Playlist : June 21st - 25th, 2010

First things first; what do you think of the new blog format? I didn't design it (shaaa, as if). Blogger offered a bunch of new templates (I suppose in an attempt to fight WordPress 3) and I picked one. I like it. It even made me change the way I do things and I've uploaded the artwork this week. I probably won't do that on busy weekends.

So to the list. There's a very odd retro vibe going on this week and I'm not entirely sure why. I've hit the 70s hard, but come up with some 80s too. Even an album from the 00s is called 1972 and sounds like the year.

Okay, so it's probably because I had my birthday last week. Shut up.

Josh Rouse - 1972
Well it was my birthday this week just gone and yes, I am that old. Either way, this album is smooth as freshly spun silk and Josh Rouse somehow finds a way to make music sound like a period of time without being the style of that period. I found Josh Rouse through this album that I only bought for the title. Sometimes, that really works. I'm still a huge fan of all he's ever done.




Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman
Yusef Islam was recently in the sleepy little hollow of Perth for a concert. I did not go and see the man, but many did and seemed to report only good stuff. What I found quite cool was that Mr Islam took the time out to take his family for a walk along Scarborough Beach. Of course they were spotted by the local rabble, but by all accounts he was accommodating in signing autographs and taking photos.




Bruce Springsteen - Greetings From Asbury Park N.J.
The other day I played a list of songs that haven't been played on my iPod since I had to restore it. One of them was It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City. It reminded me that before he was a bona fide dinosaur, corporate rock star, The Boss was, well, The Boss. And one thing about The Boss was, he sure could tell a story. This is the man of the hour's very first album and it's alive with cityscapes and shady characters of all manner - all meticulously fleshed out with Bruce's careful Jersey words. PS I have it on vinyl too.


Joni Mitchell - Hejira
This is among my favourites. I have the vinyl and the CD. I've been a Joni Mitchell fan since I heard Blue after it made the Rolling Stone 100 Best Albums of All Time list. I've since discovered that nearly every album from Joni Mitchell is a different style from the last. With Hejira, she has sculpted sparse landscapes of rolling sound like a cross country road trip in an old car. Jaco Pastorius' bass under Joni's jangling chords is the ebb and lull of a long dry highway. Much of the lyrics are small town, truck stop style vignettes and Refuge of the Roads sings to the freedom of open spaces and the insignificance of us all. Even the artwork shows an open road in transparency within Joni's clothes, even as she stands in an isolated landscape. This album right here, this is the business.


Hank Mobley - Soul Station
I got hold of this album after reading yet another fine article on my iPad. Whether it's Salon, The New Yorker, NPR, USA Today, The Observer or even Cool Hunting, I'm always finding great articles on my iPad that were obviously always there, but not so conveniently.
I don't even recall where it was, but I read a list of must-hear albums. I have a decent collection of jazz LPs and many were on the list, but I hadn't even heard of Mobley. I figured I'd better remedy that.

Meatloaf - Bat Out Of Hell
Does anyone over the age of 30 NOT have this album? Back in the day, nobody under 30 was without it. It's corny, it's camp, it's a little self-indulgent and over-produced - and that's just the good bits! You have to hand it to old "Bitch Tits Bob", he can belt out a tune like he means it. This is a rock classic and will always be good for a listen every now and then.




Devo - Freedom of Choice
There's a certain kind of music that for some reason sounds really good while working but just okay when out and about. Devo for me definitely fits the description. I'm not usually a big fan of synth style pop, but it sits well in headphones. This LP contains the biggest hit of Devo's career - Whip It. The stand out track for me though is probably Girl You Want.




You Am I - The Cream & The Crock
I needed something that would rock a lot to shake off some of the warm lustre of Hejira and the bubble gum corn of Meatloaf. This is my choice.
An unappreciated Australian treasure, if we don't hold on to them, they might leave for New Zealand - much like Tasmania. Stand out track on a great compilation is still the sparkling grunge of Berlin Chair.




Jakob Dylan - Women + Country
Wow. Someone sure looks like his Dad up on that horse. I haven't heard this album yet, but mini-Bob has teamed with the awesome Neko Case and Kelly Hogan on a T Bone Burnett production. The LA Times review said,"...the 11 tracks of “Women and Country” are similarly dressed with low-key Americana atmospherics." That and Neko Case were reason enough for me to give it a whirl.




Ro Spit - A Different Arrangement
I had never heard any Ro Spit when a Jazz Hop blog I read posted this album. It's actually being distributed for free and you can download it from the page to which the artwork is linked. Beyond even the cool of Jazz Hop, this album seems to be solid rhyming to Berry Gordy Motown arrangements - think The Supremes. It sounds like an interesting mix. I'm looking forward to a proper listen. Give it a try, it's free.




US3 - Hand On The Torch
While trying to pick another Hip Hop / Rap album, I constantly kept coming across this. I'm adding the persistent little devil to my list because it is an enjoyable listen. We all know the great hit from Triple J's Hottest 100, Canteloop (Flip Fantasia) which was a few bouncy rap rhymes and samples over a loop of Herbie Hancock's Canteloupe. The rest of the album is just as smooth, laid back and jaunty and I really like it.




Television - Adventure
The follow up to the scintillating perfection of their debut a year earlier, Marquee Moon, Adventure is often overlooked or not rated by fans and critics alike. After reading an indignant Aquarium Drunkard post admonishing the ignorance people had of this album, I realised I didn't even know it existed. What could I do, besides give it a spin? If it's half what Moon is, I won't be disappointed.



That's the list done. Until next time cats, be excellent to each other.