Your all-time second favorite album

[vivalaultra]

 

or possibly...

 

 

[Guest Felonies!]

Every album I own is tied for first. Let's never have another list thread.

[vivalaultra]

...Threadkiller.

[Annabelle]

oh, fuck. enough.

[vivalaultra]

Well, I guess my planned weekly series of "Your favorite" third through nine-hundredth album(s) won't be received well...

[Giuseppe Zangara]

I've recently come to hate Pet Sounds.

[Guest Felonies!]

I haven't listened to it in months. Why did you sour on it? I'll always be a fan of "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times."

[Giuseppe Zangara]

The Hallmark sentimentality of the whole thing, I suppose. I never really cared for the album outside of a few songs, but recent, repeated exposure to it did nothing other than fray my nerves. And yes, I know the vocal harmonies employed on this album were fairly revolutionary at the time, but they do little to disguise what is little more than fluff.

[Guest Felonies!]

It's probably the most sugar-coated album about such deep depression and despair that I've heard thus far, at any rate. I usually just abbreviate it to Wouldn't It Be Nice, Sloop John B., God Only Knows, IJWMFTT, and Caroline No. There is some filler.

[Giuseppe Zangara]

Also, I know hating on this album is an uphill, largely futile affair, so I generally keep quiet about it whenever it comes up in conversation, other than to say "I don't like it" when asked.

[Giuseppe Zangara]

It's probably the most sugar-coated album about such deep depression and despair that I've heard thus far, at any rate.

Most of it comes off so phony and fake. Granted, Brian Wilson really was depressed/crazy, but, even knowing that, I've never been able to buy into the lyrical content of Pet Sounds; yes, w/r/t the sound of the album—in both its production and melodies—he knew his way around the studio and a thing or two about songcraft, but he's a very unconvincing actor. This is just a personal distaste; I don't blame anyone for loving the album and can at least see why lots of people do. Just not me.

[Guest Felonies!]

Does part of that have to do with the fact that Tony Asher kind of guided him through the whole lyric-writing process? That was sort of a big strike against it for me. I wanted to believe it just came straight from him without anybody else involved in that stage of the game, so I just convinced myself that there's no such thing as Tony Asher, and now I enjoy "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" a lot.

[Murmuring Beast]

I've heard it a million times: 'Caroline No' shouldn't be on it; I can hardly ever get past 'God Only Knows'; 'I Know There's An Answer' isn't too great'. Still, great album and better than Revolver (dropped glass). Although why comparrisons are made...

[Giuseppe Zangara]

Ha, you just named two of the three songs on there I like.

[Guest Felonies!]

God, I can't stop listening to "Paris 1919." I need more baroque rock in my life.

[vivalaultra]

If you like Baroque, you'll enjoy Garcia Marquez. Did you ever happen upon a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude?

 

I listened to "Pet Sounds" this morning, and I don't see how anyone can dislike an album that contains "Caroline, No", "Wouldn't It Be Nice?", "Don't Talk, Put Your Head on my Shoulder", "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" and the penultimate love song-"God Only Knows". Even the unnecessary "Sloop John B." doesn't detract from the album's greatness, methinks. "Pet Sounds" is the soundtrack to young love. It's nostalgic and beautiful and sad and happy all at the same time. "Slanted & Enchanted" is a good album, too.

[Guest Felonies!]

I did happen upon it, but neglected to purchase it, and what does that have to do with desiring a follow-up to Paris 1919?

 

I've never gotten into Pavement. Can you believe that?

[vivalaultra]

Neglected to purchase it? Pity.

 

It doesn't have anything to do with a follow-up to Paris 1919, but it has everything to do with Baroque. I just got out of my Latin American History Thru the Novel class where the topic was Garcia Marquez and the Baroque, so you mentioning Baroque made me mention Garcia Marquez. Although, I'm not quite sure that Garcia Marquez is/would be a John Cale fan, I know that he's close, personal friends with Shakira.

 

I, for one, am astounded by your admission of never getting into Pavement. Is it because you just haven't listened to them or do you just not enjoy them?

[Guest Felonies!]

Never had a chance to check them out, though I'm not sure they'd be my thing.

[Edwin MacPhisto]

Slanted and Enchanted is worth a good listen. I can visualize Czech rocking out to "Loretta's Scars," maybe.

 

Count me among the "like but don't love" crowd for Pet Sounds. I like the songs vivalultra listed and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" but rarely put the album on as a whole. Might just be a little too twee.

 

Re "Wouldn't It Be Nice": Go Home Productions mashed it up with some dreamy, shoegaze stuff I failed to identify, and the effect is sublime. It's called "Wouldn't It Be Ecstasy," and I think it's up there with "Sexual High" (the impeccable Radiohead/Marvin Gaye combo) as one of the standards of cool shit you can do within the mash-up genre.

[snuffbox]

I like Crooked Rain more than Slanted/Enchanted. And I like Pig Lib more than either.

[Murmuring Beast]

Certainly not twee. Not as well produced as, say, Sunflower though or even a couple of the earlier albums. I think that was a rushed aspect.

[Annabelle]

loves:

 

wouldn't it be nice

hold on to your ego

paris 1919

 

likes:

 

pet sounds

revolver

john cale

 

dislikes:

 

pavement

[Giuseppe Zangara]

And I like Pig Lib more than either.

Face the Truth has really grown on me, lately. I think it's best thing he's done since Wowee Zowee.

[vivalaultra]

My favorite post-Pavement Malkmus moments are the work he's done with the Silver Jews, which is quite minimal. Yeah, but I really like the Silver Jews. David Berman's a great lyricist. The first line on "Slow Education" kills. "When God was young, he made the wind and the sun. And since then it's been a slow education." And "When the sun sets in the ghetto all the broken stuff gets cold." from "Smith and Jones Forever". And lesse..."Pretty Eyes" has some good lyrics. Yeah...I like David Berman. He's kinda like a less nihilistic, more whimsical Bill Callahan...sorta.

[Edwin MacPhisto]

Malkmus is plenty noticeable on American Water. His interplay with Berman is one of my favorite aspects from that one. That album and Tanglewood Numbers keep growing on me. They did a fanfuckingtastic version of "Punks in the Beerlight" when I saw them in February, which really got me listening to them more frequently.

[Giuseppe Zangara]

I like that Berman is actually singing more now, ya know? The pre-Tanglewood stuff, while good, has Berman marble-mouthing all his lines.

[Edwin MacPhisto]

Agreed. The marble-mouthing has its charm but the actual singing helps the band get out of that "Pavement side project" shadow. It also makes several of the guest spots work a lot better, like on "I'm Getting Back Into Getting Back Into You"; he sounds much better harmonizing with Will Oldham than he would kind of mumbling alongside him.

 

Banky, if you're out there, have you heard Tanglewood Numbers? I can't imagine you not liking it a ton.

[vivalaultra]

Saying that Malkmus's's's's's's involvement was minimal, I meant that...I don't think he really wrote any of the songs very much. I mean, it was Berman's group. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I like The Natural Bridge more than American Water, although both are great.

 

I liked the mumbling. I guess he outgrew the mumbling now that he's old.

[FroGG_NeaL]