Have a Nice Life “The Unnatural World”

Have a Nice Life

The Unnatural World

[The Flesner; 2014]

RATING: 8.5

Recently Trevor Powers (the brains behind Youth Lagoon) pleaded on Twitter, “Please, no more genres. Find a better way to classify music.” Only a few weeks prior, NPR writer Bob Boilen questioned the future of labeling sounds with a blog entitled “Can You Imagine a World Without Music Genres?” Both of them have a point. With new bastardized sub-genres popping up daily, it’s getting to the point where one will be required to use an algorithm to crack the sub-genre code laid out by the all-knowing music reviewer.

Sun Kil Moon “Benji”

Sun Kil Moon

Benji

[Caldo Verde; 2014]

Rating: 10

Mark Kozelek’s music has never been about the lyrics. Whether it be his time with Red House Painters, his solo work, or his latest project Sun Kil Moon, his calming tenor and intricate guitar picking always took precedence over the metaphor-cloaked lyrics. I’ve been a fan of Kozelek’s work for the past decade, and the only lyrics that stand out in my mind are not even his, rather, from his two cover albums Tiny Cities (Modest Mouse) and What’s Next To the Moon (AC/DC).

In the past few years he has released a couple lackluster albums that suggested his muse was waning, but with his latest, Benji, it looks like that imminent closing window resulted in him throwing away his tride-and-true blueprint and starting anew. In a recent interview Kozelek said of his new start: “I’ve run out of metaphors, and when you get older, you’re bothered, or inspired, by other things in life than a girl breaking up with you. Things get heavier as you get older.”

Lindisfarne “Fog On the Tyne”

As I prepared for my podcast where I revisited the year 1971 (check it out here!), I came upon a band named Lindisfarne from Newcastle, England and their album Fog On the Tyne. Despite being the first time I’d ever listened to the prog-folk band, I’d quickly realize that I didn’t discover some forgotten gem from the 70s (Fog On the Tyne would be the best-selling album in Britain during that year).  Regardless of their success across the pond, I still felt like I’d stumbled upon some unappreciated band, and I began scouring the internet for videos of them.  My Lindisfarne binge made me quickly realize that this wasn’t some too cool for the room, hippie-folk outfit. These guys were a bunch of goofballs! No video better captures the band’s inability to take themselves seriously than a clip I found of them performing the title track to Fog On the Tyne.

BDWPS Podcast #22: Pink Floyd, Can, Harry Nilsson, Beach Boys, Comus, Leonard Cohen, T. Rex, and David Bowie

In this episode, we take a look back at the music of 1971. In a year of major change, we see the beginnings of prog rock, the waning days of the folk movement, and the beginnings of Glam Rock. Listen below, or subscribe at iTunes, search: BDPWS

Track List:

Pink Floyd “Fearless”

Can “Mushroom”

Harry Nilsson “Jump Into the Fire”

Beach Boys “Surfs Up”

Comus “Diana”

Leonard Cohen “Love Calls You By Your Name”

T. Rex “Cosmic Dancer”

David Bowie “Song for Bob Dylan”

BDWPS Podcast #22: Pink Floyd, Can, Harry Nilsson, Beach Boys, Comus, Leonard Cohen, T. Rex, and David Bowie.