LaRM day 7 (Afterhours-Airbourne)

After the Afghan Whigs trawl yesterday we are now on to the fifth album by Italian alternative rock outift Afterhours which is called Ballads for Little Hyenas (2005). But hold on, what's this? Produced by Greg Dulli? Guitars and percussion by Greg Dulli. Yes, we have failed to leave the Afghan Whigs behind after all, as there has been a close association between Afterhours and Dulli's current band The Twilight Singers for some years, and Afterhours' frontman has been a co-songwriter and band member with Dulli since 2004. Which explains why Ballads for Little Hyenas sounds so much like a European version of the Afghan Whigs. Unfortunately, the singer's falsetto, which works well as a counterpoint in the Twilight Singers, sounds faintly ridiculous as the lead and there is something determinedly Europeanly slightly naff about the whole exercise, which is a shame because musically its really pretty good, dark and slippery and atmospheric.

OK, now it's Back to Basics (2006) by Christina Aguilera. Wait, wait, I can explain, honestly. I was going through Taschen's '1001 Albums To Listen To Before You Die' and Back to Basics was in there so I had to pick it up to do the whole thing properly. There are a handful of really, really great pop songs on here and there is occasionally a nice little nod to old time big band styling (although it's all horribly compressed and very nastily digitally recorded), and it's sooo much better than it should be, but, of course, on the whole, it is really still pretty terrible. And it goes on for HOURS AND HOURS. So that's enough about that, let's just forget we ever mentioned it, shall we?

Oh God, now it's two bloody A-Ha albums. Now, I know I'm supposed to unironically think that A-Ha were really great because I'm in my late 30's, but I just don't get it. I really don't get it, it's just corny rubbish isn't it? What am I missing? Anyway, there are pop songs on both of these "classic" albums and some hits and blah blah blah. Really, I'm not that bothered.

Next up is the single 'Endless Art' (1992) by A House. A House were a not very interesting indie-rock band from Ireland but they made this one absolutely superb single - it's a brilliant repetative tune with lyrics that amount to not much more than a list of various great artists and their birth and death dates through the ages. On paper it should be awful, in fact it's absolutely ace (and has the most silly yet inspired use of a phrase from a classical work ever used in a pop song). The B-side is an instrumental version which I assume is some kind of post-modern gag.

We follow this up with some cutesy jazzy folky stuff (you know the sort of thing, it's absolutely sodding everywhere these days - Norah Jones even lighter). It's Priscilla Ahn's A Good Day (2008). There are indeed lots of versions of this record around, but this is a pretty decent one, relatively charming and inoffensive in an inoffensive kind of way (is there anything more offensive as a rule than inoffensive music?), it drifts by gently and quietly and what's vital about this kind of record is that it also doesn't outstay its welcome, keeping under the 35 minute mark.

Next would have been the blistering live album SLSQ-Very Live (1991) by The Aints. The Aints were formed by superb Australian songwriter and one time punk luminary Ed Kuepper, when he left The Saints in an acrimonious fug. SLSQ-Very Live is an absolutely corruscating live set from Melbourne in 1990 which screeches and roars through a selection of the Saints better songs, but sadly it's another vinyl only-no internet record, so we pass straight on to The Aints first studio album Ascension (1991). It's a fabulous record, showcasing Kuepper's epic rock grandstanding at its finest and in many ways I see at as a kind of sister album to Sugar's Copper Blue. Indeed Bob Mould and Ed Kuepper's careers have a number of stylistic parallels and for my money there is very little between them. The follow up, Autocannibalism (1992) lacks the skybusting verve of Ascension but still has some huge, blasting guitar rock/pop.

Now we have Air's soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides (2000). Coo-ee Air really, really, really wanted to be 1973 era Pink Floyd didn't they? They really, really, really did. However, that's lucky for me because when I'm in prog mode (which is, like, a disturbing amount of the time) 1973 era Floyd is where it's at. The Virgin Suicides is smooth and slick, and extremely pleasant but there's nothing particularly groundbreaking going on.

That's the only Air in the collection, so finally for today it's something mind-numbingly dumb, it's No Guts, No Glory (2010) by retro-rock act Airbourne. I've never heard Bon Scott era AC/DC done more convincingly and although a pastiche (a parody really I assume from the album cover) will inevitably get really boring really quickly, No Guts, No Glory just about lasts the distance. It's stupid and it's rubbish but it's just a bit of fun innit? And my promo copy came with a full size blow up guitar, so full marks there.

Shall we reconvene at the same time tomorrow? Yes, let's.