Good morning! Welcome to each of you who joined us over the holiday! You’ve landed at what was recently described as “the nicest place on the internet.“
Looking for a place to share the music you love with like-minded people? You’re in the right spot.
It’s great to have you here.
On to the music:
For those of you who are new, we kick off every week by sharing what we’ve been playing.
The playlist below is some of what I’ve had in heavy rotation:
Now it’s your turn.
What caught your ear this week? Any luck crate digging? Some yard sale finds? Are there any upcoming releases or shows you’re excited about?
So whatcha got? Share your thoughts in the comments!
📻📻📻
P.S. Have you seen this yet? Some of your favorite music writers got together and wrote about your favorite records. Check it out!
Sour Widows - Revival of a Friend. via 3Albums6OldGuys. Unexpected new music that pops up due to these threads. Hooky. Very nice surprise!!! There are a couple of EP’s to burn thru! Relistening will happen organically.
The Mysterines - Afraid of Tomorrow. Need to give a 2nd + listening, but initial returns are very positive.
Blue plate special:
Idles - Crawler. Absolutely love this record/band.
Danger Mouse & Daniel Luppi - Rome. I’ve probably written about this record before as it ends up in my ears semi-often. Great record for a day where you need the volume turned down a bit.
Cory Hanson - discography. Wand is the more frenetic project; whereas Cory’s solo efforts have a lot of space. Lyrics can be funny and wonky, but these down-tempo songs usually soar.
Deftones - Ohms. I visit this record often, all these years later. This album sounds amazing.
Love it - glad you enjoyed Sour Widows. That album grows on me with every listen. Look fwd to diving in to some of these I don't know -- and getting excited for Wand coming to DC on July 20.
DC post-punk (they call themselves purveyors of the "mascara moshpit") band Ekko Astral fills the void left by Priests and occupied now by bands like M(h)aol. Their record "pink balloons" is getting a lot of mid-year list love, and rightly so. Tracks like "I-90" (which also happens to be the name of a great Sour Widows song) bring that home. But this Bandcamp-only and incredibly brave track "holocaust remembrance day" hits hard for me, and I've gone back to it over and over. I happen to be an American Jew who's faithful but on the far left politically for 25 years, and I can't remember a song like this. Especially since Oct 7. Don't mean to get too political here, but this is an inspiring song, perhaps no matter your connection (or absence of one) to the issues -- https://ekkoastral.bandcamp.com/track/holocaust-remembrance-day
Think this group will enjoy Montreal band Laughing. They do indeed sound like a Teenage Fanclub tribute band at times, but still a cool record to check out. "Bruised" has been the standout for me. https://laughingonline.bandcamp.com/album/because-its-true
I've mentioned this before, I think. But On our radio show yesterday (https://spinitron.com/WOWD/pl/19207646/Sunday-Midday), we played a track from one of the 2024 hip-hop records I keep going back to, "74: Out of Time" by Norwegian producer Ol' Burger Beats. Every track made at 74 BPM and all have some reference to 1974. MCs include billy woods, quelle chris, pink siifu, ill camille, lil B and others. The quelle chris track "last of us" feels like the one he was born to rap for. https://olburgerbeats.bandcamp.com/album/74-out-of-time
My pleasure - glad it's getting love. They're coming to DC in Sept, and I'm beyond excited. I didn't know Bored at...but "shoejangle" is a great genre term, and it's already in repeat.
Discovered this song via KCRW and spent the weekend with it on repeat. Something about the Van Morrison-like sax calms me, and the spoken word makes a good mantra. My husband was laid off in January, and my bestie was laid off last week. We’re all waiting for something to happen, I suppose.
* New: Horsegirl - Versions of Modern Performance. I learned about them via the Stereogum article on Wilco's Solid Sound festival. They're an interesting blend of identifiable elements (indie, shoegaze, and post-punk), but they don't sound like anyone else.
* My Year of Wilco continued with more time in the YHF box set and then revisiting the three Mermaid Avenue records. I forgot that the third one isn't that good, but the first two hold up well.
* The Health & Happiness Show - Tonic and Instant Living. One of the most underrated American bands.
* Some of my regular listens: a playlist of Calexico's instrumentals. Bowie's The Next Day, Art Blakey's Moanin', Bill Frisell's Good Dog, Happy Man.
Looking forward to the playlist and everyone's recommendations, as always. Have a great week!
I'm prepping to see Def Leppard, Journey, and Steve Miller Band this weekend. 😆 Revisiting Def Leppard after so long is hilarious & amazing—I forgot how much of glam metal's DNA is in modern pop music. Big fan of "Tear It Down" and "Armageddon It." The whole 'Hysteria' album has been added to my cleaning playlist, lol...
I saw Def Leppard at a county fair in 2001-ish. There was a very large, very hairy, and very sweaty dude who kept calling out "SUGARRRRRRRR!" after every song. When they finally got to it as an encore he went beserk.
Immaculate concert experience, I admire his consistency. 🤣 Reminds me of seeing Lenny Kravitz in 2015; there was a drunk college girl to my right who kept yelling "LENNNNAAAAYYYY!" at every opportunity and sipping Fireball out of a crumpled water bottle.
I was dragged to a Def Leppard concert last year and honestly it was so much fun! I always worry about going to see older bands because I know some lip sync or use recordings during live performances. Def doesn't disappoint -- have fun!
Hunkered down with the new Zach Bryan, to write about this low-key phenomenon in the next (or second next) edition of my ‘stack. It’s a really well-written album.
Here's what I am wrestling with, Faith, aside from wrestling with faith, as I often do. But that Oklahoma small-town accent may be the way he delivers (and sings). It's possibly a distinct sub-regional form of pronunciation, like not just Scouse, for example, but the Scouse spoken in a small housing project. Maybe he lays it on thick for us 'noreasterners, and maybe it's a slight speech impediment, so I have to be careful to stir this together just right.
Oh now that's interesting. I don't know enough about regional Southern dialects to have caught the subtlety in that the way you did.
The first track for me isn't really about his accent which is lovely, it's just about that it's he's not really delivering it as a spoken word piece and so it kind of doesn't work for me. But the words themselves are gorgeous and to some extent make up for it, As does the sincerity with which they are delivered. He's no Leonard Cohen let's put it that way, when it comes to spoken word songs
I am 1000% serious about John Denver. He is way underrated and deserves a reassessment, and if I wasn't busy rewriting the entire history of The Beatles, I'd do it. The bias against him is generational, and not IMO merited..
(There are four artists who never, ever ever leave my playlist -- The Beatles (including solo work by Paul and George), Leonard Cohen, Townes van Zandt and John Denver.)
Here. Here is the John Denver you should be listening to, not fucking Annie's song or take me home country roads.
We should take this discussion off Kevin’s thread. I am so much John Denver’s generation that I was at the Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, when “Rocky Mountain High” was a hit. Write me at waynerobins.substack.com. Sorry, K-Al!
Agree with you on the Zach Bryan. It's very well written, and his evolution as a songwriter has been fascinating to watch. I've been thinking about the number of times he references his age; you can tell this level of fame is a bit overwhelming (in a mostly great way) for someone who is "only" 28.
He's also a self-professed Jason Isabel acolyte, and that's a great songwriter to emulate/admire.
I worked at a record store in the mall, and one of my coworkers had an irrational contempt for mall walkers.
On Sundays, we’d go in early to get things ready for the day, and they’d all be out in full force. He’d play Deicide full blast to try and keep them out of our end of the mall. lol.
Their first three albums are insanely well written, IMO. Death metal isn't for everyone, but I see terrific song composition, provocative and intelligent lyrics, and complete intellectual badassery when I look at Deicide.
Unsurprisingly, when it comes to connecting with sitar music, psychedelic or otherwise, edibles definitely help. Probably for George, too. ☮️
Also especially in love at the moment with George's guitar/vocal demo of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which I think I prefer to the full band version.
On Mondays I'm almost always listening to some classic era jazz while I'm working. After work I will often shift to exploring some contemporary blues or tackle one of my stash of 275 Allman Brothers shows.
Today its gonna be Sonny Clark - The Complete Blue Note Recordings - all day followed by The Allman Brothers Band 7/08/05 show from Augusta ME.
I recently took a trip through R.E.M.'s first six albums, in order. The experience deserves more than a few words of the impact it had on me, but one thing did stick out: The progression of that band, album to album, was not stark, regardless of the old dorm room conversations I witnessed that included such statements like "I like their old stuff". They were on "Life's Rich Pageant". R.E.M.'s progress was gradual and building, as one might expect an artist/band to grow in writing, crafting, playing, producing as the seasons of a career move down the road of time.
One of my favorite metal bands, Stryper, released a new single recently from an upcoming album. It stopped me dead in my tracks. For four decades I have embraced Stryper, but as I listened to the brilliant performance and production of "End Of Days" I couldn't move beyond the fact that I had grown out of the apocalyptic imagery of a pedestrian theology. We grow, we learn, and although westernized religion suggests "God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow," WE are not. (Like the R.E.M. bit, this deserves more words).
ZACH BRYAN: He sits with me as somewhat of an enigma, young in his career. He strikes me as somewhat of a bridge, or perhaps the pedestrian on the bridge who we don't know quite yet what side he will land on. He fills stadiums like a full-stride Springsteen or Rolling Stones. He is allied with conscious country artists like Jason Isbell and Sierra Ferrell. Yet, he's not disconnected to the side of country that brought out Morgan Wallen. It's not a war, and I may be way off in my thoughts, but he has definitely caught my ears. "The Great American Bar Scene" is pure American poetry, modern day folk music for the common man who has a bit more going on in that head than they may be given credit for. "Sand Paper" (featuring Bruce Springsteen) is a great place to start in sampling the new album. Yet, really, just start at the top and there is a good chance you might not stop.
"conscious country" is a term I'd not heard before. with a little more massaging, it might be better than "Americana," if only because it doesn't cede the name "country" to whatever 's being released under that genre post-2000.
"Americana" seems so diluted. I'm not even sure what it means these days. Same thing with "Alternative". I mean, "Alternative" to what? I have a radio background so I am a little jaded knowing that both of those terms have predominately been hijacked by American broadcasters to try and fit very narrow formats into a 'cool' moniker.
I wonder if the whole thing is ever going to shift back. Country has a way of drifting too far into pop and then a traditionalist revival pulls it back to its roots until it drifts again. I haven't been paying much attention to any of that, but I think there's at least hope, given the pattern.
I mean, one could argue that the neo traditionalist revivial of the 90s was that, too, as was the outlaw movement of the 70s, and both resulted in (imo) some of the finest country music ever recorded (the outlaws more than the 80s, but still, Paul McCartney probably has more experience at being an actual cowboy on a working ranch than Waylon, Willie, George Strait and Garth Brooks). Something else is rotten at the core this time around. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems to be harder to kill this go-round. Or maybe it's just that there's no point in trying, given that it's so easy to avoid mainstream commercial music these days anyway.
Modern Country music is pop music in cowboy boots. I agree with the mess of genres that people try to force bands into. Most of them are only. I am still a fan of the older C/W music and some of the revisions such as west Texas and the Outlaw artists but even those are getting watered down and gentrifies. Ah heck, I just like music, not tags.
Have you ever taken a spin through all of the genre tags on Bandcamp? It's to the point where it's ridiculous. No one could possibly find their way through all of those or figure out what they mean.
I agree, music is music, and the best of it defies genre (and era) anyway.
I'm not sure that anything in mainstream "country" is or could ever be cooler than Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Emmylou or Townes Van Zandt.
And yeah, the absurdity is that "Americana" probably describes mainstream "country" and all of its flag-waving revisionist nostalgia better than it does anyone making "Americana" music.
Oh, yes! Stryper has been quite active with five studio albums since 2013 and another one coming this fall. Unlike many of their genre counterparts, their music holds up.
What a great playlist, The Sound are one of my favorite bands (you probably already knew that and we have a tribute to them coming out soon) and The Silencers, (they were a brilliant) that rose from the ashes of Fingerprintz (who were also a great band) Painted Moon is a beautiful song and Scottish Rain is also a a wonderful song.
Here is an old EP by a Canadian band The Epigones that I was listening to recently and deserves a bit more attention as I don't think many people have heard of them:
Lots of late 70's/early 80's 2 tone and UK punk for me after a visit to the British Music Experience in Liverpool last week. Came into town listening to The Beatles, and left listening to the debut from The Selector.
I have thus far avoided a trip to the British Music Experience on all of my Liverpool trips. It's always on the list, and I always find a reason not to go. Mistake, yes or no?
I enjoyed it, but there were definitely gaps in their coverage. Some scenes and eras were well-covered, like 2 tone, punk, and Baggy/Manchester/Madchester. Some individual artists like Bowie were also covered very well.
But I also walked out scratching my head over omissions like The Cure and Radiohead.
Okay, I can't pass up anything described with the words psychedelic, country, goth and punk. Off to listen... and then maybe I'll listen to Bobbie Gentry's Delta Suite, which also fits all of those words...
UDPATE: Listening now. Less Bobbie Gentry and more Cowboy Junkies, which also fits the description, so not complaining about that at all. Thank you for the recommendation. A good album to listen to as I write the podcast on a hot, muggy Maine day.
It was in the letter H. I am listening to all my vinyl Aye-Zed, it happened to be in there. I got that record in a box of several that I had purchased via Kijiji or Marketplace, I forget which. I didn't dislike the recording, but it is not something that spurred me into looking for more of her recordings at our local record store.
I occasionally see Post Card at the record store and I always feel like I want to buy it, given its place in Beatles history, but then I remember that's what Spotify/YouTube is for.
X is coming out with a new album soon and the first single is fantastic. I can't wait for the new album if the first single is anything like the rest of the tracks.
I went back and spent some time listening a few of their older albums.
I also spent most of the weekend working on the wiring of my old house and installing new lights.
Last Monday I saw Royel Otis at Rough Trade East. I love an instore but this one was particularly good. The whole day felt quite magical tbh. As a result I’ve been revisiting their album Pratts And Pain which I really think is excellent. For me, this is the stand out track but the whole record is deserving of some attention
I’ve also been listening to Billy Nomates - CACTII. Not really what I was expecting. It’s more dancey than I would’ve thought, but first impressions are good.
For the last few weeks or so I have pretty much only listened to various Damien Rice live performances. The more impromptu and stripped back, the better. Stuff like this...
I got an early, autographed "test pressing" of X's new (and sadly, final) album that I can't wait to spend more time with this week. Also, the new Zach Bryan sent me down the Isbell/DBT rabbit hole, which led to an extended visit to "The Dirty South." And much of the Nathaniel Rateliff has me thinking of early Van Morrison.
I've been revisiting Mandy & The Jungle, the first studio album by Cruel Santino (FKA Santi), which just turned 5 earlier this year. Lush, relaxed R&B with a dancehall flair. Perfect complement to nighttime drives or chilling on a rainy day, and one of my favorite albums from the last decade.
Oasis - Heathen Chemistry. Continuing with the deep dive of their discography, this record is quite peaky, with Stop Crying Your Heart Out and Songbird ranking amongst the better tracks the band ever did, with most of the rest of the album being average slop.
Band is in fine form here, with a pretty good setlist. The fact that it was captured on video is a nice treat.
Looking to complete the deep dive of Oasis and compile a top 20 tracks for them soon (still have to go through Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, Don't Believe the Truth and The Masterplan).
Did you know that only 22 girls are named in the song "52 Girls"? It only took me 40 years to figure that out.
I have a couple Cornershop ditties in heavy rotation: "Brimful of Asha" and "Lessons from Rocky 1 and Rocky 3". Pure pop sugar, but what the hell are these guys talking about?
I’ve been digging a cadre of bands out of Burlington VT, some serious talent and original sounds. I’ve been reviewing them on my Substack, it’s worth a look if you want to hear some really fresh music! 🙏⚡️
Newness:
Sour Widows - Revival of a Friend. via 3Albums6OldGuys. Unexpected new music that pops up due to these threads. Hooky. Very nice surprise!!! There are a couple of EP’s to burn thru! Relistening will happen organically.
The Mysterines - Afraid of Tomorrow. Need to give a 2nd + listening, but initial returns are very positive.
Blue plate special:
Idles - Crawler. Absolutely love this record/band.
Danger Mouse & Daniel Luppi - Rome. I’ve probably written about this record before as it ends up in my ears semi-often. Great record for a day where you need the volume turned down a bit.
Cory Hanson - discography. Wand is the more frenetic project; whereas Cory’s solo efforts have a lot of space. Lyrics can be funny and wonky, but these down-tempo songs usually soar.
Deftones - Ohms. I visit this record often, all these years later. This album sounds amazing.
Love it - glad you enjoyed Sour Widows. That album grows on me with every listen. Look fwd to diving in to some of these I don't know -- and getting excited for Wand coming to DC on July 20.
Finding Unexpected new music on here is one of my favorite parts of the week!
DC post-punk (they call themselves purveyors of the "mascara moshpit") band Ekko Astral fills the void left by Priests and occupied now by bands like M(h)aol. Their record "pink balloons" is getting a lot of mid-year list love, and rightly so. Tracks like "I-90" (which also happens to be the name of a great Sour Widows song) bring that home. But this Bandcamp-only and incredibly brave track "holocaust remembrance day" hits hard for me, and I've gone back to it over and over. I happen to be an American Jew who's faithful but on the far left politically for 25 years, and I can't remember a song like this. Especially since Oct 7. Don't mean to get too political here, but this is an inspiring song, perhaps no matter your connection (or absence of one) to the issues -- https://ekkoastral.bandcamp.com/track/holocaust-remembrance-day
"mascara moshpit" is a new one for me, thank you!
Same here _ I don't wear mascara and am too old to mosh, but I love the term nonetheless (and the music even more...)
Elmo Astral hadn’t really landed with me before. This sounds like it could change that. I’m off to check it out.
Elmo Astral feels like one of the great autocorrect names of all time.
Lol. That's what I get for trying to read this thread on my phone. That said, I'm leaving it. :)
Think this group will enjoy Montreal band Laughing. They do indeed sound like a Teenage Fanclub tribute band at times, but still a cool record to check out. "Bruised" has been the standout for me. https://laughingonline.bandcamp.com/album/because-its-true
I've mentioned this before, I think. But On our radio show yesterday (https://spinitron.com/WOWD/pl/19207646/Sunday-Midday), we played a track from one of the 2024 hip-hop records I keep going back to, "74: Out of Time" by Norwegian producer Ol' Burger Beats. Every track made at 74 BPM and all have some reference to 1974. MCs include billy woods, quelle chris, pink siifu, ill camille, lil B and others. The quelle chris track "last of us" feels like the one he was born to rap for. https://olburgerbeats.bandcamp.com/album/74-out-of-time
NEW & EXCEPTIONALLY SHINY
Bored At My Grandma's House 'Show & Tell' - Shoejangle?
Zsela 'Big For You' - Sparse, sterlie indie pop.
Sour Windows 'Revival of a Friend' Bay area is having a musical moment!
Low Hum 'Terra Incognito' Caribou + √Wolf Alice
Francis of Delirium 'Lighthouse' - Blondshell ÷ Soccer Mommy
POLISHED GEMS
Richard Hell 'Blank Generation'
The Smithereens '11'
Social Distortion 'S/T'
Stray Cats 'Built For Speed'
Sam Phillips 'A Boot and a Shoe'
Sam Cooke 'Night Beat'
Etta James 'At Last'
PS. Thanks for the Sour Windows rec @3Abums6OldGuys
My pleasure - glad it's getting love. They're coming to DC in Sept, and I'm beyond excited. I didn't know Bored at...but "shoejangle" is a great genre term, and it's already in repeat.
Huge +1 for early Social Distortion!
Keith Sweat
I’m not an R & B expert, but his “Just a Touch” is an all-timer.
The JAM is NOBODY. :-)
Yes!
I've been playing a few Sweet songs again. I love glam rock. Rock and Roll Disgrace is still my favourite Sweet tune.
Fox on the Run. Ballroom Blitz. Oh, those end of grade school, start of Junior High years. I love it.
Off topic, but after seeing your tweets, I’ve been on a Pet Shop Boys kick the last few days
It would be a sin not to.
Well played.
Hey Kevin! It has been a hot minute since I shared something here. So here are 10 songs I have been listening to lately.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7hHAWCNNHcxVNJIEcdoxC6?si=778a06155fbd4dea
It’s great to see you back! Thanks for the list! All of these are new to me.
Been getting into Ella Fitzgerald and I don't know how it's taken me this long.
New Hiatus Kayote album is fire, and been revisiting Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" and "Control."
Just listened to her two albums with Louis Armstrong. I have her Oscar Peterson collabs on queue, which I hear are delightful.
Her records with Joe Pass on Pablo are worth finding.
Always a good time for Ella.
Discovered this song via KCRW and spent the weekend with it on repeat. Something about the Van Morrison-like sax calms me, and the spoken word makes a good mantra. My husband was laid off in January, and my bestie was laid off last week. We’re all waiting for something to happen, I suppose.
https://open.spotify.com/track/59m2JuFdqthaRsa1sjoQHj?si=eGYdfWbZQ8-QyGpy7QNXLA
That's lovely, thanks for sharing. Sorry to hear about the bad news -- hope things are looking brighter!
This is awesome. Wish we had a KCRW-style station here.
More importantly, I hope Brian and your bestie both land on their feet ASAP!
My week was about:
* New: Horsegirl - Versions of Modern Performance. I learned about them via the Stereogum article on Wilco's Solid Sound festival. They're an interesting blend of identifiable elements (indie, shoegaze, and post-punk), but they don't sound like anyone else.
* My Year of Wilco continued with more time in the YHF box set and then revisiting the three Mermaid Avenue records. I forgot that the third one isn't that good, but the first two hold up well.
* The Health & Happiness Show - Tonic and Instant Living. One of the most underrated American bands.
* Some of my regular listens: a playlist of Calexico's instrumentals. Bowie's The Next Day, Art Blakey's Moanin', Bill Frisell's Good Dog, Happy Man.
Looking forward to the playlist and everyone's recommendations, as always. Have a great week!
Calexico Instrumentals are always great 👌
They are! Here's the playlist if anyone is interested.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J9asPQt6uRQUb8GISi22e?si=3db0bbe3da17462b
Listening tonit now 👌
Friends of Dean Martinez Instrumentals are also worth checking out but I'm sure you already know that 😊
Definitely! Love them. 😀
🙋♂️
Just had a listen to that Horsegirl album. First impressions are extremely positive. Thank you!
Glad you dig it! I hear so much new stuff that sounds a bit derivative and I like that I can't totally pin them down.
Calexico’s a band I always forget about, see them mentioned (thanks for that last week!), and wonder why I haven’t been listening to them all along.
Need a best-of playlist? I can put one together.
Yes please!
I'm prepping to see Def Leppard, Journey, and Steve Miller Band this weekend. 😆 Revisiting Def Leppard after so long is hilarious & amazing—I forgot how much of glam metal's DNA is in modern pop music. Big fan of "Tear It Down" and "Armageddon It." The whole 'Hysteria' album has been added to my cleaning playlist, lol...
https://open.spotify.com/album/1ja2qzCrh6bZykcojbZs82?si=K6MqUfROQ72TUAwA0GRwow
I saw Def Leppard at a county fair in 2001-ish. There was a very large, very hairy, and very sweaty dude who kept calling out "SUGARRRRRRRR!" after every song. When they finally got to it as an encore he went beserk.
Immaculate concert experience, I admire his consistency. 🤣 Reminds me of seeing Lenny Kravitz in 2015; there was a drunk college girl to my right who kept yelling "LENNNNAAAAYYYY!" at every opportunity and sipping Fireball out of a crumpled water bottle.
Clearly living her best life. 😂
lol. Awesome.
Honestly, that sounds like a really fun show. Hysteria was one of the first CDs I ever bought when the first came out.
I was dragged to a Def Leppard concert last year and honestly it was so much fun! I always worry about going to see older bands because I know some lip sync or use recordings during live performances. Def doesn't disappoint -- have fun!
Good to know, that makes me twice as excited. 😁 Will definitely have a blast!
The Kings.... hint hint - The beat does indeed go on...
Just saw the latest episode drop, and I’m excited to hear it!
Separately, it was great to “see” you on Sunday!
Hunkered down with the new Zach Bryan, to write about this low-key phenomenon in the next (or second next) edition of my ‘stack. It’s a really well-written album.
LIstening now based on everyone else listening here. That first poem, if not all that well delivered, is beautifully written. Gave me chills.
Here's what I am wrestling with, Faith, aside from wrestling with faith, as I often do. But that Oklahoma small-town accent may be the way he delivers (and sings). It's possibly a distinct sub-regional form of pronunciation, like not just Scouse, for example, but the Scouse spoken in a small housing project. Maybe he lays it on thick for us 'noreasterners, and maybe it's a slight speech impediment, so I have to be careful to stir this together just right.
Oh now that's interesting. I don't know enough about regional Southern dialects to have caught the subtlety in that the way you did.
The first track for me isn't really about his accent which is lovely, it's just about that it's he's not really delivering it as a spoken word piece and so it kind of doesn't work for me. But the words themselves are gorgeous and to some extent make up for it, As does the sincerity with which they are delivered. He's no Leonard Cohen let's put it that way, when it comes to spoken word songs
So for example, he's not quite at this level...
https://open.spotify.com/track/2XEaflDIwB6fcNuc6Nj4EA?si=4Z6flqQuRTuwHFpqIZZQ8A
Or even this level...
https://open.spotify.com/track/3pTP4DgKeJaQkQwIKtDCRW?si=W3qCbCCtQ76AROT16s3sTg
As to the first, we don’t compare mere mortals to Leonard Cohen. As to the second, Faith, you can’t really be serious about John Denver! 🙀🤷🏼♂️😅😎
I am 1000% serious about John Denver. He is way underrated and deserves a reassessment, and if I wasn't busy rewriting the entire history of The Beatles, I'd do it. The bias against him is generational, and not IMO merited..
(There are four artists who never, ever ever leave my playlist -- The Beatles (including solo work by Paul and George), Leonard Cohen, Townes van Zandt and John Denver.)
Here. Here is the John Denver you should be listening to, not fucking Annie's song or take me home country roads.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/64QBXEGs42fO27vT2nzUX4?si=RigjE2KZRv6KqO0vgUFbzg&pi=_57b-HKVQyOf7
You're right about Leonard Cohen though.
We should take this discussion off Kevin’s thread. I am so much John Denver’s generation that I was at the Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, when “Rocky Mountain High” was a hit. Write me at waynerobins.substack.com. Sorry, K-Al!
Faith, I’m not if you’ve crossed paths with Lark Morrigan on here, but she is a HUGE John Denver fan.
I would’ve never picked up on that. I’ve gotta go back and listen for it.
Agree with you on the Zach Bryan. It's very well written, and his evolution as a songwriter has been fascinating to watch. I've been thinking about the number of times he references his age; you can tell this level of fame is a bit overwhelming (in a mostly great way) for someone who is "only" 28.
He's also a self-professed Jason Isabel acolyte, and that's a great songwriter to emulate/admire.
Yes!
Oh nice! I’m looking forward to reading it.
Good Morning from the left coast: two Playlists today
1. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1knJSMzp6SWo8aUh3W2hVo?si=f0a7c99ab6544668
2. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/627aLiTKOjoWAfyqcdqQie?si=8921cfd3cb734619
A double dose of goodness! Thanks for these!
Knowing me Knowing You - ABBA
that song.... 💖💖💖
That whole album... 💖💖💖💖💖💖
Such a great song!
You never miss, Yana! 😀
Oasis 'Be Here Now' - Their third album. The first two are great. This is really poor.
Prince 'Around The World In A Day' - Pretty fun, really.
Bob Dylan 'Time Out Of Mind' Wow! This is cool. A heartbreak album I guess. Really good.
Read 'How To Write One Song' by Jeff Tweedy. Marvellous.
Wilco 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' - Beautiful melodies. Wrong time for me though: bit depressing.
Around The World in a Day is criminally underrated. “Pop Life” and “Paisley Park” are Top 5 Prince songs for me.
Yes. "Raspberry Beret" on there too :)
Zach Bryan - trying to get myself up to speed on his catalog since my daughter and I are about to see his show in a few weeks.
Keith Richards & X-Pensive Winos - Vintage Vinos
Those X-pensive Winos records are so good. I wish Keith did more with them when he was still in better health.
Weren't they?! What a band. I saw them play in NYC years ago and they were fantastic.
Right on! Lotta love for Zach Bryan in the thread this week.
And I hope Zach loves me for the $1,200+ I shelled out for these tickets! 😁
Holy shit.
It was my daughter's 16th b-day present. Cheaper than a car....
Revisiting this death metal playlist I made a couple years ago: https://www.pandora.com/playlist/PL:128553802155432333:74638688
I worked at a record store in the mall, and one of my coworkers had an irrational contempt for mall walkers.
On Sundays, we’d go in early to get things ready for the day, and they’d all be out in full force. He’d play Deicide full blast to try and keep them out of our end of the mall. lol.
Their first three albums are insanely well written, IMO. Death metal isn't for everyone, but I see terrific song composition, provocative and intelligent lyrics, and complete intellectual badassery when I look at Deicide.
Ravi Shankar's Psychedelic India album. An attempt to get inside George Harrison's once having said that raga music is "built" like rock-and-roll.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5dH7jWqPBh6FtgXQjYj0RE?si=zRHx-NMURaOXu9gw_uUNzw
Unsurprisingly, when it comes to connecting with sitar music, psychedelic or otherwise, edibles definitely help. Probably for George, too. ☮️
Also especially in love at the moment with George's guitar/vocal demo of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which I think I prefer to the full band version.
https://open.spotify.com/track/6EUaGREjo3DA7ADpqzvXVQ?si=ec1d1b51980d4be8
On Mondays I'm almost always listening to some classic era jazz while I'm working. After work I will often shift to exploring some contemporary blues or tackle one of my stash of 275 Allman Brothers shows.
Today its gonna be Sonny Clark - The Complete Blue Note Recordings - all day followed by The Allman Brothers Band 7/08/05 show from Augusta ME.
Sonny Clark, nice! He's so underrated. I rarely run across other jazz fans who know him. Cool Struttin' and Dial S For Sonny Clark are my faves.
Sonny Clark! Yes!
I recently took a trip through R.E.M.'s first six albums, in order. The experience deserves more than a few words of the impact it had on me, but one thing did stick out: The progression of that band, album to album, was not stark, regardless of the old dorm room conversations I witnessed that included such statements like "I like their old stuff". They were on "Life's Rich Pageant". R.E.M.'s progress was gradual and building, as one might expect an artist/band to grow in writing, crafting, playing, producing as the seasons of a career move down the road of time.
One of my favorite metal bands, Stryper, released a new single recently from an upcoming album. It stopped me dead in my tracks. For four decades I have embraced Stryper, but as I listened to the brilliant performance and production of "End Of Days" I couldn't move beyond the fact that I had grown out of the apocalyptic imagery of a pedestrian theology. We grow, we learn, and although westernized religion suggests "God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow," WE are not. (Like the R.E.M. bit, this deserves more words).
ZACH BRYAN: He sits with me as somewhat of an enigma, young in his career. He strikes me as somewhat of a bridge, or perhaps the pedestrian on the bridge who we don't know quite yet what side he will land on. He fills stadiums like a full-stride Springsteen or Rolling Stones. He is allied with conscious country artists like Jason Isbell and Sierra Ferrell. Yet, he's not disconnected to the side of country that brought out Morgan Wallen. It's not a war, and I may be way off in my thoughts, but he has definitely caught my ears. "The Great American Bar Scene" is pure American poetry, modern day folk music for the common man who has a bit more going on in that head than they may be given credit for. "Sand Paper" (featuring Bruce Springsteen) is a great place to start in sampling the new album. Yet, really, just start at the top and there is a good chance you might not stop.
"conscious country" is a term I'd not heard before. with a little more massaging, it might be better than "Americana," if only because it doesn't cede the name "country" to whatever 's being released under that genre post-2000.
"Americana" seems so diluted. I'm not even sure what it means these days. Same thing with "Alternative". I mean, "Alternative" to what? I have a radio background so I am a little jaded knowing that both of those terms have predominately been hijacked by American broadcasters to try and fit very narrow formats into a 'cool' moniker.
I wonder if the whole thing is ever going to shift back. Country has a way of drifting too far into pop and then a traditionalist revival pulls it back to its roots until it drifts again. I haven't been paying much attention to any of that, but I think there's at least hope, given the pattern.
I mean, one could argue that the neo traditionalist revivial of the 90s was that, too, as was the outlaw movement of the 70s, and both resulted in (imo) some of the finest country music ever recorded (the outlaws more than the 80s, but still, Paul McCartney probably has more experience at being an actual cowboy on a working ranch than Waylon, Willie, George Strait and Garth Brooks). Something else is rotten at the core this time around. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems to be harder to kill this go-round. Or maybe it's just that there's no point in trying, given that it's so easy to avoid mainstream commercial music these days anyway.
Modern Country music is pop music in cowboy boots. I agree with the mess of genres that people try to force bands into. Most of them are only. I am still a fan of the older C/W music and some of the revisions such as west Texas and the Outlaw artists but even those are getting watered down and gentrifies. Ah heck, I just like music, not tags.
Have you ever taken a spin through all of the genre tags on Bandcamp? It's to the point where it's ridiculous. No one could possibly find their way through all of those or figure out what they mean.
I agree, music is music, and the best of it defies genre (and era) anyway.
I'm not sure that anything in mainstream "country" is or could ever be cooler than Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Emmylou or Townes Van Zandt.
And yeah, the absurdity is that "Americana" probably describes mainstream "country" and all of its flag-waving revisionist nostalgia better than it does anyone making "Americana" music.
Same with “Modern Rock” before it. We should just bring back the term “college rock.”
Wait, Stryper is still around? Have they been playing/recording this whole time?
Also: agreed on REMs progression—especially through the IRS era records.
Oh, yes! Stryper has been quite active with five studio albums since 2013 and another one coming this fall. Unlike many of their genre counterparts, their music holds up.
What a great playlist, The Sound are one of my favorite bands (you probably already knew that and we have a tribute to them coming out soon) and The Silencers, (they were a brilliant) that rose from the ashes of Fingerprintz (who were also a great band) Painted Moon is a beautiful song and Scottish Rain is also a a wonderful song.
Here is an old EP by a Canadian band The Epigones that I was listening to recently and deserves a bit more attention as I don't think many people have heard of them:
https://epigones.bandcamp.com/album/the-epigones?search_item_id=2867089287&search_item_type=a&search_match_part=%3F&search_page_id=3539532719&search_page_no=0&search_rank=1&logged_in_mobile_menubar=true
Lots of late 70's/early 80's 2 tone and UK punk for me after a visit to the British Music Experience in Liverpool last week. Came into town listening to The Beatles, and left listening to the debut from The Selector.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5wnNTpK8zZCzbEblOvKmUV?si=FxNzkNTFRl-JF4RZNx2l5Q
New Order was well-represented too, naturally. Here's a pic of the hand-written lyrics to Blue Monday
https://share.icloud.com/photos/04dJLDau2gn0odOqtiXa4af2w
I have thus far avoided a trip to the British Music Experience on all of my Liverpool trips. It's always on the list, and I always find a reason not to go. Mistake, yes or no?
I enjoyed it, but there were definitely gaps in their coverage. Some scenes and eras were well-covered, like 2 tone, punk, and Baggy/Manchester/Madchester. Some individual artists like Bowie were also covered very well.
But I also walked out scratching my head over omissions like The Cure and Radiohead.
The latest track I added to my Liked Songs is "Stars and Mars", a new release by Offliners: https://songwhip.com/offliners/stars-and-mars
in the indie sleaze revival space, i've been listening to both The Dare and Master Peace -- ridiculous? maybe. but so fun.
Ora Cogan's 2023 album Formless. Psychedelic, gothic country mixed with post-punk. Sounds like a hot, hazy summer afternoon.
Tracks we love: Cowgirl, High Noon, Katie Cruel
https://open.spotify.com/album/1gGoQORTeRJPQ7fZrqJGMq?si=Du_LDI-GQ-KgC7dRQelhHQ
Okay, I can't pass up anything described with the words psychedelic, country, goth and punk. Off to listen... and then maybe I'll listen to Bobbie Gentry's Delta Suite, which also fits all of those words...
UDPATE: Listening now. Less Bobbie Gentry and more Cowboy Junkies, which also fits the description, so not complaining about that at all. Thank you for the recommendation. A good album to listen to as I write the podcast on a hot, muggy Maine day.
1. Glad, only one LP. Featuring a very young Timothy B. Scmitt later of Poco and the Eagles. You can hear the making of both of those sounds here.
2. Jeremy Harmer S/T one of those lost private press records that is finally seeing the light of day. If you like 60’s English folk...
3. Doctors of Madness Sons of Survival. Proto Punk w Violin!!
And thank you, Kevin, for the 20/20 tip! Also revising The Sound.
Haven't listened to Doctors of Madness for years. Thanks for the remind. They might be proto post-punk
I guess more than just listening--I was involved in producing this one. Here is the backstory: https://zapatosjam.substack.com/p/still-burning-when-a-band-comes-back
Hope you or some of your readers enjoy!
Paul Williams 1948-55, The Versatile Eddie Harris, John Coltrane Quintet Newport ‘66 & The Django Festival Allstars ATTITUDE MANOUCHE
There were plenty of old friends that I was happy to revisit:
Luxury, Sass O' Frass Tunic, Modest Mouse, Kristofferson and Hoodoo Gurus
https://wordpress.com/post/weatheredmusic.ca/6642
Post Card is an interesting addition to that mix.
It was in the letter H. I am listening to all my vinyl Aye-Zed, it happened to be in there. I got that record in a box of several that I had purchased via Kijiji or Marketplace, I forget which. I didn't dislike the recording, but it is not something that spurred me into looking for more of her recordings at our local record store.
I occasionally see Post Card at the record store and I always feel like I want to buy it, given its place in Beatles history, but then I remember that's what Spotify/YouTube is for.
X
X is coming out with a new album soon and the first single is fantastic. I can't wait for the new album if the first single is anything like the rest of the tracks.
I went back and spent some time listening a few of their older albums.
I also spent most of the weekend working on the wiring of my old house and installing new lights.
AC/DC and ELO were the music choice of the day.
Great playlist, Kevin!
I've been listening to a group I just recently learned of - Sea Girls. Their latest album, 'Midnight Butterflies,' has been in heavy rotation for me.
I’ve struggled to get into that one tbh. The first two are great though.
Last Monday I saw Royel Otis at Rough Trade East. I love an instore but this one was particularly good. The whole day felt quite magical tbh. As a result I’ve been revisiting their album Pratts And Pain which I really think is excellent. For me, this is the stand out track but the whole record is deserving of some attention
https://open.spotify.com/track/12KqF1lYRkDVb0cjNaL3Wh?si=OHgFoRupRjywruYXA-xX8w&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A64vC3GWaE8ryklQD2fNosa
I’ve also been listening to Billy Nomates - CACTII. Not really what I was expecting. It’s more dancey than I would’ve thought, but first impressions are good.
This one from NEWSKI is also growing on me
https://open.spotify.com/track/0y6gPtGZlRjDaH7tYoBbhI?si=t6Q7d4E5TMi9dAhPeIsW_A&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A0pz8aeMFWbCRAjMKuDet3T
For the last few weeks or so I have pretty much only listened to various Damien Rice live performances. The more impromptu and stripped back, the better. Stuff like this...
https://youtu.be/pzby351y1GU?si=fnCSKzoBOEPfrptB
Hi Kev and fellow readers! After reading this terrific piece by Faith Current, all I could spin was Revolver followed by Sgt. Pepper’s:
https://open.substack.com/pub/thebeatlesabbey/p/the-sacred-ordinary-st-peters-church?r=222vb3&utm_medium=ios
Then my work here is done! 😎
PS I think you might have meant this piece?
https://www.beatlesabbey.com/p/the-divine-madness-of-revolver
That one as well. But the one about the church hall where John and Paul met, and Eleanor Rigby’s grave, took me straight to Revolver.
Oh, I actually hadn't thought of that! Good catch!
😊😉
Hinds/beck
Air
I had never really gone too deep on Air until Jessica picked this record. Man, I have been missing out!
Totally agree!
Confirming Fear of Music is on my review schedule next month. Still an incredible listen 🤩🤩🤩
Just in time for it's 45th!
You know it!
Went back to Cindy Lee today. Worth it!
YES!
Retail play atm: 867-5309 by Tommy Tutone on 80's Hits Stripped cd
Thrifted: Q-Tip Amplified cd ~ song feat. Korn is a banger
Q-Tip & Korn?! This I gotta hear!
Tech N9ne hit up Jonathon Davis on his The Storm album as well
I just discovered Pulp and have been enjoying their album Different Class a lot
So, so good!
I got an early, autographed "test pressing" of X's new (and sadly, final) album that I can't wait to spend more time with this week. Also, the new Zach Bryan sent me down the Isbell/DBT rabbit hole, which led to an extended visit to "The Dirty South." And much of the Nathaniel Rateliff has me thinking of early Van Morrison.
New to me that's now in my listening stack
* nonetheless
* an Avril Lavinge setlist playlist to prepare for the "is this real or fake Avril" concert on Friday
Old to me that's on this week's speakers
* Smashing pumpkins (saturday night before PSB)
* Chappell (not really old, but comptely obsessed)
* still spinning the new Maggie Rogers
This Maggie Rogers record! Whew! I mean, I'm still finding new stuff on it.
Also
Thanks so much for Wanda and Janet and Ronnie and Reba and all the rest.
I've been revisiting Mandy & The Jungle, the first studio album by Cruel Santino (FKA Santi), which just turned 5 earlier this year. Lush, relaxed R&B with a dancehall flair. Perfect complement to nighttime drives or chilling on a rainy day, and one of my favorite albums from the last decade.
I wrote more about it here https://www.nochambers.com/p/cruel-santino-mandy-and-the-jungle
Thanks for the link!
New stuff this past week:
Oasis - Heathen Chemistry. Continuing with the deep dive of their discography, this record is quite peaky, with Stop Crying Your Heart Out and Songbird ranking amongst the better tracks the band ever did, with most of the rest of the album being average slop.
A show from Rush's Presto tour, namely, this one: https://youtu.be/eGP1-8EK-FQ?si=xkd1D3JmADyEKGkj
Band is in fine form here, with a pretty good setlist. The fact that it was captured on video is a nice treat.
Looking to complete the deep dive of Oasis and compile a top 20 tracks for them soon (still have to go through Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, Don't Believe the Truth and The Masterplan).
Songbird did move me last week. Interesting Oasis project there :)
Songbird did move me last week. Interesting Oasis project there :)
The new Redd Kross is really great and I'm also digging the new Wilco EP.
Spun Velvet Crush's Teenage Symphonies to God in honor of its 30th anniversary.
I still can't quit the new Sadler Vaden, Dad Rock. Even typing that sentence makes me want to listen again.
I need to listen to the new Redd Kross! I started, got distracted at work, and haven’t been back to it yet.
Did you know that only 22 girls are named in the song "52 Girls"? It only took me 40 years to figure that out.
I have a couple Cornershop ditties in heavy rotation: "Brimful of Asha" and "Lessons from Rocky 1 and Rocky 3". Pure pop sugar, but what the hell are these guys talking about?
Ha! I had no idea.
As for Brimful of Asha, it’s definitely pure pop goodness. I’ll probably have it stuck in my head for most of the morning now, but it’s a great track!
I’ve been digging a cadre of bands out of Burlington VT, some serious talent and original sounds. I’ve been reviewing them on my Substack, it’s worth a look if you want to hear some really fresh music! 🙏⚡️
Will do, and thanks for the heads up!
For anyone scrolling the comments, Thomas' Substack is here: https://tomthetreeman.substack.com/