Nada Surf - High/Low

YOURZ

Released right in the middle of the 90s, it always seemed to me that Nada Surf provided the link between the sounds of grunge, the nerd-rock of bands like Weezer and the smart art-rock of Sonic Youth and others.  This despite their first single being a huge anthem to the downside of being the coolest kid at school with Popular.

Unfortunately, while High/Low has travelled the years very well and more recently has achieved recognition as a defining piece of music, this was a long time coming.  It didn't help that the band, full of promise, were completely hobbled by a relentless record company, Elektra, looking for a follow-up hit.  When the band presented their second album, the record company basically turned their back on them, letting the album languish until they eventually dropped the band.

While the centre-piece of High/Low is undoubtedly the single, it is so different to the rest of the album, the way it sticks out from the rest of the album is a bit like a sore thumb (I imagine the band probably feel the same way about the song too).  While there is not a dud track here, I particularly like Treehouse, The Plan, Sleep and the closer, Zen Brain.  Definitely a Forgotten Gem for me, so...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Of course I remembered Popular but I hadn't heard any of the rest of the album before, and I was pleasantly surprised.  Good fun, well put together, nice hooks - a shame the "long dark corridor" of the recording industry didn't treat them better.

But it got me thinking - wouldn't this be a great Glee episode?  They could do all those school-type songs.  How about adding in Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus and of course Smells Like Teen Spirit? Then I guess we'd have to have Rock and Roll High School and Beck's Loser.  An episode about high school songs: an instant classic.

Anyway, I loved High/Low and I wasn't expecting to.  Yay!

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.nadasurf.com/

The Strokes - Is This It?

MINE

Mmf.  It's not really my kind of music, and it was a freebie from back in the day.  Listening to it again, I got irritated by the constant use of the megaphone-effect on Julian Casablancas' voice.  It does have an unmistakable New York sound, but it's not Iggy or the Ramones.  It's kind of like G-rated punk. 

I also hated the cover in a Spinal Tap Smell the Glove kind of a way.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

YOURZ

Gotta be said, I'm just not a fan of this hipster crap.  Partly because I've never been cool enough to be considered a hipster (not that I wanted to anyway... or is that the sort of thing a wanna-be hipster might say just to be all 'whatevah'?  If you've got a definitive answer to this question, you're almost certainly not a hipster either so how the fuck would you know?)

Anyway, lets get this back on track...  The other reason I'm not a fan is because I think the music is repetitive and I don't like the way Casablancas hangs a lot of his melodies off the same lines as the bass or guitars.  It is lazy and boring and, and...

You get the idea.

Oh, yeah, and I'm pissed at the drummer, Fab Moretti.  All I'm gonna say is I called dibs on Drew first, you bastard!

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information: http://www.thestrokes.com/

Run-DMC - Raising Hell

YOURZ

Of all the hip hop albums I own, Raising Hell is probably my favourite of them all.  For me, it's as close to perfection as you could hope to get.  Even if you don't like hip hop, listening to this will elevate you.  Its simplicity, its massive rhythms and sharp, shaped MCing, coupled with the biggest crossover hit of its genre in 'Walk This Way' (and doing Aerosmith a huge favour at the same time), guarantee its iconic status.

Having done The Ramones yesterday and following up with this is is a task of sweet, musical pleasure.  Similarly driven and similarly maverick, both bands stood on the edge of their prospective peer groups but ended up showing 'em all what it's really about. Like The Ramones, Run-DMC not only defined the sound but the look and lifestyle as well. 

As much as I liked 'Walk This Way' when I first heard it, this is merely the sugary icing on a very tasty cake. It is tracks like 'It's Tricky', 'Raising Hell' and 'You Be Illin', heavily relying on samples cut with huge beats, that are the real stars of this set.  You can blame these songs for every crap MC trying to rhyme over rock riffs.  The difference is Run-DMC do it right every time.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

It's fun and all, and I do like that this is hip hop done smart.  But just like the Beastie Boys, I prefer their songs dropped into a DJ set. You see, I just can't listen to someone shouting at me, song after song after song.  It literally gives me a headache.

It doesn't help that the hip hop album that's just a short jump away alphabetically is my favourite (and hopefully we'll review this later) Neneh Cherry's Raw Like Sushi.  It's so easy just to take that jump... and the shouting stops.  It's so lovely when it stops!

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

For more information: http://www.rundmc.com/

The Ramones - Anthology

MINE

From the first "Hey! Ho! Let's Go!" to the last fading away of that raw guitar sound, this anthology just leaps out of the stereo into my ears and keeps me humming snatches all day.  Which can be a bit dodgy when you're singing I Wanna Be Sedated under your breath in the break room at work.

I can say I've seen the Ramones, during a trip to Adelaide when the Formula One Grand Prix was still held there (1989) and we hadn't planned it at all.  We heard extra tickets were going on sale at the venue, and queued up for hours in what I recall was absolutely boiling-hot weather in a car park with no shade.  But it was worth it.

The boys delivered a blistering set, at such volume I recall I actually moved to the back of the venue fearing I'd suffer permanent hearing loss.  This from a girl about to sit trackside at a Formula One meet for four days.  What was I thinking?  I scored one of my most treasured merchandise purchases therre - my Ramones shorts, which were admired by many over the next several years.  Unfortunately these went missing in our last move (sulk).  (YourZ sez: I'm still convinced they're in a suitcase under the bed)

Re-listening to the tunes, what surprises me is that they're a lot slower than I was expecting.  Is this because they were faster played live, or because my memory of the recordings is faulty?  (YourZ sez: I'd love to say it's your memory, honey, but I know it's because they played everything way faster live)  (We only recently added this CD to our collection, thanks Col!)  Whatever, it's a great way to start or end your day, or for any time in between.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP fun, fun... oh baby

YOURZ

This collection came to us by way of my Dad.  We were at our favourite mega-store, checking out cheap music and looking at new laptops with my folks.  I'd wandered off to look for something and Dad followed.  I was poring over the CD racks (heh, heh, he said 'rack') and Dad was standing in the aisle, ogling at the sheer number of CDs.  I was wearing my much-loved but falling-to-bits Ramones tshirt and he pointed out this collection and asked if I had it.  When I said no, he offered to buy it as a gift for Mine and YourZ truly.  He wouldn't take no for an answer, thankfully.

To top it off, when we got home later, both he and my Mum wanted to hear it.  I wasn't sure about this but not only did they stay and listen all the way through the first disc, but they both said they actually liked it because it reminded them a lot of the 'old rock and roll' tunes they loved when they were young.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.  (Scary, ain't it?) 

The only other anecdote I have about them is the one where a friend overheard a young woman talking to her friend about his tshirt.  He had to correct her after she pronounced the name as The Ram Ones.  This still makes me giggle.

Anyway, I feel like I'm gonna make a big hypocrite out of myself, particularly after the way I carried on about the Pink Floyd compilation yesterday but I'm gonna plead ignorance and damn the consequences.  (Mine says: Blame youth and inexperience tempered with long and faithful service)  This is, hands down, the best fucking collection we have.  The booklet and rare photos that accompany it are superb and the track listing includes material from their entire career.  There are no exceptions or fillers on this - every track is a killer. 

Thanks Dad, you old punk-rocker, you!

VERDICT: TURN IT UP gabba, gabba, hey!

For more information: http://www.last.fm/music/Ramones

In our collection we also have We're Outta Here