30 Minutes to Write #2: Albums I've Listened to Lately

If you read my first instalment for this series a couple of months ago you will know what this is about. If not you can find that article here.

To decide what albums I was going to write about I just scrolled through recently played or saved on Spotify. If i got around to a fifth album it would be Apollo by Brian Eno. So let's get started.

Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division

It’s a travesty that Joy Division front-man Ian Curtis passed away at 23 as he had the ability go places with his writing. 23, when I think about that number I can’t help but think that this was a man whose soul was so tortured that he took his own life even before the infamous age of 27. When you listen to the album it’s clear that it’s (and other Joy Division releases) are a cry for help. The angst he fuels the music with has been felt by plenty of people since its release. Curtis’s time may have been short but it won’t be forgotten. The music itself is very full and each respective band member stood on their own merits but it was only together that they shone.

Best Song: She’s Lost Control

Power, Corruption, Lies by New Order

After the death of Ian Curtis, the remaining members of Joy Division stayed together to create a new band with new musical ambitions. On their second album, they proved they were more than just leftovers from Joy Division. They embarked on a more new wave sound heading into this LP and it worked. They sufficiently mastered the new technology of synths and other computer elements so that the music still had a driving beat and exceptional musical performances. The lyrics don’t go in search of coping Curtis’s and cover new ideas.

Best Song: 5-8-6

Parquet Courts - Wide Awake

Probably the only music from 2018 I will talk about this time as I haven’t listened to many new releases but I’m glad this is an exception. As a rock fan, I always consider how I think the band gel together in their performances. Its part of why I think In Rainbows is the best Radiohead album and not Kid A or OK Computer. Soon I got a sense of why I like rock music. This is an album not only made up of great songs but excellent individual moments. The bass solo on Normalization or the whole band singing on the titular album are both great examples of this. Its lyrical ambition for a pop-rock album are daring and they succeed. I like Normalization’s first-person perspective of a person who is asking themselves if they should take the Turing test to see if they’re a robot. The band’s cohesive sound, ambitious lyrics and powerful solos and catchy and memorable hooks make this one of the year’s best.

Best Song: Normalization

David Bowie - Low/”Heroes”

After the glam rock and Thin White Duke eras, David Bowie escaped from everything and moved to Berlin where his greatest creative output was made. In this period he released three albums (Low, Heroes and The Lodger) and producing three (Iggy Pop’s The Idiot and Lust for Life and Lou Reed’s Transformer). I want to talk about the first two albums of his as I’m not familiar enough with The Lodger yet. If I was to think of a word to describe Bowie it would be confident. This applies to his whole career but it makes the most sense here. This is mainly led by the bold move of blending ambient music into these two albums and he got the best ambient musical talent around, Brian Eno. Bowie puts songs on the albums that have no lyrics which is something I always admired about these albums. A pop star creating music without lyrics. This is a man that is confident in his musical ability and not just looks to get radio play. And when he does write lyrics he has the ability to do uplifting songs like Heroes to the more mysterious Always Crashing the Same Car.

Best Song: Sound and Vision/Heroes (Beauty and the Beast almost takes #1 but)

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What are your thoughts on these albums?