My review for
Arthur:
Concept albums aren't a guaranteed hit for me but this one was rather enjoyable. Some concept albums get too bogged down in telling the narrative component and fail to keep the music engaging. Others fall victim to pretension, assuming that whatever statement the artist is trying to make should be understood to be of high importance.
Arthur is sort of the opposite. For me, the album is very listenable though I was left wondering if the tracks aren't in full narrative order.
Track 1 ("Victoria") opens the album with a familiar Beatles-esque mid-60s British sound that is nostalgic but also not imitative. There's some tongue-in-cheek going on that I like quite a bit. It shows that the band isn't trying to make a profound statement but merely have something to say. Track 2 ("Yes Sir, No Sir") is not quite as good as the opener but still amusing. There's enough irreverence going on between the lines the uphold the lighter tone and the singer's delivery adds a dash of what I interpreted to be sarcasm. This song could have easily been overdone and melodramatic but it wasn't. Track 3 ("Some Mother's Son") is darker but it does not get preachy like many of the anti-war songs that sprung up during the most recent Iraq War. It's still got that sarcasm, which adds bite to the dark tone of the song.
So, my three-track make-or-break system says this album starts very successfully. I can see those early three songs playing over a montage of scenes depicting events of suburbia, enlistment, and war. Maybe that's what the band was going for, since the project started as the companion to a TV production that fizzled out.
I was initially not super keen about this album but it grew on me quite a bit with each successive listen. I was indifferent to two tracks though. "Drivin'" and "Young an Innocent Days" felt almost like filler and just didn't do it for me. It was hard in the end to pick three top tracks. "Australia" is the clear standout. I still can't tell if it's a straight-forward tune from the idealists mindset of someone looking for opportunity or if it's a sarcastic and condescending parody from the mindset of an old codger who thinks the kids should stay put in jolly old England. "Victoria" is a strong opener and it's leaner than some of the other stand-out songs. I appreciate that. I was drawn to "Some Mother's Son" for some reason. Perhaps it's because I took a semester-long course on the Vietnam War once and the battlefield lyrics resonate with me.
"Shangri-La" and "Arthur" receive honorable mentions. The former is a really good example of songwriting because it builds up effectively. The latter is a nice little closer that summarizes everything nicely while also being very catchy.
I look forward to listening to more of The Kinks when I reach them on my Rock and Roll Hall of Fame project. This may not be the best way to introduce someone to their work, so it helps that I was familiar with them beforehand. Otherwise, it might run the risk of sounding too much like The Beatles, given the British sound the band went for here. Youngins these days have a tendency to switch off their interest if something sounds too old to be "cool," so
Arthur is certainly something that needs a few listens to warm up to.
G-Man Scale: 4.0625 out of 5 (A-)
Rico Scale: 4 out of 5
My ratings so far:
A
Chuck Berry is on Top- Chuck Berry
A-
World Music- Goat
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown- The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)- The Kinks
B+
Woodface- Crowded House
B
Beneath the Brine- The Family Crest
B-
98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare- Fishmans
C+
Bish Bosch- Scott Walker
[-Mass Effect Mafia banner-]
But I'm about halfway through and I'm pretty thoroughly enjoying it so far, so I'll definitely listen a couple more times.
), and I think the lead guitar has some swell moments.
it almost feels like an anthropological study of some kind, especially in the self-referential bits where we hear her actually talk to people on the street about what she's doing recording stuff. Anyway, not something I'd normally listen to, but that's the whole point of this thread -- definitely an interesting [piece/project/thing/insert vague noun here] to be exposed to.