music

I like music! I mostly listen to stuff from the 1960s and 70s. I try not to make statements like "this is when music was the best" but deep down... I think it's true.

This page is VERY MUCH a work in progress. I'm not sure I like it being no more than a list of albums and will try some new structures once I get more on the page. For now, enjoy the very limited reviews.

The Beach Boys

No reason for them being first -- other than the fact that they're the greatest band to have inhabited the solar system. The Beach Boys are a profoundly interesting band, in part because of how tightly their discography tells the story of their phases of experimentation and the group's dynamic. They were genre-leading singers, genius songwriters, and weren't afraid to release summer music in the winter. Rest in peace Brian.

Pink Floyd

Before late 2022 I had been familiar with a decent amount of music, but discovering Floyd and Dark Side woke me up to, essentially, the entire music world. I started learning about the people behind the songs I'd already learned, the evolution of popular music and the sounds used, and most importantly, I learned how to obsess over music. I owe a lot to this group.

Pink Floyd, Animals (1977)

Pink Floyd, Atom Heart Mother (1970)

Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

The Beach Boys, Friends (1968): Q

It makes great background music, but great songwriters don't make background music. I see Friends as a filler album: not in a derogatory way, but because the boys (especially Brian) needed it. It's interesting to see what bits of the collective Wilson talent comes through on Friends. Songwriting, not really. Vocals, yes, especially the more intimate ones like Mike on "Meant For You". Harmonies, no. Casually inventing a new genre of music? Yes, however boring it all ends up sounding. It's a fun little album, but there just isn't enough substance to demand more than one listen every once in a while. Favorite track "Busy Doin' Nothin'"

The Beach Boys Love You (1977): Y

Every second of this album is a surprise. The jarring distorted piano (??) in the first, "HEY!" in the second, and so on... Nobody but the broken, aged, "I still got one more in me" Brian Wilson could have pulled an album like this out of their ass. From HONKIN' DOWN THE GOSH DARN HIGHWAY!!!! to Is he talking about an actual baby or... to Johnny Carson (for some reason) to the best track they forgot to put on Friends ("Airplane"),... I can't do this album justice with a few sentences. It just has too much personality. Even though Brian Wilson's rusty voice seems like it should clash with the album's childish themes, his developed personality has produced something that works without neatly comparing to anything else. He's arguably a better fit here for the 1977 Beach Boys than he was for the early '60s Beach Boys, a time when his creativity burned too hot for the "cars + girls + surf" formula of the time. Love You is a truly unique album; it doesn't fit into any boxes, and shows why I love this band as much as I do. Favorite track: I dunno, but Brian's favorite was "Ding Dang" so I'll go with that.

Pink Floyd, Meddle (1971)

Pink Floyd, Obscured by Clouds (1972)

The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds (1966): Y

The Beach Boys: Smile (?)

This is a complicated piece of music to review; first of all, which one?

The Beach Boys, Smiley Smile (1967): "Uhh"

The Beach Boys, Sunflower (1970): S

The Beach Boys, Surf's Up (1971): Q

The Beach Boys Today! (1965): W

Pink Floyd, The Wall (1979)

Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here (1975)

The Beach Boys, Wild Honey (1967): X

The fact that the band pulled this off so soon after the collapse of Smile tells you just how many ideas were swimming around in their heads at any given time. What a cool album. The tack piano and mono mix define the Wild Honey sound: rough, pure, fresh, and relaxed, like an old married couple that find a genie and wish to meet each other for the first time again. But anyone can listen to these songs, every one of them excellent, at any layer they want. It's beautiful what you get when you build a song around love and a solid chord progression. Favorite track "Aren't You Glad"

The Beach Boys, other albums

xuh

Pink Floyd, pre-1970 releases

Pink Floyd, post-1979 releases