Dayglo Daydreams

  Weather Report was a jazz fusion band that started in 1970. The album I am reviewing, Black Market was released in 1976. The album was produced by Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter. I think it had something to do with my environment, and the albums I have reviewed before, but this is the first album that actively irritated me. The ballads and the slower moments in general made me want to fall to sleep. Some of the tracks went on too long. This is not to say there is no good music on this album. There is. It simply needed streamlining and a stronger sense of energy behind it. The starting track off of this album is good. There is a generally sunny groove at the beginning of this album. It is lead of by the fretless bass of Jaco Pastorius, the machine-gun delivery of his notes later on in the track are also noteworthy. The warm analog keys and synths of Zawinul are also strong and pleasant in this album overall. Another unique aspect of this track is the odd meter groove that happ...

     Wire is a London Art Punk outfit. In addition to the standard four piece band they have a piano and synthesizer player. The album that we are reviewing was released on September 8th, in 1978.      The songs were written either by guitarist and vocalist Colin Newman, guitarist B.C. Guilbert, or bassist and vocalist Lewis (yes, he is only credited with one name).      The thing that makes Wire an art punk band rather than a regular punk band is their de-emphasis on the classic stuff of punk, that is drinking, fighting, and defying authority, and the emphasis is instead on strange lyrics and the usage of synthesizer, and guitar or studio effects.      The first track off of side two Mercy is a stand-out track with its dark sounding ominous bass. The brooding atmosphere on this track is excellent. It reminds me of London Calling because the dark imagery of disaster used in both songs. In one “London is drowning, and I live by...

 The Review for Chairs Missing by Wire will be coming in today.

  If you are willing to go into a movie called Laser Mission knowing no lasers will be fired during the movie, Laser Mission is an okay movie. Maybe I am biased because I like low budget action films. Maybe I'm biased because there are worse films with worse acting (Samurai Cop anyone?). This movie has some cheesy acting, some ludicrous action, some cliched plot twists, and bad accents but it is an alright movie to get your buddies together and have a fun time . (spoiler warning ahead) The plot of Laser Mission is that the African Hope Diamond has been stolen by the Soviets who are in Africa. They are after a scientist played by Ernst Borgnine. (big spoiler ahead). It is revealed that that diamond if touched by a laser will trigger a nuclear weapon (how is anyone's guess). The CIA hires a mercenary played by Brandon Lee to stop the soviets and their mercenaries. The soviets capture Borgnine and it is the job of Lee's character to rescue Borgnine and get the crystal from...

  Vienna is the fourth album by the glam rock and synth pop outfit Ultravox. By the this album released, Ultravox had been dropped by their label Island, due to being an unprofitable glam rock outfit. The group did a U.S. tour in a last-ditch attempt to create publicity for their band. This back-fired. Two of their quintet, singer John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon left. The remaining members of the band were forced to do session work for other artists. This was when Ultravox met new lead singer Midge Ure. They would then record the synth pop genre defining 1980 album Vienna. Ultravox’s Vienna is a cold yet stylish album for the 1980s.It was released in the year 1980. This sound, later called synthpop, would go on to define the 1980s. The lead track and sole instrumental for this album Astradyne makes this album sound like it is made for airports or supermarkets or any place that is impersonal, sterile, and for the purpose of housing a mass of faceless anonymous humanity engage...

  My next album is The Family That Plays Together by Spirit. Spirit are a 1960s Los Angeles psychedelic band. Their first album is self-titled Spirit. The four songwriters on this album are Randy California, Locke, Cassidy, and Jay Ferguson. All of the tracks on this album offer something to suggest. One stand-out track on this album is Jewish. While it involves much singing that is either in Hebrew or Yiddish (I don't know Hebrew or Yiddish), it also has much more to offer. It offers tempo changes, and a jazzy feel. The song shifts at one point from 4/4 time to 3/4, and glides effortlessly along. The guitar work on their first track is energetic and bluesy. It makes that track worth listening to. The fourth track on this album Silky Sam has a dramatic stop-start part near the middle but is otherwise unremarkable. There is a nice slow part on the fifth track, Drunkard, with some nice violin, and overall it is a decent track. The sixth track has a nice gospel feel. It is somewh...

 I've been on vacation. The review for Spirit's The Family That Plays Together will come out soon.