MoNM 2011 month-end catch-up: Days 14 to 20
Seven albums, 50 words each: D’Angelo – Voodoo (2000, Cheeba Sound/Virgin) The “neo-soul” progenitor’s second album is as silky smooth as you’d expect, locking into effortless grooves throughout and riding them for absolutely everything they’re worth. ?uestlove, Raphael Saadiq, Method & Redman, Roy Hargrove and more flesh out the sparse setting, but D’Angelo’s falsetto is … Continue reading
MONM 2011 Day 13: Yoko Ono’s Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band
Yoko Ono – Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band (1970, Apple) Compared to most of his work with the Beatles, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is a remarkably raw piece of work. The album in general and lead single “Mother” in particular were a direct result of Lennon’s primal scream therapy – hence the increasingly raw shouts that … Continue reading
MONM 2011 Day 12: John Grant’s Queen of Denmark
John Grant – Queen of Denmark (2010, Bella Union) There’s a lot to like about John Grant’s Queen of Denmark. Grant’s baritone is rich and smooth, his lyrics can be clever, and the arrangements (ably performed by Midlake, who coaxed Grant back into the music biz after the breakup of his last band, The Czars) … Continue reading
MONM 2011 Day 11: Childish Gambino’s Camp
Childish Gambino – Camp (2011, Glassnote Records) The rumours are already floating about a mid-season cancellation for Community, so the timing is pretty much perfect for Donald Glover to launch a hip hop career, and the odds are good that Camp will accomplish just that. Like the mixtapes that precede it, Camp is spotty but … Continue reading
MONM 2011 Day 10: Dixie’s Death Pool – The Man With Flowering Hands
Dixie’s Death Pool – The Man With Flowering Hands (2011, Drip Audio) I have a bad habit habit of forming opinions of albums based on their opening few seconds. That’s not to say I’ll discount an album if it doesn’t win me over in ten seconds or less, but if those opening seconds are strong … Continue reading
MONM 2011 Day 9: Sandro Perri’s Impossible Spaces
Sandro Perri – Impossible Spaces (2011, Constellation) There’s something of a kinship between Perri’s Impossible Spaces and Destroyer’s Kaputt. Spaces isn’t anywhere near as glossy (although it’s not exactly raw, either), and the lack of soaring ’80s sax solos also means it’s less likely to be accused of intentional kitsch, but both of them are … Continue reading
MONM 2011 Day 8: Margo Guryan’s Take a Picture
Margo Guryan – Take a Picture (1968) I don’t know if I can make a stronger argument for this album than just showing off its opening track: But in the spirit of this project, I’ll give it a shot. A jazz musician turned on to the counterculture by a Beach Boys-loving friend (who also happened … Continue reading
A Baraka for ’80s nostalgia
Here is that nostalgia you ordered. Don’t worry, there is more than enough to go around. Skinemax (by Smash TV) (Source: http://player.vimeo.com/)
MONM 2011 Day 7: Feist’s Metals
Feist – Metals (Arts & Crafts, 2011) For someone who’s been knocked in some circles as the new face of easy listening, Feist has always had plenty of modes of locomotion. She could slink, bounce, swing, or float whenever she saw fit, throwing in a bit of disco strut to balance out the sweetheart pop … Continue reading
MONM 2011 weekend quickies: Harry Nilsson, Sons and Daughters of Lite
Harry Nilsson – Pussy Cats (1974, RCA Victor) The sound of talented people having way too much fun in the studio, laying down raucous covers and blackly funny ballads with little regard for coherence or flow. Nilsson was sick, so his usual honey voice is barely even a rasp by the time he’s rockin’ round … Continue reading
The Consumption 