CD Odyssey Disc 1779: Okkervil River

My third review of the week! Hard to swing it, but I was aided by the fact that this next album is an EP, and so that much quicker to grok in its fullness.

Disc 1779 is…Overboard & Down

Artist: Okkervil River

Year of Release: 2006

What’s up with the Cover? A man lies uncomfortably on a makeshift raft. There are also a lot of hands.

We’ve got some hands in the sky that appear to be summoning good weather and a bit of wind to speed him on his way. We’ve also got our castaway’s own hands, one of which appears to be signaling ‘thank you’ to the sky hands.

Then we’ve got a bunch of hands coming up from under the water. The motivation of these hands is unclear. They don’t look threatening, but I tend to be wary of any hands that rise up out of the ocean depths. I know that’s wrong of me to prejudge these water-dwelling hands, which might be very nice and just patting the man to reassure him that help is on the way. I just think the odds of that are low.

How I Came To Know It: I found this at random while searching for something else at the local record store. I knew Okkervil River quite well but I’d never heard of this record and so, assuming it would be hard to find and I’d regret not buying it later, I snapped it up. I haven’t seen it anywhere since, so I’m glad I did.

How It Stacks Up: I have lots of Okkervil River records, but I decided when I reviewed the Black Sheep Boy Appendix back at Disc 1583 that I would rate their EPs separately. I have (or had) two EPs, and rank “Overboard & Down” at #1 of those two.

Ratings: 3 stars

The internet informs me that this album was put out to support Okkervil River’s 2006 tour of Australia. That’s a cool thing to do, but apart from giving Aussie indie rock fans something to buy at the merch table, how is the music?

Quite solid, thanks for asking. This is vintage early Okkervil River, and singer and principal songwriter Will Sheff’s signature warble is in full effect. Sheff has a delivery that always feels slightly tortured, and he uses it to wring every drop of emotion out of songs that are pretty wrought for the wringing.

“Overboard & Down” is a mix of three new original studio songs (so you’re not just buying it for the cover or the concert memories), a live version of “Westfall” and a Big Star cover. Let’s tackle them in these groupings, shall we?

First the three originals, all of which are solid. “The President’s Dead” is the first track and also the record’s best. Sheff does a great job of capturing such a monumental and tragic event, in this case a mythical president not a reference to an actual event. This is important because the song is less about the event itself and more what it is like to get that kind of news, and all the individual reactions that follow. Best line:

“In the media tent where they spin and they slant,
They just foam the mouth, and they champ at the bit”

Why is that the best line? The correct use of champ at the bit. It is hard to get through my day without some rando saying “chomp at the bit,” with me then being forced to determine if social niceties and circumstance allow me to correct them in the moment. “Chomp” is wrong, people – stop fucking doing it.

But I digress.

Back to the record, after a relatively forgettable but solid “The Room I’m Hiding In” our third original is “Love to a Monster.” It is a powerful example of how Sheff is not afraid to let his songwriting go to very dark places. Here we have a thoroughly despicable narrator describing all his ill-wishes for his ex, right down to reveling in “what a number he did” on her and his plans to do the same to someone new:

“I grow tired of this song turned my eyes to the blonde in the bleachers
She's a lovely young creature I think she's seeking adventure
I think she's ready to see that the world ain't so sweet nor so tender
I won't break her just bend her and make her into my new ringer for you”

Yech. This song makes my skin crawl, but holy crap it does a good job of doing that, and while it is dark and disturbing art, it’s art all the same.

Which brings us to the live version of “Westfall”. The studio version appears on the 2002 album “Don’t Fall In Love With Everyone You See” (reviewed back at Disc 1267). It is a song of horrific murder, and I won’t get into the details (I cover those on the studio review). I will say that this live version is excellent and even more angsty and black than the original. I wouldn’t say I needed another version of “Westfall” but I am glad to have this one all the same.

Rounding out the record is a cover of a song called “O Dana” originally by seventies rock band Big Star. I don’t know much about Big Star but this cover didn’t inspire me to explore them, and overall it is the weakest track on the EP.

“O Dana” aside, “Overboard & Down” is a solid record, and did what a good EP should always do – left me in the mood for more.

Best tracks:  The President’s Dead, Love to a Monster, Westfall (live)

CD Odyssey Disc 1778: The Honey Dewdrops

Happy Halloween! Halloween is my favourite holiday, although you wouldn’t know it this year, since I’ll just be spending a quiet night at home. But Sheila and I have filled the last week and a half watching scary movies, so that’s something.

One day I’ll return to writing horror novels (yes, this is a thing I do) but for now I must content myself with a couple blog entries to scratch that creative itch. Which is, incidentally, why you are here – so let’s get into it, shall we?

Disc 1778 is…Here in the Mountains

Artist: The Honey Dewdrops

Year of Release: 2024

What’s up with the Cover? Here we are in what I assume passes for mountains somewhere. I’m from a place with some seriously rugged mountains, and this picture is what folks in my part of the world call “hills”.

Not sure what's up with that giant white border, but it ain't makin' those hills look any higher.

How I Came To Know It: I am an avowed fan of the Honey Dewdrops and buy most (but not all) of their albums. In this case, I bought this album from Bandcamp, which is a great way to support smaller bands that have no big label or mass distribution. They may not tour through your neighbourhood, but Bandcamp is like an online merch table.

How It Stacks Up: I have five Honey Dewdrops albums. One of these had to be last, and alas, it is “Here in the Mountains”. So…fifth.

Ratings: 2 stars

Reading that rating you might be inclined to believe I’m not that fond of the Honey Dewdrops, but that is not the case. I’m a huge fan and even gave a previous record the coveted 5 stars (2015’s “Tangled Country” reviewed back at Disc 1405). So it isn’t that “Here in the Mountains” isn’t good, it just didn’t inspire me like some of their previous work.

The raw materials are there. Duo Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish still have all the talent in the world, playing multiple instruments and singing beautifully both individually and in harmony. The talent and musicianship is undeniable. They’re at their best when playing a bluegrass or folk tune, and when they do that, they’re hard to beat.

On “Here in the Mountains” they explore other musical styles, playing some songs in an Everly Brothers early jangle folk style and also more traditional country. It isn’t bad, but it had me yearning for that pure folk sound they’re so damned good at.

An example of the latter failing them is “Paperwork,” a jailbird tune in the spirit of Merle Haggard, complete with guitar mosey and spoken word bridge about how life is hard behind the cell doors. Laura and Kagey pour their heart and soul into the song, but I didn’t feel the gravitas of a prison song the way old Merle did it. It feels like they want that throwback sound so much that they can’t sit down comfortably in it and let it happen.

When they’re in their wheelhouse the magic returns. The title track is the best tune on the record, featuring a sublime bit of guitar picking and Wortman’s vocals clear and pure. If you’ve ever walked a while into the wilderness and felt the calm descend upon your soul, then this song will bring back a sliver of that magic. If you’ve never felt the joy of the remote solitude of a mountain hike, then this song will give you good artistic representation of how it feels. Listening, I felt the tension melting away and my mind cast back to many a hike I’d taken in my youth. This song is good for what ails you.

Also gorgeous is “Goodbye” which is again lifted by Laura Wortman’s lead vocals. Kagey is a gifted singer as well, but when the Honey Dewdrops turn the lead over to Laura there’s an extra spoonful of magic in the result.

Unfortunately, the other songs didn’t hit these same heights, and alone they were not enough to carry the record.

I would be remiss not to point out that “Silver Lining” is also a perfect piece of folk music, but it is also a repeat of a song from their 2012 album of the same name. As covering your own music goes, I think waiting 12 years exceeds the Statute of Limitations, so there’s no crime here, but as a long-time fan, hearing the song again didn’t add anything specific to it. The production here is more lush and full but it is essentially the same tune, with little to separate the two versions. If I had to pick, I’d take the rawness of the original.

I’ve had so many great moments with the Honey Dewdrops, that I wanted to love this record more than I did. Hell, I proudly display a sticker they very kindly sent me on my lunch bucket and sing their praises often, and with justification. But I keep it real here on the Odyssey. While I would not recommend you start your journey of exploration with this record, this band is still worth your time overall. As silver linings go, that’s not so bad.

Best tracks:  Here in the Mountains, Silver Lining, Goodbye

CD Odyssey Disc 1777: Blondie

Welcome back to the CD Odyssey. I have just taken out the recycling. As Flight of the Conchords teaches us, taking out the recycling is not sexy, but is still very important.

On to an album that is both sexy and important.

Disc 1777 is…Autoamerican

Artist: Blondie

Year of Release: 1980

What’s up with the Cover? Debbie Harry leans back against a low rooftop wall, all legs and rock and roll attitude. You may also be notionally aware of the New York skyline and other members of the band strung along the same wall. You may find yourself unaware of anything other than Debbie Harry.

How I Came To Know It: I had this record on vinyl as a kid, as a hand-me-down from my brother, so I already knew I liked it. Buying it on CD was an easy choice, made so many years ago the occasion is lost in the mists of time.

While I mostly play the CD version, I can confirm that on the vinyl version Debbie’s attitude is that much cooler, and her legs even longer.

How It Stacks Up: I have three Blondie records, and I had assumed “Autoamerican” would finish in third place. Not so, dear reader, it leapfrogs over “Plastic Letters” to land in second place. As this is my final Blondie review (for now) here’s the full accounting:

1. Parallel Lines: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 958)
2. Autoamerican: 4 stars (reviewed right here)
3. Plastic Letters: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 692)

 Ratings: 4 stars

Even though I’ve owned this record since I was a kid, I have rarely put it on, and over the years it has settled in my mind as one of Blondie’s weaker records. If, after a few high balls I have ever pontificated to you about how this record is only OK, please now accept my apology. Settle in and enjoy like I – wrongly – once told you not to.

Take your time though, because “Autoamerican” is a slow burn. It’s like getting into the hot tub near the water jet; the bubbles are gonna be a lot to deal with but once you settle in alongside and find a sweet spot, you’re in for a relaxed and invigorating soak.

The opening track, “Europa” is the unwelcome bubble experience. It comes on like a movie score that has you thinking things are cool and majestic, like you’re pulling up in your Rolls to an old English mansion for a ghost story. Except, this ambient mood bit should end in that scenario after 60 seconds. Instead it moodily floats around for three and a half minutes. Reader, I was bored and a little restless.

The next song, “Live It Up” is a disco dance song, but its that one that nobody knows, where you excuse yourself from your partner and go in search of a breather and a Long Island Iced Tea. Following up on this is a barroom bit of burlesque with “Here’s Looking At You”. It is fine, but at this point I realized what was happening. Blondie was rich and famous, and they had realized they could afford to pretty much indulge whatever musical whim. But would they use their newfound power for good or ill?

The question is answered with “The Tide Is High”, and just like that the hot tub magic kicks in. There is just as much crazy experimentation going on, but now you realize the brilliance of it all. The sun is going down and you feel the warmth of a late summer day, beaming through this little bit of pop perfection. You realize Debbie Harry has just been trying on a lot of different vocal styles and has finally arrived – by design - at this wonderful moment. Sure she’s singing to you about moving on, but the song is so relaxed you’re happy to just let the song saunter off down the beach. The afterthought’s what matters.

From here, the album begins to unfurl in all its glory. “Angels on the Balcony” changes tone again into a ghostly bit of reverie, here are the spectres of parties past, or maybe parties present – it all blends together.

The record rolls through this and other various sounds, returning multiple times in new ways. Later in the record we get more ghostly angelic singing with “T-Birds”, only this time the vision is a blonde in a sports car. “Do the Dark” brings back “Live It Up” only better and “Faces” returns our barroom sound of “Here’s Looking At You” but once again, better.

Like I said, it’s a slow burn.

I would be remiss not to note this record’s other hit, “Rapture” is pure disco joy. A song for dancing close with a partner, but not so close you can’t sway your hips to the beat or invite a handheld turn or two.

Unlike my vinyl original, my CD copy is a remaster, featuring three bonus tracks. Usually I don’t like bonus tracks polluting the original playtime of an album, but the remastered copy of “Autoamerican” is the exception that proves the rule. There are three bonus tracks, all welcome.

The first is the original extended version of “Call Me”. “Call Me” is one of Blondie’s greatest songs, but if you don’t go in for their Greatest Hits (I don’t) you will only find it on the American Gigolo soundtrack. Here, I get a free copy of the eight minute “original long version”. I loved all eight minutes.

Also featured is the B-Side to “The Tide Is High”, “Suzy & Jeffrey”, a fifties crooner featuring love and car wrecks in the great tradition of “Last Kiss” and the Shangri-Las’ “Give Us Your Blessing” (if you don’t know the latter tune, check it out).

The third bonus track is a 10-minute extended disco dance version of “Rapture”. At 10 minutes, and with all those extra whistle blows and hand claps, does it end up being too much? Reader, it does not.

Cognitive dissonance is a powerful force, and no doubt the reason that even after all these years of exposure to “Autoamerican” I’ve never previously embraced its brilliance. Consider me cured.

Best tracks:  The Tide Is High, Angels on the Balcony, Go Through It, Rapture, T-Birds, and from the bonus tracks: Call Me (original long version) and Suzy & Jeffrey

CD Odyssey Disc 1776: The Northern Pikes

The Odyssey sails on to our next album. This one is “new” in that I recently acquired it, but old in that it is, you know, old.

Disc 1776 is…Big Blue Sky

Artist: The Northern Pikes

Year of Release: 1987

What’s up with the Cover? Not much. The band’s name. If the album title is in there somewhere, my colour blindness prevents me from seeing it.

Wait, yes, there it is. Red printing on blue right at the bottom. Nigh invisible for me until I zoomed in while looking at the photo.

How I Came To Know It: I knew this album when it came out and I’m pretty sure friends owned it, although I never did. I did once own their 1990 album “Snow in June” on CD, but I sold it one weekend when my pockets were empty and my liver was thirsty.

This copy of “Big Blue Sky” comes to me via Sheila, who found it in a thrift store on one of her outings for the low price of $2. Good deal!

How It Stacks Up: I only have this one Northern Pikes records for reasons I have already described.

Ratings: 2 stars

If there’s a band that epitomizes the Canadian folk-rock scene that band is…Blue Rodeo. OK, but if there were a second band, the Northern Pikes are definitely in the conversation. There is something expansive but introspective about the Northern Pikes, not unlike the vast snowy plains of their home province of Saskatchewan.

On “Big Blue Sky” the band does what a lot of bands do on a debut record, which is to explore a lot of different facets of their sound. The result is a record that is ambitious and uneven in equal measure.

It is easy to explore a lot of ideas when you have not one, not two, but three vocalists. Sometimes they sing in harmony, but there are also lots of opportunities for the different voices – all similar in range but with different tones and phrasing – to put their own stamp on the songs. I am not a big enough fan to always know who is who, and won’t pretend I can.

The record starts with what was a moderate hit. According to Wikipedia (which is never wrong) “Teenland” topped out at #29 on the Canadian charts, but for some reason it feels so much more ubiquitous than that.

“Teenland” is powered by the vocals of Merl Bryck (I looked it up). He’s not always the singer, but his distinctive ability to move up and down within the refrain of “Tee-eee—eenland” is what makes this song instantly recognizable, fun to sing along to, and just as hard to get out of your head. So a pop hit although at #29, I am using ‘hit’ loosely.

Whatever the level of hit, I love “Teenland” which captures the disaffection and disillusionment of teen life. There’s no disillusionment like your first experience with it, and this song captures it right down to the dismissive expression of “give us a break” – repeated multiple times in the bridge because the narrator(s) really want you to.

After this the album descends into some downright unnecessary experimentation with eighties sounds. Eighties sounds are a dangerous minefield to begin with, and the Northern Pike are determined to skip through it with abandon. They do not emerge unscathed. Particularly terrible are the songs that appear designed for dancing. “Dancing in a Dance Club” sounds like a Talking Heads song minus the energy and “Love and a Muscle” can’t decide if it wants to be social commentary or underground club hit.

The record seemed very long, despite clocking in at reasonable 51 minutes and 12 songs, but in places it has serious drag. Even the brilliant and dystopian “Things I Do For Money” takes almost a full minute of mood tones before it launches. When it finally does, it embarks on a disturbing exploration of what it’s like to lose yourself in pursuit of the almighty dollar.

If “Teenland” is disaffected youth’s anthem, then “Things I Do For Money” is for twenty-somethings that have landed their first good paying job and are wondering if all the effort was worth it. The lyrics are basic, but the tone, and that insistent guitar riff fills the air with a hopeless anxious energy. Well played, Pikes, and it would’ve been even better if you’d gotten started quicker.

“Teenland” and “Things I Do For Money” are the album’s most well known songs, and also its best. They’re good but alone wouldn’t be enough to put this record in the “keep” pile given some of the other missteps.

However, right as I was about to consign “Big Blue Sky” to the discount bin of history, it gave me a few deep cuts of notable merit. “Jackie T” has a magnetic warble to it that makes you see the title character through the perfect yearning of her distant admirer. “Love Will Break You” has a chorus that lets you feel the breaking of a heart at its most electric – sad, frantic, and out of control.

The record ends with the title track, which once again takes way too long to get going, but once it does is once again worth the wait. The opening line:

“Can you remember when you were younger?
There were so many things you wanted to conquer”

Asks questions that hint at answers full of sadness and loss of innocence. For a young band on their first album, the Northern Pikes do weary cynicism as well as anyone.

In the end, the good outweighs the bad on this record, and makes me glad I rediscovered the Northern Pikes through the power of thrift.

Best tracks:  Teenland, Things I Do For Money, Jackie T, Love Will Break You, Big Blue Sky

CD Odyssey Disc 1775: Boy Golden

It’s my second album from 2021 in a row. Did I buy a lot of music in 2021, you ask? That’s a silly question. I buy a lot of music every year.

Disc 1775 is…Church of Better Daze

Artist: Boy Golden

Year of Release: 2021

What’s up with the Cover? A lot is going on with this cover, which depicts a cutaway view of an eight-story building – possibly the titular Church of Better Daze – with all manner of events taking place. Pets run about, people play guitars and sleep (not at the same time) and various passages run away into the distance to new worlds.

At the very top we have someone who looks to have achieved enlightenment, but unlike every other floor, there’s no obvious way into that room. Ain’t that the truth.

How I Came To Know It: My friend Casey discovered this band, and I joined him at a live show to see what all the fuss was about. I liked what I heard and bought both the CDs for sale at the merch table, this one and 2023’s “For Jimmy” (reviewed back at Disc 1699). 

How It Stacks Up: I have two Boy Golden albums and if you’ve been a careful reader to this point (or even have basic reading comprehension) you know which two. Of those two, “Church of Better Daze” comes in at #2.

Ratings: 4 stars

Listening to Boy Golden’s “Church of Better Daze” is to experience being a slacker without all the anxiety about being broke all the time. Don’t get me wrong, the characters in these songs are almost certainly broke. They just seem OK with it, as they dream of – you guessed it – better days.

Boy Golden picks the perfect musical style to pull off this lazy dreamy quality, with a record that floats languidly between folk and country. The air in these laid-back scenes is hazy and indistinct, but it’s probably just all the marijuana smoke.

Yes, Boy Golden likes to sing about the sweat leaf. Sometimes it is the star of the show, and other times it is secondary to his whimsical explorations of ordinary life. For the latter we get the crowd-pleasing jingle, “KD and Lunch Meat” a song replete with oohs, woos, and clever turns of phrase. A song so chill it turns eating KD and lunch meat into a victory. It is also very catchy and (I am told) a radio hit. I expect in ten years Boy Golden will hate playing it, but for now it’s a natural instant hit and those are rare and worth celebrating.

The title track doubles down on how to live a relaxed and righteous life. Boy Golden shows off his immaculate talent for phrasing and hazing as he trips through various protocols on how to smoke grass. 90% of the song is that and only that, but he finds time to provide a stanza of life advice which is worth passing along:

“You gotta follow your heart, make good art
Call your momma and work real hard
If you never ever cheat then you never have to lie
If you're in the right place, you never ask for the time”

Good advice, and it even ends with some helpful directions, metaphysically speaking.

The production is a bit on the fuzzy side, without a lot of low range. I’m a mid-range guy anyway, so that wasn’t a deal breaker, but it left things a bit diffuse on some of the less dynamic songs. I fully expect that’s what Boy Golden was going for, so fair enough.

“The Year That Clayton Delaney Died” is more of a cautionary tale that those cool and reckless guitar heroes of our youth are more likely to die young than get famous. Boy Golden doesn’t let the song get too heavy, choosing to see a tragic local rock and roller’s end through the adoring eyes of a young fan. For the most part we are spared the grimmer imagery, but the overall lesson is there if you’re willing to pick it up.

This song is the Rosetta Stone for decoding this record, which despite the general tone of hedonism, has a good heart at the centre of it all, and a lot more to say beyond just how to pass a blunt and eat on the cheap.

Best tracks:  KD and Lunch Meat, Something to Work Towards, Church of Better Daze, A Little Space, The Year That Clayton Delaney Died

CD Odyssey Disc 1774: Bridge City Sinners

For the second straight review we have a CD where the case is a narrow piece of cardboard with nothing on the spine. Argh. This one was one of four I bought by the same band, so I converted an old double album CD case into a case for all four and named it “The Bridge City Sinners Anthology.”. While they are all now in one place, I am committed to rolling them individually. Here’s the first.

Disc 1774 is…Unholy Hymns

Artist: Bridge City Sinners

Year of Release: 2021

What’s up with the Cover? The Bridge City Sinners’ logo, which looks like a pentagram inside an eyeball. If your iris looks like this, call a doctor, and maybe also a priest. You’ve got a condition.

How I Came To Know It: Last month I went to Vancouver to see Frank Turner in concert. While waiting for the show to start I was fascinated to see the lineup for the opening band’s merch table stretch back three times as long as Frank’s. Feeling inspired I got in that lineup, learned it was the Bridge City Sinners from their fans (who are hardcore), and by the time I was at the front bought a t-shirt and all four albums. This is one of them. It was done on a whim, but it turned out well for me.

How It Stacks Up: I have four Bridge City Sinners albums. I love them all, but they are all so new it is hard to rank them. I’ll say it is #2 but I reserve the right to move it around.

Ratings: 4 stars

It’s rare that music as old timey as the Bridge City Sinners can sound like nothing you’ve ever heard before, but such is the devil’s brew of styles they mix up. Be prepared for a healthy does of bluegrass, the soul of punk, combined with a healthy dollop of lounge cabaret that has run away with the circus. Oh, also, as the name would imply they sing about sin – and Satan in particular – a lot.

The genre busting is maybe best exemplified by lead singer Libby Lux, who also plays…the banjolele. I’ve never heard of the banjolele before Libby introduced me to it, but it is what the name implies – what a ukulele would be like if it were based off a banjo and not a guitar. It’s a weird combination of sound, half of both, and according to Wikipedia (which is never wrong) “most” popular in the twenties and thirties.

That tracks, because Lux and her band fell right out of an alternate past, where the world is a diaspora of sex, booze, sin and Satan. People dance about in the mud shirtless, wearing only work boots, baggy pants and floppy hats. There is much carrying on.

Yes that’s the vibe, you say, but how’s the music? Thanks for asking – the answer is…excellent. They’ve updated old timey sounds into something with a ragged and modern edge. Most tunes are played at a furious pace, and every instrument at any moment will be dropping staccato string strikes. Drums are entirely absent and entirely unnecessary. Despite the speed, everyone keeps impeccable time, allowing frontwoman Libby Lux to work her magic.

That magic is an unholy warble, as Lux twists her mouth around lyrics like they’re so hot they’ll burn her tongue, so lascivious that you can tell she likes them that way. Lux is a punk possessed, but never so out of control she’s not always serving the song and the arrangement – which can jump from one idea to the next several times in a single tune. Her passion pulls you through every curve, and you’re quickly drawn into all that energy.

As noted earlier, the Bridge City Sinners love singing about the dark side of the universe, and much like their two previous records, “Unholy Hymns” is replete with murder ballads, tales of drug abuse and, of course, the devil. There is even a double-shot of Lovecraftian horror with “The Legend of Olog-Hai” Part 1 and 2.

There are no bad songs, but one particular standout is “Devil Like You” a duet tale of newlyweds and murder where death-by-strangulation is the order of the day, and the romance part of the song very much past tense and ephemeral.

“Rock Bottom” is a bouquet of depression, cigarettes and alcohol, all of which are part of the dirgelike refrain of “no matter how low I go/there ain’t no rock bottom for me.”

The album ends with the title track, and the band doubles down on their apocalyptic but artistic vision as the narrator dies, finds out they are destined for hell, and yet remain rebellious and unrepentant:

“Hey Saint Pete how do I look
Sorry I didn't spend my life reading your book
I'll be fine don't pray for my sins
I'm going down singing unholy hymns”

Traditional bluegrass, this is not.

It is also not music if you are looking for uplifting tales of love and redemption, but if you enjoy the antics of a rogue’s gallery of murderers, drunks and devil-may-care rakes, then this music is a sinful pleasure. If as you may suspect, it is a little tongue-in-cheek, this takes nothing away from the brilliant writing and performing of gifted players who fully commit to their roles from start to finish.

Best tracks:  The Devil’s Swing, Rock Bottom, Departed, Devil Like You, Unholy Hymns

CD Odyssey Disc 1773: Kate Davis

A long weekend has arrived (for us Canadians, it is Thanksgiving) and it couldn’t come at a better time. I am looking forward to a full recharge and also a big roast beef dinner (thank you, S.). We don’t do the turkey thing, but we do eat a fancy meal.

In music news I went a little crazy last week and ordered a LOT of music, through my local record store, Bandcamp and (yech) another online retailer I’ll not name, but sometimes use as a last resort. Most of it has arrived and the long weekend will feature a whole lot of different styles – German folk, Americana, indie, rap, metal and good ole rock n’ roll will all feature. You’ll hear all about these albums when I randomly role them, because that’s how it works here on the CD Odyssey. We never know where we’re going to sail next!

Disc 1773 is…Trophy

Artist: Kate Davis

Year of Release: 2019

What’s up with the Cover? Giant Head Cover! Not much to say beyond that. It is sparkly?

Not cover related, but the CD copy of “Trophy” is in a cardboard fold with no spine. This means to file it with my CDs as-is would mean I wouldn’t be able to see it when picking an album. This has become increasingly common with CDs. C’mon, artists. You don’t have to release on CD, but if you do please make the packaging substantial enough that you can read the name of the album on the spine.

How I Came To Know It: As it happens, not through her work with Postmodern Jukebox like most people. I heard about her through reading a couple of reviews on music websites I frequent (in this case Paste and Pitchfork both reviewed the record). Neither was effusive but when reading a music review it is less about the rating assigned and more about whether the music sounds like something you would like. I hope you find my musings similarly useful.

I ordered this album through Bandcamp and Kate Davis’ manager was very personable and kind. Great service!

How It Stacks Up: This is my only Kate Davis album. She’s released a couple since, but neither of them has appealed to me like “Trophy”.

Ratings: 3 stars

Maybe it is the uninspiring cover, but every time I put “Trophy” on I anticipate I’m not going to like it, and every time I’m wrong. This is a solid pop record, with catchy hooks, well-structured songwriting (all Davis), and engaging vocals.

Davis’ vocals are perfectly suited to her style of indie pop, and it makes me glad she moved on from jazz early in her career. Her tone is bright and full, with plenty of range. Her phrasing is particularly on point, landing with a whimsical traipse that makes for easy and engaged listening.

Lyrically, the songs are straightforward and tell mostly stories about love and relationships. “Open Heart” is particularly clever, treating a broken heart with the metaphor of actual heart surgery. Davis’ conclusion: repairing a broken heart means you can get hurt all over again in the future, but the risk is worth it.

“Dirty Teenager” has a dreamy quality to the production, as an awkward teenager sees a beautiful woman and imagines holding her hand. Our character swears that he doesn’t want to be a “dirty teenager” but I sense in the song it’s a battle with hormones that ultimately won’t be won. Besides there’s nothing dirty about wanting to maybe do more than hold someone’s hand. Still, always nice to hear a “I wanna treat her right” sentiment in a song. Ask her out for a coffee, narrator!

Some of the songs are a bit too dear for my tastes, notably the “musical number” quality of “I Like Myself”. It is a lovely sentiment of how being loved can help encourage you to love yourself, and beautifully sung, but the tune is a bit too Broadway for my tastes.

Also, the best songs are front-loaded on the record (a common but unwelcome feature of many modern albums) making things less impactful as you go. The exception is “rbbts” at Track 8, a late-breaking bit of brilliance near the end of the record. “rbbts” is a haunting, yearning sort of tune full of soul-baring moments and artfully placed minor chords. It made me feel the feels.

Before I sign off, hats off to producer Tim Bright. The production on “Trophy” is top quality and I bet done on a light budget, making it that much more laudable. Everything is crisp, and the mix is well balanced. Bright does a great job of showcasing Davis’ strong vocals, while still letting all the other players shine and have moments. I am biased toward this kind of clean (dare I say “bright”) production, so if you prefer saturated overlap or fuzz in your production, you may not agree. I encourage you to write your own blog entry all about that.

Best tracks:  Daisy, Open Heart, Dirty Teenager, rbbts

CD Odyssey Disc 1772: Mozart

Ready to foray into classical music for a spell? If so, read on! If not, um…read on and see if it will change your mind!

Disc 1772 is…Serenade No. 13 “A Little Night Music” and Piano Concerto No. 17

Artist: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Year of Release: 1992, but with music from 1784 (Piano Concerto No. 17), 1787 (Serenade No. 13) and 1791 (The Magic Flute Overture),

What’s up with the Cover? This is a close up of a section of Edouard Manet’s painting “The Fifer” also known as “The Young Flautist”. I don’t usually care for Manet, and that predisposition was reaffirmed upon looking at both this segment of “The Fifer” and then later the whole thing (you can decide for yourself by looking here).

One thing that is certain is this is not an original Mozart pressing, because this little fifer was painted in 1866, almost 80 years after the music was composed. We must therefore safely conclude that the CD I purchased does not hail from the 18^th century. Logic!

Also, given that the only part of the “Magic Flute” that is on this collection is the Overture, this is also a bit of false advertising. Think you’re going to get a bunch of songs about a flute? Think again! You will get a bunch of piano and a little night music and you’ll like it!

How I Came To Know It: I knew this Mozart guy was a bit of a thing, and upon seeing this CD at a local thrift store for $2, it felt like a bargain. Not so much if you bought it for that much back in 1790 though, where $2 was about two-weeks’ wages.

How It Stacks Up: and have already dabbled in a couple of prior Mozart albums and this was my third foray into his extensive catalogue. Of the three ‘albums’ I have reviewed, I put this particular collection in at #2.

Ratings: 4 stars

On my first listen to this record I suspected I’d made a mistake and bought a bunch of Mozart music I already owned. It turns out this is because like everyone I’ve been immersed with Mozart music my whole life in the background of a hundred movies. It is also because I don’t know much about classical music and rarely know the title of a piece I’m hearing. At least I know what I like and generally, I like Mozart very much.

This record has two compositions, but before we get to those we start with the Overture to his 1791 opera “The Magic Flute”. Just the Overture though, in what I’m sure the Soulless Record Execs planned as a classic bait and switch. I could talk about this, but putting just the overture doesn’t count as a full song and since this isn’t a late-night advertisement for an 8-CD set where you can “buy all the classics” I refuse to engage in such piecemeal chicanery. Which is hard, because that Overture is, like, really good…

Damn it, no! Let’s move on to the heart of the record.

Serenade No. 13 “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” aka “A Little Night Music”

The opening violin riff of this song is possibly the most recognizable classical riff in history. Certainly tied with Beethoven’s 5^th. It is also pretty Goddamn great.

When it comes to classical music I cleave closer to the violin than the piano, and The ole No. 13 did not let me down early. I wanted to spin around the room in a powdered wig, my red long-tailed dress coat flailing out behind me, a beautiful woman – held in perfect frame – in my arms (in my fantasy I always maintain a perfect frame).

After all that initial bombast, Mozart settles in with some serious brilliance. Sometimes it just feels like a piano sawing at the silence, but it saws at it with such perfection, it is like it is rending the universe so you can look into the resulting rift and see heaven.

By the third movement the whimsy completely overwhelmed me, and I was under the spell of this little bit of night music, wishing there could be just a little bit more of it.

Piano Concerto No. 17

This little ditty starts out with some great energy. Again with the party atmosphere, as Mozart trills a little birdsong along like only he can. It was easy to forget with all that great violin action that a bunch of dirge-y piano was just around the corner.

But no! When the piano does arrive, it is equally trill-heavy, and it was easy to accept this newcomer to the melody, as piano and violin called and answered one another with an effortless grace.

Unlike our little night music, however, the momentum could not be maintained. Before we are halfway through the song’s second movement we get a bit of what we modern rock fans would call…a noodle. I didn’t love this noodle either and dare I say this second movement needed to move along just a little bit faster than it seemed inclined to.

Things recover in the third and final movement, although the dude on the piano still gets pretty frantic in places. You just forgive him because 1) he’s so damned good at tinkling those ivories 2) the increase in pace (from andante to allegretto) is overdue, but welcome and 3) the violins are there to ride in victorious and rescue everything the piano threatens to overdo.

Overall, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is five-star glory that still slays after more than 230 years on the earth. Piano Concerto No. 17 is also solid, but I can’t go above a high four due to the bit of andante in the middle. What can I say? I’ve got the impatient ear of a modern music listener. Classical music snobs may sneer if you like, but Mozart belongs everyone, even us old school metalheads, and that’s a good thing.

Best tracks:  Of the two tunes, I’ll go with A Little Night Music

CD Odyssey Disc 1771: Patty Griffin

Before we get into the next review I would like to honour Kris Kristofferson who died earlier this week at the age of 88. Kristofferson was one of country music’s great singer-songwriters and he will be sorely missed.

A lot of retrospectives focus on Kristofferson’s songs being sung by others, but that was not my experience. I knew him because my mom (and later my stepdad) listened to Kristofferson records, and I was immersed in his gravelly truth telling pretty much from the day I was born.

The idea that these songs are “better” when sung by others never sits right with me. Kristofferson isn’t a gifted singer if you measure success by octaves, but if you want three chords and the truth then he’s your man.

He also killed a lot of vampires, which isn’t something Johnny Cash or Janis Joplin could ever lay claim to.

I’ll miss you, Mr. Kristofferson. Thank you for the lifelong gift of music.

If you’d like to read any of my Kris Kristofferson music reviews (there are eight) click here.

Disc 1771 is…1,000 Kisses

Artist: Patty Griffin

Year of Release:

What’s up with the Cover? Flowers and swallows and a slow winding river flowing past a church steeple put the viewer in a quiet and contemplative headspace, which is the right headspace to be in for a Patty Griffin record.

How I Came To Know It: I discovered Patty Griffin back in 2007 through her “Children Running Through” album”. Shortly thereafter I dug into her back catalogue, which is where I found this record.

How It Stacks Up: I have eight Patty Griffin records. “1000 Kisses” comes in at #2, bumping “Living With Ghosts” down to the bronze in the process.

Ratings: 4 stars

Patty Griffin is a lot like Kris Kristofferson – a brilliant songwriter who from time to time gets them covered by someone more famous. Unlike Kristofferson, you won’t find anyone suggesting those people sing the songs better than Griffin. No one credible, anyway.

Griffin sings with effortless power, and a tone that rings big and bold like a bell. It’s a voice that big could easily trend to shouty, but you will not experience that with Griffin. She knows how to reign it in just the right amount to fill your heart with the feels, but not lose the thread of story.

Which is a good decision, because “1000 Kisses” is replete with great stories, most of them complex character studies, often told in the first person. Griffin has a special talent for exploring complex characters in the first person, and many of the songs are artful soliloquys as we get to explore the triumphs and tragedies of the human spirit from the innermost thoughts of those experiencing them.

One of the best of these is “Long Ride Home,” about a woman in a limousine heading home from a funeral, her head full of the mixed emotion of remembrance and “what comes next” when someone important in your life is suddenly and irrevocably no longer there. It’s heart-wrenching and cathartic and all the things you feel in these moments, but made imminent through the specificity Griffin applies through the character study.

Just as thought provoking, “Making Pies” explores the loneliness of an old woman who is in the midst of a life adjusting to that kind of loss, with her husband of many years now gone. The song recounts how she fills her days, and a stoic practicality she expresses in the final stanza:

“5am, here I am
Walking the block to Table Talk
You could cry or die or just make pies all day
I'm making pies”

Griffin also takes time out from her own songwriting to deliver a killer version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Stolen Car”. Did I like it better than the Boss’ original? Reader, I did.

Voice and story come together on “Nobody’s Crying” one of the most Goddamn heartbreaking songs of lost love you will ever hear, where Griffin transmutes grief into emotional triumph. Griffin accomplishes this through both the expansive climb of the song’s structure and arrangement and through her incredible vocal talent. By the end, when she’s unleashed all her power, the walls are shaking with emotion, but with total control throughout.

I just lay back and revel in the majesty of it all, imagining that somewhere far off, Kris Kristofferson is doing the same.

Best tracks:  Rain, Chief, Making Pies, Stolen Car, Be Careful, Long Ride Home, Nobody’s Crying

CD Odyssey Disc 1770: Brand Nubian

After a couple of bad night’s sleep in a row, I’m feeling a bit worn down. Nevertheless, I recognize the sacred contract I have with you, dear readers, to fill your heads with nifty music ideas or – failing that – at least empty mine of same. It gets crowded up there sometimes.

Disc 1770 is…One for All

Artist: Brand Nubian

Year of Release: 1990

What’s up with the Cover? The boys pose under a pergola. This is almost exactly the same album cover as on “The Very Best of Brand Nubian” (reviewed at Disc 1524). For clever pergola observations, please check there.

You can also play “find all the differences” between the photos on that album and this one. Notable, the skyline looks a bit darker through the pergola in this cover, and the dude in the back (sorry – I don’t know my band members by sight) is upright instead of leaning.

Also of note, the warning label features prominently on “One For All” whereas it is wholly absent on the “best of” album cover. I assume it was explicit for 1990 but by the time the Greatest Hits record rolled around twenty years later, all the bad words weren’t bad anymore. Then, when the record turned 30, the words were bad again. It’s all very confusing.

How I Came To Know It: As noted on the “best of” review, I learned about these guys through a former coworker named Adrienne and her husband. I despaired finding the original album and after a bad encounter with a sanitized “clean version”(no warning label) I settled for a ‘best of a few years ago.

Then, lo and behold, I found this 30^th anniversary version by happy accident while digging in the “miscellaneous B section at the local record store.

How It Stacks Up: this is my only Brand Nubian studio album, so it can’t stack up. As earlier noted, I previously owned “In God We Trust” but it was the clean version and I couldn’t abide that. I remain on the lookout for that record, but with the warning label.

Ratings: 4 stars

While this is my only Brand Nubian studio album, I like my chances that this is their best. Exhibit A – six of the sixteen tracks on my “best of” compilation find their original home on “One for All”. Exhibit B – this record is dope.

As noted on previous reviews, Brand Nubian is rap from the golden age, when word wizardry was the order of the day, before hip hop got lazy and relied on heavily borrowed pop hooks (one man's opinion). Which is not to say Brand Nubian don’t sample pop hooks on “One for All” because they totally do. But they do it with an art and precision that repurposes those hooks, bits and pieces into something wholly new. The hook may still appear, but it is used differently, creating something new while also providing the backdrop to the reason you really came to listen – the word flow brilliance of the emcees.

As noted on previous reviews we have three emcees in the band, Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar, and they are all great, bouncing in and out of each other’s flow without ever tripping each other up. It is the hip hop equivalent of a good bluegrass song: everyone gets a turn to shine, and the whole ends up greater than the sum of the parts.

It isn’t always cool to reference what samples you hear on a rap tune, but this stuff is widely quoted, and the way “Slow Down” repurposes a famous Edie Brickell tune is pure bohemian brilliance. You hear all the original greatness, but better. It’s not imitation, it’s inspiration.

For the most part the songs that are anthologized later are the record’s best (among them on this listen I appreciated “Drop the Bomb” in a way I apparently missed in my review back in 2021), but there are also many deep cuts that are very much worth your time. “Ragtime” comes immediately mind but there are plenty of good ones.

The biggest sin on “One for All” is the length. At 16 tracks and 73 minutes it is just a bit too long, and the record would have benefited from four fewer tracks and a tight dozen tunes. Know when to say when because just because CD technology can hold 80 minutes of music, doesn’t always mean it should.

This is a minor quibble though, and “One for All” is rightly appreciated as an early rap classic that has aged very well indeed.

Best tracks:  All for One, Concerto in X Minor, Ragtime, Slow Down, Brand Nubian