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Musical Interlude 10/18/2024

Time to point out some tunes that I’ve had in heavy rotation lately.

First, Billy Strings’s new record, Highway Prayers, is nothing short of amazing. Clocking in at 74 minutes and twenty tracks, it has a little something for everyone: bluegrass, newgrass, jamgrass, a talking blues song, and a dash of folk-pop thrown in for good measure. It’s the first album in quite a while that was so good the first time I heard it that I felt the need to text a few friends and tell them to listen to it. 

Back in the May 2024 edition of my now-defunct Music Of The Month posts, I called attention to the most recent album from Finom, Not God. Well, at the beginning of July we got High Roller, a solo release from one-half of the Finom duo, Sima Cunningham. Wow, what an album! The more I listen, the more I love it. If I were desperately trying to find fault, I could quibble over the fact that, to me, the back half seems like a bit of a different record from the front half. A few tweaks in track order would have fixed that. But that’s a trivial observation about an excellent album. Sima’s got it going on.

Finally, a couple months ago I was scrolling my Mastodon feed (which I rarely do) and the album Parker’s Mood randomly popped up. I’d never heard of it, but it’s a 1995 Verve recording from Christian McBride, Roy Hargove, and Stephen Scott. Obviously these are stellar musicians with spectacular chops, but unlike so many jazz records, this one stays melodic throughout. (As I’ve said many times before, however amazing it is to see a great player improvising over chord changes in a live setting, I can’t think of anything more boring to hear on a record.) Also, I’m a sucker for a strong acoustic bass line, and McBride absolutely shines on this album. Give it a try.

Get some music in your ears, everybody!

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Music Of The Month: July 2024

Melissa Carper Borned In Ya

The new release that most captured my ears in July was Borned In Ya, the latest from Melissa Carper. The album title comes from a quote from Ralph Stanley, one of the founding fathers of traditional bluegrass music, but Carper’s musical landscape is far too varied to be defined by any one discipline.

While the elements of old-time country are certainly present, and Carper’s voice and delivery always remain tinged toward that genre, you will also hear echoes of singers like Billie Holiday, and her choice of material encompasses elements of swing, ‘30s jazz, blues, and R&B. This is her best record so far, and one that I expect to be in heavy rotation around our house for some time to come.

NOTE: This will be my final installment of Music Of The Month. When I started this more than 3 1/2 years ago, the world was at a standstill and we all found ourselves with time on our hands. Obviously that’s no longer the case, as evidenced by the fact that I’m writing about July releases at nearly the end of August. Of course I’m still listening, and I do enjoy jotting a few notes now and again, so I plan to keep pointing out records that I think deserve attention. But going forward I won’t be keeping to any schedule. Just look for me when you see me.

Get some music in your ears, everybody!

(click on image to visit artist website)
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Music Of The Month: June 2024

Wilco Hot Sun Cool Shroud

Tough to pick a favorite June release. Oliver Wood’s Fat Cat Silhouette could just as easily have gotten the nod. All the elements we want to hear in an Oliver Wood project are here in full force. Bluesy riffs, infectious rhythms. If you’ve enjoyed his previous record, Always Smilin’, or if you’re a fan of The Wood Brothers, then you’re also going to like this record.

But I’m picking the new Wilco EP for kind of the opposite reason: whereas I didn’t particularly care for their previous (full-length) album, Cousin, I’m really loving Hot Sun Cool Shroud. For me, these six songs — two of which are instrumentals — pack more punch and make more of a musical statement than Cousin was able to muster in ten tracks. Catchy guitar hooks, good melodies, interesting lyrics, and the jaggedness of the aforementioned instrumentals add up to a tasty little hit of pop pleasure.

Get some music in your ears, everybody!

(click to go to artist website)
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Music Of The Month: May 2024

Arooj Aftab Night Reign

We got a lot of good new music in May. Pokey LaFarge’s Rhumba Country is a fun listen; Willie Nelson’s The Border is characteristically great; and Finom’s Not God is probably my favorite album from the duo (formerly known as Ohmme). All of these should get some of your attention, and they’ll be getting plenty of airtime in our house, too.

The real standout release for me this month, though, is Night Reign from Arooj Aftab. There’s a lot of exploration going on here, as well as some collaboration with guest artists. All of which enhances –never compromising– Aftab’s singular (signature?) musical vocabulary. Arooj Aftab’s music got into my bones from the moment I heard the first notes of her Vulture Prince album, and has stayed there ever since. This record is no exception.

Get some music in your ears, everybody!

(click image to go to artist’s website)
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Music Of The Month: April 2024

Anoushka Shankar Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn

Several good records caught my attention in April. Khruangbin released A LA SALA (everything I’ve read has it in all caps, so I’m doing the same), and it’s exactly what I want in a new Khruangbin record. Ditto the new Phosphorescent album, Revelator. 

I’m also enjoying Name Your Sorrow, the latest from Irish indie rockers Pillow Queens. Before this release, their third, I had not heard of them, but this one makes me want to go back and check out the other two. Solid tunes with lots of fuzzy guitars, good hooks, and tight vocal harmonies. What else do you need?

The icing on the April cake for me, though, is Anoushka Shankar’s Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn. The second of a proposed three-EP series, Chapter II is much more atmospheric than the previous release (Chapter I: Forever, For Now). These six tracks often border on, and even cross, the line into ambient music. Lots of drones and sampling create various soundscapes which present the sitar from different perspectives in each piece; sometimes in the forefront, sometimes in a supporting role. All of it works beautifully. This record is simply gorgeous.

Get some music in your ears, everybody!

(click image to go to artist website)
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Music Of The Month: March 2024 (tie)

John Lurie Music From The Series Painting With John

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers Revelations

From the very first episode of the hypnotically transfixing HBO show Painting With John, Suzy and I started hoping for a soundtrack record. Now here we are, just a little over three years later, after the end of the third (and apparently final) season, and John Lurie has delivered. Music From The Series Painting With John, clocking in at no fewer than 56 tracks, is a mix of tunes from the show and a bit of previously-released material from other Lurie incarnations (Marvin Pontiac; The John Lurie National Orchestra). This set is an absolute treasure trove of little gems. Completely entrancing, just like the show.

And of course, any month with new music from Sarah Shook and the Disarmers is a good month in my book. I love all their records, but this latest, Revelations, is probably the most cohesive album of the bunch. Each release in their catalog feels to me a little poppier than the last, and this one is no exception. That’s an observation, not a complaint. The album is polished without being slick, and without sacrificing any of the elements that make them who they are. The standout favorite for me (at least at the moment) is the can’t-quite-bring-ourselves-to-break-up song Backsliders, but there’s not a single bad track to be found.

These are two very different records, but I’m at a loss to pick between them. Give ‘em both a spin and see what you think.

Get some music in your ears, everybody!

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Music Of The Month: February 2024

Shaina Hayes Kindergarten Heart

Several new records caught my attention in the month of February. Madi Diaz brought us Weird Faith, an album-length rumination on the psychological aspects (both good and bad) of romantic relationships. Luke Sital-Singh puts his personal stamp on five interesting cover songs on his new EP, Across The Evening Sky. And the new record from Hurray For The Riff Raff, The Past Is Still Alive, is probably my favorite since Small Town Heroes in 2014. All of these are worth your attention.

My pick of the month, though, is Kindergarten Heart, from Montreal singer/songwriter Shaina Hayes. As is so often the case, I hadn’t heard of Hayes before this (her second) record. Nobody who has read my posts in the past will be surprised to learn that this is a collection of easy-going songs that fall somewhere between folk and indie rock. What captures my attention most is the variety Hayes presents without ever straying from within that framework. Since hearing this record, I’ve read that Hayes holds an agriculture degree, and made her living as a farmer in rural Quebec until just recently, when she decided to focus on her music instead. If this record is any indication of what’s to come, I’m glad she made that choice.

Get some music in your ears, everybody!

(click here to visit artist’s Bandcamp page)
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Music Of The Month: January 2024

Marika Hackman Big Sigh

Here we go starting off the new year with yet another artist I never heard of before, even though Big Sigh is Marika Hackman’s sixth album. Of course that just means I have five albums to go back and delve into, because this one certainly makes me curious to hear more.

I’m liking everything about this record more and more on repeated listenings. I’m especially taken with her lyrics, which exist mostly in varying shades of bleak. Even singing about a desirable, lusty, romantic encounter, her phrases and metaphors are almost uniformly ominous (and the name of that particular track is “Slime”). But it’s not all about compelling lyrics. Her melodies are catchy, and the arrangements for every song are spot-on.

I’m expecting this one to stay in heavy rotation for a long while.

Get some music in your ears, everybody!

(click image to visit artist’s website)
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Music Of The Month: December 2023

Peter Gabriel I/O

More than 20 years after his last release, Peter Gabriel picks up right where he left off with his new album, I/O. Judging from much of what I’ve read, lots of people are apparently a little miffed about that, figuring there should have been more of a progression after such a long wait. I’m personally more aligned with the notion that he left off at a pretty damned good spot, and I’m plenty glad to get more of it

For anyone who may not be aware, the album is actually two different mixes of a dozen new tunes: a “bright-side” mix, each song of which was released on twelve consecutive full moons, and a “dark-side” mix, each song of which was released on the corresponding new moons. For whatever it’s worth, I’m mostly partial to the dark-side mixes, but both are pretty great. (There’s also a surround sound Dolby Atmos mix, which I like less, but as I don’t have a surround sound system to hear it on, I don’t really feel qualified to judge.)

To be completely honest, I feel like there are a few lyrical rough spots here and there throughout the record. On the other hand, I kind of can’t stop listening, and my nitpicks bother me less and less over time. On the whole this is very easily one of my favorite albums of the year.

Get some music in your ears, everybody!

(click image to go to artist website)
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Music Of The Month: November 2023

Kurt Vile Back To Moon Beach

The only new record that got repeated listens from me in the month of November was Kurt Vile’s Back To Moon Beach. Vile apparently refers to this release as an EP. I’m not going to quibble with the artist, but there are 9 tracks here with a runtime of 52 minutes (on the physical album, 6 songs at around 40 minutes), so don’t pop this on thinking you’ll give it a quick spin while you’re waiting in line at a hot dog cart or something.

As has generally been the case with Vile’s music, especially in recent years, the songs here consist of relatively simple, mostly mellow grooves that sort of wash over you, in support of quasi-spoken-word lyrics that seem nearly stream-of-consciousness, yet simultaneously self-aware and keenly observant. And maybe just a shade darker this time than in the past. This collection even includes a cover of Must Be Santa that comes across, at least to me, as slightly on the melancholy side. But maybe I’m just reading that into it; I happen to be a guy who thinks the world needs a few more pensive Christmas tunes.

Get some music in your ears, everybody!

(click image to go to artist’s website)