Tag Archives: driving

(Almost) Thirty Years On: September 1997

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Looking back on it, I think that road trip to Ohio was a key moment in my wanting to go out on my own a lot more. By this time I was still heading up to Toadstool Books in Keene on the weekends, but instead of heading back home afterwards I would sometimes expand on it by driving down to Leominster and stopping at the Barnes & Noble afterwards. I was driving into Boston on an almost monthly basis now, visiting my old haunts.

But I was also starting to take longer drives home from work as well. Sometimes I’d stop at that B&N on the way back, or maybe see a movie at the nearby Sony Theatre I used to work at (the multiplex at my mall was still under construction at this time, I believe). I started reminding myself that I had the ability to do this now that I had the paycheck and the transportation.

I’m not sure, but I think it was also around this time that I started taking the long drive to Amherst from my mall in Marlborough — a sixty-mile, ninety-minute trek mostly on Route 9. I’d restarted my comic book collecting, at first catching up on my favorite titles like Cerebus and Strangers in Paradise then discovering more titles that caught my interest, including several manga and indie releases. I probably only went once or twice a month on Wednesdays then, but eventually the trip would become a weekly habit that I’d hold until I left the store in 2000. [I’d continue the Wednesday runs until 2005 of course, though with a much shorter drive from Deerfield.] My family thought it was a peculiar thing to do, but I enjoyed the trip as it gave me time to think about my writing while listening to music or NPR. It was all part of my soaking up new ideas, inspirations and influences.

Joe Jackson & Friends, Heaven & Hell, released 2 September 1997. While Jackson wasn’t as prolific as he once was back in the 80s and early 90s, he used that extra time to conjure up even more eclectic music that never fails to surprise. This, for instance, is a thematic album based on the seven deadly sins, with guest singers like Suzanne Vega, Brad Roberts (from Crash Test Dummies) and Dawn Upshaw voicing them. It’s a peculiar album, but it’s also surprisingly enjoyable.

Travis, Good Feeling, released 8 September 1997. I remember the UK music magazines singing the praises of this Glaswegian band and how they were so different from the rest of the city’s scene by leaning heavy on the songwriting and dynamic sounds. They knocked it out of the park with the single “All I Want to Do Is Rock” (the song that got them signed by Sony). I was an instant fan and have been picking up their work ever since.

Cornershop, When I Was Born for the 7th Time, released 9 September 1997. You couldn’t escape “Brimful of Asha” during the late summer, the song was just everywhere. It’s a simple three-chord riff about famed Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle that gets stuck in your head for days. I remember liking it, getting sick of it, then liking it again after a while!

Forest for the Trees, Forest for the Trees, released 9 September 1997. This was a one-off project of Beck-adjacent musician Carl Stephenson that had a surprise minor favorite with the weird yet groovy “Dream”. I used to listen to this one in the back room of the store quite a bit.

Tanya Donelly, Lovesongs for Underdogs, released 9 September 1997. After the breakup of Belly, Donelly quickly started her solo career with this lovely record that features some of her musical friends like Pixies’ David Lovering and Throwing Muses’ David Narcizo.

Love Spit Love, Trysome Eatone, released 9 September 1997. The second and final album from Richard Butler (while The Psychedelic Furs were on hiatus) feels less cluttered and intense than the self-titled first, so much so that it sometimes feels like this is what the Psych Furs would have sounded like had they kept going. The second single “Fall On Tears” remains one of my top favorite songs of the year, especially with its quiet-progressively-louder format.

Death in Vegas, Dead Elvis, released 16 September 1997. The store was starting to see all kinds of oddball electronic (and semi-electronic) bands coming out of the woodwork by this time, and DiV is one of those where you’re not sure if they’re electronic, goth, punk, or something in between. The crunchy single “Dirt” got a lot of play on WFNX, partly thanks to its rigorous sampling of a famous Woodstock quote.

Stereolab, Dots and Loops, released 22 September 1997. This band continued to play its signature style of music that feels like it’s from another time and place, this time having success with the single “Miss Modular” which got a lot of play on a lot of alternative stations. One of my coworkers really liked this album and used to play it on the floor during his shift.

Dubstar, Goodbye, released 22 September 1997. I absolutely fell in love with the single “Stars” which kicks off the US version of this album. [It was originally on their first UK album from 1995.] Their lovely autumnal Britpop sound deeply appealed to me; it felt relaxing and took me to a different time and place whenever I put it on in the stockroom. It would soon be on frequent repeat at my writing nook soon after, earning its MU Legacy Soundtrack badge. I highly recommend this one!

Various Artists, A Very Special Christmas 3, released 23 September 1997. The start of Q4 always meant the new Christmas albums would be trickling in soon, and this third volume from the Very Special Christmas (the first in five years) was an instant hit, featuring performances by Sting, Smashing Pumpkins, No Doubt (their silly but fun “Oi! to the World” got considerable play on WFNX) and more. My favorite of course was Eleven doing their version of Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ with breathtaking vocals by Chris Cornell.

Information Society, Don’t Be Afraid, released 23 September 1997. After a five year hiatus, Kurt Harland was the sole member and rights-holder of the IS name, and chose to take an altogether different route for this fourth album. Fully embracing goth, industrial and darkwave sounds this time out (not to mention themes of paranoia, heartbreak and distrust), it’s a grim record but also a fascinating listen. I played this one a hell of a lot over the next few years, earning its MU Legacy Soundtrack badge.

Bjork, Homogenic, released 23 September 1997. Just when you think Bjork couldn’t get any weirder, she comes out with an album that explores the stranger edges of electronica. It itches, twitches and slides all over the place and keeps you guessing. I wasn’t the biggest fan at first but it grew on me the more I listened to it.

The Sundays, Static & Silence, released 23 September 1997. Their third and last record was completely unexpected, having been written off as an early-90s pop band, and yet they had a hit with the excellent “Summertime” track that still gets a lot of play.

Chumbawamba, Tubthumper, released 23 September 1997. I do love the fact that this band of self-described anarchists (in the full-on contrarian sense) chose to write and release their most pop-influenced record and even embraced their one-hit-wonder status with the “Tubthumping” single, mainly because it gave them an infusion of money to move forward with their otherwise ongoing DIY-ethos style. It’s actually a surprisingly good record with gems like “Amnesia” and “The Good Ship Lifestyle”.

Portishead, Portishead, released 29 September 1997. While Dummy is considered one of trip-hop’s best and most important albums, this follow-up felt like a deliberate move towards the more experimental edges of it. It shifts between feeling like a nightmarish spaghetti western and a disturbing fever dream with only a few quiet moments of calm like the dreamy “Mourning Air”.

The Verve, Urban Hymns, released 29 September 1997. This was an instant hit right from the get-go thanks to the “Bitter Sweet Symphony” single, but the follow up single “Lucky Man” also got considerable play on the local alternative stations, and still does to this day. At this point they’d dropped the dreamlike almost-psychedelic sound of their first two albums and full-on embraced a more guitar-oriented Britpop sound here.

Loreena McKennitt, The Book of Secrets, released 30 September 1997. This Canadian singer seemed like an open secret for the longest time, writing (or arranging) and singing folk with a curious blend of Celtic, New Age and Middle Eastern elements added. She was a big seller for the store in that genre, and this was her major breakthrough. So much so that the track “The Mummers’ Dance” got a major remix by DNA (yes, the same who remixed Suzanne Vega) that enjoyed chart success. This was a perfect soundtrack for The Phoenix Effect, so it too gets an MU Legacy Soundtrack badge.

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Coming up: The store preps for Q4 with best-ofs, box sets, and soundtracks.

(Almost) Thirty Years On: July 1997

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It had been ages since I actually had a paid vacation and given that I’d be here at HMV for the long term, I was able to accrue enough hours to finally get one! And so it happened that my inaugural vacation would be a roadtrip….to Ohio! My high school friend was living in Columbus with his wife at the time and as we hadn’t seen each other in quite a long time, it was planned that I’d spend the week there. [Side note, the only reason I remember exactly when this trip took place is because it was the same week Contact came out in theaters and I really wanted to go see it.]

It was also the first lengthy road trip I’d be taking with my own car, which excited me to no end. My four-year-old Cavalier still ran pretty good at the time (although I somehow kept forgetting to get oil changes for a while there), and I set about preparing for it. As I did not yet have a tape deck in said car, I’d be bringing my boombox to listen to any cassettes. And it also meant making mixtapes! I’ll be honest, I’d started making the first Songs from the Eden Cycle mix partly for this reason, and my sister made me a driving-themed one that’s mentioned below.

Did I do any writing? Well, actually no. I’m surprised I didn’t, but at the same time I wasn’t anywhere near the write every single day habit I’d eventually reach. This was more a time to soak in the ideas and let them steep in my head for a while so I could come out with something strong and exciting. Instead I would read what I had so far and make a few mental notes of how I could move forward. I did manage to write one scene when I stopped at a hotel in Wilkes-Barre PA on the drive home, and it’s a scene that made it into the rewrite as A Division of Souls, where Nehalé witnesses an attack on a church.

If anything, this weeklong road trip inspired me to go out driving a lot more often in the future. While I wouldn’t do any further long-distance or overnight ones like that (at least not until I went to my first science fiction convention in 2001), it would inspire me to head to my favorite places in Boston and elsewhere with more frequency, and would also inspire my soon-to-be-weekly drive across most of the state for Wednesday comic book runs after work.

The Prodigy, The Fat of the Land, released 1 July 1997. Very much like the Chemical Brothers, this was a long-awaited album after a hugely successful teaser single (in this case, “Firestarter”). It was an instant hit at the store and ended up on the year-end best-of wall. Interestingly I’d known of the band previously as one that played more blissed-out electronica, and this new more punk direction worked perfectly for them. Several of the tracks still get a lot of play on alternative radio these days.

Limp Bizkit, Three Dollar Bill, Yall$, released 1 July 1997. The kings of meathead metal rap rock, they were a band I wanted to hate and yet somehow they managed to surprise me with halfway decent songs every now and again, especially this goofy yet fun cover of George Michael’s hit. This was their first breakthrough, and would get even bigger with their next album.

Mixtape, Trust in My Tires, Faith in My Chrome, created July 1997. My sister provided me with this collection of driving songs across several different genres — alternative, country, folk, classic rock, and so on — and I did give it a few plays during my Ohio road trip. The first track, fittingly, was Pretenders’ “My City Was Gone”.

Primal Scream, Vanishing Point, released 7 July 1997. Just when I thought PM was firmly entrenched in their Stonesy style they’d perfected on their previous record, they went in a completely different direction and recorded what would be the first of three albums that explored the darker edges of their sound. I really liked this one, especially the single “Kowalski”. This one recently got a brand new expanded edition just last week!

Smash Mouth, Fush Yu Mang, released 8 July 1997. I remember the first time I’d heard “Walkin’ On the Sun”: I was on Route 80 through Pennsylvania when a local alternative station played it. It sounded so different from what was being played at the time: both 60s retro and 90s pop-punk, didn’t take itself too seriously yet contained smart lyrics, and had one hell of a great hook. I made a mental note to ensure that my store ordered enough copies of this when I got back to the store, as I knew it would be big. They’d be a favorite of mine ever since.

Sarah McLachlan, Surfacing, released 15 July 1997. While Fumbling Towards Ecstasy had some success with the sublime yet creepy “Possession” and the quietly intense “Hold On”, it was this album that broke her wide open with several singles like “Sweet Surrender”, “Building a Mystery”, “Adia” and “Angel”. She’d come a long way from her quirky early 90s beginnings, that’s for sure. She’d follow this up by hosting the massively successful Lilith Fair festival.

Lauren Christy, Breed, released 22 July 1997. You might know her now as part of the songwriting/production team The Matrix (known for their hits for pop singers like Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera, Jason Mraz and more), but she started out as a quirky alt-rock singer, and her second album was a minor favorite thanks to the title track featuring on the Batman & Robin soundtrack. The slower and moodier ‘Reprise’ version of that track would show up on a future Eden Cycle mixtape.

Land of the Loops, Bundle of Joy, released 22 July 1997. This Boston musician was known for his quirky homespun lo-fi electronic music, and the catchy single “Multi-Family Garage Sale” got a lot of play on local radio, partly thanks to the clever use of samples from The Brave Little Toaster but also its use in a Miller Genuine Draft commercial. The album isn’t anything amazing but it’s enjoyable and fun in its own way.

Catherine Wheel, Adam and Eve, released 29 July 1997. Their fourth album tends to be forgotten due to its lack of huge hits, but it’s also their moodiest and most introspective. There’s the slick sounds of “Delicious” but also the lovely “Ma Solituda” that both got a lot of radio play at the time. It’s well worth checking out.

The Dambuilders, Against the Stars, released 29 July 1997. The final album from this Boston band sadly got overlooked partly because of the overwhelming success of Radiohead’s OK Computer, but they were always a fun indie rock band that got a lot of play from WFNX and WBCN. “Burn This Bridge” was a local favorite and quite possibly their most sucessful song.

Soundtrack, Spawn: The Album, released 29 July 1997. This was another movie that could have been great but alas ended up a box office bomb, and yet its soundtrack was a major success. Like 1993’s Judgement Night soundtrack it gathered rock bands and paired them with electronica groups. While some were rather…odd (Moby with Butthole Surfers, Marilyn Manson and Sneaker Pimps), there were also excellent pairings like Filter and The Crystal Method’s “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do” which got a ton of airplay. It’s definitely a mixed bag like the movie, but it’s worth checking out.

Whiskeytown, Stranger’s Almanac, released 29 July 1997. Despite the band splintering at the seams and singer Ryan Adams being a hot mess both onstage and off, they managed to release a fantastic second album of alt-country goodness full of amazing songs and moods. “Yesterday’s News” was a favorite on WFNX and The River at the time, and my personal favorite was the high-lonesome closer “Not Home Anymore”.

Various Artists, Urbal Beats: The Definitive Guide to Electronic Music, released 29 July 1997. There had been several electronica compilations by this point, but this one was a major success thanks to containing several amazing songs by The Chemical Brothers, Orbital, The Prodigy, The Orb, Portishead, Roni Size, and more. [It also helped that it was released by a major distributor, PolyGram.] Of note was a breathtaking track by Rabbit in the Moon called “Out of Body Experience”, originally a single from 1993 and perfectly reshaping a lengthy Tori Amos sample of “Precious Things” into a torrent of chillwave goodness. [It was renamed the more simple “O.B.E.” here.] This mix sold considerably in our store and became an employee favorite, and it also spawned a sequel in 1998. It eventually became an MU Legacy Soundtrack as well.

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Coming up: In which almost everything I listen to suddenly becomes a writing soundtrack.

Twenty Years On: Songs from the Belfry 2003, Part IV

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Sometimes you get that feeling that things are on the verge of change whether you want it to come or not. Just little inconsequential things that signify the end of something, like an afternoon anime series that stops getting played on Cartoon Network, or a coworker leaving or getting fired…or simply that you notice there’s a wide-open road ahead for you to travel on, but you’re not sure if you’re quite ready to take it just yet. I think I was heading in this direction as it was, having thought a lot (almost obsessively) about my future as a writer, as well as knowing it was time for me to move on emotionally from the stagnancy I’d found myself in. I wasn’t quite sure where I wanted to go, but I was well aware that I had the ability. It was just up to me to take that step.

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Brian Vander Ark, Resurrection, released 1 May 2003. The lead singer for the Verve Pipe brought his spectacular songwriting chops into a solo side career while his band was on hiatus, and it’s a lovely record full of gorgeous songs.

Blur, Think Tank, released 5 May 2003. A last gasp for the band before going on an extended hiatus, this one was recorded after guitarist Graham Coxon’s departure. It’s a bit disjointed and strange, as if Damon Albarn’s huge success with Gorillaz kind of took him off his game, but it’s still listenable and has some wonderfully odd songs on it.

Dead Can Dance, Wake, released 5 May 2003. A two-disc retrospective that essentially takes the best of their box set from two years previous, making it more digestible. I’d been a fan of this band since the late 80s so this was of course recommended listening during the writing sessions.

The Dandy Warhols, Welcome to the Monkey House, released 5 May 2003. Though not as enjoyable as their previous album Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia from 2000, it nonetheless contained some of their most memorable singles.

Wire, Send, released 6 May 2003. The highly inventive and influential band that defined post-punk (and pretty much owned the music journalist word ‘angular’) had returned in 2000 to play a series of live shows that were so successful they chose to write and record new songs. This ‘third wave’ (if you count the ‘Wir’ project as part of the 80s-90s wave two) is more of a hybrid of their choppy 70s punk albums and their melodic 80s records, and they’ve been recording ever since.

Tricky, Vulnerable, released 19 May 2003. At this point Tricky entered my list of ‘I will buy anything they release’ musicians. This album is true to its name, with the trip-hop gloom stripped back to reveal several quiet and delicate songs.

Deftones, Deftones, released 20 May 2003. There’s something about hearing a song at the right time and in the right place that makes it resonate with me, and hearing “Minerva” on the radio during a break at the day job on a warm and sunny spring day made this band click with me all of a sudden. I really got into this album for its mix of heaviness and tight songwriting as well as its fascinating experimentation.

Tipper, Surrounded, released 20 May 2003. One of the first records to be mixed in 5.1 surround sound, this is an album for listening even if you don’t have the technology to hear it as intended. It’s full of fascinating dreamlike soundscapes that you can easily get lost in. The closing track “Illabye” became one of my favorite tracks of the year.

The Thorns, The Thorns, released 20 May 2003. A project featuring Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins, this album is just as creatively melodic as you’d expect, and just about as Crosby Stills & Nash as you can get without actually being them. The single “I Can’t Remember” is pure alternafolk bliss.

Mogwai, Happy Songs for Happy People, released 21 May 2003. This month’s ‘I know of them and like them but don’t own anything’ band is the one that finally got me to start buying their albums and singles. I’d see them later in 2004 as one of the many bands in the Curiosa festival.

Mixtape, Re:Defined 03, created 25 May 2003. I remember listening to this one quite a bit at the time during my commutes to and from the Yankee Candle warehouse in Deerfield. The trip was exactly thirty miles and took about forty minutes or so, so I could listen to a complete side each way. [Note: I remembered just now where I got the title for this series from — the song “In the Warmth of Meanings Redefined” by Kimone, which shows up on the Re:Defined 01 mixtape. So now you know!]

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Coming soon: summer is around the corner meaning more road trips, more car listening and more spending money at bookstores and record stores!

Mobile Music Alternatives

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I’m still a bit annoyed that I can’t seem to get my mp3 players (or my phone for that matter) to play any music through the car. Apparently our car stereo is so low tech that it doesn’t even have a line-in audio selection on the interface. It does have a few USB ports, but no UI that will let me access whatever I connect to it. [It of course has Bluetooth and iThingie interfaces, neither of which I need.] All I want is to listen to something aside from the same stations playing the same dang things over and over! Why is that so hard? Eesh.

Anyway, this reminds me of those days long ago when I used to bring my boombox along when I went on a roadtrip with my friends, or when I had that unwieldy and not-always-working connector to my cd walkman (which would eat up AA battery power at the rate of maybe two cd plays and skip at the slightest jolt). I don’t think it’s currently possible to upgrade our car stereo, so there’s not a lot I can do except figure out an alternative or see if I can find a lifehack online somewhere. Right now I’m contemplating keeping a small Bluetooth-ready speaker in the car, which I’d originally bought for my PC, and plug in my mp3 player that way. At least I can charge that thing rather than go through all those batteries.

I find this quite amusing, actually, as it almost feels like I’ve gone full circle: if I really want to listen to my own music, I’m going to have to carry it on me and have something to play it on, or in this case, through.