Instead of fifteen tweets about it, here are fifteen records I liked this year
Belle and Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance. I really liked Nobody’s Empire a lot. You’ll see that in a week or so.
Cait Brennan - Debutante. Technically this is not being released until January, but I was an early adopter and have been digging this blast of rock/pop for several months.
Charanee Wade - Offering: the Music of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. This is such a respectful project. Ms. Wade has a great voice that matches up with the material.
Chvrches - Every Open Eye. You’re always skeptical about the second record but this band actually exceeded the promise of the first release. Lauren Mayberry is a star.
D-troit - Soul Thing. This was from the Music Alliance Pact Project. A bunch of Danes being American funky. Good stuff.
Steve Forbert - Compromised. The man keeps delivering.
Sarah Hayes - Woven. This is a terrific folk record from one of the members of Admiral Fallow. Ms. Hayes has many talents.
Darlene Love - Introducing Darlene Love. Best record from a person in their seventies this year. Ms. Love’s voice is as fresh and powerful as ever. Timeless.
Florence and the Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. I love watching her career soar.
Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free. He remains one of the best singer/songwriters out there.
Ellie King - Love Stuff. I had no idea she was Rob Schneider’s daughter and grew up in Ohio. Gritty and sassy debut.
The Last Hurrah - Mudflowers. This is a neat little project produced by H.P. Gunderson, who worked on Sondre Lerche’s Faces Down record. Maesa Pullman is the singer. She’s Bill Pullman’s daughter. Pleasant little pop record.
Leon Bridges - Coming Home. A second coming of Sam Cooke. I’m impressed with his style and look and hope he pays more attention to the music than the fashion in his next works.
The Mynabirds - Lovers Know. Laura Burhenn keeps delivering quality sounds with a goth girl group edge.
Veruca Salt - Ghost Notes. Might have been the best comeback no one heard. Nina Gordon and Louise Post patched up their differences and made a very fine record.
If you're interested in a deeper playlist or an MP3 or two, shoot me a message here or back channel.
Showing posts with label music 2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music 2015. Show all posts
Friday, December 18, 2015
Monday, August 10, 2015
Twenty five years in the making
I first came to know Cait Brennan about twelve years ago, through our Live Journal accounts. Her writing was intelligent, creative and incredibly funny. I added her to my feed, she added me back and we commented on each others posts. She kept me awake and entertained over the late night hours when my infant son stayed awake, which was many nights. As I have still never met Cait Brennan, I am guessing she remains as witty as ever.
Over the years, we do not have the long threads we used to, but we make occasional comments or click “like” on our Facebook posts. There have been many changes in our lives over the past decade, some of them quite profound.
Cait has been working very hard on her music the past few years. Even harder because she has reasons to. You can almost call it a race against time. As she says, "She was Cait before being Cait was cool." She’s trying to maintain her health while writing and playing at such places as the International Pop Overthrow Festival. A couple of years ago she released a neat little ditty called Madame Pompadour.
It became one of my favorite songs of the year and remains on my iPod.
Recently, she recorded a whole record of songs in five days. She still needs a bit of help getting the record finished and that’s where we come in. Her Kickstarter was completely funded in a couple of days. The goodwill she has developed from friends and strangers is awesome. Here’s the link for you to click on and read.
Full disclosure: I’m in for the vinyl.
With the project fully funded, any additional money will help promote the record to a wider audience, get her to possibly go on tour to do a few shows and more. I admit to being the biggest cynic about crowdfunding but this one means so much to me. The background of why this record is being made is an important part of this story. As many people as possible need to hear this record. Keeping the momentum going would be incredible.
As longtime record industry maven Marc Nathan says, “because every 40-something person with a catalog of great songs and limited resources to record them the way they were intended needs a gentle shove into the loving arms of the unsuspecting general public…”
I believe in Cait Brennan.
Over the years, we do not have the long threads we used to, but we make occasional comments or click “like” on our Facebook posts. There have been many changes in our lives over the past decade, some of them quite profound.
Cait has been working very hard on her music the past few years. Even harder because she has reasons to. You can almost call it a race against time. As she says, "She was Cait before being Cait was cool." She’s trying to maintain her health while writing and playing at such places as the International Pop Overthrow Festival. A couple of years ago she released a neat little ditty called Madame Pompadour.
It became one of my favorite songs of the year and remains on my iPod.
Recently, she recorded a whole record of songs in five days. She still needs a bit of help getting the record finished and that’s where we come in. Her Kickstarter was completely funded in a couple of days. The goodwill she has developed from friends and strangers is awesome. Here’s the link for you to click on and read.
Full disclosure: I’m in for the vinyl.
With the project fully funded, any additional money will help promote the record to a wider audience, get her to possibly go on tour to do a few shows and more. I admit to being the biggest cynic about crowdfunding but this one means so much to me. The background of why this record is being made is an important part of this story. As many people as possible need to hear this record. Keeping the momentum going would be incredible.
As longtime record industry maven Marc Nathan says, “because every 40-something person with a catalog of great songs and limited resources to record them the way they were intended needs a gentle shove into the loving arms of the unsuspecting general public…”
I believe in Cait Brennan.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
World Party at the Basement
His music helped calm and keep me sane in the nineties. It was his most prolific songwriting period to date and he almost did not make it out of the following decade. Karl Wallinger, for all intensive purposes is the band World Party and last night I finally got to see him live.
The wait was almost twenty five years. As far as I know he only played Columbus once, for a local radio station’s festival and I blew that off because I did not want to deal with a crowd of people and hear bands I did not like while waiting for the group I wanted to see play half an hour. So when the date was announced I was bummed because it fell on a kid night, but my wife took on the duty so I could go.
The Basement is an odd venue. It was my first time there and I plan on avoiding it as much as I can. There are pillars that erase sight lines, a pit in front of the band that has to be Hell to be in when a band with a heavier sound plays. The audience crowds a smaller space just to be able to see the band, leaving tons of empty space by the bar wasted - the sound is quieter, and better where you cannot see the band. It’s a messed up design.
Gabriel Kelly opened and played to a mostly inattentive audience. He gave it his best, thanked the people who were paying attention and laid into the Nashville songwriting scene, which he was a part of for a few years. He did a quiet set of well crafted, introspective songs and added a very good cover of Springsteen’s Atlantic City. Told him he did a good set when he walked by me, “Thanks brother,” he said as he tapped me on the shoulder.
Right after his set, my friend Teri showed up, then Wallinger, along with fiddler Danny Duffy and guitarist John Turnbull began some rather astonishing work. Not having a drummer by choice can hinder a band. I’ve seen Lucinda Williams and Warren Zevon strain to connect with a crowd because they did not have anyone behind them kicking their ass forward but in this instance all was well. The musicianship and new arrangement were superb and Turnbull, who played with Ian Dury’s Blockheads, was incredible with some very tasty leads.
As for the songs, I’ve been waiting to hear Sweet Soul Dream for such a long time and they delivered. A lot of the Goodbye Jumbo record was performed. He did a wonderful She’s the One. It was almost as if Wallinger asked me to put the set together before the show. The banter with the crowd was pleasant and witty, the man is a pro. He was in great voice and showed no effects from the brain aneurysm that required years of rehab over a decade ago. Took home a cd they were selling of a recent show. I heard everything I wanted last night and more, it was worth the wait.
The wait was almost twenty five years. As far as I know he only played Columbus once, for a local radio station’s festival and I blew that off because I did not want to deal with a crowd of people and hear bands I did not like while waiting for the group I wanted to see play half an hour. So when the date was announced I was bummed because it fell on a kid night, but my wife took on the duty so I could go.
The Basement is an odd venue. It was my first time there and I plan on avoiding it as much as I can. There are pillars that erase sight lines, a pit in front of the band that has to be Hell to be in when a band with a heavier sound plays. The audience crowds a smaller space just to be able to see the band, leaving tons of empty space by the bar wasted - the sound is quieter, and better where you cannot see the band. It’s a messed up design.
Gabriel Kelly opened and played to a mostly inattentive audience. He gave it his best, thanked the people who were paying attention and laid into the Nashville songwriting scene, which he was a part of for a few years. He did a quiet set of well crafted, introspective songs and added a very good cover of Springsteen’s Atlantic City. Told him he did a good set when he walked by me, “Thanks brother,” he said as he tapped me on the shoulder.
Right after his set, my friend Teri showed up, then Wallinger, along with fiddler Danny Duffy and guitarist John Turnbull began some rather astonishing work. Not having a drummer by choice can hinder a band. I’ve seen Lucinda Williams and Warren Zevon strain to connect with a crowd because they did not have anyone behind them kicking their ass forward but in this instance all was well. The musicianship and new arrangement were superb and Turnbull, who played with Ian Dury’s Blockheads, was incredible with some very tasty leads.
As for the songs, I’ve been waiting to hear Sweet Soul Dream for such a long time and they delivered. A lot of the Goodbye Jumbo record was performed. He did a wonderful She’s the One. It was almost as if Wallinger asked me to put the set together before the show. The banter with the crowd was pleasant and witty, the man is a pro. He was in great voice and showed no effects from the brain aneurysm that required years of rehab over a decade ago. Took home a cd they were selling of a recent show. I heard everything I wanted last night and more, it was worth the wait.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
A few short takes and two wakes
I really hope that 2015 does not turn out to be the Year of the Wake. Tomorrow will be the second in two weeks. My neighbor died a couple of weeks ago, she was 86 and in frail health. Yesterday, a former colleague from the Statehouse died. As you get older I guess you meet more people and the chances of them dying increase. No one said this is what happens when you age. I've family and friends struggling with all kinds of diseases right now. Me? I'm just tired from lack of sleep and have a kid that stays in his shell and we can't get him out of it.
Today we found out that Harper Lee will be publishing a new book later this year. This news was received with a lot of positivity, especially from the book industry who can use a new blockbuster. After a bit of time more than a few recent articles about Lee and her health were released and rehashed. Not much of it good. I just hope that this book is being issued with Lee's full consent and knowledge and she was not forced or tricked into it due to her age.
Still trying to figure out what the Hell Pete Carroll was thinking when he sent in that pass play that led to an interception to end a very dramatic Super Bowl on Sunday. I get that he may want to pass, but what the heck was the slant pass over the middle at the one all about. Call a fade to one of your receivers. Throw over the middle to the tight end in the back of the end zone. But it went into traffic and the New England defensive back picked it off. Then again, Carroll will always have at least one more Super Bowl ring than me, so what do I know?
Saturday is another Super Bowl as Everton take on their arch nemesis, Liverpool. The Toffees have been struggling this year and are languishing in the lower parts of the table while Liverpool are doing a bit better. I hope it's better than last Sunday's match between Celtic and the club that may still be known as Rangers (but now have a bit of Newcastle in them). That match was a horror show of poor soccer and a crappy pitch.
The new Belle and Sebastian is great to listen to, as is the Sleater Kinney. We're seeing B&S here in June and are excited about that. The Dylan is, um, his Christmas album of Sinatra covers. I'll leave it there.
Today we found out that Harper Lee will be publishing a new book later this year. This news was received with a lot of positivity, especially from the book industry who can use a new blockbuster. After a bit of time more than a few recent articles about Lee and her health were released and rehashed. Not much of it good. I just hope that this book is being issued with Lee's full consent and knowledge and she was not forced or tricked into it due to her age.
Still trying to figure out what the Hell Pete Carroll was thinking when he sent in that pass play that led to an interception to end a very dramatic Super Bowl on Sunday. I get that he may want to pass, but what the heck was the slant pass over the middle at the one all about. Call a fade to one of your receivers. Throw over the middle to the tight end in the back of the end zone. But it went into traffic and the New England defensive back picked it off. Then again, Carroll will always have at least one more Super Bowl ring than me, so what do I know?
Saturday is another Super Bowl as Everton take on their arch nemesis, Liverpool. The Toffees have been struggling this year and are languishing in the lower parts of the table while Liverpool are doing a bit better. I hope it's better than last Sunday's match between Celtic and the club that may still be known as Rangers (but now have a bit of Newcastle in them). That match was a horror show of poor soccer and a crappy pitch.
The new Belle and Sebastian is great to listen to, as is the Sleater Kinney. We're seeing B&S here in June and are excited about that. The Dylan is, um, his Christmas album of Sinatra covers. I'll leave it there.
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