2014 in Review Pt. 2 (A Great Year for the 90's)

Here at this blog we like the nineties. And while many opinion makers and music reviewers slag off the persistence of some of these twenty-plus-year careers as flogging a corpse, it does not change the fact that 2014 was a great year for the decade of my teens, the decade of theatrically morose guitar bands and youthful disaffection. Listening back to the year in music one can easily be lulled into feeling like the last 20 years never happened...a pretty reassuring fantasy for most.

--by Tzarathustra--

Counting Crows: Somewhere Under Wonderland

A spry album that plays with the idea of Americana in a way that only the Crows can do. It's viewed through the lens of nostalgia, yes, but that lens isn't rose-tinted. They're courageous enough to speak the truth and talented enough to do it over a set of songs that run the gamut from bouncy fun to wrenchingly poignant. Glad to see they're still going strong.











Bush- Man on the Run

This one is ironically more memorable than their last album Sea of Memories. It hearkens back to a sort of Science of Things vibe, with the thick guitars combined with occasional electronic accents. Rossdale has written some good vocal melodies on these songs that take me right back to the 90s. This isn't a groundbreaking record by any means, but I don't think any of us have ever expected that of Bush. We only needed them to rock like those days would never end, so this is a nice addition to their discography.







Foo Fighters- Sonic Highways 
There are two ways to look at this album. It could be viewed as a bit of a conceptual failure by some, because the band did eight songs inspired by eight different cities as a love letter to America's classic rock and roll heritage, but instead of the incredible diversity that you might expect, it appears that the Foo Fighters' triple-guitar attack kind of quashed the regional character of the songs. Without a guide, you'd be hard pressed to determine which city inspired which song. On the other hand, just the attempt to be more diverse gave the band the extended sonic palette that they've been lacking for the last few albums. This record's spirit does reside firmly in 1976, but if you can appreciate some Springsteenian gigantism, there is some memorable work here.



Smashing Pumpkins- Monuments to an Elegy 

A short, sweet demonstration that Corgan can still pull out some engaging tunes, even if they are dripping with synth burbles and reverb. The whole thing comes in at just over thirty minutes, which for Billy is a demonstration of remarkable restraint (thought there is another LP already partway done). That restraint is one of the album's biggest strengths; elements arrive, entertain, and then bow out. Nothing stays around long enough to become tedious or overcooked. This is a strong outing for Corgan, and though I understand that it is no longer 1995, part of me is still holding out hope that he can rediscover the power of a dry distorted guitar tone.