Days 11 and 12 of Album-pril: Diamond Dogs and Hotel TV

Day 11

Diamond Dogs (1974) – David Bowie

I knew I wanted to try some more Bowie, but wasn’t sure where to start until I watched Ted Lasso. The album the characters named their little support group gossip sessions after is apparently Bowie’s last in the genre of glam rock, which I feel is the subgenre of rock I ought to enjoy the most, theoretically. There are some bits near the start where he talks like Ash from Alien when his decapitated head is on the floor and he’s gargling through his own milk-blood, so that’s fun. While it’s sparse with bangers, the album as a whole is a fun dystopian soundscape. ‘Rebel Rebel’ and ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me’ were the standouts from my first listen. In general, I think if Bowie had been around and active while I was into music (so, April 2022) I would have been a big fan, but going back and just listening to the recordings doesn’t feel like how I imagine he would feel, if that makes sense.

Cover art: 6/10 it’s a nice enough picture. Interesting, without too much going on. I don’t think I quite get it but the more I read about it online, the more disturbed I become so let’s leave it at that.

Album name: 6/10 alliteration is great, but I don’t think it makes a huge amount of sense until you listen to the track of the same name, and perhaps not even then.

Bangers: 2/11.

Overall vibe: It could make a decent jukebox musical. Way better than Labyrinth, that’s for sure.

Day 12

Hotel TV (2021) – Lawrence

Desperate for something more modern, I turned to the young soul-pop duo/band Lawrence. I am a big collegiate a cappella fan and The Bristol Suspensions did a great cover of ‘The Heartburn Song’. It’s rare that I’d enjoy a performance of a song I’d never heard of so much, but then end up liking the original even more, is unheard of for me. I’d kind of fallen off them after that, but my housemate played me ‘Don’t Lose Sight’, and it was the most interesting song I’d heard in years, so this album was an obvious inclusion. Both Lawrence and his siblings are so immensely talented (not to mention their band). Clyde wrote some of the score for Miss Congeniality when he was literally five years old, I believe making him the youngest credited film composer of all time. I mean what the heck.

Usually, they pass a song back and forth, with Gracie belting some wicked catchy chorus and Clyde rhyming some relatable jazzy verse in between, but they both had chances to shine alone in this album – e.g. the titular ‘Hotel TV’ and ‘Weather’ are primarily Gracie, and ‘Jet Lag’ is basically just Clyde, with just some light harmonies from his sister. Despite these huge vocal differences track-to-track, it manages to be one of the most cohesive listening experiences I’ve had so far, and it doesn’t even claim to be a concept album.

I don’t think I’d skip anything, but some of my favourites were ‘Thoughts From The ER (Silver Lining)’, ‘It’s Not All About You’, and obviously ‘Don’t Lose Sight’. I also really enjoyed ‘Figure It Out (A Song Between Siblings)’. I play a lot of music with my sister, and while we don’t have professional pressures straining that relationship, this track still has wholesome and relatable vibes to keep with me as she becomes a teenager and wants nothing to do with me for a little while. This song is also really cool because it brings back riffs and themes from the other tracks on the album. It’s a real ‘One Day More’-esque Act One closer. This makes it super rewarding for someone who listened to the whole album in order, though I imagine it’d be a bizarre listen if that was the first song of theirs you heard.

Cover art: 7/10 I know hotels rarely have the most cutting-edge technology, but these guys are in their 20s – do they really remember TVs looking like this? It’s a cool idea though.

Album name: 6/10 just named after a song on the album, not the best track as per, but it’s fine.

Bangers: 4/12.

Overall vibe: 10/10 just real soulful bops, getting intoxicated in the park, playing this annoyingly loud and staying out way too late.

Next time: the biggest album from a beloved island escapist, and a political indie folk hit.