Qu'est-ce qu'on s'emmerde.

[Norman Bates]

Hello! Cut the cr*p, I'll listen to anything.

[Norman Bates]

Let the party begin. It's Wednesday afternoon, no work, and lots of listens overdue. Starting with...

NR

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Acetone, I Guess I Would (1995) - a relisten.

Call it maybe a backlash for brit-pop? But in the mid-90s, some bands that had achieved some form of success in indie U.K. turned to the U.S.A. for a bit of fresh air. Most prominent among these were Slowdive, who would evolve into Mojave 3 and adapt their shoegazing canon to Americana/alt-country idiom, in the porcess possibly creating some form of dreamcountrypop or something. Acetone (before Blur decided they should suck Pavement's dicks) was one such band and after one LP or two they released this mini-LP or long-EP of covers in a more or less dull, slowcore-ish countrier style. Alas, they're no Mojave 3 (whom I think are actually better than Slowdive), still an interesting release - all the more so as what is supposed to be "a bit of fresh air" (complete with wide open spaces on the cover & all) ironically turns into a re-visiting of genres that are much older than shoegaze/slowcore - only gloomier. Also ironical is that Acetone are... American. Oh well. Good good.

[Norman Bates]

'15

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Val Maira by Dave DK

A rare sight to see: I shall not follow Skinny in his praise for this record. Overall, I felt it was a bland techno/house highway set on autopilot. I sort of woke up at the beats for "Whitehill" (after the LP's best song so far, "We Mix at Six", ended up in a blatant re-hash of a Vitalic track whose title I don't remember ("Poney" part 1 or 2 I think, if you want to check) off OK Cowboy), until I realized Dave DK had no clue what to do with a voice (Burial where are you?) in the mix and finally served a microwave re-heated version of deep house from 15 years ago. Not bad at all, mind you (quite like the more ambient "Naschi") but all in all, a mildly irritating listen.

And now, siesta time for the kid & I (we're home alone between the two of us all day and part of the night), no listen up until something like 3.30.

[Norman Bates]

'72

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For The Roses by Joni Mitchell

Somewhat torn on this one, even if overall it's very solid of course. However, I find it difficult to reconciliate the ravishing softness of the guitar-led tracks, with a freedom in the playing (or so it sounds to me, for I'm a total wreck where technique is concerned) that's got a subtly bucolic melancholy vs. energy dialectics; and the (fortunately fewer) piano-led tracks that I fail to feel anything whatsoever about and are probably responsible for a whole myriad of Tori Amoses I have never been able to care for.

Oh: not a word about the lyrics in this little autobiographical note. Couldn't quite listen to be honest, the kid's constant talent for conversing non-stop about nothing prevented me from paying attention. Better luck next listen, quite sure they must be excellent, everybody says so, and everybody is generally right about everything.

[Norman Bates]

'84

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Blue Navigator by Michael Hurley

Ah, how I love me some Hurley. I realize that most of the things I really like must show conflict in one form of another. If I had to find the contradiction that keeps me gutted for most of Hurley's songs, it would be the seemingly infinite resources of melancholy he has vs. the laidback, drunk-on-the-porch coolness he constantly shows - a lo-fi, losing-loser J.J. Cale if you will? An excellent version of his own "Werewolf" is on this, I think I'll add it to my RYM 100 songs of '84 list.

[Norman Bates]

FR

Caedmon, Caedmon (1978)

No, it's not for me. While I can appreciate exactly two songs, they're the least representative of the whole, as they're the ones which incorporate the smallest amount of prog-folk aspects. Nice enough typically britfolk voice, probably great musicianship (which, again, I cannot judge of) but I have the hardest time being bothered.

[Norman Bates]

After two hectic days of no listening to music at all, between the job and the kid and the tiredness, I'm back at it.

NR

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Bach: The Goldberg Variations by Glenn Gould

About which I shall say very little, because I obviously don't know what to say. Can't judge Gould's virtuosity, I have to take evrybody's word for it. It's nice, but I grew bored after a while. I like the Brandeburg concertos better. Give me solo Monk back.

[Norman Bates]

'15

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Third Side Of Tape by Lil Ugly Mane

First listen, and an enjoyable one too. In such a capharnaüm of a record, evidently there are going to be excerpts that you will feel are too over the top or going absolutely nowhere - for my part, I thought it a good exercise if you will, and it had exactly 0 dull moments. Of course, I'm quite the clientele for instrumental hip-hop mixed with just about anything, but I didn't even think the tape sounded so passe or reverent - even though the 'I've listened to everything that went out in '96' feel limits the importance of the record: almost nothing really new in there. It's a bordel, basically, and a fun one at that. Making my '15 chart next time I bother doing something about year charts (next week maybe).

[Norman Bates]

CD

Today was the day I had to hand the CDs back to the Hergé music library in Stalingrad (a northeastern Parisian hood). Picked up a few, and just finished listening to

What'd I Say by Ray Charles

Good not great (not discussing historical importance here). Basically "What'd I Say" is wilder and better live than it is on here, and half the songs are midtempo rhythm 'n blues, which is fine and everything, but I like my Ray Charles rawer. Still good for sure.

The music library also being (as its name suggests) a children's library, I picked one or two books for my son and Fantastic Mr. Fox, which I'd never seen and just watched with him. Good fun, he liked it.

[Norman Bates]

'72

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Framtiden är Ett Svävande Skepp, För...Trädgård

One of the very few prog rock albums I unconditionally love. Swedish big band (I think?) mix out everything from psych-rock to jazz to modern classical in an exhilirating (and sometimes slightly disquieting, e.g. the title track) magma that cannot fail to be admired by whomever likes Fire! Orchestra or Rock in Opposition bands. Splendid.