This post was inspired in part by the passing of Ric Ocasek, of the Cars.
I absolutlely loved their first album, and it is still my favorite despite being introduced to the band via the album Hello Again, my other favorite. While there are good songs on Shake it Up, Candy-O, etc., none of them gelled for me.
What really stuck out for me for the Cars was the not just the way they used rhythm, but the way in which they managed to sound simultaneously spare and yet full.
There is one other band, or more accurately album, that did that for me - Reach the Beach by The Fixx. This is a band where I only really like one album, and nothing else of theirs, but I really like that album.
Enjoy.
Oh, and since he's gone...
and why not? My favorite... "Moving in Stereo".
