CD Odyssey Disc 1545: Angel Olsen

I’m back from a lovely holiday in Vancouver celebrating my wedding anniversary! We shopped, ate good food, and had a series of wonderful visits with a selection of dear friends, every one of whom I wish I saw more often.

I would have listened to this album while I was travelling, but somehow forgot to upload it to my portable device, and so was left with [gasp] random music. I decided to make a note of everything I heard on the flight each way.

Fittingly, the first two songs were by bands (Blue Rodeo, Blue Oyster Cult) that Sheila and I introduced to each other when we were first dating. Then I got Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind”, and a song by Tom Petty side project Mudcrutch (“Beautiful World”) before things got decidedly folksy with a run of Patty Griffin, Watkins Family Hour, David Francey and Mandolin Orange.

The flight back was cancelled, so no playlist resulted. Instead, I read a book while taking the slow boat home, via BC Ferries.

Disc 1545 is…. My Woman

Artist: Angel Olsen

Year of Release: 2016

What’s up with the Cover? Angel stares off into the distance, looking mildly perturbed about something.

How I Came To Know It: I had heard about Angel Olsen here and there, but it wasn’t until this record came out and I read a review that I decided to give her a listen. I was instantly smitten and have since bought most of her available records, but “My Woman” was the first.

How It Stacks Up: I now have five Angel Olsen records (two more since I last reviewed one). Of those five, I put “My Woman” in at #2.

Ratings: 4 stars

Angel Olsen’s music has a haunting nostalgic quality to it, like she’s the ghost of some lost soul inhabiting a young artist’s body.  On earlier records she channels early Leonard Cohen, but on “My Woman” her music is more a combination of the jangle folk-pop of the Byrds and the sweet soulful rock of the Shangri-Las.

The production has a high echo to it throughout, which gives the music a patina, like you’re listening to something recorded originally in mono. It could have easily drawn to a tinny sound, but instead it just feels like an old movie, filmed in grainy Technicolor but so awesome you prefer it that way.

Olsen’s vocals are equally adept at telling a story and just painting a soundscape, and on most tracks she does a bit of both. She has a breathy head voice that cuts with a deceptive power, like a fast-moving current close to the surface of the water. This stuff can pull you under if you’re not careful, but even if you succumbed to the tide, it feels like it would be a beautiful ending.

The album opens with the collapsing dream of “Intern”, a song filled with struggle and uncertainty. It feels like a sixties art film theme where some Mia Farrow or Jean Seberg type twirls her way whimsically through the streets of Paris in a white mini-dress and stylish brightly coloured flats. This is followed by “Never Be Mine,” a classic unrequited love song from the same movie. Maybe near the end where our heroine has decided to move to Prague having learned the man she was pursuing was a bit of a cad. But I digress…

The second half of the record has much slower pace, with dreamy mood pieces like “Heart Shaped Face”. That swirling current of pop is still in her voice, but it now comes to you a bit slower and more diffuse. Despite the slow wind-down quality to the record, I never felt like things were dragging, even with two songs (“Sister” and “Woman”) approaching eight minutes each. “Sister” is a mini-epic all to itself, with multiple movements that build, then collapse, then morph into a reverb back-of-the-mix guitar solo.

Despite its pop sensibilities, “My Woman” is not immediately accessible, and it took a few runs for me to feel fully immersed. However, it is well worth the time, mixing basic pop hooks with songs that are artfully constructed and intricately arranged. Despite all these thoughtful decisions, the record never feels pretentious or self-aware.

Best tracks: Intern, Never Be Mine, Shut Up Kiss Me, Heart-Shaped Face, Sister

CD Odyssey Disc 1544: The Mountain Goats

This review was going to be even further delayed but a strange twist of fate freed my day up quite a bit. So much that I took the day off work, even. Sometimes you just need to step away and see the world at a slower pace. Today will involve some CD shopping, lunch with a friend, and watching a few episodes of Vikings.

And apart from that last reference, this is my second straight review that has nothing to do with Vikings – the show or the people.

Disc 1544 is…. Dark in Here

Artist: The Mountain Goats

Year of Release: 2021

What’s up with the Cover? I don’t know for sure because it’s kind of…dark in here. Get it? Get it?

However, based on the shoreline and those fire beacons burning across the bay, I assume this is the same scene from Ty’s “Land” album (reviewed back at Disc 1541) only this time from the perspective of the fear-filled locals.

How I Came To Know It: I am an avowed Mountain Goats fan so I tend to give them a try when they release something new. That’s what happened here.

How It Stacks Up: The Mountain Goats have been pretty prolific of late, and in the two years since I wrote my last review they’ve released two more records. As a result I now have 11. I rank “Dark in Here” #10. It’s good, but the competition is tough.

Ratings: 3 stars

As befits an album recorded and released during the heights of the pandemic, “Dark in Here” has a quiet introspection about it. As a result it takes a little longer to work its way into your heart, but it gets there eventually.

If you already know the Mountain Goats, you’ll be glad to know the usual elements of the band are there. Singer/songwriter John Darnielle has perfected his signature sound over many years, and once again his quavering, slightly anxious vocal style draws you into his world of taught emotion. I don’t know how Darnielle is so capable at making you feel absorbed and connected when singing about a lot of frantic disconnection, but he is. I would just say if you ever want to feel “safely anxious” the Mountain Goats are a band for you.

On this outing, the album lives up to its title, with a much moodier feeling to the production and arrangements. The drums and bass feel a bit heavier in the mix and provide a bit of a groove that I found a welcome focal point.

One of the early standouts is “Mobile” which has a gorgeous bit of country guitar noodling in the background, and while the lyrics are (like a lot of Mountain Goats songs) dense, complex and hard to access, the effort is worth your time. I don’t always know what Darnielle is going on about, but he consistently provides an emotional underpinning through his imagery. You won’t always know what exactly is happening, but you know how it makes you feel.

I also loved “To the Headless Horseman,” maybe in part because the complex emotional relationship between the horseman and the narrator, who is part Ichabod Crane, and part some complex separate character Darnielle has imagined. The lyrics don’t just speak to the threat of the horseman, but that complex and intimate interaction between hunter and prey, even suggesting the horseman may not be entirely a foe:

“Gentle shadows in the mist among the trees
Who awakes prepared to face such sights as these?
God keep the bounty hunter who shows mercy to His prey
I rode past you on the road again today

“And as you approached
I could sense the threat
But a stranger's just a friend
Who hasn't shared their secrets yet”

Cool stuff, and like most Mountain Goats songs, the action of what’s physically going on is only a small part of what’s going on. Internal anguish is his bread and butter, not pumpkin-wielding spirits.

Where the album loses me is with all the jazz that infuses it. These jazz elements are intended to provide a sort of noir quality to the songs, and at times they succeed. However, a little jazz goes a long way. At the start of “Lizard Suit” there is a twinkle of jazz piano and stand-up bass that helps establish mood, but halfway through, Darnielle doubles down and launches a cacophony of sound that free forms its way to nowhere. Yes, I know that’s what he’s intending, but I don’t have to like it.

The song titles range from the reasonable to the ridiculously overwrought. Best examples of the latter include “The Destruction of the Kola Superdeep Borehole Tower” and “Arguing with the Ghost of Peter Laughner About His Coney Island Baby Review.” I’m sure I could dig super deep to see just why these florid song titles matter, but I think it would be a journey of diminishing returns. All those words don’t make them any more enjoyable and also come off as a wee bit pretentious. Sorry, John. You know I love you.

Overall, while this isn’t my favourite Mountain Goats album, it still has enough elements of what makes me love the band to keep me happy. I wouldn’t start here (go with “The Sunset Tree” or “Beat the Champ” for that) but it is a fine waystation later on your journey once you’ve got a taste of Darnielle’s mad genius and want to sample a little more of it.

Best tracks: Mobile, Dark in Here, To the Headless Horseman

CD Odyssey Disc 1543: Belle and Sebastian

My apologies for the scarcity of reviews of late, gentle readers. I have had some commitments that have eaten up almost every moment of leisure time. I can assure you that better times (and more frequent reviews) are coming soon.

This next review is not Viking metal. That isn’t to say I didn’t listen to any Viking metal this week (because I did), I just didn’t randomly roll one to review.

Disc 1543 is…. Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance

Artist: Belle and Sebastian

Year of Release: 2014

What’s up with the Cover? A woman with crutches and what looks like some kind of…circuitry?...on her legs, looks like she’s getting ready to dance with a gentlemen with the same…circuitry?...on the side of his head. Hard to say if the woman in the background is there to guard them or force them to dance at gunpoint.

This cover confused me so much that I went and watched a Belle and Sebastian music video that uses the same actors and set. It did not help.

How I Came To Know It: I had already been a Belle and Sebastian fan for many years when this came out, so it was just me buying it and hoping for the best.

How It Stacks Up: I did a full ranking of my Belle and Sebastian albums way back in March 2014 (at Disc 603), but I only had five total back then. I now have seven, and I’ve also parted with one more. So here’s the updated full ranking:

1. If You’re Feeling Sinister: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 591)
2. The Boy With the Arab Strap: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 540)
3. Push Barman to Open Old Wounds: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 1242)
4. The Life Pursuit: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 603)
5. Write About Love: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 301)
6. Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 61)
7. Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance: 2 stars (reviewed right here)
8. How To Solve Our Human Problems: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 1497)

Ratings: 2 stars

Listening to “Girls in Peacetime…” feels like being in some indie romance where the characters spend a lot of their time staring out the window of a tram, idly thinking about their troubles. The energy is there, and the bustle of the city as well, but it is an absent-minded energy, rather than an immediate one.

There is also what feels like a very conscious effort to squeeze dance club beats into the songs. While I admit this gives the album a lot of energy, I mostly found it annoying. “Enter Sylvia Plath” is particularly egregious and sounds like something you’d hear at a runway show on Fashion TV back in the nineties, accompanied by lots of unwearable clothes, art makeup and the thousand-yard stares of long-limbed women. Hmm…now that I think about it, that’s not all bad. “Play for Today” subs in a more eighties feel, but still puts your mind at the side of the same runway.

A bigger problem with both songs is their length (6:48 and 7:33 respectively). The beats are already a bit repetitive and combined with how long you’ve got to listen to them, things become a bit of a slog. That’s generally true of the record, which clocks in at over 60 minutes total, despite only twelve tracks. For a pleasant and upbeat bit of pop it really takes its time getting nowhere terribly interesting.

For all that, there are some serious bright spots on the record, most of all the single, “Nobody’s Empire”. This tune is one of Belle and Sebastian’s all-time best. No weird eighties or nineties dance thump, just their signature ability to deliver an inspiring lilt of a pop hook. At the end of each verse there is the most delightful drop-down that helps frame everything else. The repetition of that drop-down slowly pulls your ear from the melody of the piano down into the gorgeous bassline pinning the song together. This song is inspiring, uplifting and more fun to listen to on every repetition.  

The rest of the record is solid as well, despite some of its shortcomings. It isn’t as good as some of B&S’s classics, but it is an easy breezy listen if that’s what you’re in the mood for. I guess I wanted a bit more than that, but I’ll be keeping it because it’s good for a “during a dinner party” mix, if we ever threw dinner parties. Which we don’t. O, bother.

Best tracks: Nobody’s Empire, Ever Had a Little Faith

CD Odyssey Disc 1542: Amon Amarth

At the risk of losing credibility on the whole Viking obsession thing, this next review represents the fourth album in the last five that is obsessed with Vikings. Once again I must refer you to the full range of music represented on this blog to confirm this is not all I listen to – it just seems to be all I listen to lately. Such are the vicissitudes of random selection.

Disc 1542 is…. Jomsviking

Artist: Amon Amarth

Year of Release: 2016

What’s up with the Cover? A burly looking Viking hefts a bloody axe as he prepares to finish off a not so burly looking Viking. Odin’s ravens Huginn and Muninn soar contentedly over the slaughter, ready to report back on how many more places to set at the feast table in Valhalla. Judging by that melee going on in the background they should alert the kitchen staff to get at least one more pig on the barbecue.

The guy in the water is definitely on the guest list. I’d say that he shoulda kept his helmet on but really, was that going to make a difference?

How I Came To Know It: I just told this story back at Disc 1538 but to recap it was originally through my friend Greg, and this record was me digging through their back catalogue as I became obsessed with them. OK, so there is a bit of obsession here.

How It Stacks Up: I have five Amon Amarth albums but judging from how much I’ve been enjoying them lately I might add to that total. For now, I’ll put “Jomsviking” in at #4, but since I am still exploring, that may change.

Ratings: 3 stars

I just gave an overview of Amon Amarth’s music, but assuming you aren’t diligently reading every entry on this blog (unconscionable, but possible) here’s a recap. They’re a melodic death metal band from Sweden that like to write songs about Vikings. A lot.

In the eight years between “Twilight of the Thunder God” and “Jomsviking” Amon Amarth have lightened up a bit. The songs here are a bit more melodic than death metally, lead singer Johan Hegg’s growls are a fair bit easier to understand, and the double-bass of the drums is marginally less front and centre.

The drummer is also new, with longstanding band member Fredrik Andersson gone from the band and replaced by Tobias Gustafsson. Gustafsson would only stick for the recording of this one record. I think he is solid, although as previously noted the drums are a bit less furious here. I do not put this on Gustafsson though; this is the way the songs are structured. Drum is a big deal in this style of metal, and when called on, he hits hard and fast. No complaints.

I am more into anthemic power metal sound than death metal, so the band’s shift in that direction was a welcome one. The songs still assault the ears but being able to follow along with the storyline was awesome.

It was particularly valuable here, as “Jomsviking” is a concept album, based around a brotherhood of Vikings of the same name who lived as a martial brotherhood with a strict moral code sometime in the 10^th and 11^th centuries. Amon Amarth sets the story of one man going from his first kill, through joining the Jomsvikings as he pursues his one true love. It isn’t a particularly innovative storyline but I’m a sucker for a love story and throwing some swordfights and mayhem in the mix is definitely welcome.

There are standouts throughout the record, starting with “Wanderer” which has a nice power metal crunch just the way I like it, and the much more violent assault of the double-bass in “One Against All” which teeters on the edge of falling over from its own fury, but never quite does. The chorus of one man standing against all is suitably heroic for epic stuff of this nature.

“Raise Your Horns” is the obvious showpiece of the record, with elements of both approaches. Furious double base, soaring guitar riffs and a very sing-along chorus of

“Raise your horns, raise them up to the sky
We will drink to glory tonight
Raise your horns for brave fallen friends
We will meet where the beer never ends.”

Of course, Vikings used hollowed horns for drinking glasses, but modern audiences can raise the metal “devil horns” if you want to participate and don’t have a drink on hand. There’s a great video for the song that shows fans doing a bit of both.

“Raise Your Horns” is clearly the crowd pleaser of the record, but my favourite is the more tragic “One Thousand Burning Ships” that describes the Viking funeral rite of setting a king in his ship and setting it adrift, lit by fire arrows to honour his way into Valhalla. Some of the lyrics on on “Jomsviking” fall short of the emotional resonance they intend, but on “One Thousand Burning Ships” Amon Amarth gets it all right. I was feeling a bit verklempt for the loss, while also musing what an awesome funeral this would be if only I could get the necessary permits…

I was a little surprised at myself that I put the heavier “Twilight of the Thunder God” ahead of this record, but the truth is they are both great, just different. If you are new to this sort of thing and want to dip your toe into melodic Viking metal “Jomsviking” is a more accessible Amon Amarth record than some of their previous, and worth a listen. If you like it and are ready to get even heavier (while still getting 100% as much Viking action) then you can dig into their back catalogue from here.

Best tracks: Wanderer, One Against All, Raise Your Horns, One Thousand Burning Arrows

CD Odyssey Disc 1541: Tyr

If you count Saxon, three out of my last four reviews were metal albums obsessed with Vikings. Saxon had the one song anyway, and Amon Amarth and these next guys are all-in. I can assure you (and the full gamut of reviews on this blog will confirm) that this is a statistical anomaly, and I am obsessed with neither metal nor Vikings.

Is this a bad time to note that I also love the TV series, “Vikings”?

Disc 1541 is…. Land

Artist: Tyr

Year of Release: 2008

What’s up with the Cover? A man stands, arms akimbo, aboard a Viking longship. As the title of the record is Land, I’ll assume they’ve recently discovered the land behind him. That land has a whole series of tall torch beacons burning up both hillsides, which are probably local inhabitants letting everyone know, “holy shit, Vikings have landed. Look your doors and arm yourselves!”

How I Came To Know It: I knew about Tyr off and on over the years, but didn’t decide to check them out until my friend Nick went to the Faroe Islands. Nick was looking for some local music while there, and “landed” upon Tyr, which is one of the Faroe Islands most famous bands. I decided to give them a try based on his recommendation and liked what I heard.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Tyr albums, this one and 2006’s “Ragnarok”. Of the two “Land” is the better record and so, following the inherent logic of numbers, I rank it #1.

Ratings: 4 stars

Due to a hectic life and limited downtime, I have listened to Tyr’s “Land” a lot this week. At first blush I liked it, and on repeat listens I have come to love it. Some might consider this “Torshavn Syndrome” (like Helsinki Syndrome, except for the Faroe Islands) but I ascribe it to something a bit more direct. Tyr kicks ass.

If you don’t know Tyr, they blend traditional Faroese folk music with heavy metal. Viking chants, which are already filled with bombast and dread, are beautifully suited to “metallification” and few do it better than Tyr. These songs thud and pound like the sea carving a fjord out of stone; powerful and inexorable.

They are so much fun that I wanted to sing along, but unfortunately many of the songs are in Faroese or another Nordic language and I can’t understand what they’re saying. Fortunately, the topics are limited, as Tyr love their Norse mythology. You’ll get songs about Loki, the Valkyries, and every Vikings favourite, Thor. This latter song – “Hail to the Hammer” – is both glorious and in English. It opens like some kind of church organ at a hockey game, before descending into the true crunch that is the essence of what makes Tyr so brilliant. These guys dig down so deep, you imagine their guitars are scraping the studio floor as they play.

And as brilliant as that guitar work is, the star of this band is drummer Kári Streymoy. Streymoy is the fuel that ignites the band, with a thump so big and purposeful you’ll look behind you to see if some frost giant is crashing through the trees toward you. And he doesn’t just hit hard. His ability to hold the beat (but never lose it) gives a lot of these songs their anticipatory dread.

The songs don’t have to be in English to be enjoyable, though. Three of my favourites (“Sinklars Visa”, “Gatu Rima” and Lokka Tattur”) are all in various Nordic languages. I’d assume Faoese, but apparently the record also features Norwegian and Danish, and I am too ill-informed to tell them apart. Apologies to Scandinavian readers for my ignorance.

“Lokka Tattur” or “the Ballad of Loki” is the best of the bunch. Once again pushed along by the deliberate onslaught of Streymoy’s drums, this song assaults your ears like a Viking shield wall, only to slide back into an almost proggy laid back verse that would make Opeth proud. Then once, you are swaying slowly to that, the band throws in a bit of tempo and guitar to stir the blood. It is a journey of awesome.

This record also takes its time, clocking in at a languorous 68 minutes despite featuring only ten tracks. Epics abound, often taking you on a brilliant journey. This is the case with “Ocean” a ten-minute tale which feels part Viking saga of seafaring, and part existential crisis. When singer Heri Joensen sings “Days have gone down in the west” I even had chills of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, but that could be just me.

The title track is equally epic, but I enjoyed it less. It is another “sail across the sea” epic and is awesome in many places, but at over sixteen minutes it took just a little too long to…land. I don’t mind a long song about ocean travel either – Iron Maiden’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is as good as metal gets – but the song “Land” didn’t hold my attention the same way.

Not so, “Land” the album, which kept me thoroughly entertained for over a week and multiple listens. Tyr may hail from the very tiny Faroe Islands, but their talent is mighty and massive indeed.

Best tracks: Sinklars Visa, Ocean, Gatu Rima, Lokka Tattur, Hail to the Hammer

CD Odyssey Disc 1540: Saxon

Welcome back to the CD Odyssey, where for the second time in three reviews we visit the world of heavy metal. Climb aboard, and careful of the edges – they’re sharp.

Disc 1540 is…. Power and the Glory

Artist: Saxon

Year of Release: 1983

What’s up with the Cover? Amazing band logo? Check. Wicked colour scheme? Check! Ultra-cool Viking android? Er…no.

This “lasers out of his hands” guy is the cheap Wal-Mart knock-off of that ultra-cool Viking android action figure you wanted. The imposter toy your mom brought home because she couldn’t afford the brand name version. Sure you try to work it in with whatever other action figures you’ve got, but you do not bring that piece of shit to Show and Tell. You definitely do not put it on your heavy metal album cover.

How I Came To Know It: I have been a Saxon fan since my brother introduced me to them when I was a kid. My brother is quite a few years older and had a job on a commercial fishboat. He’d come in after a month away with a swack of cash and would buy twenty or more records at a time. When he went back out on the water, I’d ask to borrow what caught my fancy. This record was one of those.

As for my more recent foray into buying them on CD, ten years ago I thought I was done with Saxon and bought a “Best Of” package. At the time I thought that was all I’d ever need. I even expressed this exact plan when I reviewed it back at Disc 382. Ladies and gentlemen, I was wrong. I apologize to any Gods of Rock that I have offended, and I am glad to be rediscovering my love for this band.

How It Stacks Up: My reinvigorated love for this band has translated into me buying a swack of their original albums over the past few months. I have five so far. Of those five, “Power and the Glory” is solid, but not one of my favourites. I rank it at #4.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

Saxon is a band defined by their furious energy, and while “Power and the Glory” may be uneven in places, from best track to worst that energy never flags.

The album starts with the title track, which is a good indication of what you can expect to hear the rest of the way. The song opens with a killer guitar riff, and quickly moves to singer Biff Byford belting away. From then on, the two are locked in a frantic dance. Riff railing away, and Byford’s vocals responding, just as sharp around the edges and powerful as the guitar. This song also features a bass line that adds a whole separate but complementary element. Steve Dawson’s bass is not content to simply add low end to the guitar, either. If the guitar and vocals are the canvas under full sail, Dawson’s bass is the shark circling the boat just below the surface.

Another standout (and favourite from my youth) is “Warrior” which is a song about Vikings. Saxon, like a lot of metal bands, like history. This song is about Vikings, but unsurprisingly given the band’s name, the tale is told from the perspective of the Saxon farmers fearing their approach. This tune features the furious drumming of Nigel Glockler, recently added to the band and holding his own. His playing is staccato and sharp and keeps everything high energy. In some ways, Saxon remind me of bluegrass, as they consistently lean forward on the beat, without ever falling over the edge. Of course, there’d be no drum in bluegrass – just a mandolin. But I digress…

In addition to songs about soldiers and Vikings, Saxon has songs about UFOs (“Watching the Sky”) the moon landing (“The Eagle Has Landed”) and mythology (“Midas Touch”) as they show their fanciful side. They also handle very traditional rock subjects like driving very fast (“Redline”) and rockin’ out (“This Town Rocks”).

Throughout the songs are on the surface very riff dependent. It is easy to think that, because they tend to announce themselves with churning guitar, but the more you listen the more you pick up the nuance of blues and sixties prog. It is mostly beneath the surface, revealing itself more and more on multiple listens.

My copy of this record is from a remastered set put out in the late oughts. I love the production, and I’d even be OK with the bonus tracks provided, if they had just put them on a separate bonus disc. Instead, in addition to the original eight song record, there are nine more bonus tracks, including a host of demos. They are generally interesting, but sometimes I just want the original record without having to sift through all the other hoopla.

This is a minor quibble though. For the most part this record did for me what it always has; it made me bang my head and like it. I felt invigorated every time it came on. It was great for a run, great in the car and great just sitting her writing this review.

I don’t know what I was thinking expecting a “Best Of” record was going to satisfy my love for this band, but reader it did not. “Power and the Glory” is only a middle-of-the-pack Saxon record, but I still loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to grok the rest of my recently expanded collection.

Best tracks: Power and the Glory, Warrior, This Town Rocks, The Eagle Has Landed

CD Odyssey Disc 1539: John Gorka

I’m one day removed from the Super Bowl, which means it is the first day of the off-season. I love the first couple of weeks of being able to do whatever I want on a Sunday, but it isn’t long until the novelty wears off and I’m jonesing for some football. Fortunately, music is an all-season event, and there’s always a new album to hold my attention. Here’s the latest.

Disc 1539 is…. Between Five and Seven

Artist: John Gorka

Year of Release: 1996

What’s up with the Cover? This cover edges close to “Giant Head Cover” but ultimately does not qualify. We can see just enough stuff going on around John Gorka’s medium-sized head. Gorka appears to be peering out of some vehicle – maybe public transit – and thinking wistfully about something. Perhaps he is thinking, “Should I shave off this hipster beard and get a haircut?”

How I Came To Know It: I told this story back when I reviewed “Jack’s Crows” (Disc 1394) but to recap, Gorka was noted on a list of obscure folk albums I should check out. The record wasn’t this one of those but after I got a taste for him, I explored further.

Initially I didn’t have “Between Five and Seven” on my radar, but a used copy was on sale at my local record shop for a mere $5, so I took a flier on it.

How It Stacks Up: You might imagine the logical place to rank “Between Five and Seven” would be at #6 (Get it? Get it?) However, I only have four of John Gorka’s records, so that won’t work. Instead I put it at #4.

Ratings: 2 stars

John Gorka is a talented singer-songwriter who sometimes collapses under the weight of his own cleverness. “Between Five and Seven” is unfortunately prone to this problem.

Gorka is a natural songwriter. I suspect he’s one of those guys who’s always got a leather satchel full of loose paper and songs he’s working on. The songs on “Between Five and Seven” are a dozen completed folk songs, all with melodies which possess a natural and easy flow. His baritone voice has a great tone that gives him a natural advantage as a storyteller.

Unfortunately, while Gorka is capable of turning anything into a song, it doesn’t follow that all the songs are interesting. He’s like the kindly uncle who has a gentle soul and an easy laugh, which he employs too often at his own jokes.

A good example is “Can’t Make Up My Mind.” This is a clever song about indecision, as Gorka takes a series of playful turns noting humorous paradoxes that metaphorically capture his lack of certainty. However, he overcooks the joke. It starts off with the good stuff, like “She looks best moving/or standing still” but by the fourth verse he’s descended into “Life’s a pair of ducks/Who are heading south.” My Grade 11 English teacher used to make that joke (his version was “a paradox is not two mallards flying over Admonton). We all liked it at first, but like “Can’t Make Up My Mind” it got old pretty quick.

There are a few too many of these self-satisfied chortles on the record. There are also songs where Gorka plays it straight (“Part of Your Own”, “Two Good Reasons”) but land a bit too schmaltzy. They aren’t bad songs, but they lack edge.

There are a few standouts, however. “Blue Chalk” tells the tale of a couple of lowlife lovers, the image of the blue chalk immediately painting a backdrop of smokey pool halls, hard living, and bad decisions. The record has quality lines for both his star-crossed lovers, but I like hers best:

“But she would never run from strangers
She sang alone like a bell will toll
Way above all the clang and clatter
Out of fear of her demon soul”

Good stuff, gritty and kind of triumphant in an anti-hero kind of way.

“The Mortal Groove” is also solid, showcasing Gorka’s penchant for writing songs about the urban decay of both city streets and men’s souls.

As for the cleverness, it isn’t always unwelcome. “Campaign Trail” imagining a politician on the hustings. Usually folk singers go out of their way to lambast politicians, but Gorka seems to be noting the similarities of being on the hustings and being on tour. Both feature a lot of glad-handing, and an element of what Neil Peart would have called pretending "a stranger is a long-awaited friend.” The song notes musicians and politicians alike may forget your name, but don’t judge them – they meet a lot of people.

Unfortunately, there aren’t enough of these moments to hold the full record together. So, while I liked it, I’ve also got to keep it real about whether I’m ever going to put this on over stronger records like “Jack’s Crows” or “Land of the Bottom Line.” It just isn’t going to happen. And so, I will pass this record along to the next stop on its journey, where I hope it will be better loved.

Best tracks: Blue Chalk, The Mortal Groove, Campaign Trail

CD Odyssey Disc 1538: Amon Amarth

It’s been a long day, but I’m determined to knock out this review in the hour or two I have before I am comatose and waiting for my alarm to go off again.

Disc 1538 is…. Twilight of the Thunder God

Artist: Amon Amarth

Year of Release: 2008

What’s up with the Cover? It’s the end of the world as we know it…and Thor feels fine. Here he is fighting Jormungandr, aka the Midgard Serpent. Thor is destined to kill Jormungandr but then succumb to its poison. In all my reading of Norse mythology (no small amount) I don’t recall Thor ever complaining about his fate. A real stoic, that Thor.

How I Came To Know It: I’ve known the band by reputation for a while, but never gave them a listen until my friend Greg sent me a song called “Shield Wall” from their 2019 album, “Berserker” (if at this point you think these guys are obsessed with Vikings, you are not wrong). I liked the song and away down the rabbit hole it sent me, sailing through their back catalogue like a longship on the high seas.

How It Stacks Up: I have five Amon Amarth albums. I like them all, but since I’ve bought them all in the past year, I haven’t given any of the others the attention they deserve to make an informed ranking decision. So I’ll just talk out of my ass and rank “Twilight of the Thunder God” third best. This leaves room above and below it. I also reserve the right to change my mind later when hopefully I’ll better know what I’m talking about.

Ratings: 3 stars

You’d expect a band named after the mythical active volcano Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings to thump pretty hard. On “Twilight of the Thunder God” Amon Amarth do not disappoint.

Their particular form of thump falls into the ‘melodic death metal’ sub-genre of metal. I usually find the auditory assault that is death metal a bit much, but the addition of the melodic elements here helps the whole thing to work. All the primal energy that makes death metal so attractive to its adherents is still there, but the guitars soar with enough bombast for me to ride the song. Think of the power-chords of the guitar as Paul Atreides and the double bass of the drums howling away as the sandworm he’s riding.

However, do not expect a whole lot of sand or heat on this record. The canvas upon which Amon Amarth paints is the frigid north of Scandinavia. As I noted above, these guys love them some Viking action. “Twilight of the Thunder God” is an immersive Viking cultural experience, with a metal soundtrack. Songs feature various Norse myths, centering in particular on Ragnarok, which is not surprising given the album’s title. They do branch out to sing about other characters sailing about, pillaging, killing or dying while undertaking heroic deeds but I get the distinct impression that these characters are also Vikings.

If you aren’t interested in Vikings, then this might grow tiresome for you, but I love it. I’ve always loved Viking history and Norse mythology, so hearing lead singer Johan Hegg gutturally growl away about the subject fills me with joy. I don’t usually go for the growl-singing of death metal, but Hegg does a great job of it, managing to match the ferocity the style needs while still delivering a narrative that is reasonably understandable.

Even on the more ferocious tracks, the ‘melodic’ elements survive, with the twin guitars of Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg provide that driving power that is my favourite part of modern European metal.

The album maintains a high level of energy throughout, but there are a couple standouts.

The first is the title track, which tells the tale of Thor fighting Jormungandr, just like the cover of the record suggest will happen. It is a tale told with furious intensity, and Fredrik Andersson’s incredible double-bass drum action makes you feel the battle in your bones from the first notes. When the song breaks down halfway through into a crunchy guitar riff you think you’ve heard it all, but there is still a guest solo from guitarist Roope Latvala (Children of Bodom) to put this song over the top.

My other favourite is “Guardians of Asgaard,” a song that starts with a guitar crunch that is so heavy they had to put an extra ‘A’ in ‘Asgard’ just to keep it from buckling under the weight. This song will sink down into your guts deeper than a berserker’s bearded axe. This stuff is pure headbanging glory.

Many of the other tracks were less accessible at first, but as my ear adjusted to the experience I understood the nuance of the music amid all the fury. “Twilight of the Thunder Gods” is a rough ride on a sea of metal, but you’ll find the salt spray in your face invigorating once you settle in for the journey.

A quick endnote on the packaging before I go. My copy is a re-release with a bonus DVD, but even better is the big, well-constructed CD case. Like the record, it has heft and, along with a high-quality booklet insert, it makes you feel like you’ve actually bought something. I know CDs are a dying art but kudos to metal bands like Amon Amarth that keep the dream alive for those of us who still collect them.

Best tracks: Twilight of the Thunder God, Guardians of Asgaard, The Hero

CD Odyssey Disc 1537: Sun June

Welcome back to the CD Odyssey after a week where I had a few chances to socialize (safely) with friends I am feeling a bit more energized and ready to face the world. This next album didn’t quite make my top ten albums of 2021 but I’m confident putting it in at #12 (you may recall my top 10 list goes to 11).

Disc 1537 is…. Somewhere

Artist: Sun June

Year of Release: 2021

What’s up with the Cover? “Somewhere” there is a home with this piece of art is on the wall, and guests come to visit and nod appreciatively and sip chardonnay. That somewhere just isn’t here. I think it looks like hotel art – the kind where I’m disappointed that I didn’t get a ship or one of those close ups of the branches of a maple tree.

How I Came To Know It: I read a review of this about a year ago on Pitchfork magazine. Pitchfork didn’t love it (gave it a 6.8) but I’m often more interested in what the album might sound like over whether the reviewer loved it. Here I was intrigued enough to check for myself. And well, I liked it – more than Pitchfork, as it turns out.

How It Stacks Up: This is my only Sun June album, so it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 4 stars

Sun June’s “Everywhere” snuck up on me a bit. Yeah, I was expecting some kind of indie pop experience, and I got one, but as I dove in I just kept discovering new aspects to hear the record, each of them enjoyable in their own way.

It started with the vocals as it admittedly often does with me. Laura Colwell spends most of the record in her higher register, and her head voice has a soft power to it that immediately draw you in. The songs have a dreamy quality, and Colwell’s vocals are the current of air that lifts you up and lets you float along on those dreams.

Then I started noticing the guitar, which is very eighties. It reminded me a bit of the Edge and at other times Robert Smith. I could be wrong on the specifics, but you can see guitarists Michael Bain and Stephen Salisbury are drawn to that big echoing eighties guitar sound. High string plucks diffusely ring through the song’s quieter moments in a way that will make you clutch your heart and sigh with all the goddamned emotion of it all.

The basslines and drums are simple but perfectly complementary to the song, and the arrangements give them both moments to shine without getting excessive (i.e. no bass solos). Colwell also adds keyboard flourishes at just the right moment, providing variety when you might be expecting guitar.

The first half of the record is stronger, and “Bad With Time”, “Everything I Had” and “Singing” are a glorious 1-2-3 punch to get things rolling. Actually, ‘punch’ would give you the wrong impression, because these songs all have a meandering quality, that don’t get to a point so much as wander down a path.

The songs are often presented as the narrator speaking to someone, but despite all that implied interaction they are at their core introverted tunes. The course of the dialogue is the window into something deep and private within the narrator. It might not be better represented than how that third song, “Singing” ends with a final offering of, “I don’t want to fight/I just want to drive home.” The line makes me see her clearly in the passenger seat, head against the inside of the window, rain streaming down the outside.

The production on the record is very rich, and I thought I wasn’t going to like all that sound, but everything is so expansive that the notes and instruments dissolve into one another rather than rubbing shoulders. The melodies are written for a slow sway, and the production and arrangements honour that need. It is good music for the rain, whether you’re sitting angry in a car, or walking carefree down a sidewalk.

On every listen “Somewhere” left my feeling more chilled out than I was when I started. Some might find the experience sleepy instead, but for me on each listen another aspect of the music unfurled for me, like a waking dream. It was downright therapeutic.

Best tracks: Bad with Time, Everything I Had, Singing, Bad Girl, Seasons

CD Odyssey Disc 1536: Kneecap

In an unlikely turn of events, this is my second album in a row by an Irish band. U2 is from Dublin and this next band is from Belfast. So, two different countries, but not if you were to ask this next band.

Disc 1536 is…. 3CAG

Artist: Kneecap

Year of Release: 2018

What’s up with the Cover? Looks like the band is out for a pleasant walk in the country, smoking some massive blunts and harvesting weed. The weed business must be going well for them, because even their sheep are wearing gold chains.

How I Came To Know It: I read an article on Paste Magazine about the top Irish bands everyone should know. Kneecap intrigued me, and I checked them out.

Finding their album, however, proved impossible. I looked for years in all my usual haunts (record store special order, Bandcamp, even Amazon) without luck. They had very limited web presence elsewhere and nowhere was an album to be found.

I liked this record a lot, though, and remained dogged in my pursuit. Whenever I went on Bandcamp I would search the name and see if anything showed up. This paid off a few months ago when they finally created a Bandcamp account. Not only was this on it, but so were four singles they’d released since. It was only available as digital download, but I bought it and made like it was 2004, burning a CD copy that included the four “bonus” tracks they’d released since.

How It Stacks Up: This is my only Kneecap album. I don’t think they have another one, but either way, for now it does not stack up.

Ratings: 4 stars but almost 5

Kneecap is an Irish rap band that likes to write songs about three things: sex, drugs and…Irish republicanism. If you were expecting “rock and roll” there, this is not the album for you.

However if you dig mad beats that are simultaneously fresh and traditional, that will make your head bob in the car and your body bounce on the dance floor, then this record is for you.

DJ Provai is a revelation. He has the same stripped-down fury of Sleaford Mods’ Andrew Fearn. The beats drop hard and deliberate, but the combination of those simple beats, sneaky good bass lines and samples are musical as hell. He is the hidden weapon on this record, and a huge part of their sound’s success.

On your first couple of listens, you’ll subconsciously be aware of how dope DJ Provai’s compositions are, but you’ll be forgiven for it not being your first thought. That’s because rappers Mo Chara and Moglai Bap are just that good. Yes, they look like a couple of dodgy criminals from some failed eastern European state, but these guys are true artists.

At this point I should point out that I often don’t know what either of them are saying most of the time. Their lyrics are a mix of Gaelic and English, cutting back and forth with cocksure ease. It doesn’t matter, because while a lot of it slips by me, their mastery of rhyme and rhythm are exceptional. The words drop around the beats with precision, and the two vocalists take turns without ever losing momentum.

One of my favourites is “Your Sniffer Dogs are Shite” which details an encounter with some guards (Irish police). Our narrators play both parts of the story, including a frantic spray of incredulity from the kid being questioned, and a dismissive menace from the guard who is sure something is up. The punchline comes in the chorus, a sotto voce whisper of the song’s title.

The “bonus tracks” (or singles I added, if you want to be technical) are every bit as good as the original 2018 release and have a bit more production value as well. This is applied judiciously to give the songs more funk and bounce without getting in the way of the incredible flow. “Get Your Brits Out” has a total club groove. It is that heavy bass techno sound you might hear in a club or on a fashion runway, combined with that break-neck rap delivery that makes this band so great.

While it is all about the bass and the beat, other flourishes are employed here and there with care. A funk hook here, the tinkle of piano there and what I think might be a sample of a penny whistle from a Capercaillie song. If it isn’t, then they’ve got that sound down pat. The ingredients are like a fine plate of pasta: a few simple ingredients, mixed together into something understated but delicious.

I chased this Kneecap record for over three years, and it was worth the wait. This is rap excellence at every level, and for the past six months has become one of the most played records in the house. I think it will remain so for some time to come.

Best tracks: Amoch Anocht, CEARTA, Incognito, Your Sniffer Dogs are Shite, Bouncers. And from the “bonus tracks” section:  Gael Gigolos, Get Your Brits Out