Alas, another legend passes. Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker died today, aged just 67.
Read Rolling Stone’s report of his passing, and Donald Fagen’s tribute.
soundstreamsunday: “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash
Four months after Bill Withers hit number one with “Lean on Me,” Johnny Nash climbed to the top of the charts with the rocksteady/reggae pop of “I Can See Clearly Now.” Unlike Withers, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, Nash had maintained a fairly solid chart presence since 1957, and by November 1972, at the age of 32, he was also a seasoned veteran of the biz side of the music biz, creating his own label and signing pop acts like the Cowsills. He traveled to Jamaica in the late ’60s in an attempt to bring rocksteady to the U.S., for a time working with Bob Marley and the Wailers. In a sense the sessions weren’t successful, illustrating the difference between Nash’s American AM-radio “hit” perspective and the maturing album-oriented FM-radio vision that Marley, and Chris Blackwell of Island Records, had for reggae. And yet the association was significant for both Nash and Marley, taking them to London in early 1972 in an attempt to break reggae outside of Jamaica. It was in England that Nash recorded his best album — relying heavily on Marley’s songwriting and the musicians that made up the Wailers and the Fabulous Five — and where Marley and the Wailers would meet Blackwell.
It’s hard to imagine a greater musical uplift than “I Can See Clearly Now.” With that title and the refrain “it’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiney day,” there’s more than a hint of Nash’s commercial reach, but he was clearly inspired by his work with Marley: the tune’s simple reggae backing and the sincerity of the performance saves it from the treacly precipice. When the bridge — itself a grand gesture — gets keyboardy and spacey it feels like there must have been something going on in the studio to fit the song, with its monumental groove and smile diminishing whatever adversity might be at hand. This is a song about happiness in the moment, the rain lifting, and seeing the obstacles for what they are.
soundstreamsunday presents one song or live set by an artist each week, and in theory wants to be an infinite linear mix tape where the songs relate and progress as a whole. For the complete playlist, go here: soundstreamsunday archive and playlist, or check related articles by clicking on”soundstreamsunday” in the tags section.
Hamilton Live On Stage: “Sufficient to Strike Astonishment into Angels”
By Rick Krueger
Hamilton at the Private Bank Theatre, Chicago, August 30, 2017.
On August 31, 1772 (245 years ago today — wild, huh?) a hurricane ravaged the West Indies island of St. Croix. Seven days later, a orphaned young man living there set the precedent for every newshound who’s camped out in Texas this past week. He wrote a letter describing his experiences at the heart of the maelstrom, along with the whipsaw play of his emotions in its wake. “It seemed as if a total dissolution of nature was taking place,” he wrote, “… sufficient to strike astonishment into angels.”
The businessmen of St. Croix were so impressed that they tracked down the letter’s anonymous author, took up a collection, and sent him off-island to be educated. And Alexander Hamilton emigrated to New York City, just as the nascent American Revolution began to gather speed.
Continue reading “Hamilton Live On Stage: “Sufficient to Strike Astonishment into Angels””
Weezer delivers song of the summer as next album preview
The White Album was a total triumph last year from Weezer, usually a hit-and-miss kind of band. It got me excited about what every-track-is-fantastic album they might come up with next.
And then when in March of this year I heard “Feels Like Summer” as an advance preview track from their next album, well, let’s just say I couldn’t even get past the 30-second clip. It sounded so annoying and dopey. (Sort of like the new Taylor Swift single, which is much worse.)
So imagine my surprise when this month Weezer released the second preview track, “Mexican Fender,” which is truly superb and everything you want in a rockin’ summer tidal wave of power chords.
The song is so good it even got me to give “Feels Like Summer” a second chance, and it turns out now I kind of like it. (It gets better as it progresses and more power chords get mixed into the contemporary sonic novelties.)
Maybe it’s because my own Stratocaster is a Mexican Fender, but I like the lyrics to the song a lot. Really clever and catchy, it’s a perfect song about summer love.
Note that the video (thankfully) has nothing to do with the lyrics and story of the actual song. But it is nonetheless kind of a hilarious cartoon that should get people listening to the song, by way of its amusing visual tale.
Better yet, turn up the music and close your eyes to do air guitar. Who needs video when you have such great audio? Either way, I think this is the song of the summer, perfect for those convertible top-down cruises by the bay. (But keep your eyes open while driving.)
As for album of the summer, my vote goes to Lana Del Rey’s Lust for Life, which finally ascends into perfect songwriting and delivers on the previously unfulfilled promise of all her earlier albums. Every track shimmers with transcendent moments. But that’s a topic for another post. Meanwhile, enjoy Weezer’s brilliant guitar sunsets…
Evolution, Not Revolution: Inside “To The Bone”
Much has been written already about Steven Wilson’s supposed change of direction, with the great man himself talking up this new release as his “pop album”. Others have likened Wilson’s recent trajectory to that which took Peter Gabriel from the innovative, Fairlight-driven experiments of ‘4’ (or Security, if you prefer) to the more finely-honed commercialism of So.
Yet as I press Play for the umpteenth time, I’m not struck by any real sense of sonic revolution. To these ears, at least, To The Bone sounds like an entirely natural progression: a logical step further down a path he had oriented himself towards with 2015’s Hand. Cannot. Erase. The clues to how this new album sounds are there in HCE’s title track and in ‘Perfect Life’, and they are there in ‘Vermillioncore’ from the 2016 follow-up mini-album 4½. There are pointers from further back in his career, too, should you care to look for them: ‘No Part Of Me’ on Grace For Drowning, ‘Abandoner’ on Insurgentes (echoed here in more up-beat fashion by ‘Song Of I’), even some of his work with Porcupine Tree and No-Man.
If anything, Wilson seems to be not so much moving in a new direction as he is circling back to revisit and revive influences that have been present only intermittently in recent years, bringing them to the forefront and giving them more room to breathe. But even that may be overstating the case.
All of which makes the whines of complaint from certain unenlightened denizens of Internet forums simply mystifying. How well do these people understand Wilson’s artistic credentials? Have they never listened to No-Man, or Blackfield, or his covers of Abba and Prince? Whilst not liking what he’s done here is fine, to suggest he’s ‘sold out’ or is somehow ‘betraying prog roots’ is frankly absurd.
I suppose this album could be described as more pop than prog in the sense that Wilson has taken the opportunity to rein in what some see as the bombast of earlier solo work. This is no Raven, which unashamedly flaunted the virtuosity of its stellar contributors. The closest it comes to excess is in the extended guitar wig-out of the nine-minute epic ‘Detonation’; barring that, this is an altogether more restrained and refined affair.
Which is not to say that To The Bone lacks drama or intensity. There is plenty of that on display – the thrilling sudden crescendo in ‘Pariah’ as Ninet Tayeb’s voice gloriously spans octaves stands out, as do the angry wails and unexpected profanity that open ‘People Who Eat Darkness’. But generally this album dials back the melancholy and strips away some of the concept album earnestness that permeates (permanates?) earlier work.
Be in no doubt that this is recognisably a Steven Wilson album, beautifully crafted and balanced, but with few real surprises. The biggest eyebrow-raiser by far – and the only genuine indulgence in pure straightforward pop to be found in the solid hour of music on offer here – is the pulsing three-and-a-half minute ‘Permanating’, an infectiously joyful earworm quite different from anything appearing on his earlier albums. Whisper it, but Steven could actually be having fun here… Yes, shocking, isn’t it?
If To The Bone isn’t quite as dense and audibly complex as earlier work, there are still many layers to explore. The production is impeccable, of course – we’ve come to expect nothing less – but it is the songcraft that shines through, more than Wilson’s customary nerdish attention to the minutiae of the recording process. This may not be the absolute pinnacle of his achievements, but it is surely his most accessible work to date: a hugely enjoyable album whose subtle charms deserve to be relished rather than dismissed.
Bank Holiday Beats
Every genre has a holy trinity, for prog it’s Yes, King Crimson and Pink Floyd, metal is Led Zep, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, NWOBH is Iron Maiden, Saxon, Def Leppard, neo prog has IQ, Marillion and Pallas and now Rushdenbeat has it’s trinity, you have the Fierce and the Dead, Orange Clocks and now presenting their debut EP, The Paperweight Array, the third leg to the mighty sound that is Rushdenbeat, which is, to my mind the defining sound of 2017.
After my review for Progarchy about Orange Clocks, I inadvertently coined the phrase ‘Rushdenbeat’ and suddenly it took a life of it’s own on, with a Facebook group and a # as well!
Following this Aaron Hemmington got in touch and sent me a copy of the bands debut EP Transmissions from a Distant Star, a three-track introduction to their psychedelic world.
For those who aren’t aware Rushden (as per our good friend Professor Wikipedia) is part of the county of Northamptonshire, and was home to such luminaries as H E Bates, darts player James Richardson, and of course (although Wikipedia needs updating) Matt Stevens.
What is it about small English towns that can be the epicentre of something new and exciting?
I grew up in Rotherham, where the best thing going for it was the road to Sheffield where all the decent record stores were, and yet from 1991 onwards Rotherham had been home to the Classic Rock Society, and a Northern pulse for progressive rock, handy if you happened to be 17, into prog and on a bus route into town!
It seems as Matt Stevens himself has questioned on Facebook, that pre-internet, when you were in a small town, certain things either passed you by, or you found yourself in a particular group of friends where certain locations and musical tastes influenced you.
I remember saving all my money from my summer job for a trip down to London because the record stores there would have far more rare and esoteric albums, and I wasn’t able to just log in using my smart phone, search them and then buy them.
I think the mid 90’s were the golden days of record collecting, where finding music was much more of a hunt, more of a chase, and you appreciated listening to it more because you had put so much more effort into it.
That is the same with bands from smaller towns, Rushden I would imagine, like Rotherham would be bypassed by all the big names, and so if you wanted to hear the music you liked, then the only way to do it would be to form a band and play it yourself.
That is the ethos that runs through Rushdenbeat and so many other small town bands making a big noise.
Transmissions from a Distant Star, starts with the title track, some fantastic spiky guitar work and then a wonderfully spacey chorus that brings to mind a whole mix of sounds, there’s elements of XTC, some Canterbury scene and a whole summer of ’67 vibe carrying through the sound.
A perfect way to introduce yourself and it makes a massive impact as you listen to it.
Going Back, showcases how the band works with each other, the Paperweight Array being an old school power trio, with Aaron on guitar, vocals and keys, Just on bass and keys and Dunc on drums and percussion.
Listening to the mighty sound they make you wouldn’t think there were only three of them!
Again there is a lot of power in the riffs and the interplay between all three of them is one of the EP’s strengths, you can tell these guys know how to play, and more importantly know how to play with each other to bring the best out of them.
Corporal Cameo is a neo gothic old school psychedelic story, with some fantastic lyrics, and some wonderfully trippy keyboard sounds, and another one of those brilliant guitar riffs.
Listening to their sound and performance on this one, and you’d think Corporal Cameo was a lost 60’s psych classic that Stuart Maconie had dug up for his Freak Zone on BBC Radio 6.
This is a fantastic introduction to where the band are coming from, and it has to be said encapsulates in the most positive way the small town atmosphere that has led to the creation of some of the most exciting music in the UK, and indeed probably throughout the world. Whilst it’s wonderful in this digital all connected age to be able to see beyond your horizons at the touch of a button, I wonder how much of an impact that will make on all the small town musicians sat in their bedrooms, using music as an escape?
Transmissions from a Distant Star is available here
https://thepaperweightarray.bandcamp.com/releases
Guest Post: Michał Pawłowski on Labels and Steven Wilson
The following came in as a comment on a post regarding the media and fan reaction to the new Steven Wilson album, TO THE BONE. It’s so good, though, that I don’t want it to get lost in the shuffle of comments. So, without permission!!!, I’m posting it as its own post. Michał Pawłowski is founder and lead of the astounding art rock band, newspaperflyhunting. He’s also a really brilliant and good person.
***
A very very good point Brad! Strangely enough (or not) the comments that jump on me on social media are more along the lines of ‘Wilson betrayed prog, if you like the album, there must be something wrong with you! Bring back PT!’
“What the?????” First of all ‘prog Wilson’ for me is: 1) “The Sky Moves Sideways” and “Signify”, 2) More importantly: prog is all his output taken together. ‘Prog Wilson’ is not “Grace for Drowning” and “Raven” as I don’t really count retro as progressive and those people on social media I quoted above somehow see this direction (a fraction of SW’s overall output) as THE Wilson. I do not – it was a phase in his career (probably caused by his remixing King Crimson et al. at that time) that seems to have passed (or abated) as all phases in his career do. This is the very thing that makes him TRULY progessive, now culminated in a self-proclaimed ‘pop’ album released after the retro of “Raven” and the wonderfully eclectic “H.C.E.”.
The position you descibe, ‘you must like his new album or you betray prog!” is equally daft. I don’t listen to genres. I use genre names so that I can communicate ideas (like this post), they have no qualitative value for me. I don’t like “Raven” not because it’s retro (prog) but because when I listen to it I’m bored. It doesn’t resonate. The label doesn’t change anything either way. I heven’t heard “To the Bone” in full yet (I’m waiting for the CD), but I like the tracks I heard a lot and Pariah is one of the best things SW has ever done.
Pop or not, prog or not I like what I hear and this is what ultimately matters. One should not like a poor record any more or less because it is a poor record in a genre they happen to like. And no album should be forced down my throat because it’s prog or Wilson or classic or whatever. People should grow good sets of ears and an anti-social media shield 😉
soundstreamsunday: “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers
Where Randy Newman and John Prine brought hyper-literate character study to the singer-songwriter genre, often inhabiting in the first person the figures they constructed in song, Bill Withers went for the emotional jugular, unabashed, and if there was any character being studied it was him. Withers’ warm, supple voice, steeped in rhythm and blues and country, was his listeners’ point of entry, a vehicle in and of itself for delivering the musical goods. Born in 1938, by the time he released his first record Withers was 33, had spent a decade in the service, and was working a factory job so soul-killing that a guitar and an empty notebook seemed as good a possibility as any for a better life. His age helped him make records glowing with self-assured performances, and he became an unlikely pop star. The hits came with that first record and kept coming through the 1970s. By the time he did the unthinkable and retired in 1985, Withers’ legacy included some of the best American songs ever recorded: “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Grandma’s Hands,” “Lovely Day,” “Just the Two of Us,” and “Lean on Me.”
“Lean on Me” is kind of like “The Weight” by the Band — it’s almost hard to believe that an earthly person actually wrote a song so integral to the late 20th-century American experience. There is a grandeur to it, musically, lyrically, and sentimentally, that, even in its ubiquity, still shines. It hit number one in 1972, but didn’t do all the heavy lifting to raise 1972’s Still Bill to number four, packed as that album is with great songs and arrangements popping with gospel funk dynamics. In its album context, closing side one of the LP, “Lean on Me” is a beautiful respite from the personal strife suggested in “Lonely Town (Lonely Street),” “Who is He (and What is He to You)?” and “Use Me.” The song evens a delicate emotional balance, and as an affirmation of simple friendship, it’s the finest kind of pop music.
soundstreamsunday presents one song or live set by an artist each week, and in theory wants to be an infinite linear mix tape where the songs relate and progress as a whole. For the complete playlist, go here: soundstreamsunday archive and playlist, or check related articles by clicking on”soundstreamsunday” in the tags section.
The Albums That Changed My Life: #3, This Year’s Model by Elvis Costello
by Rick Krueger
“The songs are lyrics, not speeches, and they’re tunes, not paintings. Writing about music is like dancing about architecture—it’s a really stupid thing to want to do.” — Elvis Costello, 1983, apparently quoting Martin Mull.
Ouch.
On the other hand, would I have ever even heard of Elvis Costello if it hadn’t been for the rock press? Let alone listened to This Year’s Model?
Continue reading “The Albums That Changed My Life: #3, This Year’s Model by Elvis Costello”
Leave The Anger Out of It: Let’s Just Enjoy
There’s no doubt, it’s fun to be self-righteous from time to time. Well, “fun” for the writer, if not for the reader.
I’ve been patiently waiting for my deluxe box set of TO THE BONE to arrive in Michigan. It finally arrived today, and it’s a thing of beauty and wonder, at least in terms of packaging. It’s now my fourth such Steven Wilson deluxe box set, and I assume the deluxe edition will always be my default purchase option when it comes to any thing new Wilson releases.
Our own beloved Richard has already reviewed the new album rather nicely and objectively.
I’ve only given the album a listen or two. It’s pretty neat, but it’s not grabbed me in the way that the previous solo albums have. Such is life. I’m going to let my like or dislike of it grow organically.
Still, I must write this. Not liking the album is an OK position to hold. I saw several folks today on social media claiming that if you don’t like the new Steven Wilson, you’re betraying the prog tradition. What the ???????? Let me repeat that: What the ????????
One more time: What the ??????
There are days I simply need to detox regarding social media and, especially, Facebook. For some reason, the new Steven Wilson has become a lightning rod in the way Donald Trump is a lightning rod. One either hates or loves him. No via media.
If I choose not to decide, I still have made a choice. So once spoketh Neil Peart. And, I agree wholeheartedly.
Progarchy 