Thoughts on Raucous Rock’n’Roll

For a long time I haven’t really been thinking of Rock’n’Roll too much. It’s true that here and there were flickers all along the other stuff. To tell the truth, a lot of my focus has been on the music of Devo.

Devo rock, sure, but they're not really rock. To me they're above the fray of genre.

I’ve decided that I really like the lyrics of their 2010 album, Something for Everybody—I was into the music for a while but the lyrics suddenly came into focus. It’s unique album that manages to fuse the sometimes patchy band’s best form with contemporary concerns and production. The album’s provenance is also highly interesting: the title stems from the band’s decision to operate like a multinational corporation and employ focus groups to choose the track list.

Devo are currently zeitgeist because of their anti-Romney song:

CD Report and Mono vs. Stereo

I just wanted to recount some thoughts on CDs and some (rare) issues that have cropped up recently. Remarks on Sugar's recent Copper Blue reissue and The Sonics on the 2003Psycho-Sonic compilation after the jump. Apologies in advance for any moaning. Another tiny item of news is that I've decided to start compiling a discography for music you absolutely have to listen to in mono (vinyl or CD), head-on. The first entry will be Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators. The intial entries are going to be largely Psychedelic and Garage rock, I hope to branch out after that.

Trailer Trash Tracys – Ester, Double Six Records

The build-up of TTTs is something I was blissfully unaware of until reviewing this, their debut album. There is a fine line between albums which mesmerise with their sonics and production, alluding to a dream-like alternate perception of the world and albums which wash themselves out  and lose impact. I am afraid to say that Ester suffers the problems of the latter.