CD Odyssey Disc 1346: Daniel Romano

After a long week I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Let’s get that started with a music review, shall we?

Disc 1346 is…If I’ve Only One Time Askin’

Artist: Dan Romano

Year of Release: 2015

What’s up with the Cover? Dan Romano has a cigarette. If I only had one time askin’, I would ask what’s out of frame that’s earned his side-eyed glance.

How I Came to Know It: I saw Romano open for Corb Lund a few years ago. I liked what I heard and that – coupled with a recommendation from a coworker – got me into his music. This particular purchase was just me digging through his collection.

How It Stacks Up: I have four Daniel Romano albums. I got rid of “Modern Pressure” after I reviewed it and “Finally Free” couldn’t hold my attention long enough for even that (more on that later). Of the four remaining albums, “If I’ve Only One Time Askin’” comes in at #2, edging out “Come Cry With Me” which had been occupying that spot.

Since this is the last of my Daniel Romano album to be reviewed, here’s the recap:

1. Sleep Beneath the Willow: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 1132)
2. If I’ve Only One Time Askin’: 4 stars (reviewed right here)
3. Come Cry With Me: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 919)
4. Mosey: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 953)
5. Modern Pressure: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 1030)

Ratings: 4 stars

Daniel Romano is one of those artists who does what he wants with his sound. Audiences can follow along if they like, but Dan’s gonna do what Dan’s gonna do. It’s fitting that the last album Romano put out before he would go down some weird and (for me) not-so wonderful roads, would be a straightforward and traditional collection of old school country break-up songs.  Because after this record, he and I would part ways as well. At least it ended with a bang…

This record is an homage to seventies and eighties country crooners like George Jones and George Strait; filled with slow, mournful songs of lost loves and a whole lot of pedal steel.

I love that sound, and Romano breezily composes songs that could easily be slipped back in time forty or fifty years and fit right in. He writes in a timeless style, and while these melodies sound like something you’ve heard a thousand times before, you haven’t heard them quite like this.

Songs of that era relied heavily on a turn of phrase, and Romano is up to the task. On “Strange Faces” he sings:

“If I had a room to breathe in, if I had a burning fire

One would surely choke the other, leaving me the same desire.

There’s no bottle left half empty, there’s no sun can frame my door

If I sailed away forever, never would I find the shore.”

It is all very overblown, but that’s how this music works. Besides, just because it is hyperbolic doesn’t mean this isn’t some great imagery. Romano sells it with a partial nasal twang, where you can tell he’s channeling old school Nashville but can’t change the fact that he’s from Ontario. I like the mix and think it helps to create a modern tension to the traditional forms he’s exploring.

Most of all, Romano manages something he loses a bit on later records; he’s emotionally believable. This record is full of a whole lot of hurt and heartache, but it comes across as real. There are songs where he goes a bit too far with the melancholic metaphor - “If You Go Your Way (I’ll Go Blind)” being the worst offender – but for the most part you feel the sadness, and a general sense that you should put your hand over your heart and look skyward, or something.

While it is mostly pedal steel sadness, Romano also explores other styles from yesteryear, including some Gordon Lightfoot styled pattern picking on the title track, and more than a hint of Townes Van Zandt on “Strange Faces”.

The last minute or so of “The One That Got Away (Came Back Today)” is a harbinger of the ridiculousness that would come on future records, but on the other tracks Romano plays it straight up and the record feels more like an earnest homage to those that came before him, rather than a send-up.

I’ve been a bit cranky with Daniel Romano’s musical choices of late. I found 2017’s “Modern Pressure” weighed down by its own self-absorption and I disliked 2018’s “Finally Free” so much I decided to skip going to a show I already had tickets for. It’s fair to say Romano has moved on without me, leaving me to pine for the way things used to be…

Despite all that bad blood, “If I’ve Only…” won my heart back with all that heartache, and reminded me why I have five of this guy’s records. When he’s good, he’s very good.

Best tracks: Strange Faces, Old Fires Die, If I’ve Only One Time Askin’, There’s a Hardship, Learning to Do Without Me, Two Word Joe

CD Odyssey Disc 1345: Ana Egge

2020 is shaping up to be a great year for live shows. I’ve already been to two (David Francey and the Beaches) and I’ve got five more on tap. I could tell you who they are, but why spoil the surprise?

I’d love to see this next artist live, and wouldn’t you know it, she’s in Seattle next Saturday. I can’t swing that, so I comfort myself with the knowledge that she was only the opening act. Instead, we’ll all have to settle for this album review.

Disc 1345 is…Lazy Days

Artist: Ana Egge

Year of Release: 2007

What’s up with the Cover? There is something comforting about lying down in tall grass in the summertime, but maybe not in bare feet. Too many bugs.

How I Came to Know It: I discovered Ana Egge through her work as a backup singer on a Matt Patershuk album. “Lazy Days” was just me digging through her back catalogue and buying every album I could get my hands on once I was hooked on her solo stuff.

How It Stacks Up: When I last reviewed an Ana Egge album I only had two of them, but I’ve since doubled that number. I’m still on the lookout for two more but of the four I have, “Lazy Days” comes in at #4. Hey, something had to be last.

Ratings: 3 stars

“Lazy Days” was exactly what I needed – a record full of relaxing songs about summer just when I was getting fatigued from all the cold and rain of the Canadian winter. The sun even came out today, and I couldn’t help but think it was the universe tipping its hat to this happy sun-drenched record.

“Lazy Days” is that rarest of beasts – a folk concept album. In this case, it is an entire record of songs about the lazy days of summer and generally doing as little as possible. It sounds like a lot of repetition, but here you can’t get too much of a good thing.

That good thing is Egge’s gorgeous vocal performance; sweet, full and heavy in the air like the scent of a hundred blooming cherry trees, but without all the pollen that might make your eyes water.

I was grooving along to all of these songs when halfway through I recognized the Belle and Sebastian song “Summer Wastin’”. At first I thought it was the only cover on the album only to discover reading the liner notes that…the whole record consists of covers.

Turns out Egge has combed through her knowledge of rock, folk and alternative music and found 10 lazy summer songs spanning many decades, all of which fit together like they were made for each other. I’m embarrassed to say I wouldn’t have known any of the others without looking, but the album features songs originally by artists as disparate as the Kinks, Stephen Stills, Arcade Fire and Gene Autry.

It is a testament to Egge’s skill as an artist that she blends all the songs so seamlessly that you think they are all hers. I’d have thought the same of “Summer Wastin’”, except that I knew the song already.

I checked out a few of the originals and Egge consistently gives them a treatment that is equal to the original or better. Early returns were so good I even braved the original “In the Backseat” by Arcade Fire on YouTube. I usually can’t stand Arcade Fire, and in its original form that was true again. I’ll give Egge credit, though. Her version was pleasant to listen to, and getting me to appreciate Arcade Fire in any incarnation is no easy task.

While the arrangements vary from song to song, Egge turns them all toward contemporary folk interpretations. When she does ‘rock out’ it tends to get in the way of the song. This is particularly true for the Le Tigre cover “Much Finer,” which features a groovy bass line, but some not-so-groovy squawk-box shouts in the background.

Fortunately, Egge mostly finds the songs bones and clings close to them, letting the melody draw that sweet voice along like a river, low in late summer, meandering slow through a field. And while she lets the songs work their magic, the record isn’t completely stripped bare of production. There are layers here, but the layers serve to just make the song feel full and slow.

On “Lazy Days” Egge pays homage to the summer holidays, and she misses no opportunity to press that feeling home. The lyrics, vocals and arrangements combine to give you a full soak in the delicious experience of doing nothing. It may not be my favourite of her records, but it was just the warm hug I needed on a cold winter’s day.

Best tracks: Sitting in the Midday Sun, Johnny’s Garden, It’s My Lazy Day, Wastin’ My Time

CD Odyssey Disc 1344: 10cc

For the second straight time I’ve rolled an album from 1977. This will be my 26^th album reviewed that was released in that year, which is interesting if you like statistics. I think statistics are alright, but I like music better.

Disc 1344 is…Deceptive Bends

Artist: 10cc

Year of Release: 1977

What’s up with the Cover? If these guys needed deep-sea diving suits to retrieve this woman, I don’t like her chances because she is not dressed to survive the pressure down there.

Conversely, if these two are going to a night of hot salsa dancing, it’s the guy in the diving suit that’s going to have a difficult time of it.

How I Came to Know It: My wife’s friend Aly introduced me to 10cc through their 1975 record, “The Original Soundtrack”. I liked what I heard and explored their discography from there. “Deceptive Bends” is one of the records that made the grade.

How It Stacks Up: 10cc had 11 studio albums, but only three made the aforementioned “grade” (which is just fancy talk for “I liked them”). Of those three, one didn’t make the grade after all; but I gave up on “How Dare You!” after reviewing it back at Disc 1268. This leaves me with two records, this one and the also-aforementioned “Original Soundtrack”. Of those two, I’m going to say “Deceptive Bends” wins by a hair to take #1.

Ratings: 4 stars

I’m not a fan of musicals, but I think if “Deceptive Bends” were turned into a musical I’d go, if only to see what kind of story you would build around a record this weird and wonderful.

If anything, “Deceptive Bends” is a new era of radio friendly pop for 10cc. It is the first record following the departure of Godley and Crème and the remaining band members take the opportunity to take a turn toward the mainstream…kind of.

When they want to, 10cc can write as pretty, straightforward and memorable an AM radio earworm as you could wish for. On “Deceptive Bends” that song is “The Things We Do for Love” which is pure sugar to the veins. It is one catchy track. Actually, it is at least two catchy tracks. The hook when the boys sing “the things we do for love!” is one brilliant hook, and it is counterbalanced against a second hook where the band sings “I’m walking in the rain and the snow/and there’s…nowhere to go.” That part sounds totally different, but somehow connected and just as wonderful.

You can pooh pooh “The Things We Do For Love,” and dismiss it for being saccharine radio fare (which of course it is). Just don’t tell me you don’t like it, or that you don’t want to sing along at the mere hint of a few bars of the chorus. That would make you a liar.

For all that, my favourite song on the record is “Marriage Bureau Rendezvous.” It features some of 10cc’s signature silliness, in this case revolving around a man who goes to a “marriage bureau” to find his ideal mate. He fills out some forms and expresses a few preferences but who ends up finding love all on his own – apparently with the civil servant at the bureau. It is catchy and like a lot of 10cc; filled with lighthearted romance.

Whatever songs these guys are pumping out, they like a healthy does of prog in their pop. Most of the songs shift tempos and tunes at least once, and often two or three times. The eleven-and-a-half-minute epic, “Feel the Benefit” honestly advertises itself as “Parts 1, 2 and 3” but you can expect the same short musical attention span on most of these songs.

Every hook on these songs will hold your attention, but it won’t hold 10cc’s attention for long. They’re going to get fidgety and move onto something else long before the song is over. It should be annoying – occasionally it is – but mostly they’re so brilliant at their craft that the whole Frankenstein’s monster they create ends up as a beauty. A lumbering beauty that risks being misunderstood at every turn, but a beauty all the same.

My biggest gripe with this record is that there are too many kitschy songs about ordinary subjects. “You’ve Got a Cold” is literally about having a cold. The song is about as fun as the experience it describes. It features some killer guitar riffs but not so killer to have me forget this is a song about blowing your nose.

“Don’t Squeeze Me Like Toothpaste” is at least just a metaphor, but it’s a strained metaphor, not an insightful one.

The aforementioned “Feel the Benefit” is the best and worst of 10cc. It is bloated, and it changes its mind too often, but it is also filled with anthemic pop hooks, string flourishes that sweep you off your feet and a message of hope and love that is hard to get angry at. This is the big number at the end of the show where every actor comes out and does a grand dance. Even the villains vanquished back in Act IV return, to take a bow and twirl the heroine, as all is forgiven.

In the end I also forgave this record most of its excesses. Even as those excesses made me roll my eyes, these pop hooks entice me to get up and dance. Add to that some top tier musicianship and a talent for turning the impossibly complicated into the simply pleasurable, and you end up with a record that is sneaky good.

Best tracks: The Things We Do For Love, Marriage Bureau Rendezvous, People in Love, Feel the Benefit

CD Odyssey Disc 1343: Eric Clapton

Welcome back to the CD Odyssey – let’s get this ship under sail, shall we?

Disc 1343 is…Slowhand

Artist: Eric Clapton

Year of Release: 1977

What’s up with the Cover? This cover really hits the G-spot. And you know what Clapton’s likely doing with his other hand, don’t you? Rhythmically strumming, that’s what.

How I Came to Know It: This is one of the oldest CDs in my collection. Back in the mists of time I used to have a Clapton greatest hits album on cassette. When I switched to CD, I decided to go investigate his studio albums. I searched out the ones with the best reputations, as well as the ones with songs I recognized from my greatest hits cassette. “Slowhand” was the right fit for both.

How It Stacks Up: I used to have two Eric Clapton albums, but after reviewing “461 Ocean Boulevard” back at Disc1096, I let it go. Consequently, “Slowhand” now stands alone, or #1 if you want to honour albums I’ve previously parted with.

Ratings: 5 stars

I’ve had an uneven relationship with Clapton over the years. For a while I was in love with his guitar playing, to the point where I’d spent my meagre savings trying to replace my greatest hits record with a bunch of studio albums (the meagerness in the equation tapped the process at three, of which only this one remains). In recent years, when I’ve had more dispensable income, he had become an afterthought in my burgeoning music collection. Enter the randomness of the CD Odyssey to remind me not to forget old friends like “Slowhand.”

When I reviewed “461 Ocean Boulevard” I noted its technical brilliance, but lack of thump. “Slowhand” solves that problem at Track 1, with one of rock’s greatest riff-driven tunes, “Cocaine.” The message is about as complicated as the average cokehead high on the stuff, but the song’s groove, and Clapton’s brilliance - dropping chunky riffs and sublime solos in equal measure – is what makes it great.

But “Slowhand” is a lot more than Clapton rocking out; it is a record with all kinds of range. “Cocaine” is followed up by “Wonderful Tonight” a romantic piece about a couple out for an evening together. The tone of Clapton’s guitar is without par on this track, as he demonstrates his nickname, playing a slow and touching love song. The thing I like most about this song is how Clapton mixes fervent romance with relaxed comfort. This is a song about a couple that have been in love for a long time, and that love has grown into a mellow gold with time.

“Cocaine” is a JJ Cale cover, and “Wonderful Tonight” is a Clapton original. Together they show Clapton’s talent for picking the right songs to suit his voice (both vocal and guitar) and his ability to write classics that stand on par with the covers.

“Next Time You See Her” is one of the great “jealous ex-boyfriend” songs of all time, with lyrics that say much but intimate even more:

“She's got everything a man could ever ask for
She is lovely, brighter than a morning star
She is so beautiful, portrait of a sunset
She got everything, including my old car

“Next time you see her, tell her that I love her
Next time you see her, tell her that I care
Next time you see her, tell her that I love her
Next time I see you, boy you'd better beware”

On the surface the narrator wants his ex’s new man to compliment her, but as the song progresses you realize he is threatening them both. It’s a creepy tune, packaged up in a pleasant little melody.

And on it goes, with crunch rock tracks like “Cocaine” and “The Core” sitting side by side with pastoral and dreamlike songs like “Wonderful Tonight” and “We’re All the Way.” Holding it altogether is a sublime production, warm through the middle range just like the vinyl of its time demanded. It sounds pretty good on CD too.

There are covers and originals, grit and flowers, and through it all there is Clapton’s guitar brilliance, playing every style – slow or fast – with an easy grace

In anticipation of reviewing this record I told a coworker that Clapton’s playing had faded for me over time but listening to “Slowhand” was a reminder of how wrong I was to suggest such a thing. This record is a masterpiece, demonstrating a quiet confidence that has lost nothing in the decades since its first release.

Best tracks: all tracks

CD Odyssey Disc 1342: The Coup

I’ve been discovering a lot of great music lately, but more and more I can’t find those albums on CD. It is a dying format, and I’m having a hard time letting go and converting to the sad and sterile land of the download code.

Rap is one of the worst genres for this, as modern rap artists have embraced the digital-only world with enthusiasm. Fortunately, this next album came out during the golden age of the compact disc, and I found it almost immediately.

Disc 1342 is…Kill My Landlord

Artist: The Coup

Year of Release: 1993

What’s up with the Cover? Members of the Coup welcome us into their kitchen. Well, maybe 'welcome' isn't the right word here. Band leader Boots Riley is brandishing a frying pan. Maybe he's just going to cook up some breakfast, but all those angry glares suggest otherwise.

How I Came to Know It: I was reading some music article or other (as I often do) and the Coup song “Magic Clap” got mentioned in a capacity I no longer remember. At the time, however, I was interested enough to check out the song and I liked what I heard.

“Magic Clap” isn’t even on this record, but that’s how it all started. From there I dug through the entire Coup discography with wild abandon. And here we are.

How It Stacks Up: The Coup have six albums and they are all good. Unfortunately, I’ve only managed to find four so far. Of the four I have, “Kill My Landlord” comes in 3^rd.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

“Kill My Landlord” is the first album from the Coup, a very funky, very political rap act from Oakland, California. If you’re wondering if the title of the album is a bit of playful hyperbole the answer is…I hope so. The Coup’s lyrics can be funny, it is also clear they are not joking.

This is music for the revolution. While listening to it did not make me feel particularly revolutionary, I did admire the band’s rap flow. Their rhymes are clever, with thoughtful turns of phrase that drive their points home with a controlled rage.

Along the way they skewer Bill Clinton, George Bush and a host of police departments. They even call out Donald Trump (who back in 1993 was just a famous businessman).

The album song list is set up like a baseball lineup, with the center of the lineup featuring the heaviest hitters. Track four is the title track, and a broad call to revolution followed by a song imagining revenge on a violent cop (“I Know You”), a song exploring the power of language over behavior (“I Ain’t the Nigga”) and finishing up with “Last Blunt” a song about how getting high too often saps you of your will to achieve anything. You definitely won’t care about joining the revolution after too much dope, which for the Coup is a big deal.

The chocolate coating that helps all this go down easier is the incredibly funky beats and bass lines. The Coup doesn’t rely solely on a bunch of snare samples and breaks; they’ve got a full band of their own, with drums, guitars, drums and keyboards. This gives their songs a strong R&B feel and a great organic quality. They also throw in a small amount of jazz, but not so much to detract from the groove or to annoy my anti-jazz sensibilities. There is still lots of scratching and sampling, but it is blended well with the ‘live’ band elements.

It's clear the Coup wants “Kill My Landlord” to generate impassioned political debate and push people to action. I hate to disappoint them, but I’m going to stick to the music. I’m sure there are plenty of other websites out there where you can scratch your political itch.

So, from a musical perspective, does the Coup deliver? This is a damned funky record, and the rhymes are solid, and it makes it easy to enjoy over multiple listens. All that social commentary comes off as a bit strident at times, but I suppose that’s the point.

Best tracks: The Coup, I Know You, I Ain’t the Nigga, Last Blunt, Liberation of Lonzo

CD Odyssey Disc 1341: David Francey

It was only three weeks ago when I was fortunate enough to see David Francey perform live (reviewed here), and now I’m fortunate enough to roll one of his albums!

Disc 1341 is…So Say We All

Artist: David Francey

Year of Release: 2013

What’s up with the Cover? David Francey walks down an alley, or at least that’s what several witnesses later reported. Are they sure it was David Francey? Did they ever see his face? This guy could be anyone!

Sorry, that’s as exciting as I can make this “guy walks down an alley” album cover.

How I Came to Know It: It was part of a flurry of David Francey purchases I made after I read about him in a folk magazine and got excited.

How It Stacks Up: If you’re reading along, you already know how many David Francey albums I have. Of those, I put “So Say We All” smack-dab in the middle at #5. I think it could be #4 on a good day, but for now I’ll stick with #5, while reserving the right to change my mind.

Ratings: 4 stars

David Francey songs are like ACDC songs – they all sound vaguely the same and they all sound good. The similarities end at the high and very subjective level, of course. Francey’s no rock god. He tells true blue Canadian stories that are stripped down folk songs, delivered with heart and pathos.

Francey is a natural storyteller, and his gravelly baritone vocals, tinged with more than an echo of his Scottish birthplace, are the perfect delivery system for his tales. He doesn’t do anything special technically. “So Say We All” is his 10^th studio release and he sticks doggedly to his well-established formula. This consists of a short rhyming couplet, followed by a second, or maybe a refrain if he’s feeling particularly reflective.

However obvious it may seem (even the melodies have the same familiar lilt) I wouldn’t change a thing. He’s the master of his craft, and his easy rhymes are only easy after he sets them before you and they drop naturally into place like they’ve always been there. His delivery is only so carefree because his phrasing sits so beautifully in the pocket you don’t notice him doing it. We should all wish we could deliver art with such apparent ease and grace.

Ten albums in has its own set of advantages as well. For one thing, the production on this record is brilliantly balanced, with a thick and rich tone to every note that doesn’t exist on his earlier stuff where, presumably, he had a smaller budget.

Over the years Francey has also gathered around him some wonderful musicians who share his mastery of homespun charm. Francey sings and writes the songs, but he wisely gives way on the instruments to some great players. Mark Westberg (guitar), Darren McMullen (mandolin, bouzouki), and Chris Coole (banjo, dobro) give the record a tumbling energy that matches Francey’s. Mark Westberg in particular, with his percussive style on the guitar, makes the record feel awake and visceral, like you’re hearing a busker on a city street, or an impromptu performance beside a fireplace in some snowed-in cabin.

Francey is a folk singer without pretense. He’s not here to protest – necessarily, and he’s not here to paint a pretty picture – again, necessarily – he just writes what he sees with an almost childlike wonder, and lets his listener’s judgment take it from there.

A good example is “Cheap Motel,” which is a song about…a cheap motel. Francey gives you a vivid picture of every cheap motel you’ve ever seen:

“Behind the stairs and the Coke machine

Down in the corner, sight unseen

In the cheap motel”

With the denizens of the place that ground it in the lives of real characters:

“The girl at the desk, she’s learning guitar

Watching the faces, counting the cars.

In the cheap motel

“Works by herself, likes it alone

Eyes looking through you, harder than stone.

In the cheap motel.”

You can tell this is one specific girl, but Francey simultaneously gives voice to the countless girls like her, eking out an honest living on the edge of an uncaring highway.

On “Pandora’s Box” Francey tackles the internet, and how its powers can be used for good or ill. It has a bit of “old guy encounters tech” to it, but the sad and haunted way Francey sings the chorus:

“Hasp and hinges broken

Pandora’s box wide open.”

Makes it feel honest and real.

This authenticity is Francey’s greatest gift. A love song like “A Star Above” could feel dated and trite in the wrong hands. With Francey singing it feels timeless, like it fell out of the pocket of a seventeenth century Cavalier poet. A couple killer mandolin solos from Darren McMullen don’t hurt either.

“So Say We All” features modern recordings, but the songs were written across Francey’s earlier career (1999-2008). How these songs never made it on an earlier record is beyond me, but I’m glad that this time they survived the cut.

Best tracks: Rain, Cheap Motel, Pandora’s Box, Satellite, American Blues, A Star Above

CD Odyssey Disc 1340: The Beaches

This next review is of a band I saw in concert earlier in the week. For my thoughts on the concert scroll down, but first – as is my tradition – I’ve reviewed their newest studio release.

Disc 1340 is…The Professional

Artist: The Beaches

Year of Release: 2019

What’s up with the Cover? Four very young-looking Beaches. If I heard correctly at the concert (dialogue was tough to pick up) I think they said this picture was from when they were in high school. Since then, Kylie Miller (far right) has gone blonde. And Leandra Earl (far left) has gone reddish-brown.

Here Earl is making what appears to be a tiger claw with her hand, but she could just be dancing. Or maybe just waving. It’s hard to tell.

How I Came to Know It: When I heard the Beaches were coming to town to play a live show I wondered what album they were touring. Turns out it was this one, which I had missed when it was released. I picked up a copy at the show, along with a nifty tour shirt.

How much do I pay for my rock and roll lifestyle? That night, I paid $50.

How It Stacks Up: I have four Beaches albums. Only one is full length, and the other three (including “The Professional”) are all EPs. I like the full album best, but it is in a category of its own. Of the three EPs, “The Professional” comes in at #2.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

Since their first album, the Beaches have displayed a knack for writing catchy tunes. On their latest EP, “The Professional” they prove they’ve still got the touch.

The Beaches have carved out a nice piece of territory mid-way between pop and rock. This stuff is radio friendly, but it has enough angst and guitar punch to give it the gravitas it needs. “The Professional” is their most smoothly produced album to date, and that rock-edge is critical, because without it this record would be all polish with no grit.

Polished or otherwise, the band plays tight little rock songs that are catchy as hell. They gave me a swagger to my step walking around town. The style elements are typical of bands in the digital download/streaming age: it is all over the map. No longer are bands limited to the 50 records in their parents’ collection and the 50 more at various friends’ houses. Now the entire catalogue of 60+ years of modern music is at their fingertips.

On “The Professional” I got hints of early eighties pop, anthemic nineties alt-rock and modern dance music. The songs aren’t new in terms of their individual components, but the Beaches do a great job of blending these influences into something uniquely their own.

After a couple of bright up-tempo rock songs with “Desdemona” and “Fascination” the band starts the third track, “Snake Tongue” with some ethereal keyboard from Leandra Earl. This song is the best one on the album in terms of showing off Jordan Miller’s vocals, as well as representing the best of their sound. I believe the song is about the rude gestures that assholes make at pretty women, described in the chorus as:

“Cold snake tongue stuck in between

Two fingers shaped like a V

O why would you think I’d want to meet you?”

There are many great lines in this song, but my favourite is:

“Just because I’ve got this fresh face

Doesn’t mean I want to taste your toothpaste.”

It’s a nice reminder that this is not the way to appreciate a young and beautiful woman. Sadly, the assholes in question are probably not listening. Assholes are like that. At least the rest of us can feel that – through the Beaches – someone is at least telling them off.

Another favourite for me was “Want What You Got”. With its staccato delivery and dance pop vibe, it reminded me heavily of early Lady Gaga. If you listen to the lyrics, it’s a song about envy and the weight of expectations that – young or old – we all feel from time to time. If you don’t listen to the lyrics that’s OK too, because the song has a great bassline and a groovy guitar riff as well. So bob your head to the groove, or beweep your outcast state, as the spirit moves you in the moment.

As advertised, the album is an EP and only has five songs, which was not enough new content for me after waiting impatiently for the last two years, but I’ll take what I can get. Fortunately, even after many repeat listens (four in total, and a fifth and sixth as I write this) I never got tired of the songs. Any of these tracks could be radio hits and I am once again flummoxed what it takes to make a hit record in these troubled times. I hope this will do it for the Beaches.

Best tracks: Desdemona, Snake Tongue, Want What you Got

The Concert: February 7, 2020 at the Capital Ballroom, Victoria

This was my second time seeing the Beaches, and after my first experience (reviewed back at Disc 1131) I had high expectations.

Knowing the limited seating at the Capital Ballroom, Sheila and I got there early and staked out our favourite spot up in the mezzanine. Most of our friends prefer the floor (which probably has better sound) but the older I get the less I enjoy being jostled by drunks.

As is tradition at the Capital Ballroom, you can arrive at seven o’clock, but don’t expect to be entertained for an hour or more. It being a school night for me, I bought a single tall can of beer and prepared to wait out the time until the opening band came on.

Hunny

That band was Hunny, an alternative rock band from California. I had checked out a few songs in advance of the show, but they hadn’t floated my boat, so I was hoping their live show would be better.

As it happened, Hunny turned out to be…OK. Their music reminded me heavily of the Killers, with a bit of Blink 182 thrown in from time to time. Unfortunately, I don’t like either one of those bands. A couple of their tracks mimicked that distinctive Cure guitar sound from the eighties that is “in” with a lot of bands right now. I do like that sound and those tracks were the best of the set, even though there weren’t enough of them.

Hunny was also limited by the venue’s very small stage and the fact that they had to perform around all of the Beaches’ gear. The lead singer had about a two-foot square at the front of the stage to do his thing, and was clearly irritated by this, as anyone would be.

Their bass player also lost his feed for a brief time. Watching him fuss with the outputs and feeds was mildly distracting for me, but probably sheer hell for him. He handled it better than the singer handled the lack of space, although he did at one point confer with the drummer about his plight (who I like to think said something like “I would love to help you out, bra, but I’m totally busy drumming back here”).

The Beaches:

After Hunny departed, and another overlong “please drink more beers” interlude, the Beaches finally took the stage.

Once again, the Toronto quartet did not disappoint, bringing an immediate energy and joy that quickly infected the crowd. The band was a tiny bit looser than I remember them (which is to be expected, given it was the first night of their tour) but it was a very tiny bit and they still sounded great.

The Beaches have great chemistry with both the crowd and with each other. It is clear they like what they do, and they deliver a good mix of impromptu and unscripted dancing and leaping about, along with a couple set pieces where they jump or pose in unison.

They sounded a bit muddy to start the show, but they got the mix right about four songs in and things started to soar.  They played a good mix of early classics, hits from their 2017 album “The Late Show” as well as most of the new EP. It was the exact way I like a live show setlist, and I pretty much heard every song I was hoping for.

The Beaches even threw in a cover of Kylie Minogue’s 2001 smash hit “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” Guitarist Kylie Miller took the lead vocals on this one, making it a “Kylie covers Kylie” moment which I enjoyed. The cover didn’t blow me away, but I always like to hear an odd cover track at a live show and welcomed the surprise.

Main vocalist and bassist Jordan Miller was as brilliant as ever. She’s a gifted frontwoman, who knows how to strike a pose at the right time, and how to walk the line between tough and sexy. Her sister Kylie had some solid moments on the guitar, and while she was really loving the reverb pedal, it never detracted from the songs. Kylie has lots of moves of her own, ranging from “damsel scampers about” to “Goth girl stares wistfully into space.”

My favourite woman in the band was once again keyboardist Leandra Earl, however. Earl has a natural groove to her movement that is infectious, and the way she swaps rhythm guitar and keyboard back and forth so seamlessly (sometimes within a single song) is impressive. She also displayed high kicks that reminded me of the famous Crispin Glover appearance on Letterman, but thankfully minus the unhinged mania.

This being the first show, the band was still finding their footing with their between-songs banter, with Jordan Miller and Earl talking over each other a couple of times in their mutual excitement to tell a story.

The crowd was excellent, being enthusiastic and respectful of both one another and the band. I saw very little in the way of excessive filming or photos, and for the most part hands were in the air only to clap or fist pump, not to block someone’s vision with a fucking iPhone.

I knew early on that the gap by the railing between our table and the table next to us would be filled with someone, and was lucky it ended up being a young couple who squeezed into the space without aggression, and were totally respectful of my sight-lines and personal space.

All in all, it was another great show by the Beaches that leaves me hoping I’ll get a chance to see them again.

CD Odyssey Disc 1339: Sleater-Kinney

Last night I went to see the Beaches, one of rock and roll’s great up-and-coming bands. A review of both that show and their latest record is coming soon. For now, let’s talk about another all-woman band that has been around considerably longer, and blazed an amazing path for those – like the Beaches – to follow.

Disc 1339 is…Call the Doctor

Artist: Sleater-Kinney

Year of Release: 1995

What’s up with the Cover? A series of stills of a woman who is apparently in need of a doctor. Or she could just be resting – has anyone checked on her condition before calling the doctor? I mean, this woman could end up with unnecessary ambulance fees all because no one bothered to walk up and say, “excuse me miss, are you in need of medical assistance?” and maybe check her pulse. That simple courtesy might also reveal that she is neither resting nor injured, but dead. In that case you’d still need the ambulance, but there would be way less urgency to the situation.

How I Came to Know It: I’ve known about Sleater-Kinney by reputation for some time, but never got around to checking them out. I had friends back in the mid-nineties that loved the Seattle sound but for whatever reason, Sleater-Kinney wasn’t in their collections so my exposure to them was always limited.

A few years ago, I was intrigued enough to go check them out on my own, and I’m glad I did. I wish I’d done it sooner.

How It Stacks Up: I have four of Sleater-Kinney’s nine albums. I’ve listened to all nine, but the four I have are my four favourites, and – with apologies to Sleater-Kinney devotees – they’re all I need right now. Of those four, competition is fierce. I must reluctantly put “Call the Doctor” in at #4 but it’s very close to being #2, and I reserve the right to promote it accordingly when I review their other albums.

Ratings: 4 stars

“Call the Doctor” is my earliest Sleater-Kinney record, and easily the heaviest. Later records would see the rock/punk trio reduce the fuzz and distortion, but back in 1995 they were full fury and crunch.

The Sleater-Kinney albums I like best are from many different points in their careers, but for this early sound, “Call the Doctor” is a solid choice. Like a lot of music coming out of Seattle in the nineties, it has strong melodic “bones” that are then liberally coated with grit and grime.

“Call the Doctor” is as rough as this band gets, twelve songs fired out in 30 minutes of pure punk fury. The album is very complementary, with vocals, guitar and drum all featuring a raw almost manic edge to them. None of the riffs or notes or beats are particularly difficult, but the combination is more than the sum of its parts.

As for those beats, you should know the drummer is not Janet Weiss, the band’s drummer for every Sleater-Kinney album after this one. Weiss is a great rock drummer, and since she left the band in 2019 people have been telling me they’re not sure the band will be the same without her. Maybe so, but Lora MacFarlane’s work on “Call the Doctor” is solid. She doesn’t just get by; she helps establish the sound of the record. Loving Janet Weiss is only natural, but you should give MacFarlane a chance here.

Corin Tucker has an exceptional voice, filled with a strident angst that suggests a waiting punch to the face for those who dare gainsay what she has to say. For all the toughness, Tucker (as well as Brownstein and MacFarlane who share singing duties to a lesser extent) all have vulnerability in their delivery. This vulnerability is in no way a weakness; it’s a sign that the trio aren’t afraid of confronting their feelings and telling you about it.

Brownstein’s vocals can’t match the same furious power of Tucker’s, but the different sound helps give the record layers. This particularly true on tracks like “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone” and “Heart Attack” which aren’t exactly chill (none of these songs are ‘chill’) but do give you a step back, like the slight reprieve you get in the bathroom of a party where the music is a bit too loud.

Listening to “Call the Doctor” it would be hard to imagine Sleater-Kinney worrying much that the music is too loud. These songs are meant for volume, both musically and in terms of their raw and uncompromising message. Turn it up, and enjoy.

Back at Disc 1294 I noted that Sleater-Kinney’s 2019 record “The Center Won’t Hold” was their best work yet, and I stand by that declaration. That said, listening to “Call the Doctor” is a timely reminder that they’ve been making great records for a very long time.

Best tracks: Call the Doctor, Anonymous, Little Mouth, Good Things, I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, Taking Me Home, My Stuff 

CD Odyssey Disc 1338: The Byrds

Welcome back to the CD Odyssey where today you will experience a rare and wondrous event – an album older than me!

Disc 1338 is…Turn! Turn! Turn!

Artist: The Byrds

Year of Release: 1965

What’s up with the Cover? In 1965 these haircuts were considered dangerous and edgy. I’m not sure if these outfits were ever fashionable, however – definitely not that Richard III tunic on the left. And just to confirm your suspicions the douchebag with the square sunglasses striking the “true artiste” pose is, of course, Roger McGuinn.

How I Came to Know It: I’ve known the Byrds for a while, but apart from “Sweethearts of the Rodeo” (reviewed back at Disc 1021) they never really caught my attention.

But I recently reviewed Gene Clark’s 1974 masterpiece “No Other” (Disc 1330) and it blew me away. When I found out he was part of the Byrds for their first two albums it renewed my interest, so I gave those two records a closer listen. This is one of them.

How It Stacks Up: I now have two Byrds’ albums, this one and the aforementioned “Sweethearts of the Rodeo”. Of the two, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” comes in second.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

You can hear the echoes of “Turn! Turn! Turn!” down through the history of rock and roll. This is partly because of their incredibly unique sound, and partly because of all those members they’ve fired that went on to do great things.

On the musical influence side, you can hear them clearly in Tom Petty’s songwriting – for which we should be thankful. We can also hear them more generally through much of the jangly indie-pop of the current age as well.

All that influence is a bit ironic given that a lot of what they do here is take other people’s songs and convert them to their own sound. The album starts with the title track, which is a Pete Seeger folk ballad, and it ends with Stephen Foster’s early American classic “Oh, Susannah.” In between they take on Bob Dylan’s “Lay Down Your Weary Tune” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’.”

Is hearing all these covers annoying? Not at all. The Byrds have their own sound, part hippy protest and part traditional folk song, and fueled by the room-filling jangle of Roger McGuinn’s 12-string Rickenbacker. I’ve got a love-hate relationship with Roger McGuinn through the years, but that guitar sound is pretty damned sublime. It makes “Turn! Turn! Turn!” relaxing, reflective and full of energy all at the same time.

The best of the covers is Dylan’s “Lay Down Your Weary Tune.” It has a gentle lilt played quickly, but with feeling. In fact, most of the songs on “Turn! Turn! Turn!” feel like they happen in double-time but the Byrds manage to make it work. As for their vocals, none of them are powerful on their own, but they do a lot of singing in harmony that matches nicely with all that Rickenbacker dropped into the front of the mix.

“He Was a Friend of Mine” is a beautiful and heartfelt traditional folk song, which McGuinn decides he should rework it into a song about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The pretty arrangement and powerful melody outweigh the at-times awkward rewrite, but I still would have preferred the original lyrics, about the personal loss of a friend.

The hidden power of this record is Gene Clark. Just like Gram Parsons’ made “Sweethearts of the Rodeo” great, Clark is what gives “Turn! Turn! Turn!” its artistry and elevates it above what would otherwise just be a very good album full of covers.

Clark is still early in his career, but his songwriting talent, fully realized later on “No Other,” is already on display. “Set You Free This Time” and “If You’re Gone” are heartfelt compositions ahead of their time and mature beyond Clark’s years. The Byrds were lucky to have both Clark and Parsons in their band at various times, and foolish to lose both so quickly. I’m looking at you again, Roger.

My version of this record is an extended CD, featuring a gratuitous seven bonus tracks. It is great to have Gene Clark’s “She Don’t Care About Time”, (the B-side to the “Turn! Turn! Turn!” single release). Also strong is David Crosby’s drug-fueled instrumental “Stranger in a Strange Land,” which would have made Heinlein proud with its groovy otherworldliness. Of note, the Byrds fired Crosby a couple years later so he could go do that other thing he did.

Other than those two tracks, however, I was mistreated with a bunch of alternate takes and “first versions” of stuff already on the record. I get the value of a live track, but slight variations of outtakes that were ultimately not selected do not interest me. Please make the record shorter and better, and have the bravery to stand by the decisions made when it was first pressed.

Still, it is easy to see why the original “Turn! Turn! Turn!” has remained a classic. It is a record that deserves attention both for its own place in musical history, and as one more reminder that one of the greatest things the Byrds have done over the years is freed up some of their most talented members to go make great solo records.

Best tracks: Turn! Turn! Turn!, Set You Free This Time, Lay Down Your Weary Tune, He Was a Friend of Mine, If You’re Gone

Best bonus tracks: She Don’t Care About Time, Stranger in a Strange Land

CD Odyssey Disc 1337: Gang Starr

For the second straight album, we take a trip into the land of rap.

Late last year Gang Starr put out a posthumous (for Guru) album of previously unreleased music. When I saw it, I shrugged. That’s because I’m not usually interested in albums that come out after an artist’s death; too often they’re the dregs from the studio floor, or, in an effort to work with limited takes and masters, have spotty production. However, listening to this next record reminded me that it is always wise to give a favoured artist another chance to impress you.

Disc 1337 is…The Ownerz

Artist: Gang Starr

Year of Release: 2003

What’s up with the Cover? Guru and DJ Premier stand in front of the Mansion of Bass! Check out those gate posts! This would be awesome if you lived there, but terrible if you lived across the street.

How I Came to Know It: I bought this about five years ago when I was digging through Gang Starr’s back catalogue.

How It Stacks Up: I have six Gang Starr albums. I had saved the lowest ranking for “The Ownerz” but it ended up being a pleasant surprise. Instead, I’m bumping “Moment of Truth” down a spot and giving “The Ownerz” #5. This is the final album in my collection, so here's the recap:

1. Step in the Arena: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 737)
2. Hard to Earn: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 382)
3. Daily Operation: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 508)
4. No More Mr. Nice Guy: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 1155)
5. The Ownerz: 3 stars (reviewed right here)
6. Moment of Truth: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 988)

Ratings: 3 stars

I was really ready to be underwhelmed by “The Ownerz,” a record I consistently pass over in favour of other Gang Starr albums. I was even excited to save a little storage space in my overgrown collection. Alas, it was not to be. Despite my inclinations, I ended up having a very good time.

This is a rarity, as there isn’t much rap music released in the 21^st century that catches my attention, but Guru’s flow is good in any year. His untimely death in 2010 was a real loss for music.

Guru’s style puts smooth first, so don’t expect a lot of furious spitting. He has lots to say, but it comes out soft and thoughtfully, much like his chosen subjects. Sometimes that will be political reflections on the state of race relations, sometimes observations about the sorry state of the rap music industry, and sometimes just a few sexy rhymes to get the attention of a lady.

DJ Premier employs a lot of jazz-infused scratches and samples, but “The Ownerz” has a harder, more aggressive edge when the song’s topic calls for it.

As with other later records in their discography (and generally what goes on in rap music of late), Gang Starr employs lots of guest vocalists. Jadakiss brings some great energy to “Rite Where U Stand” including:

“Let the .40 Cal give em a perm
This industry is like bacteria and my flow is a germ”

Usually I think of Guru when I think of “science nerd” rhymes, but here Jadakiss shows he’s down for a little biology.

My favourite guest is the ever-angry pugilist, Freddie the Foxx, who reprises his militia persona on “Capture (Militia Pt.3)”. No one is quite so angry as Freddie, opening his section of the song with:

“There’s one ripped out the frame, felony act

Everybody get the fuck up, welcome me back.”

Welcome back, Freddie – never change.

“Riot Akt” is another bright spot, with Guru digging into race relations in America in a way that is thoughtful and provocative in equal measure.

Despite all these great moments, the album suffers from being slightly too long (56 minutes) and with way too many tracks (19). Admittedly, a few of these tracks are just skits, but those skits aren’t all that interesting. And some of those skits are built right into the track itself, which I didn’t appreciate either. “Hiney” is a half-skit, half-rap, an a capella free form track where DJ Premier goes on at great length about his dick’s…er…great length. It’s a novel song the first time you encounter it but doesn’t stand up over time. Get it? Get it?

Also, would it kill these guys to spell correctly? Incorrect spelling adds exactly nothing to the value of a song title and degrades language without purpose. And yes, this also goes for Prince, who I blame for starting the whole fad back in the eighties.

Anyway, I always admire how Gang Starr fuses jazz sounds into something that makes me enjoy the experience, and “The Ownerz” once again puts this skill on display. The album is bloated and a bit self-absorbed, but that’s hardly an uncommon malaise in rap records of this era. In the end the best moments outweigh the forgettable ones, even if they don’t outnumber them. As a result, the record earned its way right back into the collection yet again.

Best tracks: Put Up or Shut Up, Rite Where U Stand, Who Got Gunz, Capture (Militia Pt.3), Riot Akt, Same Team No Games