1001 Albums: “Heroes”

#384

Album: “Heroes”

Artist: David Bowie

Year: 1977

Length: 40:19

Genre: Art Rock / Experimental Rock / Electronic / Ambient

“We’re nothing, and nothing will help us
Maybe we’re lying, then you better not stay
But we could be safer, just for one day”

Heroes

I’m finding that David Bowie is slowly becoming one of my favourite artists. He’s slowly nudging his way closer and closer to my top ten and revisiting albums like “Heroes” is really helping him climb that ladder. After rediscovering the beauty that was Low, “Heroes” followed up shortly after on the list and just kept reminding me how much Bowie was truly a master of his craft. His constant risks as an artist, his ability to shape shift into different genres and his willingness to try something new and constantly reinvent himself made sure he stayed with the times musically but also showed he was a deep well of creativity. There’s few artists who can claim to have the longevity that Bowie did while maintaining a level of integrity and artistry throughout their long storied careers, and Bowie is definitely one of those artists who maintained that quality. The Berlin trilogy is a perfect offering of this.

To complete the trilogy, I also listened to Lodger, which I had zero memory of and found myself, once again, just falling in love even more with Bowie’s work. Of course, I understand they couldn’t put all three of the albums on the list, especially since Bowie already is one of the artists that has one of the most, if not the most, albums on this list, and it makes sense that of the three albums in this trilogy, Lodger was the one that was left out. It completes the trilogy very well but compared to Low and “Heroes” it doesn’t quite hit those highs. At time he sounds like he’s trying to do his best David Byrne impression and trying to write a David Bowie version of a Talking Heads album. Despite that, what I find funny is how similar “Heroes” is to Low. It’s structured the exact same way, with the first half being these wonderful Art Rock – Brian Eno style songs, and the second half being these experimental, synthesizer, ambient pieces that paint vivid pictures to the listener. Once again, it’s Eno’s Before and After Science being fed through David Bowie and let’s be honest, this trilogy definitely feels more like Eno. His fingerprints are all over this album (but int he best way possible).

I won’t complain because again, Bowie was coming off a massive drug addiction and was using the creation of this trilogy as his way of staying sober. Eno was a good friend supporting him through that just like he is supporting him musically on this album. But it definitely feels more like an Eno album than a Bowie album to me. Not a problem though as I love both and it still works wonders for me… I just wonder why they felt they needed three albums on the list that are basically almost exactly the same. I guess that just shows how strong this album is, the production on this feels the cleanest and sharpest, I felt like I could really feel each synthesizer note and it made it all feel epic in a way. It may practically be the same album as Low, but it’s just THAT good that it doesn’t matter at all.

I’m starting to face the same issue I did with Joni Mitchell when it comes to David Bowie now. I’ve hit so many albums of his and there’s just so much I can say that I don’t know what more I can really say about him anymore. He still has a few more albums on this list and I feel I’ll just be repeating myself when it comes to my feelings towards him. I think I’ve definitely hit my limit with what I can say and have dried up that well (wow two well analogies in one post?). Maybe by the next album I will have discovered new feelings to express in regards to Bowie, but at the moment I’m feeling like I’ve said all I could. Maybe it’s because I just witnessed two Bowie albums in close proximity and they were incredibly similar in style, that’s probably a big factor in this feeling. With his next album might come his next musical reinvention and I might find myself with new things to say. I’ll just have to wait and see when the time comes.

Favourite Song: Beauty and the Beast

-Bosco

P.s. I like the fact that Heroes is in quotations as the title, almost makes it feel like the concept of heroes is sarcastic.

1001 Albums: One World

#381

Album: One World

Artist: John Martyn

Year: 1977

Length: 38:38

Genre: Experimental Pop / Dub / Blues / Jazz-Funk / Rock / Ambient

“Going to get on up and fly away
Go on out for another way
And a new day’s dawn
Going to carry on.”

Small Hours

After I had listened to Steely Dan’s Aja and found myself unsure of what to really say about it, I had a moment where I reassessed how I was listening to music in general. I questioned whether I truly didn’t have much to say because the album didn’t do much for me or because my current listening habits were getting in the way of me truly listening to the album. I’ve become habituated to just listening to as many as albums as I possibly could and having them play whenever I can, which means they would often play in the background as I work or do chores or just chill and relax, that I became more excited about getting to the end of the album to say I’ve listened to it than actually being excited about listening to the album itself. That attitude was definitely hindering my album listening experience.

Seeing as One World was next, I felt I needed to focus more and truly give this album a listen. I really loved John Martyn’s Solid Air and seeing another one of his albums pop up on the list, I figured it would be the best thing for me to actually allow myself to experience the album fully and not somewhere in the background. It’s the least I could, especially since I loved the last one so much, I had to give myself the opportunity that I would possibly love this one just as much. So I did. I sat down and gave my full attention to the album and really tried to focus and listen to it so I can absorb as much as possible. It’s time I change my listening habits.

All pretensions aside, I already knew ahead of time that I wouldn’t be able to decipher any lyrics or be able to analyse them in any way. I always have difficulty fully understanding lyrics when I listen, so I knew that wouldn’t really happen entering this new mind set. However, I definitely let myself lose myself to the music and tried to keep track of any feelings I had through the album. I wanted to make sure I really did take it all in as much as I could. I even listened to it twice to really get a hold on how I felt and I’m happy I did because this was a positive experience.

I loved Solid Air and I can safely say I also loved One World. Entering this challenge, I never expected I would have found myself quickly becoming a fan of John Martyn’s work (mainly because I didn’t even know who he was before starting the challenge) and it seems his style of music is really resonating with me in a deeper way. Somehow it touches me down to my core and into my soul and just tickles it in a way that a lot of other music doesn’t. I find myself just feeling in a good place when I listen to it and this album had a sort of calming effect on me, which is always a plus. It’s hard to define his style of music but the mix of experimental pop and funky folk stylings just works wonders for me in a way that other music in this genre just doesn’t.

The whole album had this sombre yet uplifting feel to it that made me think of driving down the highway in the middle of the night. It helps that the final song is even called Small Hours, which make me think that’s what he was going for. As someone who works overnight, I’ve driven down the highway at 3 am many, many times and the vibes I was getting from this album brought me back to those nights, driving through the misty air, stars and moon in the sky, surrounded by peace with nary a soul moving. The sleeping city passing me by as I cruise down alone on this patch of road. It felt like midnight but the best parts of midnight. When we think of midnight in a nostalgic way, the sky painted a dark blue with sprinkles of street lights guiding the way. It was a good feeling.

One song in particular that stood out for me, Smiling Stranger, fit right into this style of music I like to call Music For Frogs. A style of music that sounds like its made for frogs to enjoy. With watery sounding blurps, croaking timbres and swampy sounds, Smiling Stranger was an incredibly pleasant surprise of Music For Frogs I did not expect to hear on this album. If I knew how to make music, I would love to make an album called Music For Frogs that incorporates these kinds of sounds, and Smiling Stranger would definitely serve as an inspiration of the kind of sounds I’d like to get. I love Music For Frogs and anything that fits into that category becomes an automatic favourite.

It’s safe to say John Martyn is a musician I’ve grown to really enjoy and with this album now on my radar, I think it’s time for me to do a deep dive into his work and see what other gems I can discover. He has this knack of just writing music that sits nicely with me and I can’t deny myself having more of that in my life. That’s just not acceptable.

Favourite Song: Smiling Stranger

-Bosco

1001 Albums: Low

#378

Album: Low

Artist: David Bowie

Year: 1977

Length: 38:26

Genre: Art Rock / Avant-Pop / Electronic / Ambient / Experimental Rock

“Oh, what you gonna say?
Oh, what you gonna do?
Ah, what you gonna be?

To be real me, to the real me
Under the cool, under the cool and under having a ball
What you gonna say to the real me, to the real me”

What In The World

How low can you go?

If you’re David Bowie, apparently low, very low indeed. When working on this album he seemed to be coming out of a period of drug addiction where he was constantly high on cocaine. So much so that he seemed to have had zero memory of ever recording his previous album Station to Station. One can say this is one of David Bowie’s most important albums ever in his career because in a way it may have saved his life. He and his best buddy, Iggy Pop, got themselves out of the USA and moved to France with the singular goal to kick their cocaine addictions. Of what I know it paid off because I’m pretty sure he ended up kicking it, which let’s be honest is no easy feat to pull off. If there’s anything I’ve learned is that addiction is one of the hardest things to overcome and I’ve read that drug addiction especially has a low rate of success overall. I have to commend Bowie for doing that, first realizing his problem and making the decision to kick it and secondly sticking to it. And he wasn’t alone, it was him and Iggy Pop working together to do it. It is slightly easier when you have someone to not only hold you accountable but that you keep accountable to and I’m very proud of them (even if this was decades and decades ago).

This also marks the first in what would be called his Berlin trilogy, which is often considered a peak in his creative output. I’ve always enjoyed Bowie but found myself disappointed when I heard Ziggy Stardust and Young Americans. And although Hunky Dory is a personal favourite of mine and I am partial to both Aladdin Sane and Station To Station, it did feel like a bit of a 50/50 chance that I might enjoy this one. I’m happy I went into it with low (hehehe) expectations because there’s a good chance this might even surpass Hunky Dory as my favourite Bowie album. It’s funny too, because this isn’t the first time I’ve heard it. I remember hearing it a long time ago and remembering that I just wasn’t into it. It seems my first time around was not that enjoyable. But that was a long time ago and I’ve grown a lot when it comes to how I listen to music and my appreciation for it. So coming into this time was a whole new experience in a way and it was an amazing one.

The first thing I noticed listening through it was that the musical style sounded very familiar. It felt like I had just heard this album not long ago and I realized it made me think of Brian Eno’s Before and After Science. It was even structured the same way, with Side A being these fun Art Rock bangers and Side B these ambient electronic experimental tracks. Even off the top with the first two songs I felt they sounded oddly like Brian Eno songs even from Here Come The Warm Jets and Another Green World. Well, wouldn’t you believe it, when I searched it up, lo and behold, Brian Eno was indeed a collaborator on this album. Not only that, but it seems Bowie was listening to Eno’s solo work on repeat quite a bit and used it as inspiration. I have to say, I’m pretty proud of myself for noticing that on my own! That could also be why I loved this album so much too, seeing as I have enjoyed Brian Eno’s solo work quite immensely.

Looking at David Bowie’s catalogue and going through all these albums, there’s no denying what a masterclass of a musician he was. It’s quite an experience going through his albums because he’s always changing, always growing as an artist and constantly trying new things and expressing himself creatively in a vast array of ways. There may be some slumps in his discography, but creatively bankrupt he was not. I have a lot of admiration for Bowie and can only hope to have at least half the creative talent he had.

Favourite Song: Breaking Glass

-Bosco

1001 Albums: Oxygene

#363

Album: Oxygene

Artist: Jean-Michel Jarre

Year: 1976

Length: 39:39

Genre: Electronic / Ambient / Synth-Pop / Space Music / New-Age / Electropop

“(haunting synths)”

I had bought this album as a total blind buy a few years back. I had vaguely heard about it beforehand but knew basically next to nothing of what to expect of it. It was a big risk buying it like that but hearing that it was one of the important albums of early electronic music was enough for me to be heavily interested. The title and that album cover were the extra icing on top that made me feel this would be an album I would enjoy. It was already on my radar as an album that I wanted to listen to, so finding it for sale just gave me the push to finally do it by purchasing it. I have to say, it’s easily one of the best blind buys I’ve ever done and I’m happy to say my intuition was absolutely correct in that I would love this album, because love it, I did.

It’s such a difficult album to describe. I mean, sure it’s an electronic album, so throughout, you hear the wonderful swirls and flows of synthesizers, but it’s more than just straight-forward music. Jean-Michel Jarre seems to mix elements of synth-pop, ambient and electronic experimentation to create this 6-part suite soundscape that feels both tuneful and atmospheric. This is music that’s creating a mood, putting you in a certain place for its entire runtime and taking you on this journey of electronica fabricated precisely to give you an air of… well air!

The title of the album is quite apt as it seems Jean-Michel really dives into every aspect regarding breathing and air that could possibly be explored, whatever that might mean to you (or him technically). From literal interpretations, there are moments where you can feel breezes flowing through you or as if you’re stuck in a mighty wind, while other moments are more abstract, giving a sense of breathlessness or a high when you’ve inhaled too much oxygen. It’s a sweeping oeuvre that at times feels pensive and serene and others hauntingly beautiful (a sentiment that helped since I was listening to it near halloween and never thought I’d think this album would fit those vibes nicely). 

There’s not much I can really say about this because, like most albums in this style, it’s much more of an experience that needs to be, well… experienced! I took away a lot from my experience listening to this album and I can only hope that others will too.

Favourite Song: Oxygene (Part V)

-Bosco

1001 Albums: Another Green World

#327

Album: Another Green World

Artist: Brian Eno

Year: 1975

Length: 40:55

Genre: Art Rock / Ambient / Art Pop / Electronic Pop / Ambient Pop / Minimalist / Avant-Pop

“Mau Mau starter ching ching da da
Daughter daughter dumpling data
Pack and pick the ping-pong starter
Carter Carter go get Carter
Perigeeeeeee
Open stick and delphic doldrums
Open click and quantum data.”

Sky Saw

Remember in my last post when I mentioned that I was now starting a new playlist and was excited to finally listen to actual new albums for me? What I mean by this is, since I had listened to the end of the last playlist, I was basically revisiting all those albums and it wasn’t a first time listening type experience when it came to writing the post. I was finally excited to tick off more albums off the list as listened because I didn’t want to start on this playlist until I was absolutely caught up. Well, funnily enough this is not one of those albums. I’ve already heard this album and know it, so I’m not starting off right away with a new one. Oops, haha.

As someone who enjoys Brian Eno, it only made sense that I would have listened to this album on my own time at some point, especially since it closely followed (an album separates the two) Here Come The Warm Jets, an album I love. I was curious to see what Eno had done, especially knowing that later in his career he would start making ambient music. I was curious to see if there was a clear progression that led him to that moment or if it was a sudden and abrupt change in his creative vision as a whole. After listening to this album it became clear that it was definitely the former and this seems to mark the official transition that he would make towards creating ambient music.

Unlike Here Come The Warm Jets, which had a fun mix of art-rock and glam rock that felt like an obvious pre-cursor to post-punk and new wave music, here he stripped it all down and took a much more minimalist approach to his music. Most songs on this album are instrumentals, with the exception of five songs that do include lyrics, and he seems to be experimenting with lush soundscapes, music that paints pictures and evokes feelings through its sounds rather than its words. Another Green World seems like he was influenced by nature and natural elements, which makes it funny that he uses synthesizer so much through the album. He would even go on to create his own unique sounds that would get credited as “Snake Guitar”, “Uncertain Piano”, “Castanet Guitars” or “Leslie Piano” as he attempted to create new sounds that would fit the style of his album. There’s a great example in the opening song called Sky Saw, where the synth noises actually sound like saws. When put all together we get a wonderful experimentation from Brian Eno that showed a massive shift in his style and gave for promising prospects for his musical future.

As much as I have been gushing about Brian Eno, it’s funny that after this album, I haven’t actually listened to any others. I know a few of them will be coming soon and I think there’s a part of me that wants to wait until the moment comes that I get to listen to it for the first time and write down my first thoughts rather than having it be a revisit. I eagerly await the arrival of them because I’ve been wanting to listen to his ambient work for a long time. I know I could just listen to it whenever I want but there’s something exciting about waiting for it, almost like a delayed gratification. It’ll be awhile but I’m sure it’ll b worth the wait.

Favourite Song: In Dark Trees

-Bosco

1001 Albums: Phaedra

#312

Album: Phaedra

Artist: Tangerine Dream

Year: 1974

Length: 37:33

Genre: Electronic / Kosmische / Ambient / Space Music / Progressive Electronic

“The sweet, sweet sounds of Icy synths”

Man, I’m a sucker for these kinds of albums. I don’t know what it is about these kraut-rock, art-rock, synth albums that really get to me on a personal level but they do and I love them for that. I’m not going to try and sit and figure it out and rather just enjoy the ride. I’ve always loved synthesizers in general and I think I just love the vast soundscapes that can be created from them. There’s so many fascinating sounds and noises you can create with them and bands like Kraftwerk, Can and Tangerine Dream were definitely doing a lot of interesting things with them. Modern day electronic music can thank them for the innovations they were doing at the time. It’s wild to hear something like this and know it was made in 1974 because it sounds like an album from the future.

Like a lot of other kraut-rock bands, Tangerine Dream seemed to like to use the motif of water as inspiration. The synths here blurb and gurgle their way through each song. And like bands like Kratwerk seem to have a bit of a motif permeating through the album. I don’t know if it was intentional but listening to it I got the soundtrack to some frozen alien wasteland. The music gave me images of ice and water with a sci-fi feel to it all, as if walking through some frozen tundra in a space suit. The title song, Phaedra, pumps and bumps the whole way through and even though it is a roughly 17 minute song, it is engaging as all hell, keeping your attention the whole way through despite having zero lyrics. That’s the power of these experimental electronic songs, they somehow paint a vivid picture and tell a story without ever saying a word. 

Tangerine Dream are just one of those bands that can pull it off so incredibly well and Phaedra is a testament to their skill. I don’t really have much to say outside of that other than the experience of this album was a great one and one you can easily lose yourself to and like the songs on this album, words aren’t necessary to describe it!

Favourite Song: Phaedra

-Bosco

1001 Albums: Future Days

#278

Album: Future Days

Artist: Can

Year: 1973

Length: 40:56

Genre: Krautrock / Ambient / Electronic / Progressive Rock

“I just think that room’s to end,
How commend them from their dreams?
Send that money for a rainy day
For the sake of future days.
You better have nothing for me,
You better move year on your face,
You hide behind a borrowed chase
For the sake of future days.”

Future Days

There is something about the genre of krautrock that really compels me. Just draws me in and keeps me engaged every single time. I love, love, love it and have no idea why it resonates with me so much. By all means, anyone who knows me, would think that a lot of this music is not the kind I would enjoy. As much as I’m into weird music, a lot of experimental music just doesn’t do it for me. The style Can and the genre of krautrock has captured has all the ingredients for the type of experimental music that I normally would not enjoy and would be annoyed by, yet the genre of krautrock manages to do it in a way that makes me enjoy it tremendously.

Can is starting to creep up the list of bands that I absolutely love. I haven’t heard a Can album as of yet that I didn’t enjoy. I absolutely loved Tago Mago and Future Days is no exception. They do something very similar here ax Kraftwerk would later do as well and that’s create soundscapes that not only tell a story but paint a vivid picture to the listener. You can sit there and listen to these songs and just envision a clear image in your mind purely from the music itself. I think that’s why I love it so much. it’s experimentation with purpose. Everything you hear is deliberate with a specific purpose to paint this vivid picture in your mind through your aural cavities and Can does it superbly well.

Future Days is aptly named because the entire run of this album I kept imagining a futuristic landscape. Their use of synths probably did a lot to add to that soundscape, used incredibly well to create the feeling of days to come in a time with Space Labs and Neon Lights (Kraftwerk reference for ya). What I especially liked was how they captured that with two different moods, one of foreboding dread and one of pleasant utopia. No one truly knows what the future holds and the images we often picture when it comes to the future can usually be separated into two categories: A beautiful utopia filled with advanced technology that fixes everything or a desolate wasteland of a post-apocalyptic nation. Can captures both sides of the futuristic coin really well, where one song you’ll be bopping your head gaily to the thought of flying cars and happy days to come, while another song you’ll be sitting in fear of the possible outcomes the future can hold and the darkness it might present to us. The unknown is always the most terrifying thing as we never know what will happen for certain and Can takes us on that journey of both possibilities.

Now that I think of it, with how uncertain the times are at the moment this album seems to be a right fit for the current landscape. We are all filled with massive uncertainty of what’s to come, will we come out of all this back to normal or will it just keep getting worse. None of us know for certain but those two possibilities sit over us in the future and we won’t know until those future days become present ones. Until then, let’s just enjoy the ride for what it is.

Favourite Song: Moonshake

-Bosco