Inexplicably, we're almost half-way through year two of the Discography. It's a light week this week as all of us are buried or sick or have disappeared into the Canadian wilderness. In three weeks the esteemed Cyndi Brandenburg and I will have disappeared into the Jordanian desert, so next week I'll make that annoying official request for folks to send along songs a couple of weeks early (I'm apologizing in advance). I like the songs this week (it's one of my favorite weeks), and we've definitely headed off in unique directions.
Plus, Sturgill is a native Kentuckian, so there's that.
Lanterns on the Lake, I Love You, Sleepyhead
Here's another odd choice for me. I guess you guys are rubbing off on me (or I watch too many episodes of the British series Skins). Lanterns on the Lake is an indie British band who have three or four albums out, but I'm just starting to sort them out. I like this song because it's very stripped down, but also because I'm not quite certain what's happening in it. It's either a love song or a break-up song, or that moment in every relationship where you're pretty certain that you're going to break-up and then you change your mind. I've traditionally always had that moment in the morning (as you know, I'm a notorious early riser). You convince yourself that it's time to walk, but then she climbs out of bed wearing one of your old shirt, and you decide that maybe things aren't actually that great by yourself anyway.
Dave Wallace
Ty
Segall - 5 Ft. Tall
Ty
Segall is an insanely prolific garage rocker; he's released 11 albums in
10 years, plus he's been involved in numerous side projects during that
time. I've enjoyed much of the music that he's released but, not
surprisingly when you consider the sheer quantity of material, it tends to be a
bit spotty. Great stuff tends to be surrounded by some things that
probably would have been better left on the shelf. His newest
album, Freedom's Goblin, follows this pattern, but it's noticeably
more hit, than miss. Even at 74 minutes long with 19 songs, the album
only contains a handful of throwaways and I find it more consistent than most
of his previous work. For the next two weeks, I'm going to highlight two
of my favorite songs from the album. First is 5 Ft. Tall,
which reminds me of a power-pop version of the Who.
Dave Kelley
"Turn off the tv
Turn off the news
Nothing to see here
They're serving the blues"
"Call to Arms" Sturgill Simpson
GB was always a bigger Sturgill Simpson fan than I, although I have always respected his music. On his last record, Simpson added the horn section from the amazing Dap Kings and went away from his more country roots. (The DAP Kings played with Sharon Jones and also served as the backing band on Amy Winehouse's "Back in Black" record.) The result was a fantastic release that I would encourage anyone to pick up and enjoy. I would concur with Simpson's suggestion in the liner notes to play it LOUD!
This is an anti-war anthem that is obviously so timely right now. The real attractions here though are the horn section, Simpson's passionate delivery of the vocals, and just a kick ass performance from the entire band. The attached video is a must watch in my humble opinion. This live performance from his appearance on SNL is nothing short of fucking amazing in my book.
Kevin Andrews
This
week several of us were treated to a reading of a novel in progress by our
friend and associate Erik Esckilsen. As he talked about how he treated the
characters and place I was reminded of Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology and the song
inspired by it, Spoon River.
Masters
tells the story of a small town in poems, one for each of the dead in its
cemetery. 212 of them. The book was quite popular in its time but not in the
actual town that the book was based on, Lewistown, Illinois. They were not
pleased as ELM left many names recognizable if not unchanged and their stories
were not flattering. Just like real life.
I
first heard this performed by the aforementioned Steve Goodman around 1976.
This version was recorded by Claudia Schmidt in 1979 and is my favorite. It’s
one of those records that I bought on vinyl when it first came out and later on
CD after I put my turntable away.
Phillip Seiler
XTC
I
am taking a break from posting black artists for Black History Month and will
steal a week in March as repayment. But circumstances as they are, this is the
song I have been thinking about this week. The latest preventable gun tragedy
hit me harder than most (and the others have hit me very hard.) As I was
getting ready to leave for work on Thursday, I watched the beginning of
the CBS News, which for a morning show on a major network is better than most.
They had identified the first teenage victim and the picture they showed of her
was in front of a street art mural in Miami. It just so happens that this piece
of art was created by an old friend and high school classmate, Maya Hayuk.
There is even a publicity shot of Maya standing in the same exact spot as the
student. As a species, I think we underestimate the importance of art in its
ability to forge connections within ourselves whether it be emotions or memory
or even logic. Why does an abstract mural suddenly make the senseless deaths of
children all the more real to me? No idea. But it did. And I am going to do
whatever I can to help those that can prevent the next massacre from happening.
I
haven't listened to the older catalogue of XTC music in a very long time. But I
hear this song in my head every time another mass murder via gun happens in
this country. And this bit is just too real:
I'm
speaking to the Justice League of America
The
US of A
Hey
you
Yes
you in particular
When
it comes to the judgement day, and you're standing at the gates in your
weaponry
You
dead go down on one knee, clasp your hands in prayer and start quoting me
'Cause
we say
'Cause
we say
Our
father we've managed to contain the epidemic in one place, now
Let's
hope they shoot themselves instead of others, help civilize the race now
we've
trapped the cause of the plague in the land of the free and the home of the
brave
And
If we listen quietly you can hear them shooting from grave to grave
This
was from 1982. 35 years later and it's just getting worse. The song closes with
the rat-a-tat-tat of rimshots fading into nothingness. When will we stop
it?
Gary Scudder
Lanterns on the Lake, I Love You, Sleepyhead
Here's another odd choice for me. I guess you guys are rubbing off on me (or I watch too many episodes of the British series Skins). Lanterns on the Lake is an indie British band who have three or four albums out, but I'm just starting to sort them out. I like this song because it's very stripped down, but also because I'm not quite certain what's happening in it. It's either a love song or a break-up song, or that moment in every relationship where you're pretty certain that you're going to break-up and then you change your mind. I've traditionally always had that moment in the morning (as you know, I'm a notorious early riser). You convince yourself that it's time to walk, but then she climbs out of bed wearing one of your old shirt, and you decide that maybe things aren't actually that great by yourself anyway.
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