Hi Kevin and fellow readers/writers! This morning I played Kozmic Blues by Janis Joplin on vinyl and it was everything I needed to start the day properly 😅
Instrumentals this morning while I write have carried over to post-writing/reading time. Fred Anderson Quartet is rocking out with "Black Woman" right now; really enjoying some older stuff today.
It's a bit hard to find because it's been out of print forever (but there is a link to the entire album below), but I really enjoy "Music From Free Creek," which is a double album that is sort of an early 70s super group that included everyone from Linda Ronstadt and Jeff Beck to Eric Clapton and Dr. John. Just a lot of messy fun
To Be In Your Eyes is one of my favorite songs by The Church. There is a great cover of that song by The Asteroid #4 as well that is worth hearing - https://youtu.be/0xIzebjBUzk
I’m excited about the first legacy release from the Mark Linkous estate, otherwise known as Sparklehorse. The album releases completely in September but you can hear two songs now on Bandcamp. I hope this becomes the first in a flood of archival releases. For newcomers I have been listening to Good Morning Spider for about 25 years now and it still sounds fresh, inovative and amazing. There’s a new documentary out recently. Linkous also collaborated with many great artists in his short life. Just one of those brilliant people who fly under the radar in my opinion.
Whoa - I gotta check that out. I am a huge Linkous/Sparklehorse fan. I have heard "It Will Never Stop," and that is amazing. I'm always leery of archival stuff not measuring up to the intentionally released stuff.
Yep. But considering Linkous recorded a ton by himself in his own studio there’s got to be a lot of great stuff on tape. I hope his family or Anti also puts his albums proper on Bandcamp. I’ve never heard his debut Vivadixie and considering how much I love Spider and it’s a wonderful life I’m looking forward to it.
Been on an XTC binge lately, playing their entire discography on shuffle. It's what led to my recent Earworm piece. Other than that, I've been binging the Cocaine and Rhinestones podcast, which I was very late to the party for. Oh, and Bettye Lavette, who I'm seeing perform next weekend. She's a legend.
Samy Moussa Stasis for 8 Spatialise French Horns with Gongs Streaming 2018
KÅRP Greasy Makeup Streaming 2023
The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers LP 1958
The Talking Heads Talking Heads:77 CD 1977
16 Horsepower 16 Horsepower CD 1995
Peter Gabriel Up CD 2002
Peter Gabriel Us CD 1992
Ogden Adni Piano Favourites CD 1988
Townes Van Zandt Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas LP 1977
Balmorhea Pendant World Streaming 2023
Habitat Canada Lunar Spectrum Streaming 2023
I scored 16 Horsepower, Peter Gabriel and Townes Van Zandt at my favourite record store and arguably one of the best anywhere, Record Collectors Paradise. Great staff too.
Great list as always! A couple new ones on here for me to check out.
I'm happy to see kids back in record stores. Downloading & streaming are nice, but I think they really missed out on having a record store to call their own & staff they could rely on for good recommendations.
I picked up a copy of Peter Gabriel 4 (aka "Security" ) on Father's Day, but haven't had a chance to play it yet.
eased into sunday with James Hunter Six 'Nick of Time", followed by "Ella and Basie". then a bit of a left turn to long defunct Irish alt pop/rock band The Fat Lady Sings, their album"Twist" and the gloriously joyful "Arclight" single. then some Lloyd Cole & The Commotions (does "Rattlesnakes" ever not sound great ?)
of course this leads directly to Camera Obscura via the answer song "Lloyd I Am Ready To Be Heartbroken", followed by The Chills "Submarine Bells", then Josh Rouse & his better-than-you-think-it-could-be cover of Kraftwerk's "The Model" and his most recent album "Going Places". then while reading a bit of Warren Ellis "Nina Simone's Gum", Dr. Simone's "I Put a Spell On You" album. from there, it was not much of a leap to Nick Cave and "Push the Sky Away". then later still, Lone Justice debut album , which to these ears still sounds great.
shout outs also, to the new Mellencamp cd which is very good, possibly a late career high point. and the new Jenny Lewis "Joy'all" which i, so far, enjoyed even more so than anticipated.
You have been busy! The Lone Justice debut gets a lot of airplay at my house. Abandoned Albums recently had Marvin Etzioni on. It's a great episode if you haven't checked it out yet.
James Murphy has godlike status in my house (just like Daft Punk are playing). Lol...I like diversified music...tunes I can cook to, clean to, babysit to and have a bit of hows your father to!
Our houses would get along. LCD Soundsystem is a go-to whenever I need a pick-me-up, which, as a writer, I need pretty often. "Losing My Edge" never ceases to make me laugh as a music historian.
This week I've returned to David Bazan's Strange Negotiations after a few conversations with beloved friends brought the album to mind.
And I've been letting the brand new Weathervanes by Jason Isbell and 400 Unit reach out to me from it's elevated place…it'll come down here and grab me just like all his others have. I have faith in this process.
He'll play nearly all the hits (no worries there) and a few newer things; he always does. I saw him about 3 years ago for the first time in over 20 years.
You could say he's been on an old hit revival tour for nearly 25 straight years. He's still got a ridiculous amount of energy for a guy who will be 74 in August. It helps that he stays in shape.
I don't know if it counts, but been listening hard to Bessemer Saints demos this past week. I go to the studio to track bass for our second CD this Friday; and there are some songs I'm only 80% locked in on, when I need to be 105%. Gotta stop making choices, and hit the spots.
Okay, so it’s technically Tuesday. I’m rebelling. ITunes removed most of the content of the dbs. It’s one group I wish I had on CD. And speaking to which, I’m wondering how many people sold off their CDs to have music stored electronically. I kept every little morsel. ITunes has even removed a lot classical music that it preciously offered. I’m trying to ensure every song is actually downloaded from ITunes now. It’s that extra step to keeping what I thought i already had paid for. I’m sure glad I kept my CDs and CD player. Now if only I could only find the dbs on disc…
Spotify removed quite a bit too. Maybe the band asked for that? I'm not sure. I'm one of those people that sold off almost all of their CDs after getting an iPod. I did find a copy of The dB's The Sound of Music on vinyl not too long ago, so that was nice.
I’m mental... I love Amplifier. I miss that in particular from my playlists. Then iTunes requires a separate additional subscription now. BS. And some of the very special recordings I had on my phone/computer, thinking that they were downloaded, weren’t. That requires an additional action of the user. So I had to laugh last night, out of idiocy of iTunes actions taking some, or most, movements out of classical pieces. I was only left with the third movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Greig’s Peer Gynt was completely eradicated Fauré - gone. And all kinds of recordings have certain movements edited out. These pieces are ruined and I don’t know if its iTunes, or the recording companies doing this, but it feels unethical to me that having paid for the music that it gets removed years later.
I love it. Fresh take on an old standard with a completely different script.
Happy Monday! It was the week of updating the playlist, so these were the ones selected:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6EcLhgESeOBX3Fvfxt8SH4?si=ID5QfdRRSA2MN9Y8jdW36w
Fantastic, as usual!
Welp, have a look at my latest post 😆😆
Lol. I'm on it!
Hi Kevin and fellow readers/writers! This morning I played Kozmic Blues by Janis Joplin on vinyl and it was everything I needed to start the day properly 😅
Janis is good stuff!
Absolutely! She didn’t have to try any harder (or try at all, for that matter 😁)
Nope 😊
A favorite of mine!
Instrumentals this morning while I write have carried over to post-writing/reading time. Fred Anderson Quartet is rocking out with "Black Woman" right now; really enjoying some older stuff today.
Right on!
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit's Weathervanes is definitely worth writing home about!
Need to listen to that one. Loved the recent HBO doc about him and the last record.
It's a strong record throughout.
Agreed, Terry!
Had this in hand on Father's Day, but put it back to pick up later. Taking this as a sign that I'll have to get it on my next run.
Here are our favourite records in the last 7 days:
https://open.substack.com/pub/cosmiclazers/p/weekly-releases-19?r=vu76&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Great list! If you had to pick just one to tell someone to start with, which one would it be?
Surely the new Django Django record, one of the best British bands at the moment: https://djangodjango.bandcamp.com/album/off-planet
It sounds fresh, although not too pretentious.
It's a bit hard to find because it's been out of print forever (but there is a link to the entire album below), but I really enjoy "Music From Free Creek," which is a double album that is sort of an early 70s super group that included everyone from Linda Ronstadt and Jeff Beck to Eric Clapton and Dr. John. Just a lot of messy fun
https://allyourscreens.com/en/component/k2/item/2641-the-best-linda-ronstadt-recordings-you-ve-never-heard
To Be In Your Eyes is one of my favorite songs by The Church. There is a great cover of that song by The Asteroid #4 as well that is worth hearing - https://youtu.be/0xIzebjBUzk
One of my faves too! This version is gorgeous.
Also this week, I pulled out this brilliant album by David Newton (The Mighty Lemon Drops) that was released a few years ago and if anyone missed this album, it's one that is worth going back and discovering - https://theemightyangels.bandcamp.com/album/a-gateway-to-a-lifetime-of-disappointment
Yes!
DeWolff - Love, Death & In-Between. Just learned of their record breaking record making.
https://youtu.be/SDwFeqa-aEo
That is completely bonkers. How did you find this?
The Vinyl Factory newsletter.
I’m excited about the first legacy release from the Mark Linkous estate, otherwise known as Sparklehorse. The album releases completely in September but you can hear two songs now on Bandcamp. I hope this becomes the first in a flood of archival releases. For newcomers I have been listening to Good Morning Spider for about 25 years now and it still sounds fresh, inovative and amazing. There’s a new documentary out recently. Linkous also collaborated with many great artists in his short life. Just one of those brilliant people who fly under the radar in my opinion.
Whoa - I gotta check that out. I am a huge Linkous/Sparklehorse fan. I have heard "It Will Never Stop," and that is amazing. I'm always leery of archival stuff not measuring up to the intentionally released stuff.
Yep. But considering Linkous recorded a ton by himself in his own studio there’s got to be a lot of great stuff on tape. I hope his family or Anti also puts his albums proper on Bandcamp. I’ve never heard his debut Vivadixie and considering how much I love Spider and it’s a wonderful life I’m looking forward to it.
I gotta check that out! I had no idea there was a release coming and a doc already available.
https://sparklehorse.bandcamp.com/album/bird-machine
Enjoy!
Been on an XTC binge lately, playing their entire discography on shuffle. It's what led to my recent Earworm piece. Other than that, I've been binging the Cocaine and Rhinestones podcast, which I was very late to the party for. Oh, and Bettye Lavette, who I'm seeing perform next weekend. She's a legend.
Nice! I know we talked about it, but Colin Moulding songs are the best songs.
Found a few. More than I expected. Here are a few:
(1) https://open.spotify.com/track/7pVfE8w0cbxLrJQmyyNKSx?si=d8a6d8428e9b4983
(2) https://open.spotify.com/track/3GOgNvOS69nv122eNjYGUG?si=506254af83c84438
(3) https://open.spotify.com/track/0Dy4S5SDBDsYt6fI2C5brn?si=dc31fc66f24e4a64
Samy Moussa Stasis for 8 Spatialise French Horns with Gongs Streaming 2018
KÅRP Greasy Makeup Streaming 2023
The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers LP 1958
The Talking Heads Talking Heads:77 CD 1977
16 Horsepower 16 Horsepower CD 1995
Peter Gabriel Up CD 2002
Peter Gabriel Us CD 1992
Ogden Adni Piano Favourites CD 1988
Townes Van Zandt Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas LP 1977
Balmorhea Pendant World Streaming 2023
Habitat Canada Lunar Spectrum Streaming 2023
I scored 16 Horsepower, Peter Gabriel and Townes Van Zandt at my favourite record store and arguably one of the best anywhere, Record Collectors Paradise. Great staff too.
16 horsepower...nice old Denver band. Cool stuff.
Great list as always! A couple new ones on here for me to check out.
I'm happy to see kids back in record stores. Downloading & streaming are nice, but I think they really missed out on having a record store to call their own & staff they could rely on for good recommendations.
I picked up a copy of Peter Gabriel 4 (aka "Security" ) on Father's Day, but haven't had a chance to play it yet.
Have not come across many other 16 Horsepower fans!
Just downloaded the Greatest Hits album of Stone Temple Pilots. Another band that I wish I could have seen. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thank_You_(Stone_Temple_Pilots_album)
I would've loved to have seen them in the prime as well!
my ears have been busy !
eased into sunday with James Hunter Six 'Nick of Time", followed by "Ella and Basie". then a bit of a left turn to long defunct Irish alt pop/rock band The Fat Lady Sings, their album"Twist" and the gloriously joyful "Arclight" single. then some Lloyd Cole & The Commotions (does "Rattlesnakes" ever not sound great ?)
of course this leads directly to Camera Obscura via the answer song "Lloyd I Am Ready To Be Heartbroken", followed by The Chills "Submarine Bells", then Josh Rouse & his better-than-you-think-it-could-be cover of Kraftwerk's "The Model" and his most recent album "Going Places". then while reading a bit of Warren Ellis "Nina Simone's Gum", Dr. Simone's "I Put a Spell On You" album. from there, it was not much of a leap to Nick Cave and "Push the Sky Away". then later still, Lone Justice debut album , which to these ears still sounds great.
shout outs also, to the new Mellencamp cd which is very good, possibly a late career high point. and the new Jenny Lewis "Joy'all" which i, so far, enjoyed even more so than anticipated.
You have been busy! The Lone Justice debut gets a lot of airplay at my house. Abandoned Albums recently had Marvin Etzioni on. It's a great episode if you haven't checked it out yet.
https://abandonedalbums.com/2023/06/episode-502-marvin-etzioni/
I'm also happy to hear the new Mellencamp is good. Haven't had a chance to check it out...yet. It's on the list, though!
Time (The Revelator) by Gillian Welch for me. It's been too long since I have played 'I Dream A Highway' on repeat for hours.
Plus plenty of pre-listening for the traveling musical circus that is Re:SET in Columbus this weekend!
https://resetconcertseries.com
That lineup looks killer! Anyone you're particularly excited to see?
This week...LCD SOUNDSYSTEM!
James Murphy has godlike status in my house (just like Daft Punk are playing). Lol...I like diversified music...tunes I can cook to, clean to, babysit to and have a bit of hows your father to!
I love it!
Our houses would get along. LCD Soundsystem is a go-to whenever I need a pick-me-up, which, as a writer, I need pretty often. "Losing My Edge" never ceases to make me laugh as a music historian.
Lol...that's the song that got me hooked! I remember when I first got into techno and had mates sell up guitars claiming indie was dead!
The On Repeat playlist is currently:
"Modern World" by The Modern Lovers
"Bonzo Goes To Bitburg" by The Ramones
"Hard Sun" by Indio
"She DIdn't Know" by The Tragically Hip
"Punkrocker" by The Teddybears featuring Iggy Pop
That's my kinda mix!
Brilliant mix.
This week I've returned to David Bazan's Strange Negotiations after a few conversations with beloved friends brought the album to mind.
And I've been letting the brand new Weathervanes by Jason Isbell and 400 Unit reach out to me from it's elevated place…it'll come down here and grab me just like all his others have. I have faith in this process.
I imagine it will. Seems to be universally loved.
Really been enjoying Habibi Funk 022: Subhana, Libyan reggae by Achmed Ben Ali, can’t get enough of this release. Bandcamp link: https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/habibi-funk-022-subhana
"Ghali" is playing as I type this. Really digging this sound!
New Queens Of The Stone Age
New Rick Springfield songs
Fog Lake - Midnight Society
Sparks - The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte
The Ruen Brothers - Ten Paces
Wait, Rick Springfield is still recording?!
For sure. He’s releasing his 17th studio album in August. He’s like the energizer bunny.
I’ve been a fan since the 80s when I realized his songwriting was so much more than Jessie’s Girl.
Rick Springfield is coming on tour through Seattle this summer. I just assumed it was an old hits revival tour!
He'll play nearly all the hits (no worries there) and a few newer things; he always does. I saw him about 3 years ago for the first time in over 20 years.
You could say he's been on an old hit revival tour for nearly 25 straight years. He's still got a ridiculous amount of energy for a guy who will be 74 in August. It helps that he stays in shape.
The new Rose City Band, old Sparklehorse and The Wedding Present on repeat. Oh yeah, Dommengang and Danava! Portland, you see....
My favorite city!
Been listening to the new Queens of the Stone Age album. Also getting in touch with Sigur Ros.
I haven't heard the new QOTSA yet. Pretty good, I assume?
It's a good back-to-basics album. Pretty standard, nothing experimental. But a very solid batch of songs.
I don't know if it counts, but been listening hard to Bessemer Saints demos this past week. I go to the studio to track bass for our second CD this Friday; and there are some songs I'm only 80% locked in on, when I need to be 105%. Gotta stop making choices, and hit the spots.
Of course it counts! Please keep us posted about the record's progress.
Okay, so it’s technically Tuesday. I’m rebelling. ITunes removed most of the content of the dbs. It’s one group I wish I had on CD. And speaking to which, I’m wondering how many people sold off their CDs to have music stored electronically. I kept every little morsel. ITunes has even removed a lot classical music that it preciously offered. I’m trying to ensure every song is actually downloaded from ITunes now. It’s that extra step to keeping what I thought i already had paid for. I’m sure glad I kept my CDs and CD player. Now if only I could only find the dbs on disc…
It's probably still Monday in Hawaii. lol.
Spotify removed quite a bit too. Maybe the band asked for that? I'm not sure. I'm one of those people that sold off almost all of their CDs after getting an iPod. I did find a copy of The dB's The Sound of Music on vinyl not too long ago, so that was nice.
I’m mental... I love Amplifier. I miss that in particular from my playlists. Then iTunes requires a separate additional subscription now. BS. And some of the very special recordings I had on my phone/computer, thinking that they were downloaded, weren’t. That requires an additional action of the user. So I had to laugh last night, out of idiocy of iTunes actions taking some, or most, movements out of classical pieces. I was only left with the third movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Greig’s Peer Gynt was completely eradicated Fauré - gone. And all kinds of recordings have certain movements edited out. These pieces are ruined and I don’t know if its iTunes, or the recording companies doing this, but it feels unethical to me that having paid for the music that it gets removed years later.
I forgot to add the words Classical Subscription
Feels unethical to me too. Maybe a dumb question, but is this part of Apple Music splitting Classical music into it's own app?
I’m loving Salt by Half Moon Run! I’ll be listening to more of that today.
The new Spoon EP is, so far, pretty fun. https://open.spotify.com/album/7e3QdCi7kwWvgCzaEunVIN
YES! It was a great way to end last week.