The four hundred and thirty-ninth album: #439 The Clash - London Calling

It's been over fourty years now, but the worries at the core of London Calling's title track still exist - there's an apt comparison to that time and the current state of the world and the UK in particular as it seems to be spinning out of control, it feels like nothing changes. The following tracks don't all keep the undiluted punk energy and anger, but while there is more ska and pure rock in the following tracks, the attitude, anger and counter culture lyrics remain in a lot of the tracks regardless - rather than a standalone punk album, it flows into the different genres that will start to dominate the scene, ska, new wave and hard rock, and it's clear the band is able to pull them off without losing who they are.

The one hundred and fifty-fifth classical recording: #185 Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata in C sharp minor, op. 27, no. 2, "Moonlight"

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is one of those famous names, an evocative name given in retrospect to a sonata with three distinct parts. The first movement is sombre and delicate, uncomplicated to listen to and a gentle prelude to the happier second movement. It goes into what sounds to me like a more complex third movement, a stormy piece that's harder to keep up with. The middle movement suffers in comparison to the other two, the simplicity of the first really shining to just bring that out while the third riles you up that much more.

The five hundred fourty-ninth song: It Must Be Love - Madness

Although I don't believe I've covered Madness yet at this point, they were an established band at this point. The reggae-inspired cover of the song then would have probably felt like their sound, although to me it feels differently produced, not entirely fitting in with their ska sound but having a lot of their poppy sounds still in place - not pushing it as much as I thought it could, but still quite well done as a song.

The five hundred fiftieth song: Tom Sawyer - Rush

There's a bit held back in Tom Sawyer, lyrically interesting and musically quite complex, with a far more futuristic sound in especially its solos than later acts did - the use of electronics feels stronger in plces in a way that the eighties really embrace. It's a flavour that's supported by the simpler sound of the vocals, avoiding the hard rock shouting but instead giving an earlier rock feel even as the rest of the music feels more ahead of its time.

The five hundred fifty-first song: Girls on Film - Duran Duran

As a new wave entry, I find Girls on Film a bit overwhelming - I know the music video would have been more tittilating and new wave leads off from here - Duran Duran is a big name after all - but it musically odens't give me that much more of interest. It feels like Duran Duran would work better in an album context, but here it feels like it lacks something.

The five hundred fifty-second song: I Love Rock ‘n Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

Following the demise of punk and the start of the longer lasting post punk era, it feels like hard rock takes on even more of it. Joan Jett feels like it leans into it heavily, in the presentation - more colourful but with the punk edge, the repetitive chorus underlined with the simpler melody. It's good, though, it's catchy, happy and gives that throwback feel that feels quite contemporary with other songs of the era.

The five hundred fifty-third song: Mickey - Toni Basil

The other side is that we can see where pop really goes. Mickey's cheerleader-like chant was obviously made to suit Toni Basil, but it also creates a pop sound that not only feels catchy, but feels a fairly early new wave evolution that leads to the bubblegum pop music we see being on the rise as well. Even as it lacks depth - it really is a cheesy love song - it also creates a really good atmosphere.

The five hundred fifty-fourth song: Computer Love - Kraftwerk

We're already done with all of Kraftwerk's work for the album's list, while this is the last of their songs on this list. It's softer and gentler, the unrelenting beat replaced by a gentle synthesizer sound. It still sounds electric, but there's something that has softened even though the lyrics still focus on the progress of the earlier work - perhaps reflecting a move to softness needed in the harsh 80s

The five hundred fifty-fifth song: O Superman - Laurie Anderson

I'm not sure whether I can reliably say anything about O Superman. It's an art piece as much as a song, an experiment with music and sound whose beat is a looped 'Ha', the singing is all through a heavy vocorder and is as often spoken word as it's singing, and the remainder of the music comes in and out, often just an ethereal sound that feels like it comes in and then slowly fades away. It's art, it's an experience, but it's surprising it became as big a hit as it did, especially as I'm not sure it holds up for the full eight minutes - but again, I'm not sure if this is something that's purely to be liked.

The four hundred and thirty-eighth album: #438 The Undertones - The Undertones

The Undertones' debut album comes in, brings half an hour of punk and goes again. It leaves you with a strong impression, mixing a still strong message with the upbeat party punk that I've appreciated more but doesn't always get as political. It's poppy, but with that punk background lurking along underneath the whole time.

The four hundred and thirty-seventh album: #437 Chic - Risque

I have to admit that I find Risque to be a lot more accessible than I thought it would be - while the disco tracks are still a bit too long sometimes, they have enough variety in them that they stay enjoyable throughout. There's a build and a progression in the tracks, perhaps without as much of a story, but it feels much better constructed than the endless repetition of most funk albums. Disco is improving.

The one hundred and fifty-fourth classical recording: #722 George Enescu - Violin Sonata no. 3

There's a real sadness to this sonata. Scored for violin and piano, it feels like it has these two instruments both do their own thing, harmoniously but not meeting, creating a distance by design. The violin's slow music sounds torturous at times, with the piano providing more comfort in this piece. It's not that disconcerting - certainly no Ravel - but it's a piece that keeps you on your toes a lot more.

The one hundred and eighty-fifth TV show: #605 Bob & Rose

We gave up on this show after less than two episodes... It was off putting in so many places. While Russell T. Davies' previous Queer As Folk worked as a way of representation and to show the follies of the gay clubbing lifestyle of the late nineties, his attempt to write a straight romance fails on several levels. The characters are unlikeable - the women, from Rose to her mother to his best friend Holly - manipulative and looking to get their way (in the end Rose is a stalker), the men pushovers and all gay men promiscuous. Add to that a lot of rants about Bob not being gay the right way and it all started to feel a bit much. While I'm sure the story of a gay man ending up in a straight relationship and still feeling gay might be true, it feels like it skips over a lot of nuance and considering the timeframe it was written in, potentially dangerous because it's just about meeting the right woman. I might get why this may have been a safe option at the time, but it feels like a very clumsy attempt at writing a love story that I couldn't bear to continue, simply as a bizarre misstep.

The one hundred and fourth book: #080 The Last of the Mohicans - James Fenimore Cooper

I started feeling a bit apprehensive when I started reading The Last of the Mohicans - a white American writer writing about a native American who's the last of his tribe is awkward enough without knowing too much of what's coming. The titular last of the Mohicans (a situation were there were no pureblood women left) feels like he remains a cypher, a noble savage without much insight that I felt I could get. Instead, it becomes about how much the British colonists and the tribes they're allied with have to go up against the French and their allies, and in particular how their Mohican helper gets them through. As an adventure novel, the political elements are ignored and having read more about this (especially on a recent trip to Canada) it's clear it skips over a lot without enough introspection. It stays surface level, and where it doesn't it's on the characters I don't care about, in particular the white frontiersman who... yeah, it's as old fashioned as you'd expect. I never really got to a point where I found much to enjoy in the entirety of the book, unfortunately, and I'm happy to leave it where it is.

The four hundred and thirty-sixth album: #436 Joy Division - Unknown Pleasure

I don't think the dark, depressed sound is a surprise to anyone hearing about Joy Division anymore, but Unknown Pleasure, their first album on the list, heavily leans into it. It's dark and droning, with lyrics that feed into that, down to referencing seizures. It's not pretty and it really hits you when listening to a full album, the effects of all of it becoming draining after a while. It's good, well done, but it's also an exhausting album.

The four hundred and thirty-fifth album: #435 Talking Heads - Fear of Music

I don't think there was a track on Fear of Music that I connected with as I think I did before. There is a variety of experiments here that relies on a core Talking Heads sound, but it wasn't until Animal's closing that I felt there was anything really notable about them, but even so it didn't have much impact - other than a few tracks feeling a bit too uncomfortable to listen to.