Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Monday, July 18, 2022
Pies & Prejudice - In Search of the North by Stuart Maconie # 1 The Housemarttins
I shouldn't really need an excuse to re-read Stuart Maconie's Pies & Prejudice. It's one of my favourite books of my kind. Social commentary which has very few comparisons. The ones with J.B.Priestley, Bill Brydon and Alan Bennett that have been made are richly deserved. It's so funny for starters. Living in the Northernmost English city, Newcastle, and having done so for almost fifteen years is another good excuse to read it again. The fact that it also has plenty of Pop Culture references gives me and excuse to itemise my reading experience here.
In the first twenty five pages Maconie has a jolly good laugh at London. And why not. Having been brought up there, I'm well aware that it thoroughly deserves it sometimes.
Can - All Gates Open - The Story of Can # 13 Can
The book goes on for another couple of hundred pages but these concern themselves with legacy, influence, foot notes and index so I'll take my leave of it here. Can, certainly among the special ones.
Song(s) of the Day # 3,092 Rose Mercie
As always, I'm highly grateful when somebody directs me towards something special that I might not otherwise come across. A cursory listen is enough to tip you off that this is immediately a record of note.
The record's called Kieres Agua and it's the second album by French female quartet Rosie Mercie. That common currently ubiquitousand frankly debased term Post Punk actually seems appropriate on this occasion. It feels like a relic from a previous age, so imbued is it with wonder and primitive wisdom.
Sung or chanted in French, Spanish or English as the mood takes them, it has a tribal, pagan quality which is a welcome reminder of the early Eighties when this kind of startling quality was actually commonplace.
Musical comparisons are inevitably female ones; Raincoats, Slits, Kleenex, Liliput, Lizzie Mercier Descloux, Au Pairs. Rose Mercie are not shamed in this company. The record is that good,
Truly a revelation and a reminder that this kind of thing can still be done in 2022 if the spirit of enquiry is genuinely enquiring.
Sunday, July 17, 2022
Songs About People # 1,353 Enid Blyton
Apparently a rather complex woman as with many revered children's writers.
Things Found on My Local's Jukebox # 515 The Cryan' Shames
Been listening to this quite a bit over the last few days. Later adapted by Brian Jonestown Massacre as Sailor on Bravery, Repetition and Noise, but frankly it's a weak imitation of this.
Can - All Gates Open - The Story of Can # 12 Can
Can's disintegration begins with their first genuine clunker of a record in Out of Reach. Czugay and Schmidt are temporarily estranged and even though they are given additional kudos with the endorsement they get from emerging Punks, John Lydon and Pete Shelley, their days seem numbered.
Song(s) of the Day # 3,091 Battle Ave.
'I Saw The Egg' is the the third album from Catskills band, Battle Ave. and their first for seven years. It's melodic, approachable leftfield fare, the kind of untuned guitar approach that might make you think of the likes of Grandaddy, Band of Horses and Dinosaur Jr. and then go back from there to the real granndaddys of this approach, Neil Young & Crazy Horse.
If you like that stuff then you'll surely like this. Despite their long absence, Battle Ave. haven't forgotton how to do what they do. The record starts with the sound of a baby crying. She's Esther, the daughter of band leader Jesse Dohetry. It's an invitation to an album that like Esther is vulnerable and emotionally honest.
It's also well versed in its chosen generic style. I Saw The Egg may remind you of Dinosaur or Young but it's never slavish to either of them because the songs here are sturdy, crafted product in their own.
I thoroughly enjoyed this on first listen and wager I'll back which is always my ultimate indicator on whather a record passes muster, given what this blog tries to do . It's going to be on my end of year albums rundown too. Time will decide where. A highly likeable and durable album.
Saturday, July 16, 2022
Lawn - Bigger Sprout
New Orleans duo Lawn have been on my radar for a few years now and featured regularly on this blog. Their first two albums, 2018's Blood on The Tracks and 2020's Johnny both figured high on my end of year chart rundowns and got much play on my part.
Now they're back with another, Bigger Sprout, which seeing as it only runs to seven tracks, hardly qualifies as a third album. It's more Lawn goodness though, plying a similar sound to what we've come to expect from them.
What makes Lawn most notable, apart from the consistent excellence of their songs, is the contrast between their two songwriters. One favours a fairly conventional jingly jangly approach, one part Kinks, one part Alex Chilton or dB's. The other is consistently more deranged, though also highly melodic and sings like one of The Muppets Band, Animal probably.
I've always loved what they do and love this too. That they have no apparent profile still is slightly shocking to me given how good they are but I greatly appreciate everything they do.
Can - All Gates Open - The Story of Can # 11 Can
Having lost Damo, Can keep moving forward. To Flow Motion from which they pluck I Want More, which remarkably becomes a sizeable UK hit and finds them on Top of the Pops.
Song(s) of the Day # 3,090 Geowolf
Listening to an awful lot of music, which doing this, by default of course I do, you come to some interesting conclusions. As to the abiding influences on artists nowadays. Looking at the Nineties you might expect Nirvana, Brit Pop, Trip Hop or Radiohead. Instead the sound I generally hear are Pavement, Stereolab, Broadcast, Elliott Smith and Mazzy Star.
London duo Geowolf sound like Mazzy Star on new EP Whirlwind. Mazzy Lite perhaps. Hazy, floating female vocals over twanging guitars from the Sixties. It's not the most essential sound when you consider the option of actually listening to the original. Eventually I went for that, switching to She Hangs Brightly, but it's a solid record.
Friday, July 15, 2022
Laura Veirs - Found Light
I didn't rush to listen to Laura Veirs new record Found Light for some reason. I'm not sure why not. I've liked her stuff previously. I think I didn't care for one of the taster tracks, Eucalyptus, heard in isolation.
Still I got round to listening to it yesterday afternoon. It was exactly the right moment to do so. We've been suffering or experiencing something of a heatwave where I'm living for the past few days. In my case the latter.
For me the heat, or rather the humidity is quite intolerable. I'm working from home and I sweat and suffer as best I can to make it through the night. Barely able to sleep and during the day I wilt at my desk until I can get out and actually make the most of it for a while.
In this respect Found Light is a godsend. Never have a weather spell and a record been so well suited. It's a positively sultry record, just made to be listened to on the hottest day of the year.
Definitely a concept in terms of mood. It all has the still, airless quality that any fan of Girl From Ipanema will appreciate.
All in all a rather lovely record. The still point of the turning world.
The Mojo Collection - The Ultimate Music Companion # 55 The Monks - Black Monk Time
'This was some of the hardest, most minimal and monochromatic Rock'n' Roll ever heard.'
Song(s) of the Day # 3,089 Yeah-Ming & The Rumours
Innocence, sunshine and the waves rolling ceaselessly onto an endless sandy shore, come immediately to mind on Yeah-Ming & The Rumours latest record So, Bird.
An album that could be twinned with the Adult Net's The Honey Tangle or any of the early Bangle's early records. It's charms are immediately apparent and feasible.
A record where the sun never sets. Just charming.
Thursday, July 14, 2022
Coming Up # 17 Santigold
Always happy with the prospect of new Santigold. Here's her latest taster for new album Spirituals, which arrives in early September.
Can - All Gates Open - The Story of Can # 9 Can
From Ege Bamyasi to Future Days. Some imperial phase.
The Mojo Collection - The Ultimate Music Companion # 54 The Mamas & The Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
'They looked and sounded like nothing else, before or since.'
Song(s) of the Day # 3,088 Silver Biplanes
The writer of the Did Not Chart blog at the right hand side of this page doesn't post that often, but when he does his suggestions are generally worth following. Certainly this. In his words 'Forever Changes mariachi meets bewitching English Folk.'
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Things Found on My Local's Jukebox # 514 Judee Sill
Having requested this, it will get repeated play.
Song(s) of the Day # 3,087 Modern Diet
Brooklyn's Modern Diet with a laidback, minimilist and easy going album called The State of Things that I've found much to my liking over the past few days.
A band that apparently 'met and bonded outside OMG Pizza in the middle of the night, bonding over feminity and food intolerances,' They chart the modern condition and trying to find stillness within it.
Somewhere between The Shins and The Roches, if that comparison makes any sense. Swooning and understated.
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Can - All Gates Open - The Story of Can # 7 Can
Further, fascinating documentation of Tago Mago and the band's working processes.
Song(s) of the Day # 3,086 Anand Wilder
It's fairly commonplace to recognise band or artists reference points relatively quickly these days. A guitar band that has listened a lot to Pavement. Another that is in thrall to bands in the C-86 movement. He singer or songwriter who clearly venerates Nilsson.
Anand Wilder is not quite one of those. He owes a debt vocally to Marc Bolan's tender quiver. He has something of Donavan's hippy lovechild about him. I was sometimes reminded of Elliott Smith or Fairport Convention.
All of these inspirations make Wilder's latest album I Don't Know My Words, altogether the kind of thing Wes Anderton might listen to when he gets home. There's definitely a whimsy to all of this. A preciousness. But also poetic, rich and florid quality to Wilder's songwriting and delivery that's really quite rare nowadays.
Wilder has a rich track record. He was lead singer for Yeasayer, who were active for more than a decade before going their separate ways in 2019. I don't know their records but was aware their reputation was considerable and I Don't Know My Words, his first record since then, will definitely inspire me to investigate further.
It's a beguiling and intriguing record. Definitely owing a debt to the late Sixties and the artists I've mentioned but with plenty of bohemian and poetic fire of its own, in its own loins. Highly recommended.
Monday, July 11, 2022
Things Found on My Local's Jukebox # 513 Herbie Hancock
Sometimes what you want to her is already on the jukebox.
Covers # 196 Andy Bell
A fairly straight cover of Pentangle's Night Flight. But a song thats conventions need to be respected.
Songs About People # 1,352 Grayson Perry
One for one of the great Contemporary Art signifiers.Judging by this, it's a shame that The Graphite Set haven't put any records out since 2013.
Can - All Gates Open - The Story of Can # 6 Can
Dam Suzuki replaces Mooney and Can move onto Phase Two with the extraordinary Tago Mago.
Song(s) of the Day # 3,085 Weird Nightmare
Side project for METZ leader Alex Edkins, it seems de rigeur for everyone in leftfield bands to have a couple of these going these days. Weird Nightmare's debut is a true blast of fresh air.
Though I like METZ, thery're a bit relentless for me. This is much more to my taste. Sheets of guitar layer sweet pop pills the way JAMC, Nirvana, Husker Du and Mission of Burma used to do it back in the day.
There's plenty to enjoy here and plenty of reminders of Pop's more outre guitar past,.stand out track Luistania takes remarkable liberties with The Who's The Kids are Alright,but I'm not complaining.
Edkins has enough nous and love for what he's doing to vary the volume and intensity of attack, and turn down the speed and give things the light and shade you'd expect from an outstanding album. That's just what this is. I was really thrilled.
Sunday, July 10, 2022
Songs Heard on the Radio # 417 Flora Hibberd
I know nothing about Flora Hibberd. Perhaps I should find out more.
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