Zig Zags – Brainded Warrior (2014)
“Hey punk! You’re coming with me…don’t believe everything you see.”
“Brainded Warrior” is my current first-track-of-the-day of choice, ideal for brushing away those early morning cobwebs. Produced – though perhaps “captured” better describes the no-frills treatment – by San Francisco punk protagonist, one-man (no)Hit Factory and AOIBTW hero Ty Segall, it’s a crunching, Sabbath-shaped heavy nugget. Zig Zags’ self-titled album was released at the start of the month on the often ear-bleeding, always excellent In The Red Records. Seek it out with the urgency that its music demands.
White Fence – Like That (2014)
Ty Segall and White Fence released the Hair LP in 2012. It was a collaboration, though it also wasn't difficult to work out who had brought which song to the table: the simple, frantic punk thrills of “Crybaby” and “Scissor People” – that’ll be yer man, Ty; the shambling psych rambles of “I Am Not a Game” and “(I Can’t) Get Around You” – almost certainly Mr. Fence. “Like That”, the first taster of a new Segall-produced LP, finds White Fence – real name Tim Presley – again playing to his strengths.
Although his solo work is much maligned by rock critics, Phil Collins has long been revered by the hip-hop and R&B community. The man’s a genius, they’ll say. Listen to that alien, lost soul voice – he means it, man. The production is so super smooth and atmospheric production – who wouldn't want to sample those pounding drums? And just look at all those Grammys! In 2001, a full tribute album entitled Urban Renewal was recorded with contemporary urban acts tackling their favourite Collins songs.
High Ends – The Weight (2014)
I must confess to knowing nothing about Canadian indie rockers Yukon Blonde, other than that they're an indie rock band and they're from Canada. And that their chief songwriter Jeffrey Innes has now started a new project, High Ends. "The Weight" had me at it's first chorus - a perfectly judged slice of gorgeous, glistening synth-pop. I don't get to listen to the radio as often as I'd like, so I can only assume that this is getting some serious airplay. This is the sound of a Hit, right?
I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Bobby Womack on 27th June 2014 at the age of 70, but have since taken great joy in listening to some of his extraordinary life's work. "It's All Over Now" which Bobby co-wrote for The Valentinos, and The Stones had a hit with. The majestic, one-two knock-out of his Communication and Understanding LPs. His super-fly soundtrack work and, more recently, his collaborations with Damon Albarn.
The Bravest Man In The Universe, his big comeback record and - as it turned out - his last, if anything sounds better now than it did two years ago. "Deep River" is the one I keep coming back to - not just for that line "I ain't got long to stay here", now with added poignancy, but for the vocal ticks of great hero and mentor Sam Cooke which trace a line right back to the start of Womack's long, miraculous career. And also for the deep, defiant soulfulness of it.
Apparently, in the lead up to his death, Womack was working on a new album, typically titled The Best Is Yet To Come, featuring contributions from Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart and Snoop Dogg. These recordings may well see the light of day, but this performance of "Deep River" is how I'll remember him.
Ty Segall and White Fence released the Hair LP in 2012. It was a collaboration, though it also wasn't difficult to work out who had brought which song to the table: the simple, frantic punk thrills of “Crybaby” and “Scissor People” – that’ll be yer man, Ty; the shambling psych rambles of “I Am Not a Game” and “(I Can’t) Get Around You” – almost certainly Mr. Fence. “Like That”, the first taster of a new Segall-produced LP, finds White Fence – real name Tim Presley – again playing to his strengths.
At risk of turning this into a Guardian think piece, we must be close to reaching “peak psych” – countless bands, Temples perhaps being the most commercially successful, are keen to adopt the aesthetic (the tripping Revolver drums and phased guitars; the bright, best-viewed-on-vinyl artwork; the frizzy hair and washed-out denim) but are seemingly against (incapable of?) embracing the spirit of discovery and adventure of those original 60s recordings; every month, new Psych Fests are popping up, the genre’s definition stretched increasingly to breaking point by the acts being booked for the bills; just last week, Yves Saint Laurent unveiled a new Psych Rock Collection.
What fences Presley off from the crowd, for me, is his infectious sense of fun and appealingly dashed-off execution.
Bon Iver – Heavenly Father (2014)
Bon Iver – Heavenly Father (2014)
Although his solo work is much maligned by rock critics, Phil Collins has long been revered by the hip-hop and R&B community. The man’s a genius, they’ll say. Listen to that alien, lost soul voice – he means it, man. The production is so super smooth and atmospheric production – who wouldn't want to sample those pounding drums? And just look at all those Grammys! In 2001, a full tribute album entitled Urban Renewal was recorded with contemporary urban acts tackling their favourite Collins songs.
I can only assume that Kanye, Jay-Z & co see similar
qualities in Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, their go-to man when it comes to
creating lighters-aloft stadium moments about how insignificant money is and
all that really matters is being a good dad. Getting Vernon in to emote over a
bombastic soft-rock backing track is the modern day equivalent of lifting the
yearning vocals of “Another Day In Paradise” or dry drums of “In The Air
Tonight” (Mr. Hudson is the Sting to Vernon’s Collins).
There are many people who wish that Bon Iver would return to
the spooked cabin folk of his For Emma,
Forever Ago LP, who felt that the second album was a little too produced, a
little too, well, *Phil Collins*. But I
personally loved the way he expanded his sound, the way the tracks built -
instruments slowly emerging and focusing, like silhouettes from a snowstorm.
This layering of sound continues on “Heavenly Father”, taken
for the soundtrack to the forthcoming Zach Braff movie, Wish I Was Here. Influences from hip-hop and his Volcano Choir
project are evident too – a manipulated and looped sample of Vernon’s voice
(which at first briefly and scarily sounds like bagpipes) acts as the track’s bedrock,
while little electronic details are squiggled throughout. It’s beautiful, and
bodes very well for whatever the bearded one chooses to do next.
High Ends – The Weight (2014)
I must confess to knowing nothing about Canadian indie rockers Yukon Blonde, other than that they're an indie rock band and they're from Canada. And that their chief songwriter Jeffrey Innes has now started a new project, High Ends. "The Weight" had me at it's first chorus - a perfectly judged slice of gorgeous, glistening synth-pop. I don't get to listen to the radio as often as I'd like, so I can only assume that this is getting some serious airplay. This is the sound of a Hit, right?
Endless Boogie – Taking Out The Trash (2013)
Few bands are more aptly named than Endless Boogie: they boogie – though, crucially, never woogie – and once they hit upon a riff or lock into a groove, they get it on the highway and stretch it on out….for eight, ten, sometimes even 14 minutes.
With their leather jackets, questionable facial hair and bourbon-soaked vocals, The Boogers (?) display many of the biker rock clichés. However, by the time that one big circling riff of “Taking Out The Trash”, cranked up to the max, reaches its sixth hypnotic minute, it shares more in common with Neu! or Hawkwind than your typical dive-bar blues band. The album from which this is taken, last year’s Long Island, is still on suitably heavy rotation round these parts.
Few bands are more aptly named than Endless Boogie: they boogie – though, crucially, never woogie – and once they hit upon a riff or lock into a groove, they get it on the highway and stretch it on out….for eight, ten, sometimes even 14 minutes.
With their leather jackets, questionable facial hair and bourbon-soaked vocals, The Boogers (?) display many of the biker rock clichés. However, by the time that one big circling riff of “Taking Out The Trash”, cranked up to the max, reaches its sixth hypnotic minute, it shares more in common with Neu! or Hawkwind than your typical dive-bar blues band. The album from which this is taken, last year’s Long Island, is still on suitably heavy rotation round these parts.
Dolly Parton - Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind (1969)
In the run-up to this year's Glastonbury, much of the talk
was about whether or not bear-hunting, Napster-suing metal-heads Metallica
would be embraced by the hippies, and about how Kasabian's closing headline set
on Sunday was gonna be beazer, the greatest spectacle witnessed by a man ever
(talk, admittedly, predominately from Kasabian themselves).
[For anyone catching up with Metallica's pommelling set on iPlayer, that person standing bolt upright sound asleep just a few rows from the front is my sister, Ruth. Very proud.]
As it turned out, the real star of Glasto 2014 performed on
the Pyramid Stage just a few hours before Kasabian were due to ‘ave it. In
front of the largest crowd of the weekend, Dolly Parton went on a finely-honed hour-long
charm offensive, where her juggling of instruments and self-deprecating anecdotes
were as important as the songs themselves, and the songs just happened to be
classics like “Jolene”, “Coat Of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You”.
Some killjoys took to Twitter to (almost certainly correctly)
accuse her of miming along to certain tracks, but did it really matter? For the
hundreds of thousands watching in the field and on their TVs at home, this was sold-gold
Sunday afternoon entertainment and a reminder of what an under-appreciated
songwriter Parton is.
"Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind" is one of my
Dolly fixtures. The studio version can be found on the essential Soul Jazz
compilation, Country Soul Sisters.
Bobby Womack – Deep River (2012)
I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Bobby Womack on 27th June 2014 at the age of 70, but have since taken great joy in listening to some of his extraordinary life's work. "It's All Over Now" which Bobby co-wrote for The Valentinos, and The Stones had a hit with. The majestic, one-two knock-out of his Communication and Understanding LPs. His super-fly soundtrack work and, more recently, his collaborations with Damon Albarn.
The Bravest Man In The Universe, his big comeback record and - as it turned out - his last, if anything sounds better now than it did two years ago. "Deep River" is the one I keep coming back to - not just for that line "I ain't got long to stay here", now with added poignancy, but for the vocal ticks of great hero and mentor Sam Cooke which trace a line right back to the start of Womack's long, miraculous career. And also for the deep, defiant soulfulness of it.
Apparently, in the lead up to his death, Womack was working on a new album, typically titled The Best Is Yet To Come, featuring contributions from Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart and Snoop Dogg. These recordings may well see the light of day, but this performance of "Deep River" is how I'll remember him.
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