Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Things Found on My Local's Jukebox # 326 Stereolab
With the Felt series coming to a close, it will probably be Stereolab next. So this find last night is in anticipation of that.
Song(s) of the Day # 1,725 Peel Dream Magazine
Joe Stevens' New York Project Peel Dream Magazine, are Anglo-Indie classicists, worshiping at the altar of the early Nineties. Taking the first part of their name from legendary British DJ John Peel, they could easily have gained his approval and been invited in for an evening session had they been active in those increasingly far-off days.
Their first album Modern Meta Physic, (just out), is a tasteful, hipster swirl. Taking its cue from the third and fourth,(unreleased until years later), Velvet Underground albums. Ultra Vivid Scene, the quieter My Bloody Valentine, The Delgados and most especially Stereolab also sprinkle ingredients into the mix.
It's a bit monotonous at times but monotony is definitely part of the appeal of this stuff and the more I listen to it the more more-ish it gets. There are some very fine songs here and altogether this a highly promising debut. Groovy baby!
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Song(s) of the Day # 1,724 Adrianne Lenker
Adrianne Lenker is building herself a remarkable legacy in a remarkably short time. As leader of Big Thief, the Brooklyn based four-piece, she's helped shape two of the most notable albums of the last couple of years in Masterpiece and Capacity, and now she's back again, (astonishingly soon), with a solo record abysskiss. It's one of the best records of an abundant harvest crop released for early autumn.
Appropriately it's a simpler record instrumentally than either of the Big Thief albums, the band sound cut away, with songs stripped pretty much to the bone of circling acoustic guitar, and Lenker's keening sorrowful voice.
But the songs themselves are every bit as strong as those on Masterpiece and Capacity. In many respects it's difficult to divine if Lenker is a glass half full or glass half empty type. The things she writes are consistently imbued with pain, with the knowledge of how we can mistreat and abuse each other, but at the same time they're also grained with a maternal, healing grace.
In some respects she shares some things in common with Cat Power yesterday's Song of the Day artist on here . There's a simplicity in her work and in that simplicity lies an essential, minimalist beauty. Lenker is a star in the making. Perhaps somewhere along the line she'll get some of the mainstream adulation that Chan Marshall's on the receiving end of now. She'll certainly have earned it by the time it comes along. abykiss, like its predecessors, is just magnificent.
Monday, October 8, 2018
Songs About People # 713 Little Richard
Death Grips do their full on assault thing like some modern update of Suicide. The song is called Little Richard. Whether it's about this Little Richard is anybody's guess, there's certainly little indication in the lyrics but for the sake of this series we're going to say it is...
Things Found on My Local's Jukebox # 326 Cat Power
In honour of the new Cat Power album I put this on at Rosie's from her breakthrough record Moon Pix and it sounded wonderful.
Song(s) of the Day # 1,723 Cat Power
The story of Cat Power, (Chan Marshall), is as remarkable one as any in modern Rock and Roll. An 'outsider' artist who for many years made her way through the alternative scene of small venues, underground gigs and DIY culture and with a reputation for being on the edge in every way possible. She has, bit by bit over the intervening two decades of her musical career, made inroads into mainstream American culture to the point where her last record 2012's Sun, made the Top Ten Billboard Album chart.
Now she's back with Wanderer and it's a mesmerising listen. A marginalised woman and artist who has journeyed to a place where she demands attention through the sheer, undeniable power of her talent alone. Wanderer is as sparse and spartan as any of her previous records, it's just Cat's voice really plus the most minimal of instrumentation but there's so much soul, passion, heartbreak and feeling here.. In many ways she's a Folk or Blues artist, in the purest sense of those traditions (in a line from Robert Johnson and Leadbelly), and here the production has the clearest, state of the art sheen imaginable.
You get Woman, a duet with Lana Del Ray. You get Stay, a cover of the Rihanna song. You get auto-tune.You get Black, one of the best songs I've heard this year, which I hope I'll be able to post on here in my end of year rundown. The whole album's a treasure, eleven tracks to slot upon a back catalogue that's already crammed with classics. We should be grateful we have her.
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Phosphorescent - C'est La Vie
Phosphorescent, (the stage name for Matthew Houck), originally from Huntsville, Alabama, is back with his ninth album C'est La Vie. It's his seventh album in all, and though I'm not familiar with the whole of that back back catalogue, I did fall under the spell of his last studio album Muchacho, which came out in 2013.
Six years on and not an enormous amount has changed in Houck's world sonically. Though much has changed apparently in his life. He's found contented relationship, started a family, moved from New York to Nashville, built his own studio and almost died from meningitis, and made C'est La Vie. It's a haunting, dazzling record and is well worth the wait.
Houck gazes out from its cover, looking something like a leaner Demis Roussos, in awe, wonder and apparent pain. It's a striking image and it fits well to the narrative of the record which comes on like a spiritual quest. I heard the album playing yesterday when I walked into Fopp the splendid record chain on Rose Street in Edinburgh and it sounded terrific, the kind of album made to be played in record shops so curious customers can ask who it is.
The record has one song that sounds like a hit, though these things are probably never actual hits nowadays. That song is New Birth in New England where Houck is sat in a bar drinking a beer and considering another when he chances upon a stranger who he feels he knows. It's a rare carefree moment, reminded me a bit of today's Heart of Rock & Soul song Girls Just Want To Have Fun melodically. I can't hold it against the guy. He deserves happiness however momentary.
Elsewhere there's much of the spiritual melancholic swirl we expect from Phosphorescent. Cosmic Music. On the nine minute centrepiece Around The Horn, he goes all motorik on us and it's a joy to behold. Neu! backing Gram. Houck may have found contentment, we have to hope he has. He may not know where he's going but he hasn't forgotten where he's come from. As he said when interviewed in this month's Mojo:
'This life is sad, for all its gorgeousness. The overriding thing at any point if you give it a second of reflective thought is just, it's such a sad deal (laughs). So that's always at the forefront, y'know?'
Things Found on My Local's Jukebox # 325 Blur
A one off single from Blur from the early millennium not attached to any album. It still sounds just great, highly indebted to Can of course, but that's no bad thing.
Song of the Day # 1,722 Black Pumas
Something of Curtis Mayfield to the vocals here on a fine debut from an Austin, Texas band.
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Song(s) of the Day # 1,721 Mush
Fabulous Leeds band, who've been around for a while but are only just starting to build a social media presence, hence their late arrival on here. You get Gig Economy, their latest single and Alternative Facts, a classic debut from last year. All nine minutes of it!
Friday, October 5, 2018
Song of the Day # 1,720 Red Telephone
Highly promising young Welsh trio. Taking their name from the Love song from Forever Changes you'd assume, there's something of that band's punky snarl here. But they're also distinctly British with echoes of Barrett, Bowiem Bolan, Anderson, Haines and the Super Furries. It will be interesting to hear what comes next.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Songs About People # 712 George Bernard Shaw
German band Entferner sing song about GBS. What their sentiments are exactly I cannot say as my knowledge of that particular language is no longer really up to scratch, but it's certainly spirited.
Song(s) of the Day # 1,719 Hotel
They're from Paris. They're a duo. One bloke, one woman. They're called Hotel. They do that electro-cool thing which had its roots in the early Eighties, I personally hear Fade To Grey, quite strongly in its mix. These two come from a recently released five track EP which does nothing at all to surprise you but which you're glad, (or at least I'm glad), is here. 'Plus le change plus la meme chose.'
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Things Found on My Local's Jukebox # 324 Teenage Fanclub
Catholic Education and Bandwagonesque make their way onto the jukebox at Rosie's.
Song of the Day # 1,718 Ottilie Patterson
With thanks to Bob Stanley, that wonderful Pop archivist, who directed me to this from 1969.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Echo & the Bunnymen - The Somnambulist
The Bunnymen miraculously clawing back some of their prime time glory with a new song from their forthcoming album The Stars, The Ocean & The Moon where they also revisit many of their luminous classics. That's out this Friday.
Things Found on My Local's Jukebox # 323 Scott McKenzie
This has been going round my head for a number of days. No idea why really. It's as kitsch as anything, and probably marks the moment everything that was going on in San Francisco went overground and became as much about commerce and cliche as ideals. Still it's got a great a great melody and utterly captures a moment. 'People in motion...'
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