I have been deeply entrenched in a new album by an artist that is also new, new to me, that is. The artist is Jonny Woolnough, and the album is his solo effort, ‘Mayurqa,’ released November 19th via Mönch Records
The vast majority of albums that I blog about are of a type that allows me to write about them as I listen to the songs. There are a few lovely exceptions to this pattern, such as the blog previous to this one, “Travelling With Alexander Hulme.” You ought to listen to that one as well as this album from Jonny Woolnough.
Jonny took an indefinite break from making music after forming the critically acclaimed bands Tomartyrs and The Bazaars and touring guitarist for Finley Quaye. He and his girlfriend had quit their jobs and moved to Mallorca for family reasons, and it had been a few years since he’d left the world of music. In Mallorca, all he had was his Martin 000-18 acoustic guitar, a mac laptop, and a couple of mics.
Jonny tells us, “I would look after my son for most of the day, and in the evenings, when I had put him to sleep, I would sit and craft the songs, recording demos as I went. Lyrics would drip through from long walks along the Paseo Maritimo overlooking the choppy Winter Balearic seas or climbing the Tramontana mountains high above the island. At times, I became so close to its nature and heartbeat that I almost saw it as a living, breathing being. My imaginary friend, Mallorca.”
I feel that this album captures a great deal of that magical inspiration and translates it through his trusty guitar, voice and various inspired musical elements.
Jonny Woolnough sings in a smooth, controlled manner that exudes confidence and passion. The time he spent away from the hustle and bustle of the primal big music environment gave him a fresh approach to how he created and delivered the words and music that tell us about the people and places that inspired him.
Is that not the nature of songs and music? They convey to others what we have seen, heard and felt. Jonny Woolnough has taken that inspiration, and he has created a beautiful piece of art. We do not hang this piece of art on a wall in our homes or set it on an end table for others to view unless you are particularly enamoured with the album artwork. It is pretty lovely.
The art that I speak of is to be played and heard. It should be allowed to soak into our brains and savour like a fine wine; this is not fast food or elevator music. Mayurqa is an album that needs the time and space to unfurl and display the inner beauty at its heart.
Listen to the words of Mayurqa with intent. Try to hear what Jonny Woolnough is telling us through the lyrics of his songs. These musical pieces of art will hang on the walls of a room created in our souls. There will be a sign on the door that says, “Welcome to Mayurqa, my friends, come in and sit a spell.” We shall have an enjoyable time together, Jonny Woolnough and I, with perhaps a person of significance that we can share a bottle of wine and our journey to Mayurqa.
I have done a good deal of travelling throughout my life. Once it is safe to do so, I fully intend to do more travelling, there are some places I haven’t scratched off my bucket list, and there are places that I want to revisit.
A singer/songwriter from the UK, Alexander Hulme, has also done his fair share of travelling, and, like me, he also has wanderlust.
“So much of this world to touch
I can never get enough.”
He also looks forward to travelling again while staying grounded when he gets tired, as he laments.
“tired, oh so tired, leave this all behind.”
I get the impression that he can also conjure the ability to travel while going nowhere—an armchair traveller. Through the magic of the internet and good books, I have fed my urge to wander without leaving home—a handy trick in the era of Covid.
I have spun that last bit of writing while listening to Alexander Hulme and his new EP, Slow Down, out 12th November, and specifically the track Travelling, a magical bit of music that I get lost in my brain while listening to it. It’s not just the words; the music surrounding the words takes my breath away. I’ll let Alexander tell you a bit about it himself.
“Travelling was written in 2019, back when I took being able to leave the country and explore some of the magic that is out there on this rock in space for granted. Myself and my partner have always been quite restless, always looking on the horizon for the next great adventure; we really find it hard to put down roots. I think it’s a side effect of university, if I’m honest. We got used to moving house every year, and then after uni, we hopped around our parent’s houses, rented accommodation and places all across the country, so we both find it quite hard to stand still at times.
Travelling was written just before my holiday to Thailand back in 2019 and was all about finally being able to scratch that itch. Since the pandemic days, myself and Gemma have really had to come to terms with putting down roots and finding some sort of peace whilst stationary. I think in hindsight, it was actually really good for us!
However, Travelling is all about the adventure, the excitement and wonder that comes from throwing off the every day for a life more exciting.
Written entirely by the artist himself and produced by David Alexander Lomelino, Alexander’s EP ‘Slow Down‘ marks the next vital stage in his growing and fledgling career. Showcasing his breadth for smooth and enticing songwriting, the new four-track EP makes for an embracing, and organic listen that will see him capture the hearts of thousands, if not millions.
This EP, Slow Down, was the first time I engaged with the music of Alexander Hulme. I certainly hope it is not the last.
“Where Is My Muse” is my 95th blog post in this calendar year, Twenty Twenty-one. It has been a very productive year with a tonne of great music that inspired me to write and hopefully leads others to enjoy this music as much as I have.
Today is October 28, and my Muse has abandoned me! Where, oh where, can my Muse be hiding. I have been listening to wonderful music that lifts my spirits and riding in that heady atmosphere; I sit at my keyboard and …nothing.
My Muse has abandoned me. I sit alone at the keyboard with fantastic music and scintillating lyrics that lift me and cause my spirit to soar, but my fingers are sitting idle. What has happened? I love the music that has landed in my inbox with the intent of my writing about it. But nothing arrives beyond my good intentions.
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Cat Dowling
Dubliner CAT DOWLING also presents her ‘Animals’ single ahead of her new album (by the same name), released on November 12 via FIFA Records– this is a song about that beautiful part inside the human make-up that can’t ever and should never be tamed. The accompanying animated video by MARC CORRIGAN brilliantly reflects this song of movement, sensuality, wildness, love and freedom.
flora cash have released their third album, our generation. The lyrics are rooted in the promise each generation makes to the next that incredible things are possible.
our generation is a message by and for a generation of kids who know what it means
to be a refugee.
to grow up with a dad in prison.
to struggle with mental health
to experience heartbreak
to hide their true identity from the world
to seek adventure and self-realization
to meet their soul mate
to believe in a potential few yet see
and in the final analysis, our generation is a record for all those who know what it means to pursue a dream even when the world tells them no.
‘our generation,’ out October 22 via Flower Money Records
Manchester indie rock postpunk outfit INCA BABIES will release their 8th studio album’ Swamp Street Soul,’ produced by SIMON ‘DING’ ARCHER(The Fall, PJ Harvey), on November 23. Today they present the lead track ‘Walk In The Park.’ Since 1983, they’ve been a vibrant part of Britain’s post-punk/deathrock scene, touring and releasing many albums, ranking in the UK Indie Charts and recording four sessions for BBC’s John Peel show before splitting up. Now reformed, today Inca Babies comprises HARRY STAFFORD, bassist VINCE HUNT (A Witness, Blue Orchids) and ROB HAYNES (The Membranes, Goldblade).
I listened to this record over and over, and each listen provided me with fresh sounds. I kept thinking I could hear bits and bites of other bands, but it never coalesced into a name, so I came away feeling like I had listened to a breath of fresh air.
If you have any questions, contact Shauna from Shameless Promotion PR at contact@shamelesspromotionpr.com
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The Kundalini Genie released their album Half In, Half Out on November 12 via OX4 Sound.
Emerging from the nether regions of Glasgow, The Kundalini Genie has been blowing minds globally with music characterized by droning hypnotic fuzz rock, 60’s British Invasion-inspired melodies, transcendental sitar, and dreamy, spaced-out soundscapes.
Their sonic journey ranges across the spectrum of their musical influences – The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spiritualized, The Dandy Warhols, The Warlocks, The Beatles, The 13th Floor Elevators, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Black Ryder and Black Market Karma.
I would add Lou Reid and The Velvet Underground. This band blazes with old-school psychedelic rock and roll. A must-listen for year-end best-of lists.
There we are then, a brief snapshot of some of the music that has been in heavy rotation in my office. Stay tuned, I am sure there is more to come, in fact have a new one that just landed in my inbox. Happy listening and play safe.
I Am A Rocketship. My oh my, you most certainly are. You are a rocketship and so much more. You are Eric Weissinger and L E Kippner, a pair of musicians working out of Atlanta, Georgia.
Eric Weissinger used to back up various artists, all the while watching and learning. Learning skills that he put to good use as a rocketship co-pilot. Or, to be precise, one-half of I Am A Rocketship. Eric is a player of guitars and a programmer of electronics.
The other half of I Am A Rocketship is L E Kippner, co-pilot of everything Eric Weissinger isn’t doing.She is a cellist, scientist, radio DJ and previously a singer for the Swedish synth-pop duo Neobox.
Together they are a formidable duo who recorded this album on a notebook computer in the opening months of 2021, a productive year cumulating with the release of their album Lie and Legends on November 11, a day to remember.
Late 2020 closed with their ‘oRAnGE’ EP, a release laced with frustration, sadness and rage over the rise of authoritarianism and accelerating environmental collapse.
Earlier, I Am a Rocketship released their ‘Ghost Stories’ LP (April 2020), ‘Mind Grafitti’ (2019) and debut offering ‘Mission Control’ (2016).
The new ‘Lies and Legends‘ album is their most ambitious collection to date. These ten songs are about the appeal, in trying times, of lies and legends over reason and love. They give people hope, a feeling of belonging, and frequently, a license to do terrible things in the name of their belief.
“When facts are scary, people turn to belief. I guess these are songs about faith, how it can be comforting but blinding,” says Eric Weissinger.
Lies and Legends is full of guitar hooks covering an impressive distortion range from clean acoustic to dirty dregs. Eric Weissinger works his axes to good effect. I am guessing that is why they are called guitar chops. He also weaves synth sounds and drum programs that move the songs from pop to power ballads. Check out the track On Poppy Hill for an excellent example of this. A perfect bit of music to listen to on November 11 when this album officially gets released.
L E Kippner has a mesmerizing voice that she uses to good effect, all the while showcasing her versatility as a songstress and cellist. She delivers some great lines, such as “don’t give me all the answers when I haven’t asked the questions.” That profound line is off the song Ignorance, a clever bit of writing on that one.
Lies and Legends has a pop-rock feel with dark overtones that it has picked up living through the confusion and fear of the Covid pandemic.
Despite all that, Lies and Legends is an immensely enjoyable listen.
Legendary Scottish music-sculptor Robin Guthrie has released a beautiful new 4-track EP, called ‘Mockingbird Love’, via Soleil Après Minuit with distribution in North America via Darla and Europe covered by Cargo.
The first in a series of releases that Guthrie will be releasing this year, ‘Mockingbird Love’ is the first new music from Guthrie since the ‘Another Flower’ album with the late Harold Budd, released just days before Budd’s passing in December 2020. Brooklyn Vegan says that this music is “typically gorgeous instrumental, drenched in Guthrie’s signature shimmery layers”.
“Of late I’ve been very focused on my instrumental music, which is increasingly an intense endeavour, all the more so as I don’t really share it with anyone. So here I am, finally, with some words about my next releases. ‘Mockingbird Love’, a four track EP, is the first small collection of music that I have felt comfortable to release for a while. This is my October,” says Robin Guthrie.
“‘Mockingbird Love’ is concise, to the point, with a big sound and baritone guitars. But it’s just an appetizer as my November release and subsequent December releases will show. I have everything in production now and, hmmm, what could go wrong?”
39 years on from Cocteau Twins‘ debut release ‘Garlands’, Robin Guthrie has certainly been the most prolific member and remains the grand master of soundscapes, offering a steady and stellar stream of material over the years. Having formed Violet Indiana with Siobhan de Maré (formerly of Mono) following Cocteau Twins’ dissolution, he has since strongly focused on creating instrumental music, while also releasing collaborative albums with Harold Budd, John Foxx (Ultravox) and Mark Gardener (Ride).
Apart from the film scores for Gregg Araki’s ‘Mysterious Skin’ and ‘White Bird In a Blizzard’, which were co-written with Harold Budd, Guthrie has also scored the film ‘3:19’, Kaboom and the TV series ‘Now Apocalypse’…
More recently, Robin produced and mixed the new Heligoland album ‘This Quiet Fire’, as well as creating remixes for artists such as Hatchie, Fawns of Love, Resplandor, Ummagma, Ulrich Schnauss and Tamaryn at his studio in France.
‘Mockingbird Love’ is out now on CD, as well as digitally, on all major platforms. it can be obtained directly from the artist via Bandcamp.
Simon Bromide has launched an album of music that shot me over the moon. The album is Following the Moon, and I enjoyed following the story songs that Simon Bromide crafts ever so well. I’m an avid reader of short stories, which Following the Moon has in abundance for my listening pleasure. These three or four-minute narratives showcase situations and puzzles that I could listen to over and over again, which I did.
‘The Waiting Room’ is the lead track from Simon Bromide’s solo album ‘Following The Moon,’ which will be released on November 19 on vinyl and digitally via Scratchy Records with distribution by Cargo Records. There is a bonus in the form of an animated video, cleverly crafted using plasticine figures and model train sets. I found the representations of humans somewhat disconcerting, which could be the intent of Ben Pollard, who created the models, animated them, shot the film and then edited the whole thing. I am sure it was a lot of work, but an excellent animated story is a result, and I applaud Ben Pollard for a job well done.
“The song is about the things that didn’t happen for one reason or another—simple twists of fate or just stepping back from the edge. In particular, the lyrics refer to a letter proposing marriage sent to my mother many years ago. The letter never arrived, and the sender presumed the lack of a reply was his answer. Things were different back then, as it says in the song ‘The Postal Service Saved My Life,'” says Simon Bromide.
I get lost in the music that Simon Bromidewraps around his stories. I often found myself nodding along unconsciously and swinging to the ebbs and flows that move from the opening notes of acoustic folk-rock on The Waiting Room to a mariachi band on The Argument.
As is expected due to the Covid world that we live in, this is essentially a solo album. Simon is a master of acoustic guitar and a damn fine vocalist, and he has surrounded himself with a myriad of talent who contributed to this album. It was recorded at Bark Studios in Walthamstow by Brian O’Shaughnessy (Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Beth Orton), who had worked with Berridge on the last two Bromide albums. The album features drummer Fells Guilherme (Children of The Pope), bassist Ed ‘Cosmo’ Wright, multi-instrumentalists Dave Hale, Dimitri Ntontis and Stephen Elwell, and as folk-pop chanteuse Katy Carr on piano and Terry Edwards (Nick Cave, Tom Waits, P.J.Harvey) on trumpet. Scottish singer Julie Anne McCambridge joins Simon on the closing track; the William Blake penned ‘Earth’s Answer.’
This is insanity. I am listening to this record repeatedly and expecting a bolt of lightning to strike me and provoke my fingers to type out a wise and insightful blog about this outstanding recording. But that hasn’t happened. Since the first paragraph started, I have listened to this album two more times. Two more above and beyond the ten previous times I listened to it. And all I do is sit and get lost in the music and stories. Dang it all, just go and listen to this for your selves. You will get more enjoyment from listening to it than you will get from me typing about it. That’s a guarantee.
I don’t usually post video’s, they just aren’t my medium of choice for listening to music. However, I enjoy the music that Jupiter Hollow make so I am sharing a video that they just released. It is a live performance of the song Scarden Valley, a track from their new release Bereavement, their newest album. This track combines a rock ballad feel with some good prog and it all comes out good. I hope you enjoy the music, I do.
If you liked that Jupiter Hollow are offering the CD for free.
I have fired off a few album reviews and thought I would tidy up my inbox with a few short shout-outs regarding singles, videos and other odds and ends.
First up, we have an outfit called The Dead South. This four-piece band fancies themselves as outlaws that defy classification. Not bluegrass. Not traditional country and western and not punk. They have a video out ahead of their EP releases in March 2022. Yes, releases, there will be two EP’s. The Dead South live close to me, only 800 kilometres.
Next up, we have a band that aligns closer to psychedelic rock than bluegrass, The Kundalini Genie. I covered a single by them earlier this year, and I am happy to share a video of them as a warm-up to their album, which drops on November 12, 2021. https://youtu.be/uQBjSw98hOQ
Another video that is being released ahead of the album, this time from an electronica act called Spray. SPRAY, RICARDO AUTOBAHN and JENNY McLAREN are Lancashire-based electronic / synthpop duo. Manchester’s ANALOGUE TRASH label will drop their ‘Ambiguous Poems About Death’ LPon November 26, but today we can enjoy‘Hammered In An Airport.’
London synthpop artist RODNEY CROMWELL presents his new‘Memory Box’single about perceptions of reality and the certainty of our memories. Rodney Cromwell is the nom de plume of ADAM CRESSWELL. The full length is due in early 2022; no set date yet, darn Covid, eh.
‘The Gift’ from SHRINARI, previews their debut LP (out November 24). Their music has a strong spiritual component, carrying a message of hope, unity and connection. ‘The Gift’ https://youtu.be/ykCjGRiYq3g
Last but not least is an album from a band that I am quite familiar with having seen them live and owning their discography. The band is are from Toronto, Ontario and go by the name of BadBadNotGood, the album is Talk Memory. Here is a video from this new album, I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. I look forward to seeing them playing live in about two months.
Let’s get the introductions out of the way before we go any further, shall we? Astral Swans is Matthew Swann.
Now that we have the formalities over and done with, we can get to the impetus for this bit of idiosyncratic musical journalism. Astral Swans have released their self-titled album, Astral Swans. I listened to this recording a couple of times while I puttered about, and then I sat myself down today and engaged with the album. I read the lyrics as I listened with intent. I was intent upon writing what my ears and eyes beheld.
Track one, the ice breaker song, is Spiral. This song gets the album off on a good start. Spiral is a radio-friendly song with lyrics that are open to some interpretation but what jumped out at me was the coda, as we read it below.
“Oh, I’ll tell you what I’ve learned after a while
Sometimes at the bottom of a spiral
It’s just one more spiral.”
Is this all there is? A spirals all the way down? Or, as Sturgill Simpson put it, turtles all the way down. There is a humorous anecdote about this that Genius gives in an expanded treatise. I also really like the line, “Quieter than silent night.” That is magical. Quieter than silent night. Except when my band played the song Silent Night, it got a little bit louder. I digress, back to Astral Swans.
These brilliant lyrics come delivered to us wrapped in silk and crushed velvet. Matthew Swann has a gentle voice by and large that is perfect for the delicate weaving of his songs. Many guest artists contributed to this recording, and each piece has a slightly different flavour than its predecessors.
I won’t expand on every song; you can open them to your interpretation and see where it takes you. I will add a few comments, though, as I relisten to Astral Swans. Track two is Flood which features Julie Doiron. My ears thought they heard a catchy lyric on my early listens to this song. When I read through the lyrics while I listened to it again, I discovered a line that I misheard. I thought I heard them sing, “maybe you and I, candy lovers.” A sweet sentiment to a person that you love. Candy lovers. Maybe you and I are sweet on each other, and we are candy lovers. I had a good laugh when I read that the lyric is actually, “Maybe you and I can be lovers.” It still brings a smile to my face and I have to work hard to hear the actual words. I enjoyed the rest of this song as well as the sweet lyrics.
Blackhole Town appeals to the universal agreement that winning the lottery would be nice, so we can move out of whatever town we are currently living in. I like where I live, but a lottery win would be nice to fix up the house as it slowly gets old around us. This yearning for something better than what we have is a thread that runs through a good chunk of Astra Swans. It is also a state that most humans exist in, wanting more than what we have. Instead of being content with what we have.
I love the title of track five, “Sympathy For The Stupid.” ‘Nuff said.
Self-deprecation shows up in track six, Bird Songs.
“I didn’t deserve you anyway.”
and
“You’re better without me anyway.”
March 28/20, featuring Silvering, is a bitter pill about a failed relationship.
“Loved my neighbour as myself
So I hate both of us, I guess.”
The track Beautiful Things Happen injects a ray of hope into what could otherwise be a doleful bit of music. “Beautiful things will happen.” I hear an affirmation that things “will” get better. And then the album closes out with misery of “More Nothing Than Something” and “I Was Awake For Awhile.” These are not bad songs. It’s just that they have some sombre lyrical content amid music that is mellow while still engaging the listener. I’ll close with a blurb from the album’s bio flyer.
This self-titled record is Swann’s most upbeat, catchy & immediate album to date. Each song operates as an absurdist short story filled with Swann’s wry observations of the sad beauty of mundane moments. The songs range from affirmations of joy amidst dread, composed in the streets of Shimokitazawa Tokyo and featuring Shibuya Jpop artist Minami Taga (Wind in a Mindless Universe), to ballads of disoriented musings on uncertainty and addiction (Spiral). Songs about birds heckling the anxious and heartbroken in Vondel Park Amsterdam (Bird Songs), to a cover of the Cat Power classic, Cross Bones Style sung as a duet with Julie Doiron (Eric’s Trip, Mt. Eerie). The album closer Awake For a While is a mysterious police interview gone gospel and features the gorgeous vocals of Swann’s childhood friend Carol Sweet.
Astral Swans (ST) was produced and engineered by Paul Chirka (Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra) and Brock Geiger (Reuben and the Dark), with Swann functioning as a third producer. It is rich and spacious, with a diverse array of sounds ranging from delicate string arrangements, atmospheric synth freakouts, deconstructive guitar solos, and pristine harmonies. All the while, seated atop all the instrumental beauty and chaos floats Swann’s haunting voice, which warbles and swoons. Astral Swans ST brings with it an arts commune of fantastic collaborators. Guest performers include: Julie Doiron (Eric’s Trip, Mt. eerie), Cassia Hardy (Wares), L.T. Leif, Scott Munro (Preoccupations, Chad VanGaalen), Shalom Toy (SilverRing), Laura Hickli (36?) Minami Taga (Mako Puri, MakoMinaming), Swann’s childhood friend Carol Sweet, Jim Bryson (Kathleen Edwards, Weakerthans) and more. Each guest adds their own unique addition to the sound, bringing their own bit of the world back into Swann’s solipsistic compositions. The album was released on October 8th worldwide.
OK, I’m back after that short pause. I give this album 7.5 out of 10. It’s a good bit of music but it has a few detractions that hold it back and I suppose it’s just not where my head space is existing today. Not a bad album all in all though.
I want to introduce you to an artist who has had his music swirling in my brain for the last two days. His name is Ward White, and he is a storyteller and a damn fine one at that. Ward is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist. On top of that, Ward has a fine singing voice that is used to significant effect, climbing from baritone to tenor as he accompanies himself on songs. Ward White has a personal recording studio, and It takes talent to use all that electronica. Ward White is a well-spoken young man. Take, for example, his talk with Mark Mothersbaugh (yes, the Devo guy) on the LaunchLeft podcast hosted by Rain and Summer Phoenix (yes, they’re from that Phoenix family). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y4X-eJRhSc
See, Ward White is an excellent conversationalist. Finally, well, finally, for this list. I am sure Ward has other attributes that are not listed here. Finally, Ward White has released a new album, The Tender Age, that today hits all your favourite streaming platforms. Physical copies are also available from Bandcamp.
Dang, that is one hell of a preamble. I almost hit the word count of some whole blogs that I’ve done. Never mind, let’s have another listen to The Tender Age, and I’ll let my mind wander over the keyboard as we do so.
The album opener is Dirty Clouds. It comes busting out with some mighty fine guitar chops from Ward and some nice Wurlitzer, courtesy of Grammy-nominee Tyler Chester. I fell in love with this song the first twenty times I heard it. Every one of the twenty times was a revelation of just how good this is. There is a fantastic groove going on here, and then the lyrics land on top—the storyteller kicks in now. Ward White spins a 4:00 minute vignette of dirty deeds done under cover of Dirty Clouds. This song is a short story in four parts, three of those refrains lamenting how difficult it is to accomplish various tasks “with all these dirty clouds obscuring Venus and Mars.” Hearing the refrain makes me wonder if Ward White dabbles in astronomy in the evening hours. I do, and this past summer was a perfect time to see Venus and Mars. They would have been challenging to navigate due to their closeness to each other and their low position in the evening sky, but I empathize with the dirty cloud refrain. Dirty Clouds are the bane of astronomy and the frequent companion of dirty deeds.
Drummer Mark Stepro (Wallflowers, Butch Walker) lays down some chops for the narrator of Easy Meat. It seems to be a narrative about battling against the urge to sin, with the narrator promising, “It was just a thought I had, I would never really act on it.” Ward White tells us that, “It’s not what I would consider a particularly sympathetic character, but his equivocations fascinate me. It brings to mind one of my all-time favorites, Randy Newman’s In Germany Before the War.” I didn’t remember the song, so I dug out the album and listened to that song and enjoyed becoming reacquainted with an old friend from the past.
Let’s Don’t Die At the Stoplight came out of a harrowing experience with the songwriter caught in the crossfire of an attempted murder while waiting for the light to change. “It was in Atlanta in the middle of the afternoon; I looked right in his eyes while he emptied the gun. When it was over, we just drove back to the hotel and ordered Indian food. The lyrics question the motive, but also my reaction, which ran the gamut from abject fear to ambivalence.” That would have scared the crap out of me. Driving through Mississippi in 2009, we witnessed two people trying to kill each other with their cars. That harrowing experience didn’t have any gunfire, so I can only imagine the emotions of being caught in the middle of a gunfight.
I like to learn something new every day. I learned today that Chet Baker had dentures. On the track Dentures, Tyler Chester lays down some sweet grand piano and Hammond, but the track left me wondering where the horn section was. The main character, after all, is a trumpet player who struggles to play, first with dentures and then in heaven. No trumpet on a song about Chet Baker, another one of life’s mysteries.
An LAPD cop with dubious connections rankles his partner with a surprise spiritual conversion in the title track, The Tender Age. “I haven’t decided if it’s supposed to be taken literally,” says White, “In fact, it might all be a dream. Metaphor, or otherwise, it’s about the transient nature of identity… or something.” In one of my previous identities, I was a preacher, and The Tender Age brought a smile to my day hearing Saul and Paul referenced in this manner. Well played, Ward, well played.
Biblical characters and narratives pop up several times in The Tender Age. There are numerous references to both the old and new testaments in the song, Wasn’t It Here. I am curious if the baritone deficiencies are self-deprecating.
We venture into the oral orifice a bit later in the song Karate Dentist. Karate Dentist is preceded by Heavy Lifting and followed by the album closer Monrovia. I sense, and I could be wrong, but I think Ward White references himself and the struggle that music can often be. There is the beautiful snippet, “Can’t you wrangle poetry from something more substantial than phonetics? Mangle some old greeting card, or plagiarize a rival’s perfect line?” That is from the closer Monrovia, a lovely song with shimmering guitar reverb and a plaintive refrain on the struggle to be authentic while telling stories.
The Tender Age was written and produced by White, who also provided all vocals, guitars, and bass. I told you he was talented. The Tender Age reunites Ward White with three long-time musical collaborators; drummer Mark Stepro, keyboardist Tyler Chester, and engineer/mixer John Spiker. “I’m always thrilled to reconvene with these guys, especially given their schedules; Tyler, who is as gifted a bassist as he is a keyboardist, produced and co-wrote Madison Cunningham’s Grammy-nominated debut album Who Are You Now. I was able to grab Mark just as he wrapped up tracking drums on The Wallflowers’ Exit Wounds, and John is always busy as bassist, engineer, and producer for Tenacious D” (as seen and heard in The D’s viral YouTube cover of Time Warp for Rock The Vote.)
Recorded in various Los Angeles locations, including White’s home studio, The Tender Age was mixed by Grammy-winner John Spiker (Tenacious D, Beck, Steve Earle) and mastered by Grammy-nominee, Joe Lambert.
There is a video for the lead song, Dirty Clouds, but I’m not much of a video watcher for starters, and I just wasn’t impressed with this one.
I see this video as a missed opportunity to visualize the story. Picture a dark train yard, a person trying to balance on the rails crossing between cars with lots of fog to give a punctuation mark to Dirty Clouds. Then I imagine a scene from a Humphrey Bogart movie, a vintage radio and a shady character reading a tabloid with the headline “Dirty Clouds” or “The Tender Age.” Cut to a cop in a smoke-filled police station calling someone as they try to make it through the bars and pan up to a dirty cloud obscuring Venus and Mars.
Alas, Ward White didn’t ask for my input before making the video, and for a good reason. He did not consult me because I am not a video producer. However, I am an observationist. I watch that which others make. I listen to the music that others have crafted. I observe and then write those observations down. Thank you for reading my comments on the album, The Tender Age, by Ward White. I think this is a well-made recording that deserves every one of the ten stars I am giving it.
Weathered Music 