My first experience with Lydia Loveless was 2016s Real. Real is probably a good halfway point in her career to date
Prior to that, her songs have titles like “Steve Earle”, “Chris Isaak”, “ Head” “ Boy Crazy” and covered Kesha and Prince and wrote a song about Jeffrey Dahmer.
There of course is no either/or or better/worse in art. But listening to 2020s Daughter or 2023s Nothing’s Gonna Stand in my Way Again tends to take me down a road of those critic cliches like “‘maturing songwriter”.
It’s a term we reserve for the Dylan’s and Lennon’s because they are the all time greats. Most musical acts seem to max out at two albums. But it’s this kind of criticspeak that I can’t help but thinking with Loveless.
There’s still the rebellious musician of those early days but it’s been honed into sharp songwriter material in the way rowdy rockers like Earle and Paul Westerberg did.
Which makes this an album an interesting one to ponder. It sounds so clean that it is easy to imagine it playing on the radio somewhere.
Of course, where is another story. While it would easily fit in a set between say Lucinda Williams and Jason Isbell, it’s not like there are that many stations around that exist.
Indeed, even in this new Stapleton/ Zach Bryan/Speak Now (Taylor’s version) country radio environment, there is, to be frank, a mathematically slim percentage of female voices on country radio.
Which I suppose solves the “what do I do now my favorite cult artist is popular” conundrum, but in no uncertain terms, is clearly a bummer.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with Loveless’s production that would keep it off air.
“Nothing..” is probably as good as an Americana album as one can get, and we do live on a post-radio environment, so people will find this album. The album’s singles like “Toothache” rock so hard that Tom Petty comparisons keep bouncing up. Unfortunately, modern radio wouldn’t likely find a spot for Tom these days either, so we are back to “word of mouth” and I am telling you now to go listen.
Paul Simonon is probably the coolest rock guy ever. He’s on the cover of London Calling- maybe the most iconic of record album covers. He was in the Clash. He wrote “Guns of Brixton”. He had the ultimate punk look.
Joining with Gary Myrick, he actually performs on one of my all time favorite records - Havana 3 AM- which was this mix of rockabilly and Tex-Mex- the kind of thing Joe Strummer always wanted to do- and it did it better than maybe even Joe did as a solo artist.
He played with one of the coolest 21st Century musos Damon Albarn in The Good, The Bad and The Queen, and even toured with Gorillaz. He has had a second career as an artist, spent time on Greenpeace vessels and even played on a Dylan record.
Simonon even had a cooler Covid lockdown than you. While the rest of us were wearing sweatpants, attending zoom meetings and binging on Tiger King, he used the time, writing music while living in a fishing village on the isle of Mallorca in the Mediterranean with singer Galen Ayers (coincidentally daughter of Soft Machine’s Kevin Ayers with a musical career of her own).
I have never been to Mallorca but “Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day” the pair’s 2023 album feels like it brings me there. Songs are sometimes sung in English and sometimes Spanish, while Strummer-style Spaghetti Western vibes and Sea shantys drift in their influence.
Perhaps the most obvious touchpoint is Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood and their albums. Pop from a distant time and place.
Albarn, Simon Tong (The Verve, Good Bad and the Queen) Dan Donovan (Big Audio Dynamite), and Sebastian Rochford (Polar Bear, Sons of Kmet) support and Tony Visconti expertly produces.
This is a fun record that’s nuanced enough to appeal to Clash fans (at least fans of Strummer's globe-hopping solo career) and yet is probably the most opposite album you could find to the Clash’s debut record.
“I’ve never had a good time.. in Paris” is pure whimsy with the two exchanging lines. If this kind of light fare was all the album was, it would probably wear thin, but the album is a mixture of moods and styles- “ Lonely Town” treads similar trails to great effect, but “Room at the Top” takes it down a darker path. In any case, with the utmost respect for Paul who occasionally comes primarily to the fore as on "A Sea Shanty", the album is at its best when the two are both combine vocally.
This definitely is the kind of record that could be a cult album. It just odd enough that I suspect many will skip over it. But it surprisingly hangs together well enough that it rewards the listener who spends some time with it.
In the internet age, it’s a whole new world where artists, musicians and public figures are just an instant message away.
I mainly keep to myself but in the internet 2.0 days, I did share some conversation with Glen Johnson of Piano Magic.
Now, I was probably a bit of a prick then, and I am likely still one now. So whether it was me or just circumstances, I lost touch, but for awhile- we bonded over a mutual love of bands like the Durutti Column and my curious inquiries into his music journo career.
The band while nearly unGoogable now remain a bit of cult figures, and broke up in 2017
It’s a shame as I was not familiar with them (when we first exchanged messages in the mid to late oughts) prior as an American (the band never toured the States) but they seemed to be gathering momentum here (starting with 2009s Ovations) when they called it quits.
I have always described them (and the press usually goes) with the “4AD band” label which is very evocative to a certain age group, and the band actually was signed to the label for two albums circa 2001 and 2002. They also draw some comparisons to My Bloody Valentine and bands that now are looped together as shoegaze.
Or having thought about it for the first time in years, I actually think the band would have fit quite well in that late 90s Chicago scene I associate with Jim O Rourke and others. Often focusing on the atmosphere and ambient vibes, echoes and unusual sounds. Johnson is a great vocalist and writer, but he doesn’t always feature that prominently. (When he does, it results in my favorite moments like Ovations).
When I do see them mentioned, they have a cult following and sort of exist in the same space as their hero Vini Reilly. Among others things that they accomplished, they brought English singer songwriter Vashti Bunyan out of retirement to record on 2002s Writers Without Homes.
Early in their career, the band recorded a single partnering with the Minnesota band Low. For Ovations, Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance provided some guest vocals and on Closure, the great Audrey Riley (Smiths, Nick Cave, Muse and countless others) provides cello.
Although Piano Magic is no more, Johnson (the only constant member) has entered JG Thirlwell territory in his work- meaning prolific under various guises, often very esoteric.
There’s the electro pop of Future Conditional. There is Johnson creating artistic soundscapes in a duo with Kristina Pulejkova (2016s My Heart is Running Out of Breath.) For more experimental electronic sounds, there’s Textile Ranch. For something close to Piano Magic, Johnson has recorded solo (2009s Details Not Recorded) and with latter era Piano Magic member Cedric Pin (2018s The Burning Skull)
Johnson’s most recent work is a trio called Theory of Ghosts. This band takes their name from a Piano Magic song and features another ex- Piano Magic member Franck Alba.
Theory of Ghosts has released two EPs this year- 7 songs, 34 minutes- now available either together or separately.
For me, this is the side of Glen’s music I love and think it is definitely among his best moments. The atmospheric sound is here but so are the lyrics. The best song’s unsurprisingly are the two lead off songs on each EP but the “b-sides” are quite good as well (the latter A side “Porcelain” - an atypical upbeat New Order/Smiths-ish number, the former “When the Rain Comes” more of the ethereal goth- tinged classic Piano Magic sound)
It was earlier this year that I wrote about Sixto Rodriguez. I don’t have much to add in those six months but it is worth noting- when I “discovered” him that he has since became a favorite artist. That’s not a big deal when you are younger, but as I approach the middle of being middle aged, events like this are quite rare.
A benefit of social media has been sharing their stories- seeing him in concert or even knowing him as a Detroit area civic leader/community organizer. It is a good story from obscurity to being streamed in the tens of millions
I love Cold Fact, his debut in which almost every song is a keeper. To me, it feels like an intersection of Dylan/Donovan style folk and a more urban sound like Gil Scott Heron and Curtis Mayfield.
It’s hard to think of who his peers really are, though names like Richie Havens, Tim Buckley and Arthur Lee come to mind. I can only imagine Rodriguez makes more sense in terms of artists who came after him (think the Ben Harpers and Tracy Chapmans) than anything that came before him.
His second album Coming From Reality is much less accessible, I think. Yet is at least strong enough to cement the legend.
Rodriguez falls into a rather unique spot of being a cult artist and having his work enjoyed by millions. I think we will only see a bigger influence as time goes on and he slips seamlessly into the file of great 70s singer songwriters
My first exposure to Robbie Robertson was his 1987 debut. Like many of his peers like John Fogerty, Roger McGuinn and others , the music landscape was ready to embrace these legends after a brief hiatus.
I was a “cassette club” member so it was one that caught my eye, but less for the artist and the more guests. I was a huge U2 fan and this was the rare album where they made a guest appearance. I am sure it was related to Daniel Lanois being the producer.
U2 co-wrote one song and appeared on a second. Peter Gabriel, the BoDeans, Ivan Neville and Maria McKee also guested
It was an acclaimed Roots Rock album when Roots Rock seemed to be at a height, but as someone who listened mostly to The Clash and Ramones, I didn’t care for it.
Now, to be fair, while I never fell head over heels over the album, I did come back to it and ended up listening to it a lot years later.
As a teen, I watched The Last Waltz, though I had no context at the time. I didn’t know it was supposedly the best concert film ever, but just a concert film (and one with a bunch of cameos) and it didn’t have a huge effect on me
But one thing that did have that monumental effect was The Band’s 1976 SNL appearance. Now, I didn’t see it live but in those 90s reruns of the classic stuff, but it was an illuminating moment nonetheless.
It’s hard to find YouTube footage that doesn’t get zapped by NBC, and of course it was Levon Helm who sang lead. Still, maybe that was part of the appeal. Robertson was the most recognizable face, and when they hit the chorus and he, Manuel and Danko all sang, it was fairly amazing.
I have always loved that song. The discussion around it has taken a life of its own recently for glorifying the Lost Cause, though certainly the anti War sentiment is surely the basis of the song.
That experience led me to buying the ubiquitous Best of the Band record and eventually the second album (the self titled Brown album).
I may never have embraced them quite like I did the Byrds (and I never really liked their biggest hit “The Weight”) but I did love songs like “Up on Crippled Creek” and “Ophelia” and it probably wouldn’t hurt to search out more. Additionally, as I have mentioned elsewhere, I have come to enjoy Dylan and the Bands 1975 The Basement Tapes album.
I have meant to write about George Michael for a long time, so here goes.
I write about certain topics and he checks off a lot of boxes. A tribute for his passing (has it been seven years?), a favorite of my Moms who loved a few 80s artists (Michael/Wham, ABC, Spandau Ballet) a favorite of mine as a kid (which I usually tag as #raisedonradio) and lest we forget a new release - there is a brand new Netflix Wham documentary accompanied by a Greatest Hits compilation Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven.
My mom loved Wham and Make It Big was one of the few records and few non-60s vinyl records that I picked up from #momsmusic collection
I loved Wham as a kid and still do. As a teen, I picked up a bunch of 45s from the local rummage shop -Wham, Prince- I can’t remember what else but definitely everything I could have those two.
The US skipped the first album 1983s Fantastic which is probably just as well. I don’t think it would have been the memorable debut Make It Big was. “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” was one of those pop songs that turned the world on its head
It really was a game changer. Like “Hey Ya” or “Smooth”, music either existed before or after. The flashy video probably helped and though it is more prevalent now, living in the Bible Belt, “Choose Life” meant a stance on abortion.
I don’t think you can understate how big Faith was. Although I had kind of moved on, it was a big deal. It is probably fair to say it affected two generations as Limp Bizkit made a Nu metal cover of the title song exactly 10 years later.
In the early days of the internet, one of my first non-IRL virtual friends was a huge Michael/Suede/Brett Anderson fan and I was a huge Morrissey/Suede/Brett Anderson
I think I offended her when I said George was a great pop star (which is probably a slight). I am not sure if I meant it as a slight then, but I would probably still say it today without negative connotations.
Pop and indie music were judged rather separately 20 years ago, but now artists like Taylor Swift and Carlie Ray Jepson get reviewed regularly by places like Pitchfork. This didn’t happen when say, Janet Jackson was on the charts, despite the fact she made great music.
Michael did try to make a serious album with the ambitiously titled Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1.
Michael feuded with his record company and it did slow down his chart success. He still had some great tunes, including one of my favorite songs of the late 90s:“Fastlove”.
I have heard mixed reviews on the Wham documentary. I do hope to watch it some day. My brain always goes to one of the last Wham hits which was billed as Wham Feat George Michael (a bad sign when you are a duo). Still, my understanding is that the two friends were of great help to each other - Ridgely both a major force in the band finding fame and also supportive enough to step back and let George take the limelight
One of my favorite albums of recent years are 2017s Welcome To Zamrock Vols 1 and 2.
The rock music of Zambia of the late 60s and early 70s was a mix of protometal influences like Cream and Blue Cheer with some funk and psychedelica sounds added to the mix.
Some of the most prominent bands were Amanaz, the Ngozi Family and Musi-O-Tunya but probably the stalwart of the genre was the band WITCH (We Intend To Cause Havoc).
The modern music landscape means that a lot artists from the past are getting rediscovered and recognized that otherwise might be forgotten.
In the case of Zamrock, many of the bands have broken up or the artists have passed away like Paul Ngozi and all but one of the original members of WITCH.
It would seem unlikely to expect new Zamrock tunes in 2023, and even more unlikely that it would be worthwhile.
But the attention did bring Jagari Chanda out of retirement and the man who led WITCH from 1972 to 1976 joined with keyboardist from the 80s post-Chanda iteration of the band (Patrick Mondwela) and brought the band out of retirement.
Touring for ten years now, the band is now releasing its first original material in almost 40 years, and it’s pretty great.
WITCH in 2023 doesn’t sound all that much ulike other bands around now that pull in from Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Hawkwind. Of note, some of Zambia’s biggest artists guest here.
There’s Theresa Ng’ambi, singer and instrumentalist who has been feted by the BBC and rapper Samba the Great who has two Top 12 albums in Australia. On paper, cameos call to mind albums like Prince’s Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic - ham handed attempts to sound modern and relevant.
But Zango hits the right balance of sounding like the 70s band, but in a modern setting. At around 42 minutes, the music goes enough different directions without wandering too far off and there’s no real clunkers.
Chanda at 71 sounds like he could be 21, full of energy and still listening to the same proto metal bands that power many upcoming artists. I like it.
A band that I heard once and didn’t like was the Baseball Project. I likely would have always ignored them until a friend told me how good they were via a conversation on “unloved records”. I am grateful for that second listen.
Here’s the thing. The Baseball Project is weird and there’s really no getting around it. On paper, it is a supergroup: Steve Wynn of the Dream Syndicate and a lengthy solo career, Peter Buck and Mike Mills of REM, Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows and Minus Five, and Linda Pitman of Zuzu’s Petals and Filthy Friends.
I took a first listen as a huge REM fan and this isn’t typical rock fare.
It’s less Mitch Easter jangle pop and more Terry Cashman who had a left field (ha!) hit in 1981 called “Talkin Baseball (Willie, Mickie and the Duke)”
And even more odd, that description isn’t an exact fit either. Yes, all the songs are about baseball, they are nostalgic and they are specific, but they are also strange, profane, not-intended-for-kids tales.
If there is a comparison for The Baseball Project, the closest artist might be Sufjan Stevens. Thematic tales told in a goody folk style similar to say a Camper Van Beethoven or Mountain Goats.
I am a big fan of College rock and a big fan of Baseball and even though it is an enjoyable enough example of the former, it must be the latter that draws me in.
I was late to the band’s first three albums, but I am caught up now in time for 2023s Grand Salami Time.
With these types of story songs, some are durable, and some you can hear once and not need to hear again. The band has provided a good mix of both.
It perhaps seem as a matter of process, but it is notable that all four albums are of consistent quality. Yet, that is maybe another quirk- it surely isn’t that easy to crank out four volumes of this, and still be interesting
Album four tackles Pitcher Steve Blass (who famously couldn’t throw all of a sudden) the accidental drowning of up and coming star Jose Fernandez, baseball’s great pariah Jim Bouton, as well as fantasy baseball, the White Sox 1979 Demolition Disco Night, Sabermetrics and of course, more.
Particularly of note, the new album is coincidentally produced by Mitch Easter who of course worked with Buck and Mills on Chronic Town, Murmur and Reckoning.
One of my favorite albums is “1992: The Love Album by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine
That duo was part of a scene that at times was called Grebo or the bigger umbrella of Brit-pop and Alt Rock or called Dance rock or Funk Rock and generally lumped in with bands like the WonderStuff, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Pop will Eat Itself and Gaye Bikers on Acid
Now, while there seems to still be a strong contingent of Neds fans online, it is likely the hair, the band names and the clothes probably kept this scene from hitting the heights of modern day nostalgia
James Robert Morrison (dba Jim Bob), the singer for Carter USM has now recorded 12 solo albums.
I hadn’t given him much thought until his career had a bit of a resurrection with 2020s Pop Up Jim Bob.
That album was so enjoyable to me. It seemed like little character studies. Whereas 1992: The Love Album had clever wordplay, the same level of intelligence held intact, a bit of Blur and a bit of Bowie, but the focus was catching the spirit of the current times- cancel culture, Gun violence, internet society and so on.
Jim Bob’s next two records were 2021s Who Do We Hate Today and the recently released Thanks for Reaching Out. The three albums form a trilogy of sorts covering similar ground, featuring similar striking artwork by Mark Reynolds and the same backing band with Terry Edwards (Gallon Drunk, PJ Harvey) and Kate Arnold (Fear of the Forest). Each around the old school record time of under 40 minutes.
The thing about the trilogy is that they all occupy the same headspace. At the same time, they don’t suffer repetition.
To the extent that I don’t know if I have a favorite or if I would rank them 1 to 3 the same way from day to day. Each has great moments, each has a certain flow and each is a great listening experience. The only drawback of the third is that it isn’t as surprising as listening to the first for the first time.
Here, the subjects are Elon Musk, police brutality, Doomsday preparing survivalists, and toxic masculinity.
These are some of my favorite records of the last five years. Not for everyone of course but worth a listen
The roots of Crocodiles start with a band called The Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower- Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowell. There’s not a ton about the band on the internet but the gist of the info is that they would play concerts anywhere that would let them and they would be wild.
In fact, I saw TPtBUtET and I saw them at the local Botanical Center and while nothing “internet legendary” happened, it was a wild show.
TPtBUtET lasted five years and two albums. Their style definitely picked up from Black Flag but also called to mind artists like James Chance and X Ray Spex - a mix of West Coast hardcore punk, jazz, No Wave and Dischord Records
After a few adjustments, Crocodiles emerged with the perfect sound for the times. 2009s Summer of Hate and 2010s Sleep Forever were released on Fat Possum Records to great acclaim. The noise of the previous band now refined into something more melodic pulling from post punk, psychedelica and shoegaze
With time, trends change and fashions change and the band continued but further from the indie rock limelight.
I fell back in love with Crocodiles in 2020 when they released a series of EPs called Shitty Times where they covered a list of artists like Madonna and Lou Reed to the Crass endorsed anarcho punk band Zounds and Henry Badowksi and even more obscure choices.
I think the exercise did bring a new fire to the band. Upside Down in Heaven is album # 8 if you don’t count the EP compilation and it’s as solid of a beginning to end listen as anything out there this year.
An Album of the Week for the website Tinnitist who recounts the story of the band moving from San Diego to New York to LA and changing lineups a few times, as well. It does seem the band has found a niche of power pop meet garage rock meet fuzzy psychedelica. Other reviews compare the album to the Stiff Records label artists, the Strokes and the Black Lips and point out the 10 songs that fit into 30 minutes. If any of these things are of interest, then check it out
Last winter, while doing incredibly long amounts of driving, I found myself “discovering” Zach Bryan. Bryan had a sizable hit with “Something in the Orange”.
Bryan’s third album “American Heartbreak” was a large 34 track two hour-plus record with six singles and all seemed to be playing on the radio with “…Orange” and “From Austin” getting the most play. And they were everywhere- mainstream country, Americana, pop, rock- probably everywhere but the Reggae, Hip Hop and Classical music channels.
I was struck by Bryan who I found incredibly talented. Like the other big star of 2022, Harry Styles, I found some songs really resonated with me, while other were complete misses.
Obviously, I was hoping for big things in Bryan’s future. I was really struck by what I felt were similarities to the early radio hits of Steve Earle.
I say this as I feel like those singles really teeter on being pure country and whatever term you want to give Alt Country.
I am not saying that he’s the first person on country radio that sounds like he should be on an Americana station or vice versa. I can think of more than a few examples- Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton and so on.
But listening to Bryan really put him on the line of wondering where he would go next.
Where he went next was becoming one of the biggest stars on the planet. It hasn’t been without some diversion- a public dispute with Ticketmaster, an arrest for obstructing, an appearance on Yellowstone, a much publicized Red Rocks appearance, Grammy nominations and sales, sales, sales- concerts and charts.
It led to the media claiming that his new self titled album is the “Nevermind” moment for Alt Country.
That is the kind of hyperbole that the media loves but if sort of feels on point.
For starters, the idea that grunge killed glam metal isn’t completely an accurate cause and effect. Styles always change. We would still be wearing mop tops or skinny ties. Every fashion and trend evolves.
So there’s a conventional wisdom in saying the trend of so called BroCountry that has dominated country music radio for the last decade or more (indeed dominated radio) with artists like Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan (no relation) that grew from a generational mix of Garth Brooks, Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney but also adding those Hip Hop and Southern Rock influences. Songs about partying and weekends and good times.
It isn’t surprising that the parallels to glam metal and grunge are there. It isn’t all that shocking that a movement for more heart felt music with meaningful lyrics would pop up as the next trend.
It is also a bit silly, right. Party rock never completely goes away and introspective songs never did not exist either.
So yes, absolutely- I see the parallels and yes, please slap me when I take this so seriously. I do think there are contributing factors.
I think the river of alt country and Americana and Adult Alternative music that flows probably from the first time someone picked up an instrument has got us here and I think that you can kind of see the fork (or forks) that came out of DriveBy Truckers 2004s The Dirty South and Jason Isbell’s 2013 Southeastern
It’s not so much I see similarities between Bryan and Isbell, but I see a host of singers in the last 10 to 20 years that saw a path for their music and do remind me of Bryan in style- the aforementioned Simpson, Cody Jinks, Tyler Childers and Colter Wall among others
There also has been a movement of (mostly) Oklahoman musicians called “Red Dirt Country Music” that combines a lot of older country influences like Western swing, outlaw country, pre WW2 folk and combines with more modern influences like Classic Rock and Cowpunk.
Bryan, also an Oklahoman gets looped up with the Red Dirt guys. That movement’s biggest ebb might have been the late 00s but with bands like Turnpike Troubadours and Cross Canadian Ragweed gaining huge cult following, it was only a matter of time before someone, if not Bryan, from that generation would go mainstream.
There’s a couple of other trends. Country music has been dominated of late by Morgan Wallen and whatever you’re feelings on the artist, he has stylistic similarities with Bryan (as do also recent successes like Kacey Musgraves, Stapleton and Cody Johnson).
There was also the top rated television series Yellowstone which had a strong alt country connection. Not only were singers Ryan Bingham and Lainey Wilson part of the cast (and cast stars Kevin Costner and Luke Grimes have both recorded alt country tinged albums), but the soundtrack was filled with alt country names- Childers, Wall, Shane Smith and the Saints, Whiskey Myers , Stapleton, Whitey Myers and the 78s, Isbell, Simpson, Jinks, Hayes Carll, and of course, Bryan (who appeared in an episode as well)
The self titled 2023 album ended up being the album I hoped for. If you need proof of intent, it’s there with the A List Americana guest stars- Musgraves, The Lumineers, the War and Treaty and Sierra Ferrell. If you were on the fence about Bryan, I think this will sway you. It certainly swayed me and internet action is generally positive.
Commercially, he’s a lot more popular than most of my current listening. There might not be a more successful country artist these days that’s not named Wallen or Swift. And if he’s not for you, I get that too.
