Well, well, well - what a bumper week in music. All time Greats and a few confirmed duffers abound. Read on to pick your particular poison...
SINGLES
SBTRKT - MISS THE DAYS (AWAL Recordings)
by Tim London
Drm n bss s stll strnge. Lvey yng gl sngng. Smmr dy msc bt, ths dys th bsy hts and snres jst snd lk wllppr bng scrpd n a jzz kbrd plr wrkng hs wy thrgh vrs prsts.
DANIEL VILLARREAL - 18th & Morgan (International Anthem)
by Ancient Champion
This has library music stamped all over the grooves, and doubtless Daniel will be much in demand for retro network cop show production themes. However, Daniel Villarreal would not be lost in a library being the absolute epitome of cool, in a way that your cool aspirations can never even touch, even while playing air drums (1.32), when flailing at the ride cymbal (3:40) or breaking out his Reagan-era Mercedes (D E S I R E). In Mark Pallman's film it does seem as if Daniel can only walk in slow motion. I'm going to try it. Thought this might slip into a Dre productions pastiche and then it just went everywhere and did everything. Definitely for driving with the windows open at night. That jacket? Couldn't wear it in Bearwood. I am going to get another new hat though.
SUN RA ARKESTRA - Somebody Else's Idea (Omni Sound)
by Toon Traveller
Somebody Else's Idea is from the LP Living Sky, to be released in October. There must be a touch of irony here, the idea of the man from Saturn needing someone else's idea is palpable nonsense, though the man and his horn are long gone, spirited off, floating in the Universe's comic dust, his spirit live on in the Arkestera. Somebody Else's Idea opens with lovely horns, low deep and sonorous, builds with anxious piano, jagged and stabbing, hinting at darker forces, strangled voices and percussion. A lovely slow groove that keeps the feel of a procession through distant places - memories of Saturn, perhaps, hints of those places where landings occurred possibly. I hear touches of ancient Nile, and the open spaces of Patagonia, I hear Ethiopia's Mountains of the Moon, and the temples of Yucatan. 'Miles' style horns weave a magic spell of turquoise sunsets, golden light, camel trains at dusk Caravansaries. This is music, if not of an other time, then most defiantly an other place. That somewhere is nowhere I've ever been, but somewhere i wanna travel to. Yeah gang. Great trippy, floaty, spirit you away big band, big feel, low volume, soft, thoughtful romantic jazz. If this is the sound of Saturn today, when's the next rocket from Cape Canaveral leaving.
MAPLE MARS - Silver Craft (Big Stir)
by Toon Traveller
Wow! For a moment I thought I's been transported back to somewhere in that period when psychedelic rock travelled from the astral plains, to the prog rock of Genesis, Yes, ELP and Greenslade, some of you will remember them, but this is the music three generations of style moved on. Lots of travel references, and what sounds like real old old, mellotrons and Arp synths. Some great prod rock's wall of sounds and fret fingering, lip licking guitars, this took me back, back, josh sticks, kaftans, desert boots, and Newcastle Brown Ale. Anti-style, and those lovely last year's of high school, when me an' my mates were fashionably, anti-fashion. If someone told me this was a forgotten band from the 70's I'd believe them, if you loved the 70's and it's prog rock, space travel ethos, then this is a must buy and must listen on repeat, repeatedly, single for you. If you thought punk and new wave killed that prog rock stuff dead, it's reborn here, loud and proud and unashamed, with flailing hair, twiddling keyboards, and I suspect tie dye cheese cloths shirts and velvet loons. It says the old wave is back "and we don't caaaaaaare." I hope their audience finds them, and loves them, they deserve to be heard in big venues and on big stages, lasers, strobes and glittersballs required.
ALEX G - Cross the Sea (Dmino)
by Tim London
If Jethro Tull had early access to T-Pain’s little autotune gizmo back in 1969… and was a lot less profound and wrote less lyrics… and lost his flute… all of which adds up as a positive review for this pointless question mark of a track.
PREOCCUPATIONS - Death of melody (Not stated)
by Tim London
A Jack Kerouac fan! A Peter Murphy fan. Possibly a Howard Devoto fan. Playing music like this in 2022 is equivalent to playing Slim Gallard covers in 1982 (which would have been quite a hip thing to do back then). Equivalent in years, but, because there is no ‘time’ now and everything is happening right now they must be judged as if it is 1982. In which case, I would say, not bad, but get your own sound. I bet you could.
NILS FRAHM - Lemon Day (Leiter Verlag)
by Katherine Pargeter
The second piece to be released from Frahm’s forthcoming ‘Music for Animals’ album is an immersive and meditative delight. The opening of this beautiful 18-minute piece may feel a little dark and thoughtful, but this soon evaporates into warm and tranquil waves. You may lose sense of time whilst listening to it but that was probably intended.
As with Frahm’s 2019 album ‘All Melody’ the founder of Piano Day appears to have eschewed that instrument to create new textures in the studio for ‘Music for Animals.’ As a title, ‘Music For Animals’ is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the conceptual albums of the 1950s – like Raymond Scott’s Music For Babies – as well as to contemporary playlist habits. “I feel a certain frustration with the functional use of music these days, all these playlists with names like Music for Sleeping, Music for Focus, Music for Masturbation..” Frahm laughs. “Music always seems to need to do something useful. That’s a very client-driven logic: the client needs something, the music should deliver that, otherwise ‘You’re fired!’ " Frahm makes music solely to be enjoyed, let's celebrate 'Lemon Day.'
SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR X @WUH OH - Hypnotized (Cooking Vinyl)
ZERO s
by Tim London
Rhyming ‘bed’ with ‘hyponoti-zed’ was probably a little joke worked out on Soph’s disco kitchen island. And that is the most interesting thing about this conveyor belt in a shopping mall track. In fact, that’s unfair on conveyor belts, they have a lot more function.
TRY - Silence (Redux) (label)
by Toon Traveller
MILLY - Ring True (Dangerbird Records)
by Tim London
Now that is disappointing. Thought this might finally be the crucial follow up to Milly’s ‘Enoch Power’, the story of her arrival in Birmingham in the days when thick head Enoch Powell was sweating (fantasising?) about Black men holding whips. Then I realised it’s ‘Millie’, not Milly. And that Millie Small, the singer to whom I refer, died in 2020. Enoch Power was a more bizarre than you can imagine collaboration with what sounds like a Sally Army band. Milly’s Ring True would have benefitted massively from something similar as it might have sounded less like a song fallen into the gap between C86 and shoegaze and gazing up, wondering what happened.
FLOHIO - SPF (AWAL Recordings)
by Tim London
Love her voice. Just wish it was on top of something more interesting, beat-wise. Anyway, good luck to Flohio, which is two very different states in the USA mashed together. It’s a good game and I’m looking forward to rappers named Texork, Missi Al, Kanland, New Ada, Utinia, North Ming, Vermalina, Minni Ho, Alsee, New Nois and Wyorado. Wonder if it works with London boroughs…?
(Merkney…)
PINK FLOYD - Dogs (2018 Remix) (Parlophone)
ZERO s
by Katherine Pargeter
Anyone who saw the little tirade that silly old Roger Waters had against the Canadian media recently, will know what an inflated view of his own worth as an artist he has.
Instead of reviewing his show in Toronto, the press were more interested in local act The Weeknd. He fumed: “With all due respect to The Weeknd or Drake or any of them, I am far, far, far more important than any of them will ever be, however many billions of streams they’ve got...".
...except, well, he's not really is he? Not at all. And this 17 minute teaser of an entire album of tidied up mixes of Pink Floyd's Orwell-inspired 'Animals' (1977) is proof of what a didactic, finger-wagging, mean spirited and thoroughly hackneyed songwriter he was is.
I'm going to need a palate cleanser after hearing this, I'll probably opt for something by The Weeknd.
LOSKI - Obsessed (Not stated)
ZERO s
by Tim London
Average beat creaking along behind someone being rude about someone else for some obscure reason. As a sociologist it’s about as interesting as a parking fine. As a music fan it’s right up there with the latest drill landfill.
ROBYN HITCHCOCK - Shuffle Man (Tiny Ghost Records)
by LamontPaul
Robyn Hitchcock, the original and still by a very wide margin the best. Shuffle Man is that 60s/70s clever pop that we hear many facsimiles of, while forever scratching our ears and wondering what magic ingredient is missing. RH seemingly blithely puts it all together for you here. In a long career he's been the inspiration for millions. Even if the guitar driven pop thing is not your exact thing, Shuffle Man is a retrofuturistic joy to behold, to be had, on your playlist. I'm so happy it's here.
DRY CLEANING - Anna Calls From The Arctic (4AD Records)
by Spanish Pantalones
It's another hit from Dry Cleaning. "Anna Calls From The Arctic" is the second single from their forthcoming LP Stumpwork. (They released "Don't Press Me" about six months ago.) "Anna Calls From The Arctic" sounds a lot more measured and deliberate than anything off their debut album, New Long Leg, which had as much raw, jittery energy as the first Clash album. "Anna Calls From The Arctic" is atmospheric, almost ethereal in some parts. Single of the week? You tell me.
LPs
IN LINE JUGGS - Incurable Psychobilly (Pima County Records)
by Sheridan Coyle
CHARLOTTE ADIGéRY & BOLIS PUPUL - Topical Dancer (Unknown)
by Tim London
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul's entertaining Topical Dancer gets a full review from Tim London here.
THE ASSOCIATES - Sulk (BMG)
by Jay Lewis
Jay Lewis revisits the triumph that was The Associates peerless Sulk LP from 1982. Read Jay's review here.
BEYONCE - Renaissance (Parkwood/Columbia)
by Alarcon
Beyoncé's first album in six years debuts today. Alarcon gives it 2 stars out of 5. Find out why here.
Other Materials
COMMON - The 6th Sense (featuring DJ Premier and Bilal) (Geffen)
by Ancient Champion
When the hits are in short supply lets just dig out an all time great instead. The first single from Common's Soulquarian era LP, Like Water For Chocolate LP from 2000. Beautiful and unforgettable. Although this is is the only track from the LP not produced by a Soulquarian alumni. The entire LP is great but maybe this is the greatest. Made it to number 56 on the UK singles chart. Maybe while you were relativizing the Spice Girls' F-O-R-E-V-E-R.
LUDOVICO EINAUDI - Tiny Desk Concert (YouTube)
by LamontPaul
The Tiny Desk tiny concerts are so often so great. Ludovico Einaudi I particularly love, and this is so very exciting. Post ambient, what's that? Somnambulant music that you miss while you're sleeping? The vernacular surrounding the pigeonholing of music is always so trite. Ludo looks like Larry David which really you'd think, wouldn't help, but here we are. The new LP, Underwater, is possibly muted musings on a pandemic. An empathetic response to, that feels like it actually will resonate with the millions still living. And maybe more so those surviving loved ones. It's a serious business I know but I am now also looking forward to the post-post pandemic music of my dying days. Meanwhile, Ludovico Einaudi is purportedly the most streamed piano composer of all time, now wonder, and this graceful set is an emotional juggernaut archetype if you like. Wildly entertaining.
Essential Info
Main Ludovico Einaudi image borrowed from his website
