• From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Dan Patlansky - Movin' On  (2024)

So, think this is the eleventh album from Dan, and he still doesn't disappoint. I don't think he's still in the SRV groove though; true the sound is still there, but only a mere template; he's now transcended and continuing the furrow along his own lines.

Indeed, the album opens with an unabashed nod to SRV before heading off on an autobiographical journey that's honest, heartfelt, dirty (in the "right" way) bound together with old-fashioned production - live takes and few, if any, overdubs.  Yes, there is plenty of SRV, dan's of that generation, but between the sublime solos, there's plenty of fuzzy riffs and riff-rock yet he still manages to close with a masterclass in the complex yet palatable, that started as a set opener the last couple of years: so don't take this guy for granted.

And while there are solos that make you question just how many fingers this guy has (trait shared with Philip Sayce), the other ace up his sleeve (or down his collar) is the way he can vary his voice, from a floating ballad to another tool of power. This album is, as is the hallmark with Dan, so much more than just a nod to SRV influences and guitar-noodling; he's one of those rare beasts, the complete package,

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Those Deadbeat Cats - Frankenstein's Jukebox  (2024)

Dropped through the letter-box yesterday; Ron Sayer, Daryl Blyth & Wayne Beauchamp have been at it again, putting an 80's Jukebox through the [musical] shredder and coming up with something wriggly & lively, with only a passing resemblance to the originals.

There's skiffle, [rockabilly in the US] surf-guitar, jazz and even some gratuitous ukulele in their treatments of Europe, 4 Non-Blondes, Erasure, Eurythmics, Simple Minds, Oasis, Survivor, T-Rex and even a truss-tightening A-Ha cover with high notes that should only be attempted with professional supervision...

One of those albums that's as much fun to play as I bet it was to record.

Album sampler - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shy7r0tVIRo
Eye of The Tiger - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLnpsqWf0EE

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Elles Bailey - Live at The Fire Station  (2024)

Also arrived in the post yesterday, this cracker of a live album from Elles Bailey.

We've had a wait a while it seems for Elles to record a full live album, but the Half Light album finally crystalised her particular blend of Blues, Soul & Country and with a such a superb band behind her: Joe Wilkins - Guitar; Jonny Henderson - Hammond & piano; Matthew Waer - bass; Matthew Jones - Drums and Demi Marriner providing backing vocals its like a planetary alignment, that this recording had to happen. (This was March 2023.)

Great set too, spanning Elles' albums as well as a couple of covers, John Martyn's Over The Hill and Credence Clearwater Revival's Long As I See The Light.

The Fire Station is one of the newer venues in Sunderland, the legendry Empire given over more now to theatre productions and shows rather than one-off gigs. This is probably the first live show recorded in the 800 [standing] capacity venue, and while it'll be a bigger claim than I'd make to outdo the Free Live album, it's a more than worth effort.

Sampler - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5dsMf-U54s

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Haunt The Woods - Opaque  (2020)

Picked this up on Saturday night following Haunt The Woods' opening set for WATB. and it's a real treat of Alt.Rock and prog, with other stuff liberally sprinkled throughout. I'm hearing older Pink Floyd and Queen mixing it with Muse and Crown Lands with an after-taste of Jeff Buckley.

After the brief instrumental Intro, the album really kicks off with Elephant before the calmer but building Amethyst which really deserves better placing on the album. The Earth is A Rock is an outstanding track, followed by Architecture, echoing Amethyst which leads to the gentler Red, which is actually a Blues number leading to another of the band's quieter moments, Brother. The dynamics of Supernova should have made this track a single; maybe it was... Vultures is another highlight, subtle, expansive and understated, until the final two minutes when it bursts into an explosive climax.

That a band could dare to be this experimental on what was their debut album only makes me wish I'd bought the more recent follow-up too. Still, gives me good reason to catch these guys again.

Elephant - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST9gn5d1wts
Amethyst - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eobvGjc7uk
Supernova - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8gA5qbmUTw

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

The Cure - Paris (1994 / 2024)

Not the usual deluxe packaging or multi disc affair that you'd expect for a 30th Anniversary, but a welcome opportunity to enjoy this again.... Remastered & re-sequenced with Shake Dog Shake and Hot, Hot, Hot!!! added.

Play For Today - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5UXkcsoAzs

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

New single from Kaleo, Lonely Cowboy, has dropped in advance of an new album (release date to be confirmed).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IsXCi3C1Cw

A little understated, reminiscent of Brothers Landreth in places....

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Haunt The Woods - Ubiquity (2023)

Having enjoyed their debut album so much, I had to get the guy's most recent and 2nd platter Uniquity.

This is a very different beast from it's predecessor, not so much otherworldly as out this world in terms of scope and power. It's clear  from this that they've found the confidence to build on the folkish proggy roots to build something a bit more alt.rock, and rock it certainly does. There's the drama and grandeur of a nascent Muse but there's more of a jeff Buckley than Matt Bellamy in Jonathan Staffords acrobatic vocal soaring. And rather than filling the soundscape with swathes of keyboards, they lean back on a string quartet, giving a more emotional clarity.

Ubiquity is a beautifully strange album – familiar yet different, exhilarating yet dark: nagging riffs courtesy of guitarist Phoenix Elleschild only adds to the sense of underlying discomfort: the dislocated atmospherics of Sleepwalking, the muted trumpet that drifts through Numb, the lone violin that haunts the amorphous title track.

Gold - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBsunA4yXY0
fever dream - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VpERm3HJhc

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

So, the local branch of HMV in town is having it's annual music clear-out; which means I had to have a nosey through the CD crates. Couldn't resist these half-price Rolling Stones: -

Goats Head Soup (Japanese SHM-CD)
Tattoo You
It's Only Rock n Roll (Japanese SHM-CD)
Some Girls
Black and Blue
Emotional Rescue (Japanese SHM-CD)
Dirty Work (Japanese SHM-CD)
Their Satanic Majesties Request (DSD)
Undercover
Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out (DSD)

And I don't consider myself a Stones fan....

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...

6,993 Reply by Kenny

  • Kenny
  • Kenny
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  • From: Aberdeen, Scotland
  • Registered: 2009-09-04
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Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Come On, Come In - Silveroller

Saw them support DeWolff and they were brilliant. Influenced by Classic Rock!!!

  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Peter Frampton - Frampton Forgets The Words (2021)

Well, the "bargain bucket" keeps on giving... The "other-alf" found this absolute gem yesterday. How the hell have I overlooked this since it's release in 2021. Absolutely bloody flawless.

So richly toned, and the covers of the versions of Wonder's "I Don't Know Why" and Michel Colombier's "Dreamland" border the stately; though truth be told, there's not a wasted track nor superfluous note on the entire album.

This is late evening with a glass of Tomintoul music.

I Don't Know Why - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vNM6ATZ7bs&t=1s
Loving The Alien - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PiCezy_2Ko&t=1s

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Kris Barras  - Halo Effect  (2024)

It's loud, it rocks, it's got crunchy choruses; so definitely not a Blues album; and it came signed. Sounds like kris is exploring his "grunge" childhood and Josiah is happy to steer the ship with crisp production.

it packs a mighty wallop in the 40 minutes (standard version), but I'm still undecided about the electronic trickery effects that are peppered here and there.

Secrets - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wFk_ts_HLk
Savages - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf1vZ3LK2ic

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Hawkwind - Stories From Time & Space  (2024)

Meantime, the guys who just about invented putting electronica into Rock music have just delivered their what, 36th(?) studio album, and they're still going (boldly) where no space-rock band has gone before.

This isn't the old school Hawkwind though, swathes of synths and tweets and twiddles over driving riffs; this silver machine is leaner [greener], more like their latter 70s with a touch of Floyd and some Bonzo Doh-Dah Band. These old dogs have learned some new-ish tricks, mainly how to stay relevant, and cool.

The 13 tracks, really do dovetail into each other, the instrumentals really have a relevance and are not just "time-fillers". Not an album then that you can single any one particular track, just buckle in and set the controls for Galaxy 117 and give the androids a belt and the technicians a can of hot oil - or is that the other way around..?

Our Lives Can't Last Forever - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLB55R4UOVs
The Night Sky - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN5ceoIgUEA
The Starship (One Love, One Life) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN5ceoIgUEA

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

So, still poking around the bargain bins, I put off getting this on it's release mainly due to price (currently £45), but when you find it for £10, well, you have to, don't you?

Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day (2xCD + Blu-ray + DVD)

And here's the lesser known song, but still a mighty rendering
For Your Life - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuXUhOQzprA

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Oli Brown & The Dead Collective - Epilogue EP  (2024)

So, the 3rd [and final] of Oli & the Dead Collective's EPs arrived yesterday.

So, there's no doubting, like the previous editions, these are deeply moving and personal slices of Oli's soul and personal journey thus far. being a "glass half full" kind of guy, the music and the art work suggests rising from a deep and dark place; light and redemption seemingly within reach.

This collection of songs don't bludgeon the listener like the Oli of the past could do, with aplomb, these tap deep into your psyche and take you down a lonely, winding road of self-exploration. I Won't Leave is a masterclass of blending gospel & blues to a bittersweet concoction you listen to over and over.

However, if you want a contender for "track of the year", then Home Sweet Home is that song; from the chiming intro to the through to the guitar build; 8 minutes of raw, visceral openness.

Oli was always among the top of his class with the guitar-chops and had one of the best and strongest voices around too. neither have been diminished in fact, the guitar is much more measured than sheer flash; the vocals are now up in the Chris Cornell flight, and the song writing; WOW, there's not many who can look so inward, so honestly and with such feeling.

If these EPs are a taster of an album to come, then brace yourselves.

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...
  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,481

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Hawkwind - Road to Utopia  (2018)

When I first saw this album (Hawkwind's 31st studio), I mistakenly dismissed it as [yet] another compilation, in the style of Roadhawks from the mid 1970s.

Then hang on, wasn't this getting around to 'Wind's 50th anniversary, and wouldn't it be typical of them to do something a little, "unexpected", even for them? So what we have here is a trawl through the back catalogue (with a couple of newbies, for good measure), but re-recorded and re-imagined with that bloke behind The Wombles, Mike Batt... Well, that's a combination to strike fear into mortal man, but, aside from the time he tried to get Jethro Tull to play (Solstice Bells) in a regular time sig, he has a tremendous record with crossover projects as well as musicals and classics; and, like Hawkwind, quintessentially British.
Maybe that's the key as to how he got Eric Clapton to play and "blues-up" the Lemmy penned The Watcher (though we suspect it's payback to Dave brock for a ruined acoustic when he and eric tried to sneak across to Eel Pie island, avoiding the footbridge toll...).

However, taken on its own the album is an affectionate and sometimes comic stroll through the history of the band, with recreations of tracks from In Search of Space, Do-Re-Mi, Quark, Strangeness and Charm, and 25 Years On, as well as a couple of new instrumentals from guitarist Magnus Martin. Martin's two tracks and some re-imaginings of Brock songs in "We Took the Wrong Step Years Ago" and "Down Through the Night" are probably the highlights of the album, with the strings in particular enhancing these weathered tracks.

There has been some criticism of the brass on Down Through the Night, but I particularly enjoy this track, Dibbs much more on form vocally, a cracking guitar solo from Brock(?), and massed strings, brass and harmonic combining to a climax reminiscent of the arrangements on the Lou Adler-produced early Spirit albums. There 's a bit debate over the "caribbean" brass on QS&C and to a lesser extent Psychic [Psy] Power, but both tracks were pretty much comic turns in their original form, as was Flying Doctor: their new embodiments give a different take on these Calvert / Brock classics, but with strings and brass replacing jews' harp and digeridoo, the Flying Doctor looses a bit in the translation, digger...

It may not be Utopia, but a far cry from a Hope & Crosby movie re-hash, so worth a tenner of anyone's money..

We Took The Wrong Step...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ski9J8s … rkUwka6x0Q

The Watcher - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmMCS7f … mp;index=2

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...