Loudon Wainwright III, Album II (side A)

The first two Loudon Wainwright III albums are grouped together, perhaps because they predate his comedic hits like "Dead Skunk", or maybe even because they're on the same record label.  The first album, which is self-titled but often referred to as "Album I", is the one that I've grown particularly attached to, so I always think of 1971's Album II in comparison.  Sonically, Album II feels a bit brighter and more purposely modern, without the rich mid-range that makes the debut sound so timeless.  The songs here are also often structurally simplified past standard folk conventions, into a style that more resembles punk or indie bands for their sheer primitivism.  For example, the opener "Me and My Friend the Cat" rests on the same chord for the verses and a different single chord for the choruses.  While the sarcasm on the first album was complex and literate, the lyrics here just drip with tangible darkness.  Album II features "Motel Blues", which has come to be one on Wainwright's best-known and most-covered songs.  The portrait photo hints that this is a singer-songwriter album, while the quirkiness of the photo, coupled with the overtly '70s font at the top, indicate how arty and creative the contents are.