If you follow this blog you've noticed how little activity there has been. You're not the only one. It's been a struggle to keep up with this simple place when a silly tweet or Facebook post is faster to release into the online world.
To be honest I'm barely writing anything, and reading slightly more so, although that's been making a small, positive, return.
I did not even watch as many movies. Sure I'm going through MST3K episodes, watching hockey and almost through with Taggart but to go out to a movie is rare. Even hanging on TCM occurs with less frequency. And ooh, St. Elsewhere is streaming on Hulu, and it's great!
The Westgate Cavern has been my solace in 2018. And it's not necessarily for the cocktails, but the north end where the action is. The Supro, the guitars, the records and the rug. I do spend a lot of time there, and I consider it work and joy - a feeling that has been hard to hand on to in the craziness of our current times.
I've also been listening to more music. In a dramatic shift of life I also stopped doing illegal downloading and made a vow to stop, which I have done. In its place I promised myself I would buy a new record every week of 2018, and I have done so.
And here is what I purchased, legally.
Counterfeit Madison - Opposable Thumbs
Pugwash - Silverlake
Shame - Songs of Praise
Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ - TajMo
Greta Van Fleet - From the Fires
Livingmore - Ok To Land
Belle & Sebastian - How To Solve Our Human Problems Pts. 1-3
Amy Rigby - The Old Guys (V)
Finn & His Rustkickers - Leave You Nothing To Squander
The Breeders - All Nerve
Tracey Thorn - Sister
David Byrne - American Utopia
Howlin’ Wolf - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection: His Best
Stevie Wonder - Inner-visions
Broken Records - What We Might Know
Sakert! - Daggdjur
Mastersystem - Dance Music
Wreckless Eric - Construction Time and Demolition
John Prine - The Tree of Forgiveness
Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer
Leon Bridges - Good Thing
Reckless Eric and Amy Rigby - A Working Museum
Aidan Moffatt & R.M. Hubbert - Here Lies the Body
Chvrches - Love is Dead
Traceyanne & Danny (V)
Neko Case - Hell-On
You Better Run - The Essential Junior Kimbrough
Tony Hadley - Talking to the Moon
Sloan - A Sides Win
Buddy Guy - The Blues is Alive and Well
The Posies - The Best of the Posies: Dream All Day
Donnie Fritts - Oh My Goodness (V)
Erin Rae - Putting on Airs (V)
Dylan LeBlanc - Cautionary Tale (V)
Florence + the Machine - High as Hope.
Fantastic Negrito - Please Don’t Be Dead
RVG - A Quality of Mercy
She Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, Rajasthan Express - Junun
Pram - Across the Meridian
Teenage Fanclub - Songs of Northern Britain
Amanda Shires - To The Sunset
Ruby Boots - Don’t Talk About It
Berlin - Animal
Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance
Francois and the Atlas Mountains - Fleur du Mal
Prince - Piano & a Microphone, 1983
Lilly Hiatt - Royal Blue (V)
Sam Phillips - World on Sticks
KT Tunstall - WAX (V)
John Hiatt - The Eclipse Sessions
Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Look Now
Rosanne Cash - She Remembers Everything
Vera Sola - Shades
Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix
You Tell Me
Jeff Tweedy - WARM
Kasey Musgraves - Golden Hour
Teenage Fanclub - Thirteen (V)
Stax compilation (V)
Scott Walker - Scott 2 (V)
Freddie King - Getting Ready
Aidan Moffat & R.M. Hubbert - Ghost Stories of Christmas (V)
Not all of the list was a new release, obviously, but it is new to me. Most of it was purchased from iTunes, some bandcamp and there were a few vinyl only purchases as you can see by the "V".
I also bought a bit of used vinyl, which I did not keep track of this year but will in 2019.
So what was good? After all the buzz and hype the Janelle Monae did not quite hit me at first but it is growing on me. I love the craft of the Rosanne Cash record, there is some stellar songwriting on her latest. The RVG was recommended by the staff at Monorail and it's a jangly project of joy and hope. Tracey Thorn created an in joke between my wife and I. John Prine may have put out my favorite song of the year with When I Get To Heaven. Amy Rigby showed us her beauty and humanity with The Old Guys. Hearing Traceyanne Campbell's voice again was inspiring. And John Hiatt returned to exceptional form.
Junior Kimbrough in the car is a great thing and Tony Hadley is still in good voice.
I did not hear what others did with Idles, unimpressed. The Belle and Sebastian EP experiment did not go over well and that Prince record, interesting as it is, never would have seen the light while he was alive. Chvrches lyrics need to dig deeper than high school journaling.
Nothing really knocked me on my ass, except the effects on my Supro Comet with my Ibanex. That was the best joy in the basement in 2018. More of the same in 2019.
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