Added to iPod

February 10, 2010 | Filed Under Music | No Comments

“Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow…”

It’s lovely outside. I’m not in the desert, the yard is redecorated with snow and the puppy LOVES rolling around in it. Pretty happy, right now.

So – music. It’s been a while. I haven’t been idle, but most of the add-ons are either my new Songlines compilations (beautifully sequenced as always) or some discs I forgot to upload – like the Pogues “If I Should Fall From Grace…” and Radiohead’s “Kid A” (which I only mildly like anyway). But let’s see what I can scrape together…

Massive Attack – “Heligoland” Brand new dark, smokey grooves from one of my favorite trip hop bands. Get it.
Afro Celt Sound System – “Sound Magic” and “Release” These discs are from 1996 and 1998 respectively. Why not meld African, celtic and Indian beats and rhythms? A perfect mix of sounds and worlds.
Ozric Tentacles – “Pungent Effulgent” You heard me. This is a 1989 record by a British psychedelic/prog rock band who have released 28 albums since 1984 and never been on a major label. That’s DIY. Never sluggish or noodly. Excellent musicianship. And guess who brought this one into the house? Kerry! Got stuck to one of her Springsteen CDs…
Carl Craig – “More Songs About Food & Revolutionary Art” I had no Carl Craig and the title was cool. One of his seminal pieces from 1997.
Azam Ali – “Portals Of Grace” I have been reading about many wonderful artists in the Songlines magazine. One was of an Iranian band called Niyaz, of which Ms. Ali is the lead vocalist. This is her most recent solo disc and it’s just beautiful stuff – very spiritual and moving. Reminiscent of the canticles of Hildegard von Bingen… if you have that record. I do.
Firewater – “The Golden Hour” I have been reading about Todd A. (aka Firewater) for some time but this is the first piece I have picked up. He traveled throughout the Middle East and Asia and tells stories of his journey in a style that’s sort of a cross between Nick Cave and Tom Waits only more youthful and a band that likes to rock ‘n roll. Pretend you’re drunk in a bar in Istanbul…
Sons & Daughters – “This Gift” Hard, fast, fun rock songs by this Scottish band. Two guys and two girls. This stuff must sound great in a club.

Finally – remember the Artists Against Apartheid? “I ain’t gonna play Sun City”? Steve Van Zant pulled together an all-star lineup back in 1985 to protest apartheid in South Africa. The single was great but there was some really cool stuff on the album/EP that came out. Well finally it is available in digital format on iTunes… or at least it was. I downloaded it and now it’s gone. Hmmm…

Top Ten of the Decade!

January 20, 2010 | Filed Under Music | 6 Comments

Or not.

Look – you know how crappy I think this past decade was for music. It was so crappy that I have come home after two years and ALL the record stores have closed. People are buying singles again (this time off the Internet) and radio hardly plays music at all. Maybe four or five horrible songs over and over again. So crappy in fact that I think most of the music I picked up this decade was from previous decades.

So – here is a list. Could there be more? Possibly. If you and I sat with a beer and discussed, you could probably convince me of more. But you could also talk me out of a few (depending on how many beers). And we are staying with the rock/pop genre though I know there were some excellent jazz and classical discs. But these are just the ones that came off the top of my head. The less heavy lifting – the better.

Twilight Singers – “Powder Burns” Best album of the decade. Wanna fight?
Scott Walker – “The Drift” He only puts out one record each decade and they are unlike anything you have ever heard.
Pearl Jam – “Holmdel, NJ 07-14-03” Why? Because I was at this show and it was phenomenal.
Tori Amos – “Scarlet’s Walk” One of her best.
The Hold Steady – “Stay Positive” Toss up with Boys and Girls…. Great songs with great gusto.
Underworld – “Everything Everything” A live album from a techno band that kicks ass.
The Roots – “Game Theory” Yeah, I know – they are on Jimmy Fallon’s show now. But this record is still hard edged and timely.
Boards of Canada – “Campfire Headphase” Chill trip-hop that got me through every flight.
Spoon – “Gimme Fiction” Pure pop for smart people.
Stew – “Something Deeper Than These Changes” The world is finding out about Stew through the musical Passing Strange and the accompanying documentary. But this album is still classic.
Massive Attack – “Collected” A greatest hits collection with some great new material. Their show at Roseland was also one of the decade’s best.
Rilo Kiley – “The Execution of All Things” Primo Jenny Lewis and gang.
Neko Case – “Middle Cyclone” Or any other Neko Case album.
America The Book by John Stewart and the Daily Show – Actually an audiobook and one of the funniest damn things you could ever listen to.

BTW – See Avatar. The one thing that actually lives up to the hype.

Boiled In Lead

October 22, 2009 | Filed Under Music | 4 Comments


While we’re talking about music and not my desert existence, let’s do one of my world-famous “blue light” specials!

Many years back, my sister Terry was a DJ for the radio station at the University of Connecticut – WHUS. She did an alternative show there for a while (before switching to Irish music) and sent a tape of one of her shows. There was a ton of great music there and bands I had never heard before. Boiled In Lead was one such band. So when I ran across one of their CDs later, I quickly scarffed it up… from hearing ONE song. Well, From the Ladle to The Grave has remained one of my favorite discs for nearly twenty years now.

And all that time I thought Boiled In Lead was an Irish band! But they actually hail from another music Capital – Minneapolis. It’s an easy mistake, as this record is awash in Celtic rhythms and instrumentation. The tin flute, the fiddle, the bodhran and the pipes are all in full force here – as are re-imagined traditional tunes like “Mad Man Blues”, “Cherish The Ladies” and “Step It Out Mary”. But the album rocks. They are also considered a “world music” band and you can hear the Turkish and Eastern European influences on the instrumentals “Cuz Mapfumo” and “Shopetzki Kopanitsa”. But the album rocks. They also throw in a cover of the Hollies tune “Stop! Stop! Stop!”. But – have I said? – the album rocks. Often bands put out albums that try to be all things to all people. Ladle to The Grave actually succeeds.

The crowning achievement for me from this 1989 record was the song “The Microorganism”. A bouncy, dark little sing-a-long Irish reel… about the fear of the HIV virus.
Caffeine, sugar and THC
Is all the doctor is gonna find in me
When they do the autopsy
The Microorganism won’t get me.
Catchy, huh? And pretty brave and succinct. It ends with the admonition – “don’t kiss anyone you like”.

If you are trolling the cut-out bins, keep your eyes peeled for this record. Boiled In Lead are still around and playing locally. Check out their website: www.boiledinlead.com.

Listen Here:


Boiled%20In%20Lead
Quantcast

Added to iPod

October 20, 2009 | Filed Under Music | 2 Comments

Amazing! Three excellent rock records came out in the past month. Who’da thunk it?

Pearl Jam – “Backspacer” I really liked their last record – more than any that came after Vitalogy. But this new one is a different animal. What you’ve got here is eleven short, fast, tight, fun pop songs. I don’t mean pop in a derogatory sense – ‘cause I love guitar based pop. I just mean these songs are bright and shiny and will sound good coming out of your radio on a summer afternoon. Even the ballad “Just Breathe” hits that mark. It is a totally unstressed album and I, for one, appreciate it.
Built To Spill – “There Is No Enemy” It seems BTS fans fall into two categories: those who revere Keep It Like A Secret (short songs) and those that worship Perfect From Now On (long songs). I consider myself part of the latter camp. The new album tries to have it both ways and pretty much succeeds. The short songs are okay, particularly “Hindsight”. But the long tunes are golden. “Done” and “Tomorrow” help the album end on a really high mark. Also liked “Planting Seeds” with it’s tip-o-the-hat to Bill Hicks.
Mission Of Burma – “The Sound, The Speed, The Light” Yes! My favorite band has a new album! The new one isn’t as blistering as The Obliterati. There is a bit of laying back here, but anyone who knows MOB knows that those tunes are great. Here you’ve got “After The Rain”, “Feed” and “Slow Faucet”, which will be great in concert. There are some slack tunes. The record didn’t kick in for me until “Forget Yourself”, but from there on it was an excellent addition to the canon.

Added to iPod

October 3, 2009 | Filed Under Music | 7 Comments

Since I’m quickly approaching 14,000 and have less than six gigs left… it appears I have added a few things. Much of it is a raid on my home collection, but I’ll break it down anyway. Of course, I have continued to add my Songlines CDs of new world music – adding the likes of Staff Benda Bilili from the Congo, Goran Bregovic from the Balkans and a new one from Khaled – the King of Rai music. Also picked up a U.K. magazine titled (appropriately) ‘Classic Rock Magazine’ which added twelve tunes of guitar pyrotechnics from Jeff Healy, Megadeath and Robin Trower.

Now to move from the compilations:
Kings Of Leon – “Only By the Night”
Assemblies of Dust – “Some Assembly Required” Great roots music (but don’t call them a jam band). Grace Potter guest-stars on one cut.
U.K. – The first album. Prog rock rules!
Stew – “Passing Strange” Original Broadway cast album for his Tony winning musical that is now a movie by Spike Lee.
The R.E.G. Project – “Harem” First record by my favorite Arabic DJs.
Hüsker Dü – “New Day Rising”
Joss Stone – “Mind, Body & Soul” The first album… before she had a stylist.
The Waterboys – “Dream Harder” Underrated record from Mike Scott.
Ofra Haza – “Kirya” The late Israeli superstar had one album released on Madonna’s Maverick label. This one. Need to check out older, more traditional stuff.
Gogol Bordello – “Gypsy Punks:Underdog World Strike” Forgot we had this. Chris picked it up at the Warped Tour.

Finally, I was looking at my woeful classical selections and I noticed something odd. I had very few symphonies. I have a lot of concertos and sonatas and modern classical works – but few of the major symphonies. So I added Hebert von Karajan conducting Mozart’s 40th and 41st symphony and Beethoven’s 9th; Leornard Bernstein conducting Schubert’s 8th and 9th symphony, as well as Milhaud’s “La Creation du Monde”; Andrew Davis conducting Holst’s The Planets; and Pierre Boulez conducting Debussy’s “La Mer” and “Nocturnes”. I also through in Eroica Trio’s “Baroque” album for some beautiful Chopin pieces. ‘Cause ya gots to have some class.

Added to iPod

July 17, 2009 | Filed Under Music | 2 Comments

While at home, I picked up a few things. First – my issues of Songlines magazine. Two were waiting for me, which meant two discs of new, world music. There were even two of the Duplex Planet’s spoken words CDs for me to upload, including the new “Cherry Picking Apple Blossom Time” (thanks David). I also found another Supperclub compilation in the Amsterdam airport. These two-disc sets of ‘club’ music rank right up there with the Café del Mar collections as excellent chill-out soundtracks.

Then – some new things:

Miles Davis – “Round Midnight” This is a two disc set that I managed to miss before. It was hiding in the stacks. I beg forgiveness.
Bat For Lashes – “Two Suns” That is the pseudonym for British songwriter/musician Natasha Khan. I have seen the name around a lot, but never heard or read anything about her, so I jumped on the new album. Not bad. At the moment she is the indie-Diva de Jour and she hits that mark pretty well. On the record, you can hear the influences of Kate Bush (Glass), Tori Amos (Peace Of Mind), PJ Harvey (Sirens Song), Imogen Heap (Pearl’s Dream) and even Cat Power (Good Love). The most fun was a Brechtian number near the end of the record that’s sports backing vocals by *gasp* Scott Walker! Mind you – Bat For Lashes is worth hearing. But if she ever finds her own voice, then we might be in for something special.
Ian Hunter – “Shrunken Heads” Always had a soft spot for British pub rockers like Mr. Hunter. His 1980 album “Welcome To The Club” is one of the best live albums ever put on vinyl. This record came out in 2007 when he was 68(!!!) and it is easily one of the best of his fifty year career. Sure – his voice is a bit weaker. But Ian was never a crooner – more a growler and a shouter, so it works. And certainly, you have to miss his old axeman – the late Mick Ronson. But his band is super tight (augmented by the likes of Graham Maby, Soozie Tyrell and Jeff Tweedy!). His writing is spot on and carries his trademark sense of humor and cranky observations on the world. I mean – honestly – why hasn’t a young band tossed off a song as straight forward as Soul of America? From the opening track Words, everything here rocks as if Ian was still in his 30s… rocks harder then much younger men (like that Springsteen guy)! Grab a beer and listen to an old friend.
The Fireman – “Electric Arguments” Speaking of old guys…. This is the only Paul McCartney album I own. In fact, I stopped liking Paul decades ago. I think right after Silly Love Songs – which I still hate. However, the song of his that got dropped onto Nitin Sawhney’s album “London Underground” sounded really good. So when I happened upon this record, I listened to a 30 second snippet of the opening cut and realized it might not be your normal Sir Paul record. And it isn’t. The first tune – Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight – is the best piece of swamp blues rock from a Beatle since Helter Skelter. From there we go… everywhere. Paul’s alter ego – along with producer Youth – recorded thirteen songs in thirteen days. You have a simple acoustic number, a gospel boogie, a mid-range rocker, an instrumental and a taste of just about everything else including a little techno (Lovers In A Dream). This is very much a modern rock record, mixing tape loops, atmospherics and world music instrumentation into the basics of each song. But these are still songs – complete, not meandering. It’s just that Sir Paul and his lyrics take a back seat to the music. It’s a very good record. I wonder if he’ll play any of this on his tour.

Michael Jackson is not News

July 8, 2009 | Filed Under Main, Music | 6 Comments

So every news channel – including Fox – broadcast the memorial service. Why?

I haven’t cared about Michael Jackson for two decades. His last decent album was Bad – and I didn’t like more than a couple of singles off that. Michael Jackson spent some of the past two decades experimenting with video and business, having surrogate children, pseudo-wives, and the rest of the time trying to maintain his inner child as his outer reality got older. He became a traveling sideshow – not an artist. He was surrounded by sycophants and leeches – not friends and family. He was never going to perform those concerts. No matter how much video they show of the rehearsals – it wasn’t going to happen. He was too weak – either ill or maybe crazy. If he had the chops – why was that benefit single for the victims of Katrina never finished?

Michael Jackson became a lost soul and we all know it. And everyone around him let it happen. How did he die? Trust me – we will never know the truth. Michael lived and died in a fantasy land and the media and his fans are quite happy to maintain that fantasy forever. Maybe the weight of maintaining that fantasy – for himself and millions of others – is the real cause of death. But that’s not a surprise and it’s not news.

Added to Ipod (almost)

June 16, 2009 | Filed Under Music | 1 Comment

Rejoice Boston music fans!

Per a comment on this blog (thanks for the tip Steve!), I learned that a CD of Private Lightning dropped Today! A total of 21 tracks – half which never saw the light of day and including “Geneva”, which I think I only heard in concert.

Amazon is sending one home for my arrival…

Goodies

May 14, 2009 | Filed Under Main, Music | 2 Comments

My lovely wife was able to send me a box of goodies to the hotel! It contained three boxes of Girl Scout Cookies (can’t get them in Kuwait), two cool books of short stories, some papers to sign and my CD from the Czech Republic.

Yes – I said from the Czech Republic. It is a CD of the revolutionary band The Plastic People of the Universe. I read Tom Stoppard’s play Rock ‘N Roll, which was about the summer of love, communism and the Prague Spring. The Plastic People feature prominently in the play as the symbol of revolution against the Russian invasion. They were fans of Zappa and the Mothers, the Velvet Underground and the Fugs. A bunch of fairly communal hippy activists who the regime could not shut up no matter how hard they tried. I found this CD on Ebay and it is a recording of some live performances from 1976-77. This is right around the time many of the underground and member of the band were sent to jail for disturbing the peace.

I can’t wait to hear it!

Last Night

April 26, 2009 | Filed Under Main, Music | No Comments

The final night was my shortest night – because I had to go to work the next day. But it was still pretty great. I caught the tail end of Paprika Balkanicus from Romania playing traditional tunes from the whole Balkan region. Sort of a gypsy party band. Then came the amazing percussionist Trilok Gurtu (India) and his multi-ethnic band playing his brand of fusion. Very cool performance AND I got to meet him earlier in the day in the lobby of my hotel (he is one of the reasons I came to this festival). My last act for the night was British guitarist Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara – master of the Gambian griot (sounds like a fiddle). These two fused rock and African rhythms for a hot set of classic blues/rock – fronted by a young man named Robert Plant. He was not even on the bill three weeks ago, but the duo had worked with Plant and invited him down for the gig. Since it was all blues, you can say America finally had a chance to rock at the festival.

The most interesting thing each night was my walk back to the hotel – nearly 40 minutes each night along the Corniche. A “corniche” is defined in some Arab countries as a waterfront promenade which parallels a major roadway. That is what they have in Abu Dhabi. One side is right along the water. The city side is something else. The first two nights, I was walking back around midnight or later. What struck me was how alive the Corniche was. Not with concert goers – but with families and couples. Little picnics everywhere. Teenagers playing soccer. A father flying a kite with his little girl. Why were they out so late? Because it is BLOODY HOT during the day. And the breeze off the water and the grass and the dark made everything so cooled. The landscape of the Corniche is the best I have ever seen. Brilliantly planned and executed. There is light – but not too much. Playgrounds dot the landscape and each with different playsets. There is grass and there a trees and there are hedges to create quiet little private areas along the walk. And it is not just flat – there are small hills all along the trail. And fountains! One unique to the next. Everything spaced out perfectly for intimacy and togetherness. There are even walkways under the main roads so you don’t have to risk playing with traffic. Sometimes I would just see people on a bench – by themselves – in the dark. Just to relax.

Relax. You have the right to relax.

There is talk of sending me out to this office. Let’s see…

Friday Night

April 24, 2009 | Filed Under Main, Music | No Comments

You may ask why I am such a fanatic about music. I believe music is our best hope for peace. Our best hope for equality. Our best hope for freedom.

Take tonight. This crowd was took the word diversity to new levels. There were women in abayas and women in tank tops and shorts. Men in t-shirts, suit jackets and dishdashas. The ages were from 6 to 60 ALL NIGHT LONG. We were Muslim and Christian and Hindu. Countries in attendance included Germany, Pakistan, Tunisia, Jordan, India, England, America, Russia, Nigeria, France and dozens of others. We all danced. We all took photos. We all shouted with joy. We smiled at each other.

Two stages were set at either end of the beach. No performance began until the other had ended. When I came in, we had Abdullah Chhadeh from Syria on the North Stage. Then we went across the sand to Iran and the Kamkars with their traditional Kurdish music. Then to Niger for the hypnotic grooves of Etran Finatawa. Back across the sand to China and the eclectic sights and sounds of the lovely Sa DingDing. Finally we finish in Senegal and the joyous Youssou N’Dour.

At one point in the evening, we watched as small paper hot air balloons appeared over the top of the stage and dotted the night sky. Soon, about twenty hovered over us and then floated out toward the city.

Bring everyone out here. It’s our best hope.

Thursday in Abu Dhabi

April 23, 2009 | Filed Under Main, Music | No Comments

Heck of a day, I tell you.

First I had to work. Not only are the auditors here asking me questions I don’t know (like “Why weren’t last year’s adjustments posted?”), but my CEO suddenly calls to ask why my boss isn’t there and why he hasn’t answered her emails (he was visiting her in the Abu Dhabi office but didn’t tell her). After answering her voluminous emails and the auditor questions, I finally got out around 3:30 to catch my plane. Plenty of time since my flight was at six and the airport is only 20 minutes from the office.

Unfortunately, all the “long term” parking was full. There was TONS of hourly parking, but you can’t leave you car there for the night. So I drove the car back to the apartment (10 minutes) and stood out on the street to get a taxi. A guy stopped and picked me up. Not a proper cab, but that happens out here. Then we had to find someone who spoke English because he didn’t understand “airport”. Again – not the first time this has happened. They just drive until they see someone outside and stop and ask them if they understand what I am saying. Luckily that didn’t take long and I was off to the airport.

Now, my reservation said I was on Kuwait Airways… operated by Etihad (a different airline). But it said I was at the Kuwait Airways terminal – so I lined up with a bunch of other people who were transporting massive boxes and roped-tied packages to whatever third world country they were off to (and me with my little carry on). Made it through despite all the Kuwaitis cutting in front and went to the next line for check-in. Nothing on the screens said Abu Dhabi. Quickly, I asked someone directing traffic and had to run to the other terminal.

The airport now is packed – lots of people flying, lots of people lingering and many F-ing carts of luggage and boxes (people out here do NOT pack light). I get to the counter just as it is closing and the guy says I should go through the business class side (I’m economy) because it is so late. So I listen to him. And I get sent back to the economy line. A very long line. Finally made it through the next two security stops and run to the gate.

Got into the hotel a little after nine and went up to the room number on my key… to find someone there already. They had written down the wrong room number. So I sat on my butt for about an hour, cleaned up and thought I could just walk over to the concert since I was right near the water. Actually, it turned out to be a 35 minute walk. I got there to see the end of Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali from Pakistan (nephews of Nusreh Fateh Ali Khan) and the “King of Rai” music Khaled from Algeria. I liked Khaled and he had this very young crowd rockin’ But after three songs, I realized I had a 40 minute walk back and I was beat.

Tomorrow, I will do better…. After being fortified in the afternoon with brunch (a ‘roast’) at the local Irish pub.

Kuwait Jazz Festival

April 18, 2009 | Filed Under Main, Music | 2 Comments

I actually went out! In Kuwait! Who’da thunk it?

The Radisson SAS Hotel (the SAS as we call it) held the 4th annual Kuwait Jazz Festival this week and I went to two of the three nights. It was held on the terrace of one of the restaurants there. A very nice place to see music – open and perfectly set up. Except for a few raindrops on Wednesday and a dusty Thursday, it was a very pleasant couple of evenings. The audience (not full either night) was about 90% non-Arab. But just listening you heard Russians, Australians, Germans, British, American and the event was sponsored by the Polish Embassy and the Netherlands Embassy.

Wednesday night was jazz singer/pianist Karen Edwards and Polish guitarist Jarek Śmietana and his trio. Thursday was Egyptian saxophone player Chris Ioannou and his band. Now, both groups were very good and excellent musicians (though I wasn’t impressed with Karen Edwards). But all the music became very… bland. Each night, we were given standards – and I mean SERIOUS standards. Tunes you have heard a BILLION times. And they were done proficiently and professionally. But there was very little life to it all. The composition of all the songs began to blend into each other after a while. The guitarist was very good so I picked up one of his discs at the door: “Out Of The Question” by the Jarek Śmietana Band. Now THAT is what I was hoping for! Recorded live in Kraków, this record sizzles and bops like good jazz should. It is literate and fun and takes you places. Which begs the question: Did these guys have to “dumb down” for their audience?

I have much higher hopes for next weekend when I will be attending the WOMAD Festival in Abu Dhabi. I only heard of this happening because I read Songlines magazine. Over the three day free festival on the Corniche, I will be seeing dozens of artists including Youssou N’Dour (Senegal), Trilok Gurtu (India), Sa Dingding (China), Dulsori (Korea) and numerous others. And – supposedly – Robert Plant will be showing up on the last night. I think I can avoid bland here….

Added to iPod – fin

April 10, 2009 | Filed Under Music | 8 Comments

Finally….

King Crimson – “Beat” Mainly because I couldn’t find Discipline.
Otis Redding – An anthology of all his songs.
Neko Case – “Middle Cyclone” I really like her sound and her writing has is terrific. Her best yet.
Guano Apes – “Live” Keep your Evanescence! If I need a hard rock group with a female front man, it will be this quartet from Germany. Nothing fancy – just a rock band and Sandra Nasic’s vocals can be soft or shredding, depending on the song. Plus I just love the band’s name.
Chicago Transit Authority – Self-titled. Before they morphed into the soft rock of Chicago. A classic from 1969 that stills sounds great today.
Transglobal Underground – “Dream of 100 Nations” With Natacha Atlas on vocals. From 1993, they must have invented the mix of world music and electronic beats. Global Groove music.
Charles Mingus – “Pithecanthropus Erectus” One of his finest moments.
Bette Midler – “Live At Last” It’s a theater thing. Don’t ask.

And that should do it. I started this blog with a library of 5,500 songs. I am now over 13,000. Over a month’s worth of music. I don’t know what more I can pick up. I have all the old stuff and new stuff is so few and far between. I may go through and add a single here and there – but that will be all for a quite a while until someone starts making decent new music.

Next Page »