KAREN FINLEY - THE TRUTH IS HARD TO SWALLOW (1988)

SHE WANTS TO SIT ON YOUR FACE AND GIVE YOU A SUSHI MEAL YOU STUPID LAZY MOTHERFUCKER.
ARTIST`````KAREN FINLEY
ALBUM`````THE TRUTH IS HARD TO SWALLOW
GENRE`````VOCAL, EXPERIMENTAL, VIOLENT, ART DIRECT
YEAR````````1988

WHY:
I can understand when critics say 'Damn, this is musical crap." But hey, its not music - its just Karen Finley fiddling her nipples with milk pouring everywhere and cursing everything from men and animals to plants.

If you like this screamy arty-weirdo album you will definetly like this one - OMAR RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ AND LYDIA LUNCH


"Here's a woman who gets naked, covers herself completely in chocolate and sings. Does that appeal to you?"

SHORT BIOGRAPHY:
New York-based Karen Finley is best known for her controversial performance art career, but she has exercised her talents in virtually every creative medium, publishing several books of prose and poetry, displaying collections of visual art, acting in several films, and recording albums of poetic musings with dance-based backing tracks.

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Here's a nice article on Karen.

PANDA BEAR - PERSON PITCH (2007)

BEACH BOYS ON A HEALTHY REVERB WAVE OF NOISE
ARTIST`````PANDA BEAR
ALBUM`````PERSON PITCH
GENRE`````EXPERIMENTAL, INDIE, POST-ROCK
YEAR````````2007

WHY:
Since everybody is talking about it... This is not as good as everybody is annoyingly screaming. It's original and quite good but not "revolutionary" as many in the blogosphere are saying. A really good album but that's it. The more experimental Beach Boys records still rule.

ALBUM REVIEW:
Starting an album with a clattering of industrial rhythms sliding into a huge clap-and-stompalong with angelic vocals and what sounds like the Brotherhood of Man on a vocal loop tip not far removed from Suicide or Laurie Anderson is one way to make a mark. The fact that Panda Bear, aka Noah Lennox himself, sings like Brian Wilson and produces his voice to sound like it is another, though it has to be said that it just makes his Animal Collective membership all the more clear at this point. Person Pitch is very much an end product of a variety of musical trends in whatever can be called indie rock in the early 21st century -- big-sounding, absolutely dedicated to texture and sonic playfulness, and somehow aiming to make a lot of interesting ideas seem kinda flat.

Still, the sweetness is almost too gooey, and what should be providing a healthy contrast ends up dragging the best instrumental moments down more than once, almost literally getting in the way of the striking sonic collages. It may be heresy to some, but conceivably Person Pitch would be at its best if it were strictly instrumental.

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THE FLYING LIZARDS - THE FLYING LIZARDS (1979)

FEMINIST ANTHEMS AND BOHEMIAN CLICHES + ROCK RIDICULE
ARTIST`````THE FLYING LIZARDS
ALBUM`````THE FLYING LIZARDS
GENRE`````NEW WAVE, PROGRESSIVE
YEAR````````1979

WHY:
Read the great review below.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY:
Led by pianist David Cunningham, the Flying Lizards started as a novelty group that took classic rock songs and reduced them to parody with neo-Kraftwerk synthesizer minimalism and robotic deadpan vocal readings (as epitomized on the eponymous debut album by "Summertime Blues" and "Money"). The serious work shows Cunningham leaning towards the arty high-tech drone of Tangerine Dream, though, and that suffers from comparison with the inspired lunacy of the comedy turns.

David Cunningham and Deborah Lizard photographed in 1980 by Richard Rayner-Canham.

ALBUM REVIEW:
Thanks to the break-away success of the "Money (That's What I Want)" single, this Dada/Fluxus inspired debut album by The Flying Lizards became an instant sleeper (even being released on 8 track!), and ultimately made it onto a certain generation's list of "favorite albums of all time" because of it's catchy humor and accessibly abstract qualities. Arty and erratic, but somehow symmetrical, this album has everything from irreverent Zappa/Residents humor and catchy Kraftwerk robotics, to Eno sound-scapes and chilly, Joni Mitchell-esque ballads framed in Cage found-sound hi-jinks. The postmodern subjects of the album are often presented in a quirky and robotic sound that was appropriate for (and slightly ahead of) it's time.

Read the rest of the review here.

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TRACY CHAPMAN - LET IT RAIN (2002)

FOR ME - HER FINEST. FOR THE CRITICS - ONE OF HER WORST. FUCK 'EM.
ARTIST`````TRACY CHAPMAN
ALBUM`````LET IT RAIN
GENRE`````POP-ROCK, ADULT ALTERNATIVE
YEAR````````2002

WHY:
Fuck the critics - this album is magnificent. I acctualy like the fact that songs blend with each other making this album sound coherent. There are no Tracy's "save the children" moments, just intricate, emotional and beautiful observations about human relationships.

ALBUM REVIEW:
On Let It Rain, Chapman turns in another introspective album that flows quietly from track to track and will remind listeners of New Beginning (1995) and Telling Stories (2000).

The only grievance one might find with Let It Rain is that many of the songs have a similar feel and lack distinctive melodies to keep them from blending together. Fans who have enjoyed Chapman's recent albums, however, will enjoy Let It Rain's evocative lyrics and lovely vocals.

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