u/midiflac

My favorite guilty pleasure bands have always been these lesser known nu-metal projects, especially those with a very grungy aesthetic and debuts in the early-aughts.
Some of these bands you guys might know like Trust Company and Edgewater, they have pretty good follow-up albums and have gained renewed interest online, but I feel like these bands moved away from that heavy nu-metal sound until they eventually just stopped making new music entirely.
Do you guys have any other suggestions that have the same kind of sonic aesthetic? Are there newer bands who hit the mark on reviving the marriage between post-grunge and nu-metal, or are these projects just a product of the particular musical landscape during that time?

Couldn’t leave this one behind on my recent begrudged visit to Half-Price Books. It’s a bit pricey online so I’m happy with what I paid for it used, especially since the disc looks and plays like brand new.

I have to say I’m not as big a Steely Dan superfan as many others are. I think they have a couple weak albums here and there, but there’s no denying their generational run through the 70s with albums like Aja and Gaucho, and even their debut Can’t Buy A Thrill remains a genre-defying classic.

With “The Nightfly,” the distinct musical style of Fagen as the more cerebral and ambitious half of Steely Dan’s creative genius becomes quite apparent, through better and not-so-bad.
“Concept Album” is a strong term to define what is more like a cynical period piece on early Cold War-era nihilism, with the brooding paranoia of Communist imperialism juxtaposed between heart-bending crooner ballads and the death of the American dream. It’s a lot more than that too, though. It’s a love letter to the history of “jazz,” or more summatively, American music throughout its various cultural periods and formats. And of course, you have to acknowledge the feat of engineering in the digital recording and producing quality, especially for the infancy of that process at the time.

My only gripe with the project is that I don’t think the quality of the overall songwriting stands the test of time quite as well, especially compared to the greater Steely Dan discography. The singles like I.G.Y. and New Frontier show us Fagen’s storytelling chops are still at their best, but the stylistic range with which Fagen tries to explore his jazz-centric influence sometimes falls flat, especially on the B-side of the album which notably lacks the artfully arranged all-star backing band, featuring Larry Carlton on guitar and Michael and Randy Brecker on horns.

I wonder if the ambitious solo debut of Donald Fagen was short-sticked by Warner Bros, or if Fagen had simply stretched his resources too thin in perfecting every fine detail of production. The album’s content is certainly not all graphite and glitter, but if Fagen was aiming for sonic perfection, I think he came pretty close.

What do you guys think of this one? Does Fagen have any other hidden gems in his solo discography worth checking out? Let me know!

I’ve had this shirt for a few years now and it’s one of my favorite band tees. I found it in perfect condition from the Goodwill bins where they charge by weight so it was pennies on the dollar. I couldn’t find anything online about it, I was just curious if any of you guys have seen this design or know anything about its origin, like when it was released, if it was part of a tour or album cycle, etc. Thanks!