Month 1: August 1980 / October 2023.

August 1980

The ’80s: a decade derided for brash neon pop music and offensive hair rock. For my one personal taste, it feels like a lost decade between the Punk of the ’70s and the Rave and decent guitar music of the ’90s. Other than an explosion in the quality of hip-hop, this decade hasn’t ever interested me much musically.

This, in part, was the reason for this project: it gave me an excuse to dig into things that I’ve never had a reason to do. I started the first month’s research expecting some kind of revelation that tested my bias. What happened was entirely the opposite. It seemed my lifelong general avoidance of the 1980s had been justified.

I optimistically started with George Benson’s “Give Me The Night“, a pleasantly mediocre jazzy soul excursion. Technically competent, sadly wholly void of any edge or interest. I immediately changed gears and jumped to Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Kaleidoscope“. I don’t proclaim to be a post-punk aficionado, but my interactions with – and knowledge of -the band gave me high hopes. Out of the gates, I wasn’t disappointed; the album starts with “Happy House”, a certified post-punk/new wave banger; moody, a little funk, ultimately actually quite pop, it’s a fantastic tune. The rest of the album, however, is primarily sloppy dross. There are a couple of apparent hits, but with a lot of filler. Sadly, this album follows a standard “Pop” album format (a couple of hits padded out quickly with dross), surprising for a band whose formation included a 20-minute live set of improvision based on The Lord’s Prayer with Sid Vicious on drums.

I poked my toe into the water to see what prog rock was going on this month, and one listen of Yes’s “Drama” made me feel physically nauseous. It’s a good argument for middle-aged white guys being banned from owning musical instruments.

I threw on Kid Creole & The Coconuts’ “Off The Coast of Me” as a palate cleanser. This album was in the running as the winning album for a while. It’s just as much fun as listening to an album; however, it felt a bit gimmicky.

The album I ended up picking for this month was a massive surprise to me. I’ve always steered clear of bands and artists that people make being a fan of their entire identity. Tailor Swift, Tool, Wheezer, The Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam, Mike Patton, etc.

Captain Beefheart has always been in that category for me, someone who seemed innovative and talented, but my fear of being cornered by someone at an after-party and not being able to escape whilst they played me a poorly recorded version of a John Peel session and repeatedly rewindings sections whilst screaming “did you hear THAT?!?!?!”.

But I’ll admit that I was wrong—well, actually, I wasn’t. I’m still scared of that happening, and it feels incredibly likely. However, now I fear it might be me cornering you.

Captain Beefhearts’ “Doc At The Radar Station” is an absolutely bonkers work of art! The repetitive, drony sections feel so current and relevant. The ranty, on-edge vocals are nonsense, but stay on the right side of “try hard.”

When it was released, Rolling Stone magazine likened the album to a rock and roll jungle that some people would relish exploring and some would avoid due to a fear of the unknown. Over 40 years later, this still holds true. This is still a challengingly rewarding listen in a musical world that now includes Hyperpop, Tech Death, and Phonk.

Captain Beefheart – Doc At The Radar Station

October 2023

Science dictates that your music taste starts to lock in around 24 and is almost immovable by age 31. Being 44, part of this project was to push myself to discover more new music. So, I dove headfirst into the swimming pool of new releases from the month my son was born. However, the water was so shallow that I almost broke my neck.

I nearly let my bias control me as I tried to swerve Drake’s “For All Dogs” and Taylor’s version of “1989.” I forced myself to listen anyway, only to solidify my bias. Drake’s album is a wet lettuce, and the Taylor Swift album continues to make me feel like I’m in some kind of simulation. It’s music for people who don’t like music, and there seem to be many people who don’t like it in this world. I’m not a hater; I’m happy for her success, but in a world where SZA, Billie Eilish, and Charlie XCX are redefining what pop music is, how is it that this ultra-mid mediocrity is what half of the globe built a cult around?

I was excited to check out Sampha’s follow-up to his 2017 Mercury Prize-winning debut album, “Lahai“. It’s fine, next.

I’ve always felt like I’m missing something regarding Sufjan Stevens. Many people whose music taste I really rate are massive fans. After listening to “Javelin,” I suspect this is just a bandwagon I won’t ever be getting on. It sounds like background music for a YouTube soft girls trip to Budapest.

To try and feel something, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to investigate Creeper’s “Sanguivore.” I liked it; it had Meatloafy vibes, but I’m not sure it’s pushing the envelope.

At this point, I was struggling. Does anyone release good albums anymore? Or does everyone just focus on that 30-second clip for TikTok?

Then, I was saved. I’d never heard of L’Rain, an “experimentalist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and curator” from America, but I would never skip over an album titled “I Killed Your Dog“. This album blew me away. I can’t assign it a genre; it sounds a bit like Prince and Mike Patton had a baby, but that would make it sound unapproachable. it has an odd soul-pop polish, making it immediately listenable. But the experimentation is still evident; the ending of “Uncertainty Principle” wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the Captain Beefheart album. It segways into “Oh Wow, a Bird!” a 5-second track intermission that’s one of a couple on the album that are sonic delights, like musical Amuse-bouches that sometimes make you feel desire for a “really fucking weird” album that’s all these little snippets dragged out into full songs.
This album went straight into my top 100 personal albums of all time; it’s great.