The Double Doghouse

hello folks! i’m a little late with this week’s Weekly Review – the winter weather interrupted my normal weekly schedule and threw off a lot of my listening time, but i’m here now with a review of Pink Floyd’s sixth record, Meddle, released in 1971. this is a record from an era of Pink Floyd that i’ve not heard before – i wasn’t fully certain what to expect going in to this record.

One of These Days, the opener, has an incredibly extended intro – the bass and the what, synth? stabs played over the howling noise is haunting, and the guitar track, when it comes in, builds right in with the mood. really like the way the track opens up after the one vocal line. really neat song. A Pillow of Winds appears to be about a difficult night – interesting track. Fearless is my fave track on the record, for sure. some fun lyrical moments on this one that i enjoy. San Tropez is a weird song in a way i really like, singing about a lazy afternoon. big fan of the jazzy rhythm here, and the vocal delivery here just invites the listener into the beachside vibes. Seamus caught me off guard with how bluesy it is. i probably shouldn’t be surprised when older rock records lean bluesier, but this one leans HEAVY into it. like, the dog howl borders on a bit too much, haha. i still had a good time with this track though – a lot of the performances here work really well for so straightforward of a track. Echoes is a really neat track – this would have been the whole second side of the record on vinyl, and i imagine the track would have felt like a soaring epic track until the transition at the 7 minute mark. i really like that section, that runs until about the midpoint of the song. i’m less fond of the drifting, bird-call filled section after that midpoint though. i really like the mood crafted at the 16:30 mark of the song, right before the guitars start coming back in. it’s melancholic, and kinda hopeful. very cool, and the climb back out of that is very stirring. the last verse to the closing is a very strong crest, and i really like the way it lets the mood down and bring the track to a close.

faves – Fearless, San Tropez, Seamus
dislikes –

i think this was a neat record! having mostly listened to a bit of Dark Side and The Wall, it was very interesting reading about some of what the band said about Echoes around the record’s release, and how in hindsight this album is laying the groundwork for a lot of what will come after. i like the approach here of having a longer, more experimental track on one side and some more conventional stuff on the other, even if in the streaming age the jump from Seamus to echoes is uhhhhh a bit sharp of a contrast. i’m real glad i gave this one a spin – kinda makes me want to go back and see some of the sound before and after to get a better gauge of that context.

Meddle – 7/10

for the next Weekly Album Review, i’ll be listening to RePorpoised Phantasies, by Machine Girl. i’ll be back on Friday, January 26th 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.)