Joni's 4th release and one of my personal favorites. Her voice is iconic on this record. It rises and falls over each track, like waves on the ocean, and I get lost in it with every spin. It's a short trip, but always a pleasant one. It borders on sad bastard music at times, but damn if she doesn't make it sound sexy. Acid, booze, and ass. Needles, guns, and grass. Lots of laughs.
King has a slew of records from his prolific career and I like to take them slow and easy, just like his playing. By the time this record came out, He had been professionally playing for nearly 30 years, and it clearly shows in this set. The tracks are super tight, and the band sounds warm and comfortable, and King's playing and voice are nothing short of perfect. This collection is most notable as his breakthrough album, with one of his best charting singles, and the most covered song in his catalog. A song which went on to earn him his first of many Grammy Awards, and setting him up for another coupe of decades worth of work ahead of him. Let start the week & month off right with some easy-going beautiful blues music.
Way back in the day I used to go to this place in Evanston Illinois, called Pick-a-Cup Coffee Club on Friday nights, without fail. The baristas and I would proceed to get overly caffeinated and completely stoned out of our skulls, because at 7 PM on the dot, about 20+ musicians would get into a circle and blastoff into outer space. Despite the array of drums, percussion instruments, sometimes saxophones, etc... this group was so tight they could start and stop on a drop. Howard's 3rd recording as a leader takes me back there, every time I put it on. There's cacophonous moments, but as soon as Howard blows a phrase order comes back and the band is in sync again. Damn I miss that place. Pour yourself a cup of tea/coffee and feel the music.
This marks the 15th effort from the Gods of Thrash and in their opinion the bands best performance since the 90's. This is a concept album that's split into 4 sections, 3 songs each encompassing vibes from Thrash, to their infamous world digs, to groovy as fuck instrumentals and back again. The set feels super tight and the bass/drums kind of come from every direction at once, blasting your eardrum clean of the weeks bullshit, and making way for some of the slickest guitar solos I heard so far. The standout track for me was the near perfect album closer. Spin this at maximum volume.
End of Mankind fits the theme for the last 12 months. This is their 2nd release inside of a single year. Last year saw their debut release, but due to shutdowns they were forced to quarantine. Instead of moping, they used the time to record the sophomore effort and jam all their frustrations into a fantastic follow-up. This is a solid set, showing growth and maturity, and a bit of experimenting as well. I don't want to ruin the experience, but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised.
If anyone knows about cold dark nights, it would be Canada's pride and joy, Atramentus. They've managed to gather all the dark, cold pain that winter brings and crafted it into a 3 track, 45 minute saga about a nameless knight’s epic journey through a dead, cold earth. Drenched in doom, each track crawls at a glacial pace, layering dark ambient passages with some incredible guitar solos, and just a wee bit'o black metal for flavor. This is a really great accompaniment for those cold winter days, like today. Grab it, spin it, love it.
To be in the audience for this recording must have been most exciting. It features a lot of young, soon-to-be heavy hitters in the European Jazz scene. The group doesn't stray too far into total freak-outs, instead opting for tightly scheduled solos making it a very assessible listen. Overall, it's a pretty solid set and a great way to spend 48 minutes of your life. This is most pleasant at early evening, right as the sun begins to set. Put this on and take that trip. You've earned it.
Muzan Editions has been releasing a series of amazing drone/ambient albums for the better half of 4 years now. This collection presents 4 beautiful tracks, originally released on a 100 tape run in the winter of 2019. Side A features Standard Grey’s 25 minute mind-melting trip that helps dissolve any problem you thought you were experiencing. Side B shows km:’s scattered brained 3 track noise experiments, that further help you to forget those troubles.
There were a number of tapes released during the winter of 2019 that are all worth mentioning, and will eventually make their way here. The collection has long since been sold out, and it’s easy to see why. Their bandcamp does offer a name your price, so if you’re feeling the tracks go on and slide over there and check the label out. It’s well worth the time for lovers of ambient/drone.
This shit kicks from front to back. Banging ass death metal from Denver, this is the quartet's most ambitious project yet. Flooded with driving solos and extended passages or what they like to refer to as cosmic soundscapes, this record rose to instant classic status before it was even released. Let this record blast through those winter chills.
Hidden History of the Human Race
Here be Sakamoto's debut, right before his career with YMO exploded. Speaking of, Sakamoto has had one of the most interesting careers, to date. He's credited as the Godfather of Techno & Hip-Hop, an Olympic opening composer, and even worked with some big name pop stars, like David Sylvian, Fennesz, and even acted alongside David Bowie, just to name a few. Here on Sakamoto's debut [styled Thousand Knives, Thousand Knives of, and 千のナイ] he shows his absolute love for all things moog. It feels a little dated at times, but still so refreshing. The guitar work all over this album is amazing. Give it a whirl.
