Having been abroad for most of the week - firstly on the Amalfi coast, then in Naples - I haven't had much time to listen intently to music, but here's a selection of what's been churning away on my I-Pod during the holiday:
The Horrors - Primary Colours
A mixed bag for me. Instrumentally it's pretty top notch - I like the FX-laden MBVesque wall of guitar noise, and the songwriting is strong throughout, but the vocals can sometimes sound irritatingly mannered (a common problem amongst the English '80s alternative bands they seem to revere, like The Cure and the Psychedelic Furs). Needless to say, "Sea Within a Sea" is the high point, but "Mirror's Image", "Who Can Say", "Scarlet Fields" and the title track are good too. If they continue to improve at this rate, their fourth LP will be a masterpiece.
Cornelius - Sensuous
I'd always regarded this as his most clinical and least inspired LP, but having listened to it on a beach in blazing 90 degree heat it takes on a most appealing soporofic languor that I'd previously mistaken for muso blandness. Which brings me to...
David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name
Soporific languor doesn't get any better than this (except for the more urgent Crazy Horse-like "Cowboy Movie" and the trite anti-Nixon call-to-arms "What are Their Names".) The fact the every musician residing in or around the San Francisco Bay Area at this time seems to have made at least one guest appearance on it only adds to its Bohemian charm. Some darned beautiful tunes, to boot.
Caetano Veloso - Sem Lenco , Sem Documento (The Best Of...)
Excellent compilation that runs from the Tropicalia era through to the mid-80s (although it inexplicably omits his best-known song, "London, London" - still, there's always the Pirate Bay). "Shy Moon" in particular is perfect for those late Mediterrenean evenings when you've drunk too much wine, smoked too much dope and been bitten by 1,567 mosquitos in the space of an hour and a half.
T.Rex : The Best of...
This is actually the best of Tyrannosaurus Rex, but it holds its own as a decent compilation provided you ignore the misleading title (obviously designed to cash in on Marc's newfound teen idol status at the start of the '70s). It's a shame it doesn't include "Do You Remember", though, as it's my favourite of Bolan's pre-"Electric Warrior" compositions.
Also mentioned in dispatches:
The Beach Boys - Sunflower
Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother (their last decent album, in my opinion)
Arnaldo Baptista - Loki (Brazil's equivalent of "The Madcap Laughs" or "Oar").
Can - Future Days
Various Artists - Trojan UK Hits Box Set
