The Double Doghouse

hello folks! this week for the weekly review, we’re taking a look at Peter Gabriel’s 1986 record, So!

Red Rain is a real good track – a very dark and brooding track. Sledgehammer is a very very good, soulful, funky track with bright 80s sound. i adore this song. absolutely a delight, and a wonderful sense of humor. i KNEW i recognized the voice on Don’t Give Up but i somehow couldn’t place that it’s Kate Bush, which is obvious in hindsight. this is a very tender song – not one i’m a huge fan of but it’s still quite good as it details economic hardship and crisis while Bush provides comfort. we do love anti-Thatcher music here. That Voice Again is nice. Mercy Street is a very neat track – it’s got such a slow, deliberate development. Big Time is a bop in the back half – god the bass on this song kicks ass. big fan of this one. We Do What We’re Told (Milgram’s 37) prompted me to go check out the experiment being referenced, which was an interesting read. the track’s nice but not super noteworthy for me. interesting to note that this was the closer on the original vinyl release. CD and casette releases added This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds), a collab with Laurie Anderson, which is perhaps the strangest track on the record. got some really neat grooves here. releases after 2002 also added In Your Eyes, which feels like a much more conventional capstone track, haha.

faves – Red Rain, Sledgehammer, Big Time
dislikes –

i’ve spent a bit of time with Peter Gabriel’s solo work before, basically just with 1980’s Peter Gabriel (III: Melt), which i had a funny relationship with (i liked almost literally every other song, and would mostly skip the songs between them – very hot and cold stuff). i feel like this record is a bit more consistent, which is not surprising for 6 years and another two records deeper into his solo career. i feel like there’s a really strong mix of like, poppy hook writing and some much more serious, introspective tracks. very good time!

So – 7/10

for the next Weekly Album Review, i’ll be checking out 12 Golden Country Greats by Ween. i’ll be back next Friday, September 8th with that review and to pick another weekly record, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then one pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)