Album of the Month (2025)

Dec 5, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Jan 11

January

Telephono - Spoon (1996)

I've been meaning to check out Spoon for awhile now. Hailing from Austin, TX, they certainly have been on my radar. Telephono is very accessible and allows the listener to jump right in; off the bat you can find Pixies esque influences. I have no clue what "Cvantez" is about (but I like it) and "Nefarious" gives off "Debaser" vibes. The female vocals of bassist Andy Maguire add a nice and familiar Pixies touch. "Claws Tracking" definetly feels like a song that could've inspired the Arctic Monkeys. Overall, I think Telephono is a great freshman debut, and a fine start to Spoon's career. It's definitely not generic and clean cut / straight ahead alternative rock, as Telephono takes you on a few interesting twists and turns. Personal favorites include the adrenaline inducing "All The Negatives Have Been Destroyed" and "Towner". This effort makes me want to check out stuff from Spoon in the future.

February

Make Yourself - Incubus (1999)

Pardon me for not getting into Incubus a bit sooner (especially now, at the age of 26). I'm not sure how I danced around Incubus all these years, ultimately not giving them a try. But all it took was for me to stumble on the live version of "Pardon Me" and I was hooked. The song resonates a lot, especially with how I am feeling right now, with the state of life and the state of the world. "Pardon Me" is just a song that deserves to be blasted. The cool thing is, I don't think any other band is making a song like this, that's what makes it great and unique. I consider it easily the best song of the album. The chord progressions and sound palette are reminiscent of "Everything in Its Right Place" by Radiohead. While listening to Make Yourself, I took some time to revisit "Drive" and everything that has made the song so popular over the years. I guess I always thought of Incubus as a goofy, Primus style band. But there is a lot of mature songwriting displayed on Make Yourself. I will admit that I think Brandon Boyd's voice takes a bit to get used to, but once it "clicks" you really appreciate it. "I Miss You" feels like Incubus was aiming for a radio hit when writing the song. I like the romantic push and pull format of how "Stellar" is laid out. I think "Out from Under" finishes off the album nicely. Maybe because of this, I am more biased to the back half of the album. Make Yourself has such a cool late 90s / early 2000s aesthetic - the scratchy turntable footprint is something that could only exist in this era. Michael Einziger's spacey and atmospheric guitar tones sound are very modern, even perhaps a few years ahead of their time.

March

Morning View - Incubus (2001)

I know I spoke kindly of Make Yourself just above - but after digesting Morning View, anything else from Incubus' catalog pales in comparison. Morning View is an incredibly strong album, perhaps one of the most complete albums I have heard in months. "Nice to Know You" and "Circles" are complete bangers, they start the album off so hard. It's funny I could've swore the main riffs were rip-offs of Audioslave's debut album, but then I realized Audioslave didn't release their debut until 2002. "Wish You Were Here" seems to be the big radio hit (alongside Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here"), but I much lean towards "11am". "11am" is a personal favorite - the imagery and candor of the lyrics shine here. A mature step forward for the band is displayed on "Echo", a vast departure from anything Incubus was doing in the late 90s. I'm really just not sold on "Are You In?", otherwise I am a fan of every other song on Morning View (which says a lot). At first I was a bit skeptical of "Aqueous Transmission", but it's a track that I find myself seeking out - especially if my mood calls for it. But man, this album just feels like a complete effort from Incubus. I really respect how Morning View is laid out and the creative thought process behind it. As of now I am very high on the album, and perhaps it will even grow more on me over time.

April

The Heat Is On - The Isley Brothers (1975)

It felt like I wasn't listening to much in the month of April. But I was introduced to The Heat Is On as "For the Love of You, Parts 1 & 2" was on the set for a cover band I was picking up some gigs for. And man, did "For the Love of You, Parts 1 & 2" hit me like a train. It almost mesmerized me in a sense, put me into a multi-day trance. I consider it now as a near perfect, 10/10 song. The Heat Is On features lots of auto wah and filter esque effects. I like "The Heat Is On" which features a pretty cool guitar solo. Not as much a fan of the harder funk stuff (front half of album) as I am the melodic stuff (back half of album). Album slows down a bit. "Hope You Feel Better Love" seems to slow down at first, but picks up with a disco feel (featuring some great backup vocals). The guitar solo on this one feels extended but it does rip. I really got to be in the mood. The mid 70s are a good era for funk, and The Isley Brothers are as good a band as any to play it right. "Sensuality" is a fantastic song and leads the back half of the album. It's actually hard to absorb how the Isley Brothers had such a long career, I'm still wrapping my head around that, as their early work goes back to the early 50s. I can only aspire to be as well-dressed as the album cover here.