April 1st, 2023
Best Album by a Wannabe Dictator
Ever wondered how Mussolini or Hitler might have sounded if they’d formed a band? This album is the next best thing! Trout Mask Replica (1988)by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
If the name Captain Beefheart doesn’t immediately have your attention, he will hold it the entire time you listen. Like a car accident, you cannot take your eyes (and ears) off of Trout Mask Replica. Captain Beefheart leads the band like a musical dictator to make the album sound exactly how he wanted it to, practically turning the band into a cult. Between being unable to leave the house they recorded at, barely allowed to eat, and effectively forced into practicing the music for 14 hours a day, the members of the band had their work cut out for them. Despite this unique style of leadership, on top of the Captain’s already eccentric tastes, this album is truly one of a kind. As equally parts mesmerizing as it is brilliant, there is truly nothing else like Trout Mask Replica, and I highly doubt there ever will be.
—Andrew Wiegman, Music Editor