Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy

      I heard about this album and I first thought that this was going to be a morbid album full of macabre sentiments, particularly the title track, "Excitable Boy", a story about an "excitable boy" whom takes a girl out on a date, rapes and kills her and then after he's released from the looney bin digs up her bones and keeps them. Then as I listened I realized once again that you cannot judge a record by its cover and I once again realized I've heard a number of songs on the album already. The song "Werewolves of London" was one of those "so that's who sings that song!" moments.
     My second thought about this album was "Wow, for such a feminine looking guy he sure has a masculine voice". The songs are enjoyable, good traditional rock and roll and overall a good album, his most commercially successful as well, if I'm not mistaken. I have a prejudice, however against the artist himself. Talented as he may be, there is something about his face that irks me. Have you ever met a person who's face just annoyed you? That's sort of how Zevon makes me feel. He puts his face on all of his album covers, or most of them, and if I choose to look at the sleeve itself, it almost ruins the listening experience. But, like records, you cannot judge a person by their exterior, and he nonetheless makes music I enjoy listening to.

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of Montreal - Horse and Elephant Eatery

 

         This is a personal favorite artist of mine. They are a versatile indie band from Athens, Georgia that has changed quite drastically. They have become more flamboyant in their musical style, ranging from children's book garage rock in their early work to the psilocybin haze of their strange psychedelic dance music in their newest efforts. Their lead singer and songwriter, Kevin Barnes is an extremely talented lyricist. He's evolved over the years, first displaying nonsensical banter, such as this album demonstrates, intricate emotional and chronological themes and stories on concept albums like "The Gay Parade" and "Coquelicot Asleep In the Poppies", and highly personal lyricism found in "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?" and "Skeletal Lamping". All the while, he's never failed to write one hell of a pop song. I have always admired, or fell in love with Kevin's ability to take the smallest of expressions and parts of songs and make them totally meaningful, where one phrase of a song lasting a few seconds can make the whole song and make you listen again and again.
         Horse and Elephant Eatery is a compilation album of B-Sides and oddities from their early career up until 2000 when this album was released. There are a few covers, and a bit of Kevin's trademark nonsensical lyrics and a stirring psychedelic children's story "Ira's Brief Life As a Spider" about a baby spider dying and being reincarnated on the planet called Nearly, where wild horses hold the majority in the senate and Ira has discovered pudding. His favorite is the kind without raisins. There are plenty of amazing pop songs on this record, my favorites being "Scenes From My Funeral" which depicts the singer's funeral, his body clad in a dark blue suit with blue stars, and his spirit dancing on all of the attendant's bald heads. Other favorites include "Joseph and Alexander", "Buried With Me", and "The You I Created".

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Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate [FIRST POST!]

Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate

 

    This record I received from my uncle Phil. He was and is a very avid music appreciator and is the source of many of the records I will post from the 60's to the early 90's. Today he came to visit, and he is slowly unloading his ridiculously large record collection unto me, giving me more than I could possibly listen to. This is probably the main reason I've chosen to write this blog, to make good of his gifts and listen to everything he's given me.

    This is a Leonard Cohen classic from 1971. Cohen is a legend hailing from Canada, probably most famous for his song "Hallelujah" which has been covered infinitely. He is of the singer-songwriter/folk genre, one of my favorite kinds of music. This is a solid album that I highly recommend. It's a very relaxing, however emotionally engaging listen. His lyrics are very poetic, resembling textbook poetry when read but not heard.

     Favorites on this album are the first track, "Avalanche" and an interesting song, "Joan of Arc", told through the point of view of the flames consuming her.

    Thanks for reading, and I hope I can expand your musical horizons in the days to come.

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