LWA Blog — music

Happy birthday to The Cure's legendary album, Disintegration, released into the world on this day in 1989. At the time, I was working at the Rainbow Records distribution warehouse in South San Francisco. I had heard of The Cure but maybe listened to a few songs at best. We were able to get CDs at cost from the warehouse, so I got a copy before going home. I remember lying on my bed, listening, while the songs slowly wrapped themselves around me and crawled into my brain. What an album. I'm old and jaded now, but I still kinda get...

The National have a new album out, First Two Pages of Frankenstein. I've listened a couple times, it's kinda more of the same formula they've been using but I like the formula. They add a couple variables into the formula by getting Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift to turn up. I especially like the Phoebe and Taylor tracks. Not mind-blowing album but good enough. I think they may have peaked with Trouble Will Find me but that's probably a different conversation. Check out First Two Pages of Frankenstein on Bandcamp. 

I'm a couple days early here, but happy 25th to the legend, released on April 20th 1998. I came to this one late, maybe 4-5 years after release. I just didn't know electronic music outside some of the bigger names (Portishead and Chemical Brothers come to mind), but someone recommended it to me and listening to it the first time swung the gate wide open. I think I was also a bit surprised at how chill the album is, it's kinda like a dream. It works whether you're actively or passively listening. These days I like to put it on when...

Spaced about Coachella happening this weekend, but I did manage to catch Weyes Blood on the live stream. I've seen her a few times before, Natalie Mering is so fucking cool. Check out her newest album, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow. 

Happy 40th to R.E.M.'s legendary debut album, Murmur, release 40 years ago on this day, April 12th 1983. I remember reading about them and seeing this album high on Rolling Stone's College Charts. I didn't hear the music until Reckoning (their second album) came out (1984) and I saw them play So. Central Rain on Solid Gold. And I didn't start buying their records until Document came out (1987). By that time, I had five albums to catch up with and that was about when they became one of my favourite bands. I played all of those albums to death...