Anniversary Albums: Edition Six - The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds"

This week we are celebrating 50 years of the Beach Boys magnum opus Pet Sounds. It seems appropriate given Brian Wilson is in town performing the album in full this weekend.

Released in May 1966, Pet Sounds was Brian Wilson’s project. He wrote, arranged and produced pretty much the entire album with minimal support from the rest of the band. The other members would only provide vocals, with over fifty session players brought into play on the record.

By this time, Wilson had quit touring with the group and had decided to focus on working in the studio. This caused some friction, with other members not entirely enamoured with what Brian was trying to do on this record.

Sound-wise, Pet Sounds is quite symphonic with complex arrangements and unusual sounds featuring throughout. It was quite a departure from the groups pop sound of previous records, with many critics labelled the sound of this record baroque pop, or progressive pop.

You can also hear the influence of Phil Spector’s wall of sound production on this record, with quite a heavily layered sound throughout. Wilson was also influenced by what The Beatles were doing at the time in making more sophisticated studio recordings.

Pet Sounds received a somewhat lukewarm reception at the time in the States, a market which was still infatuated with singles and not albums. However, it was heavily praised in the UK, with bands ranging from the Beatles to Cream raving about the record.

It was also very hard to replicate live, with only a handful of songs ever being performed by the band. Brian Wilson would subsequently tour the record in its entirety.

Pet Sounds has since gone on to garner significant critical acclaim and is considered to be one of the most influential albums in the history of popular music. Rolling Stone magazine even ranked it second in their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

It is also universally accepted to be Wilson’s best work and the Beach Boys greatest album.

In its wake more and more acts would begin experimenting in the studio with different sounds and song-structures. It also set a precedent which helped lead to the birth of album-oriented rock and prog rock, showing that music could be more than just pop, but art as well.

- Sam 

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love (2015)

Unknown Mortal Orchestra, ex-Mint Chicks front man Ruban Nielson’s offshoot project are quickly generating a strong musical cannon, and with it a large following, as they continue to make diverse and interesting sounding indie and psychedelic pop. The band’s first two albums “Unknown Mortal Orchestra” and “Unknown Mortal Orchestra II” were two solid first up efforts, however, their latest release “Multi-Love” trumps both of these as they explore new sounds in the form of funk, jazz and soul.

“Multi-Love” has quite an old-school authentic vibe to it both in terms of its sound and instrumentation. It has a very strong rhythmic feel in the drums and bass, while the added addition of horns and keyboards means this album has quite a poppy, almost Motown feel to it in places. This is a different path for the band, as previously their music held firm to that indie pop/dreamy psychedelic line, which I might add they did very effectively. But this new direction they have taken on this album is so damn catchy and sound so, so good. This is a late-60s/early-70s sound to my ears, but produced in a very contemporary fashion, I guess also highlighting Nielson’s skills as a producer more than anything and his strong ability to get the right sound for each song he composes.

The album kicks off with the title track “Multi-Love”. This is quite a poppy song and in the opening vocals has shades of early Queen, while that piano riff which drives the whole song is so effective, indicating also straight off the bat the funkier direction this album will head down. This is followed by “Like Acid Rain” which takes a more lo-fi direction, and as a track is very similar to their previous work. Next are two of the catchier tunes on the album in the form of “Ur Life One Night” and “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone”. These two tracks are perfect for the dance floor and I can see clubs going off to these with their dance-heavy beats, funk grooves and pop melodies. At this midway point of the album, things change direction again with the alternative jazz of “Extreme Wealth and Casual Cruelty”. This is a great track which shuffles along nicely before suddenly out of nowhere the jazz horns come in and you are instantly hit by their infectiousness. This is UMO doing their take on 80s sophisti-pop, where saxophones reigned supreme, and although some might accuse Neilson of sax crimes here, I think the added presence of horns shows how Nielson is willing to try new sounds and experiment when the song demands it. This is followed by “The World is Crowded”, a track with a pounding funky bass line, and what I would call the weakest track on the album “Stage or Screen”. The album then winds down with the psychedelic funk of the fantastically good “Necessary Evil”, one of the best tracks on the album, and finally album closer “Puzzles”, another track which resembles more closely the sound of their past material.

“Multi-Love” is a fantastic record and I congratulate Nielson for again evolving UMO’s sound and experimenting on this album. There are some seriously good tunes here which might even attract the band some new followers, while I am pretty sure these new songs will be great when performed live. UMO seem to be getting better with each new release they put out and “Multi-Love” proves this yet again in what is one of the catchiest pop/funk/soul/jazz/psychedelia albums you will hear all year. Listen to it now, you will not be disappointed.

A

- Sam  

The Moons - Mindwaves (2014)

Mindwaves is the third studio album by relatively unknown British band The Moons, a band I stumbled upon quite by accident when I heard one of my favourite British musicians Paul Weller sing on a track off their last album Fables of History. After releasing two very, very good albums, where they have explored everything from baroque pop to mod pop, the band have decided to go down a more experimental psychedelic rock route with Mindwaves, all be it, with mixed results.

The overall sound of Mindwaves is high on psychedelic’s and the band experiment with tone, layers of sound, as well as what are often quite complex rhythms at times. There is an explosion of sonic guitars, ferocious drums, and synths coming at the listener from all directions as if like Rick Wakeman had infiltrated proceedings. While the seed that sows the sound all together is the now trademark Moons sound of double-tracked pop vocals. So, this all sounds very intriguing to potential listeners like myself, but how does the music actually stack up on the record?

Well the album does not start well in its quest to impress me, with a pointless instrumental called “Luna Intro” arghhhhhhhh!!! I hate one minute instrumentals. Luckily though next track “Society” is a psychedelic rocker with a harder edge to it than has been seen on previous Moon albums, while “Body Snatchers” is an experimental Kasabian-like neo-psychedelic number, which pushes things along nicely. “Fever” is next, and apart from the songs intro sounding like the intro to the Black Keys “Howling For You”, this song really takes the album up a gear with its Sgt Pepper synths, psychedelic guitar and interesting chord changes. One of the album highlights for sure. “Vertigo” I would describe as being a kind of psychedelic dance track, with its sick drum pattern and buzzy psych sounds. Songs like this show how much more the band are experimenting on this record and their willingness I guess to try new things without feeling the need to settle on any particular formula for recording. “All in My Mind” does not set the world alight, but “Heart and Soul” definitely does and for my mind is the best track on the album. It kicks off with a glam rock guitar riff, think Slade, think T Rex and pounds its way to an epic finale. This is glam pop at its best, and it is literally music to my ears. “You Can’t Slow Me Down” is basic filler, while “Sometimes” is a bore, but thankfully the energy and attitude comes back with “Time’s Not Forever”, and “Rage and Romance”, the latter which contains a wonderfully surprising violin solo and a moment which I would describe as being the albums Frank Zappa moment. Finally, the album comes to an end with the six minute ballad “On the Moon”. Here the band were setting themselves up for that big anthemic finale, you know, the moment at festivals where everyone puts their ciggie lighters in the air. However, in actual fact, this song is a massive disappointment and plods along as if the band are simply trying to use up the last bit of space on the record.

So, all in all, in summing up the album, I would say that Mindwaves is not as good as their last release which in my mind was a super album, with there being some good songs on here sprinkled in amongst some lesser tracks. The band clearly go for a more experimental sound on this release which I applaud them for, and move away from the baroque pop and psychedelic pop of their first two albums, but, in the end, I was kind of expecting something more out of all of it as a result. In conclusion then not a great disappointment, but in no way a towering achievement either.

B 

- Sam 

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra II (2013)

Unknown Mortal Orchestra are an American-New Zealand indie, psychedelic, alternative band which was started by ex-Mint Chicks singer Ruban Neilson in 2010. Neilson is accompanied on this venture by Jacob Portrait on bass and Greg Rogove on drums. And, after a solid debut in 2011 with their self-titled first album, the band has gone from strength to strength on their second outing, 2013s Unknown Mortal Orchestra II.

The band’s sound is what I would describe as being trippy neo-indie pscyhedelia, which comes right in the middle of a psychedelic rock/pop revival that seems to be in vogue these days. Although this album is not just about psychedelic music, and the music seems to go in all sorts of directions with funk, soul, prog rock and folk just some of the styles that have a heavy presence on the record, while a steady hip hop backbeat appears on most of the tracks as well. With quite an eclectic mix of styles, it is probably also suitable that the production of the album is quite lo-fi overall, something which brings to the fore the wonderful pop melodies, multi-layered psychedelic sounds and melancholic tones in Neilson’s falsetto vocals. Aside from his great vocals, Neilson’s guitar playing is also a strong feature on this album and although he is in no way a virtuoso, he does manage to mix his playing up between a more delicate textured style of playing, with a heavily distorted attack and the occasional baroque sounding flourishes.

As for the tracks themselves, well the album starts off brilliantly with “From the Sun”, a song which has an indie folk feel to it initially with some acoustic finger picking, before moving into a psychedelic pop track setting the tone for the direction of the rest of the album. This is followed by “Swim and Sleep” another psychedelic pop track which this time showcases Neilson’s diverse guitar playing with a baroque sounding guitar motif. The triple-whammy of great songs to start the album ends with one of the album’s best tracks in “So Good at Being in Trouble” which has a prog-rock undertone to it and as a song just floats along effortlessly allowing the listener to get lost in its melancholic beauty.

Things change direction again on “One at a Time” which has a bit of a funky feel to it with its heavily distorted funky guitar riff and drums, and sounds as if it could easily have been a demo for an early Funkadelic album or something similar. And, then its back again to psychedelia on the next track “The Opposite of Afternoon” which has more of a jam feel to it compared to the other tracks on the album with an extended instrumental break during the second half of the track. It is then at this point that the album begins to drift a little bit with a couple of lengthy psychedelic tracks which appear to just fill space more than anything in “Monki” and “No Need for a Leader”. This slight lul in the album is followed by the totally unnecessary token one minute instrumental “Dawn”. It is fair to say I have never understood why artists decide to include on albums totally pointless short instrumentals like this one, as they don’t add anything musically, while leaving the listener confused as to what they are hearing as they reach for the skip button. Luckily this slight drop in the middle of the album is not permanent and the album ends on a high with the psychedelic riff lade track “Faded in the Morning” which wouldn’t have sounded out of place in 1967, and finally album closer and candidate for song of the album “Secret Xtians” which has a very infectious groove especially in the bass and drum parts.

Overall, in conclusion I would say this album is a fantastic psychedelic pop album and betters the group’s first up effort which in itself was a great album. The tracks here are groovy and melodic, and combine psychedelic pop with other styles such as folk and even classical brilliantly in a blender of musical goodness. Unknown Mortal Orchestra II is perfect listening material for summer, but would also do very nicely as a tonic through the cold winter months. Definitely one of the albums of 2013, and I cannot wait to see where they go to next. 

A-

- Sam 

The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle (1968)

Odessey and Oracle by The Zombies is a gem of an album, and is quite simply a baroque/psychedelic pop masterpiece, as well as being one of the greatest albums of the 1960s. Released in 1968 at a time when the band where in the process of splitting up, this album was simply intended to be one last musical effort by them before going their separate ways, although little did they know that they were creating a masterpiece which would still endure decades on.

The sound of this album is a combination of baroque pop and psychedelic pop, with the band combining elements of both to create some of the most beautiful melodies and harmony singing. The album has a Beach Boys circa Pet Sounds feel to it, while The Beatles can also be heard, but one thing is for sure that when you listen to this album you can tell instantly that The Zombies have their own distinctive sound. Key aspects of the overall sound of this album include choral harmony singing, singing that is also often double tracked to create an amazing densely layered sound much like a church choir, the heavy use of classical piano and harpsichord, and a mellotron which creates the effect of baroque strings. Combine these elements with the singing of Colin Blunstone who projects a calmness in his delivery and you get what sounds like it should be a classical album, but what is actually instead a psychedelic pop record with an underlying baroque feel.

The baroque influence is what makes Odessey and Oracle so good, with the choral singing and classical piano giving the material quite an historical feel which would otherwise not have been there, as well as an overall Englishness to the album. Opening track “Care of Cell 44” has a Penny Lane-like sound to it with some of the most exquisite harmony singing in pop, as well as some great harpsichord lines from keyboard wiz and band songwriter Rod Argent. Other tracks in the baroque mould include “A Rose for Emily” and “Changes”, both of which are classic examples of the choral harmony singing throughout this album of which when listened to you can almost picture being in a church listening to a choir, the sound is that amazing.

Melody is also a key component of the sound on this album and is something The Zombies do brilliantly on here. There infectious psychedelic pop as seen on tracks such as “Friends of Mine”, “Brief Candles”, and “I Want Her, She Wants Me” takes the listener to another place, and for me conjured up images of autumn (strange as that may seem), in particular the certain calmness and beauty that autumn brings. The combination of piano/keyboards, mellotron and harmony vocals combines so well and creates a beautiful pop feel which is like nothing else from the late-60s period, making this album standout in a unique way from the more experimental British psychedelia, as well as the drug-fuelled electric psychedelia of America.

Ironically enough, the one track on the album which is stylistically quite different to the rest of the album is also the bands most famous song. “Time of the Season” is a 60s classic but it is not a baroque pop song, and in fact it has more of a Stax soul sound to it complete with a Hammond organ keyboard solo, marking a slight departure from the melodic pop of the rest of the album. This aside it is still to this day a fantastic track, while it is also quite a nice way to close out the album on a slightly different note for variety’s sake if not anything.

At the time of its release Odessey and Oracle was overlooked completely in England and was viewed indifferently in music circles. But over time its reputation has grown significantly to the point that it is now considered a 60s classic and recognised as one of the great albums. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it the eightieth greatest album of all time, while its popularity is also seen in that due to popular demand The Zombies play it in its entirety every year (yes they got back together). Odessey and Oracle represents the perfect pop album full of melody and harmony, and in my opinion even tops that overrated supposed masterpiece Sgt. Pepper in quality. I cannot recommend it enough as a 60s pop album and suggest you give it a spin, as it is might just be one of the most melodically beautiful albums you will ever hear.

A

- Sam