Brian James's Blog, page 10

Weekend Music Roundup

The weekend is here! At least in my corner of the world, the weather has decided to act as it should, turning decidedly autumn like for the start of school. This week I'm rounding up a bunch of new acquisitions, most of which remind me of my days starting school way back when. There was always this feeling at this time of year, the time when you started having to abide by a schedule again, a schedule of doing homework and listening to music, that made me really eager for new sounds. That feeling never left. This is mostly rock, from soul rock to goth rock. Hopefully there's some new sounds here for you to enjoy.

Fantastic Negrito - Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?: This is the third album from the Oakland soul blues rock band and my first introduction to them. This was one of those bands that from the first song I heard, I knew I had to hear the whole thing. It's just up-tempo rock infused with soul, the kind of album that only ever seems to come out of California. "I'm So Happy I Cry," "Searching for Captain Save a Hoe," "How Long?" "All Up in my Space," and "King Frustration" are all standouts on this wonderful album. 

 

The Flaming Lips - In a Priest Driven Ambulance: The iconic Oklahoma bands fourth album was released in 1990 and is often cited as the culmination of their early work into one of the true gems of early "alternative." It's rougher, less focused than their present Floydian sound and holds more in common with The Replacements or Sonic Youth than anything resembling psych rock. "Shine Sweet Jesus," "Take Me Ta Mars," "Five Stop Mother Superior Rain," and their rendition of "Wonderful World" are standouts. 

 

Christian Death - Catastrophe Ballet: The second album from one of the pioneering American Goth bands out of L.A.. Released in '84, two years after their debut, this is dark cabaret at it's purest. While the music would have been haunting to listeners at the time, and even some now, viewed from distance and the further evolution of darkwave, it's simply artistic rather than horrifying. Being from L.A., it blends the gothic UK sound with the emerging glam style of that city. "Sleepwalk," "The Drowning," and "Electra Descending" are favorites.  

 

Gorillaz - G Sides: Originally released in 2002 on CD, not too long after their debut, this compilation was released on vinyl for the first time on Record Store Day this year. Damon Albarn is held in the highest regards in my household, not only by me, but especially by my Missus who would rank him as her favorite musician. I picked this up more to complete the collection but actually find myself pleasantly surprised. In those early days, there was an effort to make this project sound unlike Damon's other styles, but on these B-sides we see what would later emerge. Not to mention the re-mixes are very solid. I should've checked this out years ago.

 

Cheap Trick - In Color:  Released in the summer of '77, just six months after their self-titled debut, this is the second album from the Mid-West hard rock foursome. The late 70s were a changing of the guard as rock began to splinter into lots of genres. The "classic" blues based hard rock bands were getting older and the next generation were coming up. This a great solid rock record that stands alongside Aerosmith, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and other honest rock music of the era.  "Oh Caroline," "Clock Strikes Ten," "Hello There," and "Downed"are personal favorites. 

 

High Climbers - High Climbers EP: Released in 2014, this is the debut EP from the Bristol UK band. Since then, they've put out a bunch of stuff, all available from their Bandcamp site linked above. They have a mellow psychedelic folk sound that really grabbed me. Only three tracks, but all of them are pretty great. Their unique vibe is something any fan of the genre will appreciate and I highly recommend checking them out.

 

Fiction Friday (114)

 

I don't always review the books here that I've read with my daughter, but when they're novels, I tend to...and thankfully she's that age now where I can read longer stories to her over the course of a few weeks. Our latest read-aloud was a book that I hadn't read since childhood, but from the movie, I know inside and out. It was a pleasure to revisit this story with her. She is currently referring to it as her favorite book.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White(Harper, 1952)

Friendships, especially those we make when we are young, are some of the most special bonds we can make. Wilbur, the lovable pig from E.B. White's story, makes two very special connections when he's a piglet. The first is Fern, the girl who first saves his life by protesting that a runt doesn't deserve to die simply because he is small. She serves as his mother, until he is big enough to live on her uncle's farm. That's when he meets Charlotte, he first real friend.

Everyone knows the plot of this story, knows how Charlotte's cleverness saves Wilbur from the slaughterhouse by spinning words into her web. And the story is memorable, very well defined and well written, but it's the theme of friendship that makes this book so very special. It demonstrates to young children how we rely on the support of our friends, and how true friends are willing to go the extra step to help. It also deals with loss in a profound and age appropriate way, and more importantly, illustrates the cycle of life and healing that is to come when some one close passes on.

There are some timeless tales that are considered timeless for a reason, and this is certainly one of them. Though it was written almost 70 years ago, it doesn't feel dated.

Weekend Music Roundup

 

 

Welcome to the unofficial last weekend of summer! As most of us, myself included, get ready to send our children "off" to school on the computer next week, it's worth a little effort to unwind and listen to some music. So naturally, I've chosen mostly albums that anything but relaxing. There's mostly rock on here, some new releases, one new and one past Record Store Day release, and lastly, a relaxing album from 1970. Hopefully there's something of interest here for you. Enjoy.

Delta Shade - Low: The second album from Cali based hard blues rock band was released back in March. It has a 70s hard rock vibe to it. A bit psychedelic and bit stoner rock, the playing is solid even if it doesn't break any new ground. I found this album to be sort of uneven, not widely uneven, but there are certainly songs that are more intriguing than others. However, people who love this genre will certainly find this release appealing. "Fire," and "Hollow" were the real standouts for me. 

JARV IS... - Beyond the Pale: This is the debut album from Jarvis Cocker's (Pulp) new band. Jarvis has always been esoteric, and more than a bit pretentious, but that's always been part of his charm. Both qualities come through simply with the title of the band. The art pop, electro style is not far off from what Pulp was setting the groundwork for back in the day. It reminds of the kind of work Luke Haines has been doing. It also reminds me of Leonard Cohen's The Future, but infused with uppers. "Must I Evolve?," "Am I Missing Something," and "House Music All Night Long" are personal favorites on a surprisingly refreshing album. 

Tones on Tail - 'Pop': The one and only album from the short lived goth rock band from 1984. The band is Daniel Ash's post Bauhaus and pre Love and Rockets band. A re-issue for Record Store Day was not to be missed as this is an exceptional album that keeps the darkness of Bauhaus yet includes the more melodic nature of Love and Rockets. "Lions," "War," "The Never Never (Is Forever)," "Movement of Fear," and "Real Life" are personal favorites on this stellar album.

The Flaming Lips - The Mushroom Tapes: This archival compilation of demos recorded in '89 for the In a Priest Driven Ambulance was much bootlegged and finally released for Record Store Day two years ago and had been sitting in my digital bin to listen to for about that long. The Oklahoma experimental psych band has had a pretty brilliant career as a whole, but there are certainly pieces that are far too esoteric that show up. I was worried this would be one of those everybody-is-on-acid-and-isn't-oh-so-far-out kind of albums. And while there certainly is some of that going on here, for the most part it's pretty coherent lo-fi noise rock. "Take Meta Mars," "Five Stop Mother Superior Rain," "Stand in Line," "Cold Day," "God's a Wheeler Dealer," and "One Shot" are standouts.  Bob Brown - The Wall I Built Myself: This is the 1970 debut from the D.C. singer songwriter was produced by Richie Havens, which kind of shows the promise this artist showed. He only released two albums in his career, this and the '71 follow-up Willoughby's Lament, but his two stellar albums leave a lasting imprint. Though I prefer the follow-up, this one is also quite brilliant. Part Paul Simon, part Tim Buckley, and part Nick Drake, Brown's songwriting, arrangements, and voice are mature beyond his youthful years on this record. "Monday Virus," "First Light," "Winds of Change," and "Icarus" are all exceptional tracks on this wonderful debut. 

Fiction Friday (113)

 

After a failure to secure a library book for further Alice readings, I remembered that I had an Alice-related book on my shelves that I'd never read. Problem solved. I've had this book for about twenty years, and picked it up mainly for the cover, but since I've been exploring Wonderland related materials this summer, I decided to go for it, and I'm glad I did.

 

Black Alice by Thomas M. Disch and John Sladek

(Doubleday, 1968)

Alice is most certainly not in Wonderland...but Virginia in the late '60s holds a lot of parallels.

Alice is 12 year old heiress who is kidnapped and held for a $1,000,000 ransom. Her kidnappers drug her and feed her pills that change her, they don't make her smaller or grow larger, but they die her pale skin a coffee brown. They dye her blond hair black and use a curling iron to burn it into tight kinks. When she comes out of her daze, Alice isn't entirely sure who she is anymore. Is proper little Alice, or just another little 'Negro' girl that nobody will ever notice?

This is one of those rare crime thrillers that transcends into literature, beyond just the clever Alice's Adventures in Wonderland elements. Below the main kidnapping plot, this book is about race relations and tensions between the KKK and Civil Rights activists. What's really refreshing about this being a subtext of the book, instead of the main drive, is that it doesn't seem to take a position on the subject...at least not obviously (through Alice's actions, we know where the author's stand).

What we get is picture of this time and what was going on, through the eyes of an observer who has little vested interest in the outcome. It's a snapshot of contemporary social unrest from the past. Any story written today that would be set in that time would inevitably be a revisionist portrait.

Berlin Between the Wars

 

My latest television binge obsession comes in the form of the German language Netflix show, Babylon Berlin which is set in Berlin between the wars. Understandably, considering the period that comes afterwards, this is a time and place rarely explored but should be. It was time of instability, a time of new ideas from communism to psychology to hedonism to fascism, all of which were competing for space in the fragile German republic.

This show is romantically cinematic and full of noire intrigue. It's wonderfully acted, excellently scripted, and exceptionally compelling. It's portrait of a society falling apart from unrest gives insight into the appeal fascists would have later on in promoting a cleansing of society. It also reminds me of our current society, and reignites my fears of rising American fascism.

Weekend Music Roundup

 It's the weekend...and not only that, it's the first of a several Record Store Days that were postponed back in the spring. Today I got up early for a Saturday in order to make a stop at the local shop and see what's cooking. In the spirit of the day, this week I'm featuring all new releases to get you all inspired to seek out something new, even if from your own home. Enjoy.

Green Seagull - Cloud Cover: The second album from the London neo-psychedelic band is the follow up to their outstanding 2018 debut, Scarlet Fever. That had been one of my favorite albums of the year, and so this was a pleasant surprise to see this come out at the end of July. This picks up in stride and delivers another gem of brightly colored psych in the style of The Mystic Braves and Skygreen Leopards and a number other Cali based bands, but with a tinge of the London sound that makes it all so special. 

 

Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers - Just Coolin': This archival album release was recorded in 1959 is finally being made available. Given that Art and Messengers produced about a dozen albums between '58 and '59, Blue Note held this one back and I guess sort of forgot about it. This new music from the heyday of Hard Bob and absolute gift to have been finally released. There's something magical about the sounds that were coming out back then in this genre, so super cool and with lots of intrigue. It opens with the fantastic "Hipsippy Blues" which sets the mood for the entire album. 

 

Hockey Dad - Brain Candy: The third album from Australian indie band was released in July. Having purchased their first two albums, I was pretty excited about this one. Their brand of surf inspired garage rock has appealed to me since I heard their debut four years ago. This album is a bit looser than the last. There are moments where they manage to sound like the Arctic Monkeys on this record, and those are their finest moments. Overall though, the entire album falls a little flat in places. It's a solid okay, but I recommend their previous albums Boronia and Blend Inn. 

 

Holy Serpent - Endless: This is the third album from the Australian stoner metal band, and my first taste of their sound. They have a nice heavy psych vibe that they add to the traditional stoner rock formula. At times, it's almost shoegazer-esque. The key is the slow and heavy drums that permeate throughout, giving it weight. "Hourglass," "For No One," and "Daughter of the Light" were standouts on this solid effort.

 

Alberta Cross - What are We Frightened Of?: It's been five years since the Brooklyn based band's last record, but they have returned with this, their fourth album. I've been a fan of this folk inspired indie band since their debut over a decade a ago and was happy to see this come out recently. There's a sadness to these songs, though they are not exactly downers. I guess it's more a sense of regret that permeates throughout, giving the songs a richness that is palpable. "Keep the Damage to Myself," "Near Misses and Defeats," "Real Life and Disasters," and "Without" are my personal favorites.

 

 

 

Fiction Friday (112)

 

  Per my last Fiction Friday, I spent two days picking one-night reads while waiting for my library books to come in. This is the second of those books. I went to my shelves of unread books, looking for the skinny ones and found this book. The odd thing is, I have no recollection of ever acquiring this book, or even seeing it before. I have no idea where it came from, but there was a Ray Bradbury quote on the back that says this book gave him flight, and made him young. That was enough for me.
    Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach(Avon, 1973) Jonathan Seagull is not like the other birds in his Flock. He believes life is more than scrambling and fighting for crumbs. He believes life is the art of flying. He seeks the perfection of flight, beyond the physical limitations of being a gull. He seeks freedom.
This is one of those meditative stories in the tradition of The Little Prince, Siddhartha, or The Prophet...all books that I have loved. It's a story whose meaning lies beneath the surface story of a bird that travels through planes of existence on a path toward something spiritual. It's about community, about loving those who scorn higher pursuits or reject the herd mentality. 
Beautifully sublime and moving. Illustrated with black and white photographs by Russell Munson, the pictures work with the story to give you a sense of weightlessness. One of those little gems that takes only an hour or two to read, and stays with you much, much longer.

Weekend Music Roundup

 

  Welcome to the weekend and the return usual roundup ramblings about albums that I've been grooving to. Hopefully you all spent the week exploring Jazz after last week's post. This week I'm looking a few new releases and a couple of older ones. It's mostly indie rock, with a bit of soul and a bit of glam. All in all, this is a nice bunch of albums and hopefully there's something you find interesting enough to explore.
 

Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas: The third album from neo-soul artist out of London is finally getting this singer songwriter some of the attention she deserves. I loved her previous album, 2015's Blood. This album shows the maturity that comes with a five year span. Her voice has always been soulfully beautiful, and musically, the songs are stunning. It reminds me a bit of Sade, or mellower Brand New Heavies. This album hooked from the magnificent opening track, "Bittersweet." It's more jazzy and subtle than the previous album, which I respect. "Paper Thin," "Please Don't Make Me Cry," "Seven Times," and "Sour Flower," are also standouts on this near perfect summer evening album.

Palaye Royale - The Bastards: This is the third album from the Las Vegas via Toronto glam rock band. It opens with the fantastic "Little Bastards" that sets the scene for their unique take on the genre. They are the spawn of Marylin Manson, but veer more toward glam roots than metal, however, there are shock metal elements. The overwhelming feel of this record is fun and careless danger. It's not high art, it's just rock n roll. It's not perfect, but it's pretty cool. "Massacre, The New American Dream," "Tonight is the Night I Die," "Lonely," "Hang On To Yourself," and "Black Sheep" are my favorites.   Sonic Youth - Perspectives Musicales: A live album from Aug. 5th 2000 performance at Cat's Cradle in North Carolina. Sonic Youth deserves more credit as being one of the most consistent bands in rock history. They never had a bad period. They were always innovative, and unafraid. "Psychic Hearts," "Mote," "Halfway to a Threeway," "Nevermind," "Kool Thing," and an early instrumental acoustic guitar only version of "Disconnection Notice" are standouts.  

The Lilac Time - & Love for All: The third album from the Birmingham jangle pop band was released in 1990 and is an album that has been in my wife's collection since before we met. Together we were fans of Stephen Duffy when we met in the late 90s, and I decided to spin this vinyl recently, having not listened to it in years. This is pretty standard jangle pop with rattly guitars and swoony pop vocals, but there were some bands that could do it and some who couldn't. Duffy was a master at it and this is a quality representation of the short-lived genre. "All For Love and Love For All," "Paper Boat" are my personal favorites.    Vagabond Blues - Vessel: Released this past February, this is the second album from the Australian stoner rock band. This a sludgy psychedelic heavy blues album with lots of great riffs. There is a certain recipe that makes for a good album in this genre, one that varies very little from one good record to the next. This is one of them, they have all the ingredients and they bake it together in a pleasing way. "Red Witch," and "Dark in the Light" are my personal favorites.  

Arctic Monkeys - Unplugged: The Missus' birthday came around recently, and I usually like to make sure I purchase a record for her, one that she will love. When I saw this unofficial release with so many of her favorite AM songs in acoustic format, there was no question that this was her birthday record for the year. This isn't a band that does a lot of acoustic stuff, so it was very fresh and as brilliant as I expected.

Fiction Friday (111)

 

  On my last Fiction Friday, I reported that I would be spending a lot of time in Wonderland...and I still plan to spend that time. However, my library books were either on hold or in transit, so I was forced to pick up a book that I could read in a day. I had to do this twice, so expect two interludes before I return to Alice. This is the first of the one-night reads.
   Two Fables by Roald Dahl(Viking, 1986) Most people know Roald Dahl as the master children's storyteller of classics such as James and The Giant Peach, Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There is another side of his writing career and that is his shot works written for adults. Two Fables is the meeting of these two sides of him into one collection.
The two stories in this book, "The Princess and the Poacher" and "Princess Mammalia" are traditional fables in style and theme, but have that dirty old man air of Dahl's adult fiction often contains. By using a child's format, he is able to blend what are essentially child's lessons re-imagined for adults into stories that appeal to grown-ups. 
Both stories deal with the idea of beauty, or complete lack of beauty, and the power that it wields. It also about the careless passions of youth and righteousness of civility. A quick, fun, and interesting read.
  

Weekend Music JAZZ Roundup

 

  I've been planning for quite some time to dedicate an entire Roundup to the one true American art form of Jazz. My jazz journey began in earnest when I was around 16 or 17. It was a time of many opening doors of perception and I recall switching to the jazz radio station in the car one late night drive home from some nefarious adventure and being instantly transported. It wasn't long before I went out and picked up some classics from Miles and Coltrane. Through college, I pretty much stuck with the giants, expanding to Mingus, Dolphey, Monk and the like, but budgets were tight, and rock and hip hop were still commanding my dollars. Though I do remember springing for a used Smithsonian Jazz vinyl box set back then, which was a big deal as it meant spending an amount that could've scored me multiple CDs. In the last decade or so, I've moved deep into the jazz world and typically pick up at least one jazz album on any shopping trip...and boy am I ever glad that random turn of the dial so many years ago woke me to the wondrous world that is JAZZ.
  
The Sonny Criss Orchestra - Sonny's Dream (Birth of The New Cool): There's a certain boldness involved in naming an album 'Birth of the New Cool' in 1968, eleven years after Miles Davis' brilliant 'Birth of Cool' record. From the first notes, he earns every ounce of that boldness. This album is on fire! One of the best post bop albums I've ever heard, it is out of this world genies. We are taken into Sonny's dream completely and it's one cool world to be in. This is an album that should be talked about in any discussions about the best records of the era. After several listens, this has moved into my top 10 all time jazz album list.
  Art Pepper - The Artistry of Pepper: Released in '62 after Art entered prison to serve a two year drug sentence because the law thought he was part of dope gang, though he was simply a user who bought from the top. He would spend most of the '60s battling his addictions, leaving this album to stand in for his contribution to the decade. And true to form, it's cooler than cool. "Zenobia," "Powder Puff," "Popo," and "Bunny" are my personal favorites.  
Albert Ammons - King of Blues and Boogie Woogie: This compilation was released in '75 and spans the career of the Chicago legend. Considered one of the three kings of the boogie jazz sound, I found this in the local shop's 4 for $10 bin and snatched it up. The interesting thing about boogie jazz is that you can pretty much trace the roots of early rock 'n' roll from it. Jerry Lee Lewis pops into mind, and Little Richard, basically any early piano based early rock. That's probably because it's rooted in "rhythm" and follows a similar structure. Great stuff, this.   Stuff Smith Quartet - Swingin Stuff: Recorded live in 1965 at the "Jazzhus Montmarte" in Copenhagen, this is one of the finest live jazz albums I've ever hear. I recently was introduced to Stuff's work when I picked up another album of his from '65, and the way he plays jazz violin is mind blowing. His plays it in a way to mimic trumpet and it's brilliant. "Old Stinkin' Blues," Ellington's "C-Jam Blues," and Basie's "One O'Clock Jump" are standouts.  Art Blakey Jazz Messengers - Caravan: Released in '62, at the peak of the Pittsburgh hard bop drummer's career, this was recently re-issued on 180g vinyl. There's a lot of these jazz reissues that you can pick up new for under $10, especially if they are not the top three or four names in jazz. But as readers here know, in the last several years, I've been digging deeper into the jazz trove and there is so many that are just as good as Miles, John, Charlie and Duke. Art is one of them. He was a pioneer of the hard bop genre, one of my personal favorites, and he brought a lot of talented musicians up through his band.  Don Patterson - These are Soulful Days: Released in '74, towards the end of the Ohio jazz organists' recording career, this is pretty record. Despite the title, it's attachment to soul music is slim, as this is clearly a jazz record, but a groovy one to be sure. As expected the organ is front and center, but Jimmy Heath on sax is outstanding as well. The epic "Muse Blues" which takes up the last 17+ minutes is a real standout on here.