Tag: 2021

Posted on

Listen to this: Mdou Moctar, Foo Fighters go disco, Andy Summers w/Robert Fripp

Album playing with vibrant colors

Something old, something new, there’s something in today’s music roundup for everybody.

“Afrique Victime”: Mdou Moctar

“Afrique Victime” is going straight into heavy rotation at my house. Most of the time when I listen to new music, I can sort it into one of three categories: “no thanks,” “so-so,” and “I might like this.” After giving music from the “I might like this” category another spin or two, I can decide if I’m going to want to add it to my library or move on.

Much more rarely, I immediately love something and want to listen to it again and again. That’s where Afrique Victime by Mdou Moctar landed. Almost immediately I was grabbed by “Chismiten,” the first track on the album. And it never let up.

Moctar is from Agadez, Niger and his site says he was inspired by YouTube videos of Van Halen and built his own guitar, recording music that was distributed by mobile phone data cards. The Bandcamp page for the album describes this as “mid-’70s to early ’80s Van Halen meets Black Flag meets Black Uhuru.”

To be honest, I’m not hearing the Black Flag bit at all, but it’s amazing nonetheless. Moctar is singing in Tamasheq, so I have no idea what the lyrics are to any of the songs on the album, but that hasn’t impeded my enjoyment of the work one tiny bit.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=976124536 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

“Hail Satin”: Foo Fighters go Disco

When I was a kid and teenager, it was cool to hate on disco music. “Disco Sucks” was the general theme, and you couldn’t admit to liking the Bee Gees or Donna Summer.

Turns out, disco didn’t suck. Well, some of it did, just like any other genre… but Donna Summer, the Bee Gees, Abba and many others actually turned out some damn good songs that still get the blood pumping and feet tapping today. In fact, if I’m being honest, I’d rather listen to disco than some of the music that was cool back then.

I’m pleased to see Foo Fighters taking a swing at several disco cuts and doing it well. Taking a turn as the “Dee Gees,” they tackle five Bee Gees classics including “You Should Be Dancing” and “Shadow Dancing” on their Record Store Day album Hail Satin, plus five Foo Fighters cuts live on side B.

Clearly they had a lot of fun with it, and it shows. This is not an album that will make a top 500 or top 1,000 “albums you must hear before you die” list, but if I still had a commute I’d definitely pop it into the mix for driving to or from work.

If you’re old enough to remember these songs the first time around, you’ll probably enjoy having them revisited by Foo Fighters. Maybe, if we’re lucky, it’ll also inspire some younger audiences to go back and engage with the Bee Gees and some other disco classics and appreciate them on their own merits.

“I Advance Masked”: Andy Summers w/Robert Fripp

Once The Police split up, I didn’t really follow the solo careers of the band members. Sting’s solo stuff was a little too soft for me at the time (might do with a revisit), and Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland didn’t get a lot of the spotlight afterwards. (Of course, you’ve probably heard a lot of Copeland’s stuff over the years since in movies and TV shows, but you might not know that you’re hearing his work…)

After hearing a particularly good cover of Summers’ “Love Is The Strangest Way” by Adam Rabin, I decided to dig into Summers’ back catalog starting with his 1982 collaboration with Robert Fripp. I Advance Masked caught my eye because Spotify showed it as released in 2021 (?) and the title certainly seemed appropriate.

It’s definitely worth a listen. It’s indulgent in spots, but the overall effort is well worth a spin or two.

Posted on

Saturday singles: Ministry “Good Trouble,” Theon Cross “We Go Again”

Cover for Theon Cross single "We Go Again"

Catching up on new music today and two singles grabbed my attention above the rest, a single from Theon Cross and a cut from Ministry for their upcoming album Moral Hygiene.

Theon Cross: “We Go Again”

Theon Cross is a jazz tuba player, and his 2019 LP Fyah is a must-hear for anybody who wants to push the boundaries with some amazing modern jazz.

“We Go Again,” was just dropped on Bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube and the other usual streaming / digital store suspects. No physical media in sight just yet, but I’m keeping an eye out.

It’s a smooth, not very tuba-forward, piece. Strong recommend, give it a listen or three.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 track=1276798112 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Ministry: “Good Trouble”

Ministry has always been a political band, but I was not expecting a homage to the late, great Congressman John Lewis from Al Jourgensen. Of all the weirdness the 2020s have thrown at us so far, this is one of the better curve balls.

Ministry isn’t breaking any new sonic ground here, but this is a solid track that I suspect will make longtime Ministry fans happy. The entire tracklist is on Bandcamp for Moral Hygiene with a few enticing-sounding tracks like “We Shall Resist” and “Death Toll.” Looking forward to hearing the whole disc when October comes around.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1809344520 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Do yourself a favor and check them both out.

 

Posted on

“No Sudden Move” is all surface and no substance

Don Cheadle in No Sudden Move

My first thought after finishing No Sudden Move last night was “what the hell went wrong?” (Spoilers below, so beware.)

No Sudden Move is a heist film, though you really pick this up only in dribs and drabs. Oh, and it’s also a big deal because the heist isn’t about jewels or money, it’s about a document. But, again, you only learn a little bit at a time the importance of the document and why it should matter.

Until they drop the hammer at the end of the movie, that is, with the reveal.

By then you’ve sat through two hours of trying to piece together “what the hell is going on with this movie?”

The movie sort of feels like a big, expensive Lego kit. All the pieces are there, but the kids got bored and instead of finishing the Death Star they sort of cobbled together a half-assed stack of blocks with Darth Vader sitting on top.

Too many pieces

No Sudden Move is chock full of amazing actors. Its saving grace is that the cast seems to know what’s going on even though the viewers don’t.

There’s a lot of backstory and depth hinted at that isn’t actually sketched in, or it’s dropped in awkwardly through the movie almost as an afterthought. My guess is that the actors knew far more about the characters they were playing than the movie cared to display.

Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, David Harbour and Jon Hamm are all on the money. I’ll watch damn near anything with Don Cheadle in it, and that seems to be what Steven Soderbergh was counting on here.

The plot is underdeveloped and over-complicated. A good heist movie can be complicated, but you have to be able to be in on the gig. As a viewer it doesn’t work when you’re too busy trying to figure out the plot to get pleasure out of the Rube Goldberg machinery required to pull off a successful heist.

The end of the film just felt cheap and tagged on. The document could have been anything and it held damn little sway in the actual film. But the end of the film tries to up-level the stakes of the heist by giving historical weight to the object of the heist without having done the work during the film itself. That’s a failure.

The movie also toys with racial themes without actually delving into them. Again, it felt like a half-assed attempt to give some weight to the movie without actually doing the work.

Why the fish-eye lens?

As a retro movie, the film is full of period costumes, old cars and sets full of nostalgia. The overall visual tone is great. Except… for the fish-eye.

There is a weird fish-eye effect going on throughout the movie. It’s most noticeable in long shots, less so in close-ups or medium shots. At first I was wondering if there was something wrong with the streaming or my TV.

No, apparently this was intentional. It doesn’t lend anything to the film and often detracts from it.

Craig muMs Grant

I wanted to specifically give a call out to Craig muMs Grant, a really powerful actor who never quite got the spotlight he deserved.

Folks who watched Oz will recognize muMs as Poet, and he’s popped up in a lot of bit parts since. He’s got a small role in No Sudden Move,  and he’s intense and fun to watch. I was sad to learn while perusing IMDb that he passed away earlier this year due to complications due to diabetes at 52.

Almost adequate

No Sudden Move is almost adequate as a summer heist flick. If you’re willing to glide by on tropes instead of actual storytelling, it’ll fill an evening or give you something to put on in the background while toying with your phone. The performances take it a long way, but they can’t quite overcome the gaps in the story.

Posted on

Jukebox selections: Tristen, Black Sky Giant, HUBRID & The Racers Feat. Hunter Norton, Hashshashin

"Aquatic Flowers" by Tristen (album cover)

Been a little quiet on the music front, but not for lack of listening. The opposite, really. The last month or two have been a musical firehose of new stuff, but I haven’t quite sorted through everything and sorted out what I actually like from what sounded OK on first listen.

For now, these four are definitely worth a listen or three.

Aquatic Flowers by Tristen

Tristen’s Aquatic Flowers is soft and spinny, poppy and easy to settle into on a sunny summer day. It calls to mind the gentler pop of The Weepies. Maybe a touch of The Carpenters? It’s modern and classic at the same time, has some timelessness to it.

I pre-ordered this one from Bandcamp on the strength of her 2013 album C A V E S, which I checked out after a Twitter recommend from Emma Swift. (Hard to top that!) C A V E S has one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard in a long time (“No One’s Gonna Know”) so I felt pretty secure in pre-ordering Flowers.

“I Need Your Love” and “Complex” are the standouts for me, but the entire album is worth your time. Spin it on Spotify or pick up a copy on Bandcamp, you won’t be disappointed.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3368332272 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Falling Mothership by Black Sky Giant

Bearing absolutely no resemblance to Tristen, Black Sky Giant’s Falling Mothership is an instrumental groove I stumbled on via Bandcamp recently. Released on June 10, it’s fresh and full of stoner rock / post rock / psychedelic goodness.

Apparently a one-person project out of Rosario, Argentina, Falling Mothership hits like a full band in a heavy groove. It’s full of ponderous riffs and sinewy bass. Great to put on to work to, very satisfying as background music or to put on the headphones and absorb the full impact. Black Sky Giant doesn’t seem to be on Spotify but you can preview the album on Bandcamp and you can pick up the digital download for a dollar.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3982096175 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Culte De La Machine by HUBRID & The Racers Feat. Hunter Norton

More artifice than art, Culte De La Machine is perfectly competent synthwave / synthpop that satisfies my nostalgia and keeps a good rhythm going while I write and edit.

Not sure they’re breaking any new ground with Culte De La Machine, everything feels familiar and slightly recycled. But, you know, in a good way. Give it a spin on Spotify and you’ll be glad you did.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2744846246 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

nihsahshsaH by Hashshashin

I picked this one up via a subscription to the Art as Catharsis label out of Sydney, Australia. It’s an extensive prog rock jam with diverse influences. According to the Bandcamp description Hashshashin “blend meditative eastern sounds with drone, prog and psychedelia.”

It’s got a bunch going on, and is not for the timid. Imagine somebody went for prog rock and grunge with some math rock thrown in, and then said “you know, we should also try to make this a little weird, too.”

The discordant vibe works for me on most tracks, but is a bit grating on one or two tracks. I haven’t quite come to love “Rebirth,” for example, but “Derge,” “Immolation,” “The Ascetic” and “Prostration” all land just right.

You can dial this one up on Spotify along with some of the band’s newer albums. (This one hails from 2016.) Or check it on Bandcamp. The Art as Catharsis subscription is a mere $7 AUD a month, so it’s hard to beat that.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=483534004 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

That’s not all folks…

I’ve got a ton of new stuff to share, but we’ll cut it off here for today. What’s grabbing your ears this week, month or year? Drop your findings in the comments, new or old doesn’t matter as long as it’s new to me.

Posted on

Jukebox selections: MASTER BOOT RECORD, The Jayhawks, Paul McCartney meets Khruangbin

Album cover: "Tomorrow the green grass" by the Jayhawks

Been a bit between posts, so here’s another run at the jukebox for all my readers looking for a few good tunes to pass the time. Some oldies, some goodies, nothing boring and all good for your soul.

Zenith (Riktam Remix) by MVMB & ALL’IN – IbogaTech

This is a melodic psytrance piece that runs seven minutes and never lets up. If I were the Peloton type, I’d definitely queue this one up for a indoor cycling session. But, alas, I am not. So I merely listen to this while typing. Give it a listen on Bandcamp, I think you’ll be hooked.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1093589695 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Tomorrow the Green Grass by The Jayhawks

Album cover: "Tomorrow the green grass" by the JayhawksThis isn’t a new release nor is it new to me, but I put this on for the millionth time last night and it’s still just as fresh and enjoyable as the first time I listened to it. This album was a recommendation from a friend in college, who dubbed it to cassette for me. I can still remember popping it into my car stereo driving between Columbia, MO and Kirksville, MO – not knowing what to expect, I wasn’t quite braced for it.

Depending on who you ask this fits into the “country rock,” “alternative country” or “alternative rock” genre. There’s definitely a bit of twang and country influence here, and I’d be shocked if Mark Olson and Gary Louris didn’t have some Lynyrd Skynyrd albums in their collection. But the album really transcends genre, it’s just damn good music.

[youtube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kGKXzr_-UvUI-9otP8G8i50Kqm3cbvJNM]

INTERNET PROTOCOL by MASTER BOOT RECORD

Loved the concept, an album with songs inspired by various protocols (FTP, IRC, HTTP, POP3 and Gopher!), but wasn’t sure the execution would live up to it. Turns out, it does. This is great video-gamish music that is fantastic to work to or just enjoy. This is nerd rock at its finest. Ironically it is available as download, vinyl or cassette – but not CD. Sigh. (Can’t argue with the digital download price, though. One Euro is completely reasonable.)

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=238542805 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Paul McCartney meets Khruangbin

Paul McCartney’s McCartney III was some of the best work that the former Beatle has turned in for quite a while. Clearly he made good use of the quarantine time to put together a fine album, but then did us one better and reached out to a number of contemporary artists to remix/re-imagine songs on the album as McCartney III Imagined.

I absolutely love what Khruangbin (another favorite of mine) have done with “Pretty Boys,” and highly recommend giving it a listen.

[youtube https://youtu.be/K-sjSobYNag]

It’d be amazing to put McCartney and Khruangbin in a studio and go for a full album.

What are you listening to?

That’s it for me on this installment. What are you listening to these days?

Posted on

Jukebox selections: Bambie Thug, Method of Defiance, Aesthetic Perfection and more

A few of the things that I’ve caught in the last few weeks that are keeping my ears busy, including Method of Defiance, Bambie Thug, Aesthetic Perfection and others.

One of Bill Laswell’s many, many, many, many recurring projects, Method of Defiance is all over the map depending on which album you’re dealing with. Some feature vocalists like Dr. Israel, others are instrumental jams that blow the doors completely off the hinges.

Nahariama is their second instrumental album, this one featuring DJ Krush, Bernie Worrell, Toshinori Kondo, Graham Haynes, Robert Burger, Guy Licata and Aiyb Dieng. Released in April 2013, the album resurfaced recently when Laswell released some vinyl through Bandcamp along with digital downloads.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=985442974 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Expect a longer review at some point, but this one wow’ed me right out of the gate. In particular, “Quantum Clash” is already in high rotation for me. Continue reading “Jukebox selections: Bambie Thug, Method of Defiance, Aesthetic Perfection and more”