This space will be where you can read my album/song reviews, along with general thoughts I have on music. After this one, each post will be logged from most recent to least recent. I will also do concert reviews and generally put any music related blog entries here. Hell, if I pick back up the viola, maybe I'll even blog about that.
Omg! It's bandcamp Friday! Finally! I have been waiting for this since June. I didn't realize bandcamp Friday skipped June and July, which I think is a bit homophobic since I wanted to get so much on my birthday to treat myself. BUT I finally did today. I gave it a lot of thought but I got 1 new album (and a physical cassette at that), some I've been eying for a minute, and also I got the new Mountain Goats album Days on cassette. With the TMG live album, I was there physically at that one. And I want to sometime enhance the audio of the screaming crowd and cut together all the screams I know are mine lmao.
Today I wanted to talk about Electric Light Orchestra's debut album "No Answer", released in December of 1971.
According to wikipedia, it's considered Progressive Rock. What does this mean? Let's go back to wikipedia. Prog Rock is a fusion of pop/rock with elements of jazz, folk, or classical music. Instrumental and compositional techniques used in jazz, folk, or classical music replace the standard of the pop/rock elements while retaining either original genre's instrumentation. Basically it's an eclectic and niche genre that apparently (again, according to wikipedia) is also known as: Art Rock, Classical Rock, Prog, Prog Rock, Symphonic Rock. Genres are really funny to me. I'm trying to understand them more. But all of this this does make sense for ELO, with all I know from just listening to their discography.
See, I first fell for this band when I watched the episode "Love and Monsters" from Doctor Who, season 2, episode 10. This 10th Doctor era episode features both the song "Mr. Blue Sky" and "Don't Bring Me Down", tripping me into listening to both of these songs over and over. I liked how fun their music was, how different it sounded. Mr. Blue Sky in particular has a very fun, unique sound. This carries over into all of their songs, each album bringing something new. But it took me a while to find this particular album, "No Answer". I'd been a fan for years and was shocked the first time I listened to it.
I listen to a semi-weekly radio show online, Boogaloo Radio, and tune in on Wednesday's to listen to actor Christos Lawton curate music. It's really awesome and has led me sending him a playlist I made, that he listened to! On this playlist, I put "Queen Of The Hours" by ELO, from this first album "No Answer". When Mr. Lawton played this particular song, he mentioned something that stuck with me- along the lines of knowing ELO but having never heard this song or heard of this album. Even briefly doing the tiniest amount of research, it does confirm a suspicion that rose in me at that moment, one that brought about me to wishing to do an album review of "No Answer".
I think this is generally my favorite ELO album. Even though each one feels so unique, the fact that "No Answer" itself sounds unlike any other ELO album is incredible and attracts me to it for that reason. I enjoy the fact how heavily it leans into the concept album aspect too, bringing us on this story that sometimes reminds me of an opera (although ELO albums often remind me of operas).
"10538 Overture" sets the stage for any ELO song to come. It DOES remind me of later albums (Discovery and Out of the Blue specifically), and the combination of rock and orchestral strings always captures my attention right away.
"Look At Me Now" was a song that to this day means a lot to me, it used to be a song I listened to on loop for a bit. "Look at me now… having emotion!" How very poignant. I like how versatile this song is to me- sometimes it's a song that represents my own life, other times it is the perfect DnD character song, and yet still, I could put this on any writing playlist. I adore the instruments used in this song, probably more then any others on this album.
"Nellie Takes Her Bow" is a good one. This one also gets a shout out on the instruments used, especially nearing the end. I love how this song feels like multiple songs in one and I might not understand genres but I do understand what wikipedia was saying about Prog Rock when I listen to this song.
"Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd, 1644)" is SUCH a unique song. Opening with a battle cry, the song then proceeds to be a grand orchestral piece conjuring the very battle suggested by the rallying men heard in the opening. It is songs like this that make me wish ELO had pursued this actual more orchestral nature to their band. Maybe I am misremembering but this is the only album I recall any heavy strings LIKE THIS specifically, something that is also seen throughout this album such as the next song and "Manhattan Rumble", which we'll get into in a second.
"1st Movement (Jumping Biz)" is an incredible follow up to the previous song that accompanies this really strong, orchestral instrumentation. I like how fast paced this one is and I often forget it doesn't have vocals or lyrics. But then I remember how much I love the horn section of this song and it's kind of over for me.
"Mr. Radio" is another favorite off of this album. Definitely gives me proto- "Mr. Blue Sky" and this was the first song off this album that turned me on to it. If you listen to no other song off this ELO album, I recommend you at least check this one out. The horns and drums in this, accompanying the vocals, man. Just chef's kiss, ya know. Then you get that piano coming in. It's just a very dynamic song. I love it.
"Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)" is another incredible all instrumental piece. I just really love how much orchestral arrangements are in this album. For as much as they have orchestra in their name, and I'm sure this statement isn't entirely true, but like where is the orchestra in ELO? They stuffed it all into this debut album, I swear to god.
"Queen of the Hours" is up there with "Look At Me Now" and "Mr. Radio", as one of my favorite songs from this album. I love how beautiful it sounds, mysterious and yet whimsical at the same time. Most of the time I don't even hear or understand the lyrics of this song, I just love how it sounds. It scratches something inside my brain whenever I listen to it.
"Whisper In The Night" is the final song on the album and what a send off. I love the acoustic nature of this song and another one where even if I'm not hearing the lyrics, I love the vocals on it. The overture starts this album strong, setting ELO staunchly on their path to create hits such as "Don't Bring Me Down" and "Evil Woman" but "Whisper In The Night" is almost sa wan song's to the charm of this first debut album. And I could not have asked for a better song to end on.
And this was my first attempt at an album review! Thank you for reading if you did. I'm sure I will get better at them with time. It was a joy to revisit this album and I hope it encourages even one person to check out one song from it.
Browsing bandcamp to make sure I was sure about what I wanted to get (incoming bandcamp friday haul incoming because why now), but I saw that this single dropped! For a new AJJ album "Dirty Old Power" releasing on September 25! I am passing out. I recently had the privelage of seeing AJJ twice at one of my all time favorite music venues ever. At the second concert of theirs at this particular venue, they played the song Huamn Centipede which I see will be on this album! I have been thinking about that song ever since I heard it and convicned myself I'd heard it before (I did NOT, I just think I so strongly remember that AJJ artwork with the human centipede). I generally love AJJ so so so much and until recently I didn't realize how I have been following this band basically since I was a child. I can't think of an AJJ song I don't like but I do really dig the sound of this single. I'm so excited for this album, it's going to be bigger for me then when The Mountain Goat's released Across This Fire From Peter Balkan.