Neil Young's long lost Homegrown is a worthy addition to the songwriter’s famed “Ditch” period, sharing with those other lps a heavy sense of loneliness, loss and heartache (as well as some of the boozy joy). But it’s a distinct effort, too, filled with its own melancholy and mystery . . .
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23-year-old Wyatt Waddell wrote, performed and recorded “FIGHT!” in 24 hours after witnessing the protests sparked by the brutal killing of George Floyd. That urgency presents itself both lyrically; “There’s already so much pain / And there ain’t nothin else we can do / But to fight,“ and musically; sparse church rhythms keep a fierce pace as the Chicago native’s gritty tenor transforms into a sea of otherworldly voices. Wonderful funk breakdowns help release (or it increase?) the tension, while Waddell’s vocals climb higher and grow more exasperated with each passing verse. By the end of . . .
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Mississippi Records' new compilation Brother Theotis Taylor, mines the private archives of the Georgia minister and singer. These solitary songs of praise and contemplation extend an offer to join Taylor in spiritual reverie . . .
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By 1970, each exhausted member of the Fab Four was in the process of splitting off to explore new sonic worlds. Two of the greatest ex-Beatle solo records, All Things Must Pass and Plastic Ono Band, turn the ripe old age of fifty this year. It’s instructive to see how the records emerge and then diverge from the same traumatic starting point, exhibiting the weight of disappointment, exhaustion, and disillusionment they’ve been carrying so long . . .
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Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays.
34.1090° N, 118.2334° W . . .
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The gorgeous "Siyabulela," from drummer and bandleader Asher Gamedze's double lp Dialectic Soul, is spiritual jazz at its most literal, an ode to the tradition of "homegoing," rooted in gospel and grace . . .
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This week on Transmissions: counter culture icon David Crosby. Anyone familiar with his Twitter feed knows Croz is a fount of opinions and insight, capable of immense warmth and good humor, but never one to pull punches. On July 31st, he's reissuing the catalog of CPR, his cheekily named late '90s and early 2000s supergroup with guitarist Jeff Pevar and Crosby's son, keyboardist James Raymond, offering an overview of the group that set Crosby off on a late career renaissance that continues with recent albums like 2018's Here If You Listen . . .
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Inspired in equal parts by some simple, monophonic jams on modular synths and his passion for living in harmony with the natural world, All Things Being Equal, is a brightly colored, buoyantly upbeat meditation on simplicity, tranquility and living lightly on the planet. Here Kember talks about his love of electronic instruments and ancient drones, his gorgeous natural surroundings in Sintra, Portugal, his long friendship with synthesizer pioneer Delia Darbyshire and his hopes for inspiring humanity for the steep climb ahead if we are to continue to live on a healthy planet earth . . .
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This week on Transmissions: a conversation with sitarist and ambient composer Ami Dang, whose new ep of sacred music is called Meditations Mixtape, Vol. 1. We reached her in Baltimore to discuss her particular fusion of sounds and the way she explores the middle ground between what’s considered sacred—and what isn’t . . .
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Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays . . .
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It’s been almost five years since Zachary Cale’s last full-length (the excellent Duskland) — but he’s made up for lost time with his new double LP False Spring. It’s the songwriter’s best effort yet, understated yet ambitious, polished but never slick. It also feels hauntingly relevant to our current situation, as Cale depicts a chaotic world, confusion around every corner, apocalypse on the horizon . . .
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With his "It's Only Life, That's All" playlist, Nap Eyes guitarist Brad Loughead created a mix "mainly as a way to occupy myself, [to] get lost in beautiful music and turn my brain off." It encompasses familiar themes—"of love, mortality, troubled times...'ya know, the light stuff," but like Nap Eyes' fourth lp, Snapshot of a Beginner, it achieves a powerful effect by just easing on by . . .
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There are voices. And then there are Voices. With “Wondrous Love," Shirley Collins reminds us she's in the latter category, bringing fresh humanity this early 1800s Sacred Harp hymn (with roots stretching back even further to the British isles . . .
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We'll have plenty more to say about Homegrown proper in the upcoming weeks. But for now, take a listen to a mix of tunes from the album that have made their way into Young's live repertoire over the years, plus a few added rarities. Let it ring . . .
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With Gymnopedie No. 1, Toronto saxophonist Joseph Shabason returns once more with a new fourth world adult contemporary tone zone, finding new resonance in Satie's timeless memories . . .
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