371 - Roxy Music - Siren

I have been less than impressed by the two previous Roxy Music albums on the list. Maybe I'm getting used to Bryan's cheesy vampire-esque singing or maybe those tendencies were toned down on Siren. At best, Roxy Music's songs on previous albums would be a mixed bag of hates and kinda-like traits. This is their first album that I will unabashedly say that I actually like a song. Ok, I actually really like two songs.

The first track on the album, "Love Is The Drug," completely disarmed me upon starting my listening session. The stripped down sound and funky bass line with Bryan's quirky (but not too vampiric) vocals screamed early Talking Heads to me. Replacing the funky bass with more of a reggae riff and you get the fingerprint of what the stereotypical Clash song sounds like. The second song that really grabbed me was "Both Ends Burning" with its saxophone flourishes and swooshing keyboards.

I've been trying to figure out what all is different on this album that made the difference for me. Vocals aside, I don't think there is really much of a change with the style of music. I think there is a change in attitude more than anything. The previous albums had the theatrical quotient pegged at 11. I think this album focused more on creating good, quirky pop songs that have drama - less Wagner's Die Walküre and more "Bohemian Rhapsody."


Songs I knew I liked: None

Songs I didn't know but now like: I'm confident stating that I do indeed like "Love Is The Drug" and "Both Ends Burning." I can see myself listening to the album more and accepting that I also like "Whirlwind," "Could It Happen To Me?," and "Just Another High."

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: I'm still intrigued by this album and there isn't a particular song that I feel compelled to skip over during the listening sessions.