#Song Machine solos with the story and art..

[inky-toons]

LET ME FREE FROM DRAWING GORILLAZ ART PLEASE PLEA

The last one is my best friend and noodle 🗣️💕

[dojae-huh]

Youth: first listen

First of all. It's the first time the parasocial relationship I have with Doyoung mutated into a parasocial friendship of sorts, heh. The feeling is of cheering for a friend's project's success. I guess it is for two reasons: 1) the reverse order of things (instead of "like a song (my choice, I'm the active party)->discover artist behind", it is "like an artist->listen to what he gives you (artist's choice, I'm a passive party)", 2) I have artist friends whose drawing style I'm not particularly a fan of (i.e. I wouldn't care for it if it was made by someone else, a noname to me), but I still follow and consume their art, because I care for people behind and I know the character/thoughts/POV of the artist, which changes my perceptions).

I've listened to the album only once by the time I'm writing this post. My first impession is that there are no weak songs (yokshi, perfectionist Doyoung), and that I'm glad it is more diverse in sound and voice modulations than Korean ballads and songs usually are. As I like richness in songs.

Me and some of the readers had been apprehensive of Doyoung catering to fans and going gp friendly road. Thankfully, Doyoung is a mastermind afterall. The album is both for the fans and the general public and for himself. Half/half.

The album seems to be divided in the following parts:

Prologue: Beginning and Little light.

The main character of a Disney animation movie sets on a journey. A proclamation of intent to sing for a long time, of a goal to reach as many "stars" (hearts/listeners). "Beginning" was penned by Do himself (and, honestly, really reminded me Mulan or Moana, heh). For "Little light" he befriended Lucy's composer (they are both 96-line, btw). Considering the timing, it seems to be one of the last songs to be added. A song Doyoung needed for his vision of the album. The song was gifted to him (the composer's words), written the way he commissioned it. In other words, it is his story and his feelings, he debuted with HIS song, even if written by someone else (but for him).

2. First chapter: A letter to fans.

"From little wave" has lyrics by Doyoung. It is a song for the fans, a message to them.

3. Second chapter: Friends. Dreams come true.

"Time machine" was written by Mark, he and Taeyeon featured. Do is a known SNSD fan, a fan of Taeyeon and her friend. Mark has been Do's favourite kid since pre-debut. When the news broke, fans immidiently remembered how Do gifted Mark notebooks for writing lyrics. Let's also remember how Do sent a food-truck to Mark's first solo MV, always hyped him on IG. I think Do supports Mark as a musician in particular. Mark is a rapper in NCT, however, he wants to sing with the guitar. And that what he did on the track. A step towards his own dream, him as a songwriter and singer.

Both collabs are very meaningful and have roots in the past.

The redheaded teenager who didn't know what to do really and his prodigy baby growing up and becoming world known artists.

Do already has songs with Haechan (Maniac, Coming home), plus Hyuk has started songwriting attempts much later than Mark. He is not ready yet. Taeyong is a different story, I will share my thoughts about it later.

"Time machine" sounds like a song that will be covered a lot on Korean shows by other artists. It has that appeal. It seems relatively easy to sing (or, rather, it can be re-arranged to be simpler), and it is fit for a duet.

Chapter 4: A song for the Boyfriend.

I agree that "Serenade" seems to be the song for Jaehyun. The sound Jae likes, the placement on the album (after "friends"). It is the only positive love song on the album. For Doyoung singing is personal. It is his dream, his calling. Therefore, I wasn't expecting a lot of individual attention for Jae (opposite can be said about the upcoming Jae's album). The album is not for him. He is part of "my youth" and "the sea/warmth", and he knows it. One song is enough.

The song feels more like a gift than a dedication, though. There is no intensity or rawness (like the cover of Buzzi's "Mine" had, heh).

Chapter 5: Gems.

"Rewind" and "Warmth" are the type of songs that are popular in Korea. Do did covers of similar songs. This sound is expected from him. These two love stories are "for fans and general public" songs. Personally selected, but not too personal. Just beautiful songs to sing. Both songs reflect general experiences of youth (first love/first relationships that didn't mean to be and being alone/looking for meaningful connections). "Warmth" kind of repeats the first songs thematically.

Chapter 6: Doyoung the band vocalist.

"Lost in California" and "Rest" are band songs. Back to school. These are songs for Doyoung himself. Do's long-lasting dream of singing with a band, singing under open air on festivals, being a rock-star. The first one is Do's "28 reasons", a song where he can have fun and play with vocals. "Rest" is also an inspirational, supportive song. The was Do always cheered his fans on, talked about that it's OK to rest on the floor for a bit and start anew the next day.

Chapter 7: NCT 127

"Dallas love field" (a name for a small airport, apparently) is a song fully made by Kenzie, Do's noona. So it was for him, no doubt. Maybe we will hear the story behind one day. The lyrics about "pain being beautiful" made me think back to the trainee days. Although the lyrics alone could be read as JaeDo-coded, the sound, the upbeat melody, the chorus of male voices on ''chasing dreams so far" make it 127. Rookies and their dreams of debut, neos and their dreams for solo careers, NCT and Dreams.

Funny enough. This song sounds like anime Ending, heh. The main character's promise "to be continued". I liked how Do gave us a new tone to his voice in this song.

[misscammiedawn]

Would you like to share any opinions on RUSH? You get extra points if they’re hot takes.

*HIGH PITCHED SQUEEEEEEEEEEE*!!!

Penny? I love you! Thank you for unleashing my thoughts!

VERY WELL! Let us begin!

I'm gonna list them in random order

- Time Stand Still is best music video and anyone who disagrees is being a grinch!

- Our favorite album is Roll the Bones and our favorite Live CD is A Show of Hands! I think Rush in Rio and Permanent Waves are the *best* though!

- They should just release the Different Stages live recording. It's pretty much out there as extra features on the other DVDs!

- The Clockwork Angels book and graphic novel are pretty average but are worth it for making Seven Cities of Gold not suck. The worst song is the best chapter of the novel

- I would buy a Blu-Ray that is just the backing videos for the live videos and I hate that the only backing vid that exists in full form is By-Tor from Rush in Rio (as an Easter Egg)

- Emotion Detector is the most underrated Rush song and I would have preferred Tom Sawyer or YYZ not get played in one of the tours to accommodate it in a concert! Only 44 songs have never been played live before and of them the only one that I think deserved to be played more is Vapor Trail because it is the ONLY title song of an album never played live (after Presto was pulled out for Time Machine)

- It is pronounced Why-Why-Zed. It is spelt Vapor Trails. The American spelling of Vapor is essential to the song's message

- Analog Kid is Alex's best song, Ghost of a Chance and Between The Wheels are second and third-- though live versions of Working Man are up there

- Geddy's solo at the end of Leave That Thing Alone (Time Machine Tour) is the exact peak of Rush, that was their highest point as a band!

- SARS Fest concert kinda sucked? Spirit of Radio with Paint It Black intro was amazing but the equipment was shot and they gave Alex a hot microphone. They also cut off the "encore" which just sucked. I am also a little salty that Rush were an opening band for the Stones *in Canada*.

- Tom Sawyer is overrated and they're not even Peart lyrics. Limelight and YYZ off of the same album are better.

- Neil's Ayn Rand period is a valid part of Rush history and provides so much extra context to The Garden. The same pen that wrote "begging hands and bleeding hearts will only cry out for more" ended his life with "the measure of a life is a measure of love and respect, the way you live and the gifts that you give, in the fullness of time it's the only return you can expect" - a man with a storied life as Neil with as much tragedy as he endured ended with him completely giving and loving in his heart when 35-40 years prior he wrote empathetically that "you don't get something for nothing"

- La Villa Strangiato is in my opinion not just the best instrumental but it is in contention for best Rush song period. I would never give it that title because it lacks Peart's lyrics and I find that people who say that have an irrational dislike of Geddy's voice... but it's still a valid take. Natural Science would get my all around best song badge. But best and favorite are not the same in my world and even still I mean *technically proficient* mixed with lyrics. I'll change my mind, likely. But that's my feeling right now.

- Geddy didn't get vocal training until before My Favorite Headache (2000) and Neil didn't get jazz drumming instruction until Burning For Buddy (1994). Both artists were just fine as they were but they perfected their arts and I prefer late era Rush because of that. The band never stopped evolving.

- I would have liked to have heard one of the solo album songs live (I Am The Spirit, Promise or My Favorite Headache) or have Bob and Doug do Take Off for a charity event like the South Park or Hawkings concerts last year. I *still* want that. Neil wasn't involved in the solo albums. It could still happen.

- I want a Jukebox Musical of Rush music so that The Body Electric isn't the only piece of fiction scored to Rush.

- Alex Lifeson could have been a comedian. He's one of the funniest humans on the planet.

- Peaceable Kingdom is better for having been the only song where lyrics were written after the music. Vapor Trail has amazing lyrics in general but I feel the limitation had positive impact and I wish Neil and the band did this practice more than once.

- Rush's improvised and last minute songs when they are running out of studio time are the best. Malignant Narcissism was the result of the album director seeing Geddy warming up with a vintage fretless bass and said "put that on the album" so they composed around the improvised riff, Force Ten was literally a last minute addition to Hold Your Fire. La Villa is said to have been recorded in a single take (I do not believe that legend as it wasn't in any of the biographies I have read). Rush just work best with limitations. They're a bunch of goofs and giving them a time limit makes them go into a Saitama style serious mode.

---

I could write tons more. But I'll call it there.

I like Rush.

A lot.

More than you think I do.

[dollarbin]

Shakey Sundays #9:

Eldorado

Neil Young permanently separated himself from every other 60's era white male musician in a single rage-filled, screaming stomp in late 1988. In true Shakey style that moment was initially only available on CD in Japan.

His screaming separation from all things Mick, Bob, Van, Eric and Stephen occurs halfway through Don't Cry, the second song on his Japan-only EP Eldorado. There's plenty of hints that the moment is coming: the first track, Cocaine Eyes, features the most violent and frantic, dying-fish-on-a-line, guitar Young had played up to that point in his outrageous life, and the first half of Don't Cry, including its initial guitar solo, delivers more of the same.

But nothing can prepare any of us, even 35 years later, for what occurs at the opening of the second solo, seconds after the 3 minute mark.

Behold:

Neil Young was not much of a screamer before that moment. When it was time for intensity he tended to turn on his wind machines and do all the freaking out through his guitar, Old Black.

But I'm here to argue that the scream at 3:04 in Don't Cry is vital to the Neil Young story; it's a culminating moment prior to, and necessary for, real catharsis, a moment when the totality of one's anxiety and angst overcomes the sufferer, leaving them with no recourse but naked terror and rage.

Most of us experience such moments privately. I've definitely screamed in a parked car my fair share of times, every muscle in my body contorted and swelling; but the windows have been rolled fully up and I've been away from my coworkers, my family and my cat when it happened. Afterwards, nothing has changed in a practical sense, but I've felt better, already on a path back to reasonableness, and glad no one other than me witnessed the wild strain of it all.

Neil Young had plenty to scream about in 88: he had two children suffering from Cerebral Palsy, one of whom could not speak or walk because of it; he'd spent nearly a decade in creative turmoil; plus he'd recently made a record with Stephen Stills. A lesser human would have just suffered or given up; a normal human would have been private about it all; after all, his suffering is none of our business.

But the greatest of humans turn their suffering into art that selflessly guides the rest of us long term; they provides us a pathway from suffering to heavy love, and that's what we get immediately after Don't Cry: Heavy Love races through its chord progression, head down and chasing after more of that surging power, and we get a full dose of it in the first solo, introduced again by sonic slamming:

And then, at the song's end, before the second solo, Neil loses it altogether as he chants "my heavy love". These are some of the greatest vocals Neil has ever laid down. He's so utterly alive in these songs, so vibrant, barring his brave soul.

The title track, Eldorado, which opens Side 2 on the recently released vinyl version I've got in my own Dollar Din (that's a funny typo I just made; I think I'll leave it in...), allows Young to spin the narrative outward after all the personal risk taking on Side 1. He's got a Latin-tinged tale of drugs, bad guys and bullfighting for our consideration. It's totally awesome; Neil plays a different style of guitar here than anywhere else I can think of: he transforms his previous record's blues posturing into some sweet gringo flamenco, all of it slick and sharp after the bubbling chaos he's laid down beforehand.

But the song contains the EP's raging spirit all the same; listen to the unhinged explosiveness in the middle of the fourth and final verse. His eyes are screaming blue; his hair is red as blood!

It's telling that when it came to his next full record in 89 Young wavered: Eldorado was naked, raw and risky; was it too much? Did he need to hold back? Unsure after a decade of commercial failures, Neil listened to his co-producers; he shaved off the most terrifying an reckless moments in Don't Cry, tabled Cocaine Eyes and Heavy Love altogether, and balanced the rest of the album out with simpler, safer sounds.

The resulting record, Freedom, is a masterpiece. But it's not Eldorado. What is?

Happy Sunday everyone. I hope none of us need to pull the car over at any point today to do any screaming. Neil is ready to do it for us.

[mywifeleftme]

149: Tom Verlaine // Tom Verlaine

Tom Verlaine Tom Verlaine 1979, Elektra

We must consider the possibility that Tom Verlaine was a himbo. The kind of lanky, blue-eyed bone machine with lockpicker’s hands who makes a plain short-sleeved shirt look like runway apparel, and has the sort of innate social reserve that makes you blushingly work to fill in his silences—though the truth might be that most of the time there is nothing really going on behind his Mona Lisa smirk, only the faint urge to go back to fiddling with his guitar by himself. You can map anything onto a quiet man like that when he is beautiful, and when he plays his instrument like (to quote Verlaine’s one-time paramour Patti Smith) “a thousand bluebirds screaming.”

Much has been made of his nicking the stage name ‘Verlaine’ from the French poet, but by his own admission he just thought it sounded good! I mean, skim this 2000s-era interview about books from Dusted magazine; he clearly likes and is curious about art, and he’s admirably uninterested in impressing anyone (as established though, he wouldn’t need to!), but he doesn’t seem to think about any of it in a particularly analytical way. I mention all this because, due to its urbane effeteness, Verlaine’s output is always read as intellectual music, when there’s an equal possibility he was actually more of a sweet, slightly spectrumy goofball with intuitive cool. That’s not to privilege intellectualism over intuition; many of our greatest painters, composers, and even poets are hopeless at explaining the compulsions that shape their output, and a lot of the ones who can do the ‘splainy part well would be better off as critics.

At any rate, the trigger that set off this line of himbo inquiry/conspiracy theory was the duo of “Mr. Bingo” and “Yonki Time,” the songs that close the first side of Verlaine’s self-titled solo debut. They are simply put, two of the dumbest ass songs I have ever heard in my life. How to describe “Yonki Time?” A tuneless soundcheck goof replete with raspberries and fart noises that someone decided was funny enough to work into a full song, it’s the kind of musical non-sequitur that makes you wonder whether sequitur is Latin for “funny.” Lyrically, it’s full of jokes that probably made his friends shrug and say with an air of apology, “Well, Tom has a unique sense of humour.” The fact it wasn’t relegated to a B-side, its existence at all, really, forces a slight reappraisal of how much irony there was to songs like “Venus di Milo” and “Prove It”; how do they hit us if they were more goofily sincere than they seemed? To me, it lends them a certain charm, makes the otherwise inscrutably aloof Verlaine a little more human.

Tom Verlaine has taken me a while to get into compared to the first two Television records that preceded it. It’s not wildly different; Verlaine wasn’t anyone’s idea of a musical chameleon. He discovered his style as a vocalist, guitarist, and arranger almost immediately, and never meaningfully deviated from the trebly, drifting update on the Velvets established on Marquee Moon. Some of this is surely due to the absence of Television’s co-lead guitarist Richard Lloyd, whose comparatively rugged attack gave that band a more rocking vigour. Without him, Verlaine’s sound is dreamier, and it requires more attention to appreciate the brilliance of how he’s playing these diffuse pseudo-pop songs. Some songs, like the regal “Last Night,” clear out space for Verlaine to do his meditative guitar wizard thing, but often it’s the more propulsive songs like the jangly “Red Leaves” or the groovy “Souvenir from a Dream” that produce the real moments of wonder, when on a sixth or seventh listen you realize no one else on earth would’ve thought to put a song together in just this way.

There’s a story that David Bowie brought him into the studio during the Scary Monsters sessions to record some guitar parts, and Verlaine spent the entire allotted time trying out the many available amps without being able to settle on one and ended up leaving without having recorded anything usable. The Bowie connection was a huge opportunity for Verlaine, who had just recently begun his solo career. Television had been critically revered but had had little commercial impact, and Tom Verlaine wasn’t a brisk seller either—Bowie’s choice to cover the album’s “Kingdom Come” was a coup, but Verlaine was unwilling or unable to capitalize on the moment. His next LP, 1981’s Dreamtime wasn’t any more or less commercial than the albums that preceded it: it was another Tom Verlaine qua Tom Verlaine album, and if he couldn’t make any other kind of record, nobody else could make exactly his kind either. He was after all a uniquely beautiful man.

149/365

[musicandotherstuff]

Theatricality is one of those aspects that Alex Turner and associates have never lacked. Discarded the role of Sheffield common guys with a Beatlesian cut and jumpsuit, the Arctic Monkeys have begun a series of chameleonic transformations, including vintage touches, mirroring the musical genres introduced album after album. “The Car”, seventh career album for Arctic Monkeys, strikes for the inevitable cinematic aspect from the cover, shot by drummer Matt Helders, which depicts a lonely white car in the distance, parked on a roof in Los Angeles. Inspired mainly by the works of William Eggleston, father of artistic color photography, the image is perfect in lines to the point of looking like a diorama, a reconstruction of environments usually protagonists of a branch of staged photography, in which the photographer is also a puppeteer of the whole scene (just think of Frank Kunert's silent and surreal cityscapes).

Thanks to the shots shared with Turner, the group came to the drafting of the song “The Car”, setting a starting point for developing the rest of the work. The lounge turn of "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino" had left a bad taste in the mouth of those who made a real cult of works like "AM" and "Whatever People Say I Am ...", and at the same time ignited the interest in those who had never considered the band before. The quartet goes beyond the psychedelic science fiction of the last episode and returns to Earth with clearer and more defined sounds, accompanied by the inevitable linguistic games with double / triple meanings contained in the texts, sinning in some cases of excessive self-reference, between stories of love and references to musical inspiration and the world of music biz.

The main influences on the subject of sonority oscillate between the avant-garde of Japan and the David Sylvian soloist, some forays between funk and soul à-la David Bowie and the art-rock of "Imperial Bedroom", on a sophisticated pop base that refers to Blue Nile and Prefab Sprout. To dictate the pace of the record are the orchestral pop of the sinuous strings and the piano of "There'd Better Be A Mirrorball", and the funky seventies rhythm and the choirs of "I Ain't Quite Where I Think I Am", but at catalyzing most of the attention on oneself is the irresistible slow ballad “Body Paint”. Although at the beginning it may arouse perplexity (to the point of creating a sort of addiction listen after listening, even if it can probably be a subjective fact and not a fixed rule), it is possible to find a common thread with the past of the group, bringing it back to a evolution of the more adolescent “Love Is A Laserquest” in the performance and of “Dance Little Liar” in the lyrics, proving that the direction taken by the quartet can be considered coherent.

The ambient atmospheres between Sylvian and Brian Eno of “Sculptures Of Anything Goes”, supported by synths and drum machines, and those of the jazzed “Jet Skis On The Moat” present the typical aspects of a soundtrack. The glam-rock vein conferred by the guitar solo of "The Car" is surprising, inaugurating the second half of the path where the sounds tend to flatten out a bit, keeping faith with those already proposed in the previous songs and exposing the weak side of the opera, the only one in the face of almost perfect writing and arrangements, or the slight monotony of Turner in the role of crooner. "Big Ideas" again focuses on orchestral symphonies with guitar riffs in the finale, while "Hello You" is placed between funk and soul, concluding with the fingerstyle arpeggios of "Mr Schwartz" and the strings with a Beatlesian touch in the style of "The Long And Winding Road ”of “ Perfect Sense ”.

More decisive than its predecessor, "The Car" marks the decisive turning point in the maturity process of the Arctic Monkeys, quite different perhaps from what we would have expected years ago, but which all in all, after repeated listening and careful analysis, falls within the natural process of the band (turner-centric drifts, more or less appreciated, included), far from the dynamics of today's discography that perhaps would like to immortalize ours in the guise of eternal boys, still on the crest of the indie-garage wave.

Review of the album "The Car" for Onda Rock

27/10/2022

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (27 Nov-3 Dec 2022)

↑ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒᵒᵈ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵉᵉᵏ

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😍De Oppresso Liber (One-EyedBossman (desert000rose), SecretFandomStoriesr) - Differently OK Local Idiots #7; love this series, love these characters, making me into some kink that's not usually my thing at all -

😍Peter Cabot Gets Lost (The Cabots #2) (Cat Sebastian, author; Joel Leslie, narrator) - reading Daniel Cabot just really made me wanna revisit Peter and Caleb!

😍Petrichor (aleatory_fox) - wonderful domestic geralt/jaskier/eskel; technically omegaverse but those elements are very light & nontraditional & not really the focus at all

🥰down for you always (dreamtiwasanarchitect, liadan14) - the new me (is really still the real me) #1 - bro!Joe is the newest immortal but he & Nicky are still made for each other - very hot!

😍Preventative Maintenance Checks and Services (One-EyedBossman (desert000rose), SecretFandomStories) - Differently OK Local Idiots #8 - just really love them!

🥰How Y'all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived (Leslie Jordan, author & narrator) - just LJ telling stories, like he did so well. a little bittersweet with his death so recent

💖💖 +143K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Cut and Changed and Rearranged (AidaRonan) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 10.8K - someone did art on twitter, and so i had to reread, because who doesn't love 'confession of feelings via mixtape'?!

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Travel Man - s2, e3 (Noel Fielding, Copenhagen)

Leverage: Redemption - s2, e5

Avenue 5 - s1, e1-2

Mystery Menu with Sohla & Ham: Peanut Butter

Mystery Menu with Sohla & Ham: Hot Dogs

Mystery Menu with Sohla & Ham: Corn Flakes

Mystery Menu with Sohla & Ham: Hot Pockets

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Off Menu - Ep 88: Mae Martin

Pop Culture Happy Hour - 'The Godfather' and the limits of on-screen representation

Decoder Ring Plus - The New Age Hit Machine

The Sporkful - Claire Saffitz Doesn’t Need To Defend Dessert

Switched on Pop - Why do new Christmas songs fail?

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Moon Trees

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Bread and Puppet Museum and Theater

Still Processing - Plastic Off the Sofa

Vibe Check - Those Are French Fighting Words

99% Invisible #516 - Cougar Town

Shedunnit Book Club - Howdunnit

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Fluorescent Rocks of Sterling Hill Mine

Into It - Before Elon Bought Twitter, He Tried His Own Version of 'The Onion' (Plus: What's Laci Mosley Into?)

Ologies with Alie Ward - Special Ep: Mycology (MUSHROOMS) Tom Volk Memorial Encore

One Year Plus - The Making of One Year: 1942

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Tina Turner Museum

Strong Songs Bonus Episodes - Jimi Hendrix's Solo on "Hey Joe"

Hit Parade Plus - The Bridge: Pub Rock, Power Pop and New Wave

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Hit Songs from '80s Movies

The Hollies' Greatest Hits

Repeat When Necessary [Dave Edmunds]

Presenting The Kinks

Playlist: The Very Best Of The Lovin' Spoonful

Bossa Nova Time

Essential Proto-Metal

Rumours [Fleetwood Mac]

Presenting Fleetwood Mac

Presenting Carly Rae Jepsen

Presenting Nine Inch Nails

[therepressions]

That Guy (Miguel's Song) - fundraising link below!

Miguel Hernandez is the founder and solo art machine behind Astoria Music Collective. Miguel has fallen ill and the community is coming together to help him and his family come through. Like the song says, Miguel loves everybody, genuinely, and is just the coolest, sweetest person, aside from all of the support and hard work he does on behalf of artists. We all love Miguel,  and we all have a story about something wonderful he did for us. Give at this link  if you can, or attend one of the live fundraising shows all month. Follow Astoria Music Collective for the details on amazing music, community, and support. We all love that guy.

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Emma Hospelhorn

Emma Hospelhorn is a jazz and improvisational flutist who works with Ensemble Dal Niente, The Machine is Neither…and her solo art-folk project Em Spel, whose The Carillion Towers Jennifer Kelly reviewed last year for Dusted, calling it “ folktale turned oddly, surreally modern, a magical realist scenario set in the right now.” Hospelhorn’s Em Spel project has a new single coming out on her own Carillionia Records in August, the ominously beautiful, “My Oldest Friend.” A new full-length is on deck for 2024.

Here is a list of music that inspires her.

Karima Walker — “Reconstellated”

The delicate grace of the electronics, the subtlety of the unassuming strummed guitar, the intimacy of the vocals, the best use in history of the reverse effect. I remember thinking the song couldn’t possibly be this good when I got tickets to see her live, and then it was.

Bilal Nasser — “Exiles and Orange Groves”

Bilal Nasser describes his evocative, kaleidoscopic solo guitar music as “post-classical.” I think it's just beautiful. Of his album Where The Orange Groves Grow, he says, “I couldn't put out an album called Where the Orange Groves Grow, really a reflection of the stories of refugees and exiles I’ve been surrounded by my whole life, without saying something about what is happening this second in the same place. Therefore, the proceeds from the digital release will be donated to Islamic Relief, to help rebuild Gaza. If this music means anything to you, fight for Palestine, fight for black lives, and fight for indigenous rights on Turtle Island.”

Pamela Z — “Breathing” (live)

Watching the legendary Pamela Z using a hand-based gestural controller to manipulate her own voice into loops as she sings — and slow it down, and speed it up, and layer it, and turn it on, and turn it off — is just… so… cool.

Paul Brady — “Arthur McBride” (live)

The story-song in its ultimate form. Putting aside Paul Brady’s unreal guitar playing, one of my favorite things about this performance is the way the intensifying fight in the story gets reflected in his tone and the increasing number of vocal flourishes. I still remember the first time my friend Jesse Langen played this for me in my car as we were driving home from a gig. After I dropped him off, I listened to it on repeat all the way home.

Brittany Howard — “Stay High,” “Georgia,” “Baby” and “Goat Head”

I know everyone has already seen this Tiny Desk Concert. But it’s a perfect performance of four perfect songs.

Eno-Hyde — “Lilac”

High Life came out 9 years ago, and I still can’t stop listening to it — especially Lilac, which is joyful, repetitive, and gives me a nine-minute-long body high. The textures unfold slowly and inexorably over one ecstatic major chord that lasts so long that when a three-note bass progression joins in at the end, followed by a final chorus, the effect is of revelation after revelation.

Oui Ennui — Live session, ESS Quarantine Concerts (live)

Oui Ennui takes us on a long, fascinating ride in this 30-minute-long live quarantine set, from peaceful soundscapes to full dance party mode. I like watching this set because watching him sample/mix/create in real-time is kind of astonishing. If you ever get the chance to see him live, do so.

Josquin Des Prez — “La Deploration sur la Mort de Jean Ockhegem”

This piece was written in 1497 and I love it so much. The soaring vocal lines! The spine-tingling harmonic shifts! Des Prez wrote this as a memorial for his (maybe) teacher, Jean Ockhegem, and it’s devastating.

En Attendant Ana — “Wonder”

This song feels like sunshine to me. Sparkling guitar and vocals over a driving bassline that sounds like it’s just so much fun to play, rising into an extended psych freakout. The ultimate soundtrack to walking down a city street on a clear blue day.

Amanda DeBoer Bartlett — “Measure My Life” (live)

This is just a simple, perfect folk song by Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, who is better known for her work in experimental and new music. The lyrics make me cry every time. “Save your judgement for the pearly gates; I’ll measure my life in what I give away.”

[chrisryanspeaks]

SEE: Catchy Indie Pop | Moon Blue - All I Know (Is That)

Moon Blue aka George Appleton is a Bournemouth-born musician that has spent time living and loving in Bologna. He recent released single “All I know (Is That)”, which is a soft indie pop single that instantly entrances the listener with it’s captivating and relatable lyrics and hypotonic sound. Take a listen below: Feels: soft, cashmere Sounds: like beach fossils, toro y moi About Moon Blue: Love might be the most documented concept of them all, but as long as new people are falling in and out of it, finding fresh ways to bend the emotion to their own story, it’s something that will never fail to provoke new and interesting art. For Moon Blue - the musical alias of George Appleton - love is at the centre of everything the project has become about. The breakdown of a relationship was the catalyst for the Bournemouth-born musician to first pick up the pen as a solo artist following a series of stints in bands; now, living in Bologna and entirely loved-up once more, it’s his current romance that’s become the primary muse for his forthcoming debut EP, ‘The Moonlight Disco’. “Love is subjective, so if you’re writing from a point of sincerity then there’s always going to be a unique element to it,” says Appleton. “I was just writing in earnest for this person, for her. This is the first time I’ve written objective love songs in the present.” Trained as a jazz drummer and a self-taught guitarist, until recently Appleton had always been a cog in part of a bigger band machine. “I’d always wanted a solo project because I’d always played in bands where I was the drummer, or I was singing and playing guitar but still compromising with other people,” he explains. “But writing music has been a constant throughout my life. It’s just company really, and it’s something I find rewarding even if I have no intention of releasing the song into the world.” Moon Blue’s first output firmly fell into this category at the start, too. Having moved into a “pretty depressing” studio apartment by the sea during the pandemic following the dissolution of a five-year relationship, Appleton would spend his days writing purely to purge the emotions; in the evening, he would walk along the beach and listen back to what he’d come up with. “It was directly about that one thing and that one moment in time,” he explains, “but it helped me gain confidence in constructing everything without compromise, and it was vindicating to know it all came from me.” Urged to release the tracks by his friends, eventually Appleton gave in and put one song, 2021’s ‘Beneath The Moon’, online. An instant earworm of sugary, nocturnal funk-pop, it began to pick up attention from the likes of Amazing Radio and influential Youtuber David Dean Burkhart. “Since then it hasn’t really slowed down, it’s just been quite consistent, like when you push a snowball down the hill and it just fuels itself,” he says. With an adventurous musical library that draws on everything from Yellow Magic Orchestra and Japanese pop luminary Hiroshi Sato, through to classical Italian music via more contemporary indie such as Men I Trust (“My friends call me Lame Impala, which initially pissed me off but now I think it’s funny…” Appleton laughs), it would, however, take another major life change to spur on Moon Blue’s next material. Fed up with the ongoing fallout of Brexit, Appleton decided to move to Italy for three months before heading to Japan. The first part of the plan happened, but then he fell in love. Faced with having to temporarily return to the UK due to visa reasons before he could return to Bologna, he started writing the songs that would become his debut EP: a collection of heart-on-sleeve alternative pop nuggets that ring with the warmth of both Italy itself and new romance. Conjuring up the evocative sense of moonlit night dreaming, ‘The Moonlight Disco’ (set for release via 777 Music, home of Boy Pablo) comprises six tracks that drill down to the heart of the project. Forthcoming single ‘All I Know (Is That)’ details “the feeling of being in a precarious situation whilst knowing the certainty that I had around it” via lilting guitars and soft, woozy falsetto; on the flip side, ‘Blossom Through My Window’ spans nearly six minutes and marks the most sonically adventurous track Moon Blue has penned to date. “Lyrically and structurally, it’s sparser and there’s more space for the vocals to sit - more harmonies and more layering and a lot dreamier,” Appleton explains. “It was earnest and sincere and it felt accurate.” ‘Beneath The Moon’ gets a long-overdue full release, while ‘Woke Up Thinking Of You’ showcases a different side to Appleton’s writing - creafted in tribute to his grandfather who’d recently passed away. The line “I wake up seeing your name on my arm” directly corresponds to a tattoo of his signature that the musician has inked on his own body. Throughout the EP, meanwhile, Appleton’s falsetto rings clearly, his vocal range lifting the songs and adding an integral sense of intimacy and tenderness. It’s an immersive introduction to an artist who understands that, somewhere between the intensely personal and the openly universal, lies magic. Having initially shied away from putting his music online, Moon Blue is finally embracing the musical prospects that love seems to have inadvertently thrown him. Read the full article

[audiofuzz]

SEE: Catchy Indie Pop | Moon Blue - All I Know (Is That)

Moon Blue aka George Appleton is a Bournemouth-born musician that has spent time living and loving in Bologna. He recent released single “All I know (Is That)”, which is a soft indie pop single that instantly entrances the listener with it’s captivating and relatable lyrics and hypotonic sound. Take a listen below: Feels: soft, cashmere Sounds: like beach fossils, toro y moi About Moon Blue: Love might be the most documented concept of them all, but as long as new people are falling in and out of it, finding fresh ways to bend the emotion to their own story, it’s something that will never fail to provoke new and interesting art. For Moon Blue - the musical alias of George Appleton - love is at the centre of everything the project has become about. The breakdown of a relationship was the catalyst for the Bournemouth-born musician to first pick up the pen as a solo artist following a series of stints in bands; now, living in Bologna and entirely loved-up once more, it’s his current romance that’s become the primary muse for his forthcoming debut EP, ‘The Moonlight Disco’. “Love is subjective, so if you’re writing from a point of sincerity then there’s always going to be a unique element to it,” says Appleton. “I was just writing in earnest for this person, for her. This is the first time I’ve written objective love songs in the present.” Trained as a jazz drummer and a self-taught guitarist, until recently Appleton had always been a cog in part of a bigger band machine. “I’d always wanted a solo project because I’d always played in bands where I was the drummer, or I was singing and playing guitar but still compromising with other people,” he explains. “But writing music has been a constant throughout my life. It’s just company really, and it’s something I find rewarding even if I have no intention of releasing the song into the world.” Moon Blue’s first output firmly fell into this category at the start, too. Having moved into a “pretty depressing” studio apartment by the sea during the pandemic following the dissolution of a five-year relationship, Appleton would spend his days writing purely to purge the emotions; in the evening, he would walk along the beach and listen back to what he’d come up with. “It was directly about that one thing and that one moment in time,” he explains, “but it helped me gain confidence in constructing everything without compromise, and it was vindicating to know it all came from me.” Urged to release the tracks by his friends, eventually Appleton gave in and put one song, 2021’s ‘Beneath The Moon’, online. An instant earworm of sugary, nocturnal funk-pop, it began to pick up attention from the likes of Amazing Radio and influential Youtuber David Dean Burkhart. “Since then it hasn’t really slowed down, it’s just been quite consistent, like when you push a snowball down the hill and it just fuels itself,” he says. With an adventurous musical library that draws on everything from Yellow Magic Orchestra and Japanese pop luminary Hiroshi Sato, through to classical Italian music via more contemporary indie such as Men I Trust (“My friends call me Lame Impala, which initially pissed me off but now I think it’s funny…” Appleton laughs), it would, however, take another major life change to spur on Moon Blue’s next material. Fed up with the ongoing fallout of Brexit, Appleton decided to move to Italy for three months before heading to Japan. The first part of the plan happened, but then he fell in love. Faced with having to temporarily return to the UK due to visa reasons before he could return to Bologna, he started writing the songs that would become his debut EP: a collection of heart-on-sleeve alternative pop nuggets that ring with the warmth of both Italy itself and new romance. Conjuring up the evocative sense of moonlit night dreaming, ‘The Moonlight Disco’ (set for release via 777 Music, home of Boy Pablo) comprises six tracks that drill down to the heart of the project. Forthcoming single ‘All I Know (Is That)’ details “the feeling of being in a precarious situation whilst knowing the certainty that I had around it” via lilting guitars and soft, woozy falsetto; on the flip side, ‘Blossom Through My Window’ spans nearly six minutes and marks the most sonically adventurous track Moon Blue has penned to date. “Lyrically and structurally, it’s sparser and there’s more space for the vocals to sit - more harmonies and more layering and a lot dreamier,” Appleton explains. “It was earnest and sincere and it felt accurate.” ‘Beneath The Moon’ gets a long-overdue full release, while ‘Woke Up Thinking Of You’ showcases a different side to Appleton’s writing - creafted in tribute to his grandfather who’d recently passed away. The line “I wake up seeing your name on my arm” directly corresponds to a tattoo of his signature that the musician has inked on his own body. Throughout the EP, meanwhile, Appleton’s falsetto rings clearly, his vocal range lifting the songs and adding an integral sense of intimacy and tenderness. It’s an immersive introduction to an artist who understands that, somewhere between the intensely personal and the openly universal, lies magic. Having initially shied away from putting his music online, Moon Blue is finally embracing the musical prospects that love seems to have inadvertently thrown him. Read the full article

[moorearoundtheworld]

Top Albums of 2022

Well what can I say, almost a third of the way into 2023 and I am finally getting around to sharing my top albums of 2022 list. My apologies to the throngs of fans who have been waiting with bated breath to hear who makes the top 5! In reality, I really should just be saying thanks for reading, those fair few of you who are interested, I mainly do this for myself as a way to relive not just the year in music but the year itself.  It is always interesting to think about where and when I first listened to a song or a record and why something connected with me at that particular point in time.  Sometimes it is a situation I was going through or a song that just fits like a soundtrack to an activity or place or some songs are just hits and would have connected no matter what.

It is an interesting time for the music industry as artists are still gripped by pandemic experiences, but their ways of dealing with things are starting to get more variable.  There are some albums celebrating life rather than being all introspective about it, while many are just moving on to the art they have been making for years. Themes that I trended toward personally were songs with narrative and poetic elements and as always honesty and vulnerability.  The streaming era has brought more autonomy to many musicians out there and the listening party or livestream era has allowed them to connect more directly with fans around the world in a way never thought previously possible.  I just hope they are finding a way to make money off of all these things too!  Anyway, on to the main event, the list! Here are the links to the playlists, the snapshot “Top Tracks” is 60 or so songs that defined the year for me, one from each album and a few others thrown in for fun and then the mega “Top Albums” playlist is all 560 or so songs from all 55 albums in the list below, I hope you find something new and fun for you!

Top Tracks

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Bn123mfaKMiDscyOdjCus?si=3d179d6af2ca4f47

Top Albums

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7FutetZ44iCsMagTchGpGH?si=0fddf5a2ac9e486a

55. Marcus Mumford-(self-titled)

Marcus Mumford’s first solo effort at times feels like a really sparse Mumford and Sons record. He gets a boost from the likes of Brandi Carlise and Phoebe Bridgers but just the guitar lines on “Grace'' alone is enough to set it apart from his band.  In the end it is a great opportunity for Mumford to explore his individual journey through life and share it with us.

Top Track-Grace

54. Maggie Rogers-Surrender

Rogers sophomore release features a bit more wisdom and variety from the 27 year old recent Harvard Divinity School grad, from the driving single “That’s Where I Am” to her Florence and the Machine collaboration “I’ve Got A Friend” Rogers tremendous vocals float above it all.

Top Track-That’s Where I Am

53. Typhoon-Underground Complex No. 1

The first in what appears to be a series of albums musing on resentment, this more spare version of Typhoon represents an interesting shift in the bands post-covid era and a sort of concept record that tells individual stories of folks dealing with some tough things.

Top Track-Mind of God

52. Blood Root-I’m Not Trying to Start A Fire Anymore

The debut album from female solo artist Blood Root is as spare as the information about her out there on the internet.  Simple synth lines with a light drum and strum of a guitar frames her strong and sometimes layered lyrics that often have a dreamy feel to them.

Top Track: Tether

51. Alison Sudol-Still Come The Night

The latest effort from the former Fine Frenzy turned Fantastic Beasts movie star is a celebration of her happiness.  She has moved more into the Folk/Indie realm as compared to her previous form and while I miss some of the melodic nature, the poetic feel of this form is a welcome replacement.

Top Track: No Other

50. Whitney-SPARK

A new more upbeat sound from the Chicago duo turned roommates turned best friends who spent the pandemic and since living in a Portland bungalow, making music that turned out somewhat psychedelic, somewhat folky but over all an expression of perseverance through whatever life throws at you.

Top Track-COUNTY LINES

49. alt-J-The Dream

The London based trio’s fourth studio album is another pandemic inspired record that the band says grew a bit more experimental than their previous works since gaining international recognition and touring and such.  Having time to just write and record led to an album that jumps back and forth between driving alt hits and strange sing-songy ballads, overall a pretty fun ride.

Top Track-U&ME

48. EXES-Don’t Give Up On Me Now

The second release from the alt pop duo is a sparse spare exploration of life and love lost, with song titles like “Stuck” “Still” and “You” you can probably guess what most of the content is going to center around, delicate vocals surrounded by minimal drums and a few strums on the guitar makes for a wonderful sonic experience.

Top Track: it was supposed to be us

47. Anna of the North-Crazy Life

The third effort from Norwegian singer-songwriter Anna Lotterud is a gentle electro pop romp, Anna’s soprano vocals are light as air but when layered with fun bass lines, whistles and even bird sounds on the opening track, it all ends up being a really celebratory experience.

Top Track:Nobody

46. The Chainsmokers-So Far So Good

These guys probably need no introduction, according to Spotify the 80th ranked artist in the world with 34 million monthly listeners, a pretty amazing climb for the American dj producer duo. Of note about this album is the lack of collaborative artists, relying on their own production and autotune vocals to do the heavy lifting and while I miss the variety especially lacking any kind of duet feel, it is still a big time album.

Top Track: Riptide

45. Paolo Nutini-Last Night In The Bittersweet

It has been 8 years since Nutini released an album and probably more like 15 since most of us heard from him, but the Scottish singer of “New Shoes” is back with a new sound.  It is a complete reinvention of his musical self that most probably wouldn’t even recognize and I appreciate the boldness. This album verges more on classic rock than pop through its 16 tracks and is worth a listen if only to remind yourself that people can change.

Top Track-Through The Echoes

44. Judah & the Lion-Revival

The fourth studio album for the alt-folk group sees them go from a trio to a duo with the exit of banjo player Nate Zurcher, as the name suggests the band sees this as a renewal after Zurcher left, Akers spent some time solo, and that whole global pandemic thing.  It is definitely a more upbeat and positive record while being a bit less rock and a bit more folk, they even try to capture a bit of the Tik Tok craze with a Fleetwood Mac cover on one track.

Top Track: HAPPY LIFE

43. Passenger-Birds That Flew Ships That Sailed

The somewhat unbelievable 14th studio release for British singer-songwriter Michael Rosenberg sounds much like his previous work.  This album explores human impermanence with Rosenberg’s guitar and string arrangements surrounding his unique vocals.  Notable is the surprise self release nature of the record with no press tour or label backing and his commitment to donate the proceeds to an initiative to fight plastic pollution in the ocean.

Top Track: Blink of an Eye

42. Seven Lions-Beyond The Veil

The California based producer Jeff Montalvo calls this is his first official album which is a little strange for an act that has been amassing a huge cult following for over a decade.  The album is full of big building dance/trance hits with help from the likes of Lights and Vancouver Sleep Clinic that fit into your house party or your gym routine.

Top Track: Call On Me

41. The Lumineers-Brightside

“Where we are, I don’t know where we are, but it will be ok” starts the third track on the Lumineers fourth album and it feels like a good mantra for what we have all been through these last few years.  The Denver based folk rock mega artists latest album presents a mainly positive view on things which is refreshing and fun.

Top Track: AM Radio

40. BROODS-Space Island

The Kiwi electro pop duo put out their fourth full length this year and it is a much more diverse sound than we have heard from them in the past.  This album focuses on heartbreak and grief and subsequently comes out a bit more thoughtful and dreamy, “Distance and Drugs” and “I Keep” still have that driving sound that previous fans will recognize but the rest of the album shows a broader range that new ones may appreciate.

Top Track: Distance and Drugs

39. The Early November-Twenty

“This both is and isn’t a new Early November Record” says the pop-punk band’s current Spotify bio as Ace Enders and Co mark their 20th year as a band.  Ace has spent much of that 20 years moving back and forth between different solo efforts and bands but his signature thoughtful lyrics and delicate yet powerful punk sound have endured.  This is evidenced by how cohesive this record sounds for being a mix of re-recorded old songs and new ones. While I think most would agree the sound is more in tune with the early 2000s, there is a maturity that can still exist in today's music scene.

Top Track: Make It Happen

38. The Head And The Heart-Every Shade of Blue

The fifth album from the Seattle based Folk Rock band marks their first since the departure of frontman Josiah Johnson and while the sound is much the same that fans would expect there is definitely more an element of vocals by committee with more choral harmonic lines and more falsetto in the male vocals.  The album itself has something for everyone with 16 tracks to choose from, you're bound to find at least one you like!

Top Track: Virginia (Wind in the Night)

37. Pinegrove-11:11

New Jersey based alt-country outfit put out their fifth record this year as well, their post pandemic album is an up and down shuffle of poetic lyrics and tingey guitars.  Frontman Evan Stephens Hall’s signature twang is the center of everything and while I don’t always love that sound in my music it works well in conjunction with the somewhat unorthodox drumming and variety of instrumentation involved in the band's work.

Top Track: Alaska

36. Matt Nathanson-Boston Accent

The prolific folk rocker put out his 12th studio album this year and while I dont think any of the singles hit like his biggest songs, the style remains.  This record looks somewhat backward at his roots in Massachusetts and examines his leaving at the age of 18 heading out to California to further his career, but as always through the lens of heartbreak and busted relationships.

Top Track: German Cars

35. Murder By Death-Spell/Bound

Twenty years of spooky folk rock from this Indiana based group has brought a mature, thoughtful sound from one of the bands I have followed the longest, the first time I saw them was at a house show in Bloomington in 2005. Prolific tourers I have seen them in most places I have lived and they never disappoint.  Their unique mix of strings, guitars and Adam Trula’s haunting vocals defines the band's sound and is more than present on this record.

Top Track: Never Be

34. Punch Brothers-Hell on Church Street

I have to be honest, I did not know this was a cover album until I started writing this list, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying Punch Brothers’ latest album, a full album cover of Tony Rice’s iconic 1983 bluegrass album which for an added layer of complexity featured its own cover in the final track on the album, “Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald” which features as a fun cover-inception on the Punch Brothers record.  This album features former Nickel Creek plucker Chris Thile’s light hearted vocals and modern fast and furious strumming of the multiple bluegrass instruments involved is a great tribute to Rice and a fun listen even if you hadn’t heard the original.

Top Track: Pride of Man

33. Adam Melchor-Here Goes Nothing!

The New Jersey native turned LA resident put out his debut album this year to great praise from the pop-folk community, building a cult following for his vulnerable and a little weird sounding singer-songwriter style.  Melchor bears it all in songs that are too sad for Charlie Puth (according to a hilarious story he told during his live show) with his high tenor voice and gentle acoustic guitar oft framed by horns and piano plinking, a great start to what will surely be a fun career to follow.

Top Track: Turnham Green

32. Kayleigh Goldsworthy-Learning to be Happy

While it is technically her second full length, this really feels like a debut 7 years after her first album came out, add in a global pandemic and it might as well be a lifetime.  The NY native (via LA, Nashville and Philly) who describes herself as a former “hired gun” singer for various acts over the years, is coming into her own as an artist with a sound that is kind of a light version of Paramore, but with a bit more disdain for an industry that is still mainly male dominated.

Top Track: Boomerang

31. Riley Pearce-The Water & The Rough

The debut album from Australian alt-folk artist Riley Pearce feels kinda like a dreamscape, recorded in a cabin on the coast and infused with sounds of the surroundings, Pearce uses sparse but thoughtful production to surround his lightly graveled baritone and acoustic guitar to put you in a gentle state of stasis.  While some of his tracks like “Furniture” and “Us” are very approachable with broad appeal, the record is filled out with numerous more instrumental driven songs that try to invoke a feeling rather than telling you how to feel.

Top Track: Us

30. ayokay-Digital Dreamscape

LA Based DJ/Producer Alex O’Neill’s sophomore release is a shot in the arm of electro-pop fun, even when the subject matter of the songs is a bit dreary the light airy pop driving beat keeps things going and engages the listener in a year when we are still hearing so many pandemic records that sound isolated and small.  This is typified by “Less Alone” which features O’Neill’s friend from high school in Michigan, Quinn XCII, telling him that things are better at home when they are there together, and isn’t that true for all of us?

Top Track: Amnesia

29. The Wonder Years-The Hum Goes on Forever

Power-Punk staples The Wonder Years released their pandemic album this year which revolves mainly around lead singer Dan Campbell’s experiences with a new perspective on life having a kid while the world shut down.  Campell’s typical difficulty with surviving in this world remains, but is peppered with a new desire to continue living for someone in this world, all of that emotion is wrapped up in Van’s Warped Tour style punk rock driving drums and guitar licks with his powerful half screeched vocals always at the center.

Top Track: Summer Clothes

28. ODESZA-The Last Goodbye

The fourth effort from the Washington based duo has really brought them into the forefront of the electronic scene and the industry in general.  Building a loyal following for the last few years The Last Goodbye brought ODESZA a grammy nomination and a headlining spot at this year’s Bonnaroo.  This is a big and bold record that has real peaks and valleys that keep you engaged on a full listen not just one or two good tracks.  An appearance from my guy Olafur Arnalds really helps their street cred in my books.

Top Track: Light of Day feat. Olafur Arnalds

27. Lights-PEP

The Canadian electro-pop star put out her fifth album this year and has continued her move into more and more electronically driven music. Her bold colorful look is matched by big beats and songs about taking action and autonomy over her life.  Something tells me that we won’t see an acoustic version of this album like she has done in the past with her own songs and Drake’s, I could be wrong but for now we should enjoy the positive powerful electro-pop wave she is riding.

Top Track: Prodigal Daughter

26. Stars-From Capleton Hill

With their first new album in 5 years one of my favorite bands from my formative music listening years, the Canadian indie-pop standouts have come to something of an end with this record.  Their narrative lyrics have followed an imaginary pair voiced through Amy Milan and Troquil Campbell’s back and forth duet style for decades and this record becomes something of an end of this dialogue.  Surrounded by synths, upbeat drums, and driving bass lines it doesn’t feel like an end but rather a celebration of the story.

Top Track: Pretenders

25. Said The Sky-Sentiment

The sophomore release from Colorado based DJ/producer Trevor Christensen is a big buoyant electro-pop record with a little edge thanks to appearances from the likes of artists like The Maine, State Champs, and Motion City Soundtrack. Christensen shows plenty of range over 15 tracks with heart wrenching songs like “Emotion Sickness” and the closing track “Walk Me Home” which features frequent collaborators Illineum and Chelsea Cutler’s almost painful vocals building into a huge flourishing finish that defines the record.

Top Track: Go On Then Love

24. Old Sea Brigade-5am Paradise

The third release from the Georgia born, Nashville based singer-songwriter is the rare second release since the pandemic on this list. Old Sea Brigade aka Ben Cramer has been busy in the last few years putting together his indie-folk musings through his deep baritone and poetic narrative lyrics encompassed by spare drums that feel like they could fall apart at any moment but then picks back up with a driving almost pop feeling track like “Monochrome” which keeps things moving and draws you into the journey the album takes you on.

Top Track: Old Blooded

23. NOTD-NOTED…EP

I'm kind of breaking the rules here including an EP, but it is 6 tracks long and just couldn’t be left off of the list.  This Swedish pop production duo’s 6 song EP features Quinn XCII, Nightly, and The Band Camino, every song is under 3 minutes and is a complete banger.  These guys have been remixing other artists' work for years but now that they are putting out their own music I would expect big things in their future.

Top Track: Never A Good Time

22. Tyson Mostenbocker-Milk Teeth

The San Diego native’s third full length comes with a bit more production value than his previous records, a slightly bigger sound on many songs but the center of his poetic rarely rhyming and always honest vocals remains the same.  He throws out some great lines like “They seemed so comfortable that time on the Horcrux hunt” and “You broke your back, in the snow, last season at Whistler but on the Blackcomb side though.” I always enjoy his approach to narrating his life through song.

Top Track: Buyer Confidence

21. Hudson Mohawke-Cry Sugar

You may or may not recognize this name from producer credits on a couple of tracks of Kanye’s “Life of Pablo” but the Scottish producer/DJ is a renown artist in his own right.  Mohawke, aka Ross Brichard’s brand of electro-pop/hip hop is a little glitchy and sometimes strange but with an air of nostalgia that somehow gives a nod to what came before while pushing the genre forward, and with 19 tracks and over a hour of music on this album there is an access point for most fans of any associated genre.

Top Track: Come A Little Closer

20. flor-Future Shine

“I felt better, it has to be this weather, or could it be that we put the whole world through the shredder” is the opening hook of flor’s third album that predictably has grown out of the pandemic but despite the world being shredded is a buoyant celebratory pop rock album from the high school friends now finding fame in the middle 20s.  Lead singer Zach Grace’s falsetto vocals effortlessly ring out over the sometimes slightly funky guitar and bass, it's nothing revolutionary but it is a lot of fun.

Top Track: Big Shot

19. Donovan Woods-Big Boy Hurt

This is another rule breaker but Woods hasn’t put out an album since early 2020, and this latest 6 song EP is just such a great distillation of his style and an honest and open presentation of stories of his life that I couldn’t leave it off.  The Canadian singer songwriter and self proclaimed “big sad guy” revisits his past failures and tries to wrestle new meaning out of them or find meaning in reviewing and sharing his experiences with us.  These 6 songs in particular represent a return to a more spare acoustic style that defined his earlier career which I am a total sucker for.

Top Track: I Won’t Mention It Again

18. Frank Turner-FTHC

I would hazard a guess that few artists are more excited about being back to playing live music again than Frank Turner.  His ninth studio release brings him back to his punk rock roots but presented in his self aware and often self deprecating honesty with songs about his struggles with anxiety and drug abuse and even a song about his relationship with his father has improved since she became Miranda.  The bigger energy has been great for getting back out and playing for audiences and he put on a great show when I saw him.

Top Track: Haven’t Been Doing So Well

17. Caamp-Lavender Days

From the crack of a carbonated beverage can in the intro of the second track I knew I was going to enjoy the Ohio folk foursome’s fourth album.  Lavender Days is a fun folky romp with acoustic guitars, banjos, organs, stomping drums and a song relating yourself to an otter, what more could you want? Over the 12 tracks on the album they do slow it down pretty often and take quite a bit of time to be introspective about relationships and where things are going, but never lose sight of enjoying the moment.

Top Track: Believe

16. Oh Wonder-22 Make

The follow-up to their break up album “22 Break” the fifth record from the London based Electro-pop duo is a celebration of their relationship.  Surviving the pandemic together is no small feat and in the end it strengthened their resolve now as a married couple and more mature artists and the best part is how excited they are about the music.  It has a ways to go to overtake their debut album in popularity and the loving nature of the majority of tracks doesn’t hold the same bite as some of their previous work, but as a stand alone it is a really fun album.

Top Track: Fuck It I Love You

15. Sylvan Esso-No Rules Sandy

From one married electro-pop duo to another, Sylvan Esso’s fourth effort verges slightly further into experimental sounds with a few more instrumental breaks and funky sample sounds but Amelia Meath’s distinct vocals are always the central driving force.  This album was the soundtrack to my 3 day trip to Aruba last summer and was the perfect slightly weird companion for drives across the 21 mile long island.

Top Track: Echo Party

14. Fly By Midnight-Silver Crane (Deluxe)

Well I gotta be honest, this one breaks every rule in the book, this album came out last year, but I totally missed it somehow, so I am using the Deluxe release in 2022 to talk about one of my favorite discoveries of the year.  The NYC based self described “retro-pop” duo has an easy listening feeling with high production value and broad appeal, they are heading out on a national tour this year and I would expect their fan base to grow heading into their next release. 

Top Track: The Ad Above Your Head

13. Bad Suns-Apocalypse Whenever

Maybe a sign of how long it is taking me to get this list out, but this album came out 14 months ago and it feels like a bit like the California pop rock trio’s songs have been in my head for a while now, from the super catchy “Baby Blue Shades” to the self aware “Life Was Easier When I Only Cared About Me” this record is full of ear worms and hits that keep coming and that doesn't even count the bonus track on the Deluxe version “Maybe You Saved Me” which features PVRIS as a powerful duet foil.

Top Track: When The World Was Mine

12. Death Cab for Cutie-Asphalt Meadows

It's hard to believe that Death Cab released their 10th studio album this past year and that they would continue to enjoy such a high level of success after Chris Walla’s 2015 departure.  Asphalt Meadows is increasingly centered around Ben Gibbard’s poetic vocals featured prominently in the spoken word “Foxglove Through the Clearcut'' and the spare “Fragments From the Decade” but completes the album with the somewhat positive “I’ll Never Give Up On You.” If you were a fan before, you will still enjoy this album but if you haven’t previously been a part of the Death Cab club this is a very accessible album worth checking out and if you want a more subdued version the acoustic version of the album released recently is a great addition.

Top Track: Asphalt Meadows

11. First Aid Kit-Palomino

This album improved the most for me on my yearly relisten, whether I didn’t listen to it enough initially or I was just more interested in it later in the year I really enjoyed the harmonies and swelling instrumentations.  Once upon a time I would have said that their music was an interpretation of 90s folk-country, but they have grown into a genre and a following of their own that is a great soundtrack to any long drive down a lonely highway or a desert sunset.

Top Track: Angel

10. Holly Humberstone-Can You Afford To Lose Me?

If you see any photos of Holly Humberstone you know she has mastered the sad girl look and that shows through in her music.  Why is she so sad, well she grew up in Grantham, a small town in rural England with a castle just outside of town where I studied abroad as a bright eyed college sophomore and while Harlaxton was magical to us, Grantham was not exactly a sparkly shining bastion of musical support.  Luckily Holly survived with her love of acoustic rock intact and has combined that with slightly off-tone electronics to produce a dark-pop debut with all the honesty and self depreciation you can stand.

Top Track-Scarlet

9. Muna-Muna

The self titled third album from the California based electro-pop trio is in some ways a reinvention of themselves, again.  After being dropped by RCA records at the start of the pandemic, being picked up by Phoebe Bridgers’ “Saddest Factory” record label has brought the band to being even more out with their presentation of gender and sexual identity.  And while they had every reason to be super sad and self loathing they went the opposite way with their pandemic experience with their first foray out of lockdown being a big bold record with lots to say.  They still take some tracks on the record to slow things down and be introspective, but overall the strong beat of their synth-pop wins out and brings you up and up with them.

Top Track: Silk Chiffon feat. Phoebe Bridgers

8. Bear’s Den-Blue Hours

The fourth release from British folk pop duo Bear’s Den is an ode to the moments when we are deepest in thought about ourselves and our place in the world.  Their careful orchestrations of guitars, strings, piano and other sounds help you to be thoughtful about the tough concepts that they are dealing with.  Though the subject matter can be a little heavy at times the airiness of the vocals and space within the music keeps it from dragging you down and their themes seem to culminate in positivity in the end.

Top Track: Gratitude

7. Taylor Swift-Midnights

Taylor is probably the one artist on this list who needs no introduction, the megastar takes aim more at herself than others in this record which features a darker sound on most tracks, even the spry “Bejeweled” features a deep 80’s style bass line as the underpinning for the plucky synth.  For better or worse her fame makes even her most scathing rebukes of herself instantly memeable in a way that sometimes dissociates them from the powerful honesty they represent.  It's hard to say that I identify with one of the world's biggest artists, but I'm not a big fan of Ticketmaster either, and the fact that I think most of us can find some commonality in some of what she is presenting definitely plays a huge role in her success.

Top Track: Midnight Rain

6. Noah Kahan-Stick Season

The self-proclaimed “Jewish Ed Sheeran” was surprisingly fun to see in person as he toured his third album recorded entirely at home in Vermont during the pandemic.  Kahan sings frequently of his battles with anxiety and depression and has a knack for writing music that people can relate to even if he is talking about his tiny town in New England. Somehow kids all the way across the country in Utah are belting out the lyrics as if they are their own and that is even more welcome to those of us transplants who identify with his “Northern Attitude.” His version of folk-pop is infectious and honest with extremely broad appeal that is fun and thoughtful at the same time.

Top Track: Stick Season

5. Hippo Campus-LP3

They have given a lot away with the name of the album, but their third full length is a sonically different avenue for the Minneapolis indie-pop 5 piece.  Moving to a bigger more mainstream pop-rock sound they likely captured a larger audience but kept some of the weirdness that grew their initial fanbase.  Overall it is a really fun album that once they get past the intro track keeps the pace up till the last few when they get a little more sentimental.  They claim to keep wanting to change their approach so it will be interesting to see where the next album goes.

Top Track: 2 Young 2 Die

4. Eighty Ninety-The Night Sky

These musical brothers sometimes feel like a coffee shop duo and sometimes feel like a full pop rock band, their first album is just 8 tracks following years of successful single releases including 2016’s “Thirty Three” which has been streamed almost 18 million times. This album focuses on what else but unrequited love and seems to follow the path of finding someone, losing them and longing for them as time goes on, in this case even when you have moved on to someone new.  It's a sad but relatable tale told through partially whispered vocals and an array of gentle guitar plucks.  

Top Track: The Night Sky

3. Henry Jamison-The Years

Jamison’s poetic and spare singer-songwriter style has always appealed to me and the Burlington VT native’s third full length release builds on this reputation.  His narrative style that sneaks in a rhyme every once in a while draws you into the story he is telling, even if it isn’t always immediately clear what the subject matter is.  He rewards re-listening by squeezing in what initially feels like too many syllables into a single phrase and skipping spaces unexpectedly.  It takes a time or two (at least for me) to catch the full story of what he is trying to portray which makes it all the more rewarding in the end.

Top Track: To Ash feat. Nico Muhly

2. The 1975-Being Funny In A Foreign Language

The fifth full length release from the Manchester, UK four piece is probably their most accessible album to date with just 11 tracks, all songs, no instrumental interludes, it almost feels like a “normal” record. But then again it is still a The 1975 album so it transverses back and forth across genres from funky pop tunes to acoustic love songs.  Matt Healy’s almost jokingly poetic lines like “She said Central Park is Sea World for trees” and “I was Rambo and he was Paul Blane” come out of nowhere sometimes and keep you on your toes as you try to find the meaning. But the best lyric of the year has to be “I like my men like I like my coffee, full of soy milk and so sweet it won't offend anybody,” he is something of a lyrical genius in my mind, blend that with a tight band who can nimbly move back and forth between styles without missing a beat and you get a tremendous sonic experience. 

Top Track: Part of the Band

1. Gangs of Youth-Angel in Real Time

The only negative thing I have to say about this album is that I wasn’t able to see it performed live because the North American tour was cut short. Quickly becoming one of my favorite bands, the Australian outfit put out an amazingly introspective exploration of not only dealing with your own grief but a pretty wild story about the lead singer David Le’aupepe’s father as well as a comment on race in Australian society just for good measure. All of this is wrapped up in a package of alt-pop reminiscent of The National but with more stringed instruments and a little more grit, gravel and emotional heft. If you have ever lost someone close to you, you will recognize a lot of the feelings here, if you haven’t yet dealt with that journey in your own life, this is an interesting way to start to learn about how you might deal with that for you and those around you.

Top Track: Brothers

[sheetmusiclibrarypdf]

Carla Bley: The Top 25 icons in Jazz history

Table of Contents

Carla Bley: The Top 25 pearls in Jazz history

One of the finest and most productive of all female jazz instrumentalists, bandleaders and composers is Carla Bley. From her sprawling jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill to her arrangements for Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, and from her Big Carla Bley Band to her trio with saxophonist Andy Sheppard and bassist Steve Swallow, she has made her mark on all sizes of composition and ensemble. This ten-piece band toured in the 1980s and catches her iconoclastic reworking of gospel and big band jazz.

Carla Bley: a life in Music

Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg, May 11, 1936) is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator over the Hill (released as a triple LP set), as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other artists, including Gary Burton, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell, Art Farmer, John Scofield and her ex-husband Paul Bley. Every jazz fan knows the name of Carla Bley, but her relentless productivity and constant reinvention can make it difficult to grasp her contribution to music. I began listening to her in high school when I was enamored with the pianist Paul Bley, whose seminal nineteen-sixties LPs were filled with Carla Bley compositions. (The two were married.) My small home-town library also had a copy of “The Carla Bley Band: European Tour 1977,” a superb disk of rowdy horn soloists carousing through instantly memorable Bley compositions and arrangements. Some pieces change you forever. The deadly serious yet hilarious “Spangled Banner Minor and Other Patriotic Songs,” from that 1977 recording, celebrates and defaces several nationalistic themes, beginning with the American national anthem recast as Beethoven’s “Appassionata” Sonata. From the first notes onward, I was never quite the same again. The novelist and musician Wesley Stace has a similar story: “Aged sixteen, and full only of rock and pop music, I came upon Carla Bley by chance through a Pink Floyd solo project, Nick Mason’s ‘Fictitious Sports,’ which I only bought because the vocals were by my favorite singer, Robert Wyatt, once of Soft Machine. It’s a Carla Bley album in all but name: her songs embellished with brilliant and witty arrangements. I wanted to hear more. ‘Social Studies’ (also from 1981) thus became the first jazz album I ever bought, opening up a whole world I knew nothing about. ‘Utviklingssang’ is perfect, all gorgeous melody and abstraction, no words required. She’s everything I want from instrumental music.”

In the last half decade, many of Bley’s remaining peers from the early years have died: Paul Bley, Charlie Haden, Roswell Rudd, Ornette Coleman, Paul Motian. At eighty-two, Bley is still composing and practicing the piano every day. But it also felt like it was high time to rent a car, visit a hero, and try to get a few stories on the official record. Bley and her partner, the celebrated bassist Steve Swallow (and another living link to the revolutionary years of jazz) live in an upstate compound tucked away near Willow, New York. When I drove up, Bley and Swallow were just coming back from their daily walk through the woodland. Their lawn boasts an old oak tree and a massive chain-link dinosaur made by Steve Heller at Fabulous Furniture, in nearby Boiceville. The home offers enough room for two powerful artists and their personal libraries, not to mention striking paintings by Dorothée Mariano and Bill Beckman. Bley’s upstairs study is stocked with hundreds of her scores and an upright piano, on which she played me her latest opus, a sour ballad a bit in the Monk tradition, with just enough unusual crinkling in the corners to prevent it from being too square. When we sat down to talk, Bley proved to be witty and surreal, just like her music. (Swallow is the house barista and fact checker.) Bley’s early development as an independent spirit is well documented in the excellent 2011 book “Carla Bley,” by Amy C. Beal. I began a little further along, and asked her about Count Basie in the late nineteen-fifties. “Count Basie was playing at Birdland, Basin Street, and the Jazz Gallery when I was working as a cigarette girl,” she said. “I got to hear him more than anyone else, and it was an education.” Basie is still her favorite pianist: “He’s the final arbiter of how to play two notes. The distance and volume between two notes is always perfect.” At the end of the decade, her husband, an associate of Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, and Sonny Rollins, wanted to play more as a trio pianist but lacked material. One day Paul Bley came to Carla and said, “I need six tunes by tomorrow night.” There’s an obvious thread of European classical music in early Bley compositions, and this fit perfectly with the sixties jazz avant-garde. Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman” is closer to a Mahler dirge than to Duke Ellington; Charles Mingus gave a deconstructed blues composition the European-style catalogue number “Folk Forms No. 1.” Many of Bley’s own pieces from that era have atonal gestures and abstract titles like “Ictus” and “Syndrome.” Among the many musicians listening carefully was Keith Jarrett, who told me that Paul Bley was, “Sort of like Ahmad with certain kinds of drugs.” Ahmad Jamal’s biggest hit was the D-major dance “Poinciana,” a bland old standard given immortality by Jamal’s rich jazz harmony and the drummer Vernel Fournier’s fresh take on a New Orleans second-line beat. Paul Bley’s recordings of Carla’s famous melody “Ida Lupino” have a G-major dance with a new kind of surreal perspective. When comparing “Poinciana” and “Ida Lupino” back to back, Jarrett’s comment—“certain kinds of drugs”—makes sense. However, while Ahmad Jamal had to use plenty of imagination when rescoring “Poinciana,” Paul Bley just needed to get the paper from his wife and read it down: Bley’s piano score of “Ida Lupino,” with inner voices and canonic echoes, is complete. Like many jazzers, I first heard of the film-noir icon Ida Lupino thanks to Bley’s indelible theme. I finally got to ask her about the title. “I just saw a few movies she did, and I thought she was sort of stripped and basic,” Bley said. “She didn’t have all the sex appeal that a female star should have. She was sort of serious. Maybe I felt a bond with her for that reason. I wanted to be serious. It wasn’t anything to do with her being the first female director. I learned that later.” Another significant early Bley work is “Jesus Maria,” first recorded by Jimmy Giuffre with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow for Verve, in 1961. Among the listeners inspired by this trio was Manfred Eicher, who reissued these recordings for ECM, in 1990. The reissue leads off with the rather classical “Jesus Maria,” where the pretty notes seem to suspend in the air, suggesting the famous “ECM sound” several years before the label was founded. I asked Eicher about Bley’s early compositions and he said, “There are so many of them, each as well crafted as pieces by Satie or Mompou—or Thelonious Monk for that matter. Carla belongs in that tradition of radical originality.” Bley was a radical, but she also sought structure. She told me about the early-sixties avant-garde: “In free playing, everybody played as loud as they could and as fast as they could and as high as they could. I liked them, but there was also what Max Gordon said about a bunch of guys screaming their heads off: ‘Call the pound.’ I think the music needed a setting. Just as it was, I thought free jazz needed work.” A key turned in the lock when Bley heard the roiling, church-inspired experimental tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler, who she says was, “Maudlin! Maudlin in the most wonderful way. He gave me license to play something that was really corny and love it.” Another watershed was “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by the Beatles, a suite of songs that form a bigger picture. “An artist friend of mine came over one day with this album,” Bley told me. “He said, ‘Jazz is dead. All the artists are listening to this. We don’t listen to jazz anymore. This is it.’ ”

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Carla Bley Big Band - Festival de Jazz de Paris 1988

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQUHXCEflK0 Track List 00:00:09​ - Song of the eternal waiting of canute 00:10:24​ - The girl who cried champagne - I 00:18:05​ - The girl who cried champagne - II 00:21:50​ - The girl who cried champagne - III 00:29:29​ - Real life hits 00:40:53​ - Fleur carnivore 00:52:48​ - Lo ultimo 01:00:51​ - end credits Personnel Carla Bley - piano Christof Lauer - saxophone-soprano Wolfgang Puschnig - saxophone-alto Andy Sheppard - saxophone-tenor Roberto Ottini - saxophone-baryton Lew Soloff - trompette Jens Winter - trompette Gary Valente - trombone Frank Lacy - cor Bob Stewart - tuba Daniel Beaussier - oboe, flute Karen Mantler - orgue Steve Swallow - bass Buddy Williams - batterie Don Alias - percussions Read the full article

[lunarwildrose]

30 questions.

Nicknames: Sha / Nabi / Yuri / Allie / Pris / Ziggy / Pearl / Stardust

Gender: Female

Star sign: Taurus

Height: 5’3" 1/2

Time: 9:20pm

Birthday: May 4th

Fave Bands: BUCK-TICK, Styx, Evanescence, Within Temptation, Nightwish, Florence + The Machine, Blutengel, HIM, The Cars, Marianas Trench, Theatre of Tragedy, Bon Jovi, The Police, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Pierces, tatu, Arctic Monkeys, Queen, etc.

Fave Solo Artists: Atsushi Sakurai, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Sting, David Bowie, Tom Petty, Amy Lee, Emilie Autumn, Catherine Pierce, Avril Lavigne, Jem, Tiffany, Mariah Carey, Billie Piper, Belinda Carlisle, Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, etc.

Song that is stuck in my head: "Three Wishes" by The Pierces

Last show I watched: Yu Yu Hakusho

Why I created this blog: As an art/personal sideblog

What kind of content do I post/reblog: Mostly cross-posts from my Instagram and art blog on wordpress

Last thing I googled: "Canadian Arctic Archipelago" for story-writing purposes

Other blogs: My main @shayurikarasu / my SO @murderofkarasu / RP @android-17 / RP @absolutelysweetyuri / YYH sideblog @yuri-and-mikau / Fanblog @dedicatedtodavid / Art team blog @tealightstories / Guest corner @tealightguestcorner

Why I chose my url: I have often gone by LunarArtist over the years and on most art sites, and added "Angel" as my imaginary SO's name for me (I had asked him what would he name me if he had found me without a name, and he thought for a while, before deciding on Angel) ♡

I follow: 372

Followers: 17 here / 107 on main

Lucky numbers: I dunno ... 13? Maybe 17, 18, or 29 I guess (the Android twins + my Android SI/OC who wears a shirt with 13 on it, plus Friday the 13th is a lucky day for me and my brothers plus my renewed wedding day with my SO ♡)

Last book I read: The Bible / New Testament

[trustatwork]

Wowhead full discography

It was about creating a distinct groove so arrangements came from weaving in and out of those linear grooves. The sequence/arpeggiator parts were all drum machine triggers that were played live. I’ve always seen rhythm at the core of what I do so I loved the layering of counter rhythms. I became very adept at pressing record then jumping onto equipment to play it – it was actually a very ‘live’ record in that sense. “I slept very little in those days,” he adds, continuing: “It was done on 8 track and very multi-tracked, so lots of recording, then bouncing, and overdubbing, to get the integrated feel of the tracks. “Pow Wow” was commissioned by the Fetish Records label, and recorded at the Cabs’ Western Works studio, where Mallinder would spend his days recording with Cabaret Voltaire, and continue on alone into night recording his debut solo material. There was a sense of new magik emerging.” We were just as interested in turning over rocks to see what lay beneath, as throwing them. There was acknowledgement of the importance of books, films, graphic art, and experimentation with all those mediums. Punk had championed a visceral, anti-intellectual approach but in truth the real characters brought so much more to the table, and what began to happen- from people like The Pop Group to Throbbing Gristle, and emerging scenes from No New York to Factory Records – is we began to embrace the art of it all. Much looser vibes were in the air and there was a much more exploratory feel. The primal caterwaul of punk was dying and lots of really significant things were emerging from the fires. “It was an interesting, and inspiring, time. Some words from Mr.Mallinder on the scene and era from which “Pow Wow” was born: This collection of mutant dub/funk/postpunk sounds just as fresh and contemporary in 2020 as it did in 1982 (note Autechre’s inclusion of standout cut “Del Sol” in a mix earlier this year), and highlights Mallinder’s crucial contributions to Cabaret Voltaire. Now expanded to a double-LP, and also released on CD/digital, it’s a definitive reissue which now includes Mallinder’s early solo discography in its entirety. This discography lists the recorded performances as a duo and individuals.A new sub-label of the longstanding Canadian electro imprint Suction Records, Ice Machine - focusing on old-school wave/post-punk sounds - is thrilled to present a new, deluxe reissue of “Pow Wow”, the debut 1982 solo LP from Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder. The Neptunes discography - The Neptunes are a two member producing group consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. Contents 1 Albums 2 Singles 2.1 Featured Singles 3 Guest Appeareances … Wikipedia Stories *2003: The Northise Compilation inglesoloFeatured… … Wikipediaĭa Brat discography - This is the discography of the American female rapper, Da Brat. Swizz Beatz discography - This is the discography of Swizz Beatz, an American hip hop record producer/rapper.Albumstudio*2007: One Man Band Man *2008: Life After the Party Compilations*2002: Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Jermaine Dupri production discography - Songs produced or written by Jermaine Dupri.1992Kris Kross Totally Krossed Out * Producer of the whole album Jermaine Dupri *Singels: *02 Jump *04 Warm It Up *09 It s A Shame *10 I Missed the Bus 1993 =Kris Kross Da Bomb = *01 Intro (Produced by… … Wikipedia My Baby (Bow Wow song) - My Baby Single by Bow Wow featuring Jagged Edge from the album Unleashed Released 2003 Format CD single Recorded … WikipediaĬhris Brown discography - Chris Brown discography Brown performing in 2008 Releases ↙Studio albums … Wikipedia Background information Origin London, England … Wikipediaīow Wow - Infobox musical artist Name = Bow Wow Background = solo singer Birth name = Shad Gregory Moss Alias = Born = birth date and age|1987|03|09 Origin = Columbus, Ohio, United States Genre = Hip hop, pop rap Occupation = Rapper, actor, and record… … Wikipedia Bow Wow Wow Bow Wow Wow, 1982, West Berlin. Bow Wow Wow - Not to be confused with Bow Wow (band) or Bow Wow (rapper).

[passionate-reply]

I swear, you get caught eating barbequed iguana once, and you absolutely never live it down. That’s what happened to Wall of Voodoo, who are known almost exclusively for their quirky novelty hit “Mexican Radio.” But the rest of the album it appeared on is surprisingly serious, and actually rather dark. Find out all about it by watching my video review, or reading the transcript below the break!

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! On today’s episode, I am once again diving into the realm of alleged “one hit wonders” who had a lot more going on than just one song. This time, it’s Wall of Voodoo, and their 1982 LP, Call of the West. It’s a shame, if you ask me, but most people who have heard anything at all by Wall of Voodoo know them for what is probably the least interesting song anywhere on this album: “Mexican Radio.”

Music: “Mexican Radio”

Get caught eating barbecued iguana once, and you never live it down, I suppose. “Mexican Radio” isn’t a terrible song, but I do think it’s the least effective expression of this album’s core themes on offer. As its title implies, Call of the West is a semi-concept album, focused around the mythic image of America and the Far West. It was actually Wall of Voodoo’s second LP--a followup to their 1981 debut, Dark Continent. Despite that title, it isn’t an album about Africa, but rather one that has a lot of thematic common ground with Call of the West: blue-collar angst, disaffected and brutal masculinities, and a whiff of things strange and surreal.

Music: “Two Minutes Till Lunch”

Aside from the themes, the basic musical structure of tracks like “Two Minutes Till Lunch” is reminiscent of the style of Call of the West as well: dense, clattering mechanical rhythms, ghoulish flourishes of harmonica, and frontman Stanard Ridgway’s unmistakable, dipthonged speak-singing, seemingly delivered exclusively through the side of his mouth at an odd angle. But Dark Continent is a bit harsher overall, with more of a foothold in the punk side of post-punk. Call of the West is an album in the full flush of New Wave: quirky, tongue-in-cheek, and not afraid to lay down a bit more synthesiser. While “Mexican Radio” reads as almost disposably gimmicky, like a musically competent novelty song, I think the other tracks on the album strike more of a balance between wicked irony and being unironically enjoyable.

Music: “Tomorrow”

“Tomorrow” is, by far, the track on this album that I think most deserves to have been its big hit single. Despite its privileged position as opening track, an affable, lightly electronic soundscape, and rather singable pop hookiness, it was actually never released as a single at all! I think “Tomorrow” does a great job at being something very fun, but also something a bit daring and artistic. It’s easy to love a sort of relatable, goofy song about procrastination, but its “apocalyptic” finish turns it into something a bit more profound. I think Call of the West shines even more once we get away from three-minute pop songs and into the album’s more atmospheric tracks.

Music: “Hands of Love”

While the heavy use of rhythm machines is a hallmark of the album overall, and stands out given its rarity on such an early and rock-oriented album, “Hands of Love” is probably the composition centered most tightly around the instrument. Aside from that, what I think always brings me back to this track is the vague, shadowy quality of its lyrics--some details are familiar, but the overall picture is hauntingly unnerving. Several tracks on Call of the West present the theme of loneliness and social isolation, toying with the American myths of rugged individualism and the empty expanse of the West. “They Don’t Want Me” tackles outright rejection by others in a direct manner, whereas the narrator of “Tomorrow” ruins their own relationships through fecklessness. “Mexican Radio,” of course, introduces a character so desperate for companionship that they seek it in a language they don’t even understand. But I think “Hands of Love” reigns supreme here, with its motif of hands losing their grip...perhaps losing their grip on reality.

Besides the loneliness resulting from the spread-apart American landscape, other tracks on the album address the lifestyles of the down and out--people who have put their faith in an “American Dream” of independence and self-reliance, but failed to achieve prosperity. We meet compulsive gamblers in “Lost Weekend,” a doomed secret agent in “Spy World,” and, on “Factory,” perhaps the album’s most riveting character of all: a factory labourer whose work has disabled him both physically and mentally.

Music: “Factory”

Like so many exploited workers in America, the narrator of “Factory” has no class consciousness, and seems unable to imagine a better or different life for himself, or strive for anything more than the banal comforts of consumerism. But he tells of a phantom itch in his missing thumb, which we might interpret as a metaphor for the vague, gnawing idea of other possibilities...particularly as he remarks that as a child, he was told he could be anything he wanted. The arrangement of this track buries Ridgway’s lead vocal to an extent, though never so much that we can’t make out its harrowing lyrics. I imagine it’s a representation of how suppressed the narrator’s internality and sense of self has become.

On the cover of Call of the West, we find a mysterious, crooked door, which is just slightly ajar, inviting us into this album’s strange world. It’s the only feature in a desolate red desert-scape, besides the outline of some bluffs against its horizon. It could be the landscape of Mars just as easily as it could the wide-open emptiness of the Far West. Just as the album’s title implies being welcomed or beckoned into the mythic West, the cover art is darkly inviting to the viewer.

While I don’t normally discuss the visual identity of albums outside of their front cover, I do want to make an exception for Call of the West, whose liner notes show the interior of the implied dwelling, decorated with a slew of peculiar trinkets: a taxidermied crocodile, a spilling bottle of liquor, a statue of a buffalo, and what appear to be antique slave shackles. There’s a lot of rich symbolism here, and I think it’s a beautiful addition to the album’s themes, but I never saw it until I owned this album on vinyl! In the age of digital music, we often lose some of these more complex touches when “album art” is reduced to a single square image, and that’s quite unfortunate.

Despite having a relative breakout hit, Call of the West would prove to be the final album Wall of Voodoo released with their original lineup. Frontman Stanard Ridgway would pursue a solo career, scoring a surprise hit in Germany with his 1986 single “Camouflage,” a ghost story set during the Vietnam War. He’s remained active as an independent artist through the 2010s. The rest of the band kept the name Wall of Voodoo alive for the remainder of the 1980s, replacing Ridgway with Andy Prieboy.

Music: “Camouflage”

My favourite track on Call of the West is its title track, which is the final track on the album. Like a lot of title tracks, it’s lengthy enough that you can really sink your teeth into it, and serves as a sort of summation of everything that’s happening throughout the album. It’s got cowboyish guitars, yipping coyotes, and a striking transition to a spoken-word bridge, which flows naturally from Ridgway’s unmannered vocal style. That’s all I have for today--thanks for listening!

Outro: “Call of the West”