Album Oriented Erich Hertz and Daniel Nester

Daniel breaks out the wheels of steel to lead our discussion of DJ Shadow's 1996 debut opus Endtroducing...whilst Erich busts out the trip hop for Portishead's 1995 smash, Dummy. And the digressions! We got Joan Armatrading, Sheena's "Sugar Walls," Robert Christgau's ladyhating, Soho's "Hippychick," and revisit the Billy Joel Philosophical Logic Statement Regarding Glass Houses. Daniel pulls a stunt for his mid-year kicker pick, and it will leave you here green but wise.

Erich presents English neo-psychedelics Spriritualized and their 1997 opus Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space.  Daniel encircles gravelly voiced rebel saloon singer-songwriter Tom Waits, and his beloved album from 1985, Rain Dogs. Along the way, we mention Eddie Money, Dr. Hook, Rod Stewart, intellectual property, The Leon Redbone Question, and that Doritos commercial. Erich's mid-year kicker pick will not disappoint 90s post-rock enthusiasts.

We're wallet chains-deep in the 90s for this episode. After a recap sitting shiva over Fab Four's Sgt. Pepper's relegation to the bottom of only one list, Daniel presents Grace, Jeff Buckley's 1994 masterpiece. Then it's on to Erich and Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, PJ Harvey's 2000 collection. Daniel's Mid-Year Kicker Pick is solid, but we need to ask: Do we discuss Moody Blues and the INXS biopic miniseries? Will Daniel stay in character as a sexist version of Tom Waits? Will Erich debut our jive radio DJ "Mojo Swap!" sound effect? Listen to find out.

Only in the perverse minds of rock critics would the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, regarded by most everyone as one of popular music's landmark achievements, place down at #87 on the New Musical Express and is *excluded* from Entertainment Weekly's list altogether. "This is perverse just and makes me angry," Erich says. "But I'm just going to handle it in the best way I can." Daniel then tries to talk about Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors album from 1971. Erich's Mid-Year Kicker Pick from 1969 is groovy because how can it not be it's from 1969. We hope you will enjoy the show. 

Daniel leads the episode off with NME's #88, For Your Pleasure, Roxy Music's second album from 1973. (And yet, Erich still arrives at our episode's recording in a full re-creation of Brian Eno's outfit from that LP's inner gatefold sleeve: frilly shouldered top, skullet hairdo, clogs. Striking.) Erich then presents Entertainment Weekly's pick and one of his personal faves, New Order's 1983 release, Power, Corruption & Lies. We discuss how its iconic single, "Blue Monday," is the best song on the album. Kidding--we don't! Daniel finishes off with his Mid-Year Kicker Pick from 1978. Breaking precedent, we'll reveal here that it is in fact the soundtrack to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, featuring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees, with narration from George Burns.  

Album Oriented has made it to the 80s of our two top 100 lists! You know what that means, don't you? We're living in the 80s! Like Killing Joke, by day we run and by day we dance. We do. Erich takes us on a Moon Safari, the 1998 album by Air, the electronic French duo, aka Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. EDM, IDM, and paying actual money to watch people behind turntables and/or a laptop is discussed. Daniel gets his riot grrrl gear on and discusses Sleater Kinney's 1997 masterpiece, Dig Me Out. Erich's Mid-Year Kicker Pick from the 1997-1998 era will be as elliptical and retro-futurist as our listeners might expect.