So lately I've been in a garage/punk fit of sorts, and all my music posts recently have been, well, a variation of garage and punk. But that doesn't mean there not some other really good shit out at the moment that isn't punk at all. So that's the theme of this Three for Two: 'not garage/punk.' Which means the throwback album will not be Television or Gang of Four... yet.
I'm gonna start off with the lovely indie, alt-country/rock album by Woods, followed by the folksy indie rockers, Papercuts, and lastly, perhaps my favorite modern jazz album by Allen Toussaint (which is only a throwback from '09, but I think it needs more love).
Woods - With Light and Love
Alt-country/rock is a weird genre, basically it just means that it sounds country-esque but that it's not country because a) a country station would never play it b) 'a' is mostly due to the melding of multiple music genres into one. And that's why Woods is often just called Indie--that glorious of catch all terms that originally stemmed from artists just being on independent music labels but which somehow became a meaningless genre that mostly means too odd for the mainstream (that is until it isn't--hello The National and Arcade Fire!). So Woods is indie because it's got folk vibes, it's got subtle Caribbean vibes, it's got slide guitar, and it's got an organ. Under the definition I have here, The Band would also be alt-country, and I'm ok with that. Genres are basically for helping people know what they like and what they may also like. So if you like alt-country/rock, and falsetto vocals, and slide guitars, and organs, I suggest you check out Woods.
Papercuts - Life Among the Savages
Now that I've already talked (too much) about genres and how they're only as useful as you want them to be. Well I would call Papercuts indie, folk rock. If that sounds like your type of thing, well, then this album is probably your type of thing. Why do I think of Papercuts as more folk and Woods as more country? Well there's a lot more use of stringed instruments here and there's something about the melody and strong structure that, I don't know, seem more folksy. The melody is full of long held notes. There's a Shins like quality to some of the songs and maybe hints of Belle and Sebastian here and there, but the hooks aren't as pronounced as those two artists, which means it's got less of a pop sound and more of a 'rustic' sound. I mentioned the strong use of stringed instruments, right? It's got hella rustic cello. Anyhow, check out the title song 'Life Among Savages' which I think is a great example of what I'm talking about. I can't say this is my favorite Papercuts album, that honor still goes to 'Can't Look Back,' but this is a damn fine album and it keeps growing on me.
Allen Toussaint - The Bright Mississippi
I can't say how many times I've listened to this album, but it's probably upwards of 50. I originally got it for my dad as a holiday gift because it had ridonkulous review on Metacritic and my dad had worn out his Porgy and Bess album, brilliantly played by Oscar Peterson and Joe Pass using just a clavichord and a guitar. After listening to The Bright Mississippi together, we were both blown away. This album is predominantly instrumental, though the penultimate cut has vocals. I'm so not cultured in jazz lingo that I don't really know how to go about explaining why I find this album so compelling, except to say that the songs are well varied and constantly go deeper than the notes. If you've ever played an instrument, you know that you can play a piece perfectly as it's written, but unless you emphasize certain notes, letting some linger a little longer, pushing a string a little harder, letting a horn quake or a voice shiver, then it's just music. The thing about this album is just that through the use of instrumental phrasing and emphasis it is perfectly... I wish I had a better and less played term for this... soulful.
Whether the song is piano driven, guitar driven, or trumpet driven, each one has a way of transporting you to a feeling of time and place. 'Dear Old Southland' uses 'Summertime' as a background to recall times past in the south. 'Singin the Blues' makes me want to find a cotton dress and an outdoor dance hall, and dance at night under stringed lights. Then there's a version of 'Just a Closer Walk with Thee' that wouldn't be out of place in a Ken Burns' baseball documentary. Funnily enough, my favorite song is the only song with singing. I think the reason I love it so much has a great deal to do with it's place in the song order. The instrumental songs before it lay a landscape so that this song is able to have it's greatest impact right where it is placed. With one last instrumental song, the album carries you out. In this way this album is a perfect argument against anyone who dares suggest that the album is dead.
I'm gonna start off with the lovely indie, alt-country/rock album by Woods, followed by the folksy indie rockers, Papercuts, and lastly, perhaps my favorite modern jazz album by Allen Toussaint (which is only a throwback from '09, but I think it needs more love).
Woods - With Light and Love
Alt-country/rock is a weird genre, basically it just means that it sounds country-esque but that it's not country because a) a country station would never play it b) 'a' is mostly due to the melding of multiple music genres into one. And that's why Woods is often just called Indie--that glorious of catch all terms that originally stemmed from artists just being on independent music labels but which somehow became a meaningless genre that mostly means too odd for the mainstream (that is until it isn't--hello The National and Arcade Fire!). So Woods is indie because it's got folk vibes, it's got subtle Caribbean vibes, it's got slide guitar, and it's got an organ. Under the definition I have here, The Band would also be alt-country, and I'm ok with that. Genres are basically for helping people know what they like and what they may also like. So if you like alt-country/rock, and falsetto vocals, and slide guitars, and organs, I suggest you check out Woods.
Papercuts - Life Among the Savages
Now that I've already talked (too much) about genres and how they're only as useful as you want them to be. Well I would call Papercuts indie, folk rock. If that sounds like your type of thing, well, then this album is probably your type of thing. Why do I think of Papercuts as more folk and Woods as more country? Well there's a lot more use of stringed instruments here and there's something about the melody and strong structure that, I don't know, seem more folksy. The melody is full of long held notes. There's a Shins like quality to some of the songs and maybe hints of Belle and Sebastian here and there, but the hooks aren't as pronounced as those two artists, which means it's got less of a pop sound and more of a 'rustic' sound. I mentioned the strong use of stringed instruments, right? It's got hella rustic cello. Anyhow, check out the title song 'Life Among Savages' which I think is a great example of what I'm talking about. I can't say this is my favorite Papercuts album, that honor still goes to 'Can't Look Back,' but this is a damn fine album and it keeps growing on me.
Allen Toussaint - The Bright Mississippi
I can't say how many times I've listened to this album, but it's probably upwards of 50. I originally got it for my dad as a holiday gift because it had ridonkulous review on Metacritic and my dad had worn out his Porgy and Bess album, brilliantly played by Oscar Peterson and Joe Pass using just a clavichord and a guitar. After listening to The Bright Mississippi together, we were both blown away. This album is predominantly instrumental, though the penultimate cut has vocals. I'm so not cultured in jazz lingo that I don't really know how to go about explaining why I find this album so compelling, except to say that the songs are well varied and constantly go deeper than the notes. If you've ever played an instrument, you know that you can play a piece perfectly as it's written, but unless you emphasize certain notes, letting some linger a little longer, pushing a string a little harder, letting a horn quake or a voice shiver, then it's just music. The thing about this album is just that through the use of instrumental phrasing and emphasis it is perfectly... I wish I had a better and less played term for this... soulful.
Whether the song is piano driven, guitar driven, or trumpet driven, each one has a way of transporting you to a feeling of time and place. 'Dear Old Southland' uses 'Summertime' as a background to recall times past in the south. 'Singin the Blues' makes me want to find a cotton dress and an outdoor dance hall, and dance at night under stringed lights. Then there's a version of 'Just a Closer Walk with Thee' that wouldn't be out of place in a Ken Burns' baseball documentary. Funnily enough, my favorite song is the only song with singing. I think the reason I love it so much has a great deal to do with it's place in the song order. The instrumental songs before it lay a landscape so that this song is able to have it's greatest impact right where it is placed. With one last instrumental song, the album carries you out. In this way this album is a perfect argument against anyone who dares suggest that the album is dead.
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