As I get older, winter looks less and less enticing. The arthritis gets a bit worse for wear. I feel cold and wear extra warm clothes indoors. Going sky-watching, I can barely be seen below all the clothes. I don’t care. I’m out there to see stars, not to be a fashion star.

Anyhow, after my rant, I am happy to tell you that I had another exciting week in the world of music. The bookends were probably the most endearing: Robert Fripp and Nick Cave. That would make one hell of a double bill, wouldn’t it?

More exciting music to entice our ears and perhaps, on a few, our hearts. Albums that gave the repeat button some work were King Crimson and their album, In The Court of the Crimson King. This one is an easy choice; I am confident this album gets frequent flier points based on how many times I have listened to it. I have also seen them live twice, in Calgary and then at the Royal Albert in London, England, shown below. Thanks, Joel.

I listened to this several times in the CD player in my car; it works as good road music for me. I think it deserves a spin on the turntable. In The Court of the Crimson King was released in 1969, and if my memory serves me well, which is questionable at best, I first heard this album in a small record store in Montreal, where I also first heard Deja Vu by CSNY for the first time in that little store, I wonder if it’s still in business, I’ll check on my next trip through Montreal. Both albums have stood the test of time and continue to provide pleasurable listening time.

The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers

Sticky Fingers is another CD that got some driving time last week. It is another album that still sounds good after aging for 50+ years. Sticky Fingers was released by The Rolling Stones in 1971 and caused quite a buzz due to the album cover. The original had a functioning zipper.

 Octavian Winters – The Line or Curve

We get to some new music streaming Octavian Winters new album, The Line or Curve, available on Stratis Capta Records wherever fine music is served. Octavian Winters is new to me, but after several trips through this album, I can recommend it as a good listening experience. Shameless Promotion PR

Lee Greenwood – Somebody’s Gonna Love You

I don’t recall how this ended up in our LPs, perhaps a straggler in a box that I had come into the possession of. It doesn’t matter; I am not a fan of his, and this album got its requisite listen. Actually, it’s my second listen because I listen to every record I get before they hit the shelves.

Sands – A Lines Been Drawn

I streamed this just today, Friday, September 29, so it is fresh. Sands come across as a slightly edgier version of power pop. ‘The World Is Cruel‘ is due for release on 13th October 2023. Between now and then, we can listen to their single releases. Mystic Sons.

Babel’s – Marriage

Babel’s album Marriage arrived on September 22, 2023, via PME Records and Mystic Sons. Babel offers us pleasant, easy-listening music. It doesn’t jump out of the speakers and rattle your soul the way some albums do. Marriage is more subdued and gently works its magic by conquering us one song at a time until we accept the whole album as an excellent offering from Bable. I want to force a connection between the album Marriage and marriage, a commitment between two people. All I could come up with was the idea that love is often subdued and gentle as it gets stronger one day at a time, much like Babel taking us one song at a time.

Black Pines – Bodies

Black Pines presents some straight-ahead rock and roll that doesn’t pretend to be anything else. It blasts out of the speakers; you might want to check the volume before hitting play. Bodies is one of those albums that need a little more volume to do it justice. A little more, we don’t want to damage our ears and ruin our music appreciation for the rest of our lives. Mystic Sons

The lead track, Death Ballad, opens with some heavy guitar licks, with bass and percussion providing the push. It’s a good start and tells you up-front what kind of music you will hear on Bodies. If you like Muse, you will probably like Death Ballad. Track two, Worlds Apart, doesn’t stray far from that sound. They tweak it enough to make it original, not a cut-and-paste of Death Ballad.

Track three, What Are You Scared Of, starts as the mandatory slow song halfway through the album. Then, it shifts gears and builds to a dramatic deep rocker.

Speaking on Bodies, the band said: “It was important to us that the EP was multidimensional, as well as establishing a coherent sound – I believe people love bands because they develop and grow and change – they don’t just churn out identical singles time and time again. In that vein, each song needed to feel like a different side of the dice. ‘Death Ballad’ boasts in-your-face guitar treatment, maintaining a level of fun and bounce, which we love, whereas ‘World Apart‘ feels darker and broodier with its dropped tuning and swimmy vocals. ‘What Are You Scared Of’ is our close-to-the-bone ballad about self-acceptance, whilst ‘Run and Hide‘ brings you back up again. And finally, ‘Rule Over Me‘: our middle finger to governmental control, and the inspiration behind the title ‘Bodies.'”

‘Rule Over Me‘ is a track Black Pines has been eager to share with audiences but saving it for the EP release. It’s a socio-political song written in response to the American government’s appalling decisions over recent years. It combines a hooky riff, dramatic synths and strings throughout, and a vocal performance Brent Smith or Chris Cornell would be thrilled with. ‘Rule Over Me‘ is the heaviest moment of the new EP; it’s full of anger and detests of the times and systems of apparent control in the world, and yearns for change without laying down and waiting. Closed mouths won’t get fed.

Rule Over Me is my favourite track; it is heavy but not ponderous. It rocks and rolls and moves through different phases as it plays out. It would help if you heard it to appreciate it; my description does not do it justice.

All in all? Black Pines has delivered a good old-fashioned rock and roll EP. It pays homage to the music they build on top of while keeping their sound new and freshly pressed. I think I have a candidate for my end-of-year playlist.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Live From KCRW

I have enjoyed Nick Cave and his various musical endeavours over the years. I was keen on getting this album when I spotted it in my weekly stroll through Record Collectors Paradise. It was on sale, $10 off the ticket price, and there was a solid playlist.

The cover said it was recorded off the floor with no cuts, edits or enhancements. I bought it and was not disappointed. While it may not sound as clean as a studio album, I feel the emotion the artists are breathing into these songs. My only complaint is that the last song is listed as just one song, so I was excited to be treated to a jam session where they work the song into a 15-minute opus. I was sadly disappointed. It clocked in at a miserly 4:29. The opening track was longer at 8:47. There are so many great songs that could have closed this album with an extended jam session, I am disappointed.

Track one is a respectable 19 minutes with the 8min+ opening, as mentioned above. Side two is a comfortable 8:34. Side three? A consistent time at 18 minutes, give or take a few seconds, and then we get the short side four. Nick and the Seeds could have added to those miserly 6 minutes with another song or two or the 16-minute jam I mentioned earlier. After some good listening time on three sides, I felt cheated at the end of side four. Come on, it isn’t that hard to play a bit longer.

Overall, Live From KCRW is a good album that could have been better, but that is the gamble with live recordings. I’ll take what I get and enjoy the music; thank you, Nick and the Seeds.

And that brings us to the end of another listening week, and it has been a good one. It’s a nice mix of old and new music. Some aged better than others, for sure, but all music is good music. I’m sure someone out there enjoys listening to Lee Greenwood.