@@@ Maquinas: O Cao de Toda Noite (Mercurio Musica, 2019) I got to this Brazilian jazz/electronic music/theatrical rock record from a label email. It is quirky while retaining some accessibility, especially the spaghetti western guitar sound. The vocalist comes in darkly in front of some cinematic movie blasts of sound. I’m on the second tune and they have a pretty fresh energy going here — it’s dramatic and large sounding while not coming off pretentiously. The music does not always retain its size and breaks down into a smaller guitar driven sing a long so the section changes in the tunes keep things turning briskly both sonically and compositionally. The mixes here sound really good and the playing is very good as well. As the record unfolds it is clearer that this is a theatrical rock record and a good one, but its jazz and electronic threads are less prominent.
@@@ Binker Golding: Abstractions of Reality Past and Incredible Feathers (Gearbox, 2019) Some UK jazz off last week’s All Music notable release email. It opens with a tune called I Forgot Santa Monica, a peppy upbeat track with sax, piano, drums and bass. I like the sounds and the energy and the tight mix, the improv less so. About two minutes they dig and push harder. Great drum sound. The second tune Exquisite She-Green is taken at a slightly slower tempo and while I find straight jazz to be, well a bit straight, these guys are definitely listening to each other and there are some nice moments of connection here. The tunes are not of pop song length with the majority weighing in at five and one half to eight minutes. I like fire, but that’s me.
@@@ Beth Hart: War in My Mind (Provogue, 2019) Modern electric blues also off last week’s All Music notable release email. I keep hoping for a return to dirty ass Howlin’ Wolf style blowing the roof off the shack style of blues, but it is not going to be this record. This is arena blues or bombastic blues rock with Hart’s big voice, lots of background vocals and modern production. The second tune, War in My Mind, is a ballad and the swelling organ is nice and I dig the simple piano. My basic feeling is every tune could be built to a huge crescendo and I dig much more of a small scale boogie/groove kind of thing. I’m out.
YTD recordings listened to: 520
Good music, not list worthy: 313
Not good music: 174
Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0
Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Horndal, Wyxz, Tarek Atoui, Hawktail, Saicobab, Shannon and the Clams, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Emma Louise, Andre Bratten, Nathan Corder/Tom Weeks, Oli XL, Buzzherd, Logistic Slaughter, The Muslims, Tobe Nwigwe, Saint Abdullah, Bug Martin, Kaleta and the Super Yamba Band, Toko Telo, Brittany Howard, The Garifuna Collective, Mariachi El Bronx
Deep In the Music 