Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)

Day 5 of the #mayvinylchallenge had me twisted. Best side or solo project. What does that even mean? I was looking at the entries and got even more confused: do you count solo work after the original band broke up? What if the side project becomes the main project? I had a few things in the air, from Ty Segall’s Sabbath rooted Fuzz project to the one-off between Ginger Baker and Fela Kuti. But the minute I saw The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill sitting there on my shelf there wasn’t a second of hesitancy. This was my favorite album of 1998, and a sterling example of someone stepping out from the shadow of a popular outfit to blow the doors off the music world. Whatever you think of Lauryn Hill how, this album is incredible from start to finish.

ChrisMay 5, 2021Leave a comment

Bedhead: 1992-1998 (2014)

WhatFunLifeWas. Beheaded. Transaction de Novo. I had no idea these albums existed two years ago. I was unaware of Bedhead, the band that created this music, or the slow core scene in general. And yet I’ve always known this music. In a real sense, the music of Bedhead is the music that has always played in the quiet hours inside my head ruminating and reflecting on questions I’ve had my entire life. Bedhead 1992-1998 is a boxset of the band’s collected output, and to say that for me it’s become one fo the essential musical components of my life is not an exaggeration. Continue reading “Bedhead: 1992-1998 (2014)”

ChrisJuly 23, 2019July 20, 2019Leave a comment

The Beatles: Anthology (1995)

You couldn’t escape the anticipation for the The Beatles Anthology documentary: everyone was waiting to hear the first “new” music from The Beatles since 1970. Taking rough demos from John Lennon the rest of the band got together to finish them. And while you can debate the merits of “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love” the chance to go behind the scenes with the band as they evolved into legends is an undeniable delight. Continue reading “The Beatles: Anthology (1995)”

ChrisJuly 11, 2019July 10, 2019Leave a comment

Beasts of Bourbon: Black Milk (1990)

It took album #3 for The Beasts of Bourbon to fall prey to what we’ll call for lack of a better word “safe” music. Which is not to say that Black Milk is a bad album; on the contrary, it’s a terrific amalgam of everything that was present on the previous two records (their debut The Axeman’s Jazz is a terrific gnarled album, but I don’t own a physical copy, so no review). But that amalgam is tempered, somewhat. There’s a tunefulness and restraint that doesn’t have the vital spark of Sour Mash, but is sweet just the same. Continue reading “Beasts of Bourbon: Black Milk (1990)”

ChrisApril 22, 2019April 20, 20191 Comment

Beastie Boys: The Sounds of Science (1999)

There’s an art to compilations, and it’s not always the same art. Does that make sense? I don’t know – it’s currently 10:30 in the morning and I’ve already had a snort of whisky in my coffee. Anyway, compilations can be a generic overview, target a specific period in time, or – if they’re really ambitious – display an evolution of artistic exploration in such a way as to capture an essence, a distillation of what makes a band unique. So enter The Sounds of Science by the Beastie Boys. Continue reading “Beastie Boys: The Sounds of Science (1999)”

ChrisApril 16, 2019Leave a comment

Beastie Boys: Hello Nasty (1998)

We’re back…with an album I intended to cover a few weeks ago, so I’m going off the few notes I scribbled down concerning Hello Nasty, the 1998 melange of styles brought to the table by the one, the only, Beastie Boys. Breaking out of the grungy soul/funk hybrids that made up Check Your Head and Ill Communication, things go a little more old school 80s with a lot more traditional sampling and scratching, but the imprint of what the band did is unmistakable. Continue reading “Beastie Boys: Hello Nasty (1998)”

ChrisApril 15, 2019Leave a comment

Consuming the Tangible

We are what we consume

Tag: 1990s