CD Odyssey Disc 1528: Lake Street Dive

I’ve been off work for a bit, and that usually means a slowdown in review output (resulting from no commute time for listening). However, the weather this week has meant I’ve been outside shoveling snow and as a result this is my second consecutive day with a new review. Don’t thank me though, thank winter and a long sidewalk.

Disc 1528 is….  Obviously

Artist: Lake Street Dive

Year of Release: 2021

What’s up with the Cover? This picture looks like it was taken not on a beach, but on a soundstage designed to look like a beach. Or maybe some digital background to make it COVID-friendly.

Regardless, the women have dressed for a photo shoot while the men apparently did not get the memo, and just showed up in their t-shirts. Seriously, gentlemen, this cover will be looked at for decades to come. The occasion called for something better than “ill-fitting nineties leisure-wear”.

How I Came To Know It: I’ve been a fan of the band for a while, so this was just me buying their new record when it came out earlier this year.

How It Stacks Up: I have three Lake Street Dive albums. I like them all, but one of them has to land in last place and this is it.

Ratings: 3 stars

Lake Street Dive is one of those bands that just has groove. And not that new-fangled ‘groove’ where indie music meets jazz and gets all meandering and maudlin. I mean that old school groove, the kind you might encounter in a forties swing tune, a finger-snapping sixties doo-wop number or a seventies R&B song that melts your backbone.

A feature common to all Lake Street Dive records is the quality of the musicianship. These guys are all conservatory-trained, which typically means they can play the hell out of their instruments. Sometimes it can also mean the music is so precise that it lacks emotion, but that is not the case here. Lake Street Dive understand that to play this style of pop/R&B requires a natural groove that cannot be taught.

The star of the show is vocalist Rachael Price. Price doesn’t do much of the songwriting (on “Obviously” she has co-credits for two tracks) but she takes these songs into herself and makes them her own. She has the conviction of a Baptist preacher, the soul of Marvin Gaye and the vocal chops of Annie Lennox. Her vocals are big, brassy with a phrasing that naturally sits down in the pocket and matches the groove of the band. 

A standout is “Know That I Know” a love song that will have you dancing while you shovel snow (yes I did), and showcasing Price’s range from bold bell-ringing chest voice all the way into her pure and sweet upper register. As infectious as her singing is, however, I don’t recommend you try to sing along. These songs are not for amateurs.

All of the band has some share of the writing responsibilities, with bassist Bridget Kearney and Keyboardist Akie Bermiss doing the majority of the work. Most of the songs feature one of these two collaborating with another band member.

The songs are a mix of smooth grooves and funky rhythms, and despite the many cooks in the writing kitchen (or maybe because of them) the songs all feel cohesive. “Obviously” has more of a focus on social issues than previous records and includes songs about women’s equality (“Being a Woman”) and climate change (“Making Do”) alongside their more traditional fare of songs about love gone right and love gone wrong.

Regardless of subject, the songs hit the right note between having something important to say and making it personal and emotionally evocative. On “Making Do” they do a fine job of relating climate change back to something small and tangible that most of us experience every day:

“To the next generation: Merry Christmas
You’re working harder than ever now and the coffee sucks
You know, Colombia and Kenya got too damn hot
And now you’re making do with what you got.”

Messing with someone’s morning cup-o-Joe is a clever way to bring the issue home.

I continue to struggle with determining my Top 10 of 2021, “Obviously” will probably not make the list. However, it is still a good record, and the band is still pumping out quality music and continuing to grow artistically. I look forward to what they get up to next.

Best tracks: Being a Woman, Making Do, Nobody’s Stopping You Now, Know That I Know

CD Odyssey Disc 1527: The Scorpions

Despite COVID managing to partially derail my holiday plans (I had to self-isolate due to a close contact) I remain healthy and happy and have even settled into a restful routine.

Learning a new song on guitar has proven harder than I expected, as has establishing my top 10 albums list for 2021, but both remain works in progress. I’m even feeling the writing bug again (that is creative writing outside this blog). So all in all, starting to feel a lot better about this “take a holiday” thing, which I’m told is how holidays are supposed to feel.

Disc 1527 is….  Lovedrive

Artist: The Scorpions

Year of Release: 1979

What’s up with the Cover? The Scorpions have a history of album covers that disturb or offend, and this is one of those. The cover you are currently looking at (a metallic looking scorpion crouching on a generic band logo) is the one that they used after the original cover was banned.

The original album art featured what is at worst a sexual assault in the backseat of a car, and at best a wealthy couple with a gum fetish. It was their fourth album in a row to have its album art censored, an achievement I suspect the band rather enjoyed.

My copy of the CD is set up so you can fold the booklet to display either cover, depending on your preference. Now that you are forewarned what the original looks like, you can decide for yourself if you want to take a look. If so, you’ll find it at the album’s Wikipedia site here.

How I Came To Know It: My friend Spence encouraged me to explore early Scorpions albums and I liked a lot of what I heard. This is one of them.

How It Stacks Up: I now have six Scorpions albums. Of the six, “Lovedrive” comes in at #4. Those who have been tracking Scorpions may think this means that “Love at First Sting” (Disc 309) and “Crazy World” (Disc 702) are both ahead of this record, but that is incorrect. They have both been bumped further down the list (to #5 and #6) after a bunch of new Scorpions albums entered the collection. A full accounting of this will have to wait until I complete the final band review.

Ratings: 3 stars

Do you love power chords and the anthemic crunch of that rock and roll music? Maybe an occasional power ballad with some sappy lyrics? Well, so do the Scorpions, and on “Lovedrive” they have found their lane and for the most part, stay within it.

“Lovedrive” is an earlier record, and while the Scorpions have not fully transitioned from hard rock into heavy metal, the influence is very strong, and a sign of what would come to be defined as their sound as they gained international acclaim.

The stuff you would expect on any Scorpions record happens early, with the two opening tracks (“Loving You Sunday Morning”, “Another Piece of Meat”) firing furious power chords in your face. Like ACDC, the star of the Scorpions in many ways is the rhythm guitar, played by band leader and principal songwriter Rudolf Schenker. The driving power of his playing style makes both songs soar, with “Loving You Sunday Morning” easily the star of the record..

“Another Piece of Meat” is another classic Scorpions theme, as they recant a meaningless sexual encounter on the road. As the title of the song suggests, no one can strip the romance out of a ‘romantic’ encounter quite like the Scorpions.

Both these songs also benefit from the work of Rudolf’s brother, Michael Schenker on lead guitar. “Lovedrive” would be Michael’s final appearance with the Scorpions, and he plays lead on five of the eight songs, with newcomer Matthias Jabs coming in for the other three. Jabs is also a gifted guitar player, so the quality is present throughout.

Jabs handles duties on the Scorpions’ obligatory (for them) power ballad, which on this record is “Always Somewhere”. The Scorpions may or may not have invented the power ballad, but if they didn’t, they certainly perfected it. They once again make romance feel strong and full of machismo while still expressing all the tenderness of love that is wholly absent on “Another Piece of Meat”.

It also helps to have a great vocalist, and Klaus Meine is one of rock and roll’s greatest. I find “Always Somewhere” schmaltzy, but I forgive it mainly because Klaus has such a talent for making his version of “the feels” contagious.

The record has a couple of missteps, notably “Is There Anybody There?” which features a weird reggae beat that mixes awkwardly with the ever-present power chords. Imagine crossing the Scorpions with the Police and you’ll have an approximation. I also didn’t love “Holiday” which takes a long time trying to meld a slow section with a fast section, but never quite succeeds.

These are minor quibbles however, and for the most part “Lovedrive” is exactly what casual fans will expect from the Scorpions, with enough nuance to keep things equally interesting for deep-diving devotees.

Best tracks: Loving You Sunday Morning, Another Piece of Meat, Lovedrive

CD Odyssey Disc 1526: Snotty Nose Rez Kids

I’m on holidays until the New Year, but if I’m being honest, I’m not feeling it. Bad weather and Omicron are rolling in, and I feel them both like a wave of low pressure and dread.

To combat this, I’ve given myself some fun activities to focus on. First, I’ve picked up my guitar for the first time in a long while. I’m going to try to learn at least one (and maybe) two songs over my time off, and in the process hopefully knock the rust off my playing. I was never very good, but I’m not going to get better by letting more dust build up on the guitar.

Second, I’ll be doing my usual “Top 10” list for this year’s albums. Stay tuned for that as a future entry here. In the meantime, here is a review.

Disc 1526 is….  Life After

Artist: Snotty Nose Rez Kids

Year of Release: 2021

What’s up with the Cover? The band “explodes” off the stage and down to their adoring fans. I know this cover is supposed to convey excitement and energy, but I’ve been reading a memoir of a soldier from World War One, and it was hard to separate the ‘happy’ pyrotechnics in this picture from the deadly explosions in my book. Thankfully, the worst thing awaiting the Snotty Nose Rez Kids is the potential of some awkwardly placed hands while they crowd surf.

How I Came To Know It: I liked their last record, so I took a chance and bought this one before I heard it, which is pretty rare for me these days.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Snotty Nose Rez Kids albums. They are both good, but I’ll put “Life After” in at #2.

Ratings: 3 stars

On “Life After” the Snotty Nose Rez Kids’ unique approach to rap and hip hop continues to evolve, bringing in even more influences to a band that already has an impressive musical vocabulary.

On this record I caught pieces of some of my favourite artists. Techno-inspired reverberating bass beats reminded me favourably of Run the Jewels, and their willingness to experiment with the structure of a song had me thinking of Minnesota rappers Dessa and P.O.S. These techno elements can sometimes put off an old timer like me, but here they are handled well and used in a way that serves the song.

Quinton 'Yung Trybez' Nyce and Darren 'Young D' Metz (Yung and Young) have a furious flow, with the effect that you feel they are constantly stepping up to the front edge of the beat, leaning over, but never losing their balance. The effect is energizing.

In terms of subject matter, the Rez Kids follow the age-old adage of “write what you know.” The album is steeped in the experiences and cultural imagery of their Haisla background. Sometimes these experiences are the centerpiece of a song, and other times they are there to saturate the tunes with imagery and metaphor. Either way, it works.

There are some elements of modern hip hop that I don’t love, but “Life After” does a good job of making them work. For example, they use voice modulation a fair bit, but for the most part they make tasteful and deliberate choices, rather than using it to hide mistakes and shortcomings, as is so often the case.

“Uncle Rico” is a good example of everything coming together. The verses fall forward onto each other, with exceptional internal rhyme and a ‘trip forward’ style. Mixed into this, we get a bit of falsetto singing, and a funk beat that combined makes the song feel a bit R&B-inspired.

“Sink or Swim” has a Run the Jewels vibe, and a crunch that crosses over into hardcore territory. It feels a bit like what it would sound like if Killer Mike was being backed by the Rollins Band. It is another example of how the Rez Kids are willing to mix styles not only across the record, but often within individual tracks.

The album ends on a hopeful note with “After Dark” which, despite covering a lot of hard topics, is focused on positive thoughts leading to positive outcomes. On days when I’m feeling a bit weighted down a line from “After Dark” like “every blessing ignored becomes a curse” is a reminder to be thankful that on balance, life is pretty good.

Listening to “Life After” I got to wondering about Notorious B.I.G.’s album, “Life After Death.” On that record, Biggie has come into his fame, and he both acknowledges that he is now a lot more financially secure, he’s still got plenty to sing about, and plenty of hard experiences to share. While the Snotty Nose Rez Kids haven’t hit the big time yet, they are starting to explore what that might look like through their music.

If you like your hip hop to be filled with mind-numbing thumps, with songs about meeting girls and drinking Cristal, then this album is not for you. But if you like your beats thoughtfully constructed, and your lyrics self-examined, then “Life After” is a record you will likely enjoy.

Best tracks: Red Sky at Night, No Jesus Piece, Uncle Rico, Wild Boy, Sink or Swim, After Dark

CD Odyssey Disc 1525: Taylor Swift

Like a lot of people, I’m feeling down at the prospect of yet another variant-fuelled COVID surge. There is little I can do about this, but at least there is still good music to be had. This next record figures to be a strong contender for my “Best of 2021” list, although that is still being finalized, so for now just consider it nominated.

Disc 1525 is….  Evermore

Artist: Taylor Swift

Year of Release: 2021

What’s up with the Cover? The photographer for this cover was sacked, but as he was led outside the studio by security was heard to declaim loudly, “you said you wanted an outdoor head and shoulders shot. You didn’t say anything about her face!”

How I Came To Know It: I liked Swift’s previous record, “Folklore” quite a bit, and so gave this one a listen when it came out.

How It Stacks Up: I only have two Taylor Swift records (although I’m probably going to buy the re-release of “Red” soon). Of the two I have, “Evermore” comes in a close second to “Folklore”.

Ratings: 4 stars

For years two friends have been telling me about Taylor Swift’s talent. One is a trained pianist, and the other is my old guitar teacher. Despite this expert testimony, I resisted. Swift’s music was just a bit too pop-heavy. However, on her last two records she’s met me halfway. “Evermore” is the second of these, a record that is still very much Taylor Swift pop, but with enough flavour from indie and folk music to meet me halfway. The result is exquisite.

As a songwriter, Swift is a once-in-a-generation talent. She reminds of Tom Petty, who like Swift has a seemingly endless reservoir of melodies that are catchy and feel like they’ve existed forever.

This has been true for some time, but “Evermore” scales back all those pop music tricks of the trade. The electronic beats, voice modulations and sugary joy still make occasional appearances (“Gold Rush” comes to mind) but most songs are heavily toned down in favour of arrangements that are more indie-flavoured. This makes everything feel a bit more emotionally grounded and lets the bones of the songs shine through.

Within this newfound space, another long-standing Swift talent is revealed. She is a singular storyteller, who for years has been able to mesh the power of a pop song’s turn of phrase within a broader narrative that makes characters come to life. With all the sparseness in the sound, you can settle in and let her tell story after story.

Swift’s previous record, “Folklore,” has some 5-star examples of storytelling (“Betty” comes to mind, but I’ll talk about that when I roll it). However, “Evermore” shows Swift’s well of creativity is still deep and full of great songs.

One of the best examples is “No Body, No Crime.” It is a classic murder ballad, or rather two murder ballads in one: man kills girlfriend, and then girlfriend’s best friend kills man in return. Nothing can be proved, but justice is done. A song best paired with the Dixie Chicks’ “Goodbye Earle,” while enjoying a glass of wine and a satisfied smile.

On “Happiness” Swift shifts the storytelling to internal angst, as a woman wrestles with the conflict of how to react “when a good man hurts you/and you know you hurt him too.” From an artist who made an early reputation with cutting songs about her exes, here we see a more nuanced Taylor Swift, recognizing grief can be a positive and transformative power if you give it time (or as she sings it “I haven’t met the new me yet”).

Later, on “Right Where You Left Me” you see the results of a character who cannot move on from loss, forever caught in a rut of grief, reliving the last moments of a relationship. The two songs are bookends to the same story, and together show Swift’s talent for seeing all facets of a theme, and then converting them into works of art.

On “Marjorie” Swift pays tribute to her dead grandmother, and is another of the album’s best songs, both lyrically and musically. The percussion gives the song an inspirational driving energy, over top of which Swift layers vignettes of the wisdom and inspiration she received from the titular character. It is not a song of grieving so much as a celebration and it had me thinking of all the people that are gone now but gave me a bit of their wisdom before they departed.

Despite all this high praise, I have two minor complaints about “Evermore”. The first is a long-standing bête noire of mine; the record has too many songs. Swift is so prolific that she routinely exceeds my recommended 14 song maximum. It wouldn’t be easy to cull this 17 song collection by three tunes, but I think I could do it, and wish Swift had done so as well. Also labelling the last two songs “bonus tracks” does not address this. Pick three and save ‘em for the next record.

The other is that the album title and tracks are both not capitalized. I realize this is deliberate and has been going on since E.E. Cummings decided to make this a thing. I like E.E. Cummings’ poetry quite a bit, but I’ve never felt his refusal to capitalize words added anything to his work. The same goes for Swift - great songs, but please use capitalization correctly.

Like I said, minor issues. Overall, this record and its predecessor “Folklore” are brilliant albums that you should pay a listen to. As for me, I’m going to buy “Red” as soon as I get the chance. Sure it is a bit too sugary for my tastes, but I have a feeling the bones of those songs are going to shine through as well, now that I know what to look for.

Best tracks: Champagne Problems, ‘Tis the Damned Season, No Body No Crime, Happiness, Dorothea, Coney Island, Marjorie, Right Where You Left Me

CD Odyssey Disc 1524: Brand Nubian

I’ve just completed my Christmas shopping and I’m feeling relieved and ready to settle down and enjoy the holidays. First, let’s bring on some early nineties rap.

Disc 1524 is….  The Very Best of Brand Nubian

Artist: Brand Nubian

Year of Release: 2001 but featuring music from 1990-1998

What’s up with the Cover? The band poses under a…pergola? I’ve never fully understood the pergola. I mean, I get that it keeps the sun off, but wouldn’t it be better with a roof?

How I Came To Know It: My former coworker Adrienne and her partner introduced me to Brand Nubian (and a bunch of other nineties rap acts besides). We used to trade musical recommendations at work. We still trade them every now and then. Just because we don’t work together doesn’t mean we don’t both still enjoy music!

How It Stacks Up: This is a compilation album, so by the rules of the CD Odyssey it doesn’t get stacked or rated. I do have one other Brand Nubian album but I accidentally got the “clean” version (no swears). I’ll be looking to replace that ASAP with the real record. It is a travesty that the “clean” version was ever a thing.

Ratings: “Best of” albums don’t get rated. They are not true albums.

Brand Nubian is another great artist from the golden age of rap music, which for me runs from around the mid-eighties to the mid-nineties. Most of the songs on this compilation land within that range and are some of the finest examples of the sound.

The first thing you notice about Brand Nubian is how funky they are. This era has a lot of talented emcees, but Brand Nubian has a notable talent for great samples that make these songs not just great raps, but great dance tunes as well. The breadth of sampled artists (they cross through funk, R&B, mainstream pop and many others) is considerable, and you can tell that these guys are true lovers of music. Those little clips don’t magically reveal themselves to you, they’re found through countless hours of listening to other kinds of music.

For many of these songs Brand Nubian features three emcees (Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar) each with their own style and sound. They trade off within each song but remain aligned to the same beat, and never feel disconnected. In this way, they reminded me favourably of the Beastie Boys, although their style is overall a lot more smooth groove than the more aggressive spitting of the Beasties.

Some compilations albums make the mistake of trying to weight a band’s career evenly, which can result in lesser tunes getting included just to provide balance. As a listener, I just want to the best songs, and don’t care if they are new, old, or somewhere in between. Brand Nubian wisely weights the record heavily toward their best work.

That means that seven of the sixteen songs are off their debut record, 1990’s “All for One”. This is their best record by far and drawing from it heavily is the right decision. Later albums also feature lineup changes, which doesn’t wreck them, but doesn’t help either. Despite some changes, their second record, “In God We Trust” is also solid and accounts for three more tunes here. After that we geta a smattering of content from everything else.

The tunes range on topic, including time honoured rap subjects of race relations, city life and the ever-present “I can rap better than you” which never gets old.

There are a couple of missteps. “Feels So Good” would easily be one of the best songs on the record, but the weird tuneless singing of a large piece of Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” is a poor decision. To be clear, this is not a sample of Joel, this is a re-singing of a stanza from the song. Not only is it awkward (and flat) you can tell from the way it is delivered that even that band thinks it is silly. Next time, leave that shit on the studio outtakes.

Another thing I could live without are the addition of multiple remixes of the same song. It helps that both songs that appear twice (“Slow Down” and “Punk’s Jump Up to Get Beat Down”) are awesome, but I think one version would have been sufficient, and would have also kept the record to a more tasteful 14 tracks overall.

These are minor quibbles, though. Brand Nubian is one of rap’s great artists and this record was not only a thoroughly good time, it filled me with fervour to find more of their studio albums. They are too good for me to sustain myself on the hits alone.

Best tracks: All for One, Concerto in X Minor, Slow Down, Brand Nubian, Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down, Hold On

CD Odyssey Disc 1523: Sophie B Hawkins

Under threat of snow, I took the bus to work today (my car is not a mudder). While the bus was a bit busy for my pandemic sensibilities, I was rewarded with something fun – a nice long walk home. Pre-car, I used to do this all the time and not only did it give me a time to decompress from the days’ events, I had 45 minutes for music listening as well. In this case it also meant I could be rid of this terrible record after a single day. Thank you, snow warning.

Disc 1523 is….  Tongues and Tails

Artist: Sophie B. Hawkins

Year of Release: 1992

What’s up with the Cover? Sophie does her best impression of forties movie star.

How I Came To Know It: I’ve owned this CD a long time, although I rarely put it on. I don’t remember buying it, but that’s probably cognitive dissonance on my part, as I subconsciously protect my ego from such a monumentally bad decision.

How It Stacks Up: This is my only Sophie B. Hawkins album, so it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 1 star

“Tongues and Tails” opening track begins with the faint sound of train cars clicking along railroad tracks. This has nothing to do with the song, adds nothing musically, and is the harbinger of what you can expect the rest of the way on an unfocused and overwrought album that has aged badly.

That opening song is “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” which is Hawkins most famous and successful song, and probably the reason I bought the record in the first place. “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” is overproduced, as is everything that will follow it. However, it has good bones and an above average hook that rises above. The song will go on to lean heavily on that hook for success, but it withstands the strain.

The next song, “California Here I Come,” starts well, and had me thinking that I might enjoy all the songs as much as the first one. This optimism was not to last. Before too long, Hawkins has decided to throw in her breathy whisper-talk. She uses this throughout the record, and while it is her signature thing, it doesn’t work for me. It might have been better here if she didn’t decide to use it to recite the Lord’s Prayer in the middle of the song, but alas, that’s what she does.

It gets much worse on the whisper-talk front as we progress, culminating on the album’s final tune, “Don’t Stop Swaying.” Here we have an interlude where Hawkins retells the story of Hansel and Gretel, except in her version after they’re lost, they decide they should make out. Apparently, the fact that they are siblings is not an issue the listener should concern themselves with. I’ll be charitable and assume there is some strained symbolism at work here, although if there is it was lost on me. Maybe it is a commentary on how leaving your kids in the woods to starve or be eaten by witches is liable to, you know, emotionally mess them up? Anyway, if there was some emotional gravitas hidden in this song, I was unable to discover it.

The record is replete with bad production decisions, and at least twice there is the faint sound of sirens (police or ambulance, I’m not sure which). This was occasionally disconcerting and consistently annoying. One of these “siren” songs, “Mysteries We Understand,” reminded me a lot like Madonna’s 1989 hit “Respect Yourself” in many ways except the one that matters: “Respect Yourself” is a good song. I suggest you skip this record and listen to Madonna instead.

It doesn’t help that Hawkins is drowning all these tunes with a bunch of “serious art” decisions that never satisfactorily resolve, nor make the songs any better. On the sultry cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Want You” she almost gets there, only to have a phone ringing in the back of the mix. Maybe this is supposed to evoke a booty call, but the effect on me was much more akin to having your mom calling and leave a message on your answering machine while you’re having sex.

I don’t know how I have not consigned this album to the pyre long ago, but it has lurked like a bad penny on my CD shelves for almost thirty years. That ends today.

Best tracks: Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover

CD Odyssey Disc 1522: London Grammar

Last week I had a quiet week and got in three reviews. This week was the opposite, as multiple evening engagements kept me away from the keyboard. My sincere apologies, Dear Reader, for the resulting lack of reading material for you. I hope the rest of the Internet was able to fill in the gap or, better still, maybe you picked up a book.

Disc 1522 is….  Californian Soil

Artist: London Grammar

Year of Release: 2021

What’s up with the Cover? Lead singer Hannah Reid crouches elfin-like on some mysterious island. There is a serious fantasy vibe here in a “the Lady Galadriel will inspire you with her powerful magicks” kind of way. As opposed to the Gollum, “here’s where I discard the bones of my victims” kind of way. Both possess rings of power, but we all know which one we want to run into when lost in a series of orc caves.

But I digress…

How I Came To Know It: I read a review of this record and then listened to a couple songs. Despite initially thinking that this was “not my usual thing” I was intrigued and gave the whole record a go. And here we are. It’s an old story, but it’s a new record.

How It Stacks Up: This is my only London Grammar record. They’ve put out three, but I’m new to the game, so for now, there is nothing to stack up.

Ratings: 4 stars

With its anthemic orchestral pop with a touch of dance beat, I had originally intended to start this review off with the observation that London Grammar is not the kind of band that would typically fall within my wheelhouse. However, the more I listened the more I realized they were just at a new juncture well within a well-established Venn diagram of “stuff Logan likes”. Their sound is a mix of the Eurythmics, Florence + the Machine and a liberal helping of Loreena McKennitt; all bands that you will find well regarded on the CD Odyssey.

Any successful pop act needs a great singer and Hannah Reid is a revelation. She has that mysterious airy power of Loreena McKennitt, the natural groove of Annie Lennox and the ethereal flutter of Florence Welch. It is a joy to listen to her, although I do not recommend you try to sing along. These are complicated songs full of range and not to be undertaken by amateurs. Also, how the hell will you hear all that beauty if you don’t still yourself and let it flow over you?

“Californian Soil” the most ‘synthy’ of London Grammar albums, and it has that fullness of sound that can sometimes puts me off. Not in this case, though, where the hum of organ in the background just gives the song its orchestral quality, leaving you the impression that Something Important is happening. Even the use of drum machine didn’t bother me, being so well woven into the overall effect. It is like you are lost in the woods and stumble upon some elves who have decided to go electric.

This kind of music can also suffer from a loss of honest emotion, but that does not happen here. Reid’s vocal power won’t allow it, and while the lyrics aren’t the height of poetry, they are exactly the level of poetic necessary to ride the waves of soaring melody. Even the presence of dance beats in many of the tunes doesn’t make them feel empty, it just means you can enjoy the record equally well dancing along under a glitter ball or sitting on a living room couch and having a good sigh.

Within this unified sound London Grammar finds plenty of dynamic range. There is the R&B groove of “Missing”, synth-diva pop of “Lord It’s a Feeling”, the sexy late-night yearning of “Call Your Friends” and something that is mid-way between a thoughtful song on the subject of betrayal and an energized dance tune (“How Does it Feel”).  On “I Need the Night” they seem to cross the Gothic horror of Ghost with the production and delivery of later Echo and the Bunnymen. In short, be prepared to enjoy the record in multiple ways.

“Californian Soil” ends with the stripped-down “America”, which is just a couple of guitars and Reid doing her magic on the mic. It is as though London Grammar wanted to prove the point that they can set aside all the synthesizers, drum samples and production tricks, and still kick ass. Every time Reid sings the chorus of “But all of our time chasing America/But she never had a home for me” it raises the hairs on the back of my neck. Tone, power and pure honesty in one package. Point proven.

After multiple listens I liked the record so much, I delved into their back catalogue. I liked both their previous albums enough to put them on my “to get” list. I have a feeling when the collection is complete, “Californian Soil” will still come out on top. It is an amazing collection of music that is good for all occasions.

Best tracks: Californian Soil, Missing, Lord It’s a Feeling, Call Your Friends, I Need the Night, America

CD Odyssey Disc 1521: Bob Dylan

This is my third music review in less than a week. This is chiefly because I’ve been on my annual US Thanksgiving mini-holiday with more time on my hands. I don’t celebrate US Thanksgiving, but I do appreciate all the football games they put on, so I like to take the Thursday and following Friday off each year and get in some football and a bit of quiet "me" time before the hectic holiday party schedule kicks off.

Disc 1521 is….  Nashville Skyline

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1969

What’s up with the Cover? Bob tips his hat to the audience. This is the happiest picture of Bob Dylan I can recall, and he looks genuinely excited about playing that guitar he’s hefting and singing us a few tunes.

How I Came To Know It: I have been a Dylan fan for a long time, and had this record most of that time, so I can’t remember all the specifics. I believe this was just me drilling through his catalogue back in the day.

How It Stacks Up: I have 19 Bob Dylan albums. He’s done a lot of great ones, and Nashville Skyline had to work hard to elbow its way up the list. I rank it at #13.

Ratings: 4 stars

If you know anything about Bob Dylan you know that Bob does what Bob wants. In 1969 Bob wanted to explore country music. The result is “Nashville Skyline”, a record that is still very much in Bob’s folk wheelhouse, but that features the sights and sounds of American country music as well, as Bob expertly melds the two traditions together.

The most immediate and striking thing about “Nashville Skyline” isn’t the countrified elements, however, it is the quality of Bob’s voice. It is as though for this one record only he’s taken advice from a vocal coach. The nasal quality we associate with Dylan’s singing is significantly toned down, morphing into a slight warble. He clearly wants to capture the country crooner aesthetic and for the most part, he succeeds.

Part of this is the production work of Bob Johnston as well. Dylan albums can be sharp around the edges - purposefully so, but still sharp. On “Nashville Skyline” the album has a much rounder and fuller sound. It reminded me of later efforts like “Oh Mercy” (produced by Daniel Lanois).

This sound is prevalent throughout the record, but never more beautifully executed than on “I Threw It All Away,” a heartbreaking song of regret and lost love. Bob’s vocals on the tune will make you wonder if that is Bob at all, as he falls fully into the emotion of the song. There are none of the clever rhymes or lyrics you might expect from him, just simple heartfelt storytelling. The guitar work is round and gentle with a Spanish flair. The whole thing will make you want to have a good cry, or sing along, or maybe both.

Bob’s exploration draws him to timeless melodic structures. “Girl from the North Country” had me convinced it was some old country traditional that’s been floating around for hundreds of years. But no, while it is inspired by traditional English ballads, it is a Bob original. The tune is sung as a duet with Johnny Cash, as he and Bob were in the throes of a bromance at this time. Bob holds his own with Cash, which is a formidable feat.

My favourite song on the record was also the biggest hit. “Lay Lady Lay” is a five-star masterpiece of a song, and one of the great, “stay the night” songs ever written. Bob has never crooned better than as he invites his lady to “lay across my big brass bed.”  

While the record isn’t perfect (I could live without the pandering rollick of “Peggy Day”) for the most part Dylan plays it straight and delivers songs that sound so timeless you are sure they are covers until you remember that, oh yeah, this is Bob Dylan – he writes classics.

If you currently just listen to Dylan’s greatest hits, you’ll already know “Girl from the North Country” and “Lay Lady Lay,” but if you only listen to Dylans hits you are nevertheless an idiot. He is one of music’s greatest gifts, and while Nashville Skyline isn’t the first record people mention when discussing his brilliance, it is brilliant all the same. Do yourself a favour and check it out.

Best tracks: Girl From the North Country, I Threw It All Away, Lay Lady Lay, One More Night

CD Odyssey Disc 1520: Laura Stevenson

Welcome back! Today I am feeling full of energy, likely because I’m about to enjoy a four day weekend. Yeehaw! To get things started, let’s start with some music!

Disc 1520 is….  The Big Freeze

Artist: Laura Stevenson

Year of Release: 2019

What’s up with the Cover? Giant Head Cover alert! This one features a fur cap, so we must assume that either the picture was taken in a very cold studio, or Laura Stevenson’s head was very warm.

How I Came To Know It: I liked her 2021 self-titled release and decided a dig into her back catalogue was in order. This was as far as I’ve gotten, but I am still on the hunt for two earlier records.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Laura Stevenson albums and if you’ve been reading along, you already know which two. I bought them both at the same time, and I haven’t given the more recent record as much of a listen, but I vaguely recall liking this one better. On that flimsy evidence, I’m putting “The Big Freeze” in at #1. All of this could change when I either a) review my other record or b) get even more. For now, #1.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

“The Big Freeze” is not an easy record to get to know, the lyrics are dense and the songs have complex structures that do not inspire toe-tapping or sing-a-longs around the campfire. However, once you put in the time (I recommend a minimum of three listens) Laura Stevenson’s singular brand of genius will reveal itself to you.

Like a lot of modern indie artists, Stevenson’s style is hard to pigeonhole. It has elements of many styles and will flip from a thick rock mix to a sparse folk sound from song to song; sometimes within a single tune.

It can also take on an anthemic quality, as it does on one of the standouts, “Living Room NY” which is a song about the breathless joy we get just anticipating we’ll be with the one we love soon. “Living Room NY” also shows how deliberately restless Stevenson’s music is. It starts with a light guitar trill that makes you feel like you are trying to rush to get somewhere but stuck in traffic, which then gets intimate and quiet, before swelling into that aforementioned anthem to close things out. My favourite line is “I want to fall asleep with you shifting by my side”. You know you love someone when you don’t mind them shifting around while you’re trying to sleep.

It also mirrors the shifting style of the tune, where Stevenson demonstrates that she is equally adept at frenetic anxiety numbers and quiet confessionals. Style is never a barrier.

All of the songs have thoughtful lyrics, and I found myself flipping through the CD booklet unable to pick a single favourite from such a great selection. In the end, I settled on two. First these opening lines of “Hum”:

“Cease all your wandering set down your wine
I’ll be the burden you stumble upon
So draw back the curtains on stolen time
You are only the burden you set in your mind.”

And second, these ending lines from “Hawks”:

“Can we go back to the minute we circled to land
Ebbing graceful and careful like terns in the sand
When the thought of an ending was too much to stand
Remind me when my mind it starts to go.”

It is inspiring stuff, and reminded me of my wife Sheila’s poetry, in that it is emotional, flows like water, and makes me wish I could write poetry half as well. Both “Hum” and “Hawks” also benefit from being quieter songs that make it easy to focus on the joy of all those wonderful words.

Unfortunately, two things stand in the way of the record’s greatness. The first is Stevenson’s delivery, which when she plays it straight, is full of hurt and anxious wonder. Unfortunately, she sometimes adds a bit too much affectation in the delivery, like she begrudges the greatness of the language and wants the listener to have to pay even closer attention to follow along.

The second is the production not entirely to my liking. I can pick out individual brilliance on the musicians, but not as crisply as I tend to prefer. Like the lyrics, I have to dig to hear it. While it is usually worth it, it is also work.

However, while some of the choices in delivery aren’t exactly the way I want them, the bones of these songs are strong and on each listen they will draw you deeper inside them. I recommend Laura Stevenson, but only if you’re willing to give her some quiet space and a couple of listens to let her work her magic.

Best tracks: Living Room NY, Hum, Rattle at Will, Hawks, Big Deep, Perfect

CD Odyssey Disc 1519: Phoebe Bridgers

It’s been a long day, and as Leonard Cohen once sang, I just want “to get lost in that hopeless little screen.” But my wise and caring wife reminds me that getting lost in the written word is likely to be much better for what ails me. So here I am…and here we go.

Disc 1519 is….  Punisher

Artist: Phoebe Bridgers

Year of Release: 2020

What’s up with the Cover? Behold, the red planet Mars! Where the dead cavort among the broken stones and dream of vengeance!

Does this dread spirit have some power to destroy music? Because as I listen to the record the sound is all wrong, as though possessed by some terrible spirit…[insert 20 minutes of Logan testing various connections to the point of panic].

And…I’m back. Whew! I thought for a moment that my headphones (which I fucking LOVE) had finally given up the ghost. But no, it was just a broken cord, making the record sound garbled. Thankfully I have a spare and I’m back.

Also, it’s just Phoebe in a skeleton suit, no undead horrors from outer space. That was also a false alarm.

How I Came To Know It: I loved Bridgers’ first solo record “Stranger in the Alps” (Disc 1410) and also her work with Conor Oberst as part of Better Oblivion Community Center (Disc1292). In fact, both those records got 5 stars, so buying “Punisher” seemed like a no-brainer.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Phoebe Bridgers albums, and although this one is amazing, I still have to put it in #2.

Ratings: 4 stars

“Punisher” is a breathy confessional that will wrap itself around you like a swirling fog; cold, comforting and possessed of a churning energy underneath. This is a stark and honest record, with Bridgers stitching together relatively simple imagery to generate surprisingly complex emotions.

For an album that will blow your mind, this honesty starts a bit too literal, with “DVD Menu/Garden Song”. You know that ambient, circular quality the music has on your DVD menu? The kind that lets it start again from the beginning every couple of minutes with minimal disruption to the flow? Well…that’s how this song starts. It isn’t bad, but it did make me want to get on with the movie.

Fortunately, that is the last time the record seriously disappointed me, and the “DVD” portion of the song only goes on for a minute, before Bridgers launches into “Garden Song,” lilting her way into your heart with her dreamy head voice. Some breath singers let that sound become an affectation, but Bridgers vocals have an easy power and clear enunciation, even as her ethereal delivery makes you certain elves are nearby.

After the relatively sleepy beginning, Bridgers launces into “Kyoto”. With its galloping tempo and wistful, “I’m spinning pixie-like around lamp posts” melody it makes you feel energized and thoughtful at the same time. It is almost meditative the way she can take all those layers of sound, and then plot your course through it so you never lose touch with the story she weaves. The song was destined to be a hit and, for once, radio America got it right. Well, it broke the Top 40 anyway, which for thoughtful indie music is a win.

I have a lot of favourites on this record, but “Halloween” is particularly beautiful. I’ve always loved the effect Halloween has on people, and its ability to make us feel safer in our truth when protected by the psychological armour of costume. Or in the context of the song:

“But I count on you to tell me the truth
When you’ve been drinking
And you’re wearing a mask.”

The song could be the contemplation of a crime, or just a couple that have had too many, but determined to dance the night away in honour of the titular holiday. Maybe something else besides. All I know is it evokes a sense of sad but celebratory excess.

While all the songs have the same atmospheric alternative pop quality, Bridgers shows subtle range and artistry dressing that sound up in different styles. “Graceland Too” could be an alt-country classic with different production decisions. The violin and banjo featuring prominently would be a giveaway regardless, along with lyrics like:

“She picks a direction, it’s 90 in Memphis
Turns up the music so thoughts don’t intrude
Predictably winds up thinking of Elvis
And wonders if he believed songs could come true.”

Here Bridgers has managed to write a song about someone thinking about country music, while thinking about something else, all the while writing a song that is country music, while also being something else. I’d say it’s clever, but that would imply it wasn’t also beautiful, and the truth is, it is both.

Speaking of that violin, it is played brilliantly by none other than Sara Watkins (Watkins Family Hour). The record also features guest vocals from Lucy Dacus, Conor Oberst and a host of other musicians I generally love, all of whom serve the song first.

And before I conclude, I would be remiss to not point out just how awesome the CD booklet is. Not only does it contain all the lyrics (I encourage you to follow along for maximum enjoyment) but also a series of black and white drawings by artist Chris Riddell that are both whimsical and provocative. Thank you, Phoebe Bridgers, in the midst of this digital-only wasteland, for still making the physical medium a treasure to buy and won.

I ranked Bridgers’ first album my #4 record for 2017, and I put 2019’s Better Oblivion Community Center at #2. I put “Punisher” in at #6 for 2020 as Phoebe Bridgers once again hits one out of the park.

Best tracks: Kyoto, Punisher, Halloween, Chinese Satellite, ICU, Graceland Too

CD Odyssey Disc 1518: Alanis Morissette

I’ve mostly broken my bad habit of buying albums for purely historical interest or completionism. Mostly.

Disc 1518 is….  Alanis

Artist: Alanis Morrisette

Year of Release: 1991

What’s up with the Cover? Alanis’ Giant Head. It looks like she’s holding her head up with one arm or maybe she’s voguing, as was the fashion at the time.

How I Came To Know It: I knew a single off this album from seeing the videos on MuchMusic but never considered buying the record. However, last month local record store Lyle’s was going out of business and had a 50% off sale. This record is hard to find, and I decided to buy it on a whim for…purely historical interest.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Alanis Morrisette albums. Of the two, this one is a distant second.

Ratings: 1 star

Let’s not mince words; this is not a good record. And while honour compels me to explain just why I think this, I do not plan to be excessively cruel on this review. Instead, I’ll start by noting that Alanis Morrisette was 16 years old when she recorded it. When I was 16 my biggest claim to fame was winning a high school trophy for best drama student. While I was doing that, Alanis was winning a Juno and selling 100,000+ copies of her debut record. While I don’t usually go in for biographical context, I think that bears saying.

OK, back to the ‘honour compels me’ part of the experience. This record is painful on multiple fronts. Let’s start with this genre, which I think is late eighties/early nineties dance pop. This form of music doesn’t lend itself to excellence to begin with, and here I found it unfavourably reminiscent of bad Paula Abdul (i.e. all of it) or most backing tracks played at fashion shows. Put simply, this is not my jam.

For one thing, the production of this era is atrocious, and this album is a poster child for the problems typical of the age. The drum machine is artificial, but not in that vibrant and urgent way that New Wave manages. It just feels cheap, and emotionless, like it was produced on a Casio in someone’s basement. And like an old dog won’t hunt, the thin bass won’t thump. The whole thing feels tinny.

There are some passable melodies buried in here, but they are buried deep. It is too bad because just going full pop would’ve helped, but with all the excess dance-track stuff going on, everything gets lost in a jumble. There are horns, strange synth sounds and on “Walk Away” a sample of some guy saying, “we gonna do a song that you never heard before.” After my first listen, I kept desperately hoping it would be true.

Alanis’ vocals are good although – again – unfortunately submerged in the pea soup of an over-taxed mixing board. Her vibrato delivery that would be so compelling a few years later on “Jagged Little Pill” is here, and it maddens me, because I love that vibrato, and this record gives it short shrift. Her ability to sing heartfelt emotional content is one of her strengths as an artist, but the artificiality of this record never gives her a chance.

There is one song (“On My Own”) where the Soulless Record Execs let her get ‘natural’ but a lot of that track is her straining to sing in a smooth pop style that does her no favours. It feels like they are trying to take the dynamic brilliance of her vocals and shove it into a square hole. It just doesn’t fit. Let Alanis be Alanis, SREs!

Lyrically, I never expect a lot from dance music, but as modern bands like Confidence Man demonstrate, you can have clever lyrics without giving away anything on the “danceable” front. I don’t mind that a lot of these songs are from the perspective of a teenage girl; that’s who Alanis is at this point. I do object to strained rhymes and imagery that feels jumbled together to serve the rhyme.

This includes the hit single “Never Too Hot” which is an undeniable earworm, but just what…

“Always too hot, never too cold
You make your best shot too hot to hold
Never too young, never too old
You gotta go for gold”

…is all about, I have no idea. I’m going to go out on a limb and say “not every much”. That said, when this song came on at the club back in 1991 there is a good chance I got up and danced to it. It is cheesy as hell, but it is danceable, and decades later if you quote a line from that chorus at people, they’ll quote the next line back at you. This damned dance song may be vacuous but it gets in your head and stays there, which is the main mission of most dance music.

So kudos for that, Ms. Morissette, but you’re still just getting the one star. That and the Juno.

Best tracks: Feel Your Love, Never Too Hot

CD Odyssey Disc 1517: Lyle Lovett

Today is Remembrance Day, and after I write this review I’ll be heading down to the cenotaph to pay my respects to Canada’s veterans and war dead. For someone like me, who has never experienced war first-hand, the horrors our veterans faced to preserve our country is unfathomable. I read a lot of military history, however, which if I am fortunate will be the closest I, or my loved ones, will ever have to come to a battlefield.

I recommend to you John Keegan’s “The Face of Battle” and “The Price of Admiralty”. These books describe battles across many centuries both from an organizational and strategic overview, but also from the gritty perspectives of what it would have been like for those individual soldiers in the thick of it. These books are harrowing accounts of just what people endure so that we can sleep safe and sound in our soft beds each night.

Disc 1517 is….  Lyle Lovett and His Large Band

Artist: Lyle Lovett

Year of Release: 1989

What’s up with the Cover? In the days before digital cameras sometimes your best picture from the party was also a bit blurry.

How I Came To Know It: “Here I Am” was the first Lyle Lovett song I knew as I was getting into his music. It was on this record, making purchasing it an easy decision.

How It Stacks Up: I have 11 Lyle Lovett albums and put this one in at #8. That bumps a few earlier decisions, but we’ll catch up on all that when I’ve reviewed them all (three to go). For now, if you see anything #8 or lower in a previous review, mentally bump it down one spot. I could have put “…and His Large Band” as high as #6, but let’s keep the depth chart disruption to a minimum, shall we?

Ratings: 3 stars

“…and His Large Band” represents a departure for Lyle, as he blended his blues/country croon with a big band sound for the first time. Lyle has kept elements from this new sound through the rest of his career, including a second big-band record almost twenty years later (2007’s “It’s Not Big, It’s Large” reviewed back at Disc 1331). However, 1989 was his first foray and the results are…mixed.

At this point I should note that “…and His Large Band” was a critical darling and even won a Grammy. Long-time readers may know the disdain I hold for the Grammys (seriously, put the Steely Dan records down Grammy voters) but I do recognize why critics liked this record.

First of all, the musicianship is tight as hell. Throughout his career, Lyle has shown a preternatural talent for finding the best of the best and he’s done it again here. Further, the band is as ‘large’ as advertised, and with so many more instruments there is even more pressure on everyone to be tight. I listened multiple times and didn’t hear a single note missed. More importantly, the feel of the record has the alchemy great records do, with everyone playing their individual best, while never bumping the elbow of their fellows.

This is only Lyle’s third record, and his vocals benefit from the combination of youth, and increased production values. Lyle is a natural crooner and is able to maintain personality and emotion throughout his range where a lot of lesser crooners just sound like they’re doing vocal gymnastics to prove they can.

There are plenty of good examples of this, but I was drawn to his cover of Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man.” The song’s natural plaintive quality is made for Lyle’s delivery. It has always been thematically complicated, given its dubious suggestion that all men are worth standing by, where some are plainly douchebags not worthy of the sentiment. Having Lyle sing it adds an additional twist – is this the man in question, appealing to some kind of external authority that his woman not leave him, or just a romantic notion sung into the ether of a world less complicated than the real one? It isn’t clear, and Lyle sings it so straight-up as to give you no clues.

In some respects, it is Lyle’s complicated yet simultaneously idealized vision of love. This is a theme that threads through all his work. On this record we have songs like “I Married Her Because She Looks Like You” where the singer extolls all the virtues of his wife that his ex did not possess, but as the title suggests, he doth protest much too much.

Lovett’s wry humour is on display as well, with the (relatively) famous “Here I Am” which has one of the finest mixtures of comparison logic and poetry I’ve heard with:

“If Ford is to Chevrolet
What Dodge is to Chrysler
What Corn Flakes are to Post Toasties
What the clear blue sky is to the deep blue sea
What Hank Williams is to Neil Armstrong
Can you doubt we were made for each other”

If it seems like gibberish, read it again, because it is sneaky brilliance merely disguised as random ravings.

Where the album lost me was on the jazzier elements. The record opens with “The Blues Walk” which I can assure you is not a Blues Walk, but very much a jazz walk, which is not a walk I tend to enjoy. Starting a record in such a way might have been new and exciting for Lyle, but it was annoying for me. Later on “I Know You Know” has a lounge singer quality that was supposed to put me in a slow and sexy sway, but just had me nodding off around the time the saxophone kicks in.

This is my second review in a row where, due to a lack of free time, I ended up listening to much longer than I would have wished. The previous time (Dry Cleaning’s “New Long Leg”) each listen became progressively more annoying. This time, I liked the record more on each new listen, which is always a good sign.

Best tracks: Here I Am, Stand By Your Man, If You Were to Wake Up

CD Odyssey Disc 1516: Dry Cleaning

A few weeks before I reviewed this next album my friend Randall texted to ask me if I’d heard it (at that time I’d bought it and given it a single listen). He texted back later that same evening to say he’d been listening to it a bit more and he’d decided he didn’t like it after all. I assumed at the time he was crazy, but as it happens, he was absolutely right.

Disc 1516 is….  New Long Leg

Artist: Dry Cleaning

Year of Release: 2021

What’s up with the Cover? Up close, this looks to be nothing more than “look how long my shadow looks in the late afternoon sun.” But no, Dry Cleaning has included two additional photos – maybe so we could contemplate if those would have made better covers? The top photo is a close up of some kind of machinery smashing concrete. The bottom photo is a wide shot featuring a backhoe digging in a deep pit.

Would either of these covers have been better than the shadow picture? No. Was it worth including them for some other reason? No. All this cover proves is that when you are in a hole, you should stop digging.

How I Came To Know It: I read two reviews of this album, one on Paste Magazine (8.2/10) and one on Pitchfork (8.6/10). Both these reviews were much too effusive in their praise but as we will see, initially misjudging this record is easy to do.

How It Stacks Up: This is my only Dry Cleaning album (they have a couple EPs, but I don’t have them) so it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 2 stars

“New Long Leg” is the musical equivalent of seeing an interesting looking person at a party that you don’t know. This person is sitting alone on the couch, and there is something weirdly wonderful about them. Maybe they’re wearing an incredibly large belt buckle or staring at the host’s art a bit too closely. Maybe they’re drinking a Zima in a casual way that suggests they have no idea it’s been extinct for years.

You go up to this stranger (since no one else seems to be doing that) and they engage you with a bit of dashing repartee. They appear to have a quick wit they’re easy on the eyes as well (if we’re being honest, this is another reason you braved the stranger-danger in the first place). The problem is that after 10 minutes of conversation you realize those two or three witty rejoinders are the sum total of their depth, and while they are indeed weird, they are weird in a very boring way. You spend the next 30 minutes (if you’re lucky) trying to extricate yourself from the conversation, until some other poor fool approaches who doesn’t know them and you slip away and back to your friends.

Not unlike Paste, Pitchfork and my friend Randall, I was initially smitten with this record. It features groovy basslines, eighties style guitar riffs and the magnetic deadpan spoken word delivery of singer Florence Shaw. The combination is a post-punk potpourri of sound you don’t always hear together, and your ear enjoys the novelty of it all.

The opening track (and single) is “Scratchcard Lanyard.” It has a quirky electronic drum beat and a delightful bass riff, and a churning groove that makes you think, “this is good, and I would like a lot more of it!” The record then proceeds to give you lesser versions of the same formula, and for a while you like that as well. It is all just so new!

On repeat listens, however, this novelty quickly wears off. Shaw’s vocals are hypnotic, her English accent is delightfully noticeable, and she just generally sounds too cool for school. However, spoken word poetry has to be more than a delightful drone; it needs to have something to say. At the very least, it needs some kind of continuity of imagery. With Dry Cleaning, things that seem deep and evocative initially quickly reveal themselves as idle stream of consciousness.

As for the riffs, like I said they are solid. No complaints. But over time you realize they are never going to advance. They’re just going to cycle about pointlessly. It’s the kind of music is pleasant enough to do housework, but that never develops into anything. It just hums, gurgles and circles around like a washing machine.

For some these irritants might be a feature rather than a bug. However, since my busy week trapped me with the record for multiple listens, I found them progressively more annoying. Even the lyrics, which initially felt whimsical, began to grate. There is a bit of “stoner music for dummies” going on here, like that party guest is also high and under the mistaken impression they are saying something profound.

As for the critical acclaim, I get it. Like professional music critics, I hear a lot of new music in a year, and when you hear something like “New Long Leg” the newness of the sound is intriguing. The band plays tight, for a debut record they have a clear sense of who they are, and the production has an appealing layering to it. After a while though I wanted it to stop its pointless idle musing, get up off the couch and do something.

Best tracks: Scratchcard Lanyard, New Long Leg

CD Odyssey Disc 1515: Billy Bragg

Rolling this album was a confluence of coincidence. My friend Andrew had just been texting me about how much he was enjoying early Billy Bragg AND Bragg released his first album in eight years just this week. I haven’t heard that new one yet (although I’m optimistic).

Disc 1515 is….  Talking with the Taxman About Poetry

Artist: Billy Bragg

Year of Release: 1986

What’s up with the Cover? My album is a remastered version where they’ve altered the cover, but I’ve gone with the original because I spent last night having steak and beers. As a result I’m feeling a little traditionalist this morning.

The cartoon of a city eats money, or maybe city makes money and the cartoon creature living under it eats some of it? If my degree was in Economics instead of English I might be able to figure it out. Whatever is going on, the creature seems decidedly unfriendly and looks to be in need of a timeout.

This cover has other fun details, including a second smaller cartoon in one corner, a printed price (4.49 British pounds, which was a lot less than I paid), and the admission that the record was “difficult”.

How I Came To Know It: I did not know this record when it came out, but instead discovered it several years ago while digging through Bragg’s back catalogue.

How It Stacks Up: I have nine Billy Bragg albums. Of those, there are about four that are all equally good, but if I have to pick (and I do) I’ll put “Talking with the Taxman” at #1.

Ratings: 4 stars

On his third studio album Billy Bragg completes his transition from street busker to recording artist, with brilliant results.

Bragg’s first two records heavily evoke a street-performer, relying on his bawling vocals and big guitar sound. “Talking with the Taxman about Poetry” (hereafter referred to as ‘Taxman’) incorporates all the visceral power of those early records, to which he adds well placed additional instrumentation into the arrangements. The result is a much more well-rounded sound, that doesn’t take anything away from the passion that makes Billy Bragg such a great experience.

Like all Bragg records, the songs are a mix of the personal and the political, with Bragg approaching both with bravery and truth.

The record begins with “Greetings to the New Brunette”. It is a love song, but it is a complicated love. The narrator’s enthusiasm for a woman named Shirley is clear, but through a series of vignettes you get the impression that she’s just not that into him. The song has potential for heartache, but Bragg sticks with a playful approach, repeating the song’s title at the end as his girl moves on to a true love, and our hero realizes she wasn’t ever “his girl” anyway.

“The Marriage” is another standout, as a man expresses his abiding love for his partner, while explaining why getting married isn’t something he’s into, claiming “marriage is just when we admit/our parents were right”. However, in the end he relents to the ceremony because hey – that’s love.

At the other end of the spectrum, Bragg’s social justice warrior is on full display, with two of his finest songs.

“Ideology” is a protest song against the sitting government that hearkens back to his earlier sound. His voice is big and bold here, and his guitar hits with a power and energy that makes it feel like a full orchestra. “There is a Power in the Union” is a union organizing song, based originally off an old Civil War song for Union soldiers (“Battle Cry of Freedom”) repurposed by Bragg for the labour movement. Apparently “Battle Cry of Freedom” was so popular a tune in the Civil War that the Confederates rewrote the lyrics to suit them and sang it as well. Proof that a good tune has a staying power all its own.

My copy of this record is a re-release with an extra disc of bonus tracks. I can’t say enough about how much I appreciate Bragg keeping the original record as-is and putting bonus content on a separate disc. Thank you, Billy!

As for those tracks, there are a lot of demos and alternate versions, which didn’t do much for me. Outside of the ‘no cowbell’ version of BOC’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” I’m not much for demos. However, there are a couple of beautiful covers (Woody Guthrie’s “Deportees” and Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears”). He also does a cover of Gram Parsons’ “Sin City” that I did not like. I recommend you to Emmylou Harris’ version if you want to enjoy that song properly. There is also a killer extra track called “A Nurse’s Life is Full of Woe” which is easily good enough to be on the original record.

“Taxman” is not a perfect record, but it has some of Bragg’s most enduring classics, and even the lesser tunes are strong. Bringing additional instrumentation and a slightly softer production lets you appreciate his songwriting even more, without taking away from the raw brash sound that gives him his passion.

Best tracks: Greetings to the New Brunette, the Marriage, Ideology, There is Power in a Union, Help Save the Youth of America, The Warmest Room

CD Odyssey Disc 1514: Harmony Woods

I purchased a bunch of new albums over the past week, but my crazy work and life schedule has prevented me from listening to any. Worse still, looking forward I don’t see it happening for at least another week. I guess I could watch less mid-week TV, but who are we kidding? I’m gonna watch that TV. I need to know what happens to those Locke & Key kids, damn it!

Fortunately, I am still finding time to listen to albums for the CD Odyssey, so here’s the latest!

Disc 1514 is….  Graceful Rage

Artist: Harmony Woods

Year of Release: 2021

What’s up with the Cover? Ophelia sat bolt upright and crossed her legs. “Damn that Hamlet!” Then, wondering why the notion of drowning had ever appealed, she gathered up her graceful rage and set off along the shore. At length she came across the hovel of a local fisherwoman and, after borrowing some dry clothes, left Denmark for good.

She was last seen living the good life on her own terms in Patagonia, free of vengeful ghosts, overprotective brothers and idiot princes alike.

How I Came To Know It: I read a review online and I thought it sounded interesting, so gave it a shot.

How It Stacks Up: This is my only Harmony Woods album so it can’t really stack up.

Ratings: 3 stars

Whimsical album cover narratives aside, “Graceful Rage” is an album about emerging from the depths of despair with a furious resilience. There is plenty of sadness to be had in these eight short songs, but they’re also songs of defiance and survival. And Ophelia doesn’t just live in this version; she’s got some things to get off her chest.

Harmony Woods is not (as the cover may suggest) a folk singer, but rather the name of an indie pop/rock band, fronted by singer Sofia Verbilla. And if you are looking for pale and wan birdsong on acoustic guitars, you will not find it here. “Graceful Rage” has some serious crunch, and the band is reminiscent as much of rock bands like Garbage as they are of the lighter side of pop.

Verbilla’s vocals are not overpowering, but she has the soul of a punk rocker and belts each tune out with truth and intensity. She’s both vulnerable and strong, and the combination of rock crunch and pop song structures reminded me favourably of bands like Camp Cope and Beach Bunny. On “Easy” she is at her finest, hitting an anthemic power that has her evoke her full power even as the liquid reverb of the guitar reflects the emotional turmoil of the experience.

Thematically, the record gives voice to women exiting (or reflecting back) on relationships with what sounds like some serious dickheads. I’m not sure if the record is about one individual dickhead, a collection of divers bastards or a single jerk-amalgam cobbled from multiple experiences. Whatever the case, they do not come off well. There’s gaslighting, emotional blackmail and douchebaggery to spare.

But for all the references to this jerk (or collection of jerks), the focus of the songs is not about them, but rather the strength of the women who emerge from the shadows they cast. There is a lot of sadness here, but there’s also a lot of catharsis.

The music matches the mood, with mournful melodies morphing into crescendos of sound, that subside back into something softer only to soar with anger anew. The music reflects an iterative and ongoing process rather than a full resolution, although as the final song, “I Can’t” crests with “you will never hurt me again/I can’t forgive you” you feel like there is a victory to be claimed from the rubble.

Even though I realized and appreciated that it was a part of the music’s emotional journey, I still found the arrangements a bit clangorous from time to time and on songs like “Good Luck Rd.” it got in the way of the bones of some solid songwriting. At other times (“God’s Gift to Women”) all that crash and bang was exactly what made the song amazing and powerful.

The overall impact was uneven, but I appreciated how these songs takes no prisoners; eviscerating failed relationships and leaving us to find what wisdom and solace we can in what remains.

Best tracks: Easy, God’s Gift to Women, I Can’t

CD Odyssey Disc 1513: Budgie

A combination of long workdays and a busy social calendar meant that I spent a lot more time getting to know this next record than it probably warranted. Here’s what I discovered.

Disc 1513 is….  If I Were Britannia I’d Waive the Rules

Artist: Budgie

Year of Release: 1976

What’s up with the Cover? As usual, Budgie gives us a bird-themed cover. Here we have some budgie-people locked in a space battle. They’re armed with rockets, which is pretty cool but they’re going to find their maneuverability limited given wings don’t work in the vacuum of space.

Also of note, the budgie in the middle has clearly been working out. Check out the bubble butt on that bird. I mean…squawk!

How I Came To Know It: My buddy Spence initially introduced me to Budgie, but these later records are me just digging through their catalogue.

How It Stacks Up: I have seven Budgie albums. One of them has to be my least favourite, and this one is it.

Ratings: 2 stars but almost 3

It’s rare for a band’s sixth album have the same magic as their previous five. There are exceptions to the rule, yes, but “If I Were Britannia I’d Waive the Rules” (hereafter referred to as “Britannia”) is not one of them.

All the usual ingredients for a good Budgie record are present. There are innovative guitar riffs counterbalanced with creative drumbeats and shifting prog-rock melodic structures. Like Rush, Budgie songs often feel like the band gets bored halfway through and decides to graft on a whole new song. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.

On “Britannia” it works a lot less than I’d like. A good example is the title track, which has a passably groovy guitar riff at the front, an even cooler (but different) guitar riff at the end and a whole lot of atmospheric filler in between them. Did it try my patience? Yes, reader, yes it did.

The album also has a bit more of a hippy dippy feel to some of the songs, as Budgie feels the influence of mellow mid-seventies radio rock going on around them. “You’re Opening Doors” even has a bit of jazz flute which was entirely unwelcome.

The band loves long and weird song titles, often inserting dad jokes and puns for good measure. “Britannia” has plenty of this, starting with the clever word swap in the title track. The worst offender is “Anne Neggen” which I think is them having a laugh at how the chorus of “and again! And again!” could be interpreted as a woman’s name. It is the kind of joke that is funny at 2 a.m. when you are still at the studio, a few joints in and feeling loopy. It is not the kind of joke that translates to the audience. Is it as bad as the risible “Napoleon Bona Parts 1 & 2” from “Bandolier”? Not quite, but close.

The best of the “weird title” songs is “Quacktors and Bureaucrats” which has a chugging bass line, and while it has about four different movements, they all fit together nicely, aided at critical junctures by the best friend of seventies rock, the cowbell.

While “Quacktors and Bureaucrats” is carefully planned and arranged, other songs like “Sky High Percentage” feel like a rock and blues band jamming at the bar. Their jamming at a high level, but that kind of experience isn’t my…er…jam. See that, Budgie? You’re not the only one who can force a little word play.

After a terribly schmaltzy “Heaven Knows Our Name” where Budgie tries (and fails) to get romantic, the album ends with “Black Velvet Stallion”. This song is glorious. It is a third dreamy and diffuse, a third crunching guitar, and a third “let the rhythm section hit ‘em” and it rolls through these iterations in a wheel of awesome for its full eight plus minutes.

My best guess is this song is about Budgie ruminating on one of those seventies black velvet paintings of a horse. A rather hilarious and of-its-time notion, made more awesome by deep thoughts like this:

“Black velvet stallion you're my child
Flower of tenderness growing wild
Look through my wilderness
No one would ever guess you're me
What I am seeing is me”

Don’t worry, boys; the drugs will wear off in a few hours and it’ll just be a painting of a horse again.

As over the top as it is, “Black Velvet Stallion” ends the record on a high note. Or at least it should. My version is once again one of those mid-oughts remastered copies, that features 2006 versions of both “You’re Opening Doors” and “Black Velvet Stallion”. These later recordings of the originals add nothing to the record, other than infuriating me. When I listen to “Britannia” outside of the “full listen, monkey” requirements, these are mercifully excluded from the experience. Even here after the one obligatory run through, I decided to…ahem…waive the rules.

The real question is, am I going to keep this album or let it go? I waffled considerably on this, and I expect if I’d had a couple fewer listens I’d probably have let it go. Instead, despite its faults it grew on me, which I’m taking as a good sign for the future.

Best tracks: about half of “If I Were Britannia I’d Waive the Rules”, Quacktors and Bureaucrats, Black Velvet Stallion