Pinkerton--Weezer

For me, Pinkerton (1996) is far and above the crowning achievement of Weezer's (now long) career. I'll be honest in saying that I haven't heard any of their albums after Maladroit (2002) and I was really really really not impressed by that one. For me their only album that could possibly rival the quality of Pinkerton is (other Eric recommends pick) Weezer (The Blue Album). Even that album, as great as it is, is really no comparison. I know a lot of people are aware of Pinkerton making me hesitant to post about it, but in the process of researching this post I discovered some really interesting things about the album that I was inclined to share. The major difference between Pinkerton and any other Weezer album is the rawness of the sound. The overall sound of the album is significantly darker than the rest of their output (that I am aware of) and it lacks their poppy side which was so crucial in hits like Buddy Holly and The Sweater Song. There isn't a band song on the 10-track record, and as I've talked about before in other favorite albums (see Bjork's Vespertine) the album as a whole has a sound. It isn't just about quality on a song-to-song basis, part of the beauty of this album is how well every song contributes to the album as a whole.

Some interesting facts about Pinkerton that I wasn't aware of (thanks Wikipedia!). The original album concept was to write a space-themed opera entitled Songs From the Black Hole, a seamless album in which all the songs were supposed to flow into one another. A detailed and pretty interesting summary of this concept is available right here, but as always with Wikipedia reader beware. Still, the failed concept and how it morphed into Pinkerton is pretty interesting, even though I didn't read the whole thing. The album did, however, end up being loosely based around the Puccini opera Madame Butterfly, with the album name coming from a character in the opera.

Another interesting Weezer fact that I feel like I should have been aware of is that Rivers Cuomo attended Harvard beginning in 1995, and started immediately after the initial songs (Why Bother?, Getchoo, Tired of Sex, No Other One) for Pinkerton were recorded. The remainder of the album was recorded over the course of the next year while Cuomo was on break from classes at Harvard. All songs on the album are written by Cuomo, and all seem to be about or directly affected by events in his personal life.

Initially Pinkerton was a major commercial failure, especially being the first album they recorded after the hugely successful Blue Album. However as time goes on, this album seems to make its way onto more and more peoples' favorite albums list. So many musician (and non-musician) friends of mine, including those who listen to relatively little rock music, site this as being one of their favorite rock albums. On the other end of that a lot of people hate Pinkerton for it's underproduced and pop-lacking sound. These people are not my kind of people. Pinkerton rules, simply put. The one time I saw Weezer live, at least two or three years after the release of Pinkerton, they played almost the entire album with only a few tracks from (the then new) Green Album, and a couple choice Blue Album songs. I was thrilled.

A few samples of the album, via youtube. I didn't even know their was a video for El Scorcho, one of my favorite tracks from Pinkerton. Also included is the music video for The Good Life, and a nice (though much rockier, and much less acoustic) live recording of the album's final track Butterfly:

Bjork--Vespertine vs. Medulla

Vespertine (2001) and Medulla (2004) are two successive releases from Iclandic singer Bjork. Now, upon receiving vicious criticism from loyal readers I am trying to shorten the length of these posts (I tend to ramble on?), and this is my first attempt. Let's get down to business.

I hated Bjork before I heard Vespertine. I thought she was a weirdo and I could never understand her music (after hearing parts of albums Post and Homogenic). Hearing Vespertine changed all of it for me. The soundscapes she creates on the album are amazing...sampling everyday things like door slams, popcorn sounds, ice cracking, someone walking on snow, and cards shuffling to create really interesting beats. The overall sound of Vespertine is heavily sampled giving it an electronic feel, but it is more organic because of the constant use of everyday sounds.

Medulla on the other hand is almost completely a vocal album. Sampling (of vocals) is still a major part of the project, but almost every sound on the album originates from the human voice (with very few exceptions). She enlists the help of heavyweight voice noisemakers Mike Patton (of Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Fantomas) and Rahzel (the Roots, and possibly the greatest beatboxer of all time) on a couple of tracks.

For me Vespertine is the masterpiece of Bjork's career. It is a complete musical statement and the album itself has a sound. Every song on it has it's own vibe, but they all contribute to the complete album sound. It is also forward thinking and innovative while still remaining true to the album concept. Medulla on the other hand is very much an experimental album. It is amazing that Bjork was able to put together such an interesting album with only the use of vocals, but for me it always sounds a little like something is missing. I still LOVE the album, but it doesn't quite work overall to me as well as Vespertine does. For the record I prefer Vespertine but Cory noted in his post that he prefers Medulla. You be the judge for yourself! Below are three interesting quotes by Bjork about the album sound and vibe of Vespertine, followed by a video for each--Hidden Place from Vespertine (first) and Where Is the Line? from Medulla (second).

"It sounds like a winter record. If you wake up in the middle of the night, and you go out in the garden, everything's going on out there that you wouldn't know about. That's the mood I'm trying to get. Snow owls represent that very well."

"I was collecting together all the noises that I know that are like hibernating and that sound like the inside of your head. I guess 'Vespertine' for me was going really, really, really internal and trying to make music with huffs and whispering and music boxes."

"Vespertine is little insects rising from the ashes."