Prefab Sprout - Protest Songs (1989)

As far as I'm concerned, when it comes to 80s British sophisti-pop bands, Prefab Sprout places pretty high near the top of the list. Vocally smoother on the ears than, say, the Style Council, but with a Smiths-like edge (early on at least) and a certain off-kilter approach that made them more exciting than some of their more overproduced peers. Not to mention also their impeccable sense of craft and lyrical wordplay. And yes I know that Prefab Sprout is still an ongoing concern and have made many albums since the 80s, just bear with me here. Protest Songs was apparently supposed to be their third album (recorded in 1986) but wasn't released until several years later for reasons I do not know. Soundwise, it's fairly similar to their first two albums, which might be why they held this one back. It also doesn't have any immediate standouts like "When Love Breaks Down." Don't get me wrong though, Protest Songs is still an excellent record. And "more of the same" when it comes to early Prefab Sprout is quite a nice thing to have. Start with Swoon or Steve McQueen (titled Two Wheels Good for us Yanks) first, though. Music like this with its fancy jazz chords and tasteful production certainly screams "Adult" and you'll likely either love it or hate it. In fact, I'm sure I would have been amongst the latter group if I heard this as a teenager. Funny how tastes change...

https://open.spotify.com/album/4vjS1kZVN3RkljV9KaG9M5

Grant Hart - Intolerance (1989)

Very sad news recently with the death of Grant Hart at age 56. I was too young to follow Husker Du when they were an active band, but I got into them in the mid-90s through being a fan of Bob Mould's subsequent band Sugar and going backwards through his catalog. The BMG Music Club had the Huskers' final album Warehouse: Songs and Stories at the time, so that one came first for me, then after not too long I found used vinyl copies of most of their SST records. Husker Du has been one of my favorite bands ever since, and I think my natural preference for distorted melodic music is most likely attributable to them. I've realized through the years that a lot of my favorite Husker Du songs were ones that Grant Hart wrote and sang. "Pink Turns to Blue", "Sorry Somehow", "Flexible Flyer", "Green Eyes"... holy shit, those songs are untouchable and will live on for a long time to come. While Grant Hart's post-Husker Du output, both solo and with the band Nova Mob in the 90s, was more erratic, it's a shame how overlooked his records are. Intolerance was the first solo record Grant made, shortly after Husker Du's breakup. I think I initially picked this one up in the Sam Goody 99-cent cassette bargain bin at some point in the 90s. I'm listening to it again in the wake of his death. Free of the limitations of the HD sound, Hart can do whatever he wants and that's certainly what he does here. It's often more of a folk-rock record than a rock record, but there is absolutely no compromising artistically. Grant goes beyond the sound of his former band to bring out his eccentricities and prove all of what he's capable of doing. Keyboards make a solid presence on many of the songs, but they are tastefully employed and work so well within the context of the songs. But for all that is going on musically, the arrangements have plenty of room to breathe and it's a very natural-sounding record. In fact, the production is so much better than the tinny, echoey sound of the last few Husker Du records it's shocking. Why do those final HD albums sound so bad?!? But what's most important are the songs themselves, and they're all excellent. "2541" is probably the most recognizable tune and a great singalong. "Now That You Know Me" is the closest to a Husker Du-style song here (listen to The Living End for an early live HD version). "The Main" and "She Can't See the Angels Coming" are both touching ballads. These are some of the standouts, but the album as a whole is well worth a listen or three. R.I.P. Grant. You will be missed.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5hTyhepxgW8r3UML8jqteh

George Strait - Strait from the Heart (1982)

George Strait's music has always been pretty dependable. He may have gotten schmaltzier over the years, but Strait never really abandoned the same neotraditionalist country style he started with. But what truly sets him apart from many of his peers is his effortless ability in finding and performing quality songs. Never flashy or too terribly exciting for that matter, his enduring popularity shows the importance consistently good songs can have in solidifying a lasting career. Strait from the Heart was his second album, and it's about as good as 80's mainstream country music gets. It's fairly diverse, going from honky tonk to ballads and more countrypolitan faire with a natural ease. Even the seemingly obligatory Texas swing song ("I Can't See Texas from Here") isn't bad. I'm sad to report that the lifeless digital production that unfortunately plagues most 80's country is fully in place on this recording. But thankfully the quality of the songs and George's solid singing are able to rise above the often anonymous musical backing. After all, "Amarillo by Morning" is on this album. You CANNOT fuck with that song.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3NB2cmFq9nyhHSVz0Zv08t

Gershon Kingsley - Music to Moog By (1969)

Early solo record by one of the true pioneers of electronic music (of Perrey & Kingsley fame). Although I could do without the couple of hokey Beatles covers included, this is some essential listening, especially if you're interested in the history of the synthesizer in popular music. Giving respect where respect is due, modern music would sound very different without the crucial efforts of Kingsley and his peers, integrating innovative synthesizer sounds and other experimental elements into a pop music framework. Not just synths are on display on Music to Moog By, however. Plenty of groovy drums and fuzz guitars and the occasional woodwind instrument are present as well. The original version of the instrumental Kingsley composition "Pop Corn" appears on this album, recorded a couple years before the top 10 hit version by Hot Butter. And while the hit version is great and all, Gershon's original has aged considerably better, with a spacey abstractness that is quite appealing and unique.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2b0eZQ5QbymtZEggxue5CX

Wovenhand - Star Treatment (2016)

I liked 16 Horsepower, David Eugene Edwards' previous band, quite a bit. This is my first experience with Wovenhand, even though they've been around for over 15 years. But I guess it's better late than never. Taking 16 Horsepower's heavy Appalachian-gospel-of-the-damned thing deep into desert goth rock realms, this is some seriously heavy music with crushing spiritual overtones. Edwards wails like a man possessed most of the time and the band follows suit cranking up some inspiring and powerful rock music. I would call it anthemic, but that would probably conjure up comparisons to some dull-ass band like the Arcade Fire or something. This is just great music, I'll try and leave it at that. And although I do miss the more idiosyncratic folk elements of Edwards' earlier music, there is undeniably a lot of potency to this stuff. For listeners of artists like Nick Cave, Gun Club, Swans, etc, it is so worth your time. If there were any justice in the world this band would be huge.
https://open.spotify.com/album/0Y2QdHxI2AOvUja9jrar2b

Earth, Wind & Fire - The Need of Love (1971)

A very different Earth, Wind & Fire than what one might expect. This is their second album, recorded shortly before vocalist Philip Bailey joined the group and they began their lengthy reign as the kings of funk/R&B. This record is rough and fascinating, its feel very much influenced by some of the sounds coming from the Chicago underground at the time (AACM and the Art Ensemble of Chicago both certainly come to mind). The bracing free jazz introduction to the first track, the 10-minute "Energy," might be off-putting to listeners expecting it to sound more in line with "Shining Star" or one of their other hits. It's great all the same, though. And while Earth, Wind & Fire made many excellent albums during their commercial peak, it's honestly a little unfortunate to think about the promise unfulfilled from an album like this. Their integration of funk/R&B with experimental elements was fairly seamless by this point, but how far could they have taken this free jazz/funk hybrid? That's not to say the entire album is an audacious experiment. The second track, "Beauty" isn't too far off from the direction they later took, but with significantly less polish. If EW&F's later albums are a little too slick for your taste, try this one on for size.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3EkU0XjJLHN6OBcxbFxgHB

B.B. King - Six Silver Strings (1985)

My local public library had this LP in their collection when I was growing up. I remember my dad checking it out once but had no recollection of anything else about it except him saying, "Yeah, this one isn't too good." And now I'm revisiting what the cover proclaims to be "B.B. KING'S 50TH ALBUM." (The sticker on the cover should be a giant warning sign of the lack of inspiration contained in the album right there.) So how is it? Well, turns out dad was right after all. The 1980s were not a good decade for most legacy artists and here's some solid proof. I will say, however, that on a few of these songs the keyboards are tastefully restrained and the drum sounds seem to come from a real non-electronic drum set. But then there's the rest of it, which practically screams "1985" and is as slick and phoned-in a production by a major artist as you can imagine. "Into the Night" sounded so ridiculously much like it was recorded for Beverly Hills Cop or something, until Wikipedia informed me it's actually from another 80s buddy cop film. The intro to the cover of "Big Boss Man" on here is hilarious, an obvious, limp-dick attempt to rip off "Billie Jean." And oh don't you worry, that's not the only cover song on this 8-song, 33-minute album. The version of "In the Midnight Hour" on here is about as uninspired and lame as you can possibly get. But perhaps most offensively, for an album titled Six Silver Strings and with a motherfucking guitar neck on the cover, it comes up considerably short in the area of actual guitars. Sure, B.B. (or somebody who was in the studio at the time at least) will throw us a bone with a brief solo or two a song, but that's about it. And all we're left with then are the robot drums and Jan Hammer synths to take us away to places we'd rather not go.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2SnuNYRUrn9MFDWT9FHbsL

Prurient - Frozen Niagara Falls (2015)

I've never heard this dude's music before, so why not get acquainted with a 90-minute album of harsh noise and "power electronics"? Thankfully, this is far more musical and varied than I had expected. Lots of minimal synth going on that is honest-to-god melodic and accessible. It starts out real ominous-sounding, reminding me of John Carpenter soundtrack music but with electronic tribal drums and extra squealy feedback parts thrown in. The second track sounds like that too but adds Al Jourgensen-style scary guy vocals to the mix that come and go throughout the album. I gotta admit, I was drifting in and out of paying attention to this while it was playing (hey I'm a busy guy), but most of it was pretty cool and interesting, no small feat for a 90 fucking minute noise album. The variation and pacing are the key here. I'm probably into the atmospheric synth passages the most ("Jester in Agony", "Cocaine Daughter", etc). After all, the scary guy screaming gets wearing after a while. A lot of thought and care seems to have gone into the production of this album, though. Two thumbs up.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5Pm2WvqxlDttK4hTx1vKe3