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.

Fiction Friday (139)

 

Being the nerd that I am, I'd been waiting anxiously for Hollowpox (the third Nevermoor book) to come out. I'd been waiting since I finished the second book over two years ago. Then, when it finally did come out last October, life got in the way as life will do. I bought the book a few months ago, but had a lot of reading obligations. Also, this was the series that really inspired me to pursue the middle grade novel that I've been working on for two years and I wanted to wait until I was far enough into the manuscript that it wouldn't influence me. Oh, the complications of the reading life of a writer!

Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

(Little Brown, 2020)

Morrigan Crow has just finished her first year at the Wundrous Society and is finally beginning to feel at home, but being the only Wundersmith in a hundred years, things are bound to get complicated. Her instructors have finally agreed to instruct her the Wundrous Arts, using lessons from the past that have been frozen in time using "ghostly hours." For once, Morrigan believes she just might learn to be a true Wundersmith after all...then a mysterious sickness begins to disrupt life in the Free State of Nevermoor. 

As more and more Wunimals are infected, turning them into regular animals, the city is on the verge of panic. Morrigan soon discovers that she is the only one who can fix it...but she will need the help of the villainous Ezra Squall to do it. 

As with the previous two novels, there is such a careful build-up with scenes that engross the reader in Morrigan's world that you secretly hope the story never ends. It is clear why this book was postponed so often, it was because Townsend was busy weaving together a brilliant tale, while also building the bigger story so perfectly. The expectations for this book were through the roof and she rose to the challenge. Bravo!

Weekend Music Roundup

 

The weekend is here, and the Roundup finally returns! It's been a few weeks since I've posted. The summer just sort of got away from me, the way summer's often do. But the music keeps on playing even if I haven't written about it. This is a bit of an eclectic list, which means there some things to perk some interest. Happy listening. Enjoy.

Current Joy - Voyager: The newest album from the indie artist on one of my favorite labels (Secretly Canadian) is bit of a 80s inspired pop rock, a kind of Ryan Adams record but with fits of chaotic energy that make it unpredictable and enjoyable throughout. "Breaking the Waves," "American Honey," "Amateur," and "Voyager Pt 2" are personal favorites on this solid record. 

 

Elton John - Victim of Love: By '79, Elton was awash in drugs and this disco effort is a prime example of a coked-up odyssey. If it wasn't clear by the cover, it instantly becomes clear with the opening track, possibly the longest version of Johnny B. Goode ever made. Though pretty much panned when it came out, and still one his most un-loved albums, it's actually pretty enjoyable and one of those albums that bridges the blues based nature of 70s pop rock and the slicker style of 80s pop rock. 

 

Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story: After leaving the Jeff Beck Group and joining the Faces, Rod also embarked on his solo career in the early 70s. Released in 1971, the same year the Faces' "A Nod is as Good as Wink...", this is probably Rod's most beloved solo record and features "Maggie May" as the opener for Side B. As followers of the Roundup may have noticed, I've been really into Rod these days and consider him one of the best true barroom vocalists. There's a grittiness to his voice that is so soothing and catchy. You can usually find a copy of this in the cheap bin, and it will always be worth the few dollars you pay. 

 

Royal Trux - Pound for Pound: Released in 2000, twelve years after the Chicago noise rock band's debut. This is one of those bands that's listened to on and off for a good two decades, but never found an album that I really connected to. This one, I did. It's a little more garage rock than some of the albums that came before it, a little easier to get into. I will definitely go back and explore their CDs that I have in my collection. I often find that once I connect with something a band does, I can connect with other albums that I may not have connected with before.  

 

Big Mama Thornton - Stronger Than Dirt: Released in '69, almost 20 years into the southern blues singer's career, this album is a powerhouse of soulful blues. There are many classic songs on here, each of them transformed by her captivating voice. This was one of those albums I picked up for a few dollars and instantly felt that it was worth 10x what I paid. 

The Cult - Electric: The third album from the London band was their released in '87 and sees them move away from their gothic roots and establish themselves as a hard rock band. Ian Astbury does his best Jim Morrison on here, oozing an electric vibe over grinding guitar riffs. It was the album that came after this, Sonic Temple that hooked me when I was a tween, with the powerhouse "Fire Woman". What I didn't know at the time is that this album is filled with "Fire Woman" type tracks and a much more solid album. Great late 80s hard rock that fits in with the sound coming out of L.A. at the time.