Album Club - Week 129: 21/01/2014: Bran Van 3000 - Glee (1997)

[Album Club]

Welcome everyone, to Alex(_UK)'s Album Club choice for this week. His choices are always interesting, but watch out, he's got form as the only man brave enough to truly shock us all with his choice.
As usual, please listen to the album in full before voting and telling us what you think of it - even if it's your favourite album ever!.


Bran Van 3000 - Glee (1997)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y9rRxlCozq0/T9Yrj90HIbI/AAAAAAAAA5o/5b-I1eeUrEw/s320/glee.jpg

spotify:album:7GvNXFWzGJL7ksusMcGsdw

Full album on You Tube for those who don't do Spotify:

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I was really struggling this time round to come up with an album. I mean, so many amazing albums, and I've already covered quite a few bases - my "holy trinity" of Chill-Out albums, my favourite female singer songwriter, some modern punk and last time round, some 80's stadium rock... Not forgetting Britney, of course! :lol:

Then we got a few threads on the forum where the discussion ended up on "genre" - IMHO the rather dubious classification of music into comfortable pigeon holes - so I thought this 1997 debut from the Canadian collective known as Bran Van 3000 would be a great example of how I think music should really be classified - music you like, and music you don't... I absolutely love this album, but I thoroughly expect it to bomb as badly as poor old Britters did! :D

So what sort of music are we talking about here? If you've heard one song from this album it is likely to be "Drinking in L.A." which after featuring in an advert for "Rolling Rock" (nope, I couldn't remember what it was either! Wikipedia confirms it is a Pennsylvanian beer) hit #3 in 1998 then you would probably say "hip-hop" - Wikipedia classifies them as "Alternative Rock" & "Electronica" - but there is so much more to this album, including some great comedy moments. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions as to which "Columba box" some of these tracks should be posted - but to me this is just a great collection of eclectic tunes that fall into the "music I like" category. YMMV. :)

If by any miracle you should enjoy this, their follow up Discosis is possibly a better album - it features the last ever recorded performance by the legend that was Curtis Mayfield - BV3 (as they're affectionately known) taking the recording and producing the awesome title track with the blessing of Mayfield's widow.

On the flip side, if you hate it - at least there is some gargantuan bass to give your system a good workout! ;)

Wikipages:
Album (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glee_(Bran_Van_3000_album))
Band/Collective (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bran_Van_3000)

Official Bran Van 3000 site (http://bv3.ca/)

[John]

I admire that you will always pick something I will choose not to listen too our music taste are complete opposites lol and glad you been brave enough to put on something that for me is outside my comfort zone.
I shall not vote on this one as its not a album I could listen all the way through I guess I am too much of a music snob

[Audioman]

A mixed bag really. Some tracks enjoyable when they go into indie rock mode. Can't make their minds up if they are alt rock or hip hop/R&B. It's almost too diverse a mix but obviously a lot of creative effort went into this. It's certainly different Alex and far from the most unlistenable choice we have had on Album Club. I gave it 4/10

[Alex_UK]

John, if you'd liked it, I think I would have passed out... come to think of it, if anyone likes it I may pass out! :lol:

Thanks Paul for giving it a go! :)

[Alex_UK]

(The 9 vote is obviously mine! :D)

[loo]

if this is what you pick when your struggling I'd love to hear what you pick when your not, an inspired choice and my personal favourite album since joining.
an hour of challenging, beautiful, crazy magic , thank you Alex and yes Discosis is fantastic too. Got to be a 9 from me (only cause I don't really do 10's)
Paul

[Bazil]

I thought we were going to get a Sonja or a Tiffany album :eyebrows: or at the very least Kylie (God help us).
Glee, oh thats an American TV thing isn't it ? Nope I read the track list and recognised "Drinking in LA", good tune that and so is this album, lots of stuff here I like.
Sort of album you can put and let it entertain you without paying too much attention, if you know what I mean.
I'm not getting too carried away probably wont buy it but enjoyed and enjoying it on Spotty 7/10.

[MartinT]

This is one of those cases where I think I prefer silence. Sorry, Alex. 1/10.

[synsei]

I have the CD single of Drinking In LA which I love so this is going to be fun, will report back later ;)

[The Grand Wazoo]

Hmmm....I can't really see this album featuring much in my life during times to come. Sorry Alex, I can't be doing with this one mate!
1/10 (Still don't feel too bad, it got a better score than Michael Jackson and he was the king of pop!)

[synsei]

Well that was a blast, literally. Had the volume cranked up far higher than normal but I'm sure the neighbours appreciated it, tough it they didn't... hehe.

An excellent Album Club choice there Alex and one which I enjoyed immensely... 8/10 :)

[losenotaminute]

I got through to track 6 'Forest', which I enjoyed and then track 8 'Carry On' pushed me over the edge and I couldn't take any more. I can't stand hip hop and rap, and don't appreciate hearing "mother fucker" bandied about at this time of the morning by an ignorant 'musician'. I voted 4, which I realise I probably shouldn't have done until I listened to the whole album, but to be honest it was all beginning to sound the same after a few tracks. I think Divine Comedy do humour much better.

I'm now going to listen to a bit of classical to get my composure back.....

Lawrence

[synsei]

Ignorant 'musicians'? A little harsh considering the practice of putting profanity into lyrics can be traced back as early as the 1960's. Hip Hop and Rap are not genres unique to this practice, Not Now John from Pink Floyd immediately springs to mind and I wouldn't accuse Roger Waters of being 'ignorant'. I think it is important not to denigrate an entire genre just because it doesn't happen to appeal to our individual sensibilities, art in its many forms has always had a propensity to play fast and loose with the rules as long as it has been in existence...

[losenotaminute]

Ignorant 'musicians'? A little harsh considering the practice of putting profanity into lyrics can be traced back as early as the 1960's. Hip Hop and Rap are not genres unique to this practice, Not Now John from Pink Floyd immediately springs to mind and I wouldn't accuse Roger Waters of being 'ignorant'. I think it is important not to denigrate an entire genre just because it doesn't happen to appeal to our individual sensibilities, art in its many forms has always had a propensity to play fast and loose with the rules as long as it has been in existence...

I wouldn't have said that Roger Waters was the sharpest tool in the shed.....but point taken. I'm not against profanity in its place, I just didn't enjoy the way it was presented in this album.

Keepin it real

Lawrence

[synsei]

I wouldn't have said that Roger Waters was the sharpest tool in the shed.....but point taken. I'm not against profanity in its place, I just didn't enjoy the way it was presented in this album.

Keepin it real

Lawrence

Fair enough Lawrence, that's how it came over to me anyway... ;)

Perhaps to avoid further misunderstandings in future Album Club members might consider placing a warning of impending profanity in their listings if the album they have chosen happens to contain any...

[high.spirits]

Very quirky album. Quite liked tracks 1 to 4 and 11, 13 but the rest not so good. Not into rap so only 4/10 from me.

[Audio Al]

:doh:

OMG , is all I can say :doh:

[RichB]

A 7 from me... I missed this when it came out probably because the 'drinking in LA' thing was all over the radio back then and I couldnt stand it at the time...

Looking back on it though a younger me would have enjoyed this album quite a bit with a nice bowl of smoking mixture in my pipe as was the custom in those heady days....:eyebrows: Its very of its time and sort of coincided with that white hip-hop/rock thing which was going on at the end of the last century. I didnt mind some of this so I'm quite enjoying the album and its having a second spin as I type.

A few years ago a mate an I undertook a USA roadtrip where we blasted several thousand miles across a few states and finished the trip in Los Angeles, amazed we'd made it to the end and were flying home the following morning, we were in proper celebratory mode and hit a bunch of bars somewhere around Venice Beach and ended up in this dive bar on the other side of LAX at sometime in the small hours. We were well oiled by this point and hit the streets with the rest of the bar life to wander back to our hotel, not much of this I can remember except that we sang 'Drinking in LA' very drunkenly as we went. Good times:cool:

[synsei]

A 7 from me... I missed this when it came out probably because the 'drinking in LA' thing was all over the radio back then and I couldnt stand it at the time...

Looking back on it though a younger me would have enjoyed this album quite a bit with a nice bowl of smoking mixture in my pipe as was the custom in those heady days....:eyebrows: Its very of its time and sort of coincided with that white hip-hop/rock thing which was going on at the end of the last century. I didnt mind some of this so I'm quite enjoying the album and its having a second spin as I type.

A few years ago a mate an I undertook a USA roadtrip where we blasted several thousand miles across a few states and finished the trip in Los Angeles, amazed we'd made it to the end and were flying home the following morning, we were in proper celebratory mode and hit a bunch of bars somewhere around Venice Beach and ended up in this dive bar on the other side of LAX at sometime in the small hours. We were well oiled by this point and hit the streets with the rest of the bar life to wander back to our hotel, not much of this I can remember except that we sang 'Drinking in LA' very drunkenly as we went. Good times:cool:

That's a fabulous memory Richard, wish I'd been there :respect:

[Alex_UK]

Thanks to everyone that gave this a go, and sorry it was inflicted on some of you! Especially pleased that Paul (loo) enjoyed it. Apart from their other albums, there's another kitsch electronic pastiche of eclectic daftness that I would recommend - another Canadian band called Len and their 1999 album You Can't Stop the Bum Rush. This album could almost be a BV3 album - the same mix of genre defying silliness - you may remember the lead single and their only hit "Steal My Sunshine"? Anyway, give it a go if you enjoyed Glee. :)

spotify:album:5HSrkpKs0kEhEMuM3ZkG8W

(Or avoid it like the plague apart from Dave and Paul! :eyebrows:)

[pjdowns]

Alex,

I like this a lot… not really sure why as it is very 'Different' but hey I have had to order it, I like it that much :)

It reminds me a bit of Everlast and a bit of Lemon Jelly and a bit of a lot of other things too… great thanks for bringing it to my attention :)

Paul.

[pjdowns]

(The 9 vote is obviously mine! :D)

I've given it a 9 too :)

[Alex_UK]

That's great, Paul - really pleased you enjoyed it. The album is "mad as a box of frogs" but sanity is overrated in my opinion! :) Do check out the Len album too - I'm very confident you'll enjoy it if you liked Glee. :)

[Tim]

I had a go at this Alex as you know, but not at all my thing. I will however try it again to see if it still has the same effect, but don't hold your breath :sofa:

[Tim]

Well I tried again, but I just can't listen to it, so I have disqualified myself from voting this time, as I can't get to the end :lol:

I do admire your bottle though Alex :thumbsup: