What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. X)

Emmylou Harris

"Blue Kentucky Girl"

Spotify Premium US

London Gtammar

"If You Wait"

Spotify PremiumUS

Finished:  La Sera - Sees the Light

Now:  Calexico and Iron & Wine - In the Reins

Was listening to Calexico's  "Black Light" in the car this morning and felt like hearing some more. 

[CDs ripped to iTunes]

Pete Yorn

"Back & Forth"

cd rip to iTunes

First chance to listen to some vinyl in ages...

Kool & The Gang, "Music Is The Message", 1972 Dee-Lite LP. It's sunny, good-time music for a sunny day. And it's got the awesome "Funky Granny" on it:

Ripped CD.

David Byrne & St. Vincent - Love This Giant

[CD ripped to iTunes]

As a devotee of Bowie's "Berlin" trilogy, I was really looking to listening to this pre-release CD of Dylan "Son of Steve" Howe's new album, Subterranean.

It doesn't disappoint, it's an absolute corker. Will be getting the vinyl when it is released on 8th June.

From the press release:

Subterranean is Dylan Howe’s first studio album in ten years. It’s made up of his arrangements of Bowie’s influential music from his Berlin Trilogy and has been seven years in the making. It features some of the best musicians in the UK including Dylan Howe – drums / synths, Ross Stanley – piano / synths, Mark Hodgson – double bass, Brandon Allen – tenor saxophone, Julian Siegal – tenor saxophone, Nick Pini – bass, Adrian Utley – guitar and special guest Yes guitarist Steve Howe playing Koto.

Howe had liked Bowie’s mid 1970′s albums; Station To Station, Low, Heroes and Lodger since his early teens. “This was when he was really vital and looking for new influences and places to go to musically” Having released and toured four acclaimed albums of Blue Note inspired Hard Bop / modern jazz, Howe felt he needed to break out from that and do something more original and personal to himself. He started to get a few tracks together, Warszawa and Art Decade came first and they really worked. They seemed to create a new platform and the atmosphere he was looking for. It is also the first album where he really utilised the potential of the recording studio, with multiple sessions and overdubs, really thinking about production: “I was making a record this time, not just recording an album. In the past I would be in the studio for a day or two at the most, or just bring a mobile studio to a gig; this time however, the process and result has been a little like the music, kind of cinematic, a feeling of scale and intensity. Think John Coltrane Quartet produced by Neu! mixed by Brian Eno in an air-raid shelter.” 

The album opens with Subterraneans, has a cinematic scope and slightly foreboding feel, shadowing the music to come and it’s deceptively difficult, based on an 11 bar loop, cycling round and round. The much loved Weeping Wall is heard here in 3/4 and features a great solo from Ross Stanley and All Saints opens with a great solo from Mark Hodgson and great short solos from Allen, Stanley and Howe. Some Are which Howe describes as a ‘post-apocalyptic ballad, is the most emotional track on the album and features beautiful work on brushes from the leader. Neukoln – Night was built around a rough keyboard part mapped out by Howe and built up with piano and synths. The dissonant Art Decade is from LOW as is Warszawa which Howe takes into space via the classic John Coltrane Quartet “I wanted to find a way to sound like the John Coltane quartet playing in a spaceship – sounds nuts I know – like they’re just about to take off but have to play a kind of stark hymn before they leave earth”. Neuklon Day the companion piece to NN draws inspiration from Tony Williams with the piano and synths over-dubbed Howe’s drums.Finally the album closes with Moss Garden which Howe describes as a three way improvisation between piano, drums and Koto – but all recorded separately – and it is that unique mixtures of inspiration, Bowie and jazz, live and studio, arranged and improvised that makes Howe’s take on the music of Bowie so gripping. Play it loud we think the Thin White Duke would approve!

Greg Brown

"Slant 6 Mind"

Spotify Premium US

First spin of the CD, so far so good.

What do you think Stevee s

atb

kk

Jimi Hendrix - Live At Woodstock -   2cd.

Angus & Julia Stone

"Book Like This"

cd rip to iTunes

First spin of Jarrett's latest for ECM, a double CD set featuring him playing guitar, bass, percussion and recorder as well as piano. Not entirely convinced but I will persevere, as Jarrett always deserves another (or several) listen(s):

Blue Rodeo - Diamond Mine 25th anniversary release on 180 gm vinyl. 

Great music, very quiet pressing.  Side 1 seems a bit darker than I remember but side 2 is much livelier, no as dark as side 1 which sounds like a blanket was covering the mics.  Hopefuly sides 3 and 4 will be as good or better than side 2.  Great release nonetheless.

I have to say that it took me totally by surprise kk. Very different to anything I have heard before. I liked it and will have a listen or two more before putting it on the shopping list. Thanks for the recommendation, there's so much good music (new to me) that I have found through this forum.

atb

Steve

Streaming FLAC rip

Weird but amazing.

steve

Bonnie Raitt

"Slipstream"

iTunes download

Love this...

On vinyl...

Record Day release on 180 gm coloured vinyl.