#442 – Devo, ‘Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!’

Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Released: 28 August 1978
Label: Warner Bros.
Genre: Punk rock, new wave, post-punk
Producer: Brian Eno

For fuck’s sake. This is just ker-razy. I had like really been looking forward to listening to Devo. Not just because of “Whip It”, maybe the only song that I actually knew, but just generally because I thought this would be great fun. I like new wave, I love Brian Eno, the title of the album is complete gold, and the band’s ethos is pretty awesome (down to their name even).

But man, on the first few listens this was tough going. It’s all insane time signatures and disjointed vocals. It sort of sneers at you, daring you to bother listening. Without having the luxury of growing up with it, the virginal listen-through was a disaster. This seemed like CRAP: I HATED the cover of “Satisfaction”. I can only imagine parents at the time being disgusted.

But it grows on you. Keep going. It’s funny (it’s actually really funny), it’s cool, it’s punk and it’s actually pretty listenable once you get used to it. I wouldn’t try and make someone else listen to it, it’s an acquired taste, but you can absolutely hear the influence that Devo have had on a lot of music today and the music I like most nowadays. It is a bit same-y, like it goes nowhere, but it is pretty fun. Seminal, if you can get used to it.

Top tracks: “Jocko Homo” (the best name of a song ever), and maybe “Shrivel-Up” which has a slightly different vocal and tempo.

#460 – Hole, ‘Live Through This’

Live Through This (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Released: April 12, 1994
Label: DGC (U.S.), City Slang (Europe)
Genre: Alternative-rock, punk-rock, grunge
Producer: Paul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade

I like this album, I like it  a lot and for a number of reasons. It sounds like my teenage years – not that I listened to Hole or alt-rock or grunge a lot, but this is the quintessential sound of the 90’s and it’s nostalgic and familiar and great. This is great because it’s strong women and interesting themes abound, themes around feminism and gender roles and stuff that matters to women and matters to society and stuff that actually matters. And it has a killer front-woman in  Courtney Love, and the band was/is outspoken about human-rights and LGBTI rights. The whole thing rocks and it all makes you appreciate the bands that are outspoken and in your face and “fuck-you”, but smart.

I like this album because it’s a bit of a rarity, on even a list like this… actually, noticeable especially on a list like this. I don’t know/have the numbers, but reading and listening through the 500 it’s strange (confusing… disconcerting maybe?) to notice that the vast proportion of entries are from men or groups of men. I won’t try and get into gender discussions, I just don’t know enough to about it all, but I will say the unbalance here is noticeable. So, what I really like is hearing a record like this smashing through this list: sounding every bit as accomplished as Love’s husband’s band, political, mature, accomplished, no gimmick, and standing tall despite (because of?) the gender of some of it’s members.

This record is all killer. If I knew enough to be truly critical, I reckon I’d almost be calling it perfect. And absolutely brilliant cover art too. Love it.

#475 – Elvis Costello and the Attractions, ‘Armed Forces’

Armed Forces (album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Released: January 5, 1979
Label: Radar (UK), Columbia (US), F-Beat (1981 UK Reissue), Demon/Rykodisc (19 October 1993 Reissue), Rhino (19 November 2002 Reissue), Hip-O (10 September 2007 Reissue)
Genre: New wave, punk rock
Producer: Nick Lowe

Aaaaaand so from a 4-disc opus to a 2-disc posthumous hip-hop epic, I get to a snappy-as-all-get-out 40 minute pop album that skips along like a kid on school holidays. I’d been wanting for a while to hear some Elvis Costello, another artist who was always on my periphery but who I’d never had the opportunity to really get acquainted with, and I think I’ll want to get more acquainted with Mr. Costello. I guess this is going to be the ongoing challenge with this project – getting through the core 500, but also wanting to be across artists’ other works, and there only being a finite amount of time in the day!

This is what I like to call smart-pop – 3 and a half minute minute pop songs that are expertly crafted and executed, that don’t ask you to reach into the depths of your soul on a journey of introspection, but are well written and produced and do mean enough so you don’t float off into the commercial abyss. Songs like this remind me of some of my favourite artists, like Lily Allen and Robyn, Hot Chip and Cut Copy, Ladyhawke and La Roux, and even Cyndi Lauper – a place where pop isn’t a dirty word – pop at it’s best.

Armed Forces was so refreshing, such a treat, and at 40 minutes short, I’d challenge anyone to take a listen and not find something that they like here. And what’s it about? Your guess is as good as mine.

Top track: “Accidents Will Happen” and “Busy Bodies”, and (on this version of the album) “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?”.