CD Odyssey Disc 1783: Ngozi Family

It’s rare that the CD Odyssey finds an album that’s avoided getting reviewed for a decade or more, but it still happens. This next record is one of those, but it was worth the wait.

Disc 1783 is…Day of Judgment

Artist: Ngozi Family

Year of Release: 1976

What’s up with the Cover? An old school sepia photo of the band surrounded by a bunch of groovy graphics. The boys I the picture all have their hands clasped in prayer, likely on account of it being the day of judgment and all.

How I Came To Know It: I was in my local record store one day about ten years ago and I heard something awesome coming through the speakers. When I asked what was playing, the clerk told me “Ngozi Family”. I asked if he had a copy of whatever I was hearing. He did. I bought it.

How It Stacks Up: I have only one Ngozi Family record, although I also have 1977’s “The Ghetto” which is Paul Ngozi recording under his own name, presumably with a different band makeup. I count them together. When I reviewed “The Ghetto”’ (back at Disc 1007) I gave it 5 stars and assumed it was the best. While it is perfect, I’ve got to put the equally perfect “Day of Judgment” above it at #1.

Ratings: 5 stars

Ngozi Family is meat and potatoes hard rock like you’ve heard all your life, but played with such visceral joy that you’ll swear Paul Ngozi invented it. By the time you’re through “Day of Judgment” you’ll realize he’s reinvented rock and roll in his own image. Like Johnny Cash covers a song and makes it Johnny’s forever, Paul Ngozi takes an entire musical style and makes it his.

The core of “Day of Judgment” couldn’t be more basic on the surface. Ngozi loves the sound of a fuzzed out electric guitar, and he loves it a lot. On this, Paul and I agree. You’ll get strong undertones of Black Sabbath here, with songs that are front and centre about crunchy riffs that drill right into your spine. Somewhere halfway through the song there’ll be a shift and Ngozi will open up with some crazed distortion-filled solo that will feel completely out of control and completely purposeful at the same time.

It sounds simple, but the music is infused with such a festive joy you can’t resist the charm. It also has elements of African rhythms in the drums and melodic structure that takes this very basic rock and roll concept and infuses it with all manner of ear candy. Sometimes he warns you (“now I’m gonna blow my whistle” followed by…blowing his whistle). Sometimes the craziness just erupts. It’s a party where you’re never sure what will happen next, other than knowing it is going to get better and better.

“Kumanda Kwa Bambo Wanga” starts with a riff reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and then Ngozi throws in some awesome vocals in what I assume is a more traditional Zambian style (I’m no expert). I don’t know what the song is about, but I know that the combination of the African rhythms in the vocals and the Iommi-like guitar crunch is irresistible. And yes, halfway through Ngozi launches yet another distortion filled guitar solo. He captures the joy of a kid discovering what all the pedals can do, except with the expert application and timing of a master.

It is hard to pick the best song on a record full of greats, but when I want to get someone to love Ngozi Family, I usually go straight for “Hi Babe”. This is a song about nothing more complicated than going downtown to meet your buddies and say hi to passing girls, but never have I heard the tale told with such carefree and energetic joy.

On “Bwanawe” you think the blending is done, as Ngozi sticks almost exclusively to African rhythms at first, but it isn’t long before he’s thrown in a little guitar solo action in at the back end. He merges these sounds as naturally as breathing, and the more the two sounds blur together the better they sound.

That reinvented sound would eventually be a big part of what became known as “Zamrock” a rock and roll renaissance in the heart of Zambia. Much of the excellence that was made back then never survived. Lost masters, lack of recording equipment and a host of other twists of fate and ill-fortune. We’re lucky to still have masterpieces like “Day of Judgment” that survive to show us that bringing together different musical traditions can make for some great art.

Best tracks:  All tracks

CD Odyssey Disc 1782: Vera Sola

After a very busy week I’ve made it to another weekend. It is off to a good start, as my CD order from the UK arrived on Thursday night just in front of the Canada Post strike. This means my favourite new musical discovery – metal band Arkham Witch – is serving as the soundtrack to the weekend. Awesome.

This next review is also a recent discovery, also awesome, but very much unlike Arkham Witch.

Disc 1782 is…Peacemaker

Artist: Vera Sola

Year of Release: 2024

What’s up with the Cover? Looks like Vera Sola is building a house up in the high country. Building a house is hard work, particularly when the air is thinner, and Vera looks to have stopped briefly to swoon. A good swoon always restores one after a bout of the vapours.

Fear no, gentle readers! Before you know it she will be back up and busily installing drywall. Should another bout of swooning descend at least she’ll look resplendent it in that white and red dress as it overtakes her.

How I Came To Know It: I believe I read a review this album on “All Music” a website that provides a small number of reviews to go alongside a comprehensive listing of weekly new releases. Wondering if there’s anything new out by your favourite band? All Music can help you find out. Anyway, I liked how this record was described and decided to give it a chance. I liked it and before you know it I bought both “Peacemaker” and her 2018 release, “Shades”.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Vera Sola albums (which as far as I know is all of them). Of the two, I’ll put “Peacemaker” narrowly into second place.

Ratings: 4 stars

If you like a side of Gothic creepiness mixed in your pop music, then Vera Sola is for you. On “Peacemaker” she spins tales that at first merely intrigues, but after multiple listens blooms into a genuine haunting.

It is hard to describe Vera Sola’s music. It is a little bit of folk, a little pop and a little…secret midnight blood ritual? It is not the kind of immediately accessible tripe you’ll hear on a pop radio station. You’ll need to take a bit of time to let “Peacemaker” cast its spell on you, but if you give it the chance, the record has layers and layers of musical mystery to reveal.

Things begin, as they often do, with the voice. Vera Sola sings with an unconventional lilt that floats and ripples along the top of the melody. She’s a ghost calling you deeper into a gloomy marsh, but with an urgent beauty that makes you powerless to resist. She’s the bright white flower atop a carnivorous plant, the dappled sun reflecting off a lake where there has been a recent drowning.

Supporting this fell and phantomlike grace are some very innovative rhythms. The drums bounce around with the urgency of a haunted Latin dance party, where half your dance partners are vampires. Spanish flourishes tastefully dance around the edges of the songs. You’ll want to twirl with abandon and flip your skirts high.

That’s the up-tempo stuff, but the record has plenty of range, and Vera Sola is equally adept at slow crooners. “Desire Path” is a slowly developing art piece. It is beautiful and enchanting but, this being Vera Sola’s world, the lyrics are about gaslighting and control, and the dark side of ill-considered love.

Through it all you the get the impression that Vera Sola is wise beyond her years. The songs are innovative yes, particularly with the syncopation, but they are also surprisingly traditional. These are crooners that would fit right into a 1920s speakeasy or a 1940s lounge that has somehow survived the war.

Speaking of war, one of the records best tracks is “Instrument of War,” an apocalyptic anthem of vengeance and bloody intent. The song opens with…

“Make me an instrument of war
Lord pack me my pistol bring me my sword
Load me up with landmines
Bury me in concubines
Take me downtown where the bullets are”

…and it just gets deliciously darker from there.

On my first listen the record came off a bit affected, with that cutesy curl in the vocals I often don’t like, but the more I listened the more I realized the creative choices being made with her phrasing and singing style were a feature, not a bug. Without that odd lilt and otherworldly quality the album would lose its oddness, which is a key part of what makes it so good.

There were six years between Vera Sola’s first record and this one and I hope I don’t have to wait that long for number three, because whatever the hell you call this kind of music, I want more of it.

Best tracks:  Bad Idea, The Line, Desire Path, Waiting Bird House, Blood Bond, Instrument of War

CD Odyssey Disc 1781: The Decemberists

I’m back to work after what was an action packed and social four-day weekend. I had not one, not two but three friends visiting from out of town, which was awesome, and all of them, plus a series of fun events with both visitors and locals resulting in me feeling much love and companionship.

The weekend wrapped up on Monday with attendance at the Remembrance Day ceremony. It felt appropriate to wrap up a weekend so filled with good times by setting aside some time for somber reflection on the sacrifices of our veterans to preserve our great way of life. Thanks to them, yesterday, today, and always.

OK, now a music review.

Disc 1781 is…What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World

Artist: The Decemberists

Year of Release: 2015

What’s up with the Cover? Some cheerful goddess figure strides about on a floating orb (the earth?) brandishing a wavy bladed sword and a short bow. I’m not familiar with this particular myth.

The rest of the cover is a bunch of repeating imagery in a colour scheme that looks like it was chosen by a Microsoft Office template. There appears to be a lot going on here but actually, not really.

Fortunately the album is way better than the cover.

How I Came To Know It: I was already a big fan of the Decemberists when this record came out, on the heels their masterpiece, “The King is Dead” (reviewed way back at Disc 490).

This was just me buying what came next. I may or may not have listened to it first, but probably not.

How It Stacks Up: I have nine Decemberists albums, which I believe is all of them. I guess I’m a fan. Of those nine, “What a Terrible World…” (not typing it) is one of the best. I would say it is in a statistical tie for second with “The Crane Wife” but since you don’t read this section to watch me equivocate, I’ll give “The Crane Wife” the slight edge, landing “What A Terrible World…” respectably at third.

Ratings: 4 stars

It may have taken four years for the Decemberists to follow their masterpiece, “the King is Dead” but the wait was worth it. “What a Terrible World…” is an indie folk masterpiece.

Stylistically they don’t stray far from “the King is Dead” although the arrangements feel a bit richer overall. Despite this it never feels saturated or busy, and any additional mélange of instruments or flourishes are well placed and deliberate. Everything serves the song, and the melodies – which are a delight – are front and centre throughout.

These melodies feel simple enough, but I know from trying to “dumb down” Decemberist songs to the level of my limited guitar playing, that they are sneaky complicated. Lots of slight variations to chords evoke a complex set of emotions from songs that on the surface feel very straightforward. “Sneaky good” comes to mind.

Songwriter (and lead vocalist) Colin Meloy is ever at the ready with a quiver full of clever (but never trite) turns of phrase. He sings this liquid poetry in his signature high quaver that lifts you up into an elevated headspace where he promptly…makes you think. If you want a mindless beat or a club banger, this stuff is not for you.

Case in point, the opening track, “The Singer Addresses His Audience” in which…the singer addresses his audience. Often singing in character, here Meloy breaks down the fourth wall with the most honest depiction of the relationship between a band and their fans since Rush’s Neil Peart penned the lyrics to “Limelight”. While there are places in “The Singer Addresses His Audience” that are slightly tongue in cheek, it is the kind of gentle kidding that you do among friends. Or in this case in the artificial relationships between the famous and those who adore them.

A few songs later “Make You Better” gets fully serious, with a song of desperate longing. The broken object of affection is only half the story, with the desperate need to help them the other half of the story, a spiral akin to “The Singer Addresses His Audience” but minus any lighthearted element. The song soars ere the end, but it is the soaring of recognition when something is wrong and it is time to fly over it and see it for what it is, and always was.

Those songs are both in the first third of the record, but there are gems a-plenty to follow, right up to the brilliant trio of “Mistral”, “12/17/12” and “A Beginning Song” that finishes the record off.

“A Beginning Song” once again achieves a subtle duality, ending the record with a song that feels like it both wraps all the musical themes up, but also with a newfound hope of discovery that makes you want to go back to the record’s beginning and play it again.

This is, not coincidentally, why it took me so long to get around to writing this review. I just kept cycling back to the beginning and enjoying another full listen. Things never got tiresome for me and if anything, the record just kept unfurling its mysteries.

Best tracks:  The Singer Addresses His Audience, Make You Better, Lake Song, Mistral, 12/17/12, A Beginning Song

CD Odyssey Disc 1780: Pat Benatar

When shopping for either groceries or CDs, you are wise to bring a list and stick to it. That is not what happened for this next review, when I went ahead and made an impulse purchase of an album despite having previously explored the artist’s discography quite thoroughly and ruling it out.

Trust your original instincts in these moments, dear reader. Do not be drawn in by the magical allure of a killer single and the visage of the noble owl.

More on both those temptations below.

Disc 1780 is…Tropico

Artist: Pat Benatar

Year of Release: 1984

What’s up with the Cover? Look at Ms. Benatar’s lovely evening gown, and isn’t that black and white checkerboard floor delightful?

Oh, who am I kidding. There is only one thing to look at here, and that is the OWL!. That owl is seven kinds of cool. Not only is it posed in “ready to swoop” mode, it is so damned glorious its wings are generating a localized lightning storm.

OWL!

How I Came To Know It: I grew up with Pat Benatar and while I didn’t have this particular album I did know and love the big single that was released from it. More on that later.

How It Stacks Up: I have five Pat Benatar albums. One of them has to be last, and that one is “Tropico”. And since this is my last Benatar review, here’s the full recap:

1. In the Heat of the Night: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 667)
2. Precious Time: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 784)
3. Crimes of Passion: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 801)
4. Get Nervous: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 1762)
5. Tropico: 2 stars (reviewed right here)

Ratings: 2 stars

No matter how great the artist, not every album can be a winner. Pat Benatar is one of rock and roll’s great voices, but “Tropico” does little to let her soar, drowning the power of her instrument in overcooked and unnecessary production.

Apologies to Benatar’s husband and longtime collaborator Neil Giraldo, who as producer usually knows exactly what to do with her considerable talent. But here we instead have the horrors of all that mid-eighties production has to offer: drum machine, bangs, whistles and a generally Madonna-esque pop quality that does not mesh well with Benatar’s rock and roll soul.

Lyrically the record also fails to inspire, with one song even mailing it in and just going with a sound for a chorus (that would be the “Ooh Ooh Song”). There are efforts at narrative tales, like on “the Outlaw Blues” but while Benatar has the beginnings of an intriguing character here, she prefers to skate with just the general idea of an outlaw, rather than fully exploring who that outlaw might be. The Production on this one is particularly tough as well.

Yet, despite all these songs that dabble and dance around what could’ve been great, there is a gem among the stones. Yes, I speak of the song that made a million people (including me) buy this record: “We Belong”.

“We Belong” is hardly classic Benatar fare. In place of Giraldo’s signature guitar licks, we’ve got a synthesizer/organ situation dropping electronic rhythms, followed by a bunch of hand claps and eventually a bit of choir action near the end. But where all this experimentation fails us elsewhere on “Tropico”, here everything lands just right. If you ever long to feel that you belong, then listen to the song and feel love in all its heart-wrenching overwrought awesomeness.

I also enjoyed “Love in the Ice Age” which has some annoying eighties arrangements, but the composition has good bones and even allows Benatar to have a bit of a minor belt of two in places. Was this me just looking hopefully for something else good? Maybe a little, but I liked it, and its cold themed imagery goes well with the cold nature of the production. I would’ve given this song a bit more guitar growl but alas, it was not the style of the time.

My copy of this album is a Japanese reissue, complete with an insert of Japanese liner notes. This was almost enough for me to keep it right there, and I applaud Japan for continuing to embrace the CD as a musical medium. However, I know that outside of “We Belong” this record is just not ever getting played ahead of the other four albums I list above. I will reluctantly part ways with it and let it find a happier home than mine.

Best tracks:  We Belong, Love in the Ice Age

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