A little life in the Big Easy

So, it’s not an original thought, but it’s still one that’s worth repeating — please let me know when someone makes a better album than the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. My God. I go for a while without listening to it, and then when I choose to revisit it, I am always blown away all over again. It’s pure pop perfection. Every note, each word, every sound envelopes me and amazes me and makes me smile. From the first song to the last, it’s a piece of music that never gets old for me. I can’t imagine I’ll ever tire of hearing it.

I love “Hang on to Your Ego” – truer words couldn’t be written today. (And Frank Black/Black Francis did a cool cover of it for his first post-Pixies solo effort.) I think my favorite song on here, though, is “I’m Waiting for the Day.” That little surprising, rousing crescendo in the last 35 seconds of that song gets me every time. I swear I could listen to it 1000 times in a row.

Released in 1966, Pet Sounds, for me anyway, remains untouchable. Thank God for Brian Wilson.

Another album I’ve been revisiting lately is My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless.  It’s a classic in its own way, showcasing the best of early 90s shoegazer pop-rock. I remember when I first heard it, I was so used to the vocals in music being on top of all the instruments that I didn’t immediately connect with what I was hearing (the vocals here are buried, just another instrument, instead of sitting on top). But a few more listens and I was hooked.

Loveless stands the test of time well (it was released in 1991). Just as bands have tried to recreate Pet Sounds over the years (I’m looking at you, Elephant 6ers), My Bloody Valentine created something that’s been inspirational and influential, as well. They didn’t release another album beyond Loveless (which was just their second), although rumors about something new coming from them have floated around for a few years now.

I was lucky enough to see My Bloody Valentine live in 1992 in Birmingham, Alabama. They, along with fellow shoegazers Lush, opened for Dinosaur, Jr. It remains the loudest show I have ever seen (a Bob Mould gig in D.C. at the 9:30 Club, ostensibly his final plugged-in show before he claimed to be going all-acoustic-all-the-time is a close second). My ears rang for days after all three bands in Birmingham assaulted them with feedback for hours. I seem to remember also standing near a speaker, which I suspect didn’t help matters. At the time, I was too young and stupid to realize what an amazing show I was at, and I had no idea that years later I would remember that as an important moment for those bands, and for my musical development, too.

So, if you haven’t listened to Pet Sounds or Loveless in a while — or worse, ever! — now’s the time… Pull ‘em out and crank it up. 

“I know so many people who think they can do it alone.
They isolate their heads and stay in their safety zones.
Now what can you tell them?
And what can you say that won’t make them defensive?”
– “Hang on to Your Ego,” by the Beach Boys, from Pet Sounds