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.