Calling anything in my CD collection a “forgotten treasure” is a bit of a stretch. I have things in my collection I haven’t listened to in years (why are they still there? I haven’t decided that they’re in the way yet), and things I find myself constantly loading in. This week, however, I made a conscious choice to pick things that I know I like, but have been out of rotation for a while.
Arctic Monkeys – AM
I got this because I saw Arctic Monkeys open for The Black Keys twice, and thought they were pretty good both times. This album got some play on my stereo for a while after I first got it, but not much since then. My 12-year old recently told me that the younger generation has embraced Arctic Monkeys, especially this album. It has some big beats and some spare riffs and it feels right.
Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison
Obviously, this particular record has made a huge impression on me. My opinion on country music as a genre has changed according to the degree of my exposure to Johnny Cash. There’s probably a lot of us who can say that. The reason I haven’t listened to this in a while is probably because I listened to a lot of it. It’s pretty impressive stuff, a powerful performance and a slew of great songs, a concert worth recording and revisiting.
Sleater-Kinney – All Hands on the Bad One
Riot Grrl was a fun phase. Sure, it had its pretentious moments (“Revolution Girl Style Now!” lol never change, DC Hardcore) but Sleater-Kinney has given me enough chunky speedy fuzz-tone guitar riffs to make up for any amount of sociopolitical nonsense. This one isn’t my favorite S-K – that’s still The Woods – but having it in the car this week has made me appreciate the droney lyrics where before I found them obvious and annoying.
Tom Waits – Real Gone
I can’t remember the last time I spun this one, but it was my Album of the Year back in 2004. I’m not a monster Waits fan: I liked Nighthawks at the Diner, and I’ve acquired one or two other albums of his since. But this rickety beast is a beauty: a mix of experimental rock, alt hip-hop, folk music, and all things in between. It’s a spiritual journey where night falls like a bloody axe. This needs more regular rotation.
Tame Impala – Lonerism
Australian synth-rock vibers. Probably the most recent release of anything I own on CD. It’s mostly a chill record, but occasionally here comes an elephant shaking his big grey tusk for the hell of it. It’s got a nice varied mood, and I like it in spite of the fact that synth-anything has always been a hard sell for me. Between this and Sturgill Simpson’s Sound and Fury, that’s probably going to be less true going forward.
Iggy and the Stooges – Raw Power
The very idea of this being a “forgotten treasure” is shocking to me. This album is a favorite, one I’ve listened to so many times over the years it’s impossible to get tired of. This is up there with Songs the Lord Taught Us by The Cramps in my estimation. Nevertheless, it’s been a minute. I’ve had their first album and Fun House in the car recently, and I was ready for this. Boy howdy, does it hit, just as fine and big and loud and true as the first time I got it. It remains the best thing the Stooges or Iggy Pop have ever done.
Whenever I do this, I try to put things into a coherent order: where one disc serves as a logical continuation or refreshing counterpoint, usually the latter, to what came before. This works best with stuff from the same era. There’s a combination of New Order and The Replacements and Kraftwerk and Public Image Limited and Husker Du that I’ve yet to replicate, because I can’t remember the sixth one (maybe The Minutemen?). But this combo has a nice alchemy to it. I may come back to it again.
Content Blues 