Grant Lee Buffalo - Seconds

 #Grant Lee Buffalo #Grant Lee Phillips #alternative rock #folk rock #Americana #psychedelic folk rock #1990s

The first three Grant Lee Buffalo albums were insular affairs. Together, singer/guitarist Grant Lee Phillips, drummer/percussionist Joey Peters and bassist/keyboardist/producer Paul Kimble fashioned a self-sufficient musical workshop as impervious to pop fashion as a sharecropper is to the vicissitudes of life in the big city.
On Fuzzy (1993) and Mighty Joe Moon (1994), the trio rummaged through the antique art-junk of America’s attic, dressing up their garage-folk with vintage instruments and rediscovering the ancient wisdom of The Band, the Byrds, Big Star and R.E.M. along the way. It all worked to wondrous effect. But by Copperopolis (1996) — a gorgeous but unrelentingly somber song cycle — GLB sounded as if those attic walls, once valued for their windowless integrity, were beginning to close in on them. Kimble was dismissed from the band shortly thereafter.
On Jubilee, Phillips and Peters treat Kimble’s absence as a license to cut loose. The maelstrom of crunchy guitars and brisk tempos that comprise “APB”, “Change Your Tune” and “My, My, My” indicate a newfound will to rock out with raucous abandon. (Previously, rock was something GLB’s music implied more than manifested.) Even those tunes emitting the dusky pastoralism of early GLB — “SuperSloMotion”, “8 Mile Road”, “The Shallow End” — show a bit more tooth. Producer Paul Fox sometimes equates tooth with splashy, pumped-up choruses (“APB”, Truly, Truly”), and after three critically acclaimed but commercially ignored albums, the band seems bent on casting a wider net. But Fox deserves credit for bathing the band in prismatic light, thereby revealing a heretofore obscured aspect of the band. (Indeed, Fox’s production is luminous precisely where Kimble’s was tenebrous.) And, for their part, Grant Lee Buffalo never sound compromised, even when enlisting the services of such outside guests as Michael Stipe, Robyn Hitchcock and the Wallflowers’ Rami Jaffee. No, they just sound like they’re finally okay with windows — open windows — in their attic walls.  From: https://www.nodepression.com/album-reviews/grant-lee-buffalo-jubilee/

Stick In The Wheel - Roving Blade

 #Stick In The Wheel #folk #British folk #contemporary folk #folktronica #world music #indie folk

London’s Stick in the Wheel live up to their name: For the past few years they’ve been jabbing at the spokes of the English folk scene in their attempt to upend the system. With their 2015 full-length debut, From Here, they conceived of English folk music as something rooted in the past but not in the pastoral; the songs were urban instead of rural, social realist, often abrasive, and defiantly outside the folk mainstream. On traditional tunes dating back centuries as well as originals about the London riots and contemporary land-rights laws, Nicola Kearey sings in a voice that has more in common with Joe Strummer than with Shirley Collins. Co-founder Ian Carter eschews the jazzy improvisations that have defined UK folk guitar since the days of Davey Graham and Bert Jansch. Instead, he plays intricate looped rhythms that sound like he’s mimicking the beats he once created with the XL Recordings-signed electronic group Various Production. They followed up From Here with a 7” single based on 17th-century ballads, a split with the Irish band Lynched, and a collection of mostly a cappella performances recorded in the living rooms and kitchens of some of the country’s biggest folk artists. With their second album, Follow Them True, Stick in the Wheel continue their attack. About half of the album refines the acoustic folk sound of their debut, with lyrics emphasizing the pride of craftsmen and laborers as well as the desperation driving the poor. As Stick in the Wheel dig through the vast catalog of British folk music, they gravitate toward tales from the fringes of society: the destitute, the hopeless, the wronged, and the forgotten.  From: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/stick-in-the-wheel-follow-them-true/

Vartra - Sena

 #Vartra #world music #Balkan folk #Slavic folk #ethnic fusion #dark folk #tribal drum #shamanic #music video

Vartra is a collective of musicians, dancers and craftsmen based in Belgrade, Serbia, gathered around a common goal of bringing magic and mystery to the stage through a unique blend of their skills, interests and experiences. Our music is influenced by various genres, from traditional Balkan music characterized by the merging of Slavic and oriental cultures, through a variety of traditional music styles of indigenous cultures across the world, to a more harsh, industrial and dark atmospheric sound, common for genres such as doom metal. Most of our lyrics stem from old folk incantations and mantras from the Balkan area, that are sung in Serbian and Vlach languages. Our performances are enriched by utilizing handmade drums and rattles crafted by main instrumentalist and vocalist Siniša Gavrić. These instruments are made from animal skins and foraged materials from the rivers and mountains of Serbia.

The album Basma is inspired by the remnants of the South Slavic healing practices and folklore in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The lyrics in the majority of our songs are based on folklore from these areas, leaning predominantly on fragments of the spells used for healing purposes. These spells, named basma in the said areas, are the most archaic aspect of folk medicine and their power to heal illnesses, remove curses or cast away evil spirits lies in suggestive rhythmic repetition.This album was composed and recorded in the home studio of Siniša Gavrić and Ivana Stošić.

From: https://vartra.bandcamp.com/album/basma

Initially formed by Siniša Gavrić and sisters Ivana and Aleksandra Stošić, the band has extended into more of a community, brought together by an interest in world fusion music, Slavic paganism, shamanistic drumming and spirituality in general. Beside band members, integral part of the Vartra tribe are dance performers and friends dedicated to crafting costumes, accessories and stage requisites for live shows. The first debut album “Luna Nouà” was recorded at home based studio in Belgrade in 2018 and officially released on CD Baby online store in January, 2020. The band performed on multimedia arts festival Dev9t (Serbia), Exit festival (Serbia), Javorwood festival (Bosnia and Hercegovina), Elysium festival (Serbia), Lovestock festival (Croatia) and Nishville Jazz Festival (Serbia). The second album “Basma” was released in 2022 by a German publisher CPL music. “Luna nouà” was heavily focused on Vlach incantations (Eastern Serbia) while “Basma” focuses on the lyrical heritage from Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro. Their live shows are a cathartic experience, evocative of healing ceremonies and often combined with dance. Dark in a way that draws darkness out away from the spectator, Vartra’s primordial sound speaks directly to our internal rhythms and the lost ancestral wisdom that exists within all of us.  From: https://vartramusic.com/about-vartra/

Tera Melos - Bite

 #Tera Melos #math rock #experimental #post-rock #progressive rock #electronic #music video

Melding the aggression of punk with the technical intricacies of prog rock, Tera Melos use jerky shifts in time signatures and disjointed guitar noodling bearing a close resemblance to Don Caballero and Hella. Like their counterparts in complicated rock, finger-tapped guitar parts are the centerpiece, complemented by angular bass riffs and splintered spazz-jazz drumming, but contrasting dynamics are a bigger focus of the band's songs, with ambient electronics and sparse vocal lines occasionally incorporated into the interludes to offset some of the more convoluted and noisier sections. Following stints in hardcore projects No Regard, Hoods, and Stabbed in the Throat, guitarist Nick Reinhart, drummer Jeff Worms, and bassist Nate Latona started Tera Melos in 2004. Months after forming, they started playing shows, making an immediate impact on the Sacramento live circuit with chaotic live performances that demonstrated their ability to play while doing cartwheels, guitar stands, and amp flips. Their first album, Tera Melos, was self-released in 2005. Heavy touring followed and, exhausted by life on the road, Worms left the band to settle down shortly after recording the Drugs to the Dear Youth EP. Vince Rogers came in as a replacement drummer, touring continued, and the band found solace in the roster of Sargent House, home of similar-minded artists These Arms Are Snakes and Maps & Atlases. Drugs to the Dear Youth was re-released on CD that year, and a five-song split with By the End of Tonight followed, alongside extensive U.S. touring with Heavy Heavy Low Low and the Fall of Troy.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tera-melos-mn0000241366/biography

Writing music that is equally catchy and technical is a hard bridge to cross and it is rare to find a band that rides that balance as fluently as Sacramento trio Tera Melos do on their fourth official album "X'ed Out". Tera Melos continue to showcase their expert playing, but for the first time, they let melodies lead the way. Drugs to the Dear Youth was relentless, but this smart new "attack when necessary" approach gives a wider range of dynamics, and opens up a song like "No Phase" so that the sweet, ambient vocals of guest singer/keyboardist Aurielle Zeitler can shine through without the interference of killer guitar scales and drum fills. Elsewhere, the tightly wound musicianship of guitarist/vocalist Nick Reinhart, bassist Nathan Latona, and new drummer John Clardy is dazzling to the point that it's hard to believe this is the sound of a mere trio. Restraint is exercised when it serves a song best, like on the bittersweet titular ballad, but when it's time to rock out, the band goes completely bonkers, and, in this sense, "Tropic Lame" sounds like a conventional alt-rock tune written by J Mascis and bashed out by a more mathematically muscular band like Thingy. Much like the criminally underrated aforementioned fellow SoCal group, Tera Melos are likely too clever and otherworldly with their music to ever make the cross from cult status to mega-stardom, which is upsetting, since X'ed Out deserves to be more than a secret pleasure. For one, they jump styles and slip into indie pop too effortlessly to be restricted to the shelves of post-rock fans. For another, it's hard to find fault with the pristine, angelic vocals (musicians of this caliber too often have a weak link in the vocal department, but Reinhart is a triple threat: guitarist, songwriter, and great singer to boot). Lastly, there isn't a soft spot on the album. X'ed Out is more fleshed-out, listenable, and revelatory than one could ever expect. At a time when fellow fingertapper Marnie Stern is toning down on the acrobatics in favor of hooks, Tera Melos show that you don't have to sacrifice one for the other.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/xed-out-mw0002488233

The Creepshow - The Devil's Son

 #The Creepshow #psychobilly #horror punk #hard rock #punk revival #indie rock #music video

Formed in the dirty back alleys and dive bars of Toronto, Ontario in 2005, The Creepshow has redefined the saying "No Rest For The Wicked". Since their inception, the band has brought their genre-defying blend of country-tinged, psycho punk rock n' roll to over 25 countries worldwide with plans to conquer many more as soon as possible. Fronted by the vivacious Kenda (guitar/vox) and backed by the swarthy Sean "Sick Boy" McNab (stand-up bass/vox), The Reverend McGinty (sermons/organ/vox) and the righteous Sandro (skins), The Creepshow is an explosion of live energy that is a tasty treat for the ears and eyes alike... Whatever you do though, don't write The Creepshow off as just another psychobilly band. While their lyrics draw inspiration from b-movies and early horror films, they're also full of personal insight and personal stories dealing with everything from addiction to mental health to tales of love gone horribly wrong. The Creepshow's passion for touring is borderline obsessive-compulsive. They have an incredibly personal dedication to their fans and their live show that is nothing short of astounding. Watching their set is a full frontal assault on all your senses and you definitely have to stay on your toes when you're at one of their shows. You never know when they might rush into the crowd for a scream-along with fans or launch their band mates across the stage from the neck of the stand up bass.  From: https://www.sailorsgraverecords.com/artist.php?id=thecreepshow

The Creepshow is a band from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. The band formed in 2005 when the four original members got together with the purpose of starting a psychobilly band. The Creepshow writes the majority of their songs about horror films. The band has its roots in the 905 music scene with most members having been in various garage bands before The Creepshow. McNab was the singer/guitarist for local legends Outspan and Jersey. McGinty was the songwriter and trombonist for 905 ska band two-face and played trombone in Outspan as well. Matt "Pomade" Gee splits his time between The Creepshow and punk band Rehab for Quitters for which he also plays drums. The Creepshow is known for their fast-paced songs filled with lots of backup vocals from McNab and McGinty and sing-alongs that the whole crowd can participate in. The band is also known for their live shows.  From: https://www.theaudiodb.com/artist/132835

The Dead South - In Hell I'll Be In Good Company

 #The Dead South #folk #bluegrass #roots music #contemporary folk #acoustic #music video

With banjo, mandolin, cello and guitar, The Dead South certainly look the part of bluegrass traditionalists. But, as outsiders to the bluegrass world by circumstances of geography, they’re from the Canadian prairies, and by influences, equal parts finger-picking and punk, there are few comparisons to be made for the four-piece acoustic band. With a global following sparked by YouTube, early success in German rock clubs and now, sold out shows at iconic venues in many continents, this is no country for old-time string purists. A brotherhood first and foremost, formed in university and forged on the road, The Dead South are quite comfortable in their role as a total anomaly most everywhere they go. Their progressive, tightly-constructed approach to acoustic music that favours intricate solos and harmonies has brought two JUNO Awards for Traditional Album of the Year, the most recent for the Muscle Shoals-made Sugar & Joy (2019). The Dead South followed up in 2020 with Served Live, a double live album that celebrated and supported the live music industry in a time of crisis. With their newly-released double EPs Easy Listening for Jerks, Parts I & II, The Dead South find their own balance between their punk origins and the bluegrass world of their sound. A strong statement about identity, influence and inspiration, the new EPs show a band stepping out into new musical territory while also staying true to themselves.  From: https://www.axs.com/artists/1105506/the-dead-south-tickets

 A rock band without a drummer, a bluegrass band without a fiddler . To the gentlemen of The Dead South, a self-styled 4-piece string band from Regina, Saskatchewan, it’s about how, not what, you play. The Dead South’s combination of cello, mandolin, guitar and banjo has all the hallmarks of a group tuned to bygone times, but with their signature sleight of hand, The Dead South find distinctly ­modern bathos in this old time rigging.
The band has announced their third album, Sugar & Joy, coming October 11, 2019 via Six Shooter Records. In “Diamond Ring,” poor William, whoever he is, done got robbed by a would-be groom trying to impress his betrothed . Money doesn’t buy love, but it does buy the ring. In The Dead South’s world, characters do what they must, even when twisted logic leads them astray. From the opening galloping strum to the lower register cello and deep backing vocals, the song’s moody mania captures The Dead South’s stock-in-trade, stories of desperation and bad decisions told in fast-paced, brightly-laced bursts.  From: https://store.sixshooterrecords.com/collections/the-dead-south

Royal Thunder - Parsonz Curse

 #Royal Thunder #heavy metal #hard rock #progressive metal #stoner rock #heavy psych #stoner metal #heavy blues rock

Royal Thunder are a four-piece rock band based out of Atlanta, Georgia that seamlessly blend the elements of heavy classic rock, 90’s grunge, and forward-thinking progressive rock. Propelled by the powerfully emotional voice of frontwoman Mlny Parsonz, the guitar heroics of Josh Weaver, and the dynamic drums of Evan Diprima, Royal Thunder have been described by NPR as “a revved-up Southern hard-rock that howls like Led Zeppelin astride a psychedelic unicorn” and as “magnificently compelling rock music” by Decibel Magazine. Formed in 2004 by Weaver, his brother, and his best friend, the band went through several lineup changes over the years before settling on their current lineup, which also incorporated second guitarist Will Fiore as of 2015.
In 2007, Royal Thunder self-released their debut EP and started touring with Jesse Stuber on drums. By 2010, Relapse Records took notice and signed the band, beginning with an official re-release of their self-titled EP then later releasing their 2012 full-length debut, CVI. Stuber left the band after CVI was complete, replaced by drummer Lee Smith. The band toured with Lee Smith and Josh Coleman (who also joined during the making of CVI on second guitar) for a few US tours. CVI was widely praised by critics, including Rolling Stone’s David Fricke, who said that Weaver’s playing has “the meaty, base elements of early-Seventies British blues” and Metal Hammer Magazine, who stated, “through the powerhouse vocals of Mlny Parsonz and a refusal to keep their sound boxed, Royal Thunder look set to be the underground’s next big breakout stars”.  From: http://www.masqueradeatlanta.com/attraction/royal-thunder/

Upon a cursory listen and armed with a metalhead's perspective, this fresh-faced quartet comes across like a dialed-down version of Jucifer, with none of their brutality but a far greater emphasis on clear, bewitching feminine vocals. Repeated listens, however, yield far more satisfying fruit. As with so many of the newer female-fronted doomy, rocking, bluesy bands that keep popping up, Royal Thunder's biggest asset is their vocalist. Mlny Parsonz is a nontraditional blues-rock banshee of a woman, equal parts riot grrl and gospel diva. There's a rough-hewn, unpolished charm to her delivery and phrasing, and while her arsenal of sugary whispers, angelic coos, and fiery wail serve her well, it's really her willingness to let go, dig deep, and belt it the hell on out that is her greatest strength. She's fortunate to be backed by a solid instrumental section, most notably Josh Weaver's vintage riff-wrangling, Zeppelin-esque turns, and big, retro vibes. Drummer Lee Smith and bassist Josh Coleman mesh well to provide a rock-solid base for the band's two big musical personalities without fading into the background; Smith especially goes above and beyond, infusing what could be simple rock'n'roll songs with a nice dose of understated technicality.  From: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16781-cvi/

Roxy Music - Love Is the Drug

 #Roxy Music #Bryan Ferry #Brian Eno #art rock #glam rock #pop rock #progressive rock #1970s

Evolving from the late-'60s art-rock movement, Roxy Music had a fascination with fashion, glamour, cinema, pop art, and the avant-garde, which separated the band from their contemporaries. Dressed in bizarre, stylish costumes, the group played a defiantly experimental variation of art rock which vacillated between avant-rock and sleek pop hooks. During the early '70s, the group was driven by the creative tension between Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno, who each pulled the band in separate directions: Ferry had a fondness for American soul and Beatlesque art-pop, while Eno was intrigued by deconstructing rock with amateurish experimentalism inspired by the Velvet Underground. This incarnation of Roxy Music may have only recorded two albums, but it inspired a legion of imitators -- not only the glam-rockers of the early '70s, but art-rockers and new wave pop groups of the late '70s. Following Eno's departure, Roxy Music continued with its arty inclinations for a few albums before gradually working in elements of disco and soul. Within a few years, the group had developed a sophisticated, seductive soul-pop that relied on Ferry's stylish crooning. By the early '80s, the group had developed into a vehicle for Ferry, so it was no surprise that he disbanded the group at the height of its commercial success in the early '80s to pursue a solo career.  From: https://www.iheart.com/artist/roxy-music-27678/

Love is the Drug: The leadoff track and single from Siren, the band’s fifth album, this song made it into the bottom reaches of the U.S. top 40, but its legend and influence were much greater. This undeniable semi-novelty hit had a jittery bass beat, a canny piece of dance manqué; the taut instrumentation and the slightly mechanical tale the narrator is telling would be a marked influence on the Talking Heads albums that would appear just two years later. There’s an alluring beginning — footsteps, a car door opening, an engine starting up — together an irresistible entrée into a rhumba’d head-snapping beat that marries art rock to disco. The track and the rest of the accompanying album are Roxy at its height. The songs here start out with a bang, a whoosh, or a sweeping fanfare. The sound is mature, wild when it has to be, but restrained in a way Roxy had never been before. The Germanic conceits that marked Country Life are replaced by pastoral passages in songs like “End of the Line.” Instead, Ferry’s most powerful suite of songs contains lush inquiries into the nature of decadence, epicureanism, hedonism, and their discontents. And “Both Ends Burning” defines the mature use of synthesizers during this time.  From: https://www.vulture.com/2019/03/roxy-music-guide-bryan-ferry-brian-eno.html

The Courettes - Misfits & Freaks

 #The Courettes #garage rock #garage punk #wall of sound #garage psych #surf music #lo-fi #1960s retro

Raw and raucous garage rockers the Courettes are an international phenomenon in more ways than one -- not only have they attracted a loyal following in Europe, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, their guitarist and singer is from Brazil while the drummer hails from Denmark. United by the universal language of rock & roll, the Courettes play no-frills garage punk with plenty of energy and a melodic sense that makes room for old-school punk, '60s pop, girl group sounds, surf music, and revved-up psychedelia. The Courettes sounded elemental and energetic on their 2015 debut Here Are the Courettes and were tighter and a bit more musically ambitious but still capable of shaking the house on 2018's We Are the Courettes, while 2021's Back in Mono boasted more tough rock & roll captured in the group's own vintage recording facility.
Based in Denmark, the dynamic duo behind the Courettes is lead singer and guitarist Flavia Couri, originally from Brazil, and drummer Martin Couri, a native Dane and Flavia's husband. The two met in Brazil in 2013, when his band played on a bill with hers during a tour of South America. They quickly hit it off musically, and in 2015 Flavia relocated to Denmark, where she and Martin formed the group. The duo went into the studio to lay down some songs, and while they had initially planned to add more musicians to the lineup, they were so happy with the way they sounded with just guitar and drums that they made their duo permanent. They struck a deal with the German label Sounds of Subterrania and quickly cut their debut album, 2015's Here Are the Courettes, a 20-minute blast of rock & roll initially released on 10" vinyl.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-courettes-mn0003738730/biography

The Youngbloods - Darkness, Darkness

 #The Youngbloods #Jesse Colin Young #folk rock #psychedelic rock #roots rock #blues rock #West coast psychedelia #1960s

Before the ’60s wrapped up, it saw brilliant and epic releases left and right. Thus, it’s no wonder why a plethora of LPs which were just as stellar as the more popular ones, were overlooked and largely ignored. Unfortunately for The Youngbloods, their third studio effort “Elephant Mountain” is one of the underrated records of 1969. Then again, the band never actually broke into mainstream. And so even though “Elephant Mountain” only peaked at #118 on the US Billboard 200, it was their highest charting album. What started as a quartet became a trio on this LP. They started working on it following the departure of co-founder Jerry Corbitt. With the need for new material, Jesse Colin Young rose up to the challenge and penned 7 out of the 13 songs on “Elephant Mountain.” The Youngbloods were still a tight unit and this LP helped showcase their musicianship especially with the variety of tunes – from acoustic ballads to country to hard rock and even bluesy numbers. It offers an enjoyable listening experience from start to finish. Sure, it’s not without fillers but even those are fun to listen to as well. At a time when most rock acts gravitated towards dark, political, and ominous themes, “Elephant Mountain” was a breath of fresh air. The opener “Darkness, Darkness” is the clear highlight of the LP but that’s not to say the rest of the tracks aren’t just as good. Other standouts include “On Sir Francis Drake”, “Trillium”, “Sham”, and “Ride the Wind.” “Elephant Mountain” is both consistent and solid. It may have a few weak moments but overall, it’s The Youngbloods’ greatest record.  From: https://societyofrock.com/album-review-elephant-mountain-by-the-youngbloods/

Elephant Mountain, the magnetic third album by the Youngbloods, is commonly looked upon as the pinnacle of the legendary Bay Area combo's abundant eight-year career. From its spine chilling opening track--the strains of a somber Appalachian fiddle permeating "Darkness, Darkness"--the listener is inexorably sucked into psychedelic quicksand by the haunting vocals of Jesse Colin Young, whose plaintive cry to "hide the constant yearning for things that cannot be" proves mournfully irresistible. In addition to Young's songwriting masterpiece, the 1969 album also spotlights a sharp, country-rocking vocal duet ("Smug") by Young and recently-departed singer Jerry Corbitt, as well as the jazzy interplay between electric keyboard whiz Banana and the locked-in groove of drummer Joe Bauer during magical instrumental "On Sir Francis Drake." More songwriting gems loom like sacred totems on this landmark longplayer, including Young's signature ballads "Sunlight," "Quicksand" and "Ride the Wind." It's the Youngbloods at the top of their game, indelibly writing their names in the ledger of consummate San Francisco rock 'n' roll.  From: https://sundazed.com/p/1189-Youngbloods-Elephant-Mountain-CD.aspx

Alison Krauss & Union Station - So Long, So Wrong

 #Alison Krauss & Union Station  #bluegrass #country #contemporary bluegrass #progressive bluegrass #contemporary folk #newgrass

“If only all those country (or pop or rock) fans who say they don’t like bluegrass would just give it a listen, they’d love it.”
“If only the mass media would give bluegrass some positive exposure…”
Those of us who care about bluegrass are probably as familiar with these sentiments about our music as we are with “Orange Blossom Special” and “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.” They come up with amazing regularity whether it’s a discussion with people who make their living in bluegrass or conversation with fans at a festival. Until now mass exposure has frequently meant linkage with comedy (The Beverly Hillbillies, The Andy Griffith Show, Hee Haw!), historical inaccuracy (Bonnie & Clyde—they died before the birth of bluegrass), or what many thoughtful people view as negative regional stereotyping (Deliverance). Even Ricky Skaggs’ stunning success several years ago in making Top-40 country hits of bluegrass songs involved numerous concessions to popular taste—electric lead instruments, drums, etc.
It has thus been with excitement verging on disbelief that in recent months fans have come across stories on Alison Krauss and Union Station in publications like USA Today, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Musician, Billboard and Time Magazine. It might be supposed that her recent receipt of the Grammy award for the Best Bluegrass Recording of the year was the cause of this flurry of press coverage. But that would be missing the point. Most of these articles came out far in advance of the award. It’s not that the national press is just recognizing bluegrass as a valid and noteworthy American music style. These highly-paid professional writers are really listening to Alison. They are tuning in to what bluegrass fans like about her and are helping the general public do the same.
“Subordinated to the group sound as Krauss’s fiddling is, it continues to amaze—airborne one minute, austere the next,” writes Newsweek’s Bill Christophersen. “ ‘Will You Be Leaving’ features a space shuttle of a solo that, just as you’re reaching for the Dramamine, sprouts parachutes and eases into a double-stop.” “I’ve Got That Old Feeling,” writes USA Today’s David Zimmerman, “is as ‘cutting edge’ as anything around. Krauss’s incredibly nimble, clear voice—recalling a young Dolly Parton—and soulful fiddle convey a passion and vitality that will surprise anybody who expects bluegrass to drone. This is one of few albums bound to please anyone.”
Uncharacteristic warmth like this toward bluegrass by the mass media might lead one to suspect that it was won by gimmicks or by abandoning what fans would think of as “real bluegrass.” No danger. Check out the long lines of diehard bluegrassers trying to get into Alison’s show at Alexandria, Virginia’s, showcase club, the Birchmere, or the wildly excited audience responses at the nation’s major festivals from upstate New York’s Winterhawk, to Colorado’s Telluride to California’s Strawberry Music Festival. Yet her group can also knock out country fans on Hee Haw! or on the Grand Ole Opry, where the group has been invited back half a dozen times in recent months. It can win over New York City sophisticates at the prestigious Bottom Line. It can even sell out a thousand seat auditorium at Maryland’s Goucher College on a double bill with a New Age music group.
Alison’s appeal is all the more remarkable because it is based not on glamour, a fancy stage show, sexy outfits, cuteness or any of the other show business tricks you might think a young female band leader might need to employ to gain attention. Onstage there is a sense of earnest focus on the music coupled with evident delight by the musicians in one another’s musical contributions. Alison’s voice has a wonderful clarity and precision which appeals to a broad range of listeners. Her instrumental work is not only technically excellent; it is also beautifully creative and exciting even to someone who has listened to decades of the great bluegrass fiddlers.
Alison is by no means a solo performer with a few faceless backup musicians. She loves playing with people who challenge her musically. And she loves her present band. When asked to name the people in bluegrass music who most inspire her, she first names the members of her band. These are Alison Brown (banjo), Tim Stafford (guitar), Adam Steffey (mandolin) and Barry Bales (bass). By the standards of earlier generations, it would seem an unlikely mix of backgrounds.  From: https://www.bluegrassunlimited.com/article/alison-kruass-and-union-station/

Gjallarhorn - Suvetar

 #Gjallarhorn #world music #European folk #Finnish folk #Swedish folk #traditional #medieval #music video

This adventurous Ostrobothnian quartet formed in 1994 have created an alluring and successful style that has launched for them a thriving international career. Combining the Swedish folk music tradition of Finland with medieval ballads, ancient poems and rich, acoustic soundscapes, Gjallarhorn conjure an atmospherically charged sound fronted by Jenny Wilhelms' vocals and didgeridoo, integrating perfectly with the Norwegian hardanger fiddle, violin, mandola and percussion.
Gjallarhorn are Jenny Wilhelms on vocals, violin and hardanger fiddle; Adrian Jones on viola, mandola, vocals and kalimba; Tommy Mansikka-Aho on aho, didgeridoo, mungiga, udu and djembe; and Peter Berndalen on percussion and kaliba. Wilhelms is an outstanding vocalist, with a soft soprano that is layered throughout their album “Sjofn" to create a sense of abandon that is oddly tender and never harsh. She sings in the traditional Scandinavian style, with occasional flourishes from Indian vocal traditions. Wherever it comes from, it's phenomenal. Think Vartina without the shrill factor; after all, Wilhelms doesn't need to use her voice as percussion because she is supported by an awesome collections of percussive sounds and the drone of the didgeridoo.
Gjallarhorn takes us deep into Scandinavia, to parts with warm, subtle Swedish and Finnish accents and the epic ballads we associate with those northern parts. African and Oriental percussion instruments, and the Australian didgeridoo provide the obsessive drones. Violins, a jew's harp, a mandolin, a magnificent voice, cries resounding ad infinitum in the idea open spaces of Scandinavia; a multitude of noises, echoes, buzzing and tapping sounds, are all used to serve tradition, with ancient epics, medieval ballads, and rites. This music has a strongly modern orientation.
From: https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=1240

The Claypool Lennon Delirium - Blood And Rockets Movement I

 #The Claypool Lennon Delirium #Les Claypool #Sean Lennon #psychedelic rock #art rock #experimental rock #progressive rock #alternative rock #neo-psychedelia #ex-Primus #ex-The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger #music video

The curious tale of The Claypool Lennon Delirium
Kernel: the central or most important part of something, a homophone for colonel, and Sean Lennon’s nickname for  his creative co-conspirator, Les Claypool. “He has that colonel vibe; he’s the captain of the ship. He runs the desk on our sessions, he engineers the sessions, he’s kind of at the front of the ship. And he calls me ‘Shiner’ because it’s one syllable apart from Sean!” laughs Lennon from his snow-swept studio in upstate New York. When he speaks of Primus’ head honcho, it’s with great respect, awe and a touch of disbelief that he’s working with a musician who he’s admired for many years.
“I’d never really played in a band where someone was a legend on their instrument,” he says. “Les is on a short list of very respected bass players and I was surprised that he really wanted to start a band with me, so I did a lot of scales to get my chops up because I wanted to make sure I could hang musically with him.” When we catch up with the bespectacled multi-instrumentalist, he’s taking a break from working on a new solo album and some “exciting” top secret projects. Despite being so busy, he seems genuinely happy to finally be able to chat about The Claypool Lennon Delirium’s second full-length album, South Of Reality.
The surprise project came about in 2015, shortly after Lennon’s The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger opened for Primus. The duo’s colorful chemistry led to the release of their psychedelic debut Monolith Of Phobos the following year. A covers EP, Lime And Limpid Green, was released in 2017, just a few months ahead of Primus’ conceptual The Desaturating Seven, and hinted at some of their inspiration with renditions of The Court Of The Crimson King and Astronomy Domine. By the time they regrouped for South Of Reality, both Lennon and Claypool were brimming with ideas.
Where their debut was inspired by the soundtrack to The Monkees’ Head, album number two is a hypnotic blend of prog, psych and Sgt. Pepper's punctuated by Claypool’s complex funk-driven basslines. The pair share vocal duties and instrumentation, with Lennon further enhancing vintage elements via a Mellotron simulator and Coral electric sitar. The album’s nine satirical tracks were written and recorded over the space of two months at Claypool’s Rancho Relaxo studio in California, and are as much a journey into their eclectic musical influences as a thumb through the stranger sections of the National Enquirer. Cricket Chronicles Revisited is the thematic follow-up to Monolith’s two-part psychedelic explosion The Cricket And The Genie that explored the modern trend of over-medicating adults and children, while the lead track Blood And Rockets focuses on the strange life of occult rocket engineer Jack Parsons.
“I wanted to write a song about him and that was maybe one of the first ones I wrote for the album,” says Lennon. “He wound up helping us get to the moon but he was also part of the Ordo Templi Orientis [a religious organisation made famous by occultist Aleister Crowley]. It’s, like, this really weird story because Parsons ends up blowing himself up in an alchemical experiment. The end bit is in 5/8, which I thought was funny because a pentagram has five points. It cuts to the section when, in my mind, he’s crossing the threshold from this reality to another dimension.”
From: https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-curious-tale-of-the-claypool-lennon-delirium 

Carly Simon - That's The Way I Always Heard It Should Be

 #Carly Simon #pop rock #folk rock #singer-songwriter #1970s #music video #TV concert

Most love songs exist in the present tense: “I love you.” Occasionally, some delve into the past, reminiscing about when the lovers met or how far they’ve come in their relationship. The idea of the future in these songs tends to be hazier, defined at best by an assumption of everlasting love. (Even the seemingly noncommittal “I may not always love you” of “God Only Knows” is a red herring.) The narrator of Carly Simon’s 1971 single “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be,” however, is fixated on predicting the future of her relationship, and what she foretells is bleak. She and her husband-to-be may be in love now, but within that love, hate - for each other, for themselves - lurks like a dormant virus. For her, a marriage proposal isn’t a declaration of love; it’s the trigger for that virus to attack, replicating itself till they’re both stricken.
As Carly Simon’s first single and opening track on her debut album, “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” (co-written with lyricist Jacob Brackman) introduced the singer as an archetypal ’70s woman, attempting to reconcile traditional relationship models with the gains of second-wave feminism. On the surface, the sentiments in the song’s chorus could have been drawn from a wedding song like “Chapel of Love,” where marriage stands for happily ever after:“you say it’s time we moved in together/ and raised a family of our own, you and me.” The minor-key verses surrounding the chorus, however, bespeak only doubt. Simon recounts her negative observations of other married couples over a fragile piano-strings arrangement: her parents ignoring each other in separate rooms; the frustration and dissatisfaction of her college friends.
Rather than marriage bringing two people together, all she can conjure is disconnection, the couples uniting only to “cling and claw and drown in love’s debris.” She also worries that marriage will mean giving up an equal relationship for the lesser position of wife (“you say we’ll soar like two birds through the clouds/ but soon you’ll cage me on your shelf”). It’s this sacrifice that she fears will breed hate, from resentment between the two partners, to self-loathing, to eventually even disgust from their future children.
Her dismal observations in the verses shift to his entreaties for marriage in the chorus, and with his more conventional perspective comes a more conventional rock arrangement. Thudding drums trample over the music-box instrumentation. The tinkling piano keys swap out for crashing chords. Simon’s voice is no longer a whisper tip-toeing around empty hallways, but something more forceful, even a little sarcastic (see the title line).
By the end of the chorus, though, the brashness fades. The instrumentation drains away, leaving Simon’s voice suspended in midair, supported by only a faint string line. Her tentative “we’ll marry” sounds less like a statement of purpose than a question, an impression furthered by the unresolved melody line. By the third and final chorus, she appears to have assented to his proposal, altering the opening of the refrain from “but you say it’s time” to “well, OK, it’s time.” Simon’s voice on the final “marry” is doubled for the only time in the song’s run. Does this imply a successful partnership between the narrator and her husband? Or is it the ghost of her future self, echoing from a lonely room?
Crucially, the words “hate” and “love” appear exactly the same number of times in the song (twice each), creating a perfect ambiguity as to which path their marriage will follow. For all the narrator’s prognostications of misery, the song suggests there’s an equal chance that the relationship will continue to flourish. She can be no more certain of her future than those lovers in songs foretelling eternal bliss.
From: https://oneweekoneband.tumblr.com/post/39585806110/carly-simon-thats-the-way-ive-always-heard-it

The Schaefer Brewing Company had been sponsoring a summer concert series in New York’s Central Park prior to 1971. In August of that year, The Beach Boys, Ike and Tina Turner, and several others hosted the Good Vibrations From Central Park show. The who’s who of the music world was in attendance. James Taylor, Carole King, Art Garfunkel, and George Harrison. Not to mention the hosts, The Beach Boys and Ike and Tina Turner. The magic was certainly alive that night. One of the most well-received acts was Carly Simon.
This was one of Carly’s first appearances on National Television as a solo artist. She had been performing with her sister Lucy as a duo named The Simon Sisters for a few years. Carly walked on stage, captivating the hundreds of attendees in the audience. Her stage presence was insanely awe-striking. She performed two songs that later became hits. “Anticipation” was performed but wouldn’t be a hit for another six months. Next, Carly sang “That’s The Way I Always Thought It Should Be.” Simon mentioned prior to singing it, “Gonna sing a song that I heard on Jone’s Beach today. Anyways, it’s kinda a weird song about marriage.” This was Simon’s first single. She received a standing ovation by whistling and applauding fans. Some of her contemporaries listened to the budding star backstage. Art Garfunkel and George Harrison chatted in the wings, and I’m sure they were just as awe-struck as the Central Park attendees. From: https://dailyrockbox.com/carly-simon-gets-standing-ovation-guess-whos-backstage-listening/

Black Pussy - I Wanna Get High

 #Black Pussy #stoner rock #psychedelic rock #garage rock #post-punk #animated music video #Malice in Wonderland

Black Pussy is a group of rock n’ roll pot-smoking fun-loving hippies that are passionate about art, creativity and the dynamic human spirit which refuses to submit. They encourage all ages and creeds to take the ride with them. For Dustin Hill, the creator and songwriter of the band, Black Pussy sounded like a fantastic name. It encapsulates exactly what the band is: a psychedelic, ’70s-influenced, hide-your-daughters-because-they’re-coming-to-town rock ‘n’ roll band that sounds like Tarantino directing a Thin Lizzy video in the low desert.
Black Pussy approaches their music style with influences across three decades of rock: the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. The result is a cohesive blend of Kyuss, Hawkwind, The Cars, Monster Magnet and Queens of the Stone Age. Their classic, upbeat and relentlessly hooky tracks embrace traditional pop structure within heavy rock and led to Hill coining the phrase “stoner-pop”. Their catchy music tends to seduce anyone, even those who wander in a club after seeing the intriguing band name on the marquis. There is no contrived contention, just fun, love and good tunes. Everyone is invited to this party.
From: https://first-avenue.com/performer/black-pussy/ 

Black Pussy draws its name from the 1970s pornographic era. An obvious objectification by the white boys of the group — white boys who relish the privilege of benefits of a pre-established patriarchy. The same patriarchy whose dominant ideology promotes women to be sexually subservient to men, denies women equal pay, denies the protection of discrimination based on sex and ownership of their reproductive health and bodies.
Last weekend Black Pussy played to an average-size crowd at Scout Bar in Clear Lake. Listeners milled about near the stage, with far less than a scattering of females in the audience. No one of African-American descent was to be seen. An opener for a mock-tribute band, Black Pussy played a short set to a muted response. Yet I couldn’t help feeling at first uncomfortable at their name, but later rage and guilt that my attendance could possibly be seen as complicity. Absolutely no, not ever. Who the fuck are these jackasses and why are they playing in my town?
I do not claim to speak for all women, nor would I ever attempt to speak on behalf of black women. But I will call bullshit when I see it, and the name Black Pussy, the members of the band and the hype they’ve created are easily one of the worst conceptions in music. Willfully ignorant and refusing to acknowledge their privilege, bands like Black Pussy will never achieve success because their notoriety is far more important than their art. Ignorant and unapologetic, they’re not unlike Mushroom Head and their painfully uneducated allegiance to the Confederate flag.
Despite societal norms forcing such antiquated messages to expire, those who hang onto them — like Black Pussy — believe in their own moral superiority or assertion of rightful speech. Yet they will actually fade into oblivion. It’s a gimmick, and a shitty one at that. These are not artists. These are not musicians. These are white men who have an agenda of perpetuating the system of oppression that already exists to suppress women and minorities. And if they really are the innocent, ignorant stoner boys they claim to be, they’ll change their fucking name and focus on improving their shitty music instead of calling dead black women their “fans."
I call total bullshit on this band. Total. Fucking. Bullshit. But, watch this — they won’t change their name and they’ll continue to gain notoriety, mock the scandalous attention and the negative press all while claiming, It’s just a name, people. Because that’s what racist, sexist bigots want you to believe.  From: https://www.houstonpress.com/music/black-pussy-worst-band-ever-7806166

Tucson-based stoner-rock/"boogie-pop" band Black Pussy—whose members, as you can see, are white men—were slated to play the Funhouse on Saturday, March 17, but that show is no longer happening. According to a February 26 post on the group's Facebook page, it was their decision to cancel. However, El Corazon boss and Funhouse co-owner Dana Sims says, "I’m not sure what they are talking about exactly. The show was cancelled by the club on Saturday. After some constructive discussions with people I love and respect both in the scene and the community at large, I felt it was the right thing to do."
Attracting much scathing criticism over the last few years for what many perceive to be their racially insensitive and objectifying name, Black Pussy have doubled down on their reasons for keeping the moniker. On their Facebook page, they deny that it derives from the original title of the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar," as some detractors have accused. In a phone interview, Black Pussy frontman Dustin Hill admits that Sims "pulled the plug" on the gig, but he made that Facebook post to stress that he doesn't "want to work with people who are racist and sexist and not inclusive. That’s what they are, so since they’re pulling the plug on us, I’m pulling the plug on them, simultaneously." When asked what exactly is racist about the Funhouse's decision, Hill says that, "The people attacking us personally about the Seattle show continuously call me ‘white’ and ‘male,’ and I shouldn’t play Seattle because I’m white and male. I think that’s some sexist and racist stuff. It’s my band name and because I’m white and male, I’m not allowed to have this band name. That’s it.
"I’m fed up with being called a Nazi and a racist and a sexist because some people don’t like my band name," he continues. "I’m none of those things. My music is none of those things. My band members are none of those things. The reality is, it’s the other side that are those things. Dana is siding with the sexists and racists." Does Hill not understand why people are upset about the name, or does he just not care about their reactions? "No, I don’t understand why people are upset with the name. The name is ambiguous, a multi-entendre. It’s art, and art is ambiguous — at least my art is. And it’s rock and roll, real basic shit. We’re just trying to have a good time. These identity politics - I don’t get it. It has nothing to do with my band."
From: https://www.thestranger.com/music/2018/02/28/25858810/why-did-dubiously-named-rock-band-black-pussys-seattle-show-get-cancelled 

Halestorm - I Want You (She's So Heavy)

 #Halestorm #hard rock #heavy metal #alternative metal #post-grunge #Beatles cover

Lzzy Hale’s voice is immense. There is no other way to put it, she really does set the bar high and then vaults it with every performance. Halestorm are a fantastic live band, and great on record. They released their self-titled debut album around 18 months ago and it is well worth a look, however this review is about something more recent. After a live CD/DVD late last year, Halestorm have released ReAniMate: The Covers EP.  Six tracks which I can only assume are songs the band loved over the years, and surprisingly it’s six tracks which are very diverse and Halestorm make their own.
The final track on this EP is by The Beatles. Like other tracks here, it’s a lesser known cut by the band and it’s a very clever choice. Halestorm have taken Abbey Road’s ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ and, like the standard set by Motley Crue’s cover of ‘Helter Skelter’, they have very much made it their own. What the band have done here is show us just how ingenious The Beatles were; how ahead of their time and how cross-genre their songwriting was. This is a really strong, heavy and frankly ubiquitous rock song. Lzzy Hale’s vocal is shown off at it’s absolutely best here, reminiscent of the powerhouse live experience. The support from the band is stellar (as in fairness it is throughout the EP) and should make them proud. A future live-staple if ever there deserved to be one.  From: https://www.musicscramble.co.uk/2011/03/24/halestorm-reanimate-the-covers-ep-2011/ 

 Lyric writing was one of The Beatles' greatest strengths. John and Paul, especially, developed a knack for conveying a story that the average listener could easily relate to, many times within only a three minute framework. Witness “Yesterday” in which Paul simplistically expresses the immense heartbreak of abandonment, something almost everyone on the planet has experienced at one time or another. In “Help!,” John vividly relates the need for emotional support because of the uncertainty of life that we experience as we age. Even “I Am The Walrus” achieves greatness in its use of absurd wordplay purposely woven to confound listeners who look for deep meaning in their lyrics, these lyrics being sung convincingly as if there were indeed a mystery here to unravel when there really wasn't any.
Then, in 1969, John experiments with writing lyrics that convey deep emotion using hardly any words at all. Could this be done? In “I Want You (She's So Heavy),” a track that approaches eight minutes in length and is the longest song in the entire Beatles catalog (“Revolution 9” is nearly half a minute longer, but can arguably be viewed as more of a “sound collage” than an actual song), John tells a desperate story of his deep emotional feelings for his new love Yoko Ono using a total of only fifteen words!
To Rolling Stone magazine, John stated: “Simplicity is evident in 'She's So Heavy.' In fact a reviewer wrote: 'He seems to have lost his talent for lyrics; it's so simple and boring.' When it gets down to it, when you're drowning, you don't say, 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream! In 'She's So Heavy,' I just sang, 'I want you, I want you so bad, she's so heavy, I want you,' like that” He has even stated his wish to compose a “perfect song” using only one word, not unlike Yoko's published poem of 1964 which consisted of only one word: 'Water.'
From: http://www.beatlesebooks.com/i-want-you

Lyle Lovett - Fiona

 #Lyle Lovett #Americana #roots music #country folk #C&W #Western swing #singer-songwriter 

I think it's safe to say that there are not too many people out there quite like Lyle Lovett. One of the most creative singer-songwriters on the scene, he's a Texan through and through, embracing country music, but is about as musically eclectic an artist as you will find. He's an engaging singer with a distinctive voice and a gifted lyricist, but he nevertheless writes some songs that can only be described as having downright weird words. After being a confirmed bachelor well into his 30s, Lovett suddenly married movie star Julia Roberts. After being pretty much the domain of Public Radio, he found himself plastered on the front pages of the supermarket tabloids and trash TV shows. Lovett also acted in a few films himself.
After creating a series of outstanding albums with an often jazzy group he called his Large Band, in October 1994, Lovett released I Love Everybody, a collection of older songs he had lying around since as long ago as the 1970s, performed with scaled back arrangements. They included a few pieces with some of the most eccentric lyrics of his career. That album was released during his happy marriage to Ms. Roberts, and many of Lovett's fans were wondering if there was anything autobiographical to be heard the record. But Lovett stressed that all the songs pre-dated his engagement and marriage.
Well, Lovett and Roberts have separated, and thus the tabloids have lost interest in the songwriter. Now he is out with a collection of new songs called The Road to Ensenada, which shows him up to his old tricks again, creating songs that make you wonder what goes through his mind if you take the time to listen carefully to the lyrics. Also, as usual, musically, the album is very tastefully done, running from twangy country to jazzy, with some introspective folkie-type songs in there as well.
Texas has a rich tradition of singer-songwriters, going back to people like Jerry Jeff Walker, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clarke and scores of fine current-day artists. Lovett grew up on their music listening them in folk clubs in college as he studied journalism. He made an interesting admission in an interview a couple of years ago - that while he was familiar with many of Bob Dylan's songs, he had never actually listened to an entire Dylan album straight through. I think that serves to illuminate Lovett's penchant for creating his own world, paying little attention to styles and trends around him.
From: http://georgegraham.com/lovett.html 

The Rattles - The Witch

 #The Rattles #hard rock #psychedelic rock #progressive rock #krautrock #German #1970s

The Rattles are a German rock band formed in Hamburg in 1960. The band is most prominently known for their 1970 psychedelic hit single "The Witch." The Rattles performed in Hamburg, Germany at the same venues as The Beatles on several occasions in 1962. In 1968 they recorded their first version of "The Witch" with vocals by Henner Hoier. Their second version of "The Witch" in 1970, this time with vocals by Edna Béjarano (post-Hoier's departure), became their only international hit.
The line-up during this period was:
Edna Béjarano - vocals
Frank Mille - guitar
Zappo Lungen - bass
Herbert Bornhold - drums

I think I mention somewhere on this page that Rattles singer Edna Bejarano’s mother was Esther Bejarano, one of the last survivors of the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz. There was a whole movie made about this women’s orchestra and their struggles to survive at the camp (actually, a 1980 CBS TV movie in the US) It was called “Playing For Time” and it starred Vanessa Redgrave. It is a beautiful story of pain and resilience. If you can find it on YouTube you should definitely check it out! The odd coincidence is that I saw that TV movie several times as a child with my mom. I definitely remember it! If Esther had not survived the Holocaust, we would not have Edna or (this incarnation of) the band.

From: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheRattlesEdnaBejarano/

Queen - Funny How Love Is

 #Queen #Freddie Mercury #Brian May #Roger Taylor #hard rock #glam rock #progressive rock #heavy metal #classic rock #1970s

Freddie Mercury’s attitude to writing about love changed over the years, from the optimism of “Funny How Love Is” (from their second album Queen II) to the mid-1980s, when he was writing edgy songs about love being dangerous and referring in interviews to his own love life as similar to a game of Russian roulette. “Funny How Love Is,” though, was a sunny, optimistic reflection on how love is omnipresent (“love is anywhere you’re bound to be”). It started out, in the first five takes, as a piano-led acoustic song, and evolved into a “wall of sound” track via Mercury’s friend and producer Robin Cable. “That album was when we first really got into production, and went completely over the top,” commented Taylor. “Funny How Love Is” was sung in demanding high-register vocals, which was the reason Mercury declined to sing the song in live shows. Although there are more famous Queen love songs, “Funny How Love Is” captures the innocence and optimism of the band at the start of their journey.  From: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/queen-love-songs/

Alabama Shakes - Gimme All Your Love

 #Alabama Shakes #blues rock #roots rock #soul #R&B #Southern rock #punk blues #psychedelic soul

Alabama Shakes were an American roots rock quartet that achieved commercial and critical success with a genre-defying sound and electrifying live performances. The group’s principal members were lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, bass player Zac Cockrell, drummer Steve Johnson, and guitarist Heath Fogg). Frontwoman Howard began writing songs as a young teen and taught herself how to play guitar. She was soon joined by Cockrell, a high-school classmate, and the pair experimented with a variety of styles that ranged from American roots to the music of David Bowie. Johnson, a drummer who worked at a music store in the duo’s hometown of Athens, Alabama, brought a punk beat to Howard and Cockrell’s evolving sound. The trio began circulating a rough demo tape, and it caught the attention of Fogg, another Athens-based musician, who was already established in his own band, Tuco’s Pistol. Fogg asked Howard, Cockrell, and Johnson to open for his band, and the trio agreed, on the condition that Fogg perform with them. He consented, and the success of that performance eventually led to Fogg’s joining the band full-time. In 2009 the group christened themselves the Shakes, and in May of that year they began a relentless touring schedule. While playing as much of their own material as time would allow, they punctuated their live shows with crowd-pleasing cover songs. Independent music tastemaker Justin Gage posted their song “You Ain’t Alone” on his Aquarium Drunkard music blog, and the band’s profile skyrocketed virtually overnight. They soon found themselves opening for fellow Alabama natives the Drive-By Truckers and performing in Nashville at the Third Man Records store belonging to Jack White. Renaming themselves Alabama Shakes, the group released a self-titled EP in September 2011 and continued to draw critical praise for their live shows, which were anchored by Howard’s arresting stage presence.  From: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alabama-Shakes