Rock - what are you listening to?

[cybot]

I've been listening to Margaret Glaspy's debut record, Emotions and Math, this afternoon.  Her greatest strength, in my opinion, is her succinctness in expressing herself.  Quite literally, she doesn't waste a single word or play a single extraneous note.  There is something very old-fashioned and traditional in the directness of her songwriting as well as a sense of level-headed maturity and clear-sightedness in the way in which she approaches her subjects.  The more you listen to this album, the more you appreciate the artfulness and craft that lies behind the apparent simplicity of these songs.  Her soulful, nasal, raspy  voice is worthy of note,  an essential ingredient to the sound picture, communicating her words with a sense of hard-won integrity and an emotional honesty that is not to be questioned.  Without a doubt, it will be fascinating to follow her developing career.

Summed up perfectly. Wow I'm impressed! Where do you get them from Paul? I love her sparse guitar playing too. I'm sure Tim and Jeff were enjoying the performance too.....

[mcq]

Glad you liked that, Dermot. She has a very good band behind her, accomplished and unflashy musicians who, like her, are simply interested in serving the song.  

Yes, there is an understated quality to her guitar playing that I am sure she will develop over time.  Or, perhaps she simply feels that she doesn't have to prove anything to anybody.  I love the guitar riff she introduces in "Love Like This"  and the near-falsetto in which she sings the chorus.  This is perhaps her best song  -  so subtly inventive and a melodic hook that worms its way inside you.  Memory Street and Anthony are two other songs that are particularly notable.

Very, very  impressive.  

Love Like This:


Memory Street:


Anthony:

[cybot]

Wow that is indeed very, very impressive. I love her guitar sound and particularly her beautifully succinct solo on Memory Street. Reminds me of John Fogerty circa Born on the Bayou. What an effortless, natural talent. I'm hooked.....

[cybot]

Found this on a search for female singers in my collection. I don't have that many. But nevertheless what I have found so far is good starting with this one. A little gem from '88 and, sadly, nothing since. Naturally I went on another search to find out more about her and found two more gems. One an amazing 'cut short' footage of her singing Dark, Dear Heart at John Candy's funeral and a crazy hoot of a radio interview. Enjoy!

[mcq]

Listening to No Burden, the debut album from Lucy Dacus tonight.  This is a slow-burner, to be sure, and not one to listened to with half an ear.  A very distinctive voice and a very interesting turn of phrase in her lyrics.  It takes a few listens for everything to gel in your head but the cumulative emotional impact of the songs gradually and permanently take hold.  There are no mis-steps here; all is of a piece and perfectly formed.  An immensely confident debut brimming with charismatic warmth.  Forced to pick one highlight, it would have to be Map on a Wall.  Sincere, direct, heartfelt and authentically human.

"Oh please, don't make fun of me
with my heart of gold and my restless soul.
Oh please don't make fun of me,
 this smile happens genuinely."

[cybot]

Wow Lucy has a vulnerability and toughness that's so endearing. Great voice, sparse chords, great lyrics and a 'background' band who do a terrific job of doing just that.....staying in the background. I'll be listening and paying very close attention. Where are they all coming from??

[Ivor]

Found this on a search for female singers in my collection. I don't have that many. But nevertheless what I have found so far is good starting with this one. A little gem from '88 and, sadly, nothing since. Naturally I went on another search to find out more about her and found two more gems. One an amazing 'cut short' footage of her singing Dark, Dear Heart at John Candy's funeral and a crazy hoot of a radio interview. Enjoy!

Absolutely love that woman, one of the greatest albums of the 80s or 90s in my humble opinion. Very few artists manage to be unique or that honest. I'm constantly surprised at how few people know that album.

[mcq]

Listening to Angel Olsen's My Woman tonight.  The soundworld is rooted in the 1960s with occasional nods to the present but this is in no way a dated sound, but, rather, a timeless one.  A grand, passionate, sweeping, deeply personal song cycle which is beautifully enrapturing.  There is something about her voice that recalls classic soul and country singers of the past but she still retains her own vocal identity rather than sounding like a pale imitation.  

Throughout these songs, there is a striking sense of control and restraint.  The inward pause to self-reflection after the most painful moments serve as a motivation and reminder to Olsen to move forward and not dwell on the past.  There is always a sense of the need to endure and persist despite life's disappointments.  Perhaps the best example of this is Sister, in which she looks at herself later in life and imagines herself as somebody that she wishes to grow into, someone she can admire and respect, somebody who can shoulder life's bitterest pains whilst always remaining open to love, gradually accepting the non-existence of that one great love that she imagined as a little girl:  "You learn to take it as it comes/You fall together, fall apart".  And deriving comfort from that bitter knowledge, rather than defeat.  

"Know that this wild road 
Will go on forever
I want to live life,
I want to die right"

And, throughout it all, a sense of personal identity that is constantly evolvng, no sooner settled on as definitive than broken apart to forge something new.

"All my life I thought had changed"

A remarkably assured personal statement, this is an album to live with, for the long haul, as it slowly offers up its riches.

[cybot]

Found this on a search for female singers in my collection. I don't have that many. But nevertheless what I have found so far is good starting with this one. A little gem from '88 and, sadly, nothing since. Naturally I went on another search to find out more about her and found two more gems. One an amazing 'cut short' footage of her singing Dark, Dear Heart at John Candy's funeral and a crazy hoot of a radio interview. Enjoy!

Absolutely love that woman, one of the greatest albums of the 80s or 90s in my humble opinion. Very few artists manage to be unique or that honest. I'm constantly surprised at how few people know that album.

Nice one Ivor! Listening to Margaret Mary O' Hara, to me, is exactly the same as listening to some wild spirit improvising away. Doing it their way and to hell with everyone else....Definitely one of the very few 'one of a kind'...

[Ivor]

Nice one Ivor! Listening to Margaret Mary O' Hara, to me, is exactly the same as listening to some wild spirit improvising away. Doing it their way and to hell with everyone else....Definitely one of the very few 'one of a kind'...

I was lucky enough to see her live on the Hal Wilner production of Cohen songs " Came so far for Beauty" (it's success helped bring Cohen out of retirement) and she was just magnificent. Obviously not everyone's 'cup of tea' but singing Hallelujah she brought up notes from her toes and her soul and it was just spellbinding - she also had to contend with the attention whore Gavin Friday! A lot of people got up during her set to just walk around... fair enough. Her purity and unique style doesn't fit with everyone.

There's a link to the night below, ignore Dick Straub's review, it's utter nonsense.
https://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/dublin.html