Skritch Skritch Tap Tap

Scribbles and dribbles in longhand and two-fingered typing.

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My Favorite Albums of 2016...mostly in order David Bowie - Blackstar Angel Olsen - My Woman Emma Pollock - In Search of Harperfield Blood Orange - Freetown Sound Radiohead - A Moon-Shaped Pool Cass McCombs - Mangy Love Solange - A Seat At The Table Parquet Courts - Human Performance Weyes Blood - Front Row Seat to Earth Case/Lang/Veirs - Case/Lang/Veirs A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service Wussy - Forever Sounds Slow Club - One Day All Of This Won't Matter Anymore Cate Le Bon - Crab Day Drive-By Truckers - American Band Lucy Dacus - No Burden Purling Hiss - High Bias Heron Oblivion - Heron Oblivion DIIV - Is The Is Are Beyonce - Lemonade Jessy Lanza - Oh No Quilt - Plaza Lydia Loveless - Real Field Music - Commontime Sunflower Bean - Human Ceremony Flock of Dimes - If You See Me, Say Yes Ryley Walker - Golden Sings That Have Been Sung Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered. Wilco - Wilco Schmilco Lake Ruth - Actual Entity Honeyblood - Babes Never Die Junior Boys - Big Black Coat Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Skeleton Key Palace Winter - Waiting For the World To Turn Mourn - Ha Ha He! The Radio Dept. - Running Out Of Love Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor’s Guide to Earth TOY - Clear Shot Wire - Nocturnal Koreans The Flat Five - It’s A World Of Love and Hope Radar Eyes - Radiant Remains Wild Nothing - Life Of Pause Bob Mould - Patch The Sky Savages - Adore Life King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity Lucius - Good Grief Paul Simon - Stranger to Stranger TEEN - Love Yes Kristin Kontrol - X Communicate Operators - Blue Wave Honorable Mention... The Coral - Distance Inbetween The Jayhawks - Paging Mr. Proust KING - We Are KING The Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You’ve Always Wanted Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam - I Had A Dream That You Were Mine Rosie Lowe - Control Roisin Murphy - Take Her Up To Monto Prince Rama - Xtreme Now Sad13 - Slugger Ultimate Painting - Dusk Underworld - Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future Warpaint - Heads Up

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Back to the skritching and scratching. Not that I ever stopped. I just stopped posting it here. Here's to a 2017 of scribbled dreams and doings and then some.

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The Clientele "Bicycles"

I bought a new bicycle today. Conveniently, I also bought a reissue of The Clientele's Suburban Light today, which has a song on it called "Bicycles." My bicycle will be known as the Silver Machine, so look for a Hawkwind post soon!

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The KLF "What Time Is Love?"

I went looking for this song on Spotify and iTunes a while ago, and came up empty. This is not surprising, since The KLF deleted this song and the rest of their catalog 22 years ago. Appropriately, my copy is on a CDR and now uploaded for your enjoyment. Kick out the JAMMS, mothers.

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Warpaint.

As one of those acts that I will never miss an opportunity to see (except if that opportunity is at Lollapalooza), Warpaint is a fantastic live band who clearly love being a fantastic live band. While their songs lack immediate hooks, the groove and textures are so compelling, and their interplay is so fun and captivating, I don't much mind missing big, broad, singalong moments.

Cate LeBon did not disappoint either. A good night out at the rock 'n' roll show.

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Grant Lee Buffalo.

From the same "folk music" venue that had brought me the return of Dream Syndicate four months earlier, it was 1990s alternative rock redux. Well, sort of. We're all a bit older. But Grant Lee Buffalo's original trio didn't seem to have lost anything in their 18 years or so absence from the stages of Chicago. That's a guess because I missed them playing live back in the day. I heard and loved the albums though, so this was a great opportunity to see and experience their craft in person.

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Public Service Broadcasting.

That's PSB, not PBS. Public Service Broadcasting, not Pet Shop Boys. Although they too were a smart English duo.

Mssrs Willgoose and Wrigglesworth informed, educated and entertained. Charming yet propulsive stuff indeed.

Not to be missed.

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Cloud Cult.

As I noted below, this was my 7th or 8th encounter with Cloud Cult. However, it was the first that was An Evening With Cloud Cult.

There was a seated, acoustic set...

...and there was a standing, electric set...

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Alejandro Escovedo and Peter Buck.

Not a whole lot to say about this one. Solid. Rock.

Alejando Escovedo and Susan Voelz. I think this was "Pale Blue Eyes".

Alejandro and the band.

Peter Buck in one of the fortunate moments he was not singing.

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Califone.

Best show of the year so far? Probably this one.

Guitar magician William Tyler opened and guested with Califone on "A Thin Skin Of Bullfight Dust" and "Frosted Tips."

Lincoln Hall had posted a sign saying "at the request of the performers, no photography." Since Califone retweeted this one, I assume it was okay.

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Perfect Pussy.

Even though this happened a while ago, PP's new album is due soon and the buzz is loud, so I'll throw it on here about six weeks late.

Singer Meredith Graves is a force of nature.

If you want to see them, you won't have to block to much time out on your calendar. Maybe they'll get the set list up to 20 minutes for the next time. But then again, one of the comments I read after this show said something to the effect of "14 minutes? They played for 4 minutes too long for it to be a true punk show." True punks know the score, apparently.

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10cc "I'm Not In Love" I've been in love with this song for nearly 39 years. So in that sense, I AM in love. But only that.

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This cannot come quickly enough.

Seeing this poster, I was reminded of my stay here, which was not so grand. A room that was small, hot, uncomfortable. Here's to a movie that's large, cool, lived-in.

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There is a light that never goes out.

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Dance Moves For Shy People

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Oh man, this hits close to home.

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Jason Isbell "Different Days"

Jason Isbell's Southeastern is the kind of record that you play at work and a song comes up and you stop what you're doing and pull out the lyric sheet and wonder how in the world someone is capable of writing a song as good as that. And then another song--the next song, probably--comes up, and you do the same thing again. And again.

For those wondering if Jason Isbell would ever put together an album filled with songs equal to his Drive-By Truckers stunners like "Outfit" or "Decoration Day" or "Danko/Manuel", Southeastern is that album.

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The Boomtown Rats "Someone's Looking At You"

And when the place comes ablaze with a thousand dropped names I don't know who to call. But I got a friend over there in the government block And he knows the situation and he's taking stock, I think I'll call him up now Put him on the spot, tonight.

The NSA just saw me upload this song.

And oh yeah...

On a night like this I deserve to get kissed at least once or twice