Albumologist #3

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the best album I've heard in, like, a long time. I don't really want to talk about it, so just go listen to it. Lately I've been considering it as a concept album, and it makes sense. More later.

Tom Waits is not an easy sell. I get that. But suppose you were to start somewhere: you could do worse than Small Change, which has him at the end of that drunk-smooth-lounge thing he nailed in the seventies. The whole thing is sullen; even when the pace quickens, like on "Step Right Up", it's still a cloudy sky overhead. Those who find his voice off-putting will have an easier time here, and never mind that, because the songs are splendiferous. Try, just try to enjoy your current surroundings during "I Wish I Was in New Orleans." I mean, if you're going to drink alone...

Cee-Lo Green's The Lady Killer is filled with bodies, but few of them are lifeless. For what it's worth, this is less a Motown-throwback than a Motown-themed-party, where some of the guests spend hours on their costumes and perfect the period detail while their friends toss on an accessory or two and go as themselves, because they know the photos are going to be on the internet the next day. The period drinks don't last the whole night, and really by about midnight no one cares, since everyone's having a good time anyway. The place never gets packed, but it works out for the best; less sweating. Oh, and "Satisfied" is way too peppy to be that lewd/romantic. Strange.

The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing The Dark Side of the Moon just about sums it up. It's a track-by-track tribute and it sounds more or less like you would expect the Flaming Lips doing Pink Floyd to sound. So perhaps it's praise for the original; still, I like how the songs sound, well, fresh. Case in point: "Money" is one of those songs I had pegged as a uncoverable, and this version succeeds by steering the ship well clear of those waters. Lose the bass line and you might not recognize the thing at all.

I'll admit it was the announcement of a new Britney Spears album today that sent me back to Circus, which I admired from arm's length in a well-my-girlfriend-owns-it-might-as-well-add-it kind of way since it came out, whenever that was. Forget that. This is cotton candy, and it's delicious. Yes, there are duds, so skip them, and get on to the dessert: "Circus," "Shattered Glass," "Lace and Leather," etc. Remember, the less Spears has to do with her music the better it is, and she's barely even present here. Should be a no-brainer, and it is. (Another helpful note: include the bonus tracks "Amnesia" and "Phonography" since they're as sharp as anything on the album proper.)

[Ed.: The author wishes to apologize for all the phrases-strung-together-with-hyphens in this post. Once again, he doesn't want you to think this is, you know, that kind of blog. So here's something else.]