Music for the Week of August 15, 2010

About a year or so ago, my fiancée and I found ourselves in possession of over 1,000 LP's, mostly releases from the '60's and '70's.  Thanks to the show Hoarding: Buried Alive, and my own compulsive need to alphabetize everything, I finally found the motivation to start sorting these relics for sale, donation, or otherwise.

Fortunately, nothing helps a mundane task more than an appropriate soundtrack, so here's what I have spinning in the background for the week:

1) ABBA - Ring Ring - 1973 - This group was recommended to me by my brother. As picky as he is about music, he somehow found the strength to extend forgiveness to a select echelon of bands, one of which is ABBA.  All I knew going into this week was that this was the band that heralded personal favorites of mine such as 'Take a Chance on Me' and 'S.O.S.' They've also kind of remind me of a proto-Ace of Base.

Then...                                                                   ...Now

2) Fang Island - Fang Island - 2010 - I know absolutely nothing about this band, but that's usually the point when selecting an album released during the current year.  Think pop / metal / mostly instrumental / high-five party.  From what I've gleaned so far, it's going to be a pretty fun album, and it's a nice break from the general onslaught of what's out there in today's music.

3) Medeski, Martin and Wood - Combustication - 1998 - This week's Doom Guild pick is brought to us by Good Jeff. I've heard a couple of their albums, but have never dived  all that deep into their catalog.  Another coincidentally instrumental album for this week, and by the sound of of it, a pretty good album to spin in the background at a casual get-together or on a Sunday morning.

 

4) The Who - Quadrophenia (Part Two) - 1973 - This album picks up where I left off from last week's list, so I do not have much in the way of a fully developed opinion just yet. However, it definitely sounds like The Who, each member gets a chance to sing a song on the album, and I'm pretty sure that Green Day owes this band a great deal of rock opera gratitude.

Should be fun. Wish me luck.

-A