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May 13, 2024
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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I'm not sure how I missed this one, but I don't think I'd ever heard it before! This is definitely a bop!

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May 13, 2024
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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I'll take their word for it, too.

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Yana Bostongirl's avatar

For your eyes only - Sheena Easton

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

One of the best Bond themes!

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Travis DeVore's avatar

My cousin began her wedding march to the opening of the song. It was epic.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

No kidding? That's awesome!

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Operation Plowshare's avatar

New:

The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All We Know. In The Eyes of the Girl is a track!

Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism. Kevin Parker brought me to this. It was ok, not something I wish to revisit.

Portishead - Roseland NYC Live. 25th anniversary vinyl showed up. So beautiful. These updated mixes are sublime (same mix released last year on streaming). One of my absolute favorites now with vinyl playback on-demand.

Flaural - their whole damned discography. I have a friend who saw these folks live on Saturday, I was a fan by late Sunday morning.

GUM & Ambrose Kenny-Smith - Ill Times singles. Two of my favorites, in one album coming out in July. All three songs released so far are quite delightful. GUM and The Murlocs listening sessions may have happened.

Middle Ear:

Fat White Family - Forgiveness Is Yours. It keeps sucking me back in.

Repeated abuse of ears:

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. I started the discography new -> old last week Monday, lots has been listened to since the last post. Infest the Rats Nest. Polygondwanaland. Sketches. MOTU. Nonagon. The microtonal thruffle. Ears + gray matter @ maximum happiness setting. THERE IS ONE PLANET V.

The Black Keys - Magic Potion. Just a little heat for those cold ears.

Brainiac - H1551NG PR1G5 1N 5TAT1C COUTUR3. RIP Steve Albini; legendary poker player. Listening to Brainiac always leads to…

Enon. I have been to Enon, OH, just to say I went to the town this band was named after (I happened to pass through on a work trip). I’ve always assumed the Bojack Horseman intro song was based off of Enon’s song High Society (1:30). Enon, naturally, leads to…

John Stuart Mills - Forget Everything. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!?

B.C. Camplight - The Last Rotation of Earth. Probably my no.1 in 2023. This album lives inside of my head.

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Matt Bull's avatar

Such a bloody good list. Gonna start on Flaural, I think...

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Now that's a list! Flaural is a new one for me, but with an endorsement like that, It sounds like I've been missing out.

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Greg Vaughn's avatar

I saw Flaural open for Luna in Austin a few years ago and really enjoyed their set. I walked past them outside their van during Luna's set and they commented on my T Rex - Electric Warrior t-shirt so it gave me a quick chance to chat with them. Great set of songs and seemed like nice guys. I hadn't thought about them a lot until seeing your comment so I'm hitting their music now. Thanks for the reminder!

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Matt Bull's avatar

Getting in early this week before the big rush! I made my weekly playlist a chilled European one to go against the (mostly shit) Eurovision songs that I was subjected to over the weekend! So I've listened to a lot of that. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2V3X5qGtBJBmaxAeS2u1mX?si=Kfb7KKOrTl-rbw4GVnj3zw&pi=G-1OkbKMRxmDY

Plus some Magic Numbers, Sharon Van Etten and Rosali.

Can't wait to dig into yours as always.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Ha! I try to time it for the morning commute here in the central/eastern US, and lunchtime in the UK.

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Abandoned Albums Podcast's avatar

Billy Alexander - Hammer of the Gods & a boatload of The Band

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Always, always a good time for The Band.

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Senor Fix's avatar

Looks to be a most excellent playlist - I was listening to 4 bands on it this week.

NEW & SHINY

Arab Strap: 'I’m Totally Fine With It' - Sludgy, angst ridden, existential dread that's as compelling as ever. Music for nightclubbing at the end of the world.

Charles Lloyd: 'The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow' - The antithesis to Arab Stap. Jazz that's at once sublime & meditative, while also frisky & loose.

Amen Dunes: 'Death Jokes' - Adored 'Love' & 'Freedom' but not certain about this one yet, which could be a good thing...

POLISHED GEMS

* Eurythmics: 'Touch'

* The Jam: 'Setting Sons'

* Electric Light Orchestra: 'New World Record'

* Chumbawumba: 'Anarchy' - They were SO much more than Tubthumping!

Plus, listened to a bunch of Albini engineered gems.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I went really deep on Albini -engineered stuff, too. Was surprised at how many records I love that I didn't realize he had a hand in.

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Jack Roscoe's avatar

Loving the new Melvins album and looking forward to the release of 'The Return of Tomorrow' (new Fu Manchu); spent a lot of time this week listening to Soulside who I saw last night with Scream in Horwich (UK) - lots of old and not so old punks out in force! Also enjoying exploring the Karate (Boston, MN) discography (and they're touring the UK in December - whoop!). This week, I'll also be seeing Willy Vlautin who's in the UK promoting his latest novel, 'The Horse' and playing a few acoustic numbers.

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Sonny Rane's avatar

Tarantula Heart kicks ass. I've been listening to it lately when I go for a walk. A short and fuzzy slice of heaven.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Soulside! Nice! Gonna have to see if I can find my copy of Sonn Come Happy.

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Sean Patrick Little's avatar

Busted out House of Large Sizes' live album, "Idiots Out Walking Around" this weekend.

Still a great record, and it really brings me back to the mid-90s.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Right on!

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Dave Purcell's avatar

With early Furs, Simple Minds, and INXS, you're giving me the urge to hop in my Nova with Ernie and Ted and drive down to Frisch's to see if any girls are hanging out. ;-)

Last week was about:

* Alejandro Escovedo - Echo Dancing. A bold reinvention of some of his previous songs at age 72! There's a great World Cafe episode with him with live performances and an insightful interview where he cites the influence of Calexico, Latin Playboys (an all-time favorite of mine), and Tom Waits, among others, on this record.

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/30/1198910857/alejandro-escovedo-reimagines-his-catalog-on-echo-dancing

* Wilco - Cousin. Finally concluding my post-Jay Bennett tour. I like parts of this one, although I wish Jeff's vocals weren't so hushed.

* The Trabants' catalog thanks to last Monday's playlist.

Have a great week everyone!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Lol. Some of those picks will make a little more sense after tomorrow's post. As for Wilco, I kinda drifted away for awhile. 'Cousin' is/was the record that brought me back.

You may have already seen this, but Glenn Cook recently had a chat w/Alejandro Escovedo.

https://open.substack.com/pub/glenncook/p/conversations-alejandro-escovedo?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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Dave Purcell's avatar

I hadn't seen that -- thank you!

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Sonny Rane's avatar

I wrote a piece about 'Werewolves of London', so Warren Zevon's been on heavy rotation. Totally forgot how many great songs he has!

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Billy Cuthrell's avatar

What an artist that left us way to soon! Remember to "enjoy every sandwich".

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Sage advice from one of the best!

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Jack Roscoe's avatar

It’s one of the best songs ever written (IMHO)

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Dave Purcell's avatar

Thanks for the heads up, Sonny -- I'll check that out.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Zevon rules. Picked up a copy of his 'A Quiet Normal Life' CD at the criminally low price of .40 this weekend.

For anyone scrolling the comments, here's Sonny's piece: https://open.substack.com/pub/sonnyrane/p/werewolves-of-london?r=3cbf2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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Sonny Rane's avatar

Now that’s what I call a steal.

And wow! Totally unexpected (and wildly undeserved), but thank you so much for sharing a link to my piece. You’re a badass and a gentleman.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Great mix!

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Jon  Pinter's avatar

THANKS!

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Paco Jurado's avatar

Brad Mehldau just released After Fauré. Dense but great!

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Andrew Smith's avatar

We just finished the TV show Ahsoka, and I'm listening to the soundtrack. There were a few creepy songs that caught my ear.

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Justin Steiner's avatar

It was a great score.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I'm not sure I've ever heard of that show? Where is it streaming?

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Andrew Smith's avatar

Disney. It's a Star Wars show.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Doh! This should tell you everything you need to know about how out of the loop I am w/pop culture. lol.

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Andrew Smith's avatar

Right there with you most of the time. This one's good, though - of all the live action Star Wars shows, this is 2nd or 3rd best after Andor and Mandilorian (I'm 100% sure Andor is better, but not Mando).

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Tony Fletcher's avatar

So much good new music crossing my radar, thanks in part to picking up copies of both Shindig! and The Wire on my trip back to the UK. So I have been exploring such varied acts as [Ahmed], Clarissa Connelley, Steve Roach, Beautify Junkyards, La Luz, Valley Forge and more. Thanks to flow state here, I started my day with Marine Eyes' new ambient album.

Over the weekend, I hosted a screening of the amazing - and so rarely seen - film Soul To Soul at a local cinema. As a result, I found myself listening to the double live LP by Les McCann (one of the film's featured artists), Live at Montreux. And then listening again. The man is possibly the most erudite in the movie, and his interpretations of "Price you Gotta Pay To Be Free" and "Compared To What" are incredible. Sadly, we lost him last December but his legacy lives on.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Some great recs. here Tony. Thank you!

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Travis DeVore's avatar

New Hot Water Music is on repeat. Also, a Spotify playlist "Produced by Steve Albini:" https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6keWkx96d4Cswtz7wwREpQ?si=6e058ad8eb10441b

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

33 hours worth of music! If that's not an incedible legacy, I don't know what is.

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David W. Friedman's avatar

Nice list. R.E.M. covering another Velvet Underground song and P-Furs off their second album.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Thank you! That P-Furs record is my favorite.

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David W. Friedman's avatar

My favorite P-Furs album, for sure.

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Billy Cuthrell's avatar

Michael Penn - Palms & Ruins, Tarot & Tea: A Michael Penn Collection

Skateboarding legend Tommy Guerrero's excellent 1997 album, Loose Grooves and Bastard Blues

Elvis - Prince From Another Planet

Cosmic Superheros - Still learning all their material for the upcoming shows I'm playing with them!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Michael Penn! That's a name I haven't heard in a minute.

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Beth Lisogorsky's avatar

Phoebe Bridgers: Scott Street, Kyoto

Chappell Roan: My Kink is Karma, Good Luck, Babe!

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Lou Tilsley's avatar

I love both of those Chappell Roan tracks!

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Beth Lisogorsky's avatar

Aren’t they refreshing? So good! There’s a bit of a Kate Bush sound thing with her voice going on too. It’s 80s nostalgic for me. Anyway I’m here for it!

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Jon  Pinter's avatar

She is really good. thanks

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I'm late to the party, but finally listened to Chappell Roan while editing an article on her record. I've been missing out.

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Colin Cerniglia's avatar

“Run Your Race” by Kandace Springs has been in heavy rotation since its release. She’s a phenomenal singer and I love the soft piano jazzy feel of the song.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Oh nice! That sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the rec.!.

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Wallytbm's avatar

Always loved the first 3 albums by The Psychedelic Furs and got to see them live back then and they were a great live band. I'm currently listening to The Chills "Kaleidoscope Worrld" the 2CD edition and so many great songs on these discs.

Here are a few new acquisitions:

New single by Sharp Class who are a great Power Pop band -

https://sharpclassuk.bandcamp.com/track/catch-my-breath

Some great funky Hammond Organ sounds on the new album by Big Boss Man -

https://spinoutnuggets.bandcamp.com/album/bossin-around

A lovely new song by Lord Fayrebank (who is Ken Popple from Biff Banb Pow! & The Revolving Paint Dream) -

https://lordfayrebank.bandcamp.com/track/a-matter-of-time

And an album I am eagerly looking forward to by The Proctors who always deliver the perfect Pop sound -

https://theproctors.bandcamp.com/album/snowdrops-and-hot-air-balloons

Thanks Kevin!

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Dave Purcell's avatar

We've seen the Furs a few times in recent years and they're still great. Richard's voice has aged so well, he's still an amazing frontman, and the band is stellar.

Love that Chills record.

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Wallytbm's avatar

Yes I've heard that they are still putting on a great live show and would like to see them again

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

A lot of new (to me) stuff to dig through. I'm on it! Thank you (as always) for getting these bands on my radar.

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Steve Goldberg's avatar

I literally cannot remember a single thing I listened to. No. That's not entirely correct. I've been playing U2's War album for a piece I'm writing. And listening to the Bono memoir on Spotify as I walk my dog. I have had a love/hate relationship with both U2 and Bono and listening to the book is flipping it back to love. Also, returning to their 3rd and best album. A little of Bono goes a long way, so by the time I finish writing, it may flip again!:)

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I can definitely relate to that love/hate feeling with U2. Is that piece going to be on here, Medium, or somewhere else?

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Steve Goldberg's avatar

Substack. I rarely write for Medium anymore. If I had the time I would, and I need to return to posting the earworms there but I got to the point where I had to choose and chose Substack.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Gotcha. Same here. 99% of my time there is editing now.

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Francesca Bossert's avatar

Hi! This is my go to Playlist when I don’t know what to listen to. The name THE BIG GREEN TAPE comes from an old cassette tape my uncle, Ray Connolly, made me when I was about 15. He was a big music journalist in the 60s and 70s and flew all over the world interviewing absolutely all the greats, and obviously all the record labels sent him the LPs! He made me loads of cassettes, and the green one became a favorite among my friends, do I recreated it from memory, and then added to it obviously as it’s mega!! My uncle has written many books about the greats, he’s an expert on The Beatles and Elvis! Check out his books. There’s another smaller The Green Tape on Spotify made by my friend.

https://spotify.link/RrX96DJqzJb

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Francesca Bossert's avatar

I hope the link works, I’m not a techie!!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

it works just fine! Fantastic mix. I've saved it to dig into again later.

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Francesca Bossert's avatar

Oh brilliant! Happy you like it!

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Jeff Takacs's avatar

New: EP from Ms. Jones called "mais que dit-elle ?!?"

It's so so good. The production, the vocals. It's dark, brooding. Has some Marianne Faithfull/Nick Cave to it. Don't miss the final song "les enfants du silence". Fun fact: Ms. Jones was the French translator of many works by the late great Nick Tosches. Here's the link to the EP (it's on Spotify etc too): https://msjones.bandcamp.com/album/mais-que-dit-elle

Now I'm gonna go listen to the Brad Mehldau recommendation from Paco.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I'm on it!

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Lou Tilsley's avatar

As I write, I am listening to 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields off the back of your post this weekend.

I’m also really enjoying Pathetic Apathetic, the new album from Indoor Pets

https://open.spotify.com/album/6idGcmlGvvwJaE778FO6UX?si=rJuolea6SyqPE_B_0zBZzw

and this single Snake Melons by Slow Team

https://open.spotify.com/track/5MVYZ99BKGz1C6vhc06ykj?si=myOs3ea2QomqKdiHQde58A&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A1h42cPVdVDqx7KjQihZgqN

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Nice! I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on '69 Love Songs' once you have a chance to listen to it all the way through.

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Lou Tilsley's avatar

I like it. Unsurprisingly for an album of 69 songs, it’s a bit of a mixed bag but the bits I like, I really like. I love how it seems to defy genre although much of it does remind me of Belle and Sebastian and also maybe The Vaselines?

I’ve picked out 20 tracks I really like but my favourite is My Only Friend, I think. The beauty of it is that it’s something of a treasure trove you can dip into for the bits you want.

The ones I selected are here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QSdDGsGvpvIvg4rHMtpln?si=q8B3w-vDSs20qX63bvtxPQ&pi=e-X5TI9uHlR16X

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Thank you!

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Ian Paul Sharp's avatar

U2 ‘The Unforgettable Fire’ (see my Substack post in ‘LP’ later to read more)

The Unthanks and their beautiful version of King Crimson’s ‘Starless’

Johnny Cash ‘Well Alright’

Genesis ... The ‘Oo ... The Beatles

Love the recommendations we get in this thread, thanks everybody 😊

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Nice! I'm slooooowly working my way through my inbox this morning, and have been looking forward to this one from you.

For anyone scrolling the comments: If you're not already subscribed to LP, you can read it here: https://open.substack.com/pub/iansharp/p/u2-fire?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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Ian Paul Sharp's avatar

Thanks Kevin 😊

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Matt Fish's avatar

So many great new records (write-ups coming June and July):

- Hovvdy’s self-titled LP

- Freedom Movement from Kamari Washington

- Bright Future from Adrianne Lenker

- Fabianna Palladino’s self-titled LP

- For Your Consideration from Empress Of

‘Tis but a sample

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

So, sooooo many good records recently! I've been meaning to listen to the Hovvdy one.

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Matt Fish's avatar

2024 may be the best year of the current decade for new music so far 👌

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

If this pace keeps up, you may well be right!

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Norman's avatar

Wow! You have an exceptionally good playlist this week Kevin.

Kamasi Washington – Fearless Movement got my ear for a couple of listening sessions.

Adam Again - An old favourite that gave me ear worms last week and it got a several trips around the virtual turntable.

Extended list and descriptions can be found at: https://weatheredmusic.ca/2024/05/13/19-52/

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Thank you!!

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Tom Andes's avatar

More Lou Reed, Coney Island Baby, which is maybe my favorite of his seventies records. JD Nash, an Albuquerque singer-songwriter whose new record is pretty great. Don Cherry's Complete Communion.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Can't go wrong with 'Coney Island Baby!'

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Andres's avatar

Hi Kevin and fellow readers/writers!

This morning, Off The Wall was spinning on my turntable. What a legendary record, still as fresh today as back in 1979!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Oh, 100%! I think it's my fave MJ record.

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Andres's avatar

Same here!

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Pete Riddle's avatar

I've been doing a lot of writing this week - but not music-related or creative - so have had a lot of instrumental music in rotation, including:

- Swallowtail by Jim White and Marisa Anderson

https://marisaanderson.bandcamp.com/album/swallowtail

- Blast Furnace by Scone Cash Players

https://mangohillrecords.bandcamp.com/album/blast-furnace

Music with lyrics in other languages works great for this too! Fin del Mundo has been getting a lot of plays. Love this live set courtesy of KEXP and the iconic Cheryl Waters:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpXIt_7uso8

Might as well get some chair dancing in while I am pecking away.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Lol. Chair dancing comes with many, many benefits.

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Mandy Tamm (she/her)'s avatar

FIGHTMASTER - Bloodshed Baby has been on repeat for me since it came out four weeks ago. Can't wait to see them live next month!

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Right on! This was great; thank you for getting them on my radar.

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Dan Pal's avatar

Hey Kevin! My most listened to find in the past week has been the new album from The Dream Eaters. I wasn't familiar with them before but the album is full of some great techno songs and some bizarre short tunes that seem to be destined for a longer life! I'm particularly liking the tracks Subhuman and Night Terrors 2024. Enjoy! https://open.spotify.com/album/1F28J0x4Ik65uisODiAQaZ?si=2HxaEzslSn-My9yvLnZzzQ

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Listening as I type this. I'm only a few tracks in, but love what I'm hearing so far!

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Dylan Delgado's avatar

After a good hiatus in listening to albums in full, I have listened to Oasis's debut, Definitely Maybe. Shakermaker is underrated on that album. Still torn as to whether it or Be Here Now is the better album.

Looking forward to the new Aurora album which will come out next month.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Tough call! Both records make a good case.

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Kenn Richards's avatar

The new Staple Jr Singles single Lost in a World of Sin = first new music since 1974. Jay Boy Adams S/T = late 79s Cosmic American music.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Lost in a World of Sin is fantastic!

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Bob Tooker's avatar

I feel so out of touch sometimes. Everyone posting all of this new music and here I sit listening to the classics.

NOFX = Drunk in Durblic

Bad Religion - Suffer and No Control

The Pogus - Rum Sodomy & the Lash

It was a good weekend.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Those are all great records! 'Suffer' gets played quite a bit here.

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Bob Tooker's avatar

Bad Religion is a constant go-to band here. I mean that was the question.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

It's early, so apologies if we already figured this one out, but was BR one of the bands we might've seen "together? "

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Bob Tooker's avatar

I think we started this discussion on the topic of Bad Religion. Not sure if we really figured it out.

Next time I am out your way, we should grab coffee and figure this out.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Yes!

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Justin Steiner's avatar

Checked out the new album from Frank Turner, Extra Arms, and The Shop Window, plus Spoon's They Want My Soul for no reason at all.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Haha. Spent a lot of time with TWMS yesterday after reading your (awesome) lookback at it.

For anyone scrolling through, check out Justin's thoughts on They Want My Soul and share yours:

https://open.substack.com/pub/shooflypie/p/albums-i-love-2-they-want-my-soul?r=3cbf2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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Justin Steiner's avatar

As always. thanks for the kind words about my writing and shilling for my Substack.

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Tom Andes's avatar

Have you heard the Mary Gautier version of the song on the new Lou tribute album? It’s very good. Pretty faithful right down to the lead guitar parts. But her voice really teases something out of the song.

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

I'm not sure I have. I'm on it!

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Amy McGrath's avatar

OK, Kevin... you know me and my 'age genre' kicks me back to Simple Minds. That my friend is a way underappreciated tune and at the very least, gets us off 'Don't You Forget About Me.' :D

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Kevin Alexander's avatar

Right? I mean, it's a good song, but they did soooo many more besides that!

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