The Friday Refrain: A bit of what's new in music...

Oh my gosh taxes got me last weekend. I totally had half a post done but never hit publish. So I'm going to take a bit of that and a bit of this week and mix it together and make a thing. But last week I realized I have a problem. I think I like too much music. Here I was worried I wouldn't like enough music as I aged, and I've gone and done the opposite. Also, I get heavily emotionally invested in some of these bands I like that don't get as much attention and I think should. I just saw that Teleman released an album today and I was ready to jump on the couch and freak out like a kid with candy. Which is great. I love that I can get excited like that. It's just funny. I feel like my team won the Superbowl. so odd... Anyhoot.

Rewind to last Friday and had I been on top of my stack, here's what you would've read: "Deftones and The Dandy Warhols have releases this week, Gore and Distortland respectively. Some popular names up next The Lumineers with Cleopatra and Mayer Hawthorne has Man About Town. EDM act M83 released Junk into the hearingsphere this week. Let's hit up that indie scene a bit more: Parquet Courts (I swear they release something every April) return with Human Performance, and Tokyo Police Club submit Melon Collie and the Infinite Radness (Part 1) into the release stream. We also have Ben Watt with Fever Dream and Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals with Call It What It Is." Which brings us to today. Hold onto your butts, I've got a bit to say. Let's hit up old school, starting old and getting newer: Santana released Santana IV, Graham Nash of Crosby Stills and Nash is soloing it out with This Path Tonight, Marie Osmond thinks Music is Medicine and PJ Harvey is kicking it with The Hope Six Demolition Project. Last year we talked Cate Le Bon on HPWN and perhaps we will next week again with Crab Day out today. A posthumous release for John Carpenter's Lost Themes II. I have odd metal tastes and one of my favorites is Otep who present Generation Doom to the masses today. Let's hit a little more indie-alt-stuff with this list: Har Mar Superstar, Best Summer Ever; Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, PersonA; and Wild Belle, Dreamland. Old-sounding country maker Sturgill Simpson is back with A Sailor's Guide To Earth and rapper J Dilla released The Diary. One more fun one: odd one Xiu Xiu Plays the Music of Twin Peaks. Given that both of those things have their own little fandom, figured it was worth a note today. Phew. 

Not much else to list after that, but here's April 1st and April 8th. Sugarsugarpoppopbang.

Lots of old-school-like Country

I don't know about you, but I love this traditional country/older country revival that is happening. Margo Price has a crazy thing going on but there were also a few other releases last week that are in the folksier vein of country...

Teddy Thompson & Kelly Jones, Little Windows

Steve Dawson, Solid States & Loose Ends

Robbie Fulks, Upland Stories

Other things I liked on April 1st, no fooling

Kyson, A Book of Flying

The Herms, Welcome All Tourists

Nisennenmondai, #N/A

Operators, Blue Wave

Bossk, Audio Noir

Trapper Shoepp, Rangers & Valentines

Tancred, Out of the Garden

Hiromi, Spark

Elephant Revival, Petals

Frankie Cosmos, Next Thing

Anoushka Shankar, Land of Gold

Actuallly that's all the list-making I did last week... And i haven't really listened to much of last Friday but tomorrow's Record Store Day so really you should all be making your lists and checking them twice, planning your plan of shopping and get to it. In the spirit of Record Store Day, here are some records we've been spinning around here lately. Mainly because The Littlest is obsessed with records and will throw tantrums when we refuse to put one on. And we will say no, but even saying yes half the time means we are listening to 4-5 records a day. Which is great, I'm really getting reacquainted with some old favorites and getting around to listening to many I haven't heard yet. So without further adieu:

Records My Son Makes Me Make Time To Listen To

The Music Machine- this is one of my ultimate favorite nostalgic records from my childhood. At least 75% of my siblings and me sing "The Patience Song" regularly in our lives.

The Music From M Squad - I brought this home from my parents' and don't think I've ever listened to it before. Man, this is some great jazz. Love.

The Domestics, The Domestics - Yep. I'm still all about this album and we put it on regularly.

Ferrante & Teicher, Soundblast - This is more experimental than some of their other albums I think.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Dave Digs Disney - another nostalgic album for me. I have always loved this Brubeck album.I am a sucker for Disney music.

Sounds of Animals, Folkways Records - not an album to play during dinner unless you find animal noises at the dinner table pleasant conversation.

Phil Harris, That's What I Like About the South - Also from my parents', my sister remembered this one so we put it on and I definitely liked the B Side. Also, Phil Harris is the voice of Baloo and Lil John! Wa-bam, Disney again.

Welp that sums it up for the Refrain this week. Because 1. this got a little long, 2. what is playing from my albums right now? Holy cow this is some noise music, 3. Record Store Day EVE! Happy vinyl hunting y'all and I'll see you all back here next week for more Friday Refrain. Happy Listening!