CD Listening

A brief chronicling of daily listening habits.

[cdlistening]

Damien Jurado, 'I Break Chairs' CD (Sub Pop)

Monday, January 31, 2022, 7:30pm (full listen)

As a result of all my Richard Swift-diving recently, I also have been compelled to revisit some DJ albums, including this one, which, while kind of being a rockin' outlier in his catalog (killer drum sound, too), was always one of my top DJ albums, and for a while a huge inspiration on what I was doing, or trying to do, as a songwriter (I could still remember all the harmonies and his idiosyncratic little vocal curlicues after all these years). I was struck here by how much it sounded like 'Winners Never Quit' or 'Control'-era David Bazan/Pedro The Lion (who I've also been revisiting lately), to the point where I was moved to check the liners to see if there was some connection, and weirdly I'd completely forgotten that DB produced it. Had a great, semi-nostalgic time with this one again, and it holds a special place in my listening history.

[cdlistening]

Damien Jurado & Richard Swift, 'Other People's Songs, Volume 1' CD (Secretly Canadian)

Monday, January 31, 2022, 6:45pm (full listen)

I originally picked this up a number of years ago, during one of my earlier re-forays into the magical world of RS, and at the time, it had been a minute since I'd checked in with him, being somewhat disillusioned with his post-'Dressed Up For The Letdown' output. The main thing I remember from that initial exposure to this album was just how insane it sounded, not only in a very good way, but also in a, well, insane way, like unhinged. I was definitely surprised, as some of the earlier RS stuff had been at times rather prim & proper (and so had been DJ, who I'm also quite familiar with) and the wild studio liberty they enjoy here, with little regard for conventional fidelity or any notion of politeness was to me a big departure; it's an impressively whacked out covers album that, despite its hairiness and seeming abandon, rewards close and repeated listening.

[cdlistening]

Graham Lambkin, 'Amateur Doubles' LP (Blank Forms Editions, part of the 'Solos' box set)

Sunday, January 30, 2022, 7:42pm (full listen)

One of my big favorites. Since reading the liner notes in this box set, the ones that really peel back the layers to an almost disappointing/mystery-destroying degree (I'll similarly never shake the regret I have as a result of watching the Fishing With John Criterion DVD with the commentary on), I've been hearing this album a little differently. It's still an amazing and wonderful listen, but since learning that he actually went over it with sort of spot-overdubs to enhance the concept he was going for, it's both inspiringly thorough on one level and then also somewhat too bad that it wasn't just a single old car ride with his family and edited prog tapes; either way, it remains infinitely inspiring.

[cdlistening]

Corbett/Gustafsson/Kapsalis/Longberg-Holm, 'Battuto' (Random Acoustics)

Thursday, January 27, 2022, 7:57pm (full listen)

This album was a highly pleasant shock: I am a huge fan of John Corbett's writing, and his work as a reissue record label head has changed my life multiple times; I know that Terri Kapsalis is also a noted writer and (I think) JC's partner - so I know two renowned writers were involved here with two heavyweight improvisors with whom i am very familiar, but I really did not know what to expect, musically, from the former half of this equation. Well, I have to say, both JC and TK are both excellent players and improvisors, and if I'd not known any better (which I think would have been better ultimately), I would also have assumed that they are full-time dedicated musicians (especially TK, whose violin prowess is highly admirable) and not folks whose Google search results mentions nothing of their obvious musicality. Overall, this is a really solid album of European-style free improvising, with Mats Gustafsson sounding typically amazing (a blend of highly technical abstractions of Evan Parker, the emotional fury of Peter Brotzmann, and the turn-on-a-dime dynamic sense of a Han Bennink/Derek Bailey duet) and the oft-understated Fred Lonberg-Holm sliding into the crevices as ably as ever.

[cdlistening]

Kris Burwash, 'Lotl Qs' LP (Saw-Whet Records)

Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 7:32pm (full listen)

The minute I put the needle down on this LP, the first thing I thought was "James Ferraro", which is fitting, as I believe KB is (or at least was?) a fan, and I bought one of my favourite JF albums - 'Discovery' - at his store many years ago. While what followed those opening seconds didn't exactly stay in that mode, I'm pleasantly surprised by how beautiful the album is, and by how organic some of the sounds are, considering its basis in synthesis. Overall there is a much higher degree of melancholy, or at least some sort of heartstring-tugging, than I would have anticipated from this album; definitely makes a stronger case for the record-store-owner-turns-artist mould than I would have guessed too.

[cdlistening]

IST, 'A More Attractive Way: disc 5 (24/11/1998 & 30/05/2000)' CD (Confront)

Wednesdays, January 26, 2022, 6:40pm (full listen to last third of disc)

The final bit of this box set that I hadn't yet listened to was the last third or so of the last disc, just 25 minutes. But I have to say - and this may have been an intentional sequencing decision - that this might be the most feral music of the whole set, with some truly filthy sounds, and the most unhinged playing I've heard from them; indeed, some it gets so dense and rowdy that it borders on being "noise", and it almost seems like a departure from the other stuff in the set - an interesting way to end it. I've really enjoyed traversing this box and gaining a deeper appreciation of what all three have been up to during this era; a great set.

[cdlistening]

Fleetwood Mac, 'Tango In The Night' CD (Warner Bros)

Tuesday, January 25, 2022, 1:49pm (full listen)

This was one of the more desultory listening experiences I've had recently, despite being a big fan of the single "Little Lies" (and it turns out it's mostly the chorus I liked - the rest of the song pales badly in context - and I'd even somehow misrembered the chorus, which in my incorrect memory is much better than in reality). I've checked out a lot of albums lately that in previous years I would've thought didn't age super well, and then actually been surprised by how fresh they sounded, but this album was not one of those; it might be because this copy is an 80s/early 90s CD issue, and the mastering is a bit flat (I would like to check out a more modern remaster, as many CDs from that era don't sound very good) but for a band that once laid down some insanely groovy sounds and really unique pockets on earlier records, the programmed drums and glassy synths really don't work to their advantage particularly. Some of Lindsey Buckingham's tunes are quite good, and there's a lot of good playing on his end, but there are also some pretty lame songs - marred by anything from strage vocal effects (what is with the pitched down vocal on "Family Man"???) to overly simplistic countermelodies and banal lyrics - and it sucks to say, but Stevie Nicks sounds downright ROUGH on this, both because of the grainy, raspy quality her voice seems to have here, and also some truly bum singing in places.

[cdlistening]

Faux Amis, '(s/t)' LP (Zero Jardins)

Monday, January 24, 2022, 7:39pm (full listen)

I haven't heard this great album in ages, and when I first did, it was when I very into some of the bands that create its constituent parts, namely Chora, Helhesten, and Motherfucking (if Hunter Gracchus was there, it'd be a real party); it was like being a teenager who's into Pearl Jam and Soundgarden and discovering the existence of Temple of The Dog. The album is just as great as I remember, a bewildering pileup of electric guitars, strings, some reedy horns, drums, and percussion, all recorded modestly but sounding thick and wonderful. The only thing I found a little surprising upon this revisit was the amount of groove-based sections on here; it's not exactly funky, but I honestly don't remember it being as much of a toetapper as it is.

[cdlistening]

The War On Drugs, 'I Don't Live Here Anymore' CD (Atlantic)

Monday, January 24, 2022, 11:32am (full listen)

Another dive with this one, and enjoying it still very much. I normally don't find a lot of appeal in pop songs that push the 5-6 minute mark, but this album (and I have a feeling the band in general) seems to get away with it. One minor criticism I have this time out is that the mix, or perhaps the mastering, is extremely dense at times, and seems to be pushed so hard that there becomes a lack of "air" in the music, and even at a moderate earbud volume, it almost becomes a bit grating, or shrill, to listen to during its peak moments; I feel like I've heard lots of stuff that is this dense component wise, but manages to sound a bit more open and less choked in the fuller moments.

[cdlistening]

The War On Drugs, 'I Don't Live Here Anymore' CD (Atlantic)

Saturday, January 22, 2022, 2:30pm (full listen)

In the past, I'd heard this band here and there, and generally thought they sounded good - better than average even - but I think I'd semi written them off as a lesser offshoot of Kurt Vile, who'd been in the band in the early days, and thusly had never really given them their due or bothered to listen to them seriously. But, I've become more aware of them recently and have decided to finally check out all their albums, but in a twist - something I would normally never do on purpose - I'm investigating them in reverse order, so starting with this, their newest album. First impressions are very good, with a winsome songwriting style (and an almost cosplay-like Bob Dylan bent to the singing), fat as hell drums mixed right up in your face, lots of swirly, melodic guitar parts, and a palette of sounds and instruments that packs an emotional wallop; very good stuff, will be returning to this one more in the near future.

[cdlistening]

Keith Richards, 'Talk Is Cheap' CD (Mindless Records/BMG)

Friday, January 21, 2022, 2:39pm (full listen)

I'd heard for years that this KR album was a winner, a rare sojourn from a '60s/'70s rocker that was worth the effort (perhaps cue the Joe Perry solo albums to build up the opposing case). The playing on the album is sublime; the bass, all the guitar playing, and especially the drumming, are all note perfect, fully in the pocket, and are recorded wonderfully, exhibiting little to no artifacts of its potentially dubious late 80s provenance. The songs are strange: they're certainly not bad, and some contain some really memorable, even classic hooks and refrains, but they really seem to be there to simply throw a framework around the amazing playing and vibe on display here; a great record, way better, even, than my already high expectations.

[cdlistening]

Permanent Green Light, 's/t' CD (Rockville)

Thursday, January 20, 2022, 7:03pm (3 full listens)

This album had been on my list of CDs to look for at used record stores for quite a while, long enough that by the time I found it, I'd completely forgotten why it was on the list, or even what it was at all. But I dutifully picked it up, and it turned out to be a project from one of the guys from Paisley Underground linchpins the Three O'Clock (a band I'm still looking forward to hearing), and it happens to sound pretty much just like I thought it would. It's not exactly great - it's marred by mediocre production and recording, and the odd overreach in the singing and chord-choosing realm - but it does tick many of my boxes, being essentially a power pop EP with the requisite chiming guitars, winsome melodies, smart solos, harmonies, Beatles, Badfinger, and Big Star indebtedness, cut-above chord progressions, and general instrumental proficiency (and a pretty cool band name); it reminds me of tons of things and people I like, and I want more.

[cdlistening]

David Ackles, 'American Gothic' CD (Collectors' Choice Music)

Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 11:29am (full listen)

Found this disc for a buck the other day, and I had a memory of enjoying his first album a number of years ago, despite his lugubrious, Neil Diamond-y voice, so I nabbed it. That album was relatively stripped down from what I recall, but this one is pretty ornate, with quite a lot of orchestration, giving it a kind of soundtrackish feel, no rhythm section and all horn/string arrangements. I was really finding it aggravating, and couldn't quite place why, then I read the liners and it spoke of its "Americana crossed with musical theatre" approach, which is, unfortunately, dead-on, and is why I really, really don't like this album very much; not bad necessarily, but really not for me.

[cdlistening]

Art Ensemble of Chicago, 'A Jackson In Your House/Message To Our Folks/Reese and thr Smooth Ones' 2CD (Charly)

Tuesday, January 18, 2022, 7:05pm (full listen to disc 2 only, which contains 'Reese and the Smooth Ones')

I've checked out AEC before, but for whatever reason, I've never been deeply moved by them, despite really loving done of the other AACM output. This one starts out quite sparsely, with a strange combination of horns playing phrases at an oblique angle to the bass line, and stays in a rather subdued mode for the first half of the album; I don't think I've heard them in this particular light really. By the halfway point, they begin to move into the more layered, "simultaneous activities happening at once" kind of approach that is more in keeping with what I've heard from them previously, and is very good here; all in all, one of my favourite experiences listening to this group.

[cdlistening]

Leo Smith with The Bill Smith Ensemble, 'Rastafari' LP (Sackville)

Monday, January 17, 2022, 8:39pm (full listen)

Finally got to have a decent listen to this one, a very chamber jazz-ish session for Canadian label Sackville (parent label of personal fave Onari, both run by Bill Smith, present here on reeds). It's a good album, with a lot of interesting compositions, the kind that make me want to know more about they're constructed, and playing is great - a lot of fast, close listening and jagged little phrases being thrown around - but the main things I kept thinking about while this played were a) whatever happened to the other guys (Davids Prentice and Lee) from the Bill Smith Ensemble; b) Bill Smith is a real beast on the reeds, and it's odd how he almost never pops up in free jazz/improv conversations; c) these guys from the Bill Smith Ensemble really fire up my Canadian free music pride: and d) I still need to track down some of the LS solo albums mentioned at length in the excellent liners here by Bill Shoemaker. I think Tzadik reissued some of those and I really gotta take the plunge finally.

[cdlistening]

Iggy Pop, 'Beat Em Up' CD (Virgin Records)

Monday, January 17, 2022, 7:42pm (full listen)

Good lord, this is a bad, deeply embarassing album, and the worst of the bunch of known bad IP albums I've been slowly working through, in some form of private musical masochism. The artwork is bad, the mix is really bad, the tunes, which sound like they were thrown together at the last minute, are usually too long and also really bad, with puerile lyrics and iffy singing throughout, and the band and production sucks too (though there is one track near the beginning of the album that layers piles of vocal yelps, howls, and shouting that, while not good per se, hilariously takes over the entire mix, and deserves a point or two for genuine strangeness). 'Naughty Little Doggie' - the last entry in my IG dreck diary - had some playing that was banal perhaps, but also admirably serviceable and meaty; here the playing (the drums especially) just fall totally flat, with the players sometimes audibly not sitting right in the groove together, and the guitar playing (despite some Stooges-y kind of flair on the opening track, and a few tracks that glibly mine a strummy, vaguely 'Eighteen' by Alice Cooper sort of realm) is bar-band mediocre at best, with lots of 80s metal/hard rock affectations and a sorely dated, metallic tone throughout: woof!

[cdlistening]

John Clark, 'Faces' LP (ECM)

Monday, January 17, 2022, 6;59pm (full listen)

Easily one of my favourite ECM discoveries of the last year or so, made all the more special by the fact that I'd never even heard of JC, and French horn is such an usual instrument in the jazz context, no matter how outre it is. These tunes are very loose, mostly seeming to be structures and chord progressions that allow the players quite a bit of room to explore; as a result it's 'jammier' than many ECM albums out there, but due to the mellow sound of the French horn, and the also mellow sound of both the vibes and marimba, it's extremely pleasant to listen to even when they're fully playing free. I had never heard of JC before this album, and I haven't encountered his name again since; I must find out what else he involved himself in over the years.