The Fall – Grotesque (After The Gramme)

The Fall – 

Grotesque (After The Gramme)

By

Jesse E. Mullen

Classic Fall begins here. Northern Rockabilly, American Country-Western, Post-Punk, Krautrock, all of these elements coalesce for the first time here. Add the brilliant interplay of S. Hanley, Marc Riley, and Craig Scanlon, and you have a recipe for a classic album. In addition, Mark E. Smith's lyrical themes have been given a laser sharp focus only previously hinted at. His songs of Hobgoblins and the music industry now fueled by a grueling tour of America, which gave him a broader perspective of the music industry. If you've yet to delve into this wonderful and frightening world, Grotesque is a great place to start.

Rough Trade/1980

Luna – Penthouse

Luna – Penthouse

By

Jesse E. Mullen

Penthouse, along with Lunapark is undoubtedly Luna's peak and most distinguished record(s). However, whereas Lunapark evoked a slightly spooky dreampop tone from Wareham's guitar, Penthouse is where Sean Eden truly begins to shine, giving Luna its twin guitar attack that we all know and love. Eden shines the brightest when he is allowed to wrap his elastic riffs around Wareharm's wet, reverberated chords on songs such as "Moon Palace" and "23 Minutes In Brussels."

Elektra/1995

Archers of Loaf – Vee Vee

Archers of Loaf – Vee Vee

By

Jesse E. Mullen

Vee Vee is without a doubt the Archers at their peak. With the album utilizing a more unified, and fleshed out (though no less intense) sound than Icky Mettle, they tackle their songs with a flat, dry production, preserving all of the energy of the four musicians, and giving us the closest recorded effort to sounding like one of their live shows (excluding Seconds Before The Accident, and Curse of the Loaf of course, the two actual live albums put out by the group.) Highlights include the hard-hitting melodic, alternately tuned "Harnessed In Slums," the majestic "Greatest of All Time," which predates Pavement's similarly low e-string heavy ballad "Grounded" by a month. Also, the mellow, slightly experimental "Floating Friends" seems to point to the sparser, sound fx heavy material on the loaf's last two albums, All The Nation's Airports and White Trash Heroes. The guitar interplay between Eric Bachmann and Eric Johnson has not waned in the two years between Vee Vee and their debut (Icky Mettle.) They continue to use their counter melodies in beautiful and aggressive ways, and although not a lot has changed on that front, they've had it perfected since the beginning. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Alias Records/1995