361 - New Order - Substance

How serious can the song be if you can dance to it? With the New Order compilation, Substance (yes, another compilation of a British band that is meant as an introduction to American audiences), listeners get a peek at what Joy Division sounded like and then the evolution from that sound to something close to the Pet Shop Boys.

The influence New Order had makes it a bit difficult now to see what made the group so unique when compared to the New Wave bands of the early 80's. There is a mechanical and detached aspect to their music (moreso the era covered by this compilation than afterward). Not only was the music influential, but the bands' stubbornness about not including pictures of the band members and shunning interviews has very much been adapted by a lot of electronica bands that followed.

I really enjoy the juxtaposition of bass and keyboards in their songs. Frequently, the bass gets a more melodic role and the keyboards accentuate the drum machine rhythm.

What is tremendously annoying about New Order's discography and this collection is their penchant for not including singles on albums but having alternate album versions. If you are familiar with the videos or singles for "Bizarre Love Triangle," "Perfect Kiss," and "Blue Monday," you may be disappointed that unlike a typical "greatest hits" collection, Substance includes club remixes of those songs.

Songs I knew I liked: "Bizarre Love Triangle," "Perfect Kiss," and "Blue Monday"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Ceremony," "Temptation," "Confusion," and "1963"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Murder" and "Shame of the Nation" were skipped after I finished my two required listens. I really was put off by the later tracks that included backing singers. They sounded too much like the Pet Shop Boys and just kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Much of the second half (which is mostly b-sides) was just okay.

360 - Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

There is a selection of huge albums from the "grunge revolution" that I have barely listened to since the late 90's because I had listened to them so much from their release to the end of the century. Siamese Dream is one of those albums. Earlier in the Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums list I dissed Mellon Collie... for being all over the place musically and for the screaming vocals Billy had on some of the songs. The band's debut, Gish, is a favorite of mine for the dreamy, metal atmosphere, but I agree that there's not much diversity on that album. Siamese Dream is the Goldilocks album that features the dreamy atmospheres and Billy's soft tenor that distinguished the band from much of their 90's cohorts but also stretches into new territory.

There are soft ballads ("Disarm") and thundering songs that show the influence of the grunge revolution that happened after Gish's 1991 release ("Geek USA"). Billy does some screaming, but it is just enough to add gravel to the timbre of his voice and certainly doesn't compare to the screeching that he would do later for "Bullet With Butterfly Wings."

Over the years, my memory had tinted my feelings towards this album because of how it differed from Gish and then how the band wandered even further away in their subsequent albums. It was really refreshing to hear the album again and be blown away with how much I like it. Butch Vig did a great job of balancing the more ragged sound with the prog rock-like guitar work and song structure.

My CD copy of Siamese Dream will see a tremendous increase in listens after this past weekend.

Songs I knew I liked: "Cherub Rock," "Today," and "Disarm"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Hummer," "Soma," "Silverf*ck," and "Sweet Sweet"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Geek USA"