The seventy-first book: #60 Camilla - Fanny Burney
Reading Camilla was a struggle for me - a bit unfortunate, perhaps, knowing the book's reputation, but I struggled to feel it. In parts, this is the stereotypical romance novel I've disliked before, where the main protagonist is perfect, surrounded by wicked people, and led down the wrong path. Camilla isn't quite that, but she doesn't come across as that interesting - everything seems to happen around her or to her. As annoying is that halfway through, the book turns into a lesson on why everyone needs to be taught personal finance. Camilla seems to be perpetually poor and rather than sorting that issue, she keeps borrowing so she can keep spending... it feels so stupid, I found it quite off putting. Its length just doesn't seem worth it.
The one hundred fifty-ninth album: #159 The Temptations - Cloud Nine
While rock still seems to be dominating the list, a break for something else is always welcome and the soul from the Temptations is a welcome change.The vocals are strong throughout the album, the five leads working well together through the record. What pushses the soul further here is the soundtrack - while at times rather standard for soul, from time to time it moves further with its sounds and creates what's called psychedelic soul. It means we get some good, strong soul songs with the occasional oddity, which works well as the more psychedelic sounds blend well.
The one hundred sixteenth TV show: #640 Peep Show
For some series, it feels like it's easier to judge when you reach the end of them - and in this case having had a break before watching the final season. While it starts off as mostly covering two loser friends trying to make their way through life, the main thread now is how terrible these people are. A lot of it stems from the filming style. Everything is filmed from the point of view from characters in the scene. We hear the inner monologue of Mark and Jeremy, the two leads played by David Mitchell and Robert Webb. It shows the double layers of all of their decisions and in particular how manipulative Mark is (Jeremy being misguided more often).
The filming style defines a lot of the feel of the show. Not only is a lot of the acting focused on the face as characters talk to each other, the way their gaze changes tells stories as well - both zooming in and out, but also looking up and down from time to time. If nothing else, the status differences that come from it are portrayed so much better than anything else would. It feels very intimate, which makes these depraved stories become a lot more human - bad behaviour feels more acceptable but also comes out of their motivations far better. It's a unique show, with a good arc throughout that works well, and played well - you care about the characters, as much as you hate them. Not unlike Sunny, but coming from a different type of motivations.
The seventieth classical recording: #82 Johann Sebastian Bach - Magnificat
There is something majestic about choral music backed up by a fuller orchestra. While I think the music here would work well on its own, the sound is somewhat soft in places and the choir's voices work layered on top of it, some of it adding some "punch" to it where that's quite welcome. It builds and falls nicely and where, of course, I don't get the full impression of the lyrics as I listen, it works well both as a nice piece of music to listen to and to convey its message of praise.
The one hundred fifty-eighth album: #158 MC5 - Kick Out The Jams
It feels like it's been a while since we've had some decent garage rock on the list, with both folksier and more eclectic sounds taking center stage. There's been plenty of hard rock, but the looseness has been missing in an era that seems very studio based. Kick Out The Jams atarts with Ramblin Rose, which is mostly a bunch of noise while the lyrics were shouted over it, the introduction creating the political message. These are part of the album's set up as a live album - a brief introduction, some crowd reactions and songs that it seems the room can barely handle, but work better in this section.
The album is politically charged, radically left and trying to make a point. The songs show this best in Motor City Is Burning, a bluesier number that's directly about the oppression and focuses its lyrics more than before. It's effective, more than the rest of the album is. The songs on the album are better constructed than it sounds above - Starship, for example, plays with quite a few structural elements and has specific points it meets, but it's less precise and heavily produced, instead having an energy and life to it that garage rock, and to some extent the punk that will follow, has as well. It's music made to be enjoyed and I'm hoping I can get more of it.
The one hundred fifty-seventh album: #157 Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
It's probably more a coincidence than anything else that we get two albums from the same band this close to each other. Led Zeppelin II feels like it has more of the songs I know the band for. Whole Lotta Love opens the album and its sound and effects make it stand out more than the blues-based hard rock of the previous album, with this setting up more of its own sound - and making its own statement that way.
The album continues into a bunch of rock songs that keep up the beat and energy. It's a bit faster than their original album, a bit harder and focused on the louder guitars, with some parts written to show off that in particular. Lyrically it isn't always as strong. Ramble On referencing the Lord of the Rings is interesting enough, but even there it feels like it doesn't do as much with it, and the music always feels more important than the content of the songs.
The one hundred fifteenth TV show: #660 State of Play
There is something luxurious about these BBC mini series. Not because they're necessarily high budget - State of Play doesn't look cheap, but the budget probably didn't go that high either. Instead, it makes the best use it can of the full hour each episode can run for - not wasting time, but giving scenes and the story time to breathe and creating a natural flow for the plot. It might not be strictly needed, but it makes the story work so much better.
Then there's the acting. Looking at the list of names, it shows what talent is working on this. John Simm, Bill Nighy and others were somewhat known at this point and deliver the strong performance you'd expect, but there's also an impressive job by James McAvoy, who was just starting to arrive on the scene. It feels like they all give it their best and live through their roles. It's a joy to watch and they sell all of it.
In everything else, everyone is also at the top, down to the use of handheld, shaky cameras for some key scenes that feel slightly disorienting and important. All these choices feel considered and just right to create the atmosphere. The way the story comes together at the end is satisfying, while keeping parts of its decision close to the vest. It's a great show, from start to finish, and the six hours feel just right for it.
The one hundred fifty-sixth album: #156 The Band - The Band
So I guess we're in the era of self titled bands now, and especially those who draw from blues or, in this case, country to define their sound. They're some pretty relaxed songs, straightforward without tricks. The lyrics are well written - set in its own western world, but it works well as some relatively simple sounds.It's a good sounding album, present without being in your face and it feels it delivers all the way through. If anything, it's music you don't have to think about - leaving you more of a chance to think about the lyrics where you want to - and that's something that's been suiting my mood lately.
The one hundred fifty-fifth album: #155 Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
As I've mentioned several times before, this is the time period where rock starts to evolve. With the Beatles' influence waining, we see other bands step up and create their own sound. The Rolling Stones were still around and it feels like they influenced Led Zeppelin more than anything, with a hard rock soudn that draws heavily on blues as well. There are more eclectic touches, and Black Mountain Side feels quick different, but there's a unifying sound that ties the album together, while still keeping the songs distinguishable. It's a good, solid rock album, living up to what it wants to be without unnecessary flourishes or additions.
The one hundred fifty-fourth album: #154 Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails
Happy Trails feels like a pretty experimental album, with an experience that's clearly divided in two halves. The first takes the song "Who Do You Love" and creates several movements out of it, with the band members each improvising or creating a "movement" around it in an almost solo piece. The solos are good and while some of the more improvised pieces take it a bit far, the ocncept and execution of this are good to listen to.
The other side of the album are classic rock songs - mostly instrumentals or with light vocals, focusing on harder guitar riffs with some odd sounds - some more leaning towards the psychedelic than others, leaning more towards some hard rock rather than being as experimental as the first half.