Solid Records¶
477 words on Music
There are records which are outright fantastic. Which you don’t want to remove from the record player and which you feel you’ll need to hear once daily for the rest of your life. Luckily those records are rare. So the disappointment that can’t possibly listen to them every single day will be tolerable. But there are also records which don’t quite hit this level but which are very ‘solid’. You don’t need to listen to them every day – but you’d happily do it. They might not be as exciting, revolutionary or life changing as other records, but they’ll keep you happy. I want to present three such records here.
We Are Scientists
I feel like I just have to love We are Scientists’ album ‘With Love and Squalor for formal reasons alone. Not only does its title teach me a new English word – the band name itself naturally appeals to me and their cover art is the first valid excuse to post a photo with kittens here. Fantastic.
Their songs are short and sound like you want today’s happy indie music to sound. Many of the songs vary slightly in style and will remind you of a range of other indie bands (I really needed to convince myself that Worth The Wait isn’t Hot Hot Heat playing, say). But you won’t mind because it’s just fine like that – there are kittens on the cover art after all!
Favourite songs so far are the catchy single Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt and the very short Callbacks. The next thing I am going to wonder about is whether those song titles along with others like This Scene is Dead, Cash Cow, Textbook or Worth the Wait are meant to make fun of science…
Wolf Parade
Another ‘W’ band and more cool song titles including obscure ones like You are a Runner and I am my Father’s Son or Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts can be found on Wolf Parade’s album Apologies to the Queen Mary. Alltogether we get a mildly addictive record which assures us numerous times that ‘this heart’s on fire’ in its closing track (although not quite as many times as ‘Child Stars’ are sung about by others…), thereby convinving us to flip over the record and listen to it again…
Talking about the record with its rather minimal cover art, I just have to add that a tiny little detail like making the inner side of the record cover red can make the whole thing look much cooler.
Oh, and it’s music from Canada, once more…
The National
Finally, I need to mention The National’s album Alligator. Subtle and blurry cover art with an amusing font. And more solidness in the calm music. Just the record for some calm Sunday afternoons.
Favourite songs: Mr November, Friend of Mine and Abel.
