Weekend Music Roundup!

The weekend is here, ending a brutally cold polar week where temps sank far below 0º. As we begin to thaw out, there is no better way to unfreeze than by listening to music. This week I'm rambling on about some recent listens that range from singer songwriter indie rock to stoner metal and jazz. It also features my first 2019 release, and what a great one it is. Hopefully you all will find something on here that's worth checking out. Enjoy.

Ryley Walker - The Lilywhite Sessions: This was a big shock to see in the store the other week. Ryley has been one of my favorite artists of the last several years and I wasn't aware of this before seeing it. He's taken a shelved Dave Matthew's Band album from 2000 and rearranged and reworked it into a masterpiece. Apparently this was shelved by DMB because the label thought it was too dark, which might have served them well. By taking out the horns and replacing it with his signature experimental guitar sound, he gives the music a grounding that I find DMB lacks most times. Truly a joy and a very unexpected surprise. 

Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow: The sixth album from the Brooklyn based songwriter is her first in five years and easily a landmark release for her career. Her last album was very solid, but this one feels like a breakthrough as she finds the perfect outlet for her moody vocals. She's established herself as the heir to the legacy of female artist of the 21st Century along with artists like Aimee Mann, Cat Power, and Beth Orton. Some of my favorites are "You Shadow," "Seventeen," "I Told You Everything," and the lead single "Comeback Kid." 

Dead Quiet - Dead Quiet: Released in 2015, this is the debut album from the Canadian stoner metal band. They have since released a second album back in 2017, but this is the first I've encountered them.This is very sludgy and quite impressive. The first half starts out slow, but then it picks up the pace and gets really good. "Home is Where You Go to Die," "The Fall of Me," and "Let it Die" are the three last tracks and the three best.

Brant Bjork - Mankind Woman: This is the 12th solo album from the founding member of Kyuss. Though that pioneering stoner rock band disbanded in the mid-90s, the music on this record doesn't stray too far from the blues based rock that they played. There's no doubt that Brant is a talented and capable musician and his playing on this record is thoroughly enjoyable. But, like Kyuss, it failed to really grab me. I was never able to connect personally with their music, and found myself failing to connect to this either. There's some quality psychedelic rock songs on the record, most notably "Swagger and Sway" and the title track.

Count Basie - Count Basie: I recently picked this up from the discount bin. I love the way the Count, a NJ born big band piano king, is able to swing the tempo of a tune like "I'm Shoutin' Again" with touching just one key on the piano, and then create the entire chaos of a track like "Lil' Ol' Groovemaker." As with any archive series, this spans a good section of his career, but focus mainly on his Big Band era. Some greats are "Watermelon Man," "April in Paris," and cover of "Yesterday" which yet again shows the reach of The Beatles and the acceptance of jazz. One of the things I love about jazz is how all inclusive it is. Unlike other genres, where you can say "That's not rock. That's not hip-hop....", well baby, everything can be jazz.  

The Struts - Young and Dangerous: Four years ago, this UK glam rock band exploded onto the scene and now, four years later, they return with their second record. Personally, I found the debut to slightly better than average, so my expectations weren't very high. I'm happy to say, they show improvement, rather than the cliche failed second album, which they were totally set up for. I give them credit for overcoming that trap, which couldn't have been easy with a four year gap. If I were a Queen fan, I'm guessing I'd love this album. Since I'm not, I find it a bit over-dramatic at times, and  quite enjoyable at others. It's pretty clear this band is destined for big things, they have the swagger, riffs, and presence to be rock stars.