Music Nerds member page: yestermorrow

Mutations by Beck (1998)

Written by yestermorrow (11)

After big commercial success with 1994's "Loser", a hilarious bit of slacker/hipster/music-nerd post-hiphop grooving, Beck gave no indication that he was looking to replicate that success nor to be pigeonholed by it. The strikingly different Odelay (1996) followed, electrifying Mellow Gold's acoustic guitars and adding harsh beats and kaleidoscopic samples while moving through a feverish if cohesive array of musical styles. Having built upon his success anyway, he went into a... [read the rest]

Arthur Lee by Arthur Lee (1981)

Written by yestermorrow (11)

The new-wave/leftover-prog year of 1981 saw the release of this self-titled Arthur Lee LP on Rhino Records, an album featuring a wide range of musical styles that would become infamous for its slapdash feel and almost immediate consignment to the obscure OOP bins of Love-loving music nerds everywhere. Although his stature had steadily and rapidly been decreasing since the release of Forever Changes by his group Love in 1967, Arthur Lee never stopped writing and recording (both solo... [read the rest]

Side Trips by Kaleidoscope (1967)

Written by yestermorrow (11)

The Kaleidoscope (from the US, not to be confused with the band of the same name from the UK) is an oddity in the history of psychedelic rock: pulling in ideas from everywhere imaginable, they fused trippy psychedelia, sunny pop, snaky Middle Eastern melodies, heavy rock, and more into a concoction they played with humor, conviction and an unerring technical aplomb that belied a seriousness and dedication behind the cartwheeling exterior. Led by vocalist Sol Feldthouse, whose piercing but... [read the rest]

R.E.M. Live by R.E.M. (2007)

Written by yestermorrow (11)

Well well well. One of the last long-standing, self-imposed rules has finally been broken by the always-evolving and daring R.E.M.: the legendary band has released its first live album. A document of their 2005 tour in support of the somewhat lackluster Around the Sun, this CD/DVD set is drawn from shows on February 26 and 27 of that year in Dublin, Ireland. Of course, hearing R.E.M. live isn't exactly a novelty; the band has released several live tracks as b-sides throughout their... [read the rest]

Document by R.E.M. (1987)

Written by yestermorrow (11)

Having established themselves as a somewhat sleeker, cleaner, more strident rock band on Lifes Rich Pageant, R.E.M. exploded in a furious fireball on 1987's breakthrough Document. Turbulent, chaotic and dark, the album broke the band into the Top 10 and into mainstream consciousness. Coming at a time when the airwaves were ruled by Bon Jovi, George Michael, and Madonna, Document surprised people who didn't realize that alternative, "college" rock had been brewing so headily... [read the rest]

Lifes Rich Pageant by R.E.M. (1986)

Written by yestermorrow (11)

Turning their backs on their formerly inward-looking selves, R.E.M. began tackling politics and social issues on their 4th album, signifying an abrupt change of course, alienating some old fans and garnering many more new ones. The guitars pack a wallop on Lifes Rich Pageant, the drums are loud and forceful, and the entire soundscape has been greatly focused and refined. No longer for R.E.M. the distracted, sylvan splendor of their past albums, the band finally started leaving... [read the rest]

Fables Of The Reconstruction by R.E.M. (1985)

Written by yestermorrow (11)

Having heralded a "new Southern music" revival with its first two albums, R.E.M. made their third album, the classic Fables of the Reconstruction (or Reconstruction of the Fables; it was always intended to be ambiguous), their last major statement about their beloved home before turning their eye to more national and international (and eventually interpersonal) matters. Musically, it is undeniably dense, even moreso than their debut Murmur. Whereas that album, though... [read the rest]

Reckoning by R.E.M. (1984)

Written by yestermorrow (11)

When Reckoning, R.E.M.'s followup to their debut Murmur was released in 1984, the record cover spine said "File under water". It was an apt representation of the music contained within: Reckoning is all about fluid motion, whether hurtling along fierce sluices or eddying lazily near the river banks. Where Murmur was lethargic sunlight on dense undergrowth and mossy stone walls, Reckoning's sound is much more sparse and direct; it is an attempt to capture... [read the rest]

Murmur by R.E.M. (1983)

Written by yestermorrow (11)

After releasing a landmark single (1981's "Radio Free Europe") and a magnificent EP (1982's Chronic Town), R.E.M. hunkered down in the studio with producers Mitch Easter and Don Dixon to record their first full-length album. And what a masterpiece they created. Balancing a sense of studio experimentation with a built-in familiarity with these oft-played-live songs, the four band members and the producers created a thick gumbo of sunless, shifting patterns, bursting moments of clarity... [read the rest]

Fifth Dimension by The Byrds (1966)

Written by yestermorrow (11)

This album captures a very special, and generally misunderstood (and forgotten), period of time in the psychedelic 1960's. The Byrds' Fifth Dimension is a document of the time when drugs were still new (and soft), every musical idea was exciting and innovative, and changing the world wasn't an embarassing memory of a failed utopianism, it was apparently really going to happen. Roger McGuinn and the band had made their name by covering Bob Dylan, playing his songs with pop group... [read the rest]

Forever Changes by Love (1967)

Written by yestermorrow (11)

Love's 1967 album Forever Changes was the undisputed high point of Arthur Lee's original version of Love -- which is saying a lot, since the band started out great and just kept getting better. Differing markedly from their first two albums, this album benefits from some of the most consistently strong, adventurous songwriting on any rock album, as well as an exhilarating mix of fast rock and soaring... [read the rest]