today marks ten years since the release of one of my all time favourites, Kurt Vile's 'b'lieve i'm goin' down...'
It opens with a trio of groovers; the tongue in cheek dissociative single 'pretty pimpin', the urban cowboy musings of 'i'm an outlaw', and the confusion and resolve of 'dust bunnies'.
There's the brooders; the lonely spirituals 'that's life tho' and 'wheelhouse', the late night lover's yearning of 'stand inside', and the hypnotized fingerpicking of 'all in a daze work' which basks for minutes after the verse has finished.
Somewhere between the groovers and brooders are 'life like this' and 'lost my head there'; two songs built around simple piano progressions, driven by Stella Mozgawa's deep-pocket drumming, and lifted into someplace special by Vile's vocals and lyrics.
And the album closer 'wild imagination', a cozy, comforting love song brimming with humor, warmth and affection.
The album presents a wonderfully realised sonic world of acoustic guitar, banjo, thick dry drums and bass, touches of keyboards, affected electric guitars, vibraphone, lap steel, and the occasional drum machine. Listening to it feels warm and roomy and intimate.
Its intimacy in large part comes from Vile's vocal and lyrical style, disarmingly casual and funny. But clever and curious turns of phrase invite interpretation (something he directly rejects on 'kidding around'), and make for rewarding repeated listens.
I revisit this album and I relate to its introspection, its air of solitude. Its sweetness, intensity, humility and optimism staring down the spectre of psychic crisis.
Today I'm feeling inspired because I'm spinning Boxer/Gutterball by @puppyy.mp3 . Generous and sympathetic lyrically, clear-eyed and direct musically. I particularly like the B side for its comforting, airy atmosphere.
If you find a copy, check it out!
What can I say for an album that speaks for itself so thoroughly, and so eloquently?
#Hejira by #JoniMitchell
Nine songs brimming with playful and beautiful imagery. Beautifully balanced arrangements centred around Mitchell's intricate rhythm guitar.
Jaco Pastorius' commanding presence on the bass is well earned, his lyrical and sliding phrases wonderful counterpoint to Joni's easeful and elusive melodies.
Deserving equal praise is Max Bennett, on bass for two highlights "Furry Sings the Blues" and "Song for Sharon", his style with just as much thrust and melody bringing even more out of Joni's guitar.
An opus on yearning, for people, for new horizons, for past, for future, for the strange transcendent moments when all those human feelings collapse together into clarity all too fleeting.
"White flags of winter chimneys
Waving truce against the moon
In the mirrors of a modern bank
From the window of a hotel room"
🇵🇸FREE PALESTINE🇵🇸
Incredibly excited to be holding #Defense b/w #VirginiaTech, the new single from #PandaBear, whose style and sensibility continues to resonate with me deeply.
🇵🇸 FREE PALESTINE 🇵🇸
Israel is still killing as many Palestinians as possible and apparently nobody has the means to do anything to stop them.
50 years ago today (if you're in the US) and tomorrow (if you're in Aus) the Grateful Dead performed the music now immortalised on Dick's Picks Volume 12: Providence Civic Center 6/26/74 & Boston Garden 6/28/74. Here reissued beautifully on 6 LPs by Real Gone Music.
The selections from these two nights exemplify an era in which the band was at the peak of their group-mind improvisational powers.
China Cat Sunflower is extended joyously before even hitting the first verse. Truckin' spirals into an instrumental Other One before burrowing deep into a lengthy Spanish Jam, finding Wharf Rat upon emerging again.
The band really casts itself into open waters post-Weather Report Suite, with a Jam approaching 30 minutes that is free, exploratory and relentlessly inventive.
#HughF's album #DoYouHaveAMinute? is such a shining slice of brilliance that I have to recommend it to everybody. It's dense with melody and heart, it's funny and beautiful, it will bring a smile to your face.
#DizzySpell is #AlexanderGow's stunningly intimate new album. His fine lyrical talent coupled with beautifully measured melodies effortlessly draw out tears, laughter, and most importantly - intoxicating romance.
#LewisColeman's new album #Offline is brimming with lyrical and melodic inspiration. Sunny sonics live with a static charge of emotion ready to arc to your ear.
