not seen that movie, I would recommend giving it a try; it’s one of the more touching scenes in cinema. If you couldn’t already guess, my personal favorite song is ‘Into the Mystic’. If you have never heard a Morrison song or don’t consider yourself a fan, please give ‘Into the Mystic’ a listen. It has been over eighteen years since it christened my virgin ears and hasn’t lost an iota of its beauty. – Joe Mateo

The Raincoats – The Raincoats (1979)
To hell with tidiness. When employed in judicious fashion, clutter is tantamount to character. The Raincoats’ eponymous debut bursts at the seams with it as the London quintet churns out some of the most jarring, uninhibited jams of the 70s. Not since John Cale’s VU days had strings been played so ferociously in a rock ‘n’ roll setting, and Vicky Aspinall’s contributions on violin bolster the sonic core comprised of delightfully atonal vocals and ever-fluctuating, spirited tempos. Despite the incessant push/pull in pace, tunefulness is never forgone by this mercurial outfit, as the compositions are replete with soaring female harmonies which break through the apparent disorder for their duration. Density also varies from one instant to the next, alternating from meager to full-bodied structure in the blink of an eye. The Raincoats prove to be versatile, just as adept at handling delicate droplets as sonorous squalls, evidenced by the stunning opener ‘No Side To Fall In’. Perhaps best known for its ‘Lola’ cover (originally by The Kinks), The Raincoats‘ essence can be summed up by this rendition of the Davies classic. It is downright dizzying here, equipped with swerving cadences that don’t so much clash as they do construct surreptitious bridges to one another. Before one realizes the pulse has significantly accelerated, it retreats backward to the initial rate as if the shift had never occurred. The Raincoats truly make the tune their own — it sounds as foreign and bewildering as the remaining 9 entries. Speaking of which, they might as well all be written by another band. We’d never know it considering how strangely infectious this jumbled mess is. – Vinh Cao