The Friday Refrain: Saturday Edition!
Don't mind me, I'm just sitting here by myself enjoying my breakfast of kale, sweet potatoes and a fried egg. Side of cottage cheese. Listening to some jazz. Pondering the music of the week. Ignoring the mounds of clothes that need to be folded. I already miss summer vegetables as I consume the bits of the last CSA box and the penultimate kale harvest of the garden. This is pretty intense jazz, listening to Donny McCaslin, I'll throw it on the playlist. All right, time to pick up my britches and get this show on the road.
Yesterday, oh yesterday. It was peak fall colors this week and I feel like it must be peak music releases this week. The Christmas albums are trickling in now, with Rascal Flatts adding The Greatest of All under the proverbial Christmas Album Tree. There are a couple of bands from the past back from hiatus, Planes Mistaken For Stars (Prey) and American Football (American Football LP2). Jimmy Eat World throws their hat in the ring with Integrity Blues. Personal favorite, Jonatha Brooke released Midnight. Hallelujah. Jane's Addiction has a boxed set, Sterling Spoon. Korn, Korn people, released The Serenity of Suffering. A couple of cast recordings of note - Lazarus, the David Bowie musical, and the cast recording of the live Rocky Horror Picture Show of Thursday past are out. And this is called burying the lead: pop phenomenon Lady Gaga released Joanne, singer-songwriter you know because he wrote "Hallelujah" Leonard Cohen with You Want It Darker, popular jazz crooner Michael Buble brings Nobody But Me and The Pretenders round it out with Alone.
Wait, where did everybody go? Here's last week's list. Oh, I know, I'm clamouring to some of those albums above too. The Pretenders, Jonatha Brooke and lady Gaga present a trio of power.
Gonna keep it short today, here are some things I liked from last week that didn't make it on Half Pints this week:
Bell X1, Arms - thought this would be some sort of electronica. More like singer-songwriter with a band.
Black Marble, It's Immaterial - It's the kind of 80s influenced synthy, electronic drums I like.
Super Unison, Auto - In your face rock.
Moby and the Pacific Void Choir, These Systems Are Failing - It's a bit intense. Reminds me of The Pet Shop Boys sometimes.
Las Kellies, Friends & Lovers - Grrl Rock
Jeff Rosenstock, WORRY. - Once you get past the first few songs, the album gets really strong and it's like lighter punk with a bit of ska worked in sometimes singer-songwriter.
Benoit Pioulard, The Benoit Pioulard Listening Matter - This is my kind of laid back chill out music.
I'm sure I'll have some other artists on the playlist (if I was good about marking songs I liked this week, we'll see) so check that out. Go out and enjoy these last beautiful days my friends. It's too pretty to stay inside. Happy Listening!