The Middle East - The Recordings of the Middle East (2008)

The Middle East are a hard band to stick a genre tag onto. They combine folk and ambience with elements of pop, post-rock and shoegaze. In similar fashion to some other genre-bending bands (Deerhunter, for example), they've managed to do it in a way which establishes their own sound.

Album opener 'The Darkest Side' is a soft, acoustic song with some nice vocal harmonies between the singers. Though the song has a simple theme of death, it's delivered in a rather uncanny manner through the lyrics. The first chorus, for instance, has this little gem: "I hear the farthest cry and the softest sigh when I'm empty; But if you leave me I'll hide in a game like SimCity." 'Beleriand', one of the stronger tracks on the album, begins with an echoing cluster of guitars and drums before settling with a hauntingly beautiful acoustic guitar riff. 'Lonely' does quite the opposite, starting off with a chilling combination of soft guitar playing with ambient electronics, building into a cymbal-and-harmony-driven climax. 'Tsietsi', the 13-minute album closer, is a roller-coaster of a closer, switching tempos here and there. The only consistent about the song is its beauty.

The highlight of the album, and with no question as to why it's become their most loved song, is 'Blood', a simply wonderful song that builds up to a powerful climax involving pianos, xylophones and some of the most delightful chanting put on record. With deep, painful context that involves family heartache and despair, the song works to invoke joy or sadness quite easily.

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Phil Ochs - I Ain't Marching Anymore (1965)

This album is a valuable document of progressive opinion in the mid-60's. The dual injustices of Vietnam and white racism are tacked here, with a salute to the still-warm body of JFK and a nod to Appalachian labor troubles. There's biting satire in a number of places on this album but particularly in 'Talking Birmingham Jam', which would be a lot funnier if it hadn't been true. I'm consistently stunned by the craftsmanship of these songs. The album closes poignantly with the incredible 'Here's to the State of Mississippi', which is as moving as it is beautiful. There's a lot of romanticism here, but despite the occasional loftiness of the lyrical content I find these songs touching.

The lyrics take full focus on the record; they're less ambiguous than, say, Dylan's, but are no less clever or potent. They're thought-provoking and smart during his political songs, with beautiful and unique imagery on display during the story-telling tracks. Ochs' tone of voice and range is amazing and classic, yet it never detracts from the lyrical content; rather it allows it to breathe and grow throughout the song. The guitar, as well, is rather impressive in its own right, yet the lyrics keep the focus. Part of this can be attributed to the accomplished production which is damn-near perfect and keeps every piece of this album in place, and part to the savvy songwriting of Ochs.

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