• From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,601

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Ariel Posen - Reasons Why (2023)

One of my favourite artists of recent years, so didn't want to rush into this before savouring it for a few days. I know it was only last week I went to see his show in Ashington, but the "2023" is because the album came out last September, but we didn't have a slot for that tour.

Well first off, this didn't sit with me as immediately as the previous album, Headway, but, it does creep up after a few listens. Ariel's stock-in-trade is songs of love gone wrong, forgiving, making decisions that affects others, toxic people, mending what’s broken, mental health & inner struggles, and few excel, though, well, maybe a few "lighter" moments wouldn't go amiss. Apparently, this albums genesis was back in pandemic days, where I guess a lot of people were undergoing the usual rhythms of inter-personal relationships. "Feel This Way Too,” “Didn’t Say,” “I Wish That We Never Met” and “Man You Raised” - slot together easily. The songs move at a languid pace as Posen’s lyrics contemplate relationship regrets on “I Wish That We Never Met” and “Didn’t Say.”  Saying that, “Man You Raised” is more upbeat, with its recurring guitar riff established early as Posen sings of acceptance and hope. All credit though for Posen to push through these themes and not get too mired. Stand out track though, for me has to be "Broken But I'm Fine".

Broken But I'm Fine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LeToBVjiCk

However, on the performance side, Ariel’s warm voice while not being wholly blues-based does have lift, urgency. Many would agree that seeing Ariel Posen live is an unforgettable experience. His manipulation of all the elements that go towards creating great electric guitar tone – whether it be in standard tuning or dropped to the depths of his custom baritone – have gained him the respect of both his peers and audiences alike.

Musicians – Julian Bradford (bass), JJ Johnson (drums), Jon Smith (percussion), Marc Arnould (Wurlitzer), Keiran Placatka (keys), Roman Clarke (piano) & Alexa Dirks (bgv).

Time Can Only Tell - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IamEJdMmsCI
I Wish That We Never Met -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRedIo9DuXc

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: 4,601

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Austin Gold - Ain't No Saint  (2024)

Not long home from a run out and found this on the doormat. WooHoo!

I was going to say that this comes over like a collision between Thunder and Def Leppard but I know the guys are a bit wary of the "Classic Rock" tag. So, for those of a more recent generation, this is "Classy Rock". They haven't gone out an re-invented the Rock wheel, they've just given it some powder-coated rims and knobbly tyres.

10 thumpin' tracks + 3 bonus ones that deserve to be belted out in big rooms.

Stand-out has to be Not Enough; it sounds at first like it should be a commercial hit, but has enough twists and turns to make it stand above.

Not Enough - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq1Rip3rTv4

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...

7,041 Reply by BansheeUK

  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,601

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

Joanne Shaw Taylor - Heavy Soul  (2024)

Looking back, this is the first of Joanne's albums I've bought since 2019's Restless Heart, and hands up, I wouldn't have bought it if I hadn't spotted it on a price deal at my local HMV. Bit of a bold admission since I've followed Joanne's recording career since White Sugar (2009). What did it for me was that while she is maturing as a performer and writer, she seems to be loosing that "intense" edge.

So, not being one to turn down a bargain... This 10 tracker, which includes 3 covers, is once again Kevin Shirley produced (as was 2016's Wild), cementing links with Joe B. Of these covers, for me, Joan Aematrading's All The Way from America is the standout. The other two are Van Morrison's Someone Like You and  Joe Simon's Drowning In A Sea of Love. if there's a stand-out among the original numbers, then Black Magic is it for me.

There's a side on this that shows Joanne isn't afraid to develop herself as an artist, experimenting 7 flirting with other styles, away from her Bluesy safe-ground, and it suits her and because it’s produced by Kevin Shirley , and there’s a raft of the finest session musicians around, it sounds like a million dollars and that's where I stall. It just sounds "overworked and over produced, loosing that "gritty" edge. Taylor is a much better blues and roots musician than a pop artist in my book.

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...

7,042 Reply by BansheeUK

  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,601

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

David Gilmour - Luck & Strange  (2024)

Well, thought I'd take a punt at their, given all the publicity around it. In a nutshell; Luck and Strange is a triumph of musicianship over songcraft.  This is, after all, a major release by one of the Greatest Guitar Gods in the Universe. But I have to be honest – this is not a great collection of songs.  It’s a collection of songs with great guitar solos.

The album openes with the instrumental Black Cat, which is too short to really make much of an impression, but it opens the album the way Gilmour always opens an album, and it is pleasant enough for what little it has to say. The only thing that grabs you is Dave’s guitar, but no question it grabs you hard when it does.  Vita Brevis is one of the best songs on the album – forty-six seconds of guitar atmospherics, kind of like a briefer, quieter version of Marooned from The Division Bell.

Yes, I Have Ghosts is one of those bonus tracks you get sometimes that is better than anything on the actual album.  I would have killed for a whole album of great Gilmour songs like that, but I should have known better than to even hope.  And the other bonus track, the barn jam of the title track, and sounds like just a barn jam and I got bored pretty quickly,

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...

7,043 Reply by BansheeUK

  • From: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • Registered: 2011-08-12
  • Posts: 4,601

Re: What song are you listening to right now?

The Cure - Songs of A Lost World  (2024)

Has it really been 16 years since The Cure's last studio album, 4:13 Dream? With their knack of filling out the time between with compilations, live albums and ever "Curaetions" it's hard to realise that the time between studio product seems to be becoming exponential after the usual 4 year gaps. Still, Mr Smith has teased us for several years, and even toured the album last year, a full year before it's emergence.

So, was it worth the wait? well, if you like The Cure's quirky and jangling singles output, then sadly, the answer is NO. However, if you liked the melancholic, sweeping grandeur of Disintegration, Bloodflowers and Pornography, then this is the album for you. This album is the pinnacle of their dark eloquence. Songs of a Lost World feels at times like David Bowie’s own great reflection on mortality, Blackstar, although the Cure take few of the stylistic risks that he did. The album’s eight songs bring sharply potent tales of death (I Can Never Say Goodbye is about the unexpected passing of Smith’s older brother Richard); mortality (the beautiful And Nothing Is Forever); and the difficulty of being in the present moment (All I Ever Am). Smith’s voice is still a remarkable instrument of release after all these years, and his best couplets (“And the birds, falling out of our skies/And the words, falling out of our minds,” from Alone) remain marvels of economy and craft.

Of the deluxe Cd release, the Blue-ray Dolby Atmos edition is well worth attention, if you have the suitable audio set up. That said, the instrumental disc is a bit more of an indulgence piece; the music is sublime but it does lack the punch without Robert Smith's lyrics, though understandably hos voice is an acquired taste. At the end of the day though,Songs.. is a work of wisdom and grace that extends naturally from the moment the Cure took up their instruments in a local church hall all those years ago; and album of acquired wisdom & grace, few artists ever achieve.

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...