I initially thought i'd be writing this in December, rather than march, so the weather would be likely to match a concept album about snow and winter. As it happens, it's getting towards the end of March (Due to the hiatus know known as the Great Buckley Coma of 2013) and it's still snowing. Now you don't need me to tell you that Kate Bush is a genius.50 words for snow is a beautiful album. Mostly piano based and including songs written from the perspective of a falling snowflake (opener "Snowflake"), songs about the yeti ("Wild Man") and even a guest appearance from Stephen Fry (on the title track).
It's difficult to choose one single track to represent the album as it's all excellent. It was definitely in my top 3 albums of 2011. I think after much deliberation my favourite track is "Snowed In At Wheeler Street", for the fact that it features Elton John and is still really good. here it is... (thoroughly bizarre video, but the only one on youtube not blocked by EMI)...
Bloody hell, this is going to do my credibility no favours. after being bored stupid by Tim Buckley, the next album in my collection is 90's post grungers Bush with their American chart slaying album "Razorblade Suitcase". Now, I'm a 90's kid. too young to catch grunge on it's first wave (I was 9 years old when Nevermind was released) and without an older brother or sister to guide our way, we picked up on later waves of grunge, bands such as Bush, Silverchair, Foo Fighters and Days Of The New. Kerrang magazine was our bible and in the mid 90's Bush featured regularly on it's cover. "Razorblade Suitcase" was their second album, a dark, Steve Albini produced album often understandably compared to "In Utero" and for a moody teenager hearing this kind of thing for the first time it was just what we were looking for.
The album doesn't stand up so well these days but has it's moments, possibly for nostalgia but also because despite it's total lack of originality, it's clumsy teenage angst and it's cynical co-opting of previously successful grunge formulae, it's still got some pretty good songs on here. it's maybe 20 minutes too long, but when it's good, it's pretty good. Here's the hit single from the album "Swallowed"...
Jeff's dad, Tim Buckley is a tough one. I deliberated about writing this for so long that I lost all momentum. A lot of people are going to read this as sacrilege but I've tried and tried and he just doesn't hold my attention. He's one of those artists that I feel I should like but there's just not much there that grabs me and makes me pay attention. he has a similar voice to his son, but not as good and the songs aren't as interesting. It seems unfair to compare him to Jeff, but if it wasn't for Buckley Jr's music I'd probably never have checked out his old man.
Now, I like folk rock, and I like a lot of his contemporaries but i just can't dig it. Maybe I'm listening to the wrong albums (I've heard good things about "Greetings From LA" so maybe I'll give that a go one day but right now it's not top of my list of priorities.) Many of you may dig this but for now, it's not for me, Mostly here he just comes across as a crap version of Scot Walker. Here's "Song Of The Magician"...
