(Links to items in this post are collected at the end of it.)
I sent out a post with a paywall the other day, which was unintentional, and for which I apologize. I want everything accessible to everyone; I’m grateful to those who choose a paid subscription, and I appreciate everybody who reads these things.
This post has undergone multiple incarnations, hence the endless music list. I mostly try to listen to music and musicians new to me while writing, or at least music I haven’t heard from bands I know. Not a rule, but it seems to keep the brain bouncing and it’s not as distracting as one might guess.
The method has entirely failed me here, though, so let’s talk about music, despite my lack of critical chops, instead of whatever was meant to happen.
Of the 11 albums listed, two are by groups I know playing music I know, and three are by bands I know playing music I didn’t. One of the latter you’ll know if you watched the great show Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant. The theme song was performed by Gangstagrass. The album here, “No Time for Enemies,” was new to me but faithful to the group’s style, which one could describe as Americana Rap.
The other two bands I already knew playing music new to me, Southern Culture On The Skids and North Mississippi Allstars, are doing a little boundary busting. The Southern Culture album features charming covers of fifties, sixties and (I think) a seventies song or two, as opposed to their usual high energy stuff, and the North Mississippi Allstars are much more mellow on “Set Sail” than is usual for them.
The two performers who stood out most prominently among the new-to-me crowd are Pokey LaFarge and Imelda May.
I knew of Imelda May but had never listened, hence missing out on 20 years of contemporaneous pleasure. Pokey LaFarge I didn’t know, because who could hear a name like that and not take an immediate time-out to listen (also applicable to The Bambi Molesters). They both have more than a touch of the torch about them, Imelda May rocking the style — she includes Ronnie Wood and Noel Gallagher among her collaborators on the album — and LaFarge in a more country mode.
Acknowledging that what’s to my taste isn’t to everybody’s, I heartily recommend those two albums, and an exploration of the performers’ other titles.
The Bambi Molesters, like Pokey LaFarge, were picked for their name, and proved to be a decent surf guitar band.
You can’t go wrong with the Roches.
King Princess is someone I’ll be turning to again.
I’m a jazz fan. That’s probably where I went astray on this post, not turning to jazz when it became apparent it was going nowhere. Big names, mostly, Art Pepper, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Sonny Rollins, and on, but one of the good things about streaming music services is how easy they make finding what’s through the looking glass, and so many lesser known but still excellent jazz artists are out there.
I’m thinking about cutting back to perhaps five days a week. Would that offend anyone?
I’m a bit disappointed with the growth of the audience at this point — nothing to do with you, dear reader; I haven’t been promoting it all — so please share the newsletter if you know anyone who might like it.
I’m still not done but I refuse to go on. 11 albums is absurd for one post and I just ran out of Roches.
(Music, music. Must have music. Musical contributors to this post include Maimouna Youssef, DJ Dummy and Raquel Ra Brown, “Vintage Babies;” King Princess, “Hold On Baby;” Harvey Danger, “Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?” Gangstagrass, “No Time for Enemies;” Imelda May, “11 Past the Hour;” Pokey LaFarge, “Rock Bottom Rhapsody;” Southern Culture On The Skids, “At Home With Southern Culture On The Skids;” North Mississippi Allstars, “Set Sail;” The Mystix, “TruVine;” The Bambi Molesters, “As the Dark Wave Swells;” and The Roches, “Moonswept.”)
Hello! I've been reading you, with constant nodding and approbation, for a month or so, but until now I didn't know whether you were a jazz person or not. You are! (I nod; I approve.) Here's my recommendation for you - Matthew Shipp! Two weeks ago he played in DC; I've been listening to him for almost 30 years and never thought I'd see him live. Start with "Before the World" if you can. If it's not your sort of thing, that's fine of course. Thanks for blogging.
I'm quite familiar with LaFarge and The Roches. The others, mostly not.
Sometimes I can spend hours skimming YouTubes, enjoying fresh finds. I also recall Austin City Limits, Darryl's House and 'Got Talent' shows to provide great leads.