The Spins

At the time of writing, July 16th, I am celebrating my 41st birthday. As a result, the two dispatches this week will revolve around this. I’ll save the details of the second one for later in the week, and focus on the now. This edition of The Spins will not focus on new music. As it is my birthday and the weather has been absolute trash up here in the Northland, I came up with a list of albums that are generally very pleasant. They aren’t sunshine pop or anything like that. Save one album, they all go down smooth. You could have heard of all of these albums. You could have heard none of these albums. In any case, I have one request: pick a couple and listen to them in remembrance of me.

Ultramagnetic MC’s - Critical Beatdown

This is a classic of 80s hip-hop and features the first appearance of Keith Thornton, who you probably know better as Kool Keith a/k/a Dr. Octagon a/k/a Black Elvis. The raps are just as crazy as you would expect if you are familiar with his style, but he is kept on the street level by the hard boom-bap production. Honestly, this album has no skips. Even the side A filler track is amusing. (I realize that I just showed my washed ass by highlighting that I have mostly listened to this album on cassette.) A fun, golden-era hip-hop listen.

Black Sheep - A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

One of the less heralded groups in the Native Tongues clique, this is an album that should not be slept on. The duo of Dres and Mister Lawnge are nice on the mic and the production. In addition, they do not take themselves too seriously, and they also like to make fun of the overly serious mc’s. It’s a good album to remember that hip-hop doesn’t have to be all killing and drug dealing—it can also be fun.

Madonna - Bedtime Stories

As you might know about me, I love Madonna. I think that she’s one of our truly great pop stars, and a fantastic artist. I think about this album a lot, in particular “Secret.” If you sort of skipped over 90s Madonna, I think that is an error you should correct. You should start with listening to this album. It’s warm, her voice is present, and the production is so good. If that isn’t enough, consider the fact that you’ll get to hear Madonna singing lyrics written by Bjork on “Bedtime Story.”

Jorge Ben - Africa Brasil

I thought I had talked about this album at some point in this newsletter. I did a search, and I had not. This is a massive oversight on my part. Bar none, one of the best MPB albums ever made. From the guitar riff on the first track, you know you’re in excellent hands. It only gets better from there. It grooves so hard, and it makes me feel great every time I hear it. I have listened to this album at least once a year, every year since like 2013. Jorge Ben is a genius, and this album is the proof.

Neu! - Neu! 75

When one thinks of Neu! (if you are a person to engage in such thought), one usually thinks of the first album, Neu!. You are correct to do so. “Hallogallo” is one of the best krautrock songs ever written, and “Negativland” is no slouch either. However, the experimental tracks on that album have always hit me the wrong way. If we’re talking best Neu! album from back to front, Neu! 75 takes the title because we all can agree that it is not Neu! 2. It glides by on waves of synths and guitars as the lock groove keeps everything in place. The songs have discrete, excellent vibes while locking together as a whole. Some rock, but never too hard, which is a priority for today’s project. If you have either never listened to this album or haven’t in a while, put it on and enjoy yourself.

Sade - Diamond Life

The queen of R&B had to make an appearance on this list. Aside from being one of my top artists of all time, this album was released on my actual birthday. I’ll always take an opportunity to recommend the music of Sade Adu. Plus, it has one of her all-time great tracks, “Smooth Operator,” in addition to some excellent album tracks like “Cherry Pie.”

Polly Jean Harvey & John Parish - Dance Hall at Louse Point

This is the one non-smooth album on this list. I could have kept it off, but I just listened to a 6-hour series on Bandsplain about Ms. Harvey and have had her on the brain as a result. As the host, Yasi Salek, and Ann Powers, legendary music critic, both note, this is a slept-on release in her discography. I wholly agree with this sentiment. Her and Parish work together fantastically here, and this a great set of songs, even if “Civil War Correspondent” isn’t going to help you feel better about life.

The Smiths - Louder Than Bombs

The Smiths were an excellent band on albums, but they were even better in singles form. This compilation of singles and b-sides is their top released for me. While not every track works, those missteps are made up for by stone cold classics like “Girl Afraid,” “Half a Person,” and “This Night Has Opened My Eyes.” It’s still worth its money in gold and always good for a revisit.

Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady

If you want a little bit of pace in your remembrance listening, pop this on. An absolute punk masterpiece, Singles Going Steady always satisfies. I should say something more, but I don’t want to. Just go listen to it already.

With that, I have given you nine albums that you can listen to in remembrance of me. I’ll be back on Saturday with a fun piece related to my birthday.