People say that your dreams are the only things that save you

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day...

20.04.17 : Radiator - Super Furry Animals (1997)

I always thought I should like Super Furry Animals, but whenever I came across one of their tracks I was always "well, it's OK I guess" which isn't really the starting point for a beautiful musical relationship.  So I guess I was interested to listen to the album but not overburdened with expectations.  And - well, it's OK I guess.  There are some interesting sounds on it but overall it's just not really something I ever got into - and there were so many other groups from that time period that I enjoyed (and still enjoy) that they just never got a look in, I'm afraid.  I do like the album cover though.  The channel featured quite a few people that very much enjoyed them from back in the day - the reaction was overwhelmingly positive and managed to tempt a passerby to join as well.

Wikipedia tells me the album is very highly regarded critically - #92 in NME's 500 greatest albums - and also did well commercially, getting to #8 in the UK album charts (which completely passed me by at the time).  Apart from that, it doesn't have a lot to say about it other than Gruff Rhys considered it to be "more interesting" than their debut, which is really going overboard on the hype now, isn't it?  "Customers also listened to" Longpigs, Bluetones, Sleeper, Idlewild, Echobelly, Teenage Fanclub - a veritable smorgasbord of names from back in the day and I'm afraid that's where Super Furry Animals are going to stay for me, I'm afraid.

20.04.20 : Funeral - Arcade Fire (2004)

Wow - another one I've actually heard before and I have the evidence to prove it.  Looking back, it was unlucky to be the first album on my Rolling Stone marathon and it certainly compared well with some of the dross that followed it, but I stand by my statement that it's an album unlikely to convert non-believers.  The channel obviously consisted mostly of believers, and there was also some evidence of conversion to prove me wrong - but I can very much go with the comment "I've always really liked the vibe of Arcade Fire, and how big the band is - I just don't always enjoy the dude's voice". 

I've already scoured Wikipedia as part of the original review, but whilst extracting the album cover I noticed this fascinating fact which I previously missed - "the album had the second most appearances on end-of-decade Top 10 lists, only behind Radiohead's Kid A" (and it's safe to say I don't like Kid A one bit).  Tbh, the biggest surprise about the whole thing for me is that Narj managed to hold off picking Laura Marling until her third album - it must have killed her!  Although she did mention Laura a couple of times (and she also totally cheated by picking three albums - REFEREE!).  

20.04.21 : Avalanche - Matthew Good (2003)

We're firmly in the "late 90s/early 00s" period for this round aren't we - and it always scares me when I realise how long ago that was now.  This was another album I pretty much knew what it was going to sound like looking at the cover - and for once I was right (it has to happen from time to time!).  It also didn't surprise me that he was Canadian - he gives off that vibe.  I quite enjoyed it although I'm struggling to describe it.  Wikipedia goes for "alternative rock" which doesn't feel quite right to me (and what is "alternative rock" anyway?) - something like "soft rock" maybe feels like a better description but that sounds like some nomenclature that would scare people off.  I particularly liked "21st Century Living" - it's a bit "cheesy alternative rock" but it seemed to hit the spot for me.  The channel generally liked it from a position of limited exposure - although it did spark off a large rabbit-hole of discussion around tracks that would most definitely not fit into the "soft rock" category - but if it's OK with you, I'll give them a miss.

Wikipedia doesn't have a lot to say about the album, but the stuff it does have to say is surprisingly detailed - it's like the entry was composed by a lazy uberfan.  I was impressed to see that the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra were involved on a couple of tracks - I did think there was a "full" sound to some of the album.  It also contains the following odd sentence "The album received high praise from both music critics and fans of Good alike" - as though those are the only two categories of people that exist.  

Customers also listened to The Matthew Good Band (potentially related?), Our Lady Peace and Neverending White LIghts, which are fine names for bands but I can tell you absolutely nothing about them.  I didn't mind this and would be perfectly happy to listen to it again, but wasn't convinced there was enough there to make me remember to put it on again.

So this round is between Arcade Fire and Matthew Good for me - and I think Arcade Fire shade it on account of the high points for their album being just that little bit higher than Matthew's.  Either way, Canada rocks!

20.04.14 - And back to ignorance
20.04.22 - Not a lot in common with these three