Part the third, where I discover things I dislike, and things I like.

Here we go again, I took the weekend off from listening to albums as part of some mental whim (in other words I went and wrote something professionally on Saturday and watched football on Sunday). So today I must update on Friday’s listening. I left my last entry on the ominous possibility of having to listen to a Slipknot album due to a lack of availability of album at 248 in our list.

It took a few minutes to prepare myself for a first run through a Slipknot album in full. I brought up a picture of a kitten on screen, wore bright colours and switched all the lights on, just in case, and dove in headfirst. I have to say I was not disappointed, it did indeed terrify me for three-quarters of an hour. I’m not averse to the odd bit of Metal, Metallica and the old favourites like Iron Maiden are on my iPod. I even like two Slipknot songs. Unfortunately after listening to their eponymous debut my list remains stubbornly at two.

I’m afraid to say that being screamed at for a whole album just doesn’t do anything for me. If I have anger to get out I always find more punky sounds can help me get it out (or shouting at over-paid footballers). I struggle to get past the sheer anger that it gives off, which is the whole point of the record, and therefore never found myself relaxed enough for the music to not be a focus. Normally when I listen to music I’m doing something else, if I like it it melds into the background, I’m relaxed by it, enjoying it just being there. With this album I couldn’t help but keep noticing that it was on. It drills away at your skull like an angry wasp wearing a scary clown mask.

I can’t even pick out individual high points on the album, I’m afraid it’s just not for me. Of course what would Corey Taylor and the boys care? They’ve sold millions of records worldwide.

I move on to number 246 in our long list, Stankonia by Outkast. Described by the music press as a ‘masterstroke’ and ‘ambitious’ this is the duo’s fourth album. A fact that surprised me I have to say, before their obscenely popular Speakerboxxx/The Love Below I could only name one Outkast track, the Grammy Award winning Ms Jackson.

So it was with interest that I loaded Stankonia and pressed play (searched for it on Spotify and pressed enter). It’s ambitious, that’s for sure. The whole album attempts to fuse Rap with futuristic sounds. Synths and Beats dominate the album, giving the sound a very surreal effect. In a one-listen review it’s all a bit hard to take in. So much is thrown at you that I can only imagine it gets better with every listen, that you notice a new element to the mix that you didn’t the first time.

The stand out songs are the two big singles, B.O.B. and the already mentioned Ms Jackson. The first is based on a very drum ’n’ bass rhythm, differing from most of their previous output. But they pull it off well. The song even features a gospel choir in the chorus, a fact that draws listeners in almost every time. The hugely popular Ms Jackson is full of angst, with Andre rapping about the mother of his daughter, it’s full of regret about the problems a relationship can have, and the relationship between a man and his mother in law (a theme more common from Les Dawson than an American rapper).

I have to say it’s probably not for me, I’ll definitely give it at least one more listen, to see if I really can uncover some more of a very complex album. It’s definitely ambitious, and at times that ambition comes together to form some fantastic music. But for me it’s too skittish, never letting itself get much of a rhythm. There’s several ‘breakdowns’ that separate the album, but they don’t ever seem to come at logical points to me.

So we move on, and finally Sugar’s 1992 UK #10 Copper Blue is ready after it’s adventure in the world of downloads. We’re back to albums I’ve never had any connection to before again with album 248. Sugar were an American band that only graced us with its presence from 1992-95. A period in which I ranged from the ages of 5-8, so it’s no surprise they are a new discovery to me.

Their style is very much pop meats rock, and I like it. It’s very uptempo and feels shiny, which is a stark comparison to the previous albums I’ve listened to. But just below the surface it’s far from happy. Listening to it without thinking you don’t really notice anything but if you pay attention there’s much melancholy amongst the hooks and melodies. The album was picked as NME’s best album of 1992, and I can see why.

I liked it, however I sit here afterwards with not a lot to say about it. That might actually say something about how much I enjoyed it, or that after a few songs it began to merge into one. A trait I have no problem with on an album. I shall listen again, next time I might even come out with more to say about it.