Episode 71 December 12th
Mabe Fratti – Oidos
The Cure – A Fragile Thing
Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy)
renforshort – On My Way
Jelly Roll – I am not OK
Coward Brothers – Always
Saya Gray – Shell (of a man)
Al Green – Everybody Hurts
Shubh – One Love
Mabe Fratti – Oidos
Here is a portion of an interview with Fader – here see talks about the song Oídos, which we are playing this week
“Oídos” is the only song on the album where you play your cello in a relatively conventional way — those big, bold arpeggios. What’s your relationship with classical cello, now that you’ve done so much else with the instrument?
I really enjoy it. Actually, I thought it was necessary to have it in this album. I hadn’t done a song with those kinds of arpeggios. In all my records, I use a lot of bowed cello, but not like that. I like this technique: doing a chord with the bow and adding some delay to it, but one delay only, like an echo.
That song speaks to the paranoid environment you were talking about earlier. The way I understand it, it’s about someone running from their demons, but the metaphor is literalized, like, “The papers say you’ll be caught if you stop running.” Is that how you see it?
It’s more of a reference to the FOMO vibes of not being there all the time. Calling the record Feel like you don’t know was in that line of trying to catch up with understanding what’s going on in life and in general. I was feeling that all the time when we were making this record.
“Oídos” (“Ears”) is about that: Who do you listen to and why? [The line about the papers] is like, “If you don’t catch up, we’re eventually gonna catch up with you.”
and Pitchfork says this about the song
“Oídos” begins with jagged, unsettling strings, plinking piano notes landing alongside Fratti’s plangent vocals. A lonely trumpet, played by Jacob Wick and arranged—along with all the album’s drums and strings—by Fratti’s Titanic collaborator Héctor Tosta, blares in the background, twisting into serpentine tendrils. It’s too meandering to be a proper pop song, but still cohesive enough to soundtrack a pensive montage in an art-house film
But who is she?
Born in Guatemala, and raised in a Pentecostalist family, Fratti was classically trained on cello and limited to listening to either
Christian or classical music by her parents until she discovered file sharing through LimeWire .
Also more avant-garde elements were introduced to her like a
György Ligeti record “randomly” brought home by her father, and a DVD by cellist More at WikipediaJacqueline du Pré she found in a record store
This is her fifth album
In 2023, Amor Muere released
A Time to Love, a Time to Die . Fratti had formed this musical collective with artists Concepción Huerta , Gibrana Cervantes and Camille Mandoki , creating works over a period of years. Due to each member’s existing work it has been described as an “experimental supergroup”.
Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy)
Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy) [Official Visualizer]
I love this song, that’s why I’m playing it this week
From our friends at Wikipedia:
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is a song by American musician Shaboozey. The song was released April 12, 2024, as the fourth single from his third album Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going. It topped the charts in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States and has reached the top ten of the charts in Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” tied “Old Town Road” as the longest-running number-one song of all time on the US Billboard Hot 100 with 19 weeks at the top of the chart, the most for a song by a solo artist. It is nominated for Song of the Year, Best Country Song, and Best Country Solo Performance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, with Shaboozey also being nominated for Best New Artist.
actually, based on a 2004 rap by J-Kwon
J-Kwon – Tipsy (Official Video)
and a little bit more from Slate – a recent article worth reading – How Shaboozey Scored the New Longest-Running No. 1 in History
I couldn’t have predicted that in the year of Donald Trump’s comeback, a country song by a Black former rapper would hold the top of our chart for nearly half the year—but 2024 has taught us some weird lessons about racial identity and cultural affinities. Apparently, one of the few things we can still agree on, across both hip-hop and country music, is that drinking songs are awesome.
Jelly Roll – I am not OK
Jelly Roll on Austin City Limits – “I Am Not Okay”
On August 23, 2024, Jelly Roll announced his tenth studio album Beautifully Broken. It was released on October 11, 2024.[32]
How Jelly Roll’s ‘I Am Not Okay’ Shines a Light on a Dark National Crisis
This week’s Makin’ Tracks looks at serious themes behind the country star’s latest Hot 100 crossover hit.
a little from a Billboard article from Billboard:
Life is psychologically challenging in 2024.
The planet gets hotter by the month, the technology that was supposed to improve lives stalls or breaks down, artificial intelligence poses a threat to future employment and there’s a chance democracy could crumble before the United States turns 250. It’s no wonder that one in six American adults are currently battling depression, according to a 2023 Gallup poll. That figure is even higher among women, minorities and people younger than 45.
It’s almost as if the marketplace had been primed for Jelly Roll. His country singles thus far – “Son of a Sinner,” “Need a Favor,” “Halfway to Hell” and the Lainey Wilson collaboration “Save Me” – have captured souls in battles with darkness. He extends that string with “I Am Not Okay,” released by Stoney Creek to country radio via PlayMPE on June 11.
really interesting character, here is a bit about him from Wikipedia
DeFord was born and raised in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee.[6][7] His father was a meat salesman and worked as a bookie on the side; his mother suffered from mental illness and addiction.[8]
From his teenage years into his 20s, DeFord was arrested several times and spent time in jail for various charges and felonies including possession with intent to distribute and aggravated robbery.[9][8] While imprisoned, he earned his GED at the age of 23.[8]
here is a great interview with Tom Power from Q – very interesting conversation.
Jelly Roll on his journey from incarceration to country music stardom
128,069 views Jul 29, 2024
Jelly Roll’s origin story isn’t that of the average country singer-songwriter. While growing up in Nashville’s Antioch neighbourhood in the ‘90s, Jelly Roll developed an interest in hip-hop music and learned to rap. But from 14 to 25, he began cycling in and out of prison for various offences, including felony charges. In the years since getting out, he’s gone from rapping to singing, ultimately finding a home in country music. Jelly Roll sits down with Tom to share his incredible story.
Saya Gray – Shell (of a man)
I heard this song twice on CBC local Ottawa – not usually where I get my songs, but this one is pretty great
I can’t find a performance of this song so we will have to go with this
Saya Gray – SHELL ( OF A MAN ) (Visualiser) (Official)
I don’t know Saya Gray, but Pitchfork listed an EP by here as one of the 50 most anticipated albums of Spring 2024
There is a big feature article about her in Pitchfork. Here is a bit
Her purist approach to life and music can feel anachronistic, if not curmudgeonly. Throughout our conversations, she holds forth on peeves that range from cosmetics addiction to socialite phoniness and online personality branding. She is alert to the fears that drive our shallower impulses, that prize conformity over oddball self-expression. “Being broke doesn’t scare me anymore,” she says, “because I’ve been broke; I’ve been ugly; I’ve been fat. If I didn’t do everything I was scared of doing, I’d still be working in a restaurant in Toronto. People are so scared of death, so scared financially, that they’re not living their life.”
Shubh – One Love
Gutt Te Paranda Tera Karda Kamaal Ni – One Love (Shubh) | Gippy Grewal | Sonam Bajwa
Shubhneet Singh (born 10 August 1997), known professionally as Shubh, is an Indian rapper-singer and songwriter based in Canada associated with Punjabi music. Shubh rose to mainstream in 2021 with his single “We Rollin“. He released his debut album ‘Still Rollin’ in 2023.
His numerous singles have charted on the Canadian Hot 100,[5] New Zealand Chart,[6] UK Singles Chart and Billboard India. His single “Baller” charted on the Canadian Hot 100.[7] In 2023, his song “Cheques” from his debut album Still Rollin peaked at number 3 on Billboard India Songs, while album was charted on Canadian Albums Chart and New Zealand Albums Chart.
Although Shubh was nominated for two Junos in 2024, it is hard to find out much about him. Here he is mentioned (Briefly) in a CBC article
It’s songs like “Majhail” that have shifted the landscape of Punjabi music in Canada, connecting listeners with the R&B and hip-hop songs we grew up on with the language that we speak in our families. This fresh and distinctive style is sported by the likes of countless artists who have garnered massive fanbases around the world: Karan Aujla, Intense, Fateh, Shubh, NseeB and AR Paisley to name a few, all of whom were either born in Canada, or came to Canada as young immigrants or international students, documenting their experiences of migration, racism and coming of age through music.
On Spotify, he has 12,628,823 monthly listeners
The Cure – “A Fragile Thing” – Songs of a Lost World
Post Punk “Goth” legends have been making and recording music since the late 70’s. Songs of the Lost World was several years in the making, and is the Cure’s first studio album since 2008. The album was originally intended for release in 2019 but delays and Covid put it on hold. As a long time pretty steady fan of Robert Smith, I can honestly say the album doesn’t disappoint. Mojo magazine agrees with me! https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/new-music/the-cure-songs-of-a-lost-world-review/
Here is a version of “Fragile Thing”. The Cure performing live recently on their very successful 2024 tour.
renforshort – “On My Way” – single
The beauty of the Old Fella show is we explore new music from long time hugely popular acts like the Cure but also listen to relative newcomers as well. Lauren Isenberg, known professionally as renforshort is an example of the latter. renforshort made her debut in 2019 with the singles “Waves” and “Mind Games”. Isenberg released her debut extended play, the Teenage Angst EP, in March 2020. Since then her releases have garnered millions of listens on Spotify. Our featured track, “On My Way” is her latest single.
renforshort puts on an excellent show. We watched her and the band perform in Kingston Ontario in November. Here’s a clip from Chicago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpaEBtGV9P0
Coward Brothers – “Always” – S/T
The Coward Brothers is the debut album by Howard Coward and Henry Coward, the alter egos of Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett. They first performed under the Coward Brothers name during Costello’s 1984 solo tour, which featured Burnett as opening act. Their only previous record release was the 1985 single The People’s Limousine which was included on this blog months ago when T Bone Burnett was featured. . The new album is based on the Audible series/Podcast directed by Christopher Guest “The True Story Of The Coward Brothers”. Go to blog Burning Wood weighs in: https://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-coward-brothers.html
As a soundtrack to a comedy podcast, the music is surprisingly solid and consistent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX8CxhKJoQM
Al Green – “Everybody Hurts” – single
Al Green, is best known for recording a series of immaculate soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including “I’m Still in Love with You” , “Take Me to the River” and of course “Let’s Stay Together”. After this remarkable run, Green became an ordained pastor and turned to gospel music. He later returned to secular music. Since the mid 90’s, Green’s recorded output has been sparse, but when he periodically returns, it’s pure bliss. Back in Sept 2023, Old Fellas featured Al’s amazing take on Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day”. This time, Green tackles REM’s “Everybody Hurts”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEwPIfk6LpQ
“I wanted to inject a little touch of hope and light into it”: Legendary soul singer Al Green has covered R.E.M.’s classic Everybody Hurts
By Fraser Lewry
Al Green’s gospel version of Everybody Hurts is out now via Fat Possum
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Whole-Hearted 