Album De La Semaine

[Cack Hen]

Which ones are the good ones? An artist I've been dying to get into more but have been put off by the comments and reviews similar to the above.

I haven't heard his new one, but apparently his voice is getting better and better, so maybe that's one to check out.

Personally, I really like Friends of Mine, which of course has the single Jessica:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxPEk_UcKUo[/youtube]

which, admittedly, sounds a bit annoying at first. But it grows on you.

Jacket Full of Danger isn't as consistent, but it's got some really good tracks.

I would avoid Garfield and Gemstones, though.

[olafr]

Rasputina - Oh Perilous World



It came out last year elsewhere but has only just been released in the UK, so it kind of qualifies as an Album of the Week.

Over the years Rasputina have struggled to pinned down genre-wise with near-misses with Goth, Industrial and even Novelty but, if Math Rock exists, then Rasputina are mothball-scented History Rock. The lyrics are intelligent - a fair chunk of the album is themed on the reprocussions of the Mutiny of the Bounty, whilst elsewhere The Lord's Resistance Army, the Little Ice-Age and Snail Fever is sung about - but often there's a subtle humour that runs throughout Creager's lyrics. Even the instrumentation is anchronistic with cellos, dulcimers and recorders taking up the bulk of the musical palette. [/for people who've not heard of Rasputina at all]

I don't know whether it's just because it's the latest album but it's easily my favourite studio album (the much heavier live album 'A Radical Recital' seriously rocks hard for ladies in bloomers and bonnets) and I think the songwriting is really solid and more consistent than previously and there's some great moments. I've played a few of the tracks incessantly for the last few months.

They've still got the 19th C. schtick but there's a weird Native American influence which I assume is somehow connected to the Eliza Elizabeth Jane Cook persona in the earlier 'My Captivity by Savages'. Imagine Nelly Olsen abducted by Indians and getting Stockholm Syndrome and you're part way there.

The cover is pretty poor but like with their other albums, the internal artwork has some great mock-19th C. ephemera. I just wished they'd do some fucking videos.

[alan nagsworth]

Jessica is a great song, I remember hearing that one as well as a couple others, years back on 120 Minutes. Another one I remember is Baby Come Dance With Me, or a title to that effect. Cheers mate, I'll give that album a whirl.