Wednesday, December 13, 2006

New beginning again...a little bit closer


#18 Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, Simon & Garfunkel

When I was in Junior High, my mom and I were shopping in Woolworth. We came upon an endcap of $2.99 cassette tapes. Mom picked one up and popped it in the tape deck for the ride home. Thus, I was introduced to Simon & Garfunkel. This tape was only their greatest hits however. It wasn't until years later that I would actually listen to any of their full albums.

This, their first record (as "Simon & Garfunkel"), is completely different than my initial introduction. It contains some of the poetic folk you expect, but it also features a few gospel tunes. It emphasizes the importance of their vocal training and gives a taste of the lyrical masterpieces to come. The tracks are rather diverse for this pair. From "Bleeker Street" to "Benedictus" to "The Sounds of Silence", each song highlights a beloved aspect of the duo .






#17 Gran Turismo, The Cardigans

The lyrics printed on the cover capture the feeling of the record; "Come take us out of here/take us anywhere...oh yeah." Strangely enough, the place it takes me is also depicted on the cover. The first track, Paralyzed, is a lift off followed by several tracks of ascent until I find myself suddenly floating above the clouds. The music gradually descends until I am standing on the ground again at the end of the last track, Nil.

Unlike the adult contemporary pop of the most recent Cardigans and company offerings, this album is mysteriously enticing, seductive rock. What is it you boys used to say? Dirty, raunchy, sexy? This is it. To go from this album to such obvious and predictable pap makes me gag. Sorry. They're dead to me now...which makes this work of art even more valuable.

8 comments:

Captain Ultra said...

HA! dirty, raunchy, sexy!

i think i lost that damned stomp box in marks basement somewhere. :(

"gran turismo" is amazing. although i TOTALLY enjoyed nina's solo efforts (see my #21), i felt that "long gone before daylight" was a poor attempt at stealing her work. and by "poor," i mean "horrible" and by "stealing" i mean "ruining"

i havent listened to the latest offering.

Big Cougar said...

Good pop writing is what the Cardigans have, and continue to be, about. While I think Gran Turismo is the apex of their oeuvre, its sound is an exception to the general Cardigans rule of playful pop (cf. the catchy First Band on the Moon and sugary Life). I have found their subsequent two records after Turismo, Long Gone Before Daylight and this year's Super Extra Gravity, excellent pop offerings. Granted, anyone wanting a further descent into the lustful electronic darkness created by Turismo would certainly be disappointed with them, but that doesn't take away their appeal as good pop rock with an erotic edge sung by a beautiful chanteuse. Or, at least that's the opinion of this humble author.

ATrain said...

okay, bro, you really need to lighten up on the use of ouevre - I can't find my turtleneck and tweed sportcoat anywhere...

also, i'll second the defense of the Cardigans. Gran Turismo is great, but where along the line did making a nice listenable pop album become a sin?

ATrain said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ATrain said...

that was supposed to be "oeuvre" of course...there's some rich irony in mocking a term you also misspell...

Papa Shoegaze said...

as well as chanteuse...

hey, i know we are pushing 30, but the Cardigans last 2 are Adult Contemporary Pop. enjoy as you will...
who said there was anything wrong with a nice pop album? but when you hear what a band can do and has done, and then they fall back on predicability as art...hope they are getting fatter paychecks now.

Sugar Mama said...

Oh dear Master Cougar, you should know by now that I love me some pop. The key words here are "adult contemporary." And A-Train, their newer stuff is neither nice nor listenable to my ears.

I agree that Gran Turismo is the exception to the rule with this band. I also own and love First Band on the Moon. They just became middle aged, and I'm not there yet. My apologies to those who are.

ATrain said...

ouch...i'll take that one to heart...