Music Banter - View Single Post

~~MicShazam~~ · 08-28-2017, 07:00 AM

It's been a month since I posted something last. So much for doing this more regularly...
I'm not kidding when I say that I mostly manage to keep going because I know that Trollheart's beady,
disapproving eyes might be watching and counting contributions. Once he decides to stop doing a monthly
round up of journal posts, I think it's time to stick a shovel in it and no one wants that to happen.

I've been checking out a ton of different things, so I'll try and see if I can remember some highlights.

Following Anteater's lead, I've bought Nicky Holland's self-titled album. I'm listening to it for the first time as I type this.
Seems promising so far. Only momentarily a bit too adult-contemporary in style. Mostly, it's smooth and subtly jazzy in ways
that make it really appealing to me.
The Ladykiller is a fantastic song. Running Around is a good example of that sort of smooth laid-backness
I find very appealing about this album - but which I also expect would work like a deterrent for 95% of the users in here.
Maybe Trollheart could dig it? I'm not so sure.

I've been listening to some more Cristina Branco (I'm getting predictable, I know) and I've got no less than 8 albums
of hers since I discovered her just 2-3 months ago. Ulisses and Alegria are the two newest albums
that I got my hands on.
Trying to pick a standout track from two excellent albums, my thoughts immediately go to the first track on Alegria,
namely the song Alice no país dos matraquilhos . I'll try not to embed too many videos here but this one is a must-listen!
If you can't appreciate this, you need to work on your damn tastes. Just kidding, I don't really believe that,
but part of me wants to. It's just so... absolutely gorgeous... Give it a listen, or I'll come to your house and show you
the bottom of your toilet bowl.

In other news, Amazon informed me through it's endless stream of spammy newsletters that Joan Osborne is coming
out with an album of Bob Dylan covers.

It just so happens to be that I consider Joan Osborne among my favorite artists, but alas, I do so solely on the
strenght of her debut album, Relish.
One of the many excellent tracks on that gem of an album is the Bob Dylan cover The Man in the Long Black Coat,
so I figured that perhaps this album was worth giving a chance.
Maybe coming back to Dylan is exactly what I need her to do if I am to care about her new music.

Then there's all that music I've been checking out on Youtube. I don't own a single album with neither Gojira or Leprous,
but their newest music (from 2016 and 2017 respectively) is doing much more for me than any of what they've done previously.
I'll just post a link to a few of the tracks that have me considering actually getting their newest album:

Gojira - Stranded
Gojira - Silvera
Leprous - Illuminate
Leprous - From the Flame

Next, up; I bumped into an album from Frontiers Music that I actually think I might like... It might not shock you,
but it does shock me.
The Frontiers Music label is all about cheesy hard rock and AOR sounding metal and as such far from my cup of tea.
But this new album from Inglorious (it's named "II") is really hitting the spot. Holy crap, what a singer! Soulful,
nuanced blues rock crooning like noone really does well anymore. This singer is a real find for this band and
they would be crazy not to keep him. It reminds me of the much Underrated Black Sabbath album
Seventh Star where Glenn Hughes was on the microphone.
I like this. I really do.

Moving on to Laura Nyro, whom I up until recently still wasn't sure what to think about. I got the album
Christmas and the Beads of Sweat on CD and it settled the score; Laura Nyro is amazing!

It is worth mentioning that it's not actually a Christmas album. It's an oddly proggy (or perhaps just scattershot)
variant of what I've heard from her before, which means a lot of soul, gospel and folk influences mingling
together, and this time into something wonderful. The recording quality is audibly limited; producing crackles and hissing when
the vocals hit the top, but despite that, there's a fantastic vibe to this album. I won't post any track in particular,
but simply suggest that anyone curious enough takes the plunge and listens to the whole thing.

That's it for now, but I would like to do more before another month passes. It's not that hard and yet it is. Sigh.

08-28-2017, 07:00 AM	#14 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,636	It's been a month since I posted something last. So much for doing this more regularly... I'm not kidding when I say that I mostly manage to keep going because I know that Trollheart's beady, disapproving eyes might be watching and counting contributions. Once he decides to stop doing a monthly round up of journal posts, I think it's time to stick a shovel in it and no one wants that to happen. I've been checking out a ton of different things, so I'll try and see if I can remember some highlights. Following Anteater's lead, I've bought Nicky Holland's self-titled album. I'm listening to it for the first time as I type this. Seems promising so far. Only momentarily a bit too adult-contemporary in style. Mostly, it's smooth and subtly jazzy in ways that make it really appealing to me. The Ladykiller is a fantastic song. Running Around is a good example of that sort of smooth laid-backness I find very appealing about this album - but which I also expect would work like a deterrent for 95% of the users in here. Maybe Trollheart could dig it? I'm not so sure. I've been listening to some more Cristina Branco (I'm getting predictable, I know) and I've got no less than 8 albums of hers since I discovered her just 2-3 months ago. Ulisses and Alegria are the two newest albums that I got my hands on. Trying to pick a standout track from two excellent albums, my thoughts immediately go to the first track on Alegria, namely the song Alice no país dos matraquilhos . I'll try not to embed too many videos here but this one is a must-listen! If you can't appreciate this, you need to work on your damn tastes. Just kidding, I don't really believe that, but part of me wants to. It's just so... absolutely gorgeous... Give it a listen, or I'll come to your house and show you the bottom of your toilet bowl. In other news, Amazon informed me through it's endless stream of spammy newsletters that Joan Osborne is coming out with an album of Bob Dylan covers. It just so happens to be that I consider Joan Osborne among my favorite artists, but alas, I do so solely on the strenght of her debut album, Relish. One of the many excellent tracks on that gem of an album is the Bob Dylan cover The Man in the Long Black Coat, so I figured that perhaps this album was worth giving a chance. Maybe coming back to Dylan is exactly what I need her to do if I am to care about her new music. Then there's all that music I've been checking out on Youtube. I don't own a single album with neither Gojira or Leprous, but their newest music (from 2016 and 2017 respectively) is doing much more for me than any of what they've done previously. I'll just post a link to a few of the tracks that have me considering actually getting their newest album: Gojira - Stranded Gojira - Silvera Leprous - Illuminate Leprous - From the Flame Next, up; I bumped into an album from Frontiers Music that I actually think I might like... It might not shock you, but it does shock me. The Frontiers Music label is all about cheesy hard rock and AOR sounding metal and as such far from my cup of tea. But this new album from Inglorious (it's named "II") is really hitting the spot. Holy crap, what a singer! Soulful, nuanced blues rock crooning like noone really does well anymore. This singer is a real find for this band and they would be crazy not to keep him. It reminds me of the much Underrated Black Sabbath album Seventh Star where Glenn Hughes was on the microphone. I like this. I really do. Moving on to Laura Nyro, whom I up until recently still wasn't sure what to think about. I got the album Christmas and the Beads of Sweat on CD and it settled the score; Laura Nyro is amazing! It is worth mentioning that it's not actually a Christmas album. It's an oddly proggy (or perhaps just scattershot) variant of what I've heard from her before, which means a lot of soul, gospel and folk influences mingling together, and this time into something wonderful. The recording quality is audibly limited; producing crackles and hissing when the vocals hit the top, but despite that, there's a fantastic vibe to this album. I won't post any track in particular, but simply suggest that anyone curious enough takes the plunge and listens to the whole thing. That's it for now, but I would like to do more before another month passes. It's not that hard and yet it is. Sigh. Last edited by MicShazam; 08-28-2017 at 07:36 AM.