Weekend Music Roundup

We've made it through another week in an endless cycle where weeks, and even months, seem to lose all significance. But marking the passage of time is important for giving us the illusion of continuing the timeline. So with that, I'm back to share my thoughts on musical journeys I've taken recently. This list features new sounds from old favorites. As frequent readers know, I'm a bit of a completest in my collections and therefore always digging deeper into the catalogs of bands and artists I enjoy. Sometimes that means new material, other times it means coming across something old that's new to me. Some great stuff here. Enjoy.

Flower Travellin' Band - Anywhere: The 1970 debut from the Japanese heavy psych band is equally as epic as their legendary follow-up, Satori. This album is basically a covers album, with the self-titled track book-ending. It covers Black Sabbath and King Crimson, two bands they are often compared to. These guys bleed authenticity and it shows, which is why 50 years later, it still sounds as fresh and compelling as it did when it came out. 

The Animals - The Animals On Tour: Released in '65 after bursting on the scene the year before, this is the third full length album from the British R&B band. Part of the original British Invasion, The Animals are often overlooked, or at the very least overshadowed by the Stones, Beatles, Kinks, and The Who, but they are right up there when it comes to that early garage sound that made the Invasion so successful. Like the early albums by those other bands I named, this is a great collection, mostly of covers of American artists. So happy to have found this on the cheap and add it to my Animals collection. 

Hawkwind - All Aboard The Skylark: The legendary space rock band of the '70s has been quite active in the past several years and released this new album in the Fall. This is another solid record that adequately captures their '70s sound. Of course, it's only Dave Brock these days, Nik Turner is off doing his own recapturing of their '70s sound, but it's good stuff. It certainly doesn't replace anything from the Hawkwind cannon, but fans would do well to give it a listen. 

The Bevis Frond - Any Gas Faster: Originally released in 1990, this was the first Frond album recorded in a real studio, and their sixth LP.  This is the record that sees them move slightly away from their earlier lo-fi psych sound into more psych rock. It also is very much the sound of 90s indie rock being born. I recently picked up the re-issue double vinyl to add to my extensive collection of this criminally under-heralded band. Truly one of Nick's best albums.

Carole King - Rhymes and Reasons: Released in '72, one year after her smash Tapestry album (though Music released between that album and this one). So many of her songs were such a part of my early childhood in the late '70s. For that reason, her music always very nostalgic for me. I listened to this on a Sunday morning, and this is the perfect kind of album for a chilly autumn weekend. "The First Day in August," "Stand Behind Me," and "Ferguson Road" are personal favorites. Though it lacks the magnitude of Tapestry, it's still a good album.