It is the final week before exhibition-deadline, and I'm pressing on through anxiety-ridden mornings, jampacked days and physically exhausted evenings. I'm making art, but this is the part I don't like. All I need is some music to calm my nerves and caress my soul, and here it is:
Morton Feldman - Rothko Chapel
By the end of it, it all makes sense.
Molly Drake - Do You Ever Remember?
One of the beautifulest recordings I know, and it should come as no surprise that it was Nick Drake's mother who made it.
Time was ever a vagabond Time was ever a thief Time can steal away happiness Time can take away grief
Martha Wainwright - These Flowers
Lovely.
Lambchop - Women Help To Create The Kind of Men They Despise
When I'm feeling this stressed, it's nice to know that there are old odd men like Kurt Wagner out there, probably sitting in a backyard, with a beer, writing silly but ingenious little songs like this.
Daft Punk - Veridis Quo
This is when exhaustion once more lets go and you gradually build up the feeling that darn it, I'm actually going to pull this off. Maybe.
I'm also quite glad that Sigur Rós new material sounds booming and yes, actually new. A far cry from the bland rehash that was Valtari. Say what you will about the Sin City-colourscheme.
This week: Jazz and african rhythms. I've been doing some pretty cold, heavy and difficult casting this week and needed some old familiar voices to warm and reassure me.
Ella Fitzgerald - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
I love Ella. For sentimental reasons and others. I'm trying to come up with descriptions for this song, and the only word that pops up is 'perfect'. It absolutely soothes me and fills me with a real tender feeling. It's impossible to pick apart such a performance, but the endnote-harmony is just so lovely it makes the loveliness that came before culminate in tingles and shivers.
Duke Ellington - The Mooche
Recently discovered this version of one of my favourite Ellington-compositions. The definite version may still be on Ellington Uptown, but this version has something that recording hasn't: The fantastic scat-singing by the unknown Baby Cox.
Here's a charming live rendition of the Uptown version:
Hugh Masekela - Sipho
This is a lovely album I once bought for its wonderful cover and that gets me in a right good mood whenever I hear it. Hugh Masekela went on to become a big star both in South Africa and in USA, and eventually branched out from Jazz to play with both the Byrds and Paul Simon...
Miriam Makeba - Kilimanjaro
...and Hugh Masekela was also married with Mama Africa herself for a couple of years. Here she is in brilliant playful form.
Songs: Ohia - Farewell Transmission
And just when I was writing this list up, I found out that Jason Molina died on Saturday from his alcoholism. Very, very sad news. His was a favourite amongst sad voices, and I love his recent stuff as much as I love the classic Songs: Ohia-material. So instead of another tune with Ella Fitzgerald, I pretty much have to finish with this farewell transmission.
Mama here comes midnight with the dead moon in its jaws Must be the big star about to fall Long dark blues Will o the wisp The big star is falling Through the static and distance A farewell transmission Listen
And after such a sad ending, it doesn't feel suitable to post the videos I had stored up. But this one seems to respect the mood:
This is the list. The List. Listmaking will never be the same again. Like the weather this past week it is an unstable brew of heavy forebodings and sudden downpours:
Atmosphere - Get Fly
Starting out optimistic and full of soul. I'm thinking of this as a bit of a sister-tune to Talib Kweli's similarly piano-sample-driven Get By.
Atoms For Peace - Reverse Running
Finally it dropped, and... well, I don't know. I think it's definitely a grower, but I must say I expected a bit more of the frenetic energy from these amazing live-performances that I've been watching over and over:
Instead we got an album that actually feels subdued even compared to its forebearer The Eraser. Nevertheless; it's recognizably Thom Yorke, and of course I'll just love it more and more as times goes. This cyclical, slow-evolving track together with the single Default are definitely my favourites at this point.
Silver Apples - Oscillations
Vintage avant garde pop. Amazing to think this was recorded in 1968. Sounds like Can, Joy Division and the above-listed, all at once but years before.
Cut Chemist ft. Edan & Mr Lif - Storm
It's been whirling snow here. It's been whirling words there. It's a hectic time; I'm constantly on the alert. Saul Williams - List Of Demands (Reparations)
An old gem I had forgotten about and then excitedly rediscovered. I love the mix of old-school hip hop rhythms, aggressive electronic production and Saul's righteous fury.
Tasty extras
Yesterday I was also given the opportunity to see the legend Steve Reich in an interesting Q+A, plus a performance of his excellent Variations for Vibes, Pianos & Strings, all live at the Royal Concert Hall. In connection to that I want to warmly recommend BBC:s miniseries The Sound and the Fury; brilliantly chronicling the story of modern classical music in three parts. The streams seem to be down but I know for a fact that there are torrents to be found for these. Go download!
It's been a decent week for music videos as well:
New banger from The Knife:
Exciting stuff from Phoenix:
Epically crazy stuff directed by Tim & Eric-Eric (you can spot him in the audience):
And omg, the new track from James Blake. I love the ending too much for words:
It's one of those weeks when I have too many candidates for Top 5. I could easily make three amazing lists this Monday. But I shall follow my self-imposed rules and only choose five tunes. Save the rest for another week. As the songs are all equally awesome, I grouped the songs by genre instead, and thus it is that this week goes in the sign of old-timey rock/blues/soul; if nothing else so for the reason that it's not been too much of that in my lists lately.
Dusty Springfield - Take Me For A Little While
Oh my… the ending of this. So effin heavy. The tidal wave of horns, Dusty's amazing vocals, the desperate pleading
Won't you have me baby? Anyway you want me I'm yours Anything you want me to do
Bob Dylan - Gospel Plow
Oh Lord! Keep your hand on that plow! Hold on!
Jack White - Freedom At 21
I've held out on Jack White's solo album til now. Don't know why. He's one of very few people who can still get me excited about a guitar solo. Which he proves here.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Phenomena
YYYs have a new album coming out. It looks sick, in either meaning of the word. But this one's an old favourite. Karen O and the guitar riff are both so absolutely intoxicating in this one it's easy to miss perhaps the best detail of the whole tune; those amazing offbeat cymbals during the chorus!
Buddy Guy - This Is The End
That voice. It's like he's wading in icecold water and throughout the track he stays in the exact depth when the water just reaches the genitalia, and you desperately start tiptoeing and screaming. Sometimes you really believe it is the end. Brilliant, loose guitarwork too.
It's also been the week that Amok was finally released, but as it's not up on Spotify yet I'll save my thoughts on it til next week. Although I can't resist posting this. I'm more into the video than the song actually. The suits in particular. Not Thom's hair. But both's dancing. And the colours. The song's growing on me too.
