Firewater - Psychopharmacology

 #Firewater #gypsy punk #world punk #dark cabaret #alternative rock #indie rock #eclectic

New York-based band Firewater incorporated a global range of musical influences into their highly dynamic sound. A loosely knit ensemble centered around the lead vocals of ex-Cop Shoot Cop bass player Tod A. (born: Tod Ashley), Firewater tied together such influences as Klezmer, Indian wedding music, art-punk, and Tom Waits-style cabaret poetry to create their heady, often quite danceable sound. Coupled with Tod A.'s acerbic, post-apocalyptic, and death-obsessed lyrics, Firewater was a band to be reckoned with almost from the beginning.  From: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0F5fXdlx1bKwYFZ70bfuZ9

You ever found yourself looking for something at the bottom of a cupboard and come out with something else covered in dust, long forgotten? Psychopharmacology is covered in lint, dust and shed pubes from the very same cupboard. Full of afterthoughts you'd have if you spent a month of late nights in the company of cheap red wine, even cheaper cigarettes and spiteful company. All this imagery and the sound and songs to back it up. But, I must say, this album is the closest to as "approachable" a Firewater album as the first time listener will probably get. For my money anyway. If you haven't heard of these lot yet and are taking a gamble, this is the place to start. Don't take my word for it, I've been listening since CopShootCop and won't knock too much anything creative Tod A. & co. put out - mainly because this is original music, slightly familiar but in a "can't place the artist," kind of way. You can bandy about Tom Waits for a comparison point, but you'd have to throw in the 'Stones, Beatles and a heady mix of dark, seedy and downright evil turns of carnival/burlesque/gypsy fare. Simply put, it's an intriguing spectacle to behold. Get yourself a nice big ashtray, a half a dozen warm beers and a bearded wench in an over-tight corset to accompany the journey. Highly Recommended. Bearded Wenches & Firewater, of course.  From: https://www.amazon.com/Psychopharmacology-Firewater/product-reviews/B00005BC94/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews 

Jazmin Bean - Birthday Bitch

 #Jazmin Bean #Jasmine Adams #pop metal #trap metal #hyperpop #alt-pop #electropop #alternative metal #electro-industrial #singer-songwriter #Filipino #British #music video 

From musician, to makeup artist, to fashionista, Jazmin Bean does not fit into any one category. But who exactly is Bean anyway? Well, that particular question doesn’t have an answer with a neatly wrapped bow around it. Instead, the answer takes you on a roller coaster ride. From the streets of Harajuku, Japan, to the glorious and topsy-turvy world of Tim Burton, you’ll encounter Bean at the intersection of your worst nightmare and your favourite daydream - a “visual and musical collision of the darkest corners of our imagination,” as The Forty Five puts it. Bean is a hybrid of both the terrifying and the terrific. Creating a myriad of gruesome gore visuals and musical aesthetics, the artist firmly places themself in a lane of their own - and everyone should pay attention.
Jasmine Adams, professionally known as Jazmin Bean, is a British singer, songwriter, makeup artist, beauty brand owner, business entrepreneur, and of course, style icon - so, just about everything under the sun. The artist is non-binary, goes by the pronouns they/them, and toes the line between pop star and underground rebel on a daily basis. As a champion of multiple aesthetics, Bean has been credited for their fearless approach to blending various styles together, sonically and visually, in their music career. “I create music and film that pushes the boundaries of beauty and societal standards and throws itself into extremes,” they said in an interview with Dazed. There is a certain allure in the dark and lurid appeal of Bean, with their website currently featuring an image of them holding a giant blade. Frequently linked to other acts like Grimes, Rina Sawayama, Babymetal, Poppy and Melanie Martinez, the rising pop star has cemented their place in the alternative genre. Bean’s art seems to pull all ends of the spectrum, from nightmarish visuals to lullaby lyrics which both transform the way we enjoy and interact with music.  From: https://screenshot-media.com/culture/influencers/who-is-jazmin-bean/   

Anklepants - Ilikeyourfaceheadshoesanddick

#Anklepants #Joshua Head #Reecard Farché #electronic music #IDM #breakcore #techno #house #grime #prosthetics #animatronics #experimental #Australian #music video

To be clear: this guy wears an animatronic dildo mask and his voice and music is controlled by sensors located in his suit? Shit just got weird. You either get Anklepants or you don’t. The brainchild of Reecard Farché, the 17th century fictional character brought back to life by Berlin-based Australian-born artist Joshua Head, is a deeply melancholic ghost. The electronic music of Anklepants is either loathed or loved, primarily because of superficialities: the mask he wears onstage has an animatronic dildo for the nose, better known as the “facé of Reecard Farché.” Interviewing Head is an incredibly layered experience - for one, he speaks of himself in the third person, then there are his characters, plus there’s the use of the accent aigu (é) in place of the English vocabulary. With a background in prosthetics and animatronics for films like Star Wars Episode 3 and special effects for Prometheus, he brings together his talents in robotics and prosthetics and combines them with beats for the one-man mechanical-faced masterpiece. With over 20 releases to date, Anklepants’ voice and input are created from custom controllers and sensors within his (somewhat scary) custom-tailored suits. He combines electronic music with hardware, synths, guitars, animal growls, field recordings and custom instruments. The question “Why the dick face?” is understandably the most pointed question, but beyond this is a musician who fuels the experiences around him for a complex soundtrack. Also, his You Tube channel is filled with anecdotes from living on top of an African church, which tried to push him out of his former home in London.

Q: You’ve worked in prosthetics and robotics for films like Star Wars Episode 3. How did your trademark, the Facé of Reecard Farché, come about?

Anklepants: The Facé of Reecard Farché was in the beginning the direct fusion of prosthetics, animatronics, and 80s animatronic control (retro). Using midi input to output pwm to servo motors gave Reecard Farché the power to sequence servo motors from any conventional midi sequencer.

Q{ What kinds of reactions do you get both on and offstage?

Anklepants: As Reecard Farché enters the building, people are generally filled with a desire to touch, a desire for control. Watching Reecard Farché carry out his duties gives the viewer the feeling that their mind is being formatted, and they leave having no recollection of their life before they watched the Reecard Farché. It’s kind of a cleansing experience, and at the same time similar to the feeling when you have not taken library books back, and you realize this seven months after the due back date. Generally its "heterosexual" males that become the most sexually charged, they just want Reecard so bad that their little eyes light up and they forget what they were supposed to be doing. It’s really nice. The bodily gestures of Reecard Farché in the midst of extracting a linear input from the mic I take it is desirable for any social complexion. The suggestion is to try it out; it’s not tested on animals.

From: https://www.vice.com/en/article/rm5gyr/the-mechanical-face-of-anklepants

 

Buckingham Nicks - Don't Let Me Down Again

 #Buckingham Nicks #Lindsey Buckingham #Stevie Nicks  #blues rock #folk rock #melodic hard rock #pop rock #singer-songwriter #pre-Fleetwood Mac #1970s

There was a lot of competition in the singer-songwriter field in 1973, and Buckingham Nicks wasn’t the best of the lot, but it’s excellent, and it’s still puzzling how swiftly it vanished. It’s packed with top-flight session musicians—Waddy Wachtel on guitar, Jim Keltner on drums—and was recorded by Keith Olsen, a producer with dozens of gold and platinum records ahead of him, but it was a complete failure. Promotion was light, the few reviews were mostly bad, and Polydor dropped the duo a few months after the album came out. After a five-year build-up, the moment was over as quickly as it started. But Stevie and Lindsey were writing for their next album even before this one was finished. Lindsey had penned “Monday Morning,” and Nicks, inspired by a passage in a book about a Welsh witch, had a stunning new song called “Rhiannon.” There was another ballad called “Landslide.” They weren’t ready to give up on Buckingham Nicks, which made the next decision difficult. In December 1974, Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac received news that his guitarist, Bob Welch, was quitting the band. Line-up changes were nothing new - in their seven-year history, they’d already been through several - but Fleetwood’s band was due back in the studio soon. He’d heard Lindsey play once, and Keith Olsen, with whom he was friendly, mentioned his name. It didn’t take long before he offered Buckingham the job. Lindsey was reticent, afraid of giving up what he and Stevie had built together. He said that Nicks would have to be part of the deal. After having dinner with the members of Fleetwood Mac in January 1975, they both agreed to join.  From: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/buckingham-nicks-buckingham-nicks/

22 Brides - King For The Day

#22 Brides #Libby & Carrie Johnson #folk rock #alternative folk #alternative rock #indie rock #folk pop #blues folk #1990s 

The group 22 Brides is mostly vocal duo Carrie and Libby Johnson, but before you truth-in-advertising freaks get your feathers ruffled, go talk to 10,000 Maniacs. I'd rather spend my time listening to the dozen songs that make up 22 Bride's self-titled new album. Don't let that "vocal duo" tag mislead you; 22 Brides ain't your average folk-light Indigo Girl wannabees. Instead, they push those voices out in front of a surging tide of drums, guitars, bass, keyboards and the odd mandolin or violin, creating a sound that's mostly stainless steel, gleaming and tough. The songs themselves are hard to pin down. Take "Wild in My Arms," which starts with what sounds like a snippet of tape played backwards, tumbles into a craggy percussive ballad, then kicks up its heels and raises some dust by the time the chorus arrives. Ballad? Rocker? All I know is that those stirring sibling harmonies and the tune's driving beat make it seem all too short. This unpredictable mix propels the record through the brooding Celtic muscle of "Visions of You," the whirling dervish of "City of Brides," the moody R.E.M.-ish drift of "King for the Day," the lean pop of "Silence," the hard country-rock gallop of "David," the electric urgency of "Ghost House," the piano and violin delicacy of "You Do," the perfectly restrained ode to sisterhood "Harder than Nails," the INXS swagger of "Transparent," the ringing resignation of "What's So Wrong," and the lovely fragility of "Time Stands Still." The lyrics tug at the edges of emotion and reason, phrases floating by on the breeze to resurface later like a small revelation and wrestled into memorable melodies by the strong, supple voices of the sisters Johnson. All of which makes 22 Brides one gem worth hearing.  From: http://www.louisvillemusicnews.net/webmanager/index.php?WEB_CAT_ID=50&storyid=12140&headline=22_Brides_-_22_Brides&issueid=68

Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies

 #Alice Cooper #hard rock #heavy metal #shock rock #glam rock #art rock #classic rock #glam metal #garage rock #1970s

The title track off of Alice Cooper’s most successful album up to that point, ‘Billion Dollar Babies’ presents the dangers of overindulgence. The background falsetto is provided by Scottish singer/songwriter, Donovan. In spite of the oftentimes comically distorted and grotesque subject matter throughout the album, Cooper says that Chuck Berry provided the bulk of his inspiration while making the album: “Berry was my favorite lyricist. When I first heard something like ‘Nadine,’ or ‘Maybelline,’ I understood those songs told a story. As the lyrics went along, you really got a picture of what was going on. He took the girl out; he couldn’t get his seat belt off – things like that. I always wanted to write three-minute stories that were funny, or maybe not just funny, but also dramatic. The idea was to compact everything into three minutes, which is really hard to do.” 

Donovan, during a post-show interview, on adding lyrics to Cooper’s ‘Billion Dollar Babies’: “Alice was downstairs and I was upstairs at Morgan Studios when he was doing ‘Billion Dollar Babies’, I had heard this track and he asked me to put a vocal on it and I said ‘Sure. But it’s so big and so bouncy and so loud, I think I’m going to have to get into a falsetto!’ No one believed it was me!”  

From: https://genius.com/Alice-cooper-billion-dollar-babies-lyrics

Ouzo Bazooka - My Prince

 #Ouzo Bazooka #psychedelic rock #neo-psychedelia #Middle Eastern rock #garage rock #Middle Eastern psych rock #desert rock #psychedelic surf #Isreali #music video

Ouzo Bazooka was formed in Tel Aviv by Uri Brauner Kinrot, who grew up on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean sea and has been active in the music scene for over a decade, shaping the sound of influential local groups as well as the critically acclaimed mediterranean surf band Boom Pam (who collaborated with Turkish psychedelic-folk legend Selda Bağcan). Tel Aviv’s cultural diversity served as the perfect backdrop for Ouzo Bazooka’s formation and the maturing of their style; an exotic blend of middle eastern sounds and scales, moulded together with fuzzed psychedelic surf rock and garage. Following the release of their acclaimed self-titled debut album in 2014, the band was embraced by the local crowd and became somewhat of a local phenomenon. It was only a matter of time before their sounds reached the European front and after memorable high profile festival appearances, followed by two stellar releases, the media, critics and the international crowd took notice. The band’s position as the ambassadors of a new middle eastern rock sound was cemented.  From: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5067836177008380097/4507547854277938480

Orla Gartland - I Go Crazy

#Orla Gartland #indie folk #contemporary folk #folk pop #R&B #alternative rock #indie rock #singer-songwriter #music video 

Irish musician Orla Gartland combines singer/songwriter folk and elements of traditional Irish music with bedroom pop sensibilities. Hailing from Dublin, Gartland was taught to play violin, fiddle, and other traditional instruments at the age of 5, but she found her true calling when she picked up the guitar at 12. Within a year she was uploading cover songs online, eventually branching out and creating her own tracks. At 17, she had released her debut single, "Devil on My Shoulder," landing her support slots for Ryan O'Shaughnessy and Nina Nesbitt on their respective U.K. tours. Her debut EP, Roots, surfaced the following year, and she toured the U.K. with five headline shows. Later the same year, Gartland contributed the song "Cast Your Stone" to the Simple Things album in support of suicide prevention in Ireland. After the release of her second EP, 2015's Lonely People, Gartland relocated to London and stepped back from writing for a short period, returning in 2019 with a third EP, Why Am I Like This?. She joined Irish Women in Harmony in 2020, working with them to record a version of "Dreams" in support of Safe Ireland, a domestic abuse charity. Later the same year she released her fourth EP, Freckle Season, which she combined with her previous EP to create Why Is Freckle Season Like This. It led to placements on the BBC Three/Hulu series Normal People. Gartland's first proper album, Woman on the Internet, was recorded with help from producers including Tom Stafford and the Vaccines' Pete Robertson. It arrived on her label, New Friends, in August of 2021.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/orla-gartland-mn0003202129/biography

Cat Stevens - Angelsea

 #Cat Stevens #folk rock #pop rock #album rock #singer-songwriter #1970s

Catch Bull At Four is a masterpiece of artistic creativity that saw Cat Stevens at the peak of his powers taking his insightful and introspective songwriting into a bold new direction. He was beginning to lean into his love of R&B, Soul, and even musical theatre with stunning results. Sonically, the album is bigger than the previous three records, introducing a broader array of instrumentation, backing vocals, and lush, multi-layered arrangements. Cat’s trademark impassioned vocals and percussive guitar style is combined with the sound of a new fuller backing band featuring Gerry Conway on drums, Jean Roussel on keys, and Alan James on bass, alongside the ever present force of Alun Davies on guitar. This heavier musical ensemble allowed the artist to inject a new level of drama into his work as is displayed on songs such as ‘Can’t Keep It In’, ‘18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare)’ and ‘Freezing Steel’. Even tracks such as the much loved ‘Sitting’ and ‘Angelsea’, that bare the hallmarks of songs from the Tillerman and Teaser albums, have a previously unheard intensity that is deeply hypnotic and entirely compelling.
Although Catch Bull At Four represents a progression beyond the classic Cat Stevens acoustic sound, thematically it is unmistakably a continuation of his earlier work. ‘O Caritas’ and ‘Ruins’ are both rooted in the prescient environmental and societal concerns found throughout his previous albums stretching back into the late 1960s. Similarly, ‘Sweet Scarlet’ and ‘Silent Sunlight’ emanate from the same sensitivity that informed many of his most beloved songs and that had already garnered so much profound devotion from legions of fans worldwide. And yet it is ‘Boy With The Moon And Star On His Head’, arguably the album’s crown jewel, that at once seems the most familiar song while simultaneously breaking new ground in terms of timeless folk storytelling. The song’s mystical narrative of a man’s transgression on his wedding day that results in a blessed child that grows into a wise sage who is revered by people from far and wide, feels as though it belongs in a collection of the world’s greatest epic poems or among the sagas and legends of a time now lost to history. This song, perhaps above all others, is a testament to Cat Stevens’ deep and transcendent spiritual awareness.  From: https://catstevens.com/catch-bull-at-four-50th-anniversary-remaster/

T. Rex - Beltane Walk

 #T. Rex #Marc Bolan #glam rock #hard rock #pop rock #folk rock #British folk rock #psychedelic folk #acid folk #garage rock #1960s #1970s

T. Rex (originally Tyrannosaurus Rex) were an English rock band, formed in 1967 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan, who was their leader, frontman and only consistent member. Though initially associated with the psychedelic folk genre, Bolan began to change the band's style towards electric rock in 1969, and shortened their name to T. Rex the following year. This development culminated in 1970 with their first hit single "Ride a White Swan", and the group soon became pioneers of the glam rock movement.  From:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Rex_(band)

 Marc Bolan did not invent glitter rock, but he most certainly perfected it. With nothing more than a mass of corkscrew hair, a battered acoustic guitar and a barefoot hippy bongo player, the elfin young Bolan transformed from a late-60s coffee house warbler into an electrified sci-fi superhero in silver space boots, glittered cheekbones and bright pink feather boas. His music was pop-metal perfection; brilliant little bursts of rock flash and psychedelic poetry, the ultimate ear candy for the sex-saturated 1970s. And everybody loved him. Bolan fever swept the UK, nearly topping Beatlemania in its froth, and T. Rex enjoyed a few years of stunning success. After a murky year or two in the mid-70s when Marc experimented with short hair, vodka and disco, he returned to the spotlight with a smashing comeback album and a punk-friendly television show in 1977, but his resurgence was short-lived. On September 16, 1977, he died in a car crash in London, two weeks before his 30th birthday.

T. REX (1970)

This self-titled album came hot on the heels of their breakthrough hit Ride A White Swan. Still a guitar/bongo duo at the time, they had just shortened their name from the impossible-to-spell Tyrannosaurus Rex and had switched to an electric guitar - two moves which alienated the sandal wearers that had gotten them this far. They more than made up for the loss with the success of this one. Musically it’s the stop-gap between the flower-sniffing folk of their early days and the stack-heel strut of Electric Warrior, a warm and pleasant collection of electric pop songs like the elfin One Inch Rock and Beltane Walk.

From: https://www.loudersound.com/features/how-to-buy-the-very-best-of-t-rex

Genitorturers - Touch Myself

 #Genitorturers #industrial metal #industrial rock #hardcore #electronic #hard rock #heavy metal #Divinyls cover

Led by outrageous frontwoman Gen, the Genitorturers are one of those bands far more well-known for their live shows and alternative lifestyles than for their music. Apparently the Genitorturer's live experience can include S&M, elaborate body piercings, sexual escapades, and who knows what else. As such, it's easy to focus on that aspect of the band and dismiss the music, and it might not be surprising if the music wasn't all that great, if that were the case. But on the contrary, the music is actually quite good, a catchy techno/electronic metal hybrid (a rough stab at their sound might be a cross between Rammstein and Marilyn Manson with female vocals) that is quite entertaining and effective. This is an odd band for a death metal bassist to end up in, but this is the precisely the case with David Vincent, formerly of Morbid Angel (though it makes somewhat more sense when one realizes that he is married to Gen). Quite the interesting band.  From: https://www.bnrmetal.com/v5/band/band/Geni

Sally Rogers & Claudia Schmidt - Ezekiel Saw The Wheel

 #Sally Rogers #Claudia Schmidt #folk #traditional #Americana #singer-songwriter #contemporary folk #Appalachian dulcimer

"Ezekiel Saw the Wheel" is an African American spiritual arranged by William L. Dawson. It has been recorded by such artists as Woody Guthrie, Paul Robeson, John Lee Hooker, the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Tillers, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, The Charioteers and Gold City. The song recounts the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel's divine vision, described at the start of the eponymous book.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezekiel_Saw_the_Wheel

 Merkabah mysticism (lit. Chariot mysticism) is a school of early Jewish mysticism, c. 100 BCE – 1000 CE, centered on visions such as those found in the Book of Ezekiel chapter 1, or in the hekhalot literature ("palaces" literature), concerning stories of ascents to the heavenly palaces and the Throne of God. The main corpus of the merkabah literature was composed in the period 200–700 CE, although later references to the Chariot tradition can also be found in the literature of the Chassidei Ashkenaz in the Middle Ages. A major text in this tradition is the Maaseh Merkabah ("Work of the Chariot")  In English the Hebrew term merkabah relates to the throne-chariot of God in prophetic visions. It is most closely associated with the vision in Ezekiel chapter 1 of the four-wheeled vehicle driven by four hayyot ("living creatures"), each of which has four wings and the four faces of a man, lion, ox, and eagle (or vulture).
According to the verses in Ezekiel and its attendant commentaries, his vision consists of a chariot made of many heavenly beings driven by the "Likeness of a Man". The base structure of the chariot is composed of four beings. These beings are called the "living creatures". The bodies of the creatures are "like that of a human being", but each of them has four faces, corresponding to the four directions the chariot can go (East, South, North and West). The faces are that of a man, a lion, an ox (later changed to a cherub in Ezekiel 10:14) and an eagle. Since there are four angels and each has four faces, there are a total of sixteen faces. Each of the hayyot angels also has four wings. Two of these wings spread across the length of the chariot and connect with the wings of the angel on the other side. This creates a sort of 'box' of wings that forms the perimeter of the chariot. With the remaining two wings, each angel covers its own body. Below, but not attached to, the feet of the hayyot angels are other angels that are shaped like wheels. These wheel angels, which are described as "a wheel inside of a wheel", are called "ophanim" (wheels, cycles or ways). These wheels are not directly under the chariot but are nearby and along its perimeter. The angel with the face of the man is always on the east side and looks up at the "Likeness of a Man" that drives the chariot. The "Likeness of a Man" sits on a throne made of sapphire.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkabah_mysticism

Cut Glass Kings - Shadow of Your Love

#Cut Glass Kings #alternative rock #blues rock #indie rock #rock & roll #fuzz rock #animated music video

Bassists? Who needs bassists? I’ll tell you who doesn’t. Birmingham band ‘Cut Glass Kings’ have said ta-ra to the traditional line-up, and instead compensated with a fuck-load of fuzz pedals, and the most bass-face inducing drums I’ve heard in a long while. But does it work you ask? Of course it does. The band played to small Manchester venue ‘The Castle’ last Tuesday evening, with the conviction you’d expect only from an established rock ‘n’ roll band playing to a sell-out stadium. After wandering up to the foot of the stage, and after an incredibly flat pint at the bar, I was met with the leather-clad Cut Glass Kings, waiting to begin their set. Opening with 2017’s single ‘Here Comes the Light’, the band needed no introduction. Before I could utter the words ‘fucking hell, this is quite good’, the song was over. I’d immediately forgotten about the glass of disappointment in my hand, and wanted to hear more. ‘Pull You Down’ preceded their rowdy greeting, and immediately I was hit with a familiar sound. I must say, the temptation not to compare them to their rock-duo counterparts is strong, however unavoidable. Imagine a mix of The Black Keys, Royal Blood and Queens of the Stone Age all being swilled in to a dirty pint, aggressively downed and spat out by Miles Kane, you would arrive at Cut Glass Kings. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. The band’s bluesy aesthetic and heavy distorted guitar riffs combine everything we know and love about the genre, but in the most refreshing way possible. On the third track of the night, ‘Gonna Get in to You’, we were introduced to a volley of harmonics being passed back and forth between Cross and McMurray, giving a pleasant depth to the songs and adding to their already impressive stage presence. All in all, the gig was one to remember. In my book there will always be room in music for un-apologetically loud and in-your-face rock bands, and I was left totally confident that the genre has been left in good hands. I can say for certain that this won’t be my last venture in to their crowd. Hopefully next time with a better pint.  From: https://www.yuckmagazine.co.uk/reviews/cut-glass-kings-the-castle

Susanna Hoffs - Feel Like Makin' Love

 #Susanna Hoffs #ex-Bangles #singer-songwriter #alternative rock #folk rock #pop rock #jangle pop #power pop #paisley pop #Bad Company cover #live music video

The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs will release a covers album, ‘Bright Lights’, on November 12, 2021 via Baroque Folk Records. On it she covers songs by Nick Drake, Syd Barrett, The Velvet Underground, Chris Bell, Prince (who wrote The Bangles' hit "Manic Monday"), The Monkees, and more. “The artists on Bright Lights approached songwriting from a deeply emotional place and with a profound sensitivity to the world around them,” says Hoffs. “Sadly, many of them died too young. I didn’t actually see the big picture of that until I looked at the whole tracklist. It was subconscious. Yet I’ve always been drawn to songs that were intensely emotional.” The first single from the album is a cover of Badfinger's "Name of the Game," which is a duet with Aimee Mann. ‘Bright Lights’ recalls the 1984 covers album credited to Rainy Day that was led by the late David Roback (of Rain Parade, Opal, and later Mazzy Star), and featured members of L.A.'s "Paisley Underground" scene, including Hoffs and members of The Three O'Clock, The Dream Syndicate and more, with their versions of songs by The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, Big Star and more.  From: https://www.brooklynvegan.com/the-bangles-susanna-hoffs-preps-covers-lp-shares-badfinger-cover-ft-aimee-mann/

K.D. Lang - Pullin' Back the Reins

 K.D. Lang #alt-country #cowpunk #country rock #folk rock #country pop #alternative rock #singer-songwriter #Canadian #1980s #1990s

When K.D. Lang released her first major-label album in 1987, she caused considerable controversy within the traditional world of country music. With her vaguely campy approach, androgynous appearance, and edgy, rock-inflected music, very few observers knew what to make of her or her music, although no one questioned her considerable vocal talents. Her self-reliant stature has never wavered over the course of her career, even when she abandoned country music for torchy adult contemporary pop in 1992 with her fourth album, Ingénue, which featured her biggest hit, "Constant Craving."
Born in Alberta, Canada, Lang was first drawn to music while she was in college, when she became acquainted with Patsy Cline while preparing to star in a collegiate theatrical production based on the vocalist's life. Soon, Lang immersed herself in Cline's life and music and decided that she would pursue a career as a professional singer. With the help of guitarist/co-songwriter Ben Mink, she formed a band named the Reclines in tribute to Cline, in 1983. They recorded a debut single, "Friday Dance Promenade," which received some positive notices in the independent press. Their album A Truly Western Experience followed in 1984 and received even better reviews and national attention.
All of the Canadian attention led to the interest of a number of American record labels. Sire signed lang in early 1986, and she recorded her first record for the label later that year. The resulting Angel with a Lariat was produced by Dave Edmunds and appeared in July 1987. The mix of '50s-styled ballads, kitschy rockabilly, and honky tonk numbers on Angel with a Lariat had heavy support from college radio as well as cutting-edge country stations. Though it was a mainstream hit in Canada and an underground smash in the U.S., Nashville resisted Lang, especially because of her tongue-in-cheek concert appearances.
Shadowland, her second Sire album, made her debt to Patsy Cline explicit. Recorded with Cline's producer, Owen Bradley, the album lacked the campy humor of Angel with a Lariat, which helped it succeed in traditional country circles. Shadowland became a sizable word-of-mouth hit, both in modern country and alternative music circles. The following year, Lang released the harder-edged Absolute Torch and Twang, which increased her mainstream American country audience in addition to being a college radio and Canadian hit. The attention made lang a minor celebrity, which meant that when she launched a protest against meat eating in 1990, it became a media sensation.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kd-lang-mn0000852997/biography

Counting Crows - Omaha

 #Counting Crows #alternative rock #roots rock #country rock #blues rock #folk rock #contemporary folk rock #1990s

It's amazing the difference a year makes. Upon its release, Counting Crows’ ‘August and Everything After’ sounded remarkably fresh, a welcome change from the crunch and screech of grunge. Blending the vocal athleticism of Van Morrison with the moody rock of The Band, the Counting Crows turned on a whole legion of fans turned off by modern rock. But what sounded fresh soon became stale as dozens of bands flocked to the radio with euthanized versions of the Counting Crows' sound. But you shouldn't hold that against the Crow boys. ‘August and Everything After’ is a fantastic rock album. Though "Mr. Jones" was the moneymaker, the disc features such standout cuts as the dark lilt of "Anna Begins," the morose "Rain King," and the outstanding U2-meets-Grant Lee Buffalo anthem "Murder of One." Maybe time, and another listen, will heal the damage wrought.  From: https://www.amazon.com/August-Everything-After-Counting-Crows/dp/B000003TAP

Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz is eloquent. Especially when talking about his songwriting and nuanced singing ability, for which he’s earned great accolades and acknowledgment. Talking to Under the Radar several months back, the frontman said: “I think I realized at some point that I had a nice voice but that wasn’t the same thing as singing. Being a good singer was a craft and I think I felt unable to really properly express the emotions of the songs. So, I wanted to push myself and be able to do more that way.
“I remember doing some recording sessions for Immer [David Immerglück], who is our guitar player now. But he was just a friend of mine then; he was producing some stuff and I remember getting really, really pushed in some sessions for him to sing stuff that was difficult for me. And realizing that there were a lot of textures and dynamics in a voice that I wasn’t really using and pushing myself to kind of become aware of that and learn to be a singer, as opposed to just a voice.”
Duritz continued: “I just remember realizing that it was possible to sing much, much better than I was and that I was just singing melodies but there’s all this emotion and things that could be in there too. And I remember thinking how limited I was and how, you know, much I needed to get better and then really trying to do that. Really—I mean, I’m very, very, very, very self-critical, which I think is good.
“That’s how you get good at things, you demand a lot. And I think I do that in my writing, I do that in my singing. I’m trying to push everything through a very, very critical lens. And I think that helps after a while. Taxing? I guess it is. But, I mean, this isn’t supposed to be easy! Making art of any kind at a high level, there’s a thing that separates people who have hobbies from people who do it, who really do it. It’s the work.”
From: https://americansongwriter.com/omaha-counting-crows-behind-song-lyrics/ 

The Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man

 #The Velvet Underground #Lou Reed #John Cale #Nico #experimental rock #art rock #avant-garde #proto-punk #Andy Warhol

American rock band The Velvet Underground released "I'm Waiting for the Man" in 1967 on their debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. Like many of the band's other songs, "I'm Waiting for the Man" focuses on the dark underbelly of life in New York City. The track, written by singer Lou Reed, tells the story of a man in New York traveling to Harlem to meet his drug dealer, who is never referred to as anything other than "the man" in the song. He brings $26 uptown, where he stops at a brownstone at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 125th Street, which is currently the home of a 4/5/6 subway station. ("Up to Lexington, 1-2-5"). The Velvet Underground were one of the first groups to openly write songs about drug use and its catastrophic consequences (heroin, in the case of "I'm Waiting for the Man"). The accounts often came from the personal experiences of the band members.  From: https://www.musicbanter.com/lyrics/Velvet-Underground-I-m-Waiting-for-the-Man.html

The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash

 #The Rolling Stones #Kieth Richards #Mick Jagger #blues rock #hard rock #classic rock #British blues rock #rock & roll #folk blues #garage rock #R&B #British invasion #1968 music video

Long before the advent of MTV, music videos (then referred to as promotional films, or “promos” for short) were few and far between, with very limited outlets to air them. The most popular bands, such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Who, made these “promos” with the intent of allowing broadcast in several different countries without the bands having to travel to perform in TV studios where there were “genuine security issues” according to Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who directed pioneering videos for all three acts. Top of the Pops, the aforementioned Ready Steady Go!, Shindig!, Hullabaloo and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the US were early participants in broadcasting such materials. The Rolling Stones, who were already international superstars by the mid-1960s, now had another tool to help push a single such as “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” Before capturing The Rock and Roll Circus on celluloid, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg had helmed many of The Rolling Stones’ promotional video clips: “She’s a Rainbow,” “2000 Light Years From Home,” “Child of the Moon,” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” as well as The Beatles’ “Paperback Writer,” “Rain,” “Hey Jude” and “Revolution.” Lindsay-Hogg is the legendary music video director behind The Beatles’ Let It Be feature film and many of The Rolling Stones’ seminal video clips.  From: https://www.musicconnection.com/kubernik-the-rolling-stones-jumpin-jack-flash-restored-in-4k/ 

Jethro Tull - A New Day Yesterday

 #Jethro Tull #Ian Anderson #progressive rock #folk rock #hard rock #blues rock #English folk rock #art rock #classic rock #progressive folk #1970s

Much of the Stand Up album is about Ian resenting the constant travel and work-load of being a rock star. This song talks about how he's constantly away from his new girlfriend (and future ex-wife), Jeanine.

"It was a new day yesterday but it's an old day now"

It was kind of thrilling not knowing when or how long the two would see each other, but now it's growing old and Ian just wants to be with his new love.

"Oh I had to leave today just when I thought I'd found you"

Even when the two are together, it's an all-too-brief moment as Ian has to go back on the road again.

From: https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858514097

Jethro Tull (baptised 30 March 1674 – 21 February 1741) was an English agriculturist from Berkshire who helped to bring about the British Agricultural Revolution of the 18th century. He perfected a horse-drawn seed drill in 1701 that economically sowed the seeds in neat rows, and later developed a horse-drawn hoe. Tull's methods were adopted by many landowners and helped to provide the basis for modern agriculture. Influenced by the early Age of Enlightenment, he is considered to be one of the early proponents of a scientific – and especially empirical – approach to agriculture. He helped transform agricultural practices by inventing or improving numerous implements. Tull made early advances in planting crops with his invention of the seed drill – a mechanical seeder that sowed efficiently at the correct depth and spacing and then covered the seed so that it could grow. Before the introduction of the seed drill, the common practice was to plant seeds by broadcasting (evenly throwing) them across the ground by hand on the prepared soil and then lightly harrowing the soil to bury the seeds to the correct depth.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jethro_Tull_(agriculturist)

Cosmic Rough Riders - The Gun Isn't Loaded

 #Cosmic Rough Riders #alternative rock #folk rock #alternative country rock #psychedelic rock #power pop #jangle pop #Scottish

It's hard to describe the Cosmic Rough Riders without mentioning Teenage Fanclub - both are Scottish, both rely on mellow guitars, soaring harmonies, and tuneful choruses; both draw from a similar well of Big Star and the Beach Boys. But the Cosmic Rough Riders have plenty of memorable tunes of their own. Who exactly the Cosmic Rough Riders are is a complicated story. The studio band was originally just singer/songwriter Daniel Wylie with help from guitarist Stephen Fleming. Yet when Wylie left, Fleming kept the band going under the Cosmic Rough Riders name, kind of like Doug Yule's Velvet Underground. The first post-Wylie album (2003's Too Close To See Far) actually managed to sound like a Wylie album, though a later one did not. Meanwhile, Wylie issued a number of solo albums before, more recently, recovering the band name and issuing a few albums as Daniel's Wylie's Cosmic Rough Riders. Anyway, Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine is the key release from the original incarnation of the band. It's a bit of a cheat, a compilation of sorts, mostly compiling tracks from an independently-released album called Panorama joined by a couple tracks from a prior release and a few new tunes.  And it's pretty damn great. You've got a few absolutely stellar singles, most notably "Glastonbury Revisited," "Revolution In The Summertime," and "Have You Heard The News Today?" Seriously, each one of these should have made the band a monster. The rest may blend together a bit more, but it's never less than lovely.  From: https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2019/06/cosmic-rough-riders-enjoy-melodic.html