"Arthur" by The Kinks, 1969

The last band I'd expect to create concept albums is The kinks. Goes to show how much I knew about them! It turns out they made several over the years. 'Arthur or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire' however was intended as an actual soundtrack, or songtrack, for a planned television feature. What came out was a playful but thoughtful collection of songs which deliver the theme far more effectively than its followers like Pink Floyd's 'The Wall'. Ray Davies lyrics center around humdrum middle-class life in post WWII England. Written in 1969, it was a picture of the times. Don't let the arch of the album fool you - 'Arthur' is easy to get into and leaves you wanting to give it more spin time. The first song 'Victoria' rocks front to back; trademark 1960's/70's Kinks. Much of rest of the songs are late British invasion style rock. A refreshing thing about this 1960's rock narrative is that it avoids watering itself down in cliche psychedelia and preachiness...the subject matter is approached dutifully and with taste in songs like 'Shangri La' and 'Yes Sir, No Sir' in which matters like individuality, self awareness, financial security, and illusions of personal success are described with an almost comic levity: Davies explores the double entendre of domestic life stating at first "Now that you've found your paradise/ This is your kingdom to command/ You can go outside and polish your car/ Or sit by the fire in your Shangri La"...but later: "Put on your slippers and sit by the fire/You've reached your top and you just can't get any higher"..."You need not worry, you need not care/ You can't go anywhere" Davies' writing is more thought provoking than preachy in these songs, even if they do take a stance. Aside from the lyrics, 'Arthur' is as easy to listen to as any of The Kinks' well known work, and at times more interesting musically. Aside from expected tracks like 'Victoria' and 'Drivin' Much of this work can be likened to very high quality deep cuts: not overly catchy, but still tuneful with strong replay value. Between the lyrical content which as a whole really does put a listener in the shoes of the people, and the smart yet direct musical content The Kinks are known for, this is a tight, awesome album which effortlessly does what it intends to do on all the intended levels. As a side note I suggest acquiring the 1998 CD reissue of 'Arthur' for the bonus tracks ('Plastic Man', 'King Kong', and several others) which are cut from the same cloth and every bit as enjoyable as the original release, and likely removed for time constraints in 1969. MUSED: 90% ABUSED 10%

"Charles Ives | Psalms" (2007)

'Psalms' is a partial collection of the classical composer Charles Ives' vocal ensemble composition set to psalms written or reworked between circa 1887 and 1924. I would not normally recommend Ives for mild mannered listeners but this work is absolutely gorgeous in its polytonality - ingenious weaving of dissonance and harmony, this is the Frank Zappa of the classical world...and then some. The works in this collection are of course challenging, and even genuinely alarming at times, but highly listenable. Ives' compositions for psalms are my favorite of his expansive work because a choir - especially a world renowned choir like the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart - gets a lot more lead out of the music than an orchestra. All the major earmarks of Ivesian composition seem to be in full swing for the duration of each psalm. My qualm with these particular recordings is that chorus master Marcus Creed fails to allow this material to breath at times. Psalm 67 (track 3 in this collection) is an example of the director strangling the musics impact as it feels rushed and unsubstantiated - though I can understand this style of directing if Creed is perhaps attempting to abbreviate passages to aid unaccustomed audiences in perceiving the various, often bitonally striated melodies of the pieces...I still feel the conductor could have left time to let the emotional impact of the work shine through - though his interpretation is otherwise pretty spotless. This is undeniably epic material - reasonably interpreted. The liner notes for 'Psalms' are a small treasure, offering track by track insight into the complex inner workings of the pieces, as well as Ives symbollically willful use of harmony and voicing in reference to the Psalter itself. Any Charles Ives you can get your hands on is well worth it for all the musics numerous strengths, but 'Psalms' is a real showcase of a talented, modern choir singing some of the most difficult work by an already challenging composer...but at minimal expense the listener! Additionally I've had trouble finding many other recordings of Ives' psalms, so if you're in the market for semichallening, highly evocative choral music unlike anything you've heard before, check this one out. Oh, and keep the lights on...MUSED: 85% ABUSED: 15%

Welcome~

Letter from the editor:
HEY! I've been throwing around the notion of blogging music reviews for some time...and now I'm committing. I will bring all my knowledge to the table. What knowledge? I've studied music scholastically and in my spare time for years and I am a tireless musician myself. My released body of compositional work consists of two records 'THUS' (2006) and 'THUS II' (2011). Ive done some live engineering and extensive production work on my own and other artists recordings after attending Full Sail University majoring in Recording Arts. I'm a fanatic for the album as an artform. Examples include Close to the Edge (Yes, 1973), SMiLE (Brian Wilson/The Beach Boys), We're Only In It For the Money (Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, 1968) and so on...you may notice these are all pretty much rock records...I promise to publish reviews on an eclectic variety of albums. These will include compilations, EPs, and even soundtracks. All formats and all genres. Mused or abused, there will be no limits and no sensors here...the way all music should be!