Marc Fagel's Blog: Jittery White Guy Music: The Blog, page 168

Robert Fripp: Exposure (1979)

A fascinating album from a towering figure.  Robert Fripp, of course, was the founding guitarist of King Crimson, leading various iterations of that band from '68-'74 when it was the epitome of progressive rock, and then again intermittently (and in various configurations) since '81.  (BTW, I recently wrote-up my Top 10 Crimson songs for online publication Toppemost.)  Between those eras, however, Fripp was a hired gun, lending his guitars and production duties to a diverse...

The Paisley Underground -- A Mix

Between pulling out my old True West records for a post last week, and diving in to the brand new (and insanely trippy and jammed-out) Dream Syndicate album, I figured it was time to throw together a quick Paisley Underground mix for me and thee.

Now, the problem with genre signifiers like the Paisley Underground (see also Elephant 6) is that, as a non-insider myself, I have no idea the extent to which they're just media shorthands for a collection of bands which happened to share some musical...

Anna Burch: If You're Dreaming (2020)

Quick take today on another great new release, this one the sophomore effort from indie singer-songwriter Anna Burch.

I wrote about Burch's wonderful debut as one of my earliest posts.  The new one is a little more laid-back, slower moving, less reliant on catchy hooks than Burch's voice and guitar to ease you through the tunes.  And as Burch's vocals remain totally captivating, this is pretty much all you need.

There are a few songs with a touch more immediacy, more in line with the...

Pavement: Wowee Zowee (1995)

This album was such a huge disappointment when I first heard it (apparently 25 years ago today). Their first album, Slanted & Enchanted, was on my "this-record-changed-my-life" shortlist (and indeed, I gave it it's own chapter in my book, which I'd still love for you to check out if you haven't yet). The follow-up, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, was nearly as great, perhaps marginally less novel and stunning but with some sweeping high points.


But Wowee Zowee was a mess.  A much longer...

E (a.k.a. Mark Oliver Everett): A Man Called E (1992)

Mark Oliver Everett is one of my favorite artists of the past few decades.  You probably know him (if at all) through the work of the Eels -- a band which is essentially Everett with a rotating cast of players.  They briefly blew up on their 1996 debut, the excellent Beautiful Freak, highlighted by the alternative radio hit "Novocaine For The Soul" (which sounds like the makings of the ideal one-hit wonder but for the fact that it's a simply incredible song) and of course "My...

True West: Hollywood Holiday (1983)

True West were part of the crop of early/mid-80s Paisley Underground bands (though based in Sacramento rather than L.A.), blending post-punk guitar jangle with revivalist 60s psychedelia.  On their debut EP, True West brought a dark vibe to their psyche/garage band sound, more on the Dream Syndicate side of the equation than, say, Rain Parade or the Bangles.  The original EP (or mini-LP, as it was quickly re-released with a few additional tunes) had an obvious ringer in a bang-up...

Grayfolded: Transitive Axis (1994)

I recently read that, while the Trump Virus is wreaking economic devastation (beyond the human toll), a few industries have seen significant growth during the pandemic lock-down -- weed, booze, and porn.

For those of you partaking in item #1 -- of just looking for some trippy instrumental background music for your work-at-home duties -- I give you Grayfolded: Transitive Axis (and its sequel from the following year, Mirror Ashes).  And while this is largely of interest to Grateful Dead ...

Miracle Legion: The Backyard EP (1984)

Short album today, so short write-up.

Miracle Legion were one of the many great jangly-guitar bands to grow up in R.E.M.'s long mid-80s college radio shadow.  Over time, however, Mark Mulcahey introduced increasingly melancholic and haunting strains to the music, perhaps a bit of his New England winter responding to the Athens sunshine, offering a unique voice.  There are many gems to be found in both the band's work (including 2016's fine post-reunion album) and Mulcahey's solo...

Devo: Are We Not Men? (1978)

(Full title -- Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!)

Now, in order to talk Devo, we really do need some stage-setting. It's all about context.

Early '80s, a midwestern suburb north of Chicago. My high school was near Lake Michigan; rich kids living near the Lake, the rest of us further inland. Almost universally white. High stress environment, nightmares about the SAT and getting into the right Big Ten college and the cool fraternity/sorority, maybe even a private university out east. The sort of...

Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Trilogy (1972)

ELP pretty much ushered in the end of my high school flirtation with progressive rock.  I adored Peter Gabriel-era Genesis (still do), as well as much of King Crimson's work (though it was a bit spottier).  From those two, I moved on to a bit of Jethro Tull (ok in small doses), tried out Yes (was put off by Jon Anderson's voice and didn't dig too deep, though years later I learned to appreciate it), and ultimately turned to prog mainstays Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

In contrast to...