The Double Doghouse

this week for the weekly review, i’m listening to 1977’s The Idiot, by Iggy Pop!

we’re kicking this record off with Sister Midnight – a bass driven, funky track with some real fun guitar work on it. Iggy’s vocals here are heavy and weighty – it feels like he’s hanging out with the bass while the guitars jet around the mix, and honestly the layering in this track is EXTREMELY good. it’s nice to just feel all the elements of the track build and shift and flex around you, a lotta fun. Nightclubbing puts a lil english on that bass-driven funky feeling, creating a kinda slinky, slimey experience. love that the piano here feels like a bar piano, and damn they’re really letting the guitar off the rails this record, huh. this one just kinda invites me into the pocket and vibes, i love it. Funtime cultivates a very strong vibe to it, but it’s not really my jam. the track takes a bit to build, even for its short runtime, and i’m not huge on Pop’s vocals here. Baby feels like a twisted take on a ballad, lol. FUCK the bass here is delectable. a real infectious groove to it, can’t help but be moved by it. yknow i didn’t realize China Girl originated on this record. i wasn’t a huge fan of the track the first time i heard it on Let’s Dance, but i feel like i’ve both softened on it over time and really dig some of what this version brings to the table. fun song. the recommender for this record suggested i look into the historical context for this record, and i’m glad i did – this record was the result of Iggy Pop and David Bowie trying to kick their drug addictions in France after Pop joined Bowie on his 1976 tour together, and is largely a collaboration between the two musicians. Dum Dum Boys is a really low-slung track – and an interesting reflection on Pop’s relationships with his former bandmates from the Stooges. i had a good time with this one. that sax solos that intro and bridge Tiny Girls is just… *chef’s kiss*. i’m kinda middling on the vocal and lyrical components but the instrumental parts of this track are so deliciously smooth. we close things out with Mass Production, a track that very much feels like an open, beating heart, to be honest. it’s stripped down pretty bare, musically, and this is Pop letting it out vocally. some of the harsher sounds turn me off, but this is still a very very cool track.

faves – Nightclubbing
dislikes –

okay this album is definitely a grower for me. on initial listens i was feeling very middling on it – there’s not a huge amount of variance in the vibes of the tracks (other than China Girl, which stood out for other reasons), so my first forays felt very monotonous, and i feel like Pop’s vocal delivery here takes a bit of getting used to. and i mention it a couple times above, but DAMN this album is MIXED. there’s some real layers to where the bass, guitar, drums, and Iggy sit and how they play off each other, that’s very fun to dig into.

The Idiot – 7/10

the selection for this week’s suggestion pool is a return to death’s dynamic shroud.wmv, this time with Heavy Black Heart. i’ll be back next Friday, September 16th for a review, 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 a 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.)