There’s been so many notable passings in the world of music over the last month that we haven’t even addressed the political situation in the US yet. We’ll let Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings speak for us in a clip that illustrates their awesome power in a live setting.
Steve Albini’s bands have always been an aquired taste. Shellac shows were always at least 98% dudes. The subject matter of songs would generally be less than pleasant and a hearty dose of black humor always in tow. At times what would be just as (if not more) interesting was the sound of the recordings. Albini always seemed to emphasize the electric aspect of electric guitars. He had a specific way of micing drums, with an emphasis of not micing cymbals and hi hats. His argument was that all the other microphones for the kit had no problem picking them up. For all of those that can’t deal with Big Black, Rapeman or Shellac I offer up this classic piece by The Pixies from their first album as a template for the classic “Albini Sound”. This recording also seems to incorporate another Albini production practice: analog tape editing. Listen for the cut in the instrumental freak out in the middle of the song. RIP Steve Albini, a true 1 of 1!
Peter Sinfield was a lowkey prog legend. He wrote the majority of the lyrics to the foundational album “In the Court of the Crimson King” for the band he named, King Crimson. He later wrote lyrics for Emerson Lake and Palmer. He also produced Roxy Music’s debut album. Here is one of his creations, as well as one of King Crimson’s most iconic songs.
The jazz world lost another legend this month with the passing of Roy Haynes at the age of 99. Roy was THE bebop drummer, having played with the main architects of the sound: Bud Powell and Charlie Parker. Here’s a great example of Roy’s precision and swing from a session from a real gem of a year for jazz, 1958.
The late, great bop saxophonist Lou Donaldson got one of his big breaks playing in the pre-Jazz Messengers Art Blakey Quintet. As with the Messengers, this band was a collection of soon to be legends, including Clifford Brown. Rest in Power Lou Donaldson!
It’s hard to think of someone with a more impressive music career than the late, great Quincy Jones. Everyone knows about the big hits of the 80s, but back in the early 60s he arranged and conducted an album for Frank Sinatra and Count Basie at the tender age of 31! Rest in Power Le Q!
Compared with their preceeding band Minutemen, fIREHOSE was not known to be particularly political. Whereas D. Boon often let loose on the conservative times of the 80s, Ed FromOhio was more prone to writing about more interpersonal issues. In either band there were always tunes by Mike Watt and here’s a little political leftover that turned up on fIREHOSE’s first album. Now, get out and vote!
“Bone Machine” may be one of Tom Waits’ darkest albums. When looking for a studio space appropriate for recording this material, Waits was not content with traditional offerings. It wasn’t until he visited the cellar of Prairie Sun Recording that he found the right vibe: a basement space with a concrete floor and a water heater. It does seem fitting for recording a tune with lyrics that include “We’re chained to the world and we all gotta pull.”
Ghost. Ghostghostghost. Ghost. Ghost. RIP DJ Rashad. Ghostghostghost. Ghost.
After reaching broader mainstream success and continued critical acclaim with their fourth album, “Elephant”, The White Stripes took a turn away from the riff-driven rock that had helped build up their career. Their fifth album, “Get Behind Me Satan”, was written on acoustic instruments and saw the band stretching their style to encompass more genres. Jack White described the creative process for this record as “a purging of everything”. Here’s a decidely bluegrass-styled tune about dancing with a ghost that the narrator…sees…?
In 1987, at the height of televangelism in the United States, sound artists Negativland put out this piece on their album “Escape From Noise”. The album was more popular than anticipated and the band were faced with a demand for a concert tour that they were not prepared for. They created an excuse for not touring in the form of a hoax press release. Through this release they informed the news media that they were unable to travel due to being under investigation for a connection between a brutal crime and their music. Of course, sensationalist news channels picked up the bogus ball and ran with it. Through this prank the group achieved even greater notoriety and underground credibility. To those foolish enough to not think for themselves: GIVE UP!
XTC were a post-punk/pop band from England with a rather messy history. One main cause for an increasing amount of worries was front man Andy Patridge’s deteriorating mental health. As the band became more and more successful Patridge’s stage fright became more and more extreme, leading the band to quit touring at the highest point of their popularity. At the time there were many theories as to why the band had chosen such a dramatic path. One was that Patridge had died. Another was that they were intentionally trying to position themselves as a second coming of The Beatles. This theory was hard to completely cast away as the riffs and structure of this song point directly to “Abbey Road”. In hindsight, this tune serves as a signpost for Patridge’s failing mental health.
Here’s some classic big band from outer space vibes from the Sun Ra Solar Arkestra. Recorded in Chicago in 1956, this session features the all-time Arkestra greats Pat Patrick and John Gilmore. Catch a ride on those rings!
2024 has not been an easy one and we still have yet to get through a US presidential election. Let Harry Nilsson help put some existential perspective on things. Hang on and try to keep your head above water. Stay out of the whales down there, at a minimum!
By the mid 90s the drum ‘n’ bass genre had emerged from the underground to become more ubiquitous and influential. As sped up breakbeats would pop up in more commerical releases so too would they pop up in less conventional artists tunes, such as Aphex Twin, Squarepusher and Luke Vibert. Vibert chose a different moniker for this kind of output: Plug. While other artists would seek to push the genre to its outer limits, Luke continued to embue his productions with a good dose of funk and humor. Here he blends r ‘n’ b strings and vocal samples alongside intense breaks edits, bass and ominous noises.
After having created some of Drum ‘n’ Bass’s biggest tunes in the mid to late 90s, Photek took a creative turn in the year 2000 with his album “Solaris”. Adopting the production styles of Chicago acid house and minimal techno, Photek tested his audience with dramatically different types of tunes than what was anticipated. The beats and bass were still unrelentingly hard and time has proved his creative decisions to be sound as these tunes still sound fresh.
Novos Baianos were a second wave Tropicalia band from Salvadoar, Bahia, Brasil. True to form, there are plenty of rock n roll elements in the mix with more traditional ones. Funky, rocky stuff!
Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers extol the finer points of the beach. Get some water time in when you can this summer!
The title of Cluster member Hans Joachim Roedelius’ seventh solo album translates as “When the South Wind Blows” and is effectively a full length ode to summertime, made further evident by its cover art. Dip your toes into the soothing synth tones!
More and more as time goes on this tune stays relevant. Big up dancehall legend Carlton Livingston!