Moonhead - Thin White Rope

-->Guy Kyser scares me. At least his voice does. He is the only singer I have ever come across that I am convinced wants to kill me. But I do get the feeling he would feel sorry about it afterwards. Every word he sings on this record is growled with such ferocity and anguish that it can only come from a thoroughly dark place. He seems so tortured and carved up by these words that forcing them out of his mouth causes him serious pain. Whilst this should be a rather unsettling thing to hear, and it can be at times, it is also totally compelling. You can’t help but want to hear about what is causing this man to snarl so much. You are both wary of his anger and intrigued by it.

Thin White Rope are considered to be one of the bands from the paisley underground. A group of bands from the western states who were infusing 60’s rock with punk sensibilities to create some of the better records from the early 1980’s. However TWR really have little in common with bands like The Long Riders or Rain Parade. There are elements of that scene in this record but it’s altogether a much darker affair. The desert imagery, the big, wide open space of the sound and the anger of it all made Thin White Rope stand apart from their peers. Probably in a corner, looking a bit pissed off.

Can You Fly - Freedy johnston

There are few records that have ever been described as perfect. There are even less that have actually deserved such high praise. Can You Fly is one of the ones that does. Village Voice music editor Robert Christagau called the second album from New York based singer songwriter Freedy Johnston “a prefect album” and so far “Can You Fly” has marked a career peak which he has never quite equaled. That might sound like a relatively unfortunate circumstance for an artist to find himself in but its not as if Johnston hasn't gone on to do anything else of note. It’s just that, despite every later album of his containing some amazing songs, he never has replicated the complete feeling of this one. These songs belong together, on one record. It’s as simple as that. They each have their place on the album and they all fit perfectly.