HOF's Top 50 "Pop" Albums - #31 The first in a series of transitional albums

[Stadler]

Sneaking another one in today, because, well it’s Sunday.

48. The Sundays - Static & Silence (1997)



Another late 90s album from a band I knew nothing about until recently other than the song "Summertime," which was a bit of a radio hit in 1997. A late night YouTube rabbit hole brought that song back to my attention, which led me to seek out the album for the first time. I was immediately hooked by the mix of songwriting, playing, and instrumentation on this album.

The group is the creation of guitarist David Gavurin and singer Harrier Wheeler. While this album is very much in that late 90s alternative/indie pop style production-wise, it has some chamber pop elements in terms of the instrumentation as well. There's lots of layered guitar work by Gavurin, with a nice blend of jangly, chiming electric guitars and articulate acoustic lines, and some great melodic bass as well. The album makes effective use of string and horn arrangements throughout with some piano and flute in places as well. Wheeler is the real star here though. She has the perfect voice to carry this music. It's all very well produced and recorded, just a great sounding album.   

If you don't know "Summertime," it's just a charming song. One of those tunes that just makes you smile, like a good pop tune should. Another favorite, "Folk Song,” is a more pensive guitar, voice, and strings piece. “She" is a more upbeat track with some interesting percussive elements. “Cry” has a fantastic middle eight featuring mandolin over strings. “Leave This City” and “Monochrome” are each gentle tracks that showcase Harriet’s voice, the later apparently being inspired by the Apollo 11 moon landing (and hence the moon on the cover).

This was the band’s third and final album, with Wheeler and Gavurin putting music on hold to raise their young family. Their earlier music seems to have more of a The Cure or The Smiths quality about it, but I’ll be checking those albums out as well I’m sure.

Favorite tracks: Summertime, Folk Song, She, Cry, Monochrome.

Im a fan of the second album; I'm not sure I heard this one yet.

[hefdaddy42]

Never heard of this. I'll definitely check it out.

[WilliamMunny]

All three Sundays albums are perfection!

[HOF]

I did mean to mention the other track by The Sundays that I was previously familiar with is their cover of The Rolling Stones' Wild Horses. I didn't know it was them until recently, but if you've watched all of Psyche you've heard it!

[HOF]

47. Tim Finn - Tim Finn (1989)



This won't be the last Finn-related album on the countdown, and it's actually one of several to come out of the South Pacific. Tim Finn is probably better known for Split Enz than for his solo work, or for being Neil Finn's brother and sometimes band mate in Crowded House. While I've yet to really get into Split Enz, I'm a big fan of Crowded House as well as Tim and Neil's collaboration Finn Brothers.

What makes this album interesting to me is that it features most of Peter Gabriel's backing band (Tony Levin, David Rhodes, Jerry Marotta) with production by Crowded House producer Mitchel Froom and some additional guitar and vocals from Neil Finn (and some guitar work by Tim Pierce, who also contributed to those Froom-produced Crowded House records). While it's more of a straight pop record than a Peter Gabriel type of affair, you do get a sense in places that it's Peter Gabriel meets Crowded House, which is a fun combo IMO.

"Tears Inside," "Show A Little Mercy," and "Been There Done That" are the best examples of that crossover, with Tony Levin providing his trademark bass tones as the foundation for those tracks. The general soundscape of those tracks could have been a Peter Gabriel track for sure. Other highlights include the more ballady "Not Even Close" and "How'm I Gonna Sleep," and the very Crowded House-ish "Crescendo." There's also a world music aspect here, including what I imagine to be polynesian influences on tracks like "Young Mountain" and "Parihaka." "Birds Swim Fish Fly" kind of has an Elvis in Hawaii vibe, but with a horn section too.

It's a fun album that I can't imagine many people outside of New Zealand or Australia heard. There's not a whole lot of information about it online, but it was released on the same record label as Crowded House on the heels of those the early Crowded House records, and it does have an air of trying to replicate the Crowded House formula with Tim instead of Neil (even the artwork is painted in a similar style). They are similar enough singers that you can kind of squint and pretend it's Neil at times (it got kind of confusing when Tim joined Crowded House for their next album after this). But Tim is a great songwriter in his own right, and this one is worth checking out if you like Crowded House/Peter Gabriel.

Favorite tracks: Tears Inside, Show A Little Mercy, Not Even Close, How'm I Gonna Sleep

[hefdaddy42]

Not familiar with this at all.

[HOF]

Let's go on with a new one for the weekend.

46. Beck - Sea Change (2002)



Some of my friends in college really liked this one, and I remember Mike Portnoy raving about it on his forum back at the time. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have checked this album out. I’ve never been a fan of Beck's music in general, but this one is tremendous. I've had this one for a long time, but I don't revisit it often enough probably because it's just a little on the sad/gloomy side of things. I don't know if Doom Pop is a thing, but this would probably fit that description. But it's an exceptionally well recorded and produced album. Just pure warmth radiating from the speakers. It's kind of Johnny Cash meets Brian Wilson musically, and sounds like it was made in the 60s or 70s but with modern recording technology.

As is becoming a theme here, it's the orchestral tracks that really shine (similar to the Duncan Sheik album). The strings sound massive, and tracks like "Paper Tiger," "Lonesome Tears," and "Round the Bend" are sonically deep enough to swim in. But every track has layers of guitars, percussion, harmonica, piano, or electronic bits and bobs to make them interesting. It's very much an audiophile sort of album with lots of little details to pick up on each time you hear it. And while I never previously thought of Beck as a great singer, his vocal performance here is perfect for this sort of music. He's perfect for tracks like "The Golden Age" and "Guess I'm Doing Fine."

My one complaint about this album is that it should have ended on the excellent "Sunday Sun," which is a nice Beach Boys and Beatles mashup. That discordant ending would have been a great send off, and ending here cuts the album off at a perfect 45 minutes. But instead we get probably the two weakest tracks tacked on to the end of the album. Oh well, you can't get everything you want.

Favorite tracks: The Golden Age, Paper Tiger, Lonesome Tears, Round the Bend, Sunday Sun
 

[Stadler]

I might check this out.  I always say I don't like Beck but every once in a while I'll hear a song by him I really dig.   I have this image as a sort of indie darling who's too precocious for his own good (I despise the song "Loser") but I'm not sure that's really the case (I love his quote about the success of "Loser" and the so-called Slacker Movement: ""Slacker my ass. I never had any slack.")

[Sacul]

A bit late, but gave a listen to Bookends and the Adrian Belew album. Cool stuff, not quite up my alley, but I'll still check out the rest of the list so far.

Sea Change I haven't listened to in years, but I still listen to Sunday Sun whenever it pops up on my favs playlist.

[HOF]

I might check this out.  I always say I don't like Beck but every once in a while I'll hear a song by him I really dig.   I have this image as a sort of indie darling who's too precocious for his own good (I despise the song "Loser") but I'm not sure that's really the case (I love his quote about the success of "Loser" and the so-called Slacker Movement: ""Slacker my ass. I never had any slack.")

Yeah, I kind of liked Loser, but I found a lot of those 90s hits to be really grating. When this one came out, the buzz was great enough to make me reconsider. I tried one other album (Mutations) and got nothing out of it though. Not sure if there is anything else in his catalog that stands up to this or not.

[HOF]

A bit late, but gave a listen to Bookends and the Adrian Belew album. Cool stuff, not quite up my alley, but I'll still check out the rest of the list so far.

Sea Change I haven't listened to in years, but I still listen to Sunday Sun whenever it pops up on my favs playlist.

 

Yeah, Sunday Sun is really good (and one that you don’t have to be in a down mood for!).

[billboy73]

I might check this out.  I always say I don't like Beck but every once in a while I'll hear a song by him I really dig.   I have this image as a sort of indie darling who's too precocious for his own good (I despise the song "Loser") but I'm not sure that's really the case (I love his quote about the success of "Loser" and the so-called Slacker Movement: ""Slacker my ass. I never had any slack.")

Yeah, I kind of liked Loser, but I found a lot of those 90s hits to be really grating. When this one came out, the buzz was great enough to make me reconsider. I tried one other album (Mutations) and got nothing out of it though. Not sure if there is anything else in his catalog that stands up to this or not.

Check out Morning Phase.  It gets lumped with Sea Change as they are in the same territory.  I like Sea Change, but Morning Phase is the better record for me.

[DragonAttack]

behind the times here

Briefly, as to 'Bookends'

A favorite of the wife's is 'A Hazy Shade of Winter', which they used to start off their '03 tour, which we saw in Baltimore.   There's also 'Bookends', 'Mrs. Robinson', the very quirky 'Fakin' It', and 'America' that are worth hearing.

Sidenote as to 'America':  I left Michigan for Baltimore in 2001.  At the concert in '03, when the verse 'Michigan seems like a dream to me now' is sung, followed by  'it took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw.....'

frick.....I damn near started crying.  I still get semi teary eyed thinking of that moment.....

Pet Sounds and Smile:

ahead of the times, but there's something somewhat lacking and mellow.  I still remember my HS girlfriend offered up 'Sloop John B' during a rock and modern poetry class to discuss and review after a listen.  My offerings:  Alice Cooper's ' You Drive Me Nervous' and 'Halo of Flies'.

[ReaperKK]

Sea Change is such a great record. The atmosphere and vibe brings me back to high school which is when I first heard the record.

This might not make a lot of sense but Sea Change and Morning View by Incubus occupy this weird spot in my mind. I distinctly remember when those albums came out and I thought back then (even wrote about it in my journals) that there was this strange sadness and melancholy to those albums, Sea Change more than Morning View. As time goes on and I revisit those albums I feel that melancholy again but it's more intense because now I'm revisiting memories that more and more distant.

/end rambling

[HOF]

Sea Change is such a great record. The atmosphere and vibe brings me back to high school which is when I first heard the record.

This might not make a lot of sense but Sea Change and Morning View by Incubus occupy this weird spot in my mind. I distinctly remember when those albums came out and I thought back then (even wrote about it in my journals) that there was this strange sadness and melancholy to those albums, Sea Change more than Morning View. As time goes on and I revisit those albums I feel that melancholy again but it's more intense because now I'm revisiting memories that more and more distant.

/end rambling

I never really got in to Incubus, but I did like their sound and thought what I heard of Morning View was pretty good. Definitely knew people who were big into both albums around that time. I should give it a full listen some time.

[SoundscapeMN]

I might check this out.  I always say I don't like Beck but every once in a while I'll hear a song by him I really dig.   I have this image as a sort of indie darling who's too precocious for his own good (I despise the song "Loser") but I'm not sure that's really the case (I love his quote about the success of "Loser" and the so-called Slacker Movement: ""Slacker my ass. I never had any slack.")

Yeah, I kind of liked Loser, but I found a lot of those 90s hits to be really grating. When this one came out, the buzz was great enough to make me reconsider. I tried one other album (Mutations) and got nothing out of it though. Not sure if there is anything else in his catalog that stands up to this or not.

Check out Morning Phase.  It gets lumped with Sea Change as they are in the same territory.  I like Sea Change, but Morning Phase is the better record for me.

Colors is the only Beck album I've really liked. It has several catchy, upbeat tracks.

Beck is 1 of those artists who influenced some artists I love, but I have never been blown away by.

[HOF]

behind the times here

Briefly, as to 'Bookends'

A favorite of the wife's is 'A Hazy Shade of Winter', which they used to start off their '03 tour, which we saw in Baltimore.   There's also 'Bookends', 'Mrs. Robinson', the very quirky 'Fakin' It', and 'America' that are worth hearing.

Sidenote as to 'America':  I left Michigan for Baltimore in 2001.  At the concert in '03, when the verse 'Michigan seems like a dream to me now' is sung, followed by  'it took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw.....'

frick.....I damn near started crying.  I still get semi teary eyed thinking of that moment.....

America is a really great song and it evokes certain emotions in me even though I don’t have that same exact life experience. The sound of that song and the album just feels nostalgic for that time period.

[HOF]

45. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)



Say what you will about Coldplay (and I'm not a fan of all of their music), but this was a great album. Kind of like Sea Change, it has fallen out of my regular rotation over the years, but listening to it again I’m reminded how strong it is.

Credit it to Brian Eno maybe, but it all just came together here. Chris Martin changed his vocal style a bit, the band explored lots of different styles and textures, and they created an album that flows together naturally from start to finish. It's a quintessential art pop type of album, and I wouldn't argue too hard if you wanted to call it progressive.

The album opens with an ambient instrumental track, "Life in Technicolor," which flows straight into "Cemeteries of London” Several tracks ("42," "Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love," and "Yes") take a complete turn mid-track, almost like separate songs stuck together. Then the album closes with "Death and All His Friends" reprising "Life in Technicolor." That's all pretty proggy, right? Almost a concept album type of move. The flow is also helped by the album being a snappy 45 minutes, something I appreciate.

You’d be forgiven if you got sick of the title track. It was everywhere, and it seemed like everyone loved it. But what a perfectly executed pop tune. Those strings are so vibrant, and the build up at the end is glorious. I love the tragedy of the lyrics. Definitely not the type of subject that you ordinarily put into a cheery pop tune.  Great use of irony there. Another big favorite is "Lost!." which is  just a great driving or running song. I will admit that I’m not too fond of “Violet Hill,” maybe the lone weak spot on the album.

Don’t let the Coldplay label scare you off. They have had their moments throughout their career, and this one is a significant work that holds up well 15 years later.

Favorite Tracks: "Lost!," "Lovers in Japan/Reign," "Yes," "Viva La Vida," "Death and All His Friends."

[Stadler]

This is a great album; I might put "A Rush Of Blood..." higher, but still.  Coldplay is very polarizing to me (I either love them or hate them and I'm not really a fan of Chris Martin) but this is still a very good record.

[ReaperKK]

I really like "Lost" but didn't really connect with anything else. Peak Coldplay was Parachutes for me.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

That's the last album of theirs I really liked.  I don't think their newer sound suits them as well.  "42" and "Death and All His Friends" are killer tracks, and "Viva La Vida" and "Violet Hill" were probably a bit overplayed, but still quite good. 

[KevShmev]

I'm not really a Coldplay fan, but Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is fantastic from start to finish.  It's too bad they don't get that arty more often, because you can hear the talent is there.

[hefdaddy42]

It's OK.  Not bad.

[King Postwhore]

It's the last album I really liked by them.

[HOF]

Happy Friday! Something a little different today.

44. Field Music - Open Here (2018)



This album was my introduction to Field Music, which is essentially a duo of brothers David and Peter Brewis who released their first album in 2005 and have remained very active since with lots of spin-off projects as well. They are one of the harder to categorize groups on this countdown, and I would probably put them closer to the progressive than pop category in general.

At different points in their catalog you'll come across similarities to Yes, Gentle Giant, and King Crimson, and more broadly a mix of rock, jazz, funk, R&B, soul, and electronic elements. It's all a bit of a mashup usually contained in shorter 3-5 minute tracks. I don't want to overemphasize the influences though, because nobody really sounds like them or does what they do.

Open Here has lots of art pop and chamber pop trademarks, and you'd be forgiven for thinking they were largely influenced by XTC, though they claim it's more due to a common influence in The Beatles. You’ll also hear a lot of Talking Heads in this one. Lyrically, it spans from socio-political commentary to songs about being kicked out of your own bed by young kids.

The album starts out with two total ear worms, “Time in Joy” and “Count It Up.” The former burst out of a slow build up with an infectious rhythm track and groove that lives up to the name. “Count It Up” heavily channels David Byrne over a bed of synths and drums. The title track evokes The Beatles heavily, with a string quartet, harpsichord, and multi-part vocal harmonies. “Goodbye To The Country” follows with a funk groove and some really cool, angular guitar work. "Cameraman" is a more psychedelic track with some hypnotic percussion and various instruments weaving in and out. The album closes on the slow-building but beautifully orchestrated "Find A Way To Keep Me."

While this is probably the most accessible album from Field Music, it can still be a bit dense. But it's worth a careful listen because there is lots of ear candy to discover in the melodies, harmonies, and the various sonic elements that appear throughout. It's a rich album with lots to unpack for sure, and if you like this there is lots more to explore from this group.

Favorite tracks: Time In Joy, Count It Up, Open Here, Cameraman Find A Way To Keep Me

[HOF]

I do hope some people give that Field Music album a shot at some point, but moving on for Monday…

43. Kevin Gilbert - Thud (1994)



A confession: sometimes I think this album is a little bit overrated because of the Kevin’s passing soon after and the bitterness towards Sheryl Crow having more success with her solo career around this time. But that doesn't mean it's not a great album, and as I kept coming back to it for this exercise I felt like I really did need to include it.

To really buy into Kevin's music you maybe have to get his personality. He was a cynical bugger, with a dark sense of humor that bleeds through in his lyrics. That sense of humor does rub me wrong at times, and I kind of have to take him in small doses. But other times he does really make me smile. There was an intriguing personality that comes through in his music.

Consider some of these lines:

"I'm sick of hearing about sadness/I'm sick of violent crime/I'm sick of angry militant lesbians feminists/I'm sick of imperfect rhyme" ("When You Give Your Love To Me")

"Goodness gracious, of apathy I sing/The baby boomers had it all and wasted everything/now recess is almost over and they won't get off the swing" ("Goodness Gracious")

"I'm waiting for the man-made gods to do the will of man/I'm waiting for the CIA to cover up again/I'm waiting for the militants to lighten up a bit/I'm waiting for the mafia to make this song a hit" ("Waiting")

"We were always friends/we were Captain Jim and Billy the superhuman, crime avenging twins/oh, I'm gonna miss you and I truly am alone now/'cause there's no one to congratulate my sins" ("Song for a Dead Friend")

He walks a line between overdoing it and being clever maybe, but he isn't boring, and sometimes he strikes gold. He also had the voice to sell it. You feel like you get to know the guy through his lyrics and how he sings them.

Gilbert’s talent for engineering/production is also on display here. While the final product is maybe a bit sterile in places ("Tea for One" and "Tears of Audrey" to an extent), the overall sound is very good. Things like the bass on "Goodness Gracious," the percussion on "Waiting," and the way he captured the piano on "Song for a Dead Friend" are magnificent. Then you have the 7:00 minute mini-opus, "Shadow Self" with its frequent tempo shifts and operatic chorus that reveal Kevin's prog side peeking through on an otherwise straight ahead pop/rock album.

My favorite tracks close the album. The whole album has an air of melancholy, but "All Fall Down" ratchets things up as a cynical ode to nuclear apocalypse. The mood only darkens with "Song for a Dead Friend," an aching but heartfelt goodbye to a friend lost to suicide. If you listen to only one song on the album (or one song by Kevin Gilbert), I'd probably recommend that one. Just maybe go for something happier afterwards.

Favorite tracks: Song for a Dead Friend, All Fall Down, Goodness Gracious, Shadow Self

[ReaperKK]

Great writeup! .

I've seen Kevin Gilbert brought on this forum for ages now and I've never checked him out. I'll give this album a spin tomorrow and report back.

[SoundscapeMN]

I like Field Music, although I find their albums to be a tad long and in some ways, a little homogenous.

AlsoI find they have yet to write any song that totally stood out to me as being addictive, or having a huge ear worm.

That being said, I don't remember all that much about Open Here, so I may have to revisit it again per your review.

As far as Thud, well it's a masterpiece to me. I'm not sure if Song for a Dead Friend would be my 1st suggestion to anyone whose never heard any of Kevin Gilbert's music before. It is highly *deep* and 1 of those hugely depressing ballads to many. Very much less is more in a lot of ways. But given the lyrics, subject matter and tone, it's not something many fans find they will listen to regularly. But it does fit the ending to Thud well.

"All Fall Down" was originally a song that was on Giraffe's album "The View From Here." But Kevin rearranged it for Thud and it ended up a little better. Although the Giraffe version is still quite good with its Sax-driven arrangement. But with the Thud version, he just made it bigger and more orchestral in some ways. It's like a March to the end of the world. I've always heard it as, well the world's ending, so we may as well have a party before we go up in flames.

Kind of like that Steve Carrell movie "Seeking a friend for the end of the World," lol.

[HOF]

I like Field Music, although I find their albums to be a tad long and in some ways, a little homogenous.

AlsoI find they have yet to write any song that totally stood out to me as being addictive, or having a huge ear worm.

That being said, I don't remember all that much about Open Here, so I may have to revisit it again per your review.

Their music is dense for lack of a better term, and that can make it hard to take for a full album. But there are really cool musical ideas in all of their songs and I find that they reward multiple close listens. Commontime is the other album I considered for this list, as it has some of their catchier stuff. But it is a bit on the long side and isn’t quite as easy of a listen as Open Here for me. I do find them to be fascinating in general though, and very unique despite referencing lots of familiar things as well.

As far as Thud, well it's a masterpiece to me. I'm not sure if Song for a Dead Friend would be my 1st suggestion to anyone whose never heard any of Kevin Gilbert's music before. It is highly *deep* and 1 of those hugely depressing ballads to many. Very much less is more in a lot of ways. But given the lyrics, subject matter and tone, it's not something many fans find they will listen to regularly. But it does fit the ending to Thud well.

"All Fall Down" was originally a song that was on Giraffe's album "The View From Here." But Kevin rearranged it for Thud and it ended up a little better. Although the Giraffe version is still quite good with its Sax-driven arrangement. But with the Thud version, he just made it bigger and more orchestral in some ways. It's like a March to the end of the world. I've always heard it as, well the world's ending, so we may as well have a party before we go up in flames.

Kind of like that Steve Carrell movie "Seeking a friend for the end of the World," lol.

I knew All Fall Down was originally done by Giraffe, but I still haven’t heard that album. Will have to check it out. Another similar song is Tears for Fears’ Famous Last Words (spoiler: likely to make an appearance on this list as well).

[hefdaddy42]

Never heard of Field Music, but I am well aware of the talents of Kevin Gilbert.   

[ReaperKK]

I gave Thud a shot and didn't really connect with it.  It wasn't awful but it felt a bit disjointed to me. There were some good moments but not enough to bring me back to the album.

[HOF]

#42. Luis Philippe - Azure (1998)



Luis Philippe is somewhat of a cult figure/legendary singer, composer, and arranger who was signed to and involved in many of the albums released on the short-lived él Records label in the 1980s. In addition to his own music, he has contributed arrangements for a number of other artists, including one yet to be revealed on this list. He's also a noted football journalist and biographer in England and France.

He became known to me as the strings arranger for Big Big Train's "A Boy in Darkness" and "Leopards." His band in this period featured all of Danny Manners (piano and bass), David Longdon (electric guitars and backing vocals), and Dave Gregory (lead and 12-string guitars), with Manners being one of his closest and longtime collaborators. The two composed the orchestration for this album together.

Azure is probably the least rock album on this countdown. It's pure orchestral chamber pop brought to life by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Lush and extravagant are good descriptors. You'd be hard pressed to find a better sounding orchestral recording, I imagine. Philippe's voice has a bit of Andy Partridge or Roland Orzabal to it, but he has more of a classical style and technique. It’s all a bit artsy, but in a good way.   

"Your Life" opens the album with horns and strings before revealing a jazzy lounge type number with some big theatrical crescendos. In contrast, "You'll Never Catch The Sun" is a more pastoral piece that sounds like the cover art looks to me. "Peace At Last" borrows heavily from Pet Sounds ere Beach Boys, and you hear a little Brian Wilson in “Down By The Riverbank” as well. "When Georgie Dies" is more of a folk type acoustic guitar number. There is some French involved on "Joli Avions" and "Partir," the latter of which closes the album in epic and rather magical fashion.

Philippe also somehow managed to cover XTC's "I Can't Own Her" here, a year before that tune was released by XTC (I knew the story at one time, but I can't seem to find it anymore). While there are some interesting harmonic elements and a more intricate arrangement on Philippe’s version, I think I prefer the "original."

Azure is pretty far outside the normal bounds of this forum, but if you feel like going on an adventure I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Favorite songs: Your Life, You'll Never Catch The Sun, When Georgie Died, Partir

[hefdaddy42]

Never heard of him, and I generally frown upon the French lol

[HOF]

Never heard of him, and I generally frown upon the French lol

I get the sense they frown upon the rest of us as well!

[hefdaddy42]

Never heard of him, and I generally frown upon the French lol

I get the sense they frown upon the rest of us as well!

THEY STARTED IT