I’m still working on my 1965 project. I will be writing a few things about music to drop here.
I’m working on a Name Your Price Bandcamp page. It will feature recent & favorite Name Your Price bandcamp albums. Stay tuned.
Youtubey/Podcasty Things
MEMORIES OF PEACE TIME: Here’s a magical (and hilarious) 2013 performance of “Let It Be” by Russian pop star Zemfira singing in Kiev — joined by Ukrainian rock star Sviatoslav Vakarchuk (of Okean Elzy)– they don’t remember the English lyrics so they have to sing while looking at the screen of Zemfira’s phone. Zemfira’s second song, (an anti-violence song which translates as “Don’t Shoot” ) was the same song she later sang at a Moscow concert two days after Russia attacked Ukraine in Feb 2022. (After being harassed and labeled as a “foreign agent” by the Putin regime, Zemfira eventually moved to France). (YT)
My favorite Zemfira song is Не отпускай (Don’t let go). Here’s a live performance (YT) Here’s the original music video and song from 15 years earlier (YT)
I’m the Baby song from the Dinosaurs TV show (YT). Now that’s an earworm!
Variations on Fripp & Eno’s “Eve… by Cloudland Blue Quartet. Good album in Emo’s style, but it contains a lot of extra (and I would say unnecessary tracks).
Year of the Hare, Year Of The Tiger and Year of the Pig by Fucked Up. Post-rock/heavy metal soundscapes. Really amazing. Unfortunately I left 3 or 4 other NYP albums by this group; maybe next time?
Preface. I am working on a big project that is semi-related to this column. When everything is ready, I’ll publicize it to death, but for now it will probably keep me from updating this page.
Articles and Interviews
Here’s a goofy Christmas song by Monk Turner — as performed by his daughter. I just love the refrain…. (I interviewed Turner a few years ago. Really amazing musician!)
Emusic/Bandcamp Purchases
Due to unforeseen income and musical antsiness, I bought a few things on Bandcamp and Emusic. Most of the BC stuff are Name Your Price (NYP), and about half the purchases are from Sahel Sounds, a Portland-based label focused on West African music (Niger, Benin, Mali, Mauritania, etc).
I really wish that the collective Bandcamp mind would settle upon a hashtag for NYP. It’s practically impossible to dig up which albums are going on NYP in a particular month.
First, the Bandcamp stuff:
Two albums by 39th & the Nortons. Mourning Waltz and The Dreamers. French garage pop that is surprisingly fun and catchy.
s/t by Namian Sidibe. (Mali) Female singer with melancholy guitar.
At Pioneer Works by Les Filles de Illighadad. 3 female Tuareg singers sing rhythmic, hypnotic songs with guitar. (Niger)
s/t by L’Orchestre National de Mauritania. Long lost recordings from 1968-1975 during a period where a military coup ordered all cultural remnants of the former regime be destroyed.
Zerzura (OST) by Ahmoudou Madassane (Niger). 14 movie tracks. Most begin with 5-15 seconds of natural sounds, followed by the actual music. Described as “Saharan Desert Blues” or psychedelia.
Anou Malane by Abdallah Oumbadougou. (Niger/Benin). Reissue of 1995 studio recording by legendary composer and creator of Tuareg guitar music.
Acturus (DiN 19) by ARC. 2005 release on the UK DiN label. Three live tracks from a trance/EDM performance. I actually love this sound!
Khraniteli 2024 by Blackout Princesses. A collection of one man electronic/synth prog rock/kraut rock. Apparently the composer cleaned up the sound from an earlier release.
RippleFest Texas by Ripple Music label. Recordings from various heavy metal artists during a 2021 concert. Traditional sound with hints of ZZ Top.
Dreams Long Forgotten by Polarcoaster. Downbeat ambient soundscapes by Spanish ambient artist.
Sallaw by Porya Hatami, Aaron Marin, Roberto Altanasio. ($3) I’ve bought albums before of Iranian sound artist Hatami. Four ambient tracks, each representing a different season.
Tracing by Richard Chartier. 40 minute minimalist soundscape compared to “strange mist.” From one article: Created initially as his contribution to a mooted duo project with William Basinski, the latter rightly declined to add any contribution to what he insisted was already a finished piece.” (The Wire, UK) RJN: Maybe a little too dull for me.
Here is a spreadsheet showing my reviews of music albums over the years. So far I have 470 albums reviewed, and I’ve frantically trying to post about older albums that have meant a lot to me. I feel this is less musical criticism than an attempt to succinctly describe what’s unique and interesting about albums — so I won’t forget them. (In the last 2 weeks I have posted about 20 new reviews, and feel I will easily reach 500 by the end of the year — and will still not have scratched the surface.
COMIC-CEREBRAL AUDIO PLAY ON SPOTIFY (64 minutes) (Link) A decade ago I produced a great audio play by Ohio author Jack Matthews. So cerebral that your mind will explode midway through. Premium Spotify users can listen for free — FYI I did the intro and the narration. The actors were great too.
Here’s a rare live recording of the lesbian pop group Fem 2 Fem singing “Switch (You Bitch)” (YT) Fem 2 Fem has two albums at Archive.org here and here.
I assume that many have already seen this amazing music vid with Saoirse Ronan, but it’s absolutely great (with the Talking Heads note that “We LOVE what this video is NOT—it’s not literal, creepy, bloody, physically violent or obvious.” (YT)
Here’s an early live performance by Spice Girls performing Wannabee at Hotel Babylon in 1996 (YT). Holy cow, here’s a 17 minute interview they did in 1996 after a Japanese tour. (YT) They were eating dinner and talking and laughing about girly stuff. I’ve always thought their first album Spice was incredible.
PRE-TEENS COVER BREAKFAST IN AMERICA. (YT) I am speechless by how gentle and jolly this cover version is. The Graystones are a talented California group of young musicians entering the 7th grade. They also do a version of the Logical Song. (YT)
Here’s some early videos by the Sugarcubes (which Bjork was in before going solo) in 1988. Motorcrash and Deus.
From Library’s ILL, I obtained La Tigre’s 1999 self-titled masterpiece. Wow, it really bowled me over, especially the song Hot Topic (YT). I learned through the album’s wiki page that Hot Topic was a list song (or laundry song). Wiki has a great page about that.
I have been enjoying Eubie Blake, especially his album The 86 Years of Eubie Blake (which is a must listen — here it is on Youtube). The irony is that after his death it was later learned that he was born in 1887 (not 1883), so he was actually only 82. He said he composed Charleston Rag in 1899, but didn’t commit it to paper until 15 years later. His song, “I’m Just Wild About Harry” became the theme song for Harry Truman’s election campaign. His singing pal, Noble Sissle actually sang several of the songs on the 86 Years album. Blake and Sissle wrote the jazz musical Shuffle Along which premiered on Broadway in 1921 and was the first African-American produced show on Broadway (and it starred Josephine Baker — holy cow!).
Of course, the big event is Eurovision — and I have blogged about it at bottom.
I’ve been feeling sentimental about the theme song for Red Dwarf (YT). Here’s a live orchestral performance (with singing and electric guitar) (YT) Here’s a fascinating 29 minute interview with the song composer Howard Goodall (YT) where he mentions two silly songs he also wrote for Red Dwarf. Tongue Tied (YT) and the Arnold Rimmer song (YT). The lyrics for the song are silly and irrrelevant to sci fi. That, Goodall, says, is precisely the point. He consciously avoided a futuristic style for the music or lyrics.
It’s cold outside There’s no kind of atmosphere I’m all alone More or less
Let me fly Far away from here
Fun, fun, fun In the sun, sun, sun
I want to lie Shipwrecked and comatose Drinking fresh Mango juice
Goldfish shoals Nibbling at my toes
Fun, fun, fun In the sun, sun, sun Fun, fun, fun In the sun, sun, sun
Post-Eurovision Notes
As you know, Americans normally cannot watch the final performance on YouTube; it is geo-blocked. However, I noticed that some of the National Finals (NF) are streamable in USA. So YT links will go to the portion of the NF which show the song in question.
I have deliberately avoided watching the semi-finals, but I did take a peek at the 2nd semi-finals. Long enough to watch the great Australian Milkshake Man video (YT). Amazed that it didn’t qualify for the finals. Also, Ireland not making the finals?! At least Albania and Ukraine qualified.
Okay, I’ve watched the whole thing. Twice (more or less).
The biggest Eurovision surprise was the delightful Made in Switzerland song (YT) which educated people about the history and culture of Switzerland. It also had a surprise appearance of Petra Meade (who is a Swedish comedienne and frequent Eurovision host). I suspect the William Tell stuff is just tall tale/silly history, but apparently there is a literary tradition of inventing wild adventures for that character.
Overall, I didn’t particularly care for Austria’s song (the singer was too high-pitched for my liking, and the melody wasn’t that pleasant either. Frankly, I was surprised as hell that it placed so high.
I loved Latvia’s Tautumeitas song. (YT) They sing some divine harmonies, and their choreography was also terrific. The performance was too arty, so I didn’t expect them to win, but I had hoped that they would place highly (and they did).
I was pleasantly surprised by Italy’s song by Lucio Corsi (YT) It was so sunny and pleasant, a far cry from the heavy metal Maneskin of a few years ago.
Subtle songs get missed by voters but are ranked highly by the juries. I was pleasantly surprised by Zoe Me of Switzerland (YT) (and it was ranked very highly by juries), but it received zero points by the voting audience.
I liked Israel’s son by Yuval Raphael, and she scored 2nd overall. Not my first choice, but a lovely song and lovely singer. Reading online, I discovered that she faced a horror during the Hamas attack. She hid in a shelter with 50 other people, and one of the terrorists threw hand grenades in her shelter, killing everybody but 11 people. Yuval hid for 8 hours behind the bodies, even sustaining injuries herself. Her song is one of healing and hope. This kind of story reminds you that one can hold a grudge against a government for its policies, but not against individual citizens, who may be victims themselves. Should it matter that the singer be a victim of the political violence? I don’t know, but it’s unavoidable. (YT)
Update: It appears that several countries have lodged formal complaints about the presence of Israel at the festival because of their actions in Gaza. Israel engaged in an aggressive campaign to encourage people in other countries to vote for the song — including an ad in Times Square in NYC! Maybe Eurovision should revisit guidelines about how to promote a country’s song. In this case, Israel only did so-so on the juror’s vote, but phenomenally well on the call in voting
I loved Klavdia of Greece. (YT) Her voice was beautiful, it’s a great melody and the staging was beautiful and simple. I feel almost the same way about Sweden’s Claude and Poland’s Justyna Steczkowska (YT) . I would have been happy with any of these three winning. The dizzying choreography of Poland’s song definitely gave it a Ruslana vibe. For the record, I haven’t listened to much Polish pop music, but the little that I have heard is always terrific! (Also, the Eurovision songs all tend to be great showcases for singers’ voices.
I was struck by two things: first, a lot of countries did not appear this year. That includes Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia Moldova, and obviously Russia, Belarus, Turkey, Hungary and Morocco. I imagine the financial costs of participation is a factor and also perhaps some of the more conservative (and Muslim) governments don’t see eye to eye with the super-tolerant values of Western Europe. Although some small countries participate, frankly it is rare for any of them to do that well (Of course, big countries like UK, Germany and France don’t do that well either, but at least they have more money to burn).
Pre-Eurovision — Thoughts
This week has finally arrived. Tuesday and Thursday are the semifinals for Eurovision, and the finals are Saturday afternoon. All the shows are broadcast live on Peacock and can be streamed later.
It’s also on YouTube — but geo-blocked for Americans unless they use a browser with a VPN and spoof as a European. Actually if you have checked, most of the European finals from previous years are also unavailable to U.S. users on YouTube even though you can usually watch the Semi-final performances for most of the acts.
For the three years I lived in Europe, I had never heard of Eurovision. Several years after I had returned to the States, I first heard about it when the Ukrainian singer Ruslana won the whole damn thing in 2004 (YT). After that I followed Eurovision in a lackadaisical way. But over the next decade, I developed a religious fervor for Eurovision. By 2021 I had became an outright proselytizer for the Eurovision religion to the barbarous American natives.
I have blogged about it, tweeted about it and even done a podcast about it on a global music podcast a few years ago. The podcast host was barely aware of Eurovision, and just a few days ago I mentioned it in passing to a South-American-born DJ living in Houston, and he also had never heard of the biggest music competition in the world. My teenage nieces and nephews had also never heard of it — although in the last year or two moments from past Eurovision performances have shown up randomly in their TikTok feeds.
Last year, I had been discussing the whole Eurovision thing with a British artist now living in Spain. He had certainly heard of Eurovision, but had stopped watching it a decade ago because it was getting “too gay” for his tastes.
However, my Irish-American mom — who also watches the Grammy Awards religiously, got into the show and admits that it’s pretty fascinating — even though by the third hour she usually call it quits. Telling her that Ireland is one of the heavyweight contenders in Eurovision history (along with Sweden, Italy and now Ukraine) probably increased her curiosity, although last year it turns out that Irish’s entry, Bambi Thug sang an almost unlistenable Industrial Metal song called Doomsday Blue where she screams and dances with Satan inside a pentagram. In addition to being non-binary, neo-paganist and dressed in BDSM outfit and a firm supporter of Palestinian rights (Bambi Thug was specifically forbidden by the Eurovision contest from wearing a Palestinian flag in her performance), my Mom decided that she still preferred the traditional Irish songs like My Irish Eyes are Smiling and Danny Boy. (As it turns out, Bambi Thug placed 6th — the highest rank that Ireland has had in 20 years. Some of Bambi Thug’s other songs are much more listenable — though still very witchy).
One of the most amazing things about Eurovision is that there is no prize except the satisfaction of winning. Last year Eurovision host (and female comedian) Petra Mede announced that for 2024 only there would be a special bonus prize for the 1st place winner — it would be a box set of Season 3 of the Gilmore Girls. Last year’s competition had its up and downs, including an international sing-a-long of various obscure Eurovision gems. “Lyrics will appear onscreen during the screen to help those singing along at home,” Petra said. “And if you already know the lyrics to all these songs, then you will know that you really are a homos– I mean– a true Eurovision fan.”
Every year has some stinkers and some ridiculous performances and some gems which never made it out of Semi-finals. Here’s some wonderful little gems from 2023 which scored close to last place in the finals.
Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper (Netherlands)
Mimicat (portugal)
So my predictions about who will win the contest never materialize. One year, the act I had predicted would win the whole thing ended up receiving the 2nd lowest score. The unpredictability of Eurovision has to do partly with the demographics of EU residents voting with their phones. Who could predict for example that the songs from Israel would consistently land near the top of the Eurovision heap regardless of the political turmoil going on in Gaza? Eurovision is on an island totally devoid of politics. Nobody worries about Donald Trump or for that matter what crazy things are happening in the USA. Nobody talks about the Ukrainian war (although I wouldn’t be surprised if what finally ends the Ukrainian invasion are a bunch of crazed Eurovision fans who take Putin hostage until he gets Russia back into the contest). First place winner for last year (Nemo) is a Swiss non-binary pansexual who once called on his Switzerland to recognize a third gender. Here’s their winning song, The Code.
As for this year? Who knows. I’ve heard that Sweden has a song performed in a sauna. I’m pretty sure that whatever Germany, France and England send will be close to last place. I’d love to see a smaller country like Albania win it — smaller countries typically don’t do well.
Adding to the problems are that family events are conflicting with this year’s Eurovision schedule. (This is like the third year in a row!). That means I have to avoid social media and news until Sunday noon, when I can watch the stream unencumbered by schedules and out-of-town family here for the weekend.
In the meantime I have created a Spotify playlist called Magnificent Purple Babies with about 13 hours of old and new Eurovision songs. Enjoy!
Postscript: Other Eurovision Stuff
I have noticed that full shows of old Eurovisions are available to Americans. The 2009 show in Moscow is universally considered to be the best show, and the 2021 post-Covid Show is also terrific.
For 2009 Eurovision, besides the wonderful winning song by Alexander Rybak (at the 1:27:32 mark), there was a gorgeous song by Estonia’s Urban Symphony (1:08:17) Turkey (1:19:52 ) and a (seriously) great song by Greta Thunberg’s mother (24:52 )
I just love that Estonian song Rändajad (YT) and its singer Sandra Nurmsalu (when she was singing with the Urban Symphony group).
One reason Eurovision is so unknown in the Americas is that you can’t watch most of the performances on YouTube. ESC geo-blocks the vids from regions whose country has not licensed the content.
But Americans can still watch the music vids for the song — and ESC puts the unblocked music vids on their channel.
They have been in my peripheries for a long time, but I finally got around to listening to Sixpence None the Richer and realized that 1)I really love the group’s sound and 2)the singer Leigh Nash comes from New Braunfels, Texas. They had a few hit songs around the turn of the century, such as Kiss Me (YT)
SMUT. Here’s a comic song by Tom Lehrer (1928-2025) praising smut. (YT) “I’ve never quibbled if it was ribald… Who needs a hobby like tennis or philately; I’ve got a hobby. It’s re-reading LADY CHATTERLY…”
Non-Eurovision Music Stuff
Wow, Talkingheads released a music video of Psycho Killer …. 50 years later. And it stars Saoirse Ronan. (YT)
Jabee (BC, Youtube) is an Oklahoma-based rap singer. Very versatile and has lyrics which tap into calls for social justice.
Freegal/Library/Archive.org Acquisitions
Slowly I’ve been downloading music from Freegal.
Various Eurovision stuff: GoA, Sunstroke, Mimicat, Kalush Orchestra, Katja Ebstein, Dai Freyr, Alexander Rybak, Rosa Linn. Destiny, “Je me Casse,” Salvador Sobrai.
Also the album Pop Trip by Pogo Pops (a 90s Norwegian pop group). I’ve been watching the great Norwegian show Pernille with an amazing soundtrack. The title song (which we only hear 5 seconds of); after much searching, I discover that it was “You don’t own me” by Saygrace and it is based on a 1963 song by Leslie Gore. Saygrace’s Live version is much better and cleaner than her European rap duet megahit (YT).
Great song by Mina (“You are my destiny”)
I’ve noticed that a lot of bootleg concerts from the 1970s-2000s are downloadable from Archive.org. There’s only one hitch: the recordings are in .flac format (and so you can’t listen to them in the embedded player on archive.org ). Fortunately, there is an easy solution. Download a zip of the flac files, unzip and then batch convert to mp3/.m4a/opus by using the free conversion tool freac. The other hitch is that some of the flac files don’t have good metadata. I would recommend editing the .flac metadata before doing the conversions. The first album I downloaded contained track information for another live concert. Welcome to the wonderful erroneous world of bootlegs.
I mentioned before that I stopped my subscription to Emusic. That gives me time to actually listen to the albums I download and maybe listened to once or twice.
in 7th grade I also listened to classical music on my city’s NPR station — though it was maddening having to wait for the end of the piece for the DJ to announce what we had just heard. (Amazing fact: did you know that many classical pieces were longer than the usual 3 minute pop song?) I remembered my joy and frustration at hearing a magical orchestral melody on the radio and then never finding out the name of the piece. I remember waiting months before I heard that same melody on the radio again — this time, I made sure to listen to the very end — turns out the piece was Beethoven’s Pastorale Symphony…. That was a year before I received a tape recorder which gave me the ability to record random things from the radio onto a 60 minute 2 sided cassette. I still remember what was on that first cassette I made — Barber’s Piano Concerto played by Robert Browning (YT) . It rocked my world!
You may not know that I have a nephew at music school who is playing for a well known university jazz band. He plays trombone and tuba, so my ears perk up whenever I hear a good part in a song for one of those instruments. Some faves:
Breakfast in America by Supertramp (YT). Heard this hundreds of times, but I never noticed the tuba until recently.
Age of Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In by 5th dimension. (YT) Actually this is backed by multiple Wrecking Crew stars; the arrangement and recording is incredible! I read on the wiki page that the instruments and vocals were recording separately, which made it so power-packed.
Articles, Interviews & Lists
Here’s a list compiled by a redditor about best albums of the year from the 1960s to the present. Even though these lists are kind of boring, I have missed a lot of the albums although I have generally heard of all the musicians.
Reddit favorite albums of the year from 1970 to 2024. That may simply reveal the demographics of reddit users, but some unusual choices here: lots of Tool, Green Day and Radiohead. Still, surprising to see Rage Against the Machine, Gorillaz, Smashing Pumpkins.
Reviews
Youtubey/Podcasty Things
Lynsey De Paul does a comic interview with a very famous musician (YT).
From my days living in Albania, I learned about some great Albanian singers. I was particularly taken by Eli Fara, who sang at folk festivals in the 1980s. There was one really amazing folk melody which she sang from that era. I spent a long time trying to find it again and found it –only to lose it again. I could have sworn that I had ripped one of her CDs and downloaded some versions of the song I liked, I can’t find anything.
Here’s a mini-playlist (YT) of Eli Fara‘s songs — mostly her older stuff. Aha, I found a medley with the song in it. It’s on the first track — for the first two minutes.
I just spent almost an hour trying to find a Cantopop song by Joey Yung that I listened to over and over 20 years ago. It took viewing almost 100 music vids on YouTube, but I finally found it (I recognized it in the first 2 seconds). Ahh, relief. (YT)
EPIC DANCE NUMBER. I really dig Sports Car song by Tate McRae and the amazing dance routine which was performed live on SNL last week. (YB) This dance number is brilliant in so many ways — singer is hot too. The Official video (which is interesting but strange) uses this theme of the voyeur/stripper and the “sports car” is a reference to the voyeur’s wealth. The live performance takes a totally different (and totally appropriate) tack! Here’s a 10 minute discussion with the singer/songwriter and the music producer.
80s DADA-PUNK SONG: This is the first time I’ve heard of the Flying Lizards. Where were songs like this when I was growing up? If I had seen this music video during the early years of MTV, I would have FREAKED OUT! (YT) Here’s an early interview (YT) and a later interview with the lead singer (YT1 and YT2)
I listen to a lot of random musical tracks that I get from various places (legally). I usually hate Christian rap/gospel songs, but I found a song which has stuck in my head. I searched for it and found this fun and upbeat dance video. (YT) The singer Josiah Caleb lives in Dallas, and apparently, he got a group of teenagers to dance along. (He runs a catering business).
I admit, I expected already to know a lot of these “secretly German” songs. But this enjoyable 20 minute vid mentions a lot of cool songs and musicians that were brand new to me. (YT)
UPCOMING MUSICAL DISTRACTION: Exactly 1 month from today will be the Eurovision Song Contest finals (Saturday May 17). (For a single afternoon at least, I will not have to think about a Russian war or my own country’s increasingly autocratic behavior). I cannot wait! (YT)
This handy guide is for music lovers who want to avoid using Spotify. My two tips are 1) getmusic..fm for codes to get free albums on bandcamp and 2)upload your music collection to ibroadcast.com to stream it any way you want. (Free + Freemium versions) . I never really have had a problem with Spotify (although the premium versions are too expensive). They are good ways to sample albums before buying digital versions. Bandcamp is a much better way to support musicians –especially for Name Your Price (NYP) albums, but many of the albums on bandcamp are very expensive — costs too much unless you’re 100% sure you want it or want to buy it as a way to support your musician. I wish that more albums cost less than 5$, but they’re more like 10-20$.
Now that I’m no longer subscribing to Emusic, I feel oddly liberated. Also, for once I now have time to actually listen to the gems I discovered on emusic. I’ve also been meaning to catch up on review writing. I don’t do it religiously, but I haven’t written any in several months. I regret to say that two library systems I belong to have discontinued their freegal subscriptions, which is a major bummer. With three subscriptions, I could download 13 songs a week. I discovered lots of songs that way and downloaded them.
I even updated my directory list of all the albums I own or have ripped. I think there’s about 19 or 20 thousand. https://www.imaginaryplanet.net/private/robert-music.txt
I have been working on an Ultimate Death Playlist (more)
Articles and Interviews
stuff
Bandcamp Purchases
Begin
Youtubey/Podcasty Things
NEW KYLIE SONG. Just heard a banger song by Kylie Minogue — only to realize that it just came out a week ago! It’s a real “Can’t Get it Out of My Head” kind of song from her upcoming album TENSION II. (YT)
Sorry for the sound quality (it’s still listenable), but here’s a lovely and tender duet between Kris Kristofferson and Sinead O’Connor in 2010 on an Irish talk show. (YT)
Here’s the music video for a great Death Valley Girls song Disaster (Is what we’re after) which I heard in a great Mexican sitcom titled @$#$# Social Media (on Amazon Prime). (YT)
HORRAY FOR GANDER! There are many ways to remember 9/11 today, but let me mention the wonderful and heart-warming musical production “COME FROM AWAY” (streamable for free on Apple+) which tells the unconventional story of air travelers diverted to a small Canadian airport on that day because all American airports had been closed. The original cast were brilliant and entertaining, and the story itself so strange and funny that you would never think it could capture the chaos of that week. Yet it does so, and still manages to be entertaining. Here’s a reunion of the original cast singing a few of the songs. (YT)
I officially retired from my illustrious JUST DANCE career 12 years ago (after being totally bested at the game by my niece , but I found this video of wacky Just Dance routines to be hilarious. (YT)
If anyone tries to tell you that Hank Williams sang the definitive version of “I Saw the Light,” tell them they are wrong! It has to be Roy Acuff’s version! (YT). Wow, I never realized that Acuff and Hank Williams sang it together on TV in 1952. (YT) (Also, Acuff and Kitty Wells sang it on TV in 1958 (YT )
Every time I watch this funny nutty song (He Needs Me) in the Popeye movie, I fall in love with Olive Oyl all over again. RIP Shelley Duvall. (YT) Also, I love the song “He’s Large” from the same movie. (YT)
One of my favorite crowd-sourced video is the amazing Daft Hands version (YT) of Daft Punk’s Harder, Stronger, Faster. The high school kid who created it did something phenomenal. Here’s a high school girl’s dance team that did a Daft Bodies version of the song (YT)
Freegal and Library CDs
As I mentioned before, my ability to download tracks from freegal has been drastically reduced.
City Zoo by G.E.M. I absolutely love G.E.M’s music. She’s a Hong Kong singer fully fluent in English and Western styles and classical music. The concept behind this album is that all the songs involves an animal — in terms of spirit or energy. (here’s a great wiki page about the album).
Tyla. This amazing new South African singer has introduced a style ampiano which is a “It is a hybrid of deep house, gqom, jazz, soul and lounge music characterized by synths and wide, percussive basslines.
John McCormack. I already had a CD by this Irish singer from the 1910s-1930s, but I lost it. Fortunately I was able to download some of the better recordings from the 1930s.
Abida Parveen. I already downloaded one live concert this Pakistani ghazal singer did, but she has done so many albums. I downloaded a few random tracks from freegal as well.
The good news is that the Harris County library system continues to have some gems, plus I’ve been able to snag a dozen or so CDs from book sales.
I am determined to use up my emusic credits as soon as possible and cancel my membership once and for all! Also — ugh! at about the same time, two of my three library accounts cancelled the Freegal music download service, so I’ll be downloading substantially fewer songs from them.
Articles and Interviews
I was too distracted to blog about articles and interviews. Will catch up next month.
Emusic Purchases
Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps, performed by Trio Classico de Xalapa. 47 minutes, 99 cents. Known in English as QUARTET FOR THE END OF TIME by Olivier Messiaen from 1941. Definitely a random obscure gem as performed by a Mexican chamber music group. Dissonant, flighty, mysterious, written while he was in prison by the Germans.
I’ll be so happy by the Fairfield Four. 3.99 Culturally lauded men’s black gospel group. 33 minutes. Originally titled The Bells are Tolling, which came out in 1962.
1986 by Ekathe. 8 tracks, 33 minutes. Argentine jazz, mostly with guitars.
Ultimate Lounge Sunday Sexy Soothing Jazz by Kovimi Music label (Compilation). 95 minutes/6.49 Konstantin Klashtorni (bio) is a multitalented Ukrainian saxophonist/pianist/guitarist who composes and performs these easy listening Kenny G-type pieces. They’re all relaxing and nice (maybe a little bland?) but still enjoyable. Klashtomi goes by several different names: Kool&Klean, Chillaxonic, eJazz Artistry, but they’re all the same person (I think).
New Rock by Buffalo Daughter. 6.99, 69 minutes. Absurdist 90s Japanese rock-pop. Lots of messing around with sampling.
Steyoyoke Perception, Vol. 1 (Compilation). 105 minutes/6.49. This is a Berlin-based ethereal techno label. Lots of releases and compilations, but for this one I liked the laid back vibe of every track. Techno music to take a nap to.
Okay by James Muller and SCJO. 37 minutes/2.49 Muller is an Australian jazz guitarist who is playing with a brassy jazz ensemble. (Review here)
The Takeover by Poppy Jean Crawford. 13 minutes/1.49. Nice EP by a Los Angelas singer.
Dust: Recordings 1980-1984 by 22 Beaches. 31 minutes/3.49. Short-lived low-key Scottish punk band who at times sound like Devo a little or a lot.
Phoenix Flies by Asia Philharmonic Orchestra. 57 minutes/0.99. The now-defunct APO was a Pan-Asian orchestra consisting of Asian artists from symphonies around the world started by a South Korean named Myung-whun Chung. It got together regularly to perform special concerts. Great performances of Asian pieces totally unknown to me. This album has lots of ballads sung by a male vocalist with orchestral backing. The singer sounds traditionally Chinese, but the orchestral arrangements sound very Western, even jazzy. Also check out “Ching Ming Festival of Bianliang River” which seems to be by the same group.
I have challenged myself to buy as many albums on emusic in as fast as time as possible.
Articles and Interviews
Nice profile of iconic feminist punk musician Kathleen Hanna — to coincide with the release of her turbulent memoir. “There’s an art to turning personal tragedies and brushes with oppression into your own, sometimes funny narratives. It’s like pulling a sliver out of your foot and fashioning it into a tiny little sword.” I have known about KH’s creations (Julie Ruin, Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, etc) for some time now and I even bought the Julie Ruin album, but I haven’t really listened to Bikini Kill that much. It was news to me that Joanie Jett provided an early break to Hanna.
CHEAP & FUN MUSIC KINDLE EBOOKS: “Record Collecting For Girls: Unleashing Your Inner Music Nerd, One Album at a Time” ($0.50) by Courtney E. Smith is a fun look at chick music, music culture and how nerdy chicks get into music (2011) “60 Songs That Explain the ’90s” (2.99) is a wildly entertaining series of rants from rock critic Rob Harvilla (who does a podcast with the same name). (2023). Both are great deals and fun reading.
= recordings from a bland-sounding label called “All Time Favorites” but actually contains a nice mix of low-cost albums from the 1980s to the present. Most of the bands are little known except in their region (and practically impossible to google), but these compilations are Roaratorio (which were dirt cheap and really out there sonically. I’ve been downloading lots of Greatest Hits from Brit bands of the 1980s. Beware!
Black Light (Manchester Version) by Ting Tings 3.99/34 min. Nice EP by one of the most kickass British power pop groups. (actually shocked to find it on emusic) It doesn’t have the fury of their first album, but it’s very expressive and showcases the range of the vocalist’s voice. (Emusic has the regular version and the Manchester Version. The latter is a more stripped down version, , with less reverb, focused more on the voice.
On a Whim by A Different Thread. Country duet of Brit guy with North Carolina woman. Some of these songs are outstanding! 5.49/50 min. Also Call of the Road 4.99/42 min.
Nonsequence by Mike Gibbs. 4.49/52 min. Gibbs is a trombonist/composer who has made these rich and textured brass melodies.
For Your Sins by Dea Matrona. 5.49/32 minutes. Belfast girls rock band who sing traditional guitar-driven rock songs with restrained harmony. Not too bold or rowdy, but still listenable, especially because the guitars are so interesting. Songs like Glory, glory, (I am free) show that the band can also do gentle folk songs.
Swirls and Eddies by Ivo Neame Trio. 3,48/46 min. Nice and swinging piano jazz ensemble.
Exactly as it seems by Home Counties. 4.50/37 minutes. Light and zippy Brit dancepop, compare to Smiths, B52s, Ting Tings, Blondie. 5 dudes and a singing gal.
Fires and Floods by Eddie Martin Band. 66 minutes, 6.40. British blues guitar plays Texas style.
Verso by Maria Pia De Vito, John Taylor, Ralph Towner. 56 minutes, 4.49. Italian jazz singer from Provocateur Records.
Various things by Vick Lavender: The Nature EP,
Where the Rest of the World Begins by Gian Slater and Hieronymus Trio. 44 minutes/4.99 This Australian jazz album is a slow and easygoing collaboration between pianist/composer Emma Grace Stephenson and female singer Gian Slater Songs like Love is Patient have a meandering and ethereal quality, and Slater’s wistful singing gives it a beautiful magic. Strangely, the vocals and lyrics take a backseat to the piano melodies, but Slater has an incredible voice which captures every nuance with subtlety and skill. A nice review.
Dromoi Horis Telos by Thanos Eglezis. 5.49/43 min. Greek rock and roll. Apparently an unknown.
Love, Gloom, Cash, Love by Herbie Nichols Trio. 41 min/4.49. historic 1957 recording by jazz pianist and composer, whose reputation has soared over time. Read reviews.
All time Favorites:Sunny & the Sunglows. 31 minutes/5.49 . Texas Latino/Tejano band popular in the 1950s.
Macedonian Dance and Belly Dance by Orchestra Agushevi. I’m 80% sure that this is an early collection of brass pieces by the hot Macedonian brass band leader Dzambo Agusevi (who is pretty famous in the West). Probably re-released from another label.
s/t by Ajagore.
The Gentle War by Trichotomy. 50 minutes/ 3.49 Nice album by an Australian jazz trio. Read this album review. Though it’s mostly gentle, this piano jazz has an unexpected amount of rhythm and force.
The Mongolian by Haya. 49 minutes/0.99 Lovely folk-pop band, with unusual instruments, throat-singing
Booker Little and Friend by Booker Little. 58 minutes/3.99 Last album by trumpetist Booker Little. Released in 1961.
Round Midnight by Jan Pluta Band. 65 minutes/3.99 Pluta is a Polish percussionist who plays jazzy pop tunes, sometimes with vocals, sometimes with a hard beat. Feels like neo-soul or jazzy lounge music. These English-language tunes are less interesting than their musical arrangements, vocal harmonies and Quincy Jones-like punchiness.
Griechische Impressionen by Aris Aristofanous. 39 minutes/3.99 1989 live recording of this Greek singer.
Down in Houston by Pierre and the Zydeco Dots. 37 minutes, 3.99 Early Houston zydeco band — I probably have seen them in concert! (am unsure). Probably not as fierce as Buckwheat Zydeco, but still good stuff.
Irish Punky by Boreash. Obscure Irish instrumental music. 56 minutes/0.99
Trouble Blues by Mietek Blues Band. 51 minutes/0.99 Longtime Polish blues/jazz band recordings. Originally recorded as “Tribute to the Blues” in 1994. Contains several blues standards, some with daffy interpretations (“Thrill is Gone” is upbeat and perky… well, that’s special). Worth grabbing.
Natural Born Lover by Lou Ann Barton. 12 tracks, 3.99 Texas blues singer from the 1980s and 1990s who hung around Stevie Ray Vaughan when he was alive. Truncated version of 1988 album Sugar Coated Love. 12 tracks instead of the original 17.
Spirit of Tibet by Nawang Khechog (Tibetan composer & flutist). 49 minutes/0.99. Good meditative music by a self-taught musician, otherworldly and profound. This performer has performed with several A-list US musicians (Paul Simon, Philip Glass, Natalie Merchant, etc).
30 Cantos populares de Chile by Violeta Parra. 65 minutes/6.49 Famous Chilean folk singer from the 1960s who committed suicide.
Grandes Exitos by Mercedes Sosa. 43 minutes/ 6.49. 12 hits from the career of this Argentine singer, including her famous version of Violeta Parra’s Gracias a la vida. (Check this duet she did with Joan Baez on YouTube for Violea Parra’s song.
Primeras Grabaciones by Tlen Huicani. 68 minutes/3.99. Folk singers from Veracruz, Mexico.
Ten Best by Status Quo. 38 minutes/4.99 This generic-looking compilation contains their original 1970s hits from this long-running UK hard rock band. Wish it had more songs (and later stuff), but still it’s a great intro to a band virtually unknown in the USA.
Ten Best by Lynsey DePaul. 37 minutes/4.99 Terrific compilation by British singer/songwriter whose song “Rock Bottom” won 2nd in 1977 Eurovision. Her lovely delicate voice sounds like Jeanette or Carly Simon or Olivia Newton John, but there’s a little bit of disco in the background, recalling Toni Tenille or maybe Diana Ross. Update: this compilation is incredible and makes me long for more!
Abida Parveen Classics Live, 5.49/82 minutes. Classic performance by Pakistani female singer of ghazals.
Nightleaf by Boytoy. 34 minutes/4.49 Vermont psychedelic band which sounds like Black Moth Super Rainbow.
s/t by Evil Usses. 39 minutes/3.99. Off-balance jazz/pop pieces that range in mood and energy, but still surprise. Sax/electric guitar, bass and drums.
Bandcamp Purchases
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Youtubey/Podcasty Things
This wonderfully raucous music vid is a cover version of a Nirvana song which appeared in the BIG SHORT (one of my fave movies ever). Polyphonic Spree is such a strange group. Here’s longer excerpts from that same concert tour apparently.
Incredibly I realized this month that Tom Petty and Tom Waits were two different people. Honestly I had no idea. Whenever I heard either name, I would think, “Oh, that’s the Free Fallin /Living like a Refugee Guy.
I put my emusic subscription on hold for 3 months — pretty much because I thought I wanted to cancel, but wanted to give them an extra 3 months to collect more albums (if that were even possible). 3 months later, I started looking through the catalog. There’s so much garbage; is it really worth all my investigation? I’m leaning towards leaving.
Last week I did something unthinkable; I went to a live music concert. I learned that one of my fave singers, Jade Birdwould be singing in Houston. She was doing a midweek concert at the Heights Theater in Houston, with Aubrey Hays opening for her. A few superficial remarks:
Heights Theater was such a wonderful venue especially for acoustic pop/rock. Tickets were reasonably-priced, the schedule had a lot of distinguished performers, but parking was on the street. The only drawback was that it took an hour to get there during rush hour, but I wanted to be there good and early.
Aubrey Hays was a treat to hear. Lots of slow wistful introspective songs. Kind of folk, kind of mumblecore, but she did remarkable things with her voice.
Jade Bird was one of the most energetic performers I’ve seen. It’s exhausting. My neighbor in the audience said that Jade Bird has a lot of rage inside of her, which is a funny thing to say, because Jade Bird has a goofy presence and is really hilarious onstage. (It’s even funnier that she’s from UK and living in Austin). She was only 26 — holy cow, born in 1997! But she had entered the music biz very early in life
Articles and Interviews
Here’s a nice Interviews with rock legendPatti Rothberg (whose Between the 1 and 9 album is among my all-time favorites). Here’s the video for Treat Me Like Dirt . Rothberg still performs regularly on the East Coast at smaller gigs. Most of her albums are at the major distributions, with the latest collaborations on Bandcamp here, here and here. It’s a combination of punk rock, easy pop and acoustic stuff.
Emusic Purchases
For this emusic credit, I’m going to focus on jazz albums (in the broad sense). I’ve been leaning on Provocateur Records which is run by jazz band leader Colin Towns. (Here’s a profile of Colin Towns). For simplicity I am using an asterisk to indicate albums from Provocateur.
VA Compilation by ANMA Records. Outlines. 4.49 for 57 minutes. Electronic Jazz compilation. Quirky, definitely more electronic than jazz, but still fun.
At the BBC: On Air Performances 2000-2005 by Laura Cantrell. 58 minutes for 6.49. Cantrell is a Nashville-born country singer. So rare to have an American singer on emusic!
Bedsofaland by 9 Lazy 9. 7.49 for 45 minutes. 2000s album by a tranquil jazz group also on bandcamp
s/t by The Bloody Norahs. 36 minutes for 4.00. Australian alt country/indie rock.
* 2 Jazz Collaborations by Alan Skidmore’s Ubizo: Ubizo and 50 Journeys. Alan Skidmore is a noted British tenor saxophonist, and in these two albums he collaborated with a South African percussion ensemble called Amampando. (See this review of Ubizo). Lively and energetic with a strong beat
* Still Life by Colin Towns Mask Quartet sung by Italian singer Maria Pa De Vito. 4.49/59 Min. 1997
* Stand Well Back by Blue Touch Paper. 5.99/70 min 2012. A later iteration of Colin Towns.
Best of Stelvio Cipriani. 6.49/90 min. Compilation of music that Cipriani wrote for various Italian movies in the 1970s and 1980s. I’m sure a lot of good stuff didn’t make the collection, but still sounds lovely. Most are slow and romantic.
s/t by Ken Laszlo. 3.49/43 min. 80s Eurodisco dance songs. I have a weakness for Eurodisco, the sappier, the better.
The Hunt by Jungle by Night. 4.99/43 minutes. Dutch jazz band which is strongly influenced by Afrobeat. Also s/t 2.49/36 min
* Two by saxophonist Andy Sheppard: Learning to Wave 4/64 min. and PS by Andy Sheppard and John Paricelli. (4.49/53 min). These are very easy listening/Kenny G sound, but they still can be intensely focused,sophisticated interpretations and almost cerebral.
Kafiqawwalinight by Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn 1/115 min. What a bargain!
Narrada by Jim Hart’s Gemini. Excellent kooky and zippy jazz . 5.50/61 minutes
.IRISH HOPES AND DREAMS: Here’s a great live version of that iconic Irish Cranberries song, Dreams. You can’t do better than their early album EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING IT, SO WHY CAN’T WE? P.S. All the other live versions of “Dreams” on YT really suck!
Freegal and Library CDs
I’ve been listening to Eumir Deodata, a Brazilian music arranger and producer who did these amazing jazz arrangements. Probably the most famous was his version of Also Sprach Zarathustra, which reached the #2 spot on the pop charts in the USA in the 1970s. Memorably it appeared in the Peter Sellars movie Being There where Chance wandered out into the city streets for the first time in his life.
Toquinho, a Brazilian guitarist who was most known for his collaboration with songwriter Vinicius de Moraes
El Dueto de Antano — classic Columbian guitar groups
Urinetown Original Broadway recording. Music to a cynical political satire. The songs are downright Brechtian and masterpieces. I saw it staged in Houston and was wowed.
Jain. Wonderful African dance pop singer who is heavily influenced by African music.
Quarteo em Cy. Long running group of young female singers from Brazil who often collaborate with well known samba and bossa nova artists.
For this new year I will be putting emusic on hold and focusing a little more on Bandcamp. I still feel that artists on bandcamp price their albums too high. (i find it hard to justify anything more than $5 for an album; I don’t care how talented the musicians think they are.
Hyperswiftian? The onslaught of Taylor Swift news has reached a new peak. So I thought I should weigh in. I have checked out various Taylor Swift CDs and listened to her songs on Pandora. Also I’ve seen a few of her performances on talk shows. I’ve read about her legal disputes and certainly know about her politics. And so far my opinion about her music is that I don’t have any. Pleasantly pop, and her music videos seem really really well-produced. I suppose that maybe later I will actually decide if I like her music and why, but right now, I’m still neutral.
Pop-star wise, I’m still very gung ho about H.E.R., Janelle Monae, Jade Bird (fanatic!) Olivia Rodrigo (unexpectedly!), Brandi Carlile, boygenius, Alvvays, Maren Morris, Little Big, Kacey Musgraves, Nicole Atkins, Jordan Smith, Haelos, Sheryl Crow, Bjork, Tori Amos, Marty Stuart, Courtney Barrett, Потап и Настя, Onuka, Norah Jones, K’Naan,
I generally like: Jon Batiste, the Roots,
Old fogies I still love: Chemical Brothers, PJ Harvey, Sisqo, David Byrne, Kristen Hirsch, Hooverphonic, DJ Rap, Praga Khan, Weird Al Yankovic, Devo, Suzanne Vega, Laurie Anderson,
Friendly indifference to Foo Fighters, Metallica, Billie Eilish, Kelsea Ballerini,
Articles and Interviews
From watching a 1994 video where teenagers entering NYC Tower Records what album they planned to buy, I learned about a great 90s hiphop band called Gravediggaz.
Delighted to learn that the Somalian-Canadian rapper K’naan won a Grammy for best protest song Refugee. Great song and music video. His Wavin’ Flag celebration song (related to the World Cup) has a ton of YouTube views. The first song I heard by K’naan was the amazing America song, which is a bilingual rap song (joined by Mos Def and Chali 2na as well as samples from classic Ethiopian jazz. ) Here’s his Tiny Desk concert from 2010 and his Nardwuar interview (which reveals that K’naan is highly literate and is related to the singer Magool.
Emusic Purchases
I’m putting my account on hold again — possibly for the last time. I’ve definitely found some interesting stuff since last time, but I’d rather be finding gems at Bandcamp. Maybe in 90 days I’ll be willing to try emusic again.
I’ve been exploring the freebies/low cost bandcamp items using Getmusic.fm.
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Youtubey Things
“I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME.” This great silly performance created and narrated by PDQ Bach (who died this week) treats a symphony like a sports event. It’s a real classic (and performed in Houston by the way). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXoVo16pTg
FUNNY DUET: About a decade ago, I stumbled upon some wonderful songs by Italian singer Caterina Valente (who is still alive and 93). I never realized that she did American TV in the 1960s. Here’s a delightful duet with Dean andanother duet with Bing.
I’d seen a fantastic version of the Chicago musical in the 1980s, but the reason I never saw the movie was prosaic. I bought the DVD and lent it to a woman who later became my sworn enemy (it’s a long story). She claimed she lost it, and maybe she did. For some reason I never got around to watching it and only just now watched We Both Reached for the Gun musical number on YouTube. Wow!
SLOW COUNTRY LOVE BALLAD. Please Don’t Say Goodbye by Marty Stuart. Lately I’ve been getting into this country singer– why haven’t I heard about him before?! Very Jimmy Dale Gilmorish. The guitar solo at the end is beautiful! I just love this ether
Freegal and Library CDs
Stuff by Louis Austen. (Austrian neo-disco). I mentioned him in the previous post.
Several albums by Porcupine Tree (a British progressive band).
A compilation of rock instrumentals from previous decades.
Greatest Hits with a Twist by DMX. Unfortunately this version was simply an inferior re-recording of the original hits, but that’s the only album I could find!
6 Feet Under by Gravediggaz. Hey, they’re were considered cool to the cool teenage girls in the mid1990s.
One of my favorite discoveries was an 80s Eurodisco song called Shame by Stefany. Cute woman, addictive reprise, slow and funky base. Imagine my surprise and delight to find that singer’s full name is Stephany Falasconi, and indeed she did a video podcast interview a few months ago. She’s been a TV personality for a long time and her musical adventure was brief, but again, it’s a humdinger of song!
Articles and Interviews
I’ve been really loving this rock album Fear of a Blank Planet by long-running British progrock band Porcupine Tree. Performing since the early 1990s, with about a dozen studio albums. Notably, some of their songs are very long (in the 10-15 minute range).
One Night in Rio — a fun groovy talky song by Austrian Louis Austen. (t’s described as Airport Transit Lounge). I normally hate songs with lots of talking, but this one had so many musical flourishes and funny lines too.
For $75 I bought a $200 emusic value pack. This will be the last time. After that I will permanently leave emusic; additions from labels are few and far between, and many great labels have already left. Perhaps I could have left a year ago, but I am still discovering little nuggets of genius from the remaining music. It’s been getting harder though. I am still finding that people on bandcamp have been pricing their albums too high, but there’s enough there to keep me happy.
Highways and Heartbreaks by Siobhan Cotchin. Australian country music EP. Very subdued soft sound.
The Soundings by Blue States. (actually Andy Dragazis). British Triphop from the 2000s. Very downbeat and relaxed.
Home is where the Van is by Battlefield Band. Early 1978 album by iconic Scottish folk band. Iconic as in, they’ve produced dozens of albums and featured an everchanging cast of performers over the decades.
Gently but Firmly by Joyce Delaney. (Consisting of Chrissy Barnacle and Nyla) NYP Scottish dada-punk duo produces lots of minimalist fun songs with screwy lyrics.
Various NYP EPs by Nyla (from Joyce Delaney). All are minor fun — she plays the ukelele as well as guitar.
After reading a reddit thread about most memorable drum performances on a pop song, I was reminded of the remarkable finale of Benny Goodman’s Swingtime in the Rockies. That was Gene Krupa on the drums which by the end was fluttering all over the place.
I’m actually going to be blogging a lot more about music over the next year. I’ve been discovering a lot of fun stuff. Also, I’m going to be wading through the reviews and recommendations on the Club Fonogram site.
We are only readers by Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions project. Well known music veterans sing covers of songs by blues guy Jeffrey Lee Pierce. My only complaint is that they had several different versions of the same song.
2 albums by Indonesian Dhira Bongs. My Precious and a Tiny Bit of Gold. Indonesian easygoing adolescent vaporwave music. Her songs really grow on me though.
Blue Summer Moon by Dayaway. EP 99 cents. Also this ep: s/t Dayaway. Also O by Clavvs. Clavvs have been around for a while (bio), and Dayaway is the latest incarnation. Amber Renee’s voice is very peculiar. You either love her or hate her (I love her), but pairing with Graham Marsh ensures a fast pop beat as well as a spacious sound. Compare to Low,
The Trio, Live by Mark Schofield. British electric guitarist whose style is reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughn, albeit a little lighter and faster. Oops, this album was unavailable!
Mantaray by Siouxsie. Wonderful solo rock album by Siuoxsie of the Banshees fame. It’s a slower, dreamier version of punk with less emphasis on the singing, more on the otherworldly dissonance (It almost reminds me of late Johnny Cash!) This album is polarizing for her punk fans, but I just loved the oversaturated melodies and the lavish production.
The Brutal by Spare Snare. Re-recordings of songs by the long-lived low-fi Scottish rock group. Flawlessly produced by Steve Albini. Great sounding, clear intimate sound with modest electric effects (and a few brassy surprises!) The songs are not particularly memorable (except maybe wi-fi), but they have complex structure and arrangements; it’s all about the bass rumblings and crescendoes.
I Held the Shape While I could by Bodywash. Nice ambient dreampop album by Montreal-based group. Some of the tracks just shimmer (In as Far) , while others (Ascent) zip along merrily.
Archipelago Vol 2 by Chrissy Barnacle. Wonderful Scottish acoustic-punker who is part of the duet Joyce Delaney. (check on Bandcamp for her NYP albums).
A few years ago I bought some digital albums by Koes Plus, the “Indonesian Beatles” (only later did I learn that several of them were available on Archive.org ). Here’s one of my fave songs by Koes Plus. Here’s my favorite Koes Plus song – it’s psychedelic pop and always takes my breath away: Tangis Perri, which translates as “Cry of Loneliness”. Here’s the Google Translation of the lyrics:
slowly the wind comes
layered with black fog
struck by twilight bundles
dazzling shine
I heard it faintly from afar
cry of loneliness
like a groan
in the contemplation of the wind of torment
Dusk began to tremble
Flashing light
Darkness overcomes light
Thrilling taste
painful cries were heard again
closer and higher
untie the rope
shackles in the heart
Dusk began to tremble
Flashing light
Darkness overcomes light
Thrilling taste.
**************
Here’s an 80s playlist by Jim Watts, a high school friend and musician/music producer who won several Grammys.
Freegal and Library CDs
God, so much.
Tijuana Vol 3 by Nortec Collective
Various songs by the Mexican group Kinky.
Romanian Music compilation. Basically more by Tanese and Radu
Gloria Coates
Various Albums by Low: Secret Name, Things we Lost in the Fire, Trust
I’ve been going through a marathon listening session for Siti Nurhaliza. Also starting August I’ve bought an emusic value pack, so I can report some emusic purchases (although I’m probably down to the bottom of the barrel).
Articles and Interviews
I’ve been thrilled to find this English language Latin American music review site called Club Fonogram. It was started by one American guy named Carlos Reyes who died a year or so ago, but several people wrote reviews, and during the 2000s and especially the 2010s it was covering a lot of interesting stuff from South and Central America. Here’s the complete list of reviews (I think). Here’s his list of best albums from every year — and to my amazement a list of compilations he put together of his favorite artists (with their consents) which are hosted mostly on Archive.org. Unfortunately the direct downloads work very slowly, but the archive torrents still work lightning fast. Here’s the trick: copy the name of the compilation and paste it into the archive.org search engine. (Here’s Vol 3 and Vol 4 Some more are here even though there’s repetition). Here’s a list of interviews he did with Latin American performers when they showed up on SXSW. This is really outstanding stuff.
Emusic Purchases
Elements by Louise Burns. 3.99. Wonderful FM-radio pop songs that are more mellow/downboat, yet still have a nice rhythm. Her Portraits album is also terrific.
Hôtel Costes A Decade. 6.49 for 2 1/2 hours. Stéphane Pompougnac makes these Hotel Costes mixes. They are terrific, but this double album compilation kind of bites. Too much spoken word, not enough melody.
Acustico San Jose by Camila Moreno (17 minutes, 1.49). Apparently I’ve already downloaded 3 albums by this Chilean singer, but there’s a few others on another label.
Auto Radio by Benjamin. 5.49, 45 minutes. Apparently according to RYM this Portugese singer is also known as Walter Benjamin.
Ah ce-mi place! by Bogdan Ioniță. 4.99, 49 minutes. Fast Upbeat Dance Europop by the ancient Electrecord Romanian state label. Some of his compositions seem to be on Soundcloud.
Strada sperantei by Vasile Veselovschi. Famed Romanian songwriter. 4.99 for 70 minutes.
Time by Sara Tindley. 40 minutes, 6.49. Australian country singer who died a month or two ago.
Nightengale of Bucharest volume 2 by Maria Tanase. Classic Romanian singer. These recordings from the 1950s are still better than Volume 1 (which is terrible), but the playback levels are terrible.
Romante by Iona Radu. 3.99, 10 songs. Not her best stuff, but still great songs by the immortal Romanian singer.
Prietenii mei dumanii by Victoria Pene. 4.99, 10 tracks. Lovely easy listening Romanian ballads with an acoustic pop sound. Recorded in the early 2000s but the spirit feels older than that — in the best sense.
Hai Acasea, Puisor by Bianca Ionescu Ball. (also known as Bianca Ionescu). 4.99 , 50 minutes. Romanian female singer with a lovely operatic voice who sings mostly ballads here.
Celeste by Soundcarriers. 53 minutes for 5.49. Great, sunny/psychedelic band from UK. Very pleasant sound though it might get monotonous after a while. PS multiple albums on emusic, horray!
Several albums by Congelador. s/t by Congelador. 4.49 Brilliant post-rock meditations with lots of hazy guitars, gentle vocals, strange progressive effects. Also Persona, Abrigo, Cajon, All these are very interesting and different from one another. Like Pink Floyd, The Clean, Sonic Youth, Collective soul, etc. The two brother behind this group also run the Chilean music label Quemasucabeza which I’m really loving.
Tormenta Solar by Fakuta. Low-key downbeat electropop/dreampop from female Chilean composer/singer. alias of Pamela Sepúlveda, a Chilean composer and songwriter. Her music has been described as “delicate indie space pop”, having an ethereal sound that is normally only accompanied by her voice.
Live albums by the Monterrey Mexico rock band album: Live at SXSW 2005, Live at Clickaporte 2007. Live albums are all that emusic has, yes they’re pretty amazing; they growl, they storm, they amaze.
I’ve always been a big fan of Prokoviev‘s Cinderella Ballet, especially the Waltz and Midnight Music. Here’s a recording of those two movements.
Here’s colorized and restored footage of the Glen Miller Modernaires. (cue to the 2:28). Sound isn’t terrific, but who could not fall in love with the beautiful Paula Kelley? Here’s another music clip from the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade singing Chattanooga Choo Choo — followed by a dance number sung by Dorothy Dandridge and the Nicholas Brothers
This may look like an ordinary performance, but it’s actually 2002 Eurovision winner (Marija Naumova from Latvia) singing a classic song by prolific Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls a decade later. Hey, that’s Raimonds Pauls playing the piano! I love this performance…. Here is that 2003 Eurovision-winning performance. I’ll be delving into the music of 87 year old Raimonds Pauls some more over the next few weeks.
Freegal and Library CDs
Raimonds Paul. Classic 1970s Soviet-era pop songs by this Latvian composer.
Marija Naumova — After winning Eurovision with an upbeat pop song, she has been singing all kinds of easy listening ballads, mostly Latvian.
Bette Lemme. Young Canadian singer who did a great duet with Sofi Tukker in the song Awoo (one of my favorite songs and vids).
Lady Wray. Really amazing
Albums by Low (Trust and Things We Lost in the Fire.
BEAUTIFUL SONGS NEVER WIN BIG THINGS. Here’s a terrific and uplifting sung by Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper (Official Eurovision entry for Netherlands). Such a simple song, yet a standout performance which unbelievably didn’t qualify for the Eurovision finals. Have no fear. This song will endure with or without the Eurovision bump.
1st Semifinals featured a LOT of strange songs — even by Eurovision standards. Truthfully I love strange songs and performances at Eurovision, but after watching so many outlandish hyperkinetic performances I begin to want something more basic. (Btw, the interval act with Alyosha and Rebecca Ferguson singing Ordinary World was extraordinary even though the audio quality was substandard).
Articles and Interviews
Here’s a great annotated ranking of Weird Al songs (though I’m bummed it didn’t include the awesome SPORTS SONG on the list). Special appreciation goes to Dick Van Patton for his cameo appearance in the SMELLS LIKE NIRVANA music video.
Here’s an On the Road YouTube playlist I made with the theme (music you’ll like to speed to). About half the ideas came from a subreddit thread, the other half were personal picks.
To my astonishment, I discovered that the Houston club Mucky Duck has been producing a lot of concerts of its mostly Texas performers. Here’s a playlist of full concerts. I particularly recommend Bob Schneider, Sarah Hickman, Kelly Willis, Shinyribs, Trish and Darren Murphy, Patricia Pike, but clearly I am only scratching the surface. Wow, here’s Jonatha Brooke who just performed there last weekend!
Ace of Base I’ve been on a memory trip about Ace of Bass, a group I was only dimly aware of while working overseas.
I’ve been watching Sofi Tukker live performances on Youtube. Here’s an energetic 2021 concert — the first they did after COVID lockdown –563 days after their last performance. Here’s a July 2022 DJ set in Croatia — with a gigantic crowd. Half of the songs are their songs, but they know how to work a crowd. (Also the funky visuals behind them help a lot).
Rick Beato and songwriter Mary Spender marvel at the beautiful lyrics of Jim Croce’s Operator. They marveled at the compactness of the language, the antiquated technology (calling the operator for a number!?) and the hints of sadness in the midst of the upbeat chord changes. Someday I would like to write lyrics for a song! I can do prose and I have a very good sense for rhythm and word flow.
There was an initial meeting at my house in the Hollywood hills to discuss the film, the story of how the Muppets met and the songs that were needed. Walking Jim to his car I told him that Kenny and I would not throw any surprises at him. We’d let him hear the songs as we worked on them. He answered with a smile and then said “Oh, that’s all right Paul. I’m sure they’ll be wonderful. I’ll hear them in the studio when we record them.”
I’ve never once, before or since, experienced such freedom. In the world of filmmaking and the costs involved it’s unheard of. But, there in the street above tinsel town I was shown a level of trust that says more about Jim Henson than it does about Kenny Ascher and I.
Confident in the creative choices he’d made he was willing to step back, allow the process to unfold without excessive control and, energized by his caring and respect Kenny and I did our best work. His graciousness and the elegance of kindness he wore so well made knowing and working for Jim Henson a classic case of living with a master of gratitude and trust
Freegal and Library CDs
start
Mina
Deltron 3000
Miriam Makeba.
Sofi Tukker. More random tracks.I can’t get enough of this group!
Sammi Smith. Country star famous for pretty much one song. Help Me Make it through the Night. But she has a great voice and a slow deliberate way of singing.
Runaways.
Microphones. The Glow Pt. 2 . This 2001 strangely-named avante-garde album has received widespread praise, even from Pitchfork Magazine.
LIZZO RECEIVES THE NARDWUAR TREATMENT: Houston singer Lizzo already seems to know about the reputation of this Vancouver interviewer, but Narduwar still manages to flummox and amaze Lizzo with his encyclopedic knowledge of the Houston music scene.
(I just love those lyrics — which probably are more of Hal David’s handiwork than Bacharach’s. Still Bacharach provides the magic.)
Twenty-five years ago, they spoke out and they broke out / Of recession and oppression and together they toked / And they folked out with guitars around a bonfire / Just singin’ and clappin’, man, what the hell happened?
Nice video by NFKRZ about dissident Russian musicians. NFKRZ is a fast-talking and delightful Russian dissident emigre who knows his Russian stuff.
CANNOT BE UNSEEN: This horrifying clip was referenced in a 90s pop music podcast. QUOTE: ““You didn’t need much sense of rhythm to do the Macarena. You didn’t need to remember too many steps. You simply had to be aware of the location of your chest, head, and butt, and you needed to be able to put your hands on those parts in sequence. Few dance crazes are quite so undemanding.” (I was out of the country when this was on TV — thank God!)
QUOTE: “A Miami radio DJ named Jammin Johnny Caride, he’s DJing live at a club in Miami. He’s there with his program director at the influential radio station Power 96, and he’s trying to convince his boss that they should play “Macarena” on the radio even though the current remix version is all in Spanish, because every time he puts the song on in the club everyone starts line-dancing immediately. So Johnny says, “And I play the song again and the same thing happens. It was like the bubonic plague. The dance floor clears out, people fall in line, like an army, and they start to do that little dance. The ones who didn’t know it, they learn it on the spot. And the boss looks at me and says, ‘What the hell was that?’”
Musically, she got it all right: her enunciation is precise yet soulful, as if she had absorbed every elegant phrase Billy Eckstine—or indeed, the young Ella—had sung. All the pauses are in the right place; her understanding of the songwriters’ intent, if her own choices are any indication, is virtually infallible as she finds new ways into familiar texts from the Great American Songbook; the supple texture of her voice enhances the lyrical narrative she serves; and her uncanny ability to enlarge the emotions of a song without losing control of them reveals an advanced sensitivity to the complexities of this thing called love.
Freegal and Library CDs
Wow, so many new stuff on Freegal and from the Library. I even purchased some used CDs.
