Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
23 Dec 2021 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: jeffrey lewis & the voltage, lp's
23 Dec 2021 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: christmas, top ten
23 Dec 2021 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: courtney barnett, here's the thing
Courtney Barnett: “Here’s the Thing” (2021)
Oh, this confounding Courtney!
Her debut was a blast, a gust of fresh air that appeared to augur the arrival of a new rock artist that actually mattered–the way Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True or Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill seemed to do.
And of course, there being a dearth of rock artists that mattered in the 2010’s, it was likely inevitable Barnett’s first album was hailed as an instant classic.
And it probably is.
In fact, that album’s unfettered, shoot-from-the-hip lyrical feel and punkish energy sounds perhaps better with each passing year of what passes for mainstream pop.
But on Barnett’s two most recent releases the energy is muted, the focus doesn’t seem as sharp, and mid-tempo songs dominate–as if Courtney settled a bit prematurely into “long-term artist” status.
Whatever.
The thing is, despite the last couple albums falling short of the standard set by her debut, each of them has produced one extraordinary, idiosyncratic song. A song that doesn’t just feel like it came from some other album, but from some other artist.
In 2018 it was the excellent “Need a Little Time”. And this time it’s the beautiful, reflective, semi-psychedelic-sounding “Here’s the Thing”. It truly takes things to another plane.
Whether she has another album in her that’s as great as her first isn’t at issue. When she can produce songs like this one, you can’t ignore Courtney Barnett.
That’s the thing.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2015/05/16/songs-you-may-have-missed-531/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2018/06/02/songs-you-may-have-missed-627/
23 Dec 2021 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: journey, replacement singers
18 Dec 2021 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: silver seas, the best things in life
The Silver Seas: “The Best Things in Life” (2010)
As the additional links below attest, we think pretty highly of songwriter Daniel Tashian and Silver Seas.
The guy has a knack for what Guardian writer Michael Hann describes as “melody-heavy songs, suffused with delicious melancholy”.
Yep, nailed it.
I’d only add that the arrangements and styles cover a broad spectrum, from the country-tinged to the early rock ‘n roll-influenced to the jazz-inflected and, on “The Best Things in Life”, something approximating power pop.
If any of that sounds appealing, do yourself a service and explore the band further via the links that follow.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2016/12/01/songs-you-may-have-missed-603/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2020/07/08/songs-you-may-have-missed-666/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2021/07/04/recommended-albums-83/
15 Dec 2021 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: graeme edge, the moody blues
(via the Dallas Observer) by Vincent Arrieta
Of all the bands in the 1960s that cracked open the colors of new musical possibilities, few are as underappreciated as The Moody Blues. The Moodies are widely beloved but taken for granted. They’ve had a crop of hit singles that still receive rotation on classic rock radio, but the band is seldom mentioned in the same breath as some of their less theatrical and more acclaimed peers.
Sure, The Beatles technically did it first, and bands such as Pink Floyd, Electric Light Orchestra and Deep Purple took it further, but The Moody Blues will always be able to lay claim to the fact that they were the first rock ‘n’ roll band to record an entire album piece with a full orchestra.
In many ways, it was all because of Graeme Edge…
Every Moment Has A Song 