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I don’t really do “reviews” here. I started off my involvement in music on the internet by writing reviews for various sites and to be honest it always felt forced. I try to keep Pigeons and Planes pretty casual. I love being able to talk to you guys about music instead of trying to talk at you and attempting to come up with enough adjectives to fill four or five paragraphs. Every now and then, it’s fun to attempt what I call a “big post” instead of just gabbing about a song for a couple lines, throwing in some jokes, and posting and MP3.
My standard music listening procedure is heavily focused on single songs. I usually get albums, upload them, pick my favorite songs from each, and make mixes. I used to be much more into full albums, leaving them in my car for weeks at a time and really letting them become a big part of my life. There are certain albums that I’ll always associate with periods in my life. I don’t know why this changed. The last album I got really into was Bon Iver’s For Emma Forever Ago, and since then I don’t think I’ve listened to any album all the way through more than once or twice besides Cudi’s Man on the Moon and BP3.
So now I’m starting an ongoing post. I’m going to listen to a few albums over the next week and at the end of the week I’ll post my thoughts. If you’ve got an opinion, get things going in the comment section.
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
I’ve quickly fallen for this album. As eclectic as you’d expect (and hope) it would be, each song is simultaneously playful and dark, appealing and twisted, like the proportions of Tim Burton characters or those Play-Doh figurines that the weird kid in your kindergarten class made and then tortured and touched inappropriately. With appearances from Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Little Dragon, De La Soul, Mos Def, an orchestra, a brass ensemble and a few others, listening to this album is as surprisingly entertaining as channel surfing and getting nothing but strange Japanese game shows on every channel.
Massive Attack – Heligoland
It’s always disappointing when the first you song from an album is your absolute favorite. The seductive “Paradise Circus” is one of my favorite songs of the year so far, so after hearing that, my hopes for this release were higher than Wiz Khalifa on 4/20. After a few listens, songs like “Saturday Come Slow”, “Babel” and “Splitting the Atom” won me over, but as a whole the album has its peaks and valleys, mostly due to mediocre vocal appearances. If you’re into interesting production, this is a must hear.
Yeasayer – Odd Blood
I read that this album was inspired by an acid trip the band took as a group. Listening to it makes a lot more sense with that piece of information in mind. I thought this was another case of hearing the best first, as “Ambling Alp” was my initial taste and remained my favorite even after several listens of Odd Blood. But one early morning after very little sleep, I woke up with the “OOooooOooOoh OOooooOOoooOh”s from “Madder Red” in my head. I couldn’t shake it, and I needed to get home and hear that fucking song. A few others are really starting to stick as well. I still skip a few unfocused songs every time I put this album on, but it’s definitely a wild ride worth giving a few tries.
Thanks to @Charismatist for the picture.
