Weekend Music Roundup

 

 

It's the first weekend of Autumn, and autumn has always been my favorite season for music listening. It usually changes my choose in mood for records, so I'll be pulling out some fall favorites soon. This was a week spent between jobs, recharging the batteries for new challenges, and absorbing music all day long. This week is a list of some of those, along with other relatively recent listens. Enjoy.

Patti Dahlstrom - Patti Dahlstrom: The Texas native moved to L.A. in her twenties to pursue a music career, eventually landing a deal with the Uni label and releasing this debut in 1972. It's a singer songwriter album with folk and soul roots and reminds me of a more pop rock version of Sandy Hurvitz's work, somewhere between the debut and her incarnation as Essra Mohawk. There's a bit too much orchestration on here, designed to give it a more or a Carol King feel that it doesn't really need. It opens with the brilliant "Wait Like a Lady" and it grabbed me right away. "This Isn't An Ordinary Love Song," "I'm Letting Go," and "Ollabelle and Slim" are standouts on this great album.

Elevator to Hell - Eerieconsiliation: Released in '97, this was the fourth album from the Canadian lo-fi band, but their first on Sub-Pop. It was recently remastered and that's how I stumbled across it. I wasn't aware of this when it came out, probably because I was kind of exclusively listening to British music in '97, but I wish I'd heard this. It's a fantastic post-grunge psychedelic lo-fi record.  

Traffic - Shoot out at the fantasy factory: Released in '73, two years after Dave Mason final exit from the band after their previous album The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. Yes, this is the sound of a band reaching their end, even the 3D album cover is an attempt to repeat past success. However, this is still a great album of blues inspired prog rock. You can hear the sound of the 70s really taking root on here, making it sound more like the Eagles than Mr. Fantasy. Even on the decline, this band is exceptional. 

Delta Spirit - What is There: Released last year, this is the fifth album from the Brooklyn (via California) indie band. This album has a folk pop feel to it, and reminds me of a ton of bands that makes this kind of music. This is pretty solid, though not anything that I haven't heard before. Still, this is a decent record and if indie folk is your thing, you can't really go wrong with giving this a listen. "Can You Ever Forgive Me," "Home Again," "Lover's Heart," and the title track are standouts. 

No Kill - Gold Chorus: The debut album from the Brooklyn indie duo was released this summer, though the band has been releasing singles in EPs for a decade. This is an interesting combination of psychedelic folk and dream pop that comes off sounding like one of those great summer day albums. "Hallelujah," "A Place," "Low Times," and the title track are personal favorites. 

The Ice Man's Band - Introducing The Ice Man's Band: The introduction turned out to also be the farewell for this soul band. This, their only album, was released in '72. They were Jerry Butler's, "The Ice Man", back up band and went out and made this little record. I found this album in a free bin, and the record was in good shape. I couldn't resist checking it out. It's a nice piece of mellow soul that certainly conjures that early 70s feeling. There's a great cover of "Come Together" and some other groovy gems.

 

 

Fiction Friday (142)

 

I'm lucky enough that my child is now album to listen to a novel every now and then at bedtime. Sometimes she amazes me with how well she retains the story. The best part is that I get to read some of the children's novels that I've always wanted to read. Last year we read a few of the Oz books and they are delightful. Recently picked up this Baum book that isn't Oz related, though the characters from this book eventually find their way to Oz and have other adventures outside.

The Sea Fairies by L. Frank Baum

Reilly and Lee, 1911

Nobody has ever met a mermaid and lived to tell the tale, or so Cap'n Bill tells his child friend, Trot. She doesn't believe the old sea captain. While the two are on a short boat trip, she is proven correct by when several brightly colored mermaids come to the surface and invite them to visit their underwater kingdom.

The ocean, it turns out, is populated with imaginative beings that one might encounter in Baum's Oz books or in a flooded Wonderland. As with both of those worlds, this one is the kind that takes a resourceful, brave girl to navigate safely through. 

This book is fun for any Baum fan, but unless your a die-hard, or a completist, stick with the first few Oz titles. Trot and Cap'n Bill would eventually star in two other Baum novels, and eventually visit the Oz series with book nine, The Scarecrow of Oz. 

Weekend Music Roundup

 

The weekend is here once again. I've been between jobs the few days, which has given me some time to catch up on some digital album listens as well as some recent vinyl pick-ups. It's another wide spanning of list of music from 60's through now, featuring mostly rock, but with some folk blues and indietronic thrown in. Happy exploring, everyone. Enjoy.

The Bevis Frond - Little Eden: Indie psych icon Nick Saloman's newest album. This guy has been making great records since the mid-80s, consistently great records that I've been listening to since the mid-90s. Over the past 35+ years, the sound hasn't changed much, lots of fuzzy guitar and apathetic vocals that feel very David Gilmour-esque.  This is another fine album in a rich catalog of fine albums. 

Blues Magoos - Never Going Back to Georgia: Formed in the early '60s in the Bronx, these guys started out as a psychedelic garage band. By 1969, and the release of this album, their fourth, they had developed into a blues rock band, much less garage and much less psychedelic. For that reason, a lot of people do not like this album, finding more generic than their earlier albums. I can respect that, but this is a solid blues rock album that feels more like The Doors than anything else. "The Hunter," and "Getting Off" are my personal favorites. 

 

Thou and Emma Ruth Rundle - The Helm of Sorrow: This 2021 EP is the second collaboration between the sludge metal band Thou and ERR (one of my favorite artists), following last years full length album. This EP contains three songs from the sessions that produced the album, and a cover of the Cranberries' "Hollywood". The combination of styles on these collaborations are pretty interesting. Emma's voice highlights the great guitar work and softens the growling vocals of Thou. A nice companion piece to the album. 

Half Moon Run - Inwards and Onwards: The newest EP from the Montreal indie band whose debut came out back in 2012. This is a mellow folk album that reminds me of New Bums though a bit less psychedelic inspired. "On and On," "It's True," and "Tiny" are my person favorites on this fine Sunday kind of album.

Styrofoam - Nothing's Lost: The forth album from the inditeronica band from Belgium came out in 2004 and features members of Notwist, Death Cab for Cutie, and others. This is one of super chill-out albums that borders on ambient and shoegaze, and is totally something I would have been jamming to in college. It reminds me a bit of Slowdive meets Boards of Canada, which is a pretty great combination. "Couches in Alleys" is my personal favorite. 

Dave Van Ronk - Sings the Blues: Originally released in '61 as Dave Van Ronk Sings Volume 2, this Verve edition was released in '65. I also have Volume 1 as a re-issue titled Gambler's Blues. Van Ronk is one of my favorite '60s Village folk singers because he mixes folk and blues into something spiritual. Along with Jackson C. Frank, Dave is one of the best, most honestly pained voices in the 60s folk scene. So glad I was able to pick this up...and for free, no less. 

 

 

 

Fiction Friday (141)

 

I'm the kind of person that always has a fairly extensive list of books that I want to read, some of which linger there for years and others that find ways to leapfrog themselves to the top. After having avoided Middle Grade for the better part of a year, I was swept up again with Hollowpox and since a new Nevermoor book is a ways away, I decided to move into a series that I felt I'd been neglecting...a mistake that has now been corrected.

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

(Aladdin , 2012)

Sophie is not like the other kids in school, and not simply because she's 12 years old and a senior in High School. She's always known she's different, but until one fateful field trip that leads to a strange encounter, Sophie has no idea just how different she truly is. And so begins the epic tale that has already spanned nine bestselling novels about a group of friends who inhabit a world that exists within our reach but beyond our understanding.

I had been unaware of this Middle Grade series until rather recently and finally found time to dive in. Though certainly in the Harry Potter realm (a school for talented magical kids, a hidden secret enemy, and a main character of destiny) it doesn't really feel the same, though the same fans are certainly reading it. The key to any great middle grade fantasy is that the characters, while having adventures one could only dream of, still suffer with the same dilemma's that readers can identify with. 

There's a clear reason why these books have been so popular for the last decade and I enjoyed every single one of the 450+ pages of this story...so much so, that I'm moving on to the second book on the same day I finished the first. 

Weekend Music Roundup

 

The weekend has returned. The weather is turning fall-ish and my mood is turning happy-ish. I've put together a a list of albums here that I've acquired in the past several weeks. It's a pretty wide ranging list of time period and musical styles, so there's bound to be something here worth checking out. Enjoy.

Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever: Two years after the smashing success of her debut, the wunderkind teen returns with a follow-up. I admit to be being very weary of a sophomore slump, feeling it to be almost unavoidable when your first album is so well-loved. Well, I should have had more faith! Billie doesn't attempt to remake the last album, instead she embraces the brokenhearted undertones of her debut and expands on the jazz club trip-hop vibe and emerges as a complex figure. It's a trajectory Lana Del Rey had made brilliantly, and Eilish seems poised to follow. 

Swans - Leaving Meaning: Released in the Fall of 2019, the 17th album from the NYC post-rock band is their most current release. Though I've appreciated this band for years, it's one of several bands that I came to absolutely love during the pandemic. This album, like all of their 21st century records is atmospheric and dark, and seems to illustrate those corridors of thought that have always existed in my mind. Some music hits you physically, some plugs right into you mind. This is Swans music does for me, and this album does as well. 

Jeff Beck - Truth: The '68 debut solo album from the British Guitarist's post-Yardbirds band featured an up and coming singer named Rod Stewart and pre-Rolling Stones Ron Wood. This is one of those records that it amazes me had never crossed my path before. Sure, I'd seen it everywhere and knew that it was one of those albums that everyone loved. And yes, I have been a big fan of British Blues since my college days, but it took my recent interest in Rod the Mod to get me to pick this one up and I'm glad I did. Beck's guitar work is fantastic, and Rod is brilliant. One year later, Led Zeppelin would release their debut album, it seems fairly clear to me that this was one of the records that paved the way for their success.

 

Jackson 5ive - Maybe Tomorrow: Released in '71, this is the iconic Mowtown group's fifth album, just three years from their debut. Fresh off their hit parade of early singles, this album's biggest hit is "Never Can Say Goodbye" which is true gem. Michael still has his childish voice on here, but the older Jacksons balance it well. Pure soulful pop that still sounds good on a sunny day.

 

Elmore James / John Brim - Whose Muddy Shoes: Recorded between '53 and '60, this is a split album released on Chess in '69 and has tracks by both Chicago blues artists. Elmore James is the bigger of the two names, but the talents of both are very comparable and blend nicely. The Chicago blues was a little more jiving than southern blues and there's clear elements of proto-rock on here. "I See My Baby," "You Got Me," 

Arthur Lee - Vindicator: Released in '72, two years after Love took a break, this is Lee's first solo album and is very much a blues rock album. There's definitely hints of Hendrix on here, with a little of the whimsy of Love added to it. There's lots of great tunes on this, including "Sad Song," "Love Jumped Through the Window," and "He Knows a Lot of Good Women." Certainly not an essential album of the period, but still a good one and well worth the listen.

 

 

 

Weekend Music Roundup

 

The last weekend of summer is upon us which means that my musical tastes will start settling into the Fall stylings. With the summer having been so busy, the Roundup has been sparsely released, leading to quite a backlog of albums to ramble about. Here are a few things that I discovered or listened to over the summer months. A little bit of everything, so hopefully there's something you'll want to check out. Enjoy.

Manic Street Preachers - The Ultra Vivid Lament: The Welsh band's first album in three years is one of the albums I've been most looking forward to this year. Having been a favorite band of mine for years, each new album is an event for me. This one came out on Friday and these are my thoughts upon the first listen. It opens with the moody "Still Snowing in Sapporo" and continues on much in the fashion of their recent work, but there's something softer and more internal about this album which feels a little inspired by David Gilmour. "Into the Waves," "Diapause," and "Blank Diary Entry" are my personal favorites on another beautiful album. Though their sound has softened, they still speak honesty.  

 

Bang - Bang: The 1971 debut from the heavy psych band out of Philly is an album I'd been hunting for some time. It's terribly rare in the sense that it's silly expensive, but it's just not one of the albums you see in the wild. I was first tuned into this Sabbath sounding band a few years back when I picked up their second album. They are one of the best heavy psych bands out of America from the time of the genre's infancy. I found a copy in the local shop recently and it did not disappoint my expectations, which were high given the genius of the next album.

 

Josh White - The Josh White Stories Vol II: Released in '58, this compilation collects work from the soulful southern blues artists who hit his stride in the 40s. This is different than a lot of southern blues singers that I've heard before. There is a clear rhythm and blues sound to his voice and melodies, something that would certain influence the music of 50s, which is probably why this record was released when it was, in order to reach the Elvis fans. 

Hank Williams Jr. - Habits Old and New: This 1980 album was one that I acquired for free and for a free album, it's pretty damned solid. This is 70's outlaw country at it's finest. While country music isn't my first choice in genre, when I do listen to it, I like that old style country. The modern boring FM rock with a twang in the singer's voice is NOT country, it's just poor rock with a southern accent. Country music to me is the kind you drown your tears in at a honky tonk. I prefer Waylon, but Hank Jr. is undeniably an icon of the genre. 

 

Becca Mancari - Juniata: The newly released EP from the Nashville via NYC singer songwriter. Only four songs, but still such a powerful listen. Primarily acoustic, these songs showcase her amazing voice and the heartfelt lyrics. I've been listening to this a lot while working in the art studio and it's been very inspiring. She has two full length albums that I'm hoping to check out. 

 

Richard Swift - Even Your Drums Will Die: This live album was recorded in 2011 and released at the end of last year. In the first decade of the 2000s, Swift released some of the best singer songwriter albums, like The Novelist and Dressed Up for the Let Down. I was excited to hear this live album of material from that time period. One of the truly honest voices of the 21st century and fans will enjoy these renditions. He passed away a few years ago, and he is missed.

 

 

Fiction Friday (140)

 

In my continuing exploration of contemporary literature, I recently read the National Book Award Winner for 2019. This was the last book that I'll be reading for the Book Club I've been hosting at my current job, as I'm moving to another library at the end of the month. I really appreciated the exposure to the so many compelling current fiction over the course of the year, but am certainly looking forward to getting back to reading books of my own choosing.

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

(Riverhead Books, 2019)

When the unnamed narrator of the story loses her longtime friend to suicide, it begins a journey of grief in which she tries to comes to terms with both the actions in her own life and those in his that may have led to this painful incident. The novel is presented in the form of confessional letter written to her dead friend in which she explores their relationship, his relationships with past lovers, and the experience of writers, both herself and the deceased. 

The books is fragmentary, with no real defined narrative or plot. It reads like a diary in that it's a series of thoughts, sometimes connected, sometimes independent. As a writer, I found the insight on the life of a writer, and the publishing world, to be profound and truthful to my own experiences. It's exploration of deep friendship and how it works in waves of intense closeness and periods of distance, are also exceptional and honest.