Eyes on the horizon (Brendan Benson) (LP 660)

Brendan Benson  My Old, Familiar Friend (CD, The Echo Label, 2009) ***

Genre: Rock/ Hard Rock 

Places I remember: Donated to my collection by the Hope family.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Don't Wanna Talk

Gear costume: Poised And Ready

Active compensatory factors: This is Brendan Benson's fourth solo album, recorded in between Raconteurs albums.

Not surprising then that the songs I like (and chose to highlight above) are close to The Raconteurs in sound and spirit.

Benson plays a lot of different instruments on this - he's very versatile. He does it well too - I can't tell where he's playing things like drums and where his friends are.

Where do they all belong? I have the Hope family for this as they donated all of their CD collections to me. This one belongs next The Raconteurs in the collection - or it would if I wasn't alphabetical in my approach!

Next up in this genre: Black Star Riders.

Close your eyes (Beachwood Sparks) (LP 659)

Beachwood Sparks  Once We Were Trees (CD, Sub Pop, 2001) ***

Genre: Californian sunshine pop 

Places I remember: An old music shop in Taupo - bought while on holiday. Sadly, the shop is no more.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: By Your Side

Gear costume: The Hustler

Active compensatory factors: I have this in the Californian sunshine pop genre (next up the Beach Boys) and I think that's about right. If you look them up on wikipedia they are labelled as alt-country but there are more Mamas and Papas links here than there are links to Ryan Adams so I'll stick with my choice.

There is a Van Dyke Parksian pop brightness about the jaunty music and harmony vocals in the Beachwood Sparks that appeals to me. 

If you have a listen to Orange Crate Art next to this you'll see what I mean.

Where do they all belong? As stated, next up in this genre - The Beach Boys!

Give me another chance (Big Star) (LP 657 - 658)

Big Star  #1 Record (CD, Stax Records, 1972) ****

Big Star  Radio City (CD, Stax Records, 1973) ****

Genre: Power Pop 

Places I remember: Kings Recording (Abu Dhabi)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: September Gurls  (Radio City)

Gear costume: Watch The Sunrise, Thirteen (#1 Record); Back Of A Car (Radio City)

Active compensatory factors: This is a double album package of Big Star's first two albums.

Still sounding fresh as a daisy, these albums have grown in stature over the years after the band's start in the early seventies was hampered by a small label's issues getting the records out.

But word of mouth is a great thing and these albums are now regarded as stellar power pop albums. 

Alex Chilton (guitar and vocals) is the mainstay of these two albums but Chris Bell, also on guitar and vocals (on the first album), is a great partner in crime.

The combo of guitars and harmonies gets me every time. Have another listen to Watch The Sunrise! Gorgeous song!

Where do they all belong? I haven't bothered with the third album (Third/Sister Lovers). One day, maybe. Meanwhile, I'll stick with these two for my Big Star fix.

Pump it up (Elvis Costello) (LP 656)

Elvis Costello and The Attractions  This Year's Model (CD, Hip O Records, 1978) **** 

Genre: Punk/ Post Punk 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi (Palmerston North)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea

Gear costume: Pump It Up

Active compensatory factors: I am not a huge Elvis fan - there's only this, and the Armed Forces and Spike records in my collection. Spike for the McCartney link, Armed Forces was given to me by a shop girl at Marbecks Records, and so This Year's Model is the only Elvis album I've bought for it's own sake.

Elvis' second album, and first with The Attractions, is an adrenaline rush of post punk enthusiasm: No Action; Radio Radio (this re-released CD edition includes it); Pump It Up; and Lipstick Vogue are all hard and fast post punk, rock'n'roll blasts. No difficult second album syndrome at play here.

Nick Lowe was the perfect producer for this 1978 collection of songs. He provides the pop sheen that I love.

Where do they all belong? As stated - Armed Forces and Spike to come when we roll around to the vinyl side of my collection again.

Lump sum (Bon Iver) (LP 654 - 655)

Bon Iver  For Emma, Forever Ago (CD, 4AD/Jagjaguwar, 2008) ***** 

Bon Iver  Bon Iver (CD, 4AD/Jagjaguwar, 2011) *** 

Genre: Alt-pop

Places I remember: Music shop in Centre City, New Plymouth - goneburger now; Virgin Megastore - Dubai for Bon Iver.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Flume

Gear costume: Skinny Love 

Active compensatory factors: For Emma, Forever Ago was a real revelation back in 2008. 

I loved the romantic Walden style back story (heading to a remote cabin and recording an album) and when the music matched the idyllic circumstances, it all felt and sounded magical.

The album appeals to a wide range of people too - my youngest daughter's generation loved it as much as mine did. Even Jacky likes it!

Follow-up difficult second album was as successful commercially as For Emma, but it's taken me a while to warm to it. There are echoes of the For Emma style but it's, quite rightly, it's own album.

Where do they all belong? Justin Vernon has got a little too wacky for me on subsequent releases so I'll stick with these two.

This aint rock'n'roll, this is genocide (David Bowie) (LP 650 - 653)

David Bowie  The Man Who Sold The World (CD, Warner Music, 1970) *** 

David Bowie  Pinups (CD, Warner Music, 1973) *** 

David Bowie  Aladdin Sane (CD, Parlophone Records, 1973) ****

David Bowie  Diamond Dogs (CD, EMI, 1974) *****

Genre: Pop rock

Places I remember: Fives (Leigh on sea); The Warehouse; JB HiFi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Rebel Rebel (DD); The Jean Genie (AS)

Gear costume: Where Have All The Good Times Gone (Pinups)

Active compensatory factors: It seems appropriate to group these albums together as there is definitely a glam sheen over the period.

That's largely because of Mick Ronson's influence as well as the prettiest star. His guitar is all over these albums and it's a glorious sound. Rest in peace Mick!

The glam party starts with the Man Who Sold The World, although it has a foot in the heavy rock vibe of 1970. 

The title song was a hit for Lulu at the time (she does a great version) and, later, Nirvana did a memorable cover during their unplugged set.

Aladdin Sane and Pinups share the same year and have a similar approach - classic pop; Drive In Saturday is a stand out.

And Diamond Dogs is the culmination of all those sounds from the previous 4 years. Bowie was very prolific during this period (which, of course, also includes Hunky Dory and Ziggy).

Diamond Dogs as an album has a real cohesiveness, thanks to the 1984 storyline. Compared to Aladdin Sane, there is also a different heaviosity at work through the album in songs like We Are The Dead/ Big Brother/ Chant/ Candidate.

Where do they all belong? Another four albums from 1977 to 1980 next (he didn't let up!)

The rest is noise (Jamie XX) (LP 649)

Jamie XX  In Colour (CD, -, 2015) **** 

Genre: Electronic music 

Places I remember: JB HiFi (Palmerston North)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Obvs

Gear costume: Gosh

Active compensatory factors: Electronic music would be the least comprehensive genre in my collection - haha - pretty much this, Kraftwerk and some compilations (Synthpop is a different beast and is housed in the pop section). 

For me, it's all about guitars for the most part, unless it's progressive rock like Emerson Lake and Palmer or Rick Wakeman.

But I do like this. The album has a cool selection of sounds as Jamie sets out his stall. Gosh is the lead off song but it's not representative of his approach.

Where do they all belong? I thought I'd mislaid the XX albums I owned, but I must have sold them off. So, this is the only remnant of XX left.