The two hundred and eighty-sixth album: Mott the Hoople - Mott
There's still, at times, a specific feel to British rock bands compared to American ones. Not all do it, but Mott the Hoople sounds British even as it lives in the same hard rock space that is elsewhere. We're in the run up to punk, loud and aggressive with its specific guitar beat, and it's present in a lot of the tracks on Mott. It does that job well, I enjoyed the songs, and the Ballad of Mott The Hoople manages to really follow that line between the two styles, sounding perfectly as it does so.
The one hundred and eighteenth classical recording: #414 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin
Looking at the story of Eugene Onegin, you get something that feels a bit more mundane than other operas. There are no kings or queens, no big events, but instead it's a love story - still from the nobility, but on more of a Pride & Prejudice scale. I'm basing this partially on what happens, as the book is on my reading list for the far future, when I get back to that (still waiting for my commute to start coming back).
What that means is less big group songs and more smaller, focused songs. It's not as epic, that's for certain, but that means we get a bit more emotion in there and some more connection with what's going on in the story. It feels rare that an opera gets this personal and emotionally connected and feels this readable even if you need translations for the lyrics. I was thoroughly charmed and I'm looking forward to more of this.
The two hundred and eighty-fifth album: #285 Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
If you've read this blog for longer (wow...) you'll know that I am not a fan of jazz. It no longer dominates the list, but the jazz fusion that's coming in the seventies isn't doing much to win me over. In fact, the psychedelic rock oddities have moved into jazz, making Head Hunters' sound even more difficult to get into. It's an album that goes so far away from what I want to listen to that it doesn't connect, it always feels jarring to listen to, and at this point I can't say more than that there's nothing taking this jump for me.
The one hundred and fifth comic: #312 Achille Talon
While I vaguely remember reading the Dutch translation of Achille Talon when I was younger and I am certain I watched the TV show, today I read the only volume translated to English that is out there. I believe Magnesia's Treasures is quite typical of the series, a comedy -adventure where our 'hero' reaches his goal by blundering through life. I wouldn't say that it is the best at telling that stories. Aside from some dubious stereotypes, it hangs a lot on deus ex machinas and other characters being more competent while the hero mostly gets led to places by others. I don't think the jokes - relying quite a bit on wordplay - translate that well and without those hitting that well it starts to fall flat. So with a flat story and jokes that don't work, the whole book isn't as engaging as it should be. This might be better in the original, but it's not worth it for this translation.
The two hundred and eighty-fourth album: #284 Faust - Faust IV
The opening track of Faust's first album, Krautrock, is an eleven minute instrumental that makes a habit out of repeating itself. It's way too lengthy for what it brings, but as we know I have little patience for these things. The contrast is strangers as it then transitions into traditional rock songs, the electronic elements and drums overpowering the vocals, and it feels more relaxed even as the repetition sets in. The album continues like that, with long and repetitive sections suddenly interrupted by bursts of energy (I won't name tracks as there seems to be a lot of confusion about which track is which) that are a welcome distraction. it's a mixed bag, but there are times where it's good when it hits those points.
The one hundred and seventeenth classical recording: #957 Arvo Part - Fratres
Although instrumentation will affect how you would look at this piece - it is not scored for anything specific - in the version for violin and strings and percussion I heard the piece sounds somewhat melancholic throughout. Sometimes it comes from a lonely violin, but when it bursts forth in a larger setting it still has this slower sound to it, a frantic violin on top as it seems to want to break through. It's a great mood piece and its use in all sorts of productions shows how it works to set that mood and it stays effective, being only about ten minutes long.
The one hundred and fourth comic: #951 Logicomix: An Epic Search For Truth
After finishing the book, Logicomix left me feeling a bit empty. It takes the life of Bertrand Russell to explore an area of time where logic evolved a lot, but deftly manages to avoid saying anything of consequence. It plays with the idea of madness and logic being linked, but doesn't do much more than point out spurious details but doesn't carry it through to the end. Its biographical elements are fictionalized to a point where I can't quite trust it. And its story of logic has beginning and end points set so it doesn't follow to its final conclusion - something it points out in its own epilogue, but tying it to the life of Bertrand Russell feels like it limits itself. Even the logic is barely explained, the consequences being clearer to the background I have than it might be to someone who doesn't know.
And perhaps that's why this was the wrong comic for me. As a programmer, I'm somewhat aware of the consequences of this and how their quest is ultimately futile - and wouldn't survive contact with the real world (after all, mine rarely does). It's unfortunate, as a focus on just one of these elements would have done better.
The two hundred and eighty-third album: #283 Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
With For Your Pleasure I'm taking on some glam rock today that feels appropriately cheeky and self aware. Do the Strand feels like it sets that up appropriately, referring to a dance craze that never gets described and in its lyrics making a mockery of the older, just as commercialized rock.
While the energy of that track doesn't transfer to all tracks, the music's production sits at the right point of big without over the top, well produced but knowing when to pull back. The album goes big, but it works in the size of the tracks, the way it plays with music, but never lets the tricks overwhelm the music or the band. Instead it hits the right balance to stay entertaining and engaging while still getting its message across.
The two hundred and eighty-second album: #282 John Martyn - Solid Air
I struggle to put my finger on the exact reason why, but there seemed to be something that puts me off the tracks on Solid Air a bit. The way John Martyn sings the title tracks, the subdued slurring, feels over the top and hard to listen to. While partially affected, it seems, for the first track, the album's halting folk feels discordant at times, and with the lyrics being less intelligible while the music doesn't go anywhere I appreciate, this was a genuinely difficult album to listen to.
The one hundred and sixty-fifth TV show: #553 Goodness Gracious Me
Sometimes, a show's focus can be both its strong point and, in the long term, its detriment. Even if not all jokes land for me, I enjoy getting sketches from an Indian perspective, both aimed at an ignorant British public and ones aimed inwards. While the first season wasn't amazing, it was quite a lot of fun that way.
After that, however, the jokes become more repetitive and the second season in particular feels like it's repeating the same jokes without adding much - while also introducing mandatory songs even where those don't really work. The third season manages to change it a bit and bring in more new sketches, but it feels like the series' viewpoint doesn't add much more after a while.