Weekend Music Roundup

The weekend has arrived and as always, or mostly always, that means it's time for my ramblings on music that I've been listening to. This week there are a couple of newish releases, as well as some old vinyl ones that I picked up in the last few weeks. All in all, I really enjoyed each of these albums and I hope you will get the chance to check out a few of them. Until next week, enjoy!

Guided by Voices - Space Gun: Since properly re-forming back in 2012, this is already the lo-fi indie band's ninth album in that span. Needless to say, it's sometimes hard to keep up with their output. Robert Pollard is prolific if nothing else, but thankfully he's much more. He's one of the best songwriters of the past quarter century, able to create snapshots of brilliance that are perfectly fragmented into audio story clips that leave you wanting more. Another solid record with my personal favorites being "See My Field," "Sport Component National," "That's Good," and "Flight Advantage."

Franz Ferdinand - Always Ascending: This is the fifth official album from Glasgow band, and the first in five years, not including the FFS album with Sparks. I was a huge fan of their debut 14 years ago and have enjoyed all of their records, with exception of their sophomore effort. This is their best since that debut. It fulfills the promise of that debut in a lot of ways and sees them perfect their dance punk sound as they morph into a Bowie-esque presence. "Paper Cages," "The Academy Award," "Huck and Jim," "Slow Don't Kill Me Slow," and the title track are standouts.

Eric Dolphy - The Eric Dolphy Memorial Album: This is jazz legend's 1963 Conversations album that was reissued a year later under this title after his death. This is considered a transition album and the groundwork for his classic Out to Lunch album that was released months before his untimely death. Like that album, this work features improvised structures and the addition of an accomplished bass player that gives Dolphy more room to wander through. I picked this up for a $1 recently, which is a steal, especially considering Dolphy is among my top 3 jazz players. 

Fatima Dunn - Birds and Bones: This is an album from a Swiss singer songwriter who is a one person orchestra, playing cello and using a loop control foot station. It reminds me a lot of other female European artists. It's ethereal indie dream pop that is in the realms of Dot Allison and Tina Dickow, even a mellow Bjork at times. It's a mix of english and german, but each song is compelling in it's own way. This is a mood album, perfect for rainy mornings or early evenings and definitely worth checking out. "This Night," "Dunna im Tal," and "See the World" are among my favorites. 

Michael Chapman - Fully Qualified Survivor: The 1970 album from the British folk artist was his third, and one of six released between '69 and '71. Released on Harvest Records (Pink Floyd's label), this has that Harvest sound, the kind of psychedelic folk found on Floyd's Obscured By the Clouds. This a beautiful and personal folk album that avoids the many traps of folk pop. The perfect summer afternoon kind of folk. "Aviator," "Stranger in the Room," "Fishbeard Sunset," and "Kodak Ghosts" are standouts for me.