Music Notes

I had never heard of Lou Ottens, but he was the inventor of the cassette tape and he died a few days ago. The tape–what a critically important technology for us Gen Xers. The era of mix tape, with its starts and stops and extremely bad editing was a real sign of work to impress someone you had a crush on, something that a playlist just can’t replicate at all. Moreover, the cassette brought recorded music into the automobile. I guess the 8-track was slightly before the cassette in terms of cars, but the 8-track was an atrocity of a technology, given that the tape would flip in the middle of songs. Of course, the down side of the tape is that they would wear out and break. On the other hand, they were so much smaller than records or CDs after that. I don’t think anyone really mourns tapes except for hipsters buying them on Bandcamp, but it really was an important technology. Thanks to Ottens for developing it.

Ralph Peterson died this week. One of the most important jazz drummers of the last 20 years, unlike most, he became quite the bandleader, mentored by Art Blakey and then becoming one of the Young Lions. That movement never really quite turned me on; I found it too traditional and too wed to jazz being 1964 than I like. But you can’t question the talent of Peterson or Branford Marsalis or Christian McBride or Terence Blanchard. In any case, at 58 it was far too young. But it was a struggle to get there and Peterson had fought cancer for the last few years.

On Aretha Franklin’s background. A well-known story, but still a worthy read.

Here’s another interesting article on Nashville being forced to change in the aftermath of Morgan Wallen’s racism. This argues that streaming is really important here, moving the country audience away from the FM radio listening commute (probably the last genre to actually rely on this) and toward people having the chance to listen to artists that don’t fit the Douche Country playlist on the radio. We will see.

The future of Pop Matters, long one of the most important popular culture websites, was somewhat in doubt there for awhile, but it is now back.

The great jazz bassist William Parker decided to release 10 albums at once. He’s a remarkable human being.

I have little real rooting interest in hockey, but I do know a lot of people who hate the Maple Leafs and so the fact that Justin Bieber’s latest video is a tribute to the team may amuse some of you.

I’m not completely sure that we need PJ Harvey’s demos from Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, but she is releasing them anyway. As the best album of the century so far (and I am banning anyone who says that 2000 is not this century), it certainly will be at least of some interest. All those fans of Harvey’s earliest work that poo-poo Stories are being ridiculous. It was such a classic 90s move to be disappointed when artist released something people loved. Thankfully, we’ve moved past that poseur move more or less.

Oh yeah, the Grammys are happening tomorrow. I will be sure not to care for the 30th straight year or so.

How I will manage to not listen to Mumford & Sons now that it has come out that the banjo player for the band is a huge fan of Andy Ngo? It’s just so hard to stop listening to incredibly shitty bands that lack any good songs or reason to exist. What will I do?

I maintain that the ideal country song ever is Billy Joe’s Shaver’s “I’ve Been to Georgia on a Fast Train.”

A Rilo Kiley reunion would at least be an improvement on the band’s solo projects.

Album Reviews:

Arbor Labor Union, New Petal Instants

This is a relaxed sort of folk-rock album that combines psychedelia, post-punk, and hippie country vibes. Some have compared it to a more punky Traveling Wilburys, which….maybe? I guess if you combined Old and In the Way with The Meat Puppets you might have something there. It’s certainly picky in the county-bluegrass tradition but also riffy in the rock tradition. Anyway, for whatever word salad I’m having trouble corralling here, it’s a decent enough album for a listen.

B

Ralph Alessi, Imaginary Friends

Funny story about Ralph Alessi. I was supposed to see him once in a sextet led by the drummer Tomas Fujiwara. But in the concert the night before, he had split his lip open so bad while playing that there was blood everywhere and he had to take the day off. Never heard of a disabled list for trumpeters before!

Anyway, this is a very ECM album, with its contemplative jazz that includes Ravi Coltrane on sax, Andy Milne on prepared piano, Drew Gress on bass, and Mark Ferber on drums. It’s bit too subdued at times in that ECM way, but it also breaks free of the aesthetic of that label at times in some excellent ways, particularly in the interplay between Alessi and Coltrane. Nice album.

B+

John Coltrane, Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album

There are so many Coltrane releases, including a huge number after his death, that I really didn’t think this “lost album” from 1963 would be that revelatory. And I don’t know, maybe it isn’t exactly. But what more do you want than another first rate recording from one of the finest jazz quartets to ever exist? Everyone sounds great. It would have been a more than worthy release at the time–maybe not quite A Love Supreme or Africa/Brass but maybe not quite that far short of those albums either.

A

Ashley McBryde, Never Will

McBryde is one of those plug-away country success stories, a lifelong songwriter who only made it big in her mid 30s after trying her hand at the industry for 15 years. This is her second major album and it’s pretty strong. I guess there’s a bit of a tendency to sing in the fairly standard Nashville radio style that I find a bit repetitive with so much of the industry today. But she’s such a fine songwriter in the country feminist strand most noted for Dolly and Loretta but where much of the best country music originates today. She can be tough and she can be funny. “One Night Standards” is a fine entry into the one night stand genre. And I happen to like the closer “Styrofoam” which contrasts the chemical and environmental impact of the substance to the ability to be able to drink a coke mixed with whiskey while you walk down the street. Nothing wrong with a bit of silliness.

B+

Joel Ross, Who Are You?

There aren’t a lot of leading vibraphonists in contemporary jazz, so I was interested in checking out this Joel Ross album from last year. His second album as a bandleader is a solid one. This is a sextet, including the harp, which combines with the vibes to bring out sounds we don’t hear often enough these days. But it often feels larger than a sextet thanks to the complex interplay of the musicians. This is firmly in the post-bop world, not at the experimental end of the jazz world but also moving conversations forward in useful ways. Even the cover of Coltrane’s “After the Rain” is refreshing. It’s not a life changing album and it’s 10-15 minutes too long. But it is a very solid and fairly accessible one.

B+

I Break Horses, Warnings

Completely fine if not overly memorable album from this Swedish indie band. Big 80s vibe, lots of heartbreak, you know the drill.

B–

Zazou Bikaye, Mr. Manager

I wasn’t familiar with this 80s combination between the French producer Hector Zazou and the Congolese singer and composer Bony Bikaye. They released two albums in the mid-80s. This is the second, released in 1985 and reissued last year. Sure, some of the 80s electronic beats are dated, unless you really like 80s production values. I don’t particularly. But even with that, it’s about the peak of the cross-cultural collaborations of the era. Bikaye is amazing and outside of the dated production, Zazou’s work is good too. Glad I heard this.

A-

Molly Tigre, Molly Tigre

Molly Tigre is an Ethiopian and Malian jazz tribute band that takes the amazing work of this genre from the 60s and early 70s and gives it a fresh spin. Hugely influenced by Mulatu Astatke, among others, this is a quite solid album from a band that would be fun to see live. I don’t think it rises to the point of being a great album. But as tributes to other forms of music goes, you could do a lot worse.

B+

Acceptance, Wild, Free

Horrifically cliched power ballads full of ridiculous lyrics that are meant to jerk tears but instead are a jerk off. Like a bad version of Coldplay, which is pretty bad indeed. This album was really well reviewed, despite the comparisons to other bands I don’t like. Maybe there are reviewers out there who specialize in garbage. Terrible.

D

Eric Revis, Slipknots Through a Looking Glass

I was quite impressed with this release from Revis, best known as the regular bassist in Branford Marsalis’ band. This is quite a bit more envelope pushing than Marsalis’ work. Not surprising given that some of the players are the pianist Kris Davis, the drummer Chad Taylor, and the saxophonist Darius Jones, all geniuses. It’s a not a full atonal blowout or anything. The album has quite a groove with amazing poly-rhythms. Each player gets plenty of room to work. Really strong.

A

Rod Stewart, Every Picture Tells a Story

My relationship with Rod Stewart doesn’t go very deep. When I started listening to music in the late 80s, he had some pretty cheesy hits and his cover of Tom Waits’ “Downtown Train” nearly ruined the song for me, though I’m glad Tom made some bank. Plus of course his ridiculous hair. And as I’ve never been friends with any huge fans, no one ever introduced me to his music, though I know some people love it. So I thought I’d check out his classic 1971 album. Here’s my take: there are three good to great songs in “Every Picture Tells a Story,” “Maggie May,” and “I’m Losing You.” The Dylan and Hardin covers are pretty strong. But the other three songs are kinda boring. It’s a fine album, sure. Is it an all-time classic? I don’t see that.

B

John Oates, Arkansas

I had extremely low expectations for a John Oates roots album. He claimed some authenticity (unnecessary quite frankly) by talking about his southern ancestors. Well, OK. I never thought there was a single southern or roots influence in his music. But again, OK, that’s fine I guess. Honestly, this isn’t half bad as a kind of cheesy version of roots music. It’s entirely listenable. I don’t know, how much better was a John Oates roots album going to be than this?

B

As always, this is an open thread for all things music and art and none things politics or disease. Also, despite all these albums, each of which I have listened to since last week’s Music Notes, I still haven’t actually heard an album released in 2021! Too many albums on the backlist, I guess. Maybe this week.