Labyrinthitis

Somehow I only became aware this morning that the Linda Lindas have unleashed another new single, "Resolution/Revolution", and it sounds great, much tougher than a lot of the tracks off of Growing Up.  They continue to deliver the goods. Meanwhile across the sea, Yee Loi have posted not one but two live versions of "Dad's Money" - one acoustic.  Both sound fine though I'm wondering if the point of this is to prove something. Well, they don't have to prove anything to me.  YL is one of the bands I'm most excited about these days. Now as to my older idols - look I don't expect any of them to live up to my standards.  If I cleared out my collection of every artists who'd said or done anything I don't approve of I wouldn't have a single book, CD or DVD in the house.  Hell if I only cleared out the ones who were out and out scumbags I'd be down about 75% I suspect! Nevertheless, I was disappointed that my first rock and roll idol, Alic...

Yee Loi have struck again with a new single, "Dad's Money", which is streaming but doesn't seem to be available for purchase yet.   As their first studio-refined track, there's some surprises here.  The sound is fuller and punchier, but its the vocals that really stand out.  Clearly pushed for max effect, they sound both older and fuller than ever before.  If it hadn't been for the distinct sibling harmony, I wouldn't recognize them.  There's also a distinct stretching of their vocal chops on the chorus ("where do I even begin"), which took me by surprise.  That's good, I like surprises.  And since they actually have vocal chops to stretch, it's reasonable to expect them to do so. I suppose if it was me at the boards I'd probably step it back a bit and get a little more of their usual lo-fi one-take ambience, but its time for them to grow.  And anyway it's not me. The song itself is first-rate, a worthy addition to their grow...

School's out, and current faves the Linda Lindas are in action again.  This post of a 22-minute performance and interview for KCRW radio in Santa Monica has given me great joy as they sound tighter and harder than ever ("Talking To Myself" and "Too Many Things" sounded like filler in their recorded versions - here they sound near-essential, with an almost Husker Du-like bridge.  And for any wag who wants to say they probably never heard Husker Du ... I suspect you are wrong).  More importantly, zip forward to 2:40 for one the greatest bits of audience appreciation ever.  I wonder what Beatrice's band will sound like... Meanwhile the world's other great teenage rock and roll band, Yee Loi, have announced the release of their first on-a-label single for August 24.  So stay tuned. More profound thoughts on these and other matters to come...

I'm trying to keep this blahg directed more towards newer artists, over old faves.  But the mind goes where it goes and lately I'm happy to rediscover an old fave I hadn't paid much attention to in recent years, Richard Thompson. Thompson used to be one of my main men, but it tapered off somewhere in the mid 00's and never quite picked up again, though I did keep up with all his releases as they came out.  I was disappointed in Front Parlour Ballads , the last one I actually bought a physical copy of, and since then just picked individual strong tracks as they appeared, eventually compiling them into a couple of collections.  Both of which left me unsatisfied. I do a lot of compilation CD's.  Very draconian selections by artists.  Obviously, they are highly subjective.  And there is a music-geekery part of me that says its unfair.  After all, these guys put their heart and soul into a full-length album, and I go and trash 90% of it?  Who the hell ...

I was aiming for early July, honest!  Anyway... Kim Logan is a young artist from FL by way of Nashville and now, I guess, Glasgow - or perhaps France - her online presence is slightly out of date and a little erratic - who's been kicking around for a decade-plus now and deserves to be a lot more famous.  Like a lot more. A petite, feisty redhead with a voice that can range from angelic to apocalytpic and a bad rock and roll girl attitude, she parlayed childhood indoctrination into classical music, country and blues (first concert, she says - Bonnie Raitt) into a career as an opera singer in Sarasota before selling her soul to rock-and-roll.  She also was apparently part of the estimable Low Cut Connie for awhile, and that's a badge of honor in my book. Her recording has been prolific but scattered as well; a debut album, Kim Logan in 2012, singles "Neighborhood" (2014),  "Peaches and Cream (Live at Third Man Records)" (2015), "Better Way" (2016), ...

Having watched my way through all 800 hours of Get Back , Peter Jackson's documentary built (mostly) from the raw footage resulting from the filming sessions that resulted in Let It Be , here are a few random thoughts and extemporizations... (1) It will be of little interest to anyone who is not interested in The Beatles, and in the process of how a band creates and refines songs, and records them.   (2) If there was any mystery as to why and how The Beatles split (and there shouldn't be), this clears it up once and for all. It's clear from the start they're not  a band any more.  Only Paul seems particularly motivated towards making new Beatle music (albeit, with a heavy dash of wanting said music to be done his way). John is only interested in getting high and Yoko, and seems bored with the whole proceedings.  Ringo looks bored and tired.  And George is in a snit the whole time because John/Paul won't pay any attention to his latest songs (among other t...

When I was a kid, about 13-14, I saw Tina Turner being profiled on ABC's 20/20 news series.  This would have been around `80-`81.  She was working the comeback trail, playing clubs and I guess at one point working day jobs to keep food in the fridge.  I wasn't the immersed music geek I am now at that age.  I was just getting into listening to rock radio a lot.  I didn't know much about Tina Turner.  I'd seen her on variety shows a couple of times but didn't know quite what to make of her back then. I knew there was such a thing as spousal abuse, or as we called it back then, wife-beating.  But I was shocked that such a powerful-seeming woman could have been subjected to it.  And by the gruesome realities of it she so unflinchingly shared.  And I watched a clip of her belting out an aching, gospel-y version of "Help". The music I head there didn't necessarily move me (though I later came to appreciate her version of "Help"), but her story did....