When a band hits their creative peak

[LimpyLoo]

Originally Posted by Alza

Just looking for album recommendations of bands when they make that one album that shows them at their creative peak, or the album when they "..just get it right" in their particular genre. Obviously Sgt. Peppers and dark side are examples, but any ideas on lesser known band. Things like The Mollusk by ween or massive attacks blue lines. Albums that shows the bands creative side more than their commercial side.

Portishead's Third. Refreshingly raw.

Jens Lekman's Oh Your So Silent, Jens. My favorite songwriter of the 21st century. Great lyrics, great vibe, catchy songs, cool samples.

Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue. Say what you want about this guy/album, but it's about time someone unleashed Brazilian harmony and rhythm into the context of electronic music. The singer-songwriter/IDM-auteur duality is an interest dynamic as well.

[Graeme Lang]

For me, "Architecture and Morality" by Orchestral Manouevres In The Dark.

Also, "Don't Stand Me Down" by Dexy's Midnight Runners

[JogolandGroup]

Kate Bush's The Dreaming (1982).

[Alza]

Originally Posted by JogolandGroup

Kate Bush's The Dreaming (1982).

+5

[ionian]

You didn't mention any genres so here goes. I also list when I first saw or heard them for reference of how long I've been following their albums.


Erasure - The Innocents (1987). First heard / became a fan in '86.
This album is a standout. Everyone knows "Chains of Love" and "A Little Respect" but this whole album is full of hooky stuff. "Weight of the World" is amazing. "Heart of Stone" uses Andy's falsetto as a hook. "Witch in the Ditch" - Synthpop in 3/4! There's so much great stuff here. They've peaked again at a smaller level I think with "I say, I say, I say" and "Chorus" (One of my favorite albums, period) but nothing on the level of "The Innocents". I think "Nightbird" was their last somewhat decent album and their most recent stuff is a mess. I mean, whatever hack producer they hired put autotune on Andy's voice on their most recent album. Are you serious? They've officially lost their way. Very sad for this lifetime fan. But considering that Vince Clarke just bought a $4 million dollar house in Park Slope, Brooklyn, he's doing fine and probably will be for the rest of his life if he never writes a great album again!


Shonen Knife - Rock Animals (1994). Saw them first, and a fan since '89 (At the Limelight for other NYC Slutz out there!). Most Shonen Knife fans are divided over this period of their career. This was when they were at their highest peak, being signed to Virgin records, a major label. Of course this album gets the full major label treatment. Most of Naoko's vocals are in tune. The playing is clean and tasty and the album has that major label gloss all over it. A far cry from their very rough earlier albums. Even their later albums on all the various labels since are rough (although not as rough as earlier releases). This is them at their most slickest. I love the production and songwriting here, though. A lot of fans didn't like this part of their career due to the overall major label gloss killing a bit of the punk/rock vibe that they had but this album is still a standout. "Concrete Animals" is fantastic and my favorite song on the album. "Catnip Dream" has great synth strings. Naoko shows her tender side with "Music Square". Great production by the sadly late Page Porazzo. Also features a lot of tasty bass lines and great playing by Michie Nakatani, who is still missed. Like Erasure, they've had other peaks - "Brand New Knife" is another standout and other Shonen Knife fans might say that "Let's Knife" is a better album than this but I didn't count "Let's Knife" since it was, for the most part, a major label re-working of a lot of their earlier material.

Asobi Seksu - Citrus (2006). First checked them out when they were "Sportf*ck" in 2001 but didn't really dig them. I took notice and became a fan in 2004 when they re-christened themselves "Asobi Seksu" (which is really the same name) and released the self-titled album. But they hit it out of the park with "Citrus". Great production, and presentation I might add with the overall package. The CD is in an orange case with a cardboard slipcover. The CD looks like a 45 record. Everything about this album is fun. There are a majority of catchy moments on here. Standouts to me are "Thursday" which opens with a great distant synth sound before a bass appears and leads into exploding hooky shoegaze. "Pink Cloud Tracing Paper" has great melody lines sung and doubled with synth. Love it. "Goodbye" hits the ground running with almost a Joy Division-esque guitar sound and a memorable melody line. This whole album is sugar-coated. Great stuff. I thought they had found their stride with this but sadly they seem to be trying to forget this part of their career and all attempts since have been nowhere near close to the fun and catchy songwriting and production of this album. With their most recent album, "Florescence" I've lost all interest.


So, those are some suggestions from me. I think these bands are all standouts and the fact that in my opinion, their other work has never reached these albums I've cited doesn't mean their other work is bad or not worth checking out. By all means, use these as a springboard. And everyone should be so lucky. If every band in the world had a peak like "The Innocents", "Rock Animals", and "Citrus" there would be much better music out there. Sadly most bands come and go with no real peak at all.

Now I feel old!

Thanks for the memories!

Frank

[Happy Musicfan]

U2 - Boy.


Rush - Moving Pictures.

[PrettyGone]

Blondie - Parallel Lines
Elvis Costello + Attractions - Armed Forces
Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
Squeeze - East Side Story
The Kinks - Arthur

All albums by real bands that had a few releases before these, but were building up to their peak.

[robkramble]

Originally Posted by Alza

Just looking for album recommendations of bands when they make that one album that shows them at their creative peak, or the album when they "..just get it right" in their particular genre. Obviously Sgt. Peppers and dark side are examples, but any ideas on lesser known band. Things like The Mollusk by ween or massive attacks blue lines. Albums that shows the bands creative side more than their commercial side.

I'd argue Sgt. Peppers is hardly the creative peak of the Beatles. Blue Lines is also not remotely close to Massive Attack's peak, I'd say Mezzanine is a much better, more ambitious and more cohesive album overall.

[LimpyLoo]

Originally Posted by robkramble

I'd argue Sgt. Peppers is hardly the creative peak of the Beatles. Blue Lines is also not remotely close to Massive Attack's peak, I'd say Mezzanine is a much better, more ambitious and more cohesive album overall.

I listened to the White Album last night, for the first time in 6 months or so.

That's my favorite album to listen to in the world, I think. It's so interesting. The production, the songs...

I think it and Sgt. Pepper's are neck and neck. I like the White Album better, but Sgt. Pepper's is really interesting.

Some folks think Abbey Road is their peak, but I love the rawness of the White Album so that's my bag. Sounds to me a bit like they're still a little rhythm and blues combo, just with bigger ideas.

[Alza]

Originally Posted by ionian

You didn't mention any genres so here goes. I also list when I first saw or heard them for reference of how long I've been following their albums...

That's the whole idea. Genres' are irrelevant. Just looking for ideas and suggestions to where I might possibly find "the good stuff". Albums etc. that don't necessarily get the exposure they should. Pretty sure there's lots out there that will sound new to my ears, regardless of when it was recorded. Trick is finding them.

..If that makes any sense at all.

Al.

[SlutButtMcNabb]

Originally Posted by ionian

"Chorus" (One of my favorite albums, period)

The Human League - Travelogue
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
Depeche Mode - Black Celebration (their first peak before Violator and SOTU)!
Portishead - Portishead (perfect balance between the first and third album)
The Shamen - Entact

[LimpyLoo]

Originally Posted by SlutButtMcNabb

Portishead - Portishead (perfect balance between the first and third album)

I would say the third album is their creative peak.

[Karloff70]

Massive Attack - Mezzanine

[hutzal]

Hehe...

John Mayer "Continuum"

Its sad but true.

[ionian]

Originally Posted by hutzal

Hehe...

John Mayer "Continuum"

Its sad but true.

That's a great album and I actually like John Mayer's music. I just wish he would make a decision to never talk in public ever again. Ever.

Regards,
Frank

[LimpyLoo]

Originally Posted by ionian

That's a great album and I actually like John Mayer's music. I just wish he would make a decision to never talk in public ever again. Ever.

That's funny. I actually loathe his music, but I watched a 90-minute Berklee masterclass with him that I found quite fascinating, and it made me wish I could like his music even a little bit.

But it's just too saccharine and sentimental.

[creegstor]

Originally Posted by LimpyLoo

That's funny. I actually loathe his music, but I watched a 90-minute Berklee masterclass with him that I found quite fascinating, and it made me wish I could like his music even a little bit.

But it's just too saccharine and sentimental.

Haha yeah. He's a very funny guy, smart and interesting. But I'd rather drink p!ss from an old welly than listen to his music. The notion of him giving a "masterclass" to Berkleepeople kinda sums up everything that's wrong with Berklee really.

[creegstor]

On the Blondie tip: Eat to the Beat > Parallel Lines (which is still a great album)

[LimpyLoo]

Originally Posted by creegstor

Haha yeah. He's a very funny guy, smart and interesting. But I'd rather drink p!ss from an old welly than listen to his music. The notion of him giving a "masterclass" to Berkleepeople kinda sums up everything that's wrong with Berklee really.

I have heard people hating on Berklee for about 10 years now.


Berklee offers information, and some kids come out of there and make amazing music. Others come out and form Passion Pit.



What's your problem with Berklee? Just curious.

[ootini]

Prodigy - Music for the Jilted Generation

[TAGGproductions]

RHCP - by the way

[ST.]

Steely Dan: Aja

Rilo Kiley: The Execution of All Things
I should note, I generally like more hi-fi sounding albums, but this one just seems to represent Rilo Kiley at a creative peak.

The Beatles: Rubber Soul
As much as I love Sgt. Pepper... and Abbey Road, for that matter, I think Rubber Soul seems to be the peak of the pre-psychedelic (if you could call it that) Beatles.

Death Cab for Cutie: Transatlanticism
The vibe on this album is great. The songs seem to embody all that was good about old Death Cab and combine it with a new-found maturity. I enjoy this album sonically, as well.

I think these albums share something in common: all members involved seemed to really bring their best qualities to the table (including Aja with the session musicians). My gripe with Sgt. Pepper is that so much of it is so NOT the Beatles. I believe Ringo made a funny comment about how he became really good at chess during that period. That's not to say his drumming wasn't fantastic as usual on that album, however.

[modularjack]

Radiohead - OK Computer

[gtg697t]

Tool - Lateralus

Shocked no one has mentioned what is, in my opinion, the only album that is both a "pinnacle of achievement" as well as a guide on how to achieve it. Having listened to it well over 5000+ times since it dropped I still discover new things as I experience major life events each track seems to describe.

It's that one album that makes me sit back in awe of how powerful music really can be.

Pink Floyd - The Wall

Another one that produces a similar effect for me. Definitely the standard for any concept album, as Waters presents reoccuring themes that are repeated so many times (some in every song) but still keeps them fresh somehow. Also describes major life events in a much less abstract way. Lateralus sort of makes you dig deep and keep digging.

What's funny is the first few times I listened to Lateralus I was so lost I grew inpatient. But once I began to notice the patterns I fell in love. All thanks to it being forced on me by an obsessive Tool fan friend. Yes, we all have them...

[Lord Lav]

At The Drive In- Relationship of Command

[themixtape]

I have to enthusiastically disagree with Portishead's Third. I can't even listen to that record, and Portishead has been one of my all-time favorite bands since 1994.

Third is the worst thing they have made.

Originally Posted by LimpyLoo

Portishead's Third. Refreshingly raw.

Jens Lekman's Oh Your So Silent, Jens. My favorite songwriter of the 21st century. Great lyrics, great vibe, catchy songs, cool samples.

Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue. Say what you want about this guy/album, but it's about time someone unleashed Brazilian harmony and rhythm into the context of electronic music. The singer-songwriter/IDM-auteur duality is an interest dynamic as well.

[LimpyLoo]

Originally Posted by themixtape

Third is the worst thing they have made.

Mad lolsies dup in heeya.

[banjobach]

Originally Posted by modularjack

Radiohead - OK Computer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McAeQiLmEYU

[tony smyth]

Todd Rungren : A wizard, a true star