Last night, a bat got into our summer vacation house and despite our best efforts to guide it outside (turn on all the lights so that the blackness outside the open door beckons), the poor thing kept circling the living room until it seemed exhausted and roosted (is that the word?) in the rafters. Armed with a plastic colander and a Jeff Buckley poster big enough to slide beneath it, creating a portable case for the poor little guy (or gal), I trapped the bat and took it outside, tossing it to freedom.
It was the most exhilarating half-hour of the vacation so far.
A quick hit on the O/CD project.
During my time in NYC, I had a visit with the fine folks at Shore Fire media, who sent me home filled with pizza and good conversation and a bag full of new music:
1. FUTURE CLOUDS & RADAR – S/T (??)
This album was sent to me in a generic advance form earlier this year, and I liked it a lot. I wanted to see the full commercial edition, festooned as it is with grand decorative flourishes that reflect the baroque, multi-instrumental power pop of the music within. Flaming Lips fans, take note.
2.VARIOUS ARTISTS – A Tribute to Joni Mitchell (Nonesuch)
Confession – I bought a copy of this when it first came out, but there was a small pile of sleek advances in slim cases and, since the PR guy told me that they were no longer active on this case, I took one as an extra for the car.
3. CHUCK PROPHET – Soap and Water (Yep Roc)
Coming to the IOTA in November.
4. SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK – Experience…101 (Appleseed Recordings)
5. PIETA BROWN – Remember the Sun (One Little Indian)
Don’t know anything about her, but the cover looked interesting and I respect the label.
6. ANI DiFRANCO – CANON (Righteous Babe)
She’s a class act, a no-backing-down feminist and D.I.Y.-er who speaks out about the political mess we’re in, all while creating strong, emotional tunes. This is a double-disc retrospective, pulled from 18 (!!!) previous albums and I was faced with the choice of an advance or a finished version. I like advances for their cool quotient, but I guessed right in taking the official release. It’s got a booklet full of info and pics and what I thought was just a piece of cardboard to strengthen the cardboard digi-pack and turned out to be a stencil of the Righteous Babe dove logo. How cool is that?
Out September 11th.
7. The AVETT BROTHERS – Introduce Emotionalism (Ramseur Records)
8. BRANDI SHEARER – Close to Dark (Amoeba Records)
After growing up in rural Oregon, she played in clubs in Hungary, then returned to San Francisco, where she settled and recorded her debut CD, produced by Larry Klein (Madeleine Peyroux, Joni Mitchell). Gave a first listen to this in the car on the drive upstate and found it likeable in a Norah Jones-crossed with- Regina Spektor kind of way.
9. OVER The RHINE – The Trumpet Child (Great Speckled Dog/Red Eye)
Notable personalities in folk, rock and blues are named as political figures on the country ballad
"If A Song Could Be President”
Founding Fathers: Lightnin' Hopkins and Patsy Cline
Foreign Ambassador: Emmylou Harris
Senator: Neil Young (even though he's Canadian)
Head of FBI: John Prine
News Anchor: Steve Earle
Out August 21st.
10. NICK LOWE – At My Age (Yep Roc)
I had a generic advance of this CD and wanted to see the finished edition. The front cover – a retro ‘50’s cocktail lounge caricature of the mightly Lowe – is a real charmer, as is the material within and the man who sings it.
11.JEREMY FISHER – Back Porch Spirituals (Thumbuster Music)
12. JEREMY FISHER – Goodbye Blue Monday (Wind-Up Records)
Actually, one of these came in a package delivered to the hotel while I was in NYC. Fisher will be previewed – along with Jenny Owen Youngs – in my next Post preview.
13. JEFF BUCKLEY – Hallelujah/I Know It’s Over (Columbia)
Just before I left the Shore Fire offices, I was presented with this groovy bonus by Maggie, who was taken by my tale of hearing Jeff perform in his very first public appearance at St. Anne’s Church in Brooklyn, at a tribute to his dad, Tim. She said it was from her “shrine,” a collection of recent promo items in conjunction (she had limited copies so I was quite touched) with the “So Real” JB set. She also gave me a cool in-store poster, but this item was really
gor-gee-ous - a 7” lush blue vinyl single. Sweeeet!
YTD O/CD Tally: 664
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