from wiki: According to PopMatters journalist Mike Joseph, Here, My Dear's music was "largely midtempo funk, with elements of traditional soul, gospel, and doo-wop mixed together with a slight hint of disco"
I was not vibing with these several of the tracks. Vocals feel distant to me on several of the tracks. For some reason Anger feels low effort to me and I find the "anger" vocalizations he added tacky.
Maybe it's a style preference, but I feel worn out with the midtempo funk throughout the album.
Is that a trumpet on "Is that enough" and some other tracks? It's not working for me on these tracks.
Is I Met a Little Girl more of a doo-wop song? I'm probably more of a sucker for those.
I haven't been able to dedicate as much time as I'd like, but I was pleased with the opening to this record. We've got the Beat and Lips are Sealed are the immediately recognizable hits. I think I prefer the latter. When I think of we've got the beat I imagine there must be a Simpsons episode Milhouse or Ralph or someone getting punched by Nelson while that song plays in the background.
The record is upbeat and fun. I enjoy the vocalization layers across the tracks. There is a certain sound where maybe they step up a half tone or something - it reminds of that 52 girls song I like (what is that sound called, psychedelic?).
I guess they started punk and became pop stars. While listening I am reminded of poppier sounding Clash songs I like, such as "Lost in the Super Market" (How Much More comes to mind).
I enjoy Lust to Love. Is it a stretch to compare it (slightly) to Patti Smith's 1978 song "Because the Night"? It came out 3 years prior and even mentions Lust ("Because the night belongs to lovers, because the night belong to lust).
I could see Automatic leaving some unimpressed, but I like the break from some of the more upbeat songs. I like the music dropping with just a vocal and beat and the little riff coming back.
I may have found some of the end of the record repetitive but I am listening while driving home with work thoughts stuck in head, which tends to have a negative impact on listening experience.
Overall, enjoyed. Go Go-Gos!
Packt like Sardines is a chill opener, though I'm not sure what song would be appropriate to lead into Pyramid Song. Pyramid Song is Amnesiac's How to Disappear Completely. One of my favorite songs. I love everything about this song - that such a monster song is built on the piano chords that carry on throughout the track (I think I've read the time signature is interesting but I am not sufficiently educated to speak to that - update: GPT 4o tells me it is actually 4/4 but with unusual phrasing). I love the sparse, stuttering drums that come in with swelling strings and vocals. The build up and release. The pacing of the song. That we are treated to another build up and release before the song finishes.
It must have been challenging to choose a song for the other side of Pyramid Song. Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors is a deeply satisfying choice. The gateway drug to bring your hip hop head friend over to Radiohead. I feel that this song and Life in a Glass House could have gone devastatingly poorly. Maybe in a different universe. In this one Pulk/Pull slams. glitchy beats, overwhelming pounding base complimented by slower electronic sounds of some sort? The vocal - somewhat in the vain of Fitter Happier? but younger/more human sounding - flows well with the track, especially the mysterious sounding lyrics ("and there are trapdoors, that you can't come back from"). Re the younger sounding vocal, seems fitting given that a children's encyclopedia was responsible for much of the lyrical content (hat tip to SK: https://citizeninsane.eu/music/amnesiac/pulkpull.html).
You and Whose Army comes up next and is another of my favorite Radiohead songs. It feels like it has a sense of humor. First opening with a yawn after Pulk/Pull. Then asking in the most subdued voice "you and whose army?". The song is subtle and powerful. Another builder. I believe it's recorded on guitar but I've played it on piano and like how it sounds. In particular when Thom belts out "Holy Roman Empire." (The Pyramid Song piano chords are fun to play with strings layered on top).
Good music moves. I know because when I write music it often does not move. I like the transition mid-song from "you and whose army" to "you forget so easy". The drums come in and they start playing big piano chords (or so I imagine). The "we ride tonight, ghost horses" is the perfect climax to this song.
I Might Be Wrong follows. Super rhythmic, a gritty guitar riff and beats. This song sounds...how can we say...intimate? Sensual. There is at least one double entendre or two that to me supports this. I'm trying to think of another Radiohead song like this. This song is also really live (as seen on I might be wrong Live recordings and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rulyu_FhRU). This live version is acoustic - I love the moment around 3:08 where the breakdown starts and they start plucking slower and Thom does the ouu ahhhh thing. He looks at Jonny and smiles like "man, this is a really great song and I really enjoy playing with you." It's the kind of thing that makes you want to make music. Nice to see them happy. God knows they aren't known for it.
Knives Out is a pretty song. I could see some arguing for more variety than what the vocal part and arpeggio (?) provide. I like to groove with it.
It's interesting to me that of all songs to redo they did Morning bell. I don't know the story behind it. I always thought this version starts kind of rough, but there is a pretty release in tension that I appreciate.
Dollars and Cents creates a a cool vibe with a deep repeating baseline and strings that accompany Thom vocals. Nice moments are created when Thom's singing becomes more intense, the drums build (good job Phil), strings and then you are left with the baseline to carry you on.
Would it be tacky to call Hunting Bears a palette cleanser? It brings us back to a clean slate for the haunting Like Spinning Plates. This one also has a well known live recording (I might be wrong live recordings). I really enjoy it as a piano piece. I had a girlfriend in school who could read music and I asked her to show me which "buttons" to press to play it. I've always treasured being able to play it, though, as I write this I realize I may have forgot. Not too hard to pick up though I think.
Enjoying the piano version had me doubting the recorded version but as I come back to it, I find it as chilling and haunted as I need. Plus Thom's voice doesn't crack on Cloud Cuckoo like in the live version (though it's also fun when his voice cracks). I love the "our bodies floating down the muddy river" closing lyric.
They probably could have ended the album with Like Spinning Plates. As noted, Life in a Glass House could have gone terribly wrong. Since I am ignorant of music, I will borrow from Wiki: ""Life in a Glasshouse" features the Humphrey Lyttelton Band playing in the style of a New Orleans jazz funeral". It's like, hey master trumpet guy, we are a super edgy band. will you and your friends go nuts on horns and stuff...like national anthem or whatever, but also it's gotta be jazz funeraley."
Yet it is a beautiful song. The trumpet shredding isn't too much for me. The Lyttelton band arrangement sounds lovely and sings together with Thom. Another perfect climax "well of course I'd like to chew the fat only only onlyx100 there's someone listening in).
I remember waiting 30 minutes to get Pyramid Song's bytes on a desktop computer back in the day. I think this review proves to me it was worth it. Twenty something years later and I've been listening to the album all week. An old flame rekindled.
(Note: I accidentally clicked 2 stars for RATM by Rage Against the Machine - would have selected around 4).
Regarding Boston Boston, First half feels stronger to me than second half. Maybe because I recognize more of these? More than a Feeling is catchy. Was reminded of some catchy Tom Petty sounds. Really seems to want to get to chorus.
Foreplay/Long Time I recall as a sample used by Z-Trip.
Sometimes listening to them I get the "this one goes to 11 thought." I can't imagine writing the verses. It's weird to me because it feels kind of quiet but the singer is going all out (or something?). Sometimes it feels like a bit much, but maybe sometimes you need that.
I took a break from Boston and went back to "Imagining My Man" by Aldous Harding. I liked the contrast. I still wouldn't mind hearing some Boston songs here and there, however,
My initial not hot hot take was that God Only Knows is a singular track, standing head and shoulders above the others. Vocal wall of sounds. Beautiful song.
I didn't find myself as easily drawn to non-God-Only-Knows Pet Sounds as other classics from around that time (VU Nico/VU, Revolver/Abbey Road). As an example, the first 10 seconds of I Know There's an Answer. So I had moments like that, yet I actually like that song and how it develops.
I Just Wasn't Made for these times is another one I really came to like. Part of me wants to extend that Outro like 5 minutes (does Panda Bear do stuff like that?). I guess God Only Knows going forever wouldn't be bad either.
I like the let's go away for awhile instrumental.
Don't talk is another good one.
When I was more on the fence about Pet Sounds I read on reddit you had to listen to all the music that came before this album to appreciate it. Kind of made me roll my eyes...like it somehow reminds me of when someone has to try really hard to convince themselves (or you) to like something, and that feels wrong. Anyway, regarding the production stuff, which I am not educated enough to appreciate, I imagine there is truth there. That gets me thinking though about how hard it is to judge art that is already so heavily commented on, displayed, parodied, etc.
I haven't commented on Wouldn't It Be Nice - it's hard to imagine the song without thinking of Homer Simpson (or somebody/something) in a parody.
I have a somewhat similar experience with You Still Believe In Me. I don't think this song is nearly as popular...for some reason it reminded me of a sort of a winter holiday song.
To close out some hardly comprehensible notes...I still love God Only Knows. I don't think it is surrounded by duds. I don't connect as much with some of the other songs as I do with other well regarded music from that era, but I've come to enjoy the album.
