The album Thank You Valued Customer from Shplang has confounded me. I like the music. But I don’t know how to tell you. Here is what the band, the core duo of Peter Marston and John Krausetells us about creating the music, which I feel is the backbone of this album. The music propels the lyrics forward.
Peter Marston tells us, “Although we write the songs playing together, we do not record basic tracks live. It’s all one instrument at a time (which in part is why we have an embarrassingly lengthy gestation period). We lay down, in turn, a drum machine, guitar (or bass), bass (or guitar), second guitar, keys, solos, sound effects real and electronic, vocals, live drums, and then, at the end, wipe the drum machine. I’m exhausted writing it! It gives us a fairly controlled sound, but also allows a lot of attention to detail which is an important part of the Shplang sound.”
I totally respect these guys for paying attention to the details in the music. “Music is the space between the notes,” is a quote attributed to French composer Claude Debussy, with jazz trumpeter Miles Davis famously expressing similar ideas several decades later. I feel that quote could easily be applied to Peter Marston and John Krausetells and their musical craftsmanship.
Although Shpland gives us a master class on how to make intelligent music, the lyrics are another story. Peter tells us they never spend more than 15 minutes writing the lyrics. This does not mean the lyrics are bad; they are pretty good, considering the brief amount of time it takes to write them. From my perspective, it tells me that the music is the thing, and they nail that with some interesting turns of phrase. For example, they have the song Das Diddley in German, with a hat tip to Rammstein, a German Neue Deutsche Härte band. Later in the album, Shplang throws in a song sung in French, À Son Son.
Scattered within the album are a couple of tracks that mesmerized me. Look Me Over is a psychedelic song about drunkenness. Having years of experience with drunkenness and then recovery, I keep my ears open to songs about those touchstones of addiction. Everyone Can Change is a song of hope that follows Look Me Over, with some intelligent lyrics.
“Don’t get tired or lose your way; everyone can change.”
“Baby Hobo” is trippy. It has lyrical styling reminiscent of the coffee shop beat scene in the late 1950s. I can just imagine Leonard Cohen sitting around a table with in a New York bagel shop with Peter and John. The baby noises in the song take me back to when my son was born and it put a smile on my face.
I caught an earworm from the song Lay A Little Love On Me. It has a funky groove that has dug in, and has lived there for three days. The next track cracks me up, Peter Marston and John Krausetells describe it as “an irreverent study in comparative religion, but mostly Shplang’s interpretation of slow-burn funk.” The title is Buddha (What Was That?), and it is an easy highlight for me (a retired pastor).
Next, Shplang delivers a catchy little nonsense song closer to hard rock than the other tracks on this album. They tell us that “Little Mushroom Men from Mars” is a sci-fi parable set to an amalgam of prog and heavy metal. One of our favourite bands is Klaatu, and I can see their influence here, especially in the lyrics and the double-tracked narration in the verses. Scott Goldbaum played the shredding guitar solos and was the third guy to take a shot—it isn’t easy! Laying in the telemetry and rocket launch sound effects here was challenging and rewarding.”
I am a fan of Klaatu, and the Little Mushroom Men From Mars has that flavour on full display. Shplang closes the album with another mirthful song, She, The Fair Bag Girl.
So, there we have it, an album of catchy tunes to brighten your day! Week? Month! Just listen to it see if it brightens your day the same way that it brightened mind, with a bonus earworm.
I didn’t do a post last week, so there is a longer-than-normal list today. As you can see, I plowed through my Peter Gabriel vinyl stack. It was a good listening experience. Lots of ear-worm material and reviving some old friends that I hadn’t listened to for a while. Having said all that, let’s see what we have heard.
Ringo Star – Rewind Forward – Stream – 2023 Ringo continues to shine as the nice Beatle, and on this album, some of his friends showed up to accompany him. The result is a happy listening party.
Richard Evans – Dream of the World – Stream – 2023 Synth-pop is good enough to have a second listen.
Tardigrade Inferno – Burn The Circus – Stream – 2023 I just had to hear this album with a name like Tardigrade Inferno. Hang on to your hat; the road is about to get rocky. Tardigrade Inferno is straight-ahead heavy rock, and I loved it.
Peter Gabriel – Security – LP – 1982 Sledgehammer – Extended EP – 1988 So – LP – 1986 Sledgehammer – Extended EP – 1982 Shock The Monkey – Extended EP – LP – 1982 Peter Gabriel/Steve Hunter/Larry Fast – At The Roxy – LP – 1977 I’ll lump the Peter Gabriel albums together as one extended listening session. Good music never grows old. So continues to be an island record.
Syd Arthur – A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble (Remixes by The Amorphous Androgynous) – Stream – 2014 I want a physical copy of this, but for now, streaming will have to do.
Jimmie Dale Gilmore – Spinning Around The Sun – Stream – 1993 Fair and Square – LP – 1988 It was good to get reacquainted with an old friend. My first encounter with Jimmie Dale was 1988 at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. He was on an open side stage with Butch Hancock and a few other musicians who braved the cold and rain to play one hell of a set.
Genesis – Invisible Touch – LP – 1986 Genesis isn’t my thing, but they do a decent enough job for those who list this as their thing.
J. Geils Band – Best ofthe J. Geils Band – LP – 1979 This best of isn’t really their best offering. They improved with time, and their later material was more robust and radio-friendly.
There we go, another session of some darn good music. Happy listening, my friends.
I don’t have much to offer in the way of running commentary, I’ll let the music do the narrative for me. I had a heavy Peter Gabriel week and that will extend into tomorrow, and possibly the one after that. I like and continue to enjoy the music of Mr. Gabriel. I am so happy that I got to see him live and
The Mama’s & the Papas – California Dreamin’ CD – 1995
This music never gets old to my old ears. The vocals are stunning. I wonder where they would be if Mama Cass had not perished and if the band had put aside their petty egos and made music. That’s me dreaming, not in California, unfortunately.
Daniel Lanois – Acadie – CD – 1989
Acadie is the debut album from a man who is famous for his work producing for other artists. He has an impressive resume, the list is long; check it out in his discography on Wikipedia.
The Replacements – Tim – Stream – 1985
Tim is another example of music that didn’t appear on my radar until now.
Tim is good but not on any of my top ten lists.
Peter Gabriel – Scratch – LP – 1978
Peter Gabriel – Melt Face – LP – 1980
Peter Gabriel – Plays Live – LP – 1983
Modest Mussorgsky – Pictures At An Exhibition – CD – 1991
Sit down and read the story behind this album while you play the album. This recording has many versions, which is interesting because there was never a definitive music sheet. I like this version, but feel free to use other versions. I found it amazing how the story unfolds through the passages of the music.
Moussorgsky*: Rimsky-Korsakov* / Ravel* – Pictures At An Exhibition / Capriccio Espagnol / La Valse
Modest Mussorgsky – Pictures At An Exhibition / Capriccio Espagnol /
Label: Harmony (4) – HL 7075
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1958
Genre: Classical
Style: Impressionist, Romantic
For an excellent alternative, I recommend the Emmerson Lake and Palmer version. ELP is most well known for its “Works” pair of albums and Brain Salad Surgery. Most people would not be aware that these three are classically trained musicians and recorded as such.
As usual, I end this blog with a shout-out to Kevin on Repeat.
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.
Today is the second time I have listened to Broken English this month. Although I have listened to this album for decades, this time felt like the first time. It was new, fresh and full of energy, emotion and stories that needed to be told. I left the album out as a reminder to return and give it another spin on the turntable. That spin was today, and Marianne Faithful’sBroken English has only improved with age, like a fine wine. Broken English has one song that has become an earworm for me, the Ballad of Lucy Jordan.
“At the age of thirty-seven
She realized she’d never
Ride through Paris in a sports car
With the warm wind in her hair
So she let the phone keep ringing
And she sat there softly singing
Little nursery rhymes she’d memorized
In her daddy’s easy chair.”
The Ballad of Lucy Jordan is a sad song, but it has a message that, hopefully, we can learn from. So many of us live lives of quiet desolation and never feel the wind in our hair, or in my case, what’s left of it. We put things aside and lie to ourselves that we will do them later. Later never comes. I am blessed to have lived with wild abandon (occasionally) and can sit in my easy chair and softly sing songs I had memorized. I can also sit in my rocking chair and tell stories of my exploits as a young man.
Harry Stafford and Marco Butcher – We Are The Perilous Men
Steamed – 2123
On the first listen, I got excited. The first track, Walk Among the Spectres, took me to the land of Tom Waits in the 1990s, but I didn’t stop to live there. Walk Among The Spectres stands independently and doesn’t sound like a copy of Tom Waits. The lyrics stayed away from the variations of love prevalent in music. I’m unsure what most of them mean, but it sounds good. The sound pallet shifts for all the tracks while carrying forward a thread of commonality. There is one other trick up the sleeves of Harry and Marco that made me smile when I heard it. I had just listened to Frampton Comes Alive, which is notable for one device that Frampton used, the talk-box. The Perilous Men use a talk-box on a few songs, which is good. The talk-box is a seldom used addition to any music, but when used with discretion, it can add a new layer of sound to a song. Harry Stafford and Marco Butcher did an excellent job blending the talk box into the music.
I also enjoyed hearing the space in the song used to good effect; by that, I mean moving the sound left and right and dead center. I have listened to other albums brutally mixed, but not here; the production is right on. It was produced and mastered by Marco Butcher at Boombox Studio.
Van Morrison – Hymns To The Silence Disc One
CD – 1991
Van Morrison – Hymns To The Silence Disc Two
CD – 1991
I like this album (s). I bought it first on cassette and enjoyed it on the road. Hymns To The Silence was on CD today and stationary. It still sounded good.
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs – Hard Travelin’
LP – 1963
Hard Travelin’ is a repacked version of their best-of albums. If you heard one, you heard them all. They are still good, and I enjoyed hearing these songs again.
It’s not my cup of tea, but each to their own. If someone else likes this one, all the power to them.
Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops – Play The Beatles
LP – 1969
I wish I could dig this one out of my head. It is not good listening from my perspective.
The New Pornographers – Electric Version
CD – 2003
I was overdue for a listening session with The New Pornographers. Electric Version has aged well, and I was happy to hear them again.
Nash The Slash – Children Of The Night
LP – 1981
I don’t remember how, when or where I came into the orbit of Nash The Slash, but I’m glad I did. He is an acquired taste, but I like it enough to have several of his albums. Stay tuned to this channel to hear more of Nash The Slash next Monday.
Adam Again – Dig
Stream – 1992
I listen to this album over and over, year after year. Gene Eugene was a unique talent. I am going to let Wikipedia tell the story. “Gene Andrusco (April 6, 1961 – March 20, 2000), better known as Gene Eugene, was a Canadian-born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musician. Andrusco was best known as the leader of the alternative rock band Adam Again, a member of The Swirling Eddies (credited as Prickly Disco), and a founding member of the supergroup Lost Dogs.”
End of quote and back to me. The standout track on this record for me is River On Fire. It mentions an actual river that did catch fire, The Cuyahoga River. I hear the song sung with great pain about two people who were like a babbling brook with crystal clear water, Gene Eugene and Riki Michele. Gradually, they started to have murky times in their marriage. They gathered more and more debris as they moved along to the point where they were like a river on fire, something that should never happen. Oil and water should never be together; they don’t mix. The river reached a point where it caught fire, as incongruous as that may be. Gene Eugene and Riki Michele continued to work and sing together while, sadly, their marriage was falling apart. Gene used the incongruous picture of a river on fire to express his pain. River On Fire is a fantastic track on an already great album.
So there we have what I listened to this past week, September 18 to 25. It’s only three months till Christmas. Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Just dropping a hint, I like music. Vinyl, Cassette, CD. Any format.
Here is my listening for the past week. Its been a blast from the past and a blast into the future.
——————————————————-
The Tallest Man On Earth
Dark Bird Is Home
CD 2015
This one underwhelmed me. I had listened to this years ago and thought I had enjoyed it. Nope, it did not ripen with age. It’s not bad music; it just didn’t improve with age. I’ll try again in a couple of years.
————————————————————————————————————–
Dictator Ship
Electric Jihad
Stream 2023
Turn up the volume and hang on to your hat; things are about to get wild. Dictator Ship is a Swedish rock and roll band that really does rock and roll. Electric Jihad is not pop music. Electric Jihad is not the bland crap that gets played on popular radio—Electric Jihad is good old-fashioned rock.
————————————————————————————————————–
The Holy Ghost
Ignore Alien Orders
Stream 2023
The Holy Ghost is another Swedish musical group, but not in the same genre as Dictator Ship. The Holy Ghost leans towards 80’s post-punk with a smoother texture while still rocking and rolling—more good music from Sweden.
————————————————————————————————————–
Pathos Trio
Polarity
Stream 2023
This album is like an onion, with layers and layers of sound that take several listens to get past the outer skin. I hope you like onions as much as I do. Polarity reminds me of no one else. They are peeling their onion and serving it in six dishes, all of them different. Pathos Trio comprises percussionists Marcelina Suchocka, Felix Reyes, and pianist/composer Will Healy. They make music that weaves in and about around and through the spaces in my mind. Each time I listen to Polarity, another layer gets peeled back and presents me with a new listening experience. Pathos Trio has created a complex Polarity album that is also very easy to listen to. It can be background music while I work or a focused listening experience where I listen intently, trying to grab at threads of sound. I love it.
This album tied Tool Lateralus for best album cover art. You must have a physical copy to appreciate this.
————————————————————————————————————–
Talking Heads
Stop Making Sense
Imax 2023
I have been listening to Talking Heads for a long time. I remember the excitement Fear of Music gave me; I had a cassette copy that got worn out playing repeatedly. I remember the energy of Stop Making Sense. Talking Heads has given me a lot of music to listen to or see and hear, as I did in this experience. David Byrne has an energy that spins off into the band as they slowly join him on stage, and that energy flows out to the audience. Seeing this on Imax was quite the experience. It looked good. It could have sounded better. There was lots of sound in the middle of the spectrum and not so much at the top or the bottom. I still rate this as a good experience, good but not great.
————————————————————————————————————–
Tool
Fear Inoculum
CD 2019
I was overdue for a Tool listen. I started with Fear Inoculum. This album gets better every time I hear it. It did not disappoint this trip through my speakers. As usual with Tool, this is a complex album that needs attention to hear all the nuances that Tool brings into the studio.
————————————————————————————————————–
Tool
Lateralus
CD 2001
Lateralus is an album that Tool 10,000 Days. 4745 is how many days there are in 13 years. Lateralus continues Tools’ use of complex chord changes.
A lot is going on with Lusitanian Ghosts III, a happy album that is easy on the ears. Every time I hear this album I like it more than the time before.
————————————————————————————————————–
Graham Parker
Last Chance To Learn The Twist
Stream 2023
Lusitanian Ghosts III segued into Graham Parker’s Last Chance To Learn The Twist like these two albums were made for each other. Graham Parker has a long and storied career and I am happy to see that he isn’t just riding on the waves from the past. He is channelling his talent into fresh music, making for a very listenable experience.
————————————————————————————————————–
Connie Francis
The Very Best of Connie Francis
LP 1962
Well, here is a blast from the past that wlil most likely collect dust.
————————————————————————————————————–
Robert Fripp
Exposure
LP 1979
This album is a bit of an oddity. It is Robert Fripp‘s first solo album, loaded with an “A” list of collaborations.
————————————————————————————————————–
David Frizzell & Shelly West
Golden Duets (The Best Of Frizzell & West)
LP 1984
Do you want to get your cowboy on today? This album is an OK place to start.
————————————————————————————————————–
Popsicko
Off To A Bad Start
LP 2022
Do you want to get your post-punk on today? This album is a great place to start. Full of energy with nice clean sound, this album is a winner.
————————————————————————————————————–
Tom Franzak
Shadow Boxing
LP 1985
I had a hard time listening to this 1980s pop Christian music.
————————————————————————————————————–
Tony Valentino
Dirty Water Revisited
CD 2023
I’m sorry, Tony, you should have stayed away from this project and retired, with both of us having good memories of DirtyWater.
————————————————————————————————————–
It has been a good week with lots of great music, a bit of good music and very few stinkers.
Trans-Atlantic alternative neo-folk collective Lusitanian Ghosts present their third long-player, ‘Lusitanian Ghosts III,’ released via the European Phonographiclabel. Lusitanian Ghosts III was recorded and mixed at Clouds Hill Studios in Hamburg by Sebastian Muxfeldt (Elbow, Peter Doherty, Teenage Fanclub).Lusitanian Ghosts III will be released in stereo and mono versions.
A Portuguese-Canadian-Swedish chordophone collective founded by Neil Leyton and Micke Ghost (a.k.a. Mikael Lundin), Lusitanian Ghosts revives lost instruments and presents ancient sounds in the 21st Century. Re-casting these heritage folk violas into rock n roll songs, the European artist collective writes from a socio-political perspective on building a better world, creating musical pieces for the heart and mind, recording on analogue tape and releasing moving music on vinyl.
Together with João Sousa, Abel Beja (from Primitive Reason), ToZé Bexiga (from Raia) and Jan-Eric Olsson, Lusitanian Ghosts plays traditional Portuguese chordophone instruments, ancient regional guitars (Amarantina, Beiroa, Campaniça, Braguesa, Toeira, Terceirense). Once on the verge of extinction, these instruments are the real “Lusitanian Ghosts” (Lusitania being an ancient Celtic tribe in what would become the central territory of Portugal).
“For ‘Lusitanian Ghosts III’, we wanted to write and record all together, live off the floor, on analogue tape like we used to back in the 20th Century. Lyrically, we explored deeper emotional territory than ever before, and sonically we ended up mixing each song twice – in mono and stereo – leading to two different LPs,” says Neil Leyton.
“We mixed down from 24-track multitrack analogue to 1/4 inch analogue also, then reeled the machine straight to the mastering suite next door at Clouds Hill, Soundgarden Tonstudio in Hamburg. I know it is a common thing to say, but I’m going to say it is the best record I’ve ever made.”
Earlier, the band previewed ‘The Long Train,’ ‘Shameless,’ ‘Got Enough’ and the latest single‘September,’ bringing to the fore the Portuguese folk chordophone violas Amarantina, Campaniça and Terceirense, skilfully played by Michael Lundin, ToZé Bexiga and Abel Beja respectively. Lusitanian Ghosts make music with no guitars – just chordophones, bass and drums. Although a brand new rock n roll alt-folk sub-genre, these songs feel warmly familiar.
As of September 15, the ‘Lusitanian Ghosts III‘ album can be obtained everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Mono and stereo versions are available on vinyl.
Big Stir Records is proud to announce the release date for an all-new album from British rock legend Graham Parker. Last Chance To Learn The Twist, credited to Graham Parker & The Goldtops and produced by Parker and Tuck Nelson, sees worldwide release on CD and all streaming services on September 8, with a limited-edition LP run on clear green vinyl to follow in October. The album, up for pre-order and pre-save now (https://orcd.co/grahamparker-lctltt), includes both of the pre-release singles that brought Parker back to the worldwide airwaves throughout the summer and will be supported by a full band tour of the UK this fall.
Graham Parker’s first album of new material since 2018, Last Chance To Learn The Twist, finds the veteran singer-songwriter in top form, offering up thirteen new compositions with exquisitely tasteful backing by The Goldtops (bassist Simon Edwards, drummer Jim Russell, guitarist Martin Belmont and keyboard player Geraint Watkins) and frequent contributions from the Easy Access Orchestra horns and backing vocal duo The Lady Bugs. It’s a dazzlingly diverse album: sweet classic soul grooves and roots rock sounds dominate, all framing lyrics dripping with Parker’s vintage “Wicked Wit” (as one song title has it) and inimitable, passionate vocal delivery. Two early singles have hinted at the record’s depth: the devastatingly stark “We Did Nothing” with its heartbreaking examination of the cost of inaction on both the personal and global stages and the delightfully playful reggae-tinged “Them Bugs.” But there’s much more waiting to be discovered on the entire album, which is at once one of Parker’s most relaxed and boldest statements to date.
“My usual rather conservative arrangements went out the window on this album,” Parker says. “The songs morphed as they grew: ‘Grand Scheme Of Things,’ and particularly ‘Sun Valley,’ became less about ‘parts,’ as in a typical pop song, but more about ‘movements.’ Bridges arrive in unusual places, songs were restrained and held to under three minutes, The Lady Bugs sang like street corner rufans on ‘The Music Of The Devil,’ thenfoatedlikethechoirgirlsthattheyactuallyareontheballads,infusedwitholdsoul. TheGoldtopsgave me everything I wanted. Yes, I’m more than pleased with this one.”
From the sinister shuffle of the opener “The Music Of The Devil” — a mission statement of sorts for the album and perhaps the singer-songwriter’s career – through the closing honky-tonk-infected “Since You Left Me Baby,” Parker blends humour and heartbreak as only he can. Touching on intimate and culture-wide concerns, often within the same song as on “We Did Nothing,”Last Chance To Learn The Twist finds Parker moving from strength to strength throughout its two sides. Highlights include the bittersweet, piano-led third single “It Mattered To Me,” the loose groove of “Sun Valley” with its soaring horns-and-harmonies coda, and the folksy meditation on mortality of the near-title-track “Last Stretch Of The Road” (already a fan favourite from its live airings at Graham’s recent solo gigs in the US).
Last Chance To Learn The Twis is as warm and inviting a record as Graham Parker has ever issued. Still, it also delivers all the unflinching honesty, literate nuance and passion his admirers have come to expect from him. September brings their first chance to hear it for themselves.
BIG STIR RECORDS
2140 N. Hollywood Way #6607, Burbank CA 91505 bigstrrecords@gmail.com – rexbroome@gmail.com www.bigstrrecords.com
GreenWing can get inside my head live or on vinyl. Today, we will celebrate the release of a new single with a live roll-out for the new single from GreenWing. A truce between live and vinyl, a YouTube live off the floor.
GreenWing is proud to announce the release of a live performance video for their song “Dead Friends.” In the spring of 2023, the band enjoyed teaming up with Ryan Kuley and RyleySurian at Communal Creative Studios in Red Deer, AB, to create this throwback early MTV/VHS era-inspired video. The resulting video perfectly captures GreenWing’s playful and energetic live performances they have become known for.
Established in 2021, GreenWing’s early days saw them living through COVID lockdowns and the harsh Saskatchewan winter while finding sanity through collaborating on a collection of songs and hoping to one day return to stages and touring. The band’s debut album “Late Bloomer” leans heavily on driving rhythms and pop-laden hooks. Reminiscent of the punk and post-rock they grew up listening to, the band interweaves themes of self-reflection, grief, and a newfound sense of self into a crushing wall of sound.
Once lockdowns lifted, GreenWing quickly made a name for themselves with tour dates that featured their signature singalong hooks, infectious driving energy, and chaotic stage presence. In short order, the band was enlisted for opening gigs for the likes of Three Days Grace, Mom Jeans, Reignwolf, Daniel Romano, The Dirty Nil and Single Mothers, as well as garnering multiple nominations and making various “Best Of” lists.
Look for GreenWing on tour across Canada in 2023 to support “Late Bloomer” and their subsequent single, “Dark.”
Weathered Music 