Records of the Week: 4/7/11

Television – Marquee Moon

It’s funny how some records just seem to gain steam years after their release.  While Television’s Marquee Moon was well received by critics upon its release in 1977, the album didn’t manage to sell well in the United States at all (although it did manage to reach #28 in Britain).  It’s quite a shame that it wasn’t regarded as one of the classic albums of the era until relatively recently, when sites like Pitchfork put it high up on “Best of the Decade” lists.  Marquee Moon is really one of the most interesting, polished, and well-produced records of the time and holds up extremely well today.  The guitar playing is some of the best ever.  The entire album is full of great riffs.  The post chorus riff in “Venus” (played by Tom Verlaine) is extremely pleasant to the ear, and the title track is an eleven minute display of fantastic guitar playing from both of the band’s guitar players.

Hans Zimmer – Inception: Music From the Motion Picture

As far as summer blockbusters go, Inception is one of the most unique.  In my review, I praised it’s unique storyline and incredible special effects.  But one thing I failed to mention was Hans Zimmer’s incredible score.  Zimmer did an amazing job making the music fit the film’s dynamics, and songs like “Dream Is Collapsing” – featuring guitar from The Smith’s Johnny Marr – sound epic in scope.  The song seems to build exponentially and become more and more climatic.  It indeed sounds like a dream is falling apart, and it’s a mark of the skill of Zimmer as a composer to create orchestral music that fits the broad concepts of the film. “Time” is another standout, and the beautiful, soft piano chords at its beginning and end make it instantly memorable.

Toro Y Moi – Underneath the Pine

Originally, I wasn’t too high on Toro y Moi’s electro-pop/”chillwave” record, Underneath the Pine.  However, after a few listens I managed to enjoy it a little more.  The album is full of atmospheric, dancy pop songs, and it works really well as an album that you can listen to when you’re in a certain mood.  The standout track is “New Beat.” It’s catchy synth lines and laid back vocals are infectious, and it’s a song I was humming to myself absent-mindedly for a few days after I heard it for the first time.  It sounds almost like a disco song reinvented for the modern era, and it works well.  The album can be a little repetitive, but in the end it’s worth a few spins.  Check it out.

Next week for Records of the Week: