07-10-2018 FAVTRAX:MiX ~ 33 FAVOURiTE tracks 2009-2004

07-10-2018 FAVTRAX:MiX ~ 33 FAVOURiTE tracks 2009-2004  >>Rival Sons, Roy Hargrove, Elvin Bishop, Back Door Slam, Radiohead, Jay Reatard, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, Nostalgia 77, Adrian Belew, Cowboy Junkies, Lhasa<<

M U S I C

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2009-2004

Fuzzed-out classic rock revivalists from Los Angeles whose sound evokes the bluesy sound of legendary bands like Led Zeppelin. Based in sunny Los Angeles, California, Rival Sons evoke the bluesy rock of bands like Led Zeppelin and the Black Crowes. Formed in 2008, the quartet of Scott Holiday (guitar), Robin Everhart (bass), Mike Miley (drums), and Jay Buchanan (vocals) captures that massively huge, guitar-driven classic rock sound, with rock-solid drumming and a riff-oriented approach to songwriting backing up Buchanan's soaring vocals.
Rival Sons
Pocketful Of Stones 2:56
Tell Me Something 4:06
from Before the Fire 2009
...Despite the uncannily resilient popularity of music from the golden age of rock and roll, no band (that I have heard) has been able to write original music that rekindles the raw, authentic soul of good ‘ol rock and roll. I might be unqualified to discuss this issue being that I was regrettably not alive in the generation that produced my favorite music, and am adamantly ashamed of the music that my generation has to show for itself…and I know I’m not the only one. That being said, the music of The Rival sons makes no secret about it’s influences from Zeppelin, Floyd and other iconic sounds, but they are far from a ‘throwback band’. Probably the best word to describe the connection between The Rival Sons’ music and their influences is ‘homage’. They do not emulate their rock and roll influences, they pay tribute to them and build upon them to produce a sound that is entirely their own. Bluesy and soulful to raw and driving to sprawling and melodic – Miley’s solid, relentless drums and Robin’s groovy bass lines lay the foundation for Scott’s blood-boiling guitar riffs and face-melting solos, all topped off by Jay’s gritty-yet-smooth vocals that fall somewhere between Robert Plant and Axel Rose...

One of the best trumpeters to emerge from the 90s, blending Afro-Cuban rhythms inventively with neobop. Roy Hargrove is a hard bop-oriented musician (and acclaimed "Young Lion") who became one of America's premier trumpeters during the late 1980s and beyond.
Roy Hargrove
I'm Not So Sure (Cedar Walton) 5:48
Brown (Roy Hargrove) 4:30
from Earfood 2008
The now mature jazz trumpeter/composer/bandleader Roy Hargrove, who has been utterly masterful since the beginning of his career, has been involved with various all-star bands, neo-fusion outfits, and made a very good living playing modern instrumental music. Now he is reaching a new and elevated level of pure jazz artistry with Earfood. A studio recording of his live touring repertoire with his working quintet, Hargrove presents several ballads, favorites from jazz veterans, and well rendered originals, all in the spirit of the famed trumpeters who preceded him. Alto saxophonist Justin Robinson and pianist Gerald Clayton are not only rising stars and standout soloists, but also players perfectly compatible to play this contemporary and mainstream modern jazz. Add young bassist Danton Bolder and the excellent drummer Montez Coleman, and you have a band that can bring Hargrove's music fully to life. It is said that everyone learns from their mistakes, but if that is true, Hargrove has gone far beyond the pale, and is flawless here, in terms of both concept and execution...

Original member of the Butterfield Blues Blues Band who had a mid-'70s country-soul hit. A veteran guitarist who fused the blues with gospel, R&B, and country traditions, Elvin Bishop was born in Glendale, California, on October 21, 1942.
Elvin Bishop
The Blues Rolls On feat: Warren Harris / Kim Wilson (Elvin Bishop) 4:23
Yonder's Wall feat: Ronnie Baker Brooks / Tommy Castro (James Clark) 4:06
Send You Back to Georgia feat: George Thorogood 3:15
from The Blues Rolls On 2008

Bishop hops labels once again, this time to the relatively young and scrappy Delta Groove imprint, while calling up some names in his obviously well-stocked Rolodex to assist on his first predominately studio album in three years. Like most guest studded affairs, this is an inconsistent but enjoyable romp... As you can see, the album is pieced together from a variety of sessions in different locations, resulting in a patchwork set that, despite many excellent and above all enthusiastic performances, never quite gels. Like the collage of pictures on the back cover, this is more a scrapbook of Bishop playing with his pals and acquaintances than a focused project, but there is enough quality music here to attract established fans, even if this isn't the place to generate new ones.

British blues-rockers Back Door Slam boast a tough, streetwise sound that recalls veteran U.K. blues players such as Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and John Mayall, though these young guitar slingers represent a new generation -- when bassist Adam Jones joined the group in 2006, guitarist and singer Davy Knowles and drummer Ross Doyle were all of 20 years old, while Jones himself was just 19...
Back Door Slam
Come Home (Davy Knowles) 4:16
Outside Woman Blues (Blind Joe Reynolds) 3:27
Stay (Davy Knowles) 5:36
from Roll Away 2007
Who would have thought the guy who sang "money for nothing and your chicks for free" could inspire a kid to grow up and become one of the most promising bluesmen of his generation -- at the tender age of 20? The listener doesn't need to know the back story of this slamming, high-intensity Isle of Man-based blues-rock trio led by multi-talented singer, songwriter, and guitarist Davy Knowles to be inspired by the band's blistering excitement. But like all tales of great blues makers, origins are important, so here goes: at age 11, Knowles was in the car with his father and heard Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing," which changed his life and put him on a mission to explore Dad's vast record collection. This included John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Rory Gallagher. Then Knowles started listening to their influences, soaking up Blind Willie Johnson and Robert Johnson. Back Door Slam's in-your-face debut rumbles out of the gate with the rollicking rocker "Come Home," a perfect intro to Knowles' crisply sizzling licks and gruff, wise, and pained-beyond-his-years vocals...

One of the great bands of the '90s and 2000s, a restless, experimental guitar band who incorporated adventurous electronic elements into their smart alternative rock. At some point in the early 21st century, Radiohead became something more than a band: they became a touchstone for everything that is fearless and adventurous in rock, inheriting the throne from David Bowie, Pink Floyd, and the Talking Heads.
Radiohead
15 Step 3:57
Nude 4:15
Reckoner 4:50
Jigsaw Falling into Place 4:08
from In Rainbows 2007
In Rainbows, as a title, implies a sense of comfort and delightfulness. Symbolically, rainbows are more likely to be associated with kittens and warm blankets than the grim and glum circumstances Radiohead is known for soundtracking. There's a slight, if expected, twist at play. The band is more than familiar with the unpleasant moods associated with colors like red, green, and blue -- all of which, of course, are colors within a rainbow -- all of which are present, and even mentioned, during the album... The album is very song-oriented, with each track constantly moving forward and developing, yet there are abstract electronic layers and studio-as-instrument elements to prevent it from sounding like a regression. In Rainbows will hopefully be remembered as Radiohead's most stimulating synthesis of accessible songs and abstract sounds, rather than their first pick-your-price download.

A famously prolific and musically gifted one-man punk juggernaut from Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis-based punk rock juggernaut Jay Reatard adopted a fistful of musical approaches, beginning in the late '90s in his bedroom, where he recorded punk, synth punk, power pop and straightforward rock & roll tunes at a frantic pace.
Jay Reatard
Blood Visions 1:31
It's So Easy 1:09
Turning Blue 2:40
from Blood Visions 2006
On his first solo album, Jay Reatard...well, judging by the album cover, "grows up" clearly isn't right. Nor is "makes a more mature musical statement" quite on the nose. How about "sucks less"? The Reatards were always a good idea improperly executed: their lo-fi take on the goofball teenage humor of the Queers or the Mr. T Experience had its moments, but they were often in need of an editor and some slightly better-quality recording equipment. Blood Visions is considerably more listenable in terms of fidelity: R. Stevie Moore's '70s and '80s albums would be a reasonable home-recording touchstone. Musically, it's also a big step up, as well as a step into the past. Blood Visions has the antic, jumpy quality of many now-obscure new wave records of the early '80s, from the era when artists like Wazmo Nariz and Skafish thought a funny name and a yelpy, David Byrne-derived singing voice, along with a cheap synth and some narrow sunglasses, were the path to success...

After vaulting to fame as a founding member of the beloved indie pop collective Belle & Sebastian, Isobel Campbell enjoyed success as a solo artist, recording lush and elegiac chamber pop under her given name, under the moniker the Gentle Waves, and with longstanding duet partner Mark Lanegan.
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
Singing with a deep, nicotine-ravaged growl that's rich, strong, and sensuously forbidding, Mark Lanegan first rose to fame when his band the Screaming Trees won a taste of mainstream recognition in the '90s. Though his first success was tied to the grunge scene, Lanegan subsequently carved out a strong identity of his own as a vocalist and songwriter. 
Deus Ibi Est (Isobel Campbell) 2:51
The False Husband (Isobel Campbell) 3:53
Revolver (Mark Lanegan) 2:40
from Ballad Of The Broken Seas 2006
It's tempting to say something facile like "beauty meets the beast" in writing about this collaboration between former Belle & Sebastian member Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, best known for his work with Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age. After all, Campbell's voice is all sweet angelic whisper while Lanegan's whisky-and-nicotine rasp sounds like the product of ten thousand nights in a barroom, but somehow these sweet and sour elements come together with striking and impressive results on Ballad of the Broken Seas...

Alias of Benedic Lamdin, an eclectic producer who switched between samples and live instrumentation on releases for Ubiquity and Tru Thoughts.  
Nostalgia 77
Cheney Lane 4:40
Green Blades of Grass 3:30
Seven Nation Army feat. Alice Russell 4:22
from The Garden 2005
The difference in spirit between Ben Lamdin's first and second Nostalgia 77 albums is tipped off by their titles. While 2004's Songs for My Funeral was fittingly downcast, The Garden is instead saturated with bright, vibrant energy. They're quite dissimilar in setup as well, with the debut's hip-hop roots exchanged for a combination of programming and actual live humans creating groove-driven jazz indebted to a range of recordings from the late '50s through the '70s...

Benedic Lamdin

Acclaimed guitarist's influence has ranged from progressive to indie rock.  Although Adrian Belew has played with some of rock's biggest names over the years (Frank Zappa, David Bowie, the Talking Heads, King Crimson, etc.), he remains one of the most underrated and woefully overlooked guitarists of recent times. Like all great guitarists, Belew has his own recognizable style/sound (one that admittedly tends to be quirky and off-the-wall at times), and is an incredibly versatile player, as he's always found a way to make his signature style fit into a wide variety of musical genres: hard rock, funk, new wave, experimental, Beatlesque pop, and more.
Adrian Belew
Ampersand (Adrian Belew) 4:23
Matchless Man (Adrian Belew) 2:32
Walk Around the World (Adrian Belew) 4:58
from Side One 2005
By 2005, it had been nearly eight years since Adrian Belew had unleashed an all-new solo studio effort. That's not to say he wasn't busy, though, as he toured/recorded with both King Crimson and the Bears during this time. And in the process, he became quite friendly with two of rock's top players -- Primus' Les Claypool and Tool's Danny Carey -- who happened to be major Belew fans. As a result, Belew invited the duo to play on several tracks on Side One...

Soporific Canadian country dream poppers, captured Americana imagination in the late-1980s & early-'90s. Canada's Cowboy Junkies' create a music grounded in traditional country, blues, and folk, filled with languid guitars and ethereal vocals courtesy of Margo Timmins. 
Cowboy Junkies
One Soul Now (Michael Timmins) 4:54
Why This One (Michael Timmins) 3:47
My Wild Child (Michael Timmins) 3:52
from One Soul Now 2004
While it seems more common in the '80s, '90s, and beyond for a good band to remain intact for ten-plus years, they all face the same challenge: how does one continue to keep the music fresh and remain relevant? The Cowboy Junkies faced an uphill battle from the get-go, always living in the shadow of The Trinity Session (1988), and moving from the mainstream (including major labels, radio play, and a gig on Saturday Night Live) to just under the radar. Despite these changes, the Junkies have still been able to make great albums, like 1992's Black Eyed Man and 2001's Open. Both of these albums also showed a band willing to delve into new sounds (country and classic rock, respectively) and come up winners. One Soul Now seems to pick up where Open left off, retaining the tougher sound highlighted by edgy guitar work and a more rhythmic pulse...

Maybe it was Lhasa's unconventional upbringing that has given her such a unique vision, or maybe it was always within her. Whatever the reason, she stands as one of the most idiosyncratic Mexican-American performers, fully aware of the tradition, but putting her own spin on it..
Lhasa
Con Todo Palabra (Yves Desrosiers / Lhasa) 4:30
Anywhere on This Road (Lhasa) 4:35
La Confession (Yves Desrosiers / Didier Dumoutier / Lhasa) 3:45
Para el Fin del Mundo O el Año Nuevo (Lhasa) 4:23
from The Living Road 2004
Everyone knows that when you release your debut album, consisting of an assortment of sophisticated and worldly numbers performed in Spanish, and that album goes on to make a far bigger splash worldwide than anyone expected, the only sensible course of action is to...run away and join the circus? That's precisely what Lhasa de Sela did following the success of La Llorona: she joined with other members of her family, which always had a nomadic streak in it, and toured around Europe as part of a circus. Upon her return, she got to work on The Living Road, an album about travel, whether it be wheels upon the road, or through life itself. It's hard to say whether the experience of life on the road was the catalyst for the broadening of the writing this time out; there are songs in Spanish, French, and English this time out, but all three are languages that Lhasa was immersed in beforehand. Musically, it's a natural follow-up to La Llorona, drawing from many of the same traditional styles and blending them with more modern instrumentation into a very seamless, sophisticated, and sensual mélange, one that thankfully never tips over into the pretentious, condescending, or hokey. And then, of course, there's the real star of the show: Lhasa's voice, which is never short of gorgeous throughout. It's a fantastic follow-up release; hopefully, it won't mean another five-year wait while she hides out under the big top.