Tag: Lemon Twigs

Old Fellas New Music Episode 42 Notes

On By paulmcguire2013In MixCloud, Old Fellas New Music, voicEd RadioLeave a comment

Episode 42

Rina Sawayama – This Hell

Lemon Twigs – Anytime of the Day

Arctic Monkeys – Body Paint

Blues Lawyer – Chance Encounters

Ethel Cain – American Teenager

Yo La Tengo –  Aselestine

Horace Andy – Watch Over Them

Brad Mehldau – Your Mother Should Know

Pony – Très Jolie

Bob’s notes

Lemon Twigs – “Anytime of the Day”   from the Everything Harmony  being released on May 5th

This is the second Lemon Twigs number to have aired on the podcast.  We played one from their previous album back in the Old Fellas “Jurassic” period.  The band are principally Brian and Michael  D’Addario.  Their music and sartorial style seems frozen in about 1972 but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  “Anytime of Day” could have been lifted off a Todd Rundgren or Carpenters album.  Blogger Burning Wood elaborates:

https://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2023/02/hello-its-them.html

Whenthehornblows concurs: https://whenthehornblows.com/content/2023/2/19/the-lemon-twigs-any-time-of-day

Blues Lawyer – “Chance Encounters” from All in Good Time

Although this podcast is about listening to new music and pithy penetrating conversation, sometimes we all learn something.  I picked Blues Lawyer because of their intriguing name.  Well… who knew there’s a whole story there?

https://killerguitarrigs.com/what-is-a-blues-lawyer/  As a semi-musician, I had never heard this term before.  Oakland-based Blues Lawyer are anything but “Blues Lawyers”.  Chance Encounters is wonderful punchy song with a great retro video 

.    Here’s the story behind the new album.  https://rockandrollglobe.com/indie-rock/blues-lawyer-and-the-art-of-patience/

Yo La Tengo –  “Aselestine”  from This Stupid World,

Critics’ faves Yo La Tengo have been kicking around for almost 40 years now.  They have released fifteen studio albums, six compilation albums, fifteen extended plays, twenty-two singles, two film score albums, four collaborative albums, and one album of cover songs.  Hoboken’s finest (not counting Frank Sinatra) have just released This Stupid World. Drummer Georgia Hubley takes lead vocals on “Aselestine”  

Pitchfork evaluates: 

On their liveliest album in at least a decade, indie rock’s most steadfast institution squares up against ubiquitous darkness.

To fully dig the manifold charms of This Stupid World, it’s best to take a single step back into Yo La Tengo’s 38 years-and-counting catalog. In July 2020, amid that first summer of extreme pandemic disorientation, the trio surprised devotees not only with a new Bandcamp page but also with a fresh album, captured at their Hoboken practice space just weeks earlier and offered up like a timely postcard from a friend you’ve missed—we’re OK, and we hope you’re OK, too.

 https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/yo-la-tengo-this-stupid-world/

Yo La Tengo rocking out in 2013 at the Pitchfork Festival  

Brad Mehldau – “Your Mother Should Know” from Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays the Beatles

Everybody artist at some point tackles a Beatles cover;  it’s inevitable. Bradford is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.  As a jazz guy, he takes a fresh approach covering one of Paul McCartney’s minor songs.  Mehldau doesn’t, like many jazz guys, stretch the original tune in length or go off on fancy tangents.  The actual playing time is very close to the original track.  Here he playing live. 

Hey it’s the Burning Wood Blog again! 

 https://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2023/02/your-mother-should-know.html

Tidal magazine provides insight.  

Paul’s Notes

Rina Sawayama – This Hell (Official Music Video)

Don’t know if I would call this a country song, but it certainly is a banger as the kids say. The lyrics are really interesting to, so I had no problem making this my first pick this week.

About the song – from Wikipedia

“This Hell” is a “glammy, country pop inspired” song which contains references to numerous country and western motifs such as cowboys and horseriding.[3] It was produced by Paul Epworth and Clarence Clarity, and written by Sawayama alongside Vic Jamieson, Epworth, and Lauren Aquilina.[10]

Sawayama has noted Dolly Parton and Kacey Musgraves as inspirations for “This Hell”, as well as Shania Twain, whom Sawayama has described as “The queen of country pop”.[11]

Sawayama wrote “This Hell” while reflecting about attacks against LGBT people, which are often motivated by religious beliefs, stating: “When the world tells us we don’t deserve love and protection, we have no choice but to give love and protection to each other”.[12] The song contains a guitar solo which was described as “over-the-top” by NPR.[3] The singer makes references to some gay icons such as Britney Spears, Princess Diana, and Whitney Houston,[10] and references Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” with the beginning line, “Let’s go, girls”, as well as Paris Hilton‘s signature catchphrase “that’s hot”.[12] Sawayama stated: “I put in as many iconic pop culture moments as I can, but the song is more than that.” [13] Upon the song’s release, Sawayama posted to Twitter: “I wanted to write a western pop song that celebrated COMMUNITY and LOVE in a time where the world seemed hellish.”[11]

Arctic Monkeys – Body Paint

Another band that has been around for a long time that I didn’t know about. Body Paint, like all the songs on their latest album is so interesting, certainly a cut above the music I was hearing on the Top Lists this week. The Car is Arctic Monkeys’ seventh album.

 

a bit about the song – interesting notes here.

Musically the song has been described as a “lounge-y piano ballad”, and Beatlesque,[6] with “gorgeous string arrangements” reminiscent of Burt Bacharach and George Martin‘s work with said group.[2] The band has been said as being “in introspective lounge lizard mode over sparkling piano and slowed-down drums.”[7] Robin Murray of Clash, thought there was a “sense of Bowie‘s mid 70s peak in the arrangement”.

Ethel Cain – American Teenager

[Verse 1]

Grew up under yellow light on the street

Putting too much faith in the make-believe

And another high school football team

The neighbor’s brother came home in a box

But he wanted to go, so maybe it was his fault

Another red heart taken by the American dream

More and more I am choosing songs that I think we have played before, but I checked and we haven’t. We have (I forgot) played Arctic Monkeys beforte – different song.

I like everything about Ethel Cain. Bob thinks her last name comes from a Band Song – that is pretty interesting, but I couldn’t find anything on that.

A bit about Ethel Cain from Pitchfork.

“Growing up I was surrounded by visions of NASCAR, rock’n’roll, and being the one who would change everything,” Cain said in a statement. “They make you think it’s all achievable and that if nothing else, you should at least die trying. What they don’t tell you is that you need your neighbor more than your country needs you. I wrote this song as an expression of my frustration with all the things the ‘American Teenager’ is supposed to be but never had any real chance of becoming.”

Pitchfork

Horace Andy

Yet another long-time famous musician I hadn’t heard of before. Bob talks a lot about him during the podcast – I am adding a few notes, mainly for me so I can catch up. This for me would be a great album to pick up soon. I have included below an NPR episode featuring some discussion of his latest album. Plus I found – again from NPR – a great session including Horace Andy and a great group of musicians.

NPR’s favorite music of April, from broken-hearted R&B to paranoid post-punk

Horace Andy is a reggae legend and a beloved Massive Attack collaborator. On his new album Midnight Rocker, producer Adrian Sherwood sticks to the basics: a full band adorns Andy’s golden voice with rich arrangements, as he offers messages of care in an uncaring world. We open the best music of the month show with “Watch Over Them,” and it’s easy to get lost in Andy’s voice.

Today, right here, we get to peek into the decked-out living room of producer Adrian Sherwood’s home and watch masters of reggae playfully chill. We hear Horace Andy‘s gruff tenor tell stories with 55 years of experience, rasp and wear.

“You’ve got to live, live, live for today, for tomorrow might never come your way,” he pleads as he sings “Today Is Right Here,” a track on his 2022 album Midnight Rocker. And then the lines I love best, “My mama told me when I was a child, said all the best things take a little while. But mama was wrong, wrong, wrong, the best things in life come and they go in the blink of an eye.” All the while, a single snare drum and hi-hat keep the beat, and the band of bass, guitar, keyboard, sax, trumpet and cello warmly support the emotions pouring from Horace Andy.

Horace Andy: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

NPR All Songs Considered

Pony – Très Jolie

a great way to finish off the show. One line from the reviews sets the song up nicely

“Spunky, sprightly, and positively infectious, ‘Très Jolie’ is basically the perfect song for a summer that hasn’t come yet.”

Far Out Magazine

PONY – “Très Jolie”

From their album “Velveteen” 

Out May 19th via Take This To Heart Records

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Old Fellas New Music Episode 6 Notes

On By paulmcguire2013In Old Fellas New Music1 Comment
Our Spotify Playlist – changing all the time

Paul’s Songs

ME REX – song Flood from Sugar Rex 2019

The New Pornographers – Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile

Suzie Ungerleider – Baby Blues

Death Cab for Cutie – Waterfalls

Matt Maeson – Hallucinogeics

Bob’s songs

Lemon Twigs – Queen of My School

Lowest of the Low – Powerlines

Fadeawaays – She Don’t Know Why

Larkin Poe – Bell Bottomed Blues

Mikal Cronin – Feel Like

One of the larkin Poe incredible Youtube songs from their channel that Bob mentions

  1. ME REX – song Flood from Sugar Rex Jan 2020

“Shouty electronic bedroom pop”

This is the video that I mentioned on the show – I love this live version of Flood

Myles McCabe is the London-based singer-songwriter behind the ME REX moniker. ME REX have now expanded to a four-piece band, featuring Rich Mandell and Phoebe Cross from Happy Accidents, as well as Myles’ Fresh-bandmate, Kathryn Woods.

Heart of Garbage also a great song

You can find them on Bandcamp → https://merex.bandcamp.com/

ME REX may only just be beginning their journey, but they are already one of the most forward thinking and exciting new bands around, coming together to create something that resonates on several levels; sparking joy, hope and reflection with a collection of songs that are achingly poignant.

The New Pornographers – Newest release – In the Morse Code of Brake Lights – 2019

Falling Down The Stairs Of Your Smile (Collected Works/Concord Records) is the song we chose for this week, but really, you could choose almost anything this band puts out.

Here is a great video on their performance, plus a very interesting interview with AC Newman (‘The weird old guy making music’.)

They have a very interesting Spotify Playlist that we mentioned on the show

Interesting, in some of the reading done in prep for this show, the new Pornographers were seen in Vancouver as sort of a ‘super group’ – yet another one in this sub-theme. The onion unravels even more!

Current members

Members’ other projects in brackets

  • Neko Case – vocals (solo artist, also of Maow, the Corn Sisters, and Cub) (1997–present)
  • John Collins – bass (the Evaporators and Destroyer) (1997–present)
  • Carl Newman – vocals, guitar (solo artist (as A.C. Newman), also of Superconductor and Zumpano) (1997–present)
  • Blaine Thurier – keyboards, synthesizer (independent filmmaker) (1997–present)
  • Todd Fancey – lead guitar (solo artist (as Fancey) and of Limblifter) (2003–present)
  • Kathryn Calder – vocals, keyboards, guitar (solo artist and of Immaculate Machine and Frontperson) (2005–present) Also niece of Newman Carl is in her birth family. At that time I was a teenager and playing in a band and didn’t really know I had that family … so that’s how I met Carl.”[5]
  • Joe Seiders – drums, vocals (Beat Club) (2014–present)
  • Simi Stone – violin, vocals, percussion (solo artist and of Suffrajett) (2019–present; touring member 2015–2019)[14]

Former members

Former touring members

  • Lindsay “Coco” Hames – vocals, percussion, acoustic guitar (the Ettes) (2014)

This song I mentioned during the show without adding the title, so I have to add it here – played with Niko Case on I’m Not Talking (2012) Great video of the song here – I’m Not Talking.

Death Cab for Cutie – “The Georgia E.P

This is a great EP. We played it first because of the songs, second because of the political work they have done for the Democrats and Stacey Abrams in Georgia.

On December 2, 2020, the band announced that a Bandcamp exclusive EP titled “The Georgia E.P.” would be released for 24 hours only on December 4. The album is a collection of covers by artists from Georgia. The proceeds will go to Stacey Abrams organization Fair Fight Action in honor of Georgia voting for Joe Biden in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, as well as the 2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia and the 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia

Wikipedia

The fve-song collection of covers of Georgia artists helped raise over $100,000 for Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight in December.

Recorded during quarantine, The Georgia EP features covers of Georgia-based artists R.E.M. (“Fall on Me”), TLC (“Waterfalls”), Neutral Milk Hotel (“The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1”), Cat Power (“Metal Heart”), and the late Vic Chesnutt (“Flirted With You All My Life”).

Here is the story we mentioned near the end of the show about the origin of their name.

Gibbard took the band name from the song “Death Cab for Cutie“, which was written by Neil Innes and Vivian Stanshall and recorded by their group the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The song is a track on the Bonzo’s 1967 debut album, Gorilla, and was performed by them in the Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour. The title was originally that of a story in an old pulp fiction crime magazine that Innes came across in a street market. In a 2011 interview, Gibbard stated, “The name was never supposed to be something that someone was going to reference 15 years on. So yeah, I would absolutely go back and give it a more obvious name.”[73]

Wikipedia (again)

Neil Innes on Dutch Television 1968

EP on Band Camp

Suzie Ungerleider

“Baby Blues” 

We played this because Suzie Ungerleider (Oh Susanna) is amazing, but also, she has had a name change in the last year. She writes about this on her web page and we recount some of the story below. This is her 10th album which is pretty amazing. This album is a collaboration with Jim Bryson, another fan favourite.

The album is actually entitled My Name is Suzie Ungerleider, and comes out on Aug. 13 via her new label, UK imprint MVKA  (Eva Cassidy, BOY, Sarah Blasko)

From her website:

The song Oh Susanna is part of Minstrelsy, a tradition in which (usually) white actors perform as characters that are demeaning and dehumanizing to black people.  Foster wrote the original lyrics in “plantation dialect” meaning in the manner of how Foster (a white person) thought a black person from the American South would speak.  The racist nature of the song is most explicit, however, when a verse makes a joke of the death by electrocution of “five-hundred n—–“.   This verse, of course, is rarely sung today and therefore not widely known.  After the Civil War, Stephen Foster himself changed many of his “plantation dialect” songs into standard English. 

Suddenly those racist lyrics felt absolutely current.  Right here and right now, the lyrics conjure and make present violence against black people.  This is the power of language.  By saying something, you make it happen in the listener’s mind.  It didn’t matter to me that not very many people know that the original lyrics to the song Oh Susanna are racist.  I felt that if I were to continue to use the name Oh Susanna I would be passively accepting and perpetuating its racism.

Matt Maeson – Hallucinogeics

This artist is pretty incredible. His story is almost as interesting as his music. The song we are playing has a few videos, I decided to include this one from a live performance. It is pared down, but it really shows what a great performer he is.

There is a great article from Riff magazine you can read below. Pretty incredible life already.

Matt Maeson found the straight and narrow on a long and winding road

Riff magazine

Maeson was raised by a family of convicts-turned-evangelists, who founded a ministry that preached to other convicts, out of and in prison. When he was 5, his uncle was murdered by one of the convicts.

Some of his lyrics from Hallucinogeics :

‘Cause I carried on like the wayward son

And now through and through, I’ve come undone

And now I am just but the wayward man

What with my bloodshot eyes and my shaky hand

‘Cause I carried on like the wayward son

And now through and through, I’ve come undone

And now I am just but the wayward man

What with my bloodshot eyes and my shaky hand

From Cringe

She said I’m looking like a bad man, smooth criminal

She said my spirit doesn’t move like it did before

She said that I don’t look like me no more, no more

I said, “I’m just tired,” she said, “You’re just high”

And I said, “I saw you in the water”

And I said, “I saw you in the water”

More next week including the incredible band Alvvays.

The original!