THE JOURNEY CONTINUES.....
It's been a while since i wrote about any actual music on this blog, as recent events have conspired to take up much of my spare time. Between holidays, an injured missus, funerals and work, i've barely had time to listen to much music. But as the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and my passion for music has only increased. It might seem a bit trivial to some, but everybody needs an escape, even more so in times of darkness, and this is mine.
I have made several additions to my music library recently, mostly before current events began, some new and some old. A few weeks ago before my birthday i came into some extra funds, and the urge to splurge was hard to resist. So a trip to the few excellent record shops of Nottingham was in order, and my first visit was a tiny shop in a courtyard. Forever Records - set up by a former employee of the much missed and legendary Selectadisc who went on to manage the homeless charity-supporting Music Exchange - is a small independent specialist vinyl-only shop in Cobden Chambers near the Hockley area, and the relatively small amount of stock they carry belies the passion that goes into the place. Specialist releases from varied genres sit with reissues and second hand stock - i've picked up an old copy of "Love Song" by The Damned there before - and it really is a joy to browse the racks. My find this time round was a Trojan Records compilation called Duke Reid Golden Hits, a 2016 reissue of a 1969 release, featuring songs such as "Rock Steady" by Alton Ellis & The Flames, "Music Is My Occupation" by Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, and "Last Train To Expo '67" by The Melodians. It's in MONO too, which seems to give the classic Rocksteady and Ska a rawer edge.
After picking up a 7" picture disc of The Levellers' "This Garden" for the missus (she's a huge fan), i ventured on to Rough Trade, where after a good hours browsing i selected The Far Field, the new release from Baltimore synth-indie pop band Future Islands. I first took notice of them after seeing their animated performances on Jools Holland a couple of New Years Eves ago, playing their cracking single "Seasons (Waiting On You). After hearing several songs from the new long player i was eager to hear the whole album, and i wasn't disappointed. There's not a duff track on there, although "Ran", "Shadows" (featuring Debbie Harry) and "Time On Her Side" are my current favourites.
My other purchase on the black wax from RT was Adore Life by noise rock/post-punkers Savages. They're another band that have slowly grown on me over the last year or two, and after listening to a few tracks on Youtube i decided to buy their second album (when i find the first, 2013's Silence Yourself, on vinyl i'll be snapping it up), and found a collection of passionate, angular and propulsive post-punk anthems. The abrasive and angry guitars and the emotional singing provide a perfect counterpoint to one another, and the rhythm section are tight. Songs about love, lust, passion, hurt, and the joy of being alive, the best being "Adore", "Evil", "T.I.W.Y.G" and "The Answer".
I have made several additions to my music library recently, mostly before current events began, some new and some old. A few weeks ago before my birthday i came into some extra funds, and the urge to splurge was hard to resist. So a trip to the few excellent record shops of Nottingham was in order, and my first visit was a tiny shop in a courtyard. Forever Records - set up by a former employee of the much missed and legendary Selectadisc who went on to manage the homeless charity-supporting Music Exchange - is a small independent specialist vinyl-only shop in Cobden Chambers near the Hockley area, and the relatively small amount of stock they carry belies the passion that goes into the place. Specialist releases from varied genres sit with reissues and second hand stock - i've picked up an old copy of "Love Song" by The Damned there before - and it really is a joy to browse the racks. My find this time round was a Trojan Records compilation called Duke Reid Golden Hits, a 2016 reissue of a 1969 release, featuring songs such as "Rock Steady" by Alton Ellis & The Flames, "Music Is My Occupation" by Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, and "Last Train To Expo '67" by The Melodians. It's in MONO too, which seems to give the classic Rocksteady and Ska a rawer edge.
After picking up a 7" picture disc of The Levellers' "This Garden" for the missus (she's a huge fan), i ventured on to Rough Trade, where after a good hours browsing i selected The Far Field, the new release from Baltimore synth-indie pop band Future Islands. I first took notice of them after seeing their animated performances on Jools Holland a couple of New Years Eves ago, playing their cracking single "Seasons (Waiting On You). After hearing several songs from the new long player i was eager to hear the whole album, and i wasn't disappointed. There's not a duff track on there, although "Ran", "Shadows" (featuring Debbie Harry) and "Time On Her Side" are my current favourites.
My other purchase on the black wax from RT was Adore Life by noise rock/post-punkers Savages. They're another band that have slowly grown on me over the last year or two, and after listening to a few tracks on Youtube i decided to buy their second album (when i find the first, 2013's Silence Yourself, on vinyl i'll be snapping it up), and found a collection of passionate, angular and propulsive post-punk anthems. The abrasive and angry guitars and the emotional singing provide a perfect counterpoint to one another, and the rhythm section are tight. Songs about love, lust, passion, hurt, and the joy of being alive, the best being "Adore", "Evil", "T.I.W.Y.G" and "The Answer".
My final purchase from RT was on CD, the vinyl not being available. Another artist i only recently heard of, Hurray For The Riff Raff have been around for a decade or so, and are essentially a vehicle for singer-songwriter Alynda Segarra, a native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent who's spent years hopping freight trains and moving around the U.S, living in Nashville and New Orleans. All that travelling means she's soaked up quite a few musical influences, lending her rootsy Americana a more colourful feel - doo wop, Rock 'n' Roll, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Brazilian rhythms sit seamlessly alongside the Folk, Country and Roots music that Segarra has been honing for years, creating a sound that is easy on the ear without ever being boring, and creating a soundtrack to a story of a wandering soul - The Navigator of the title - who takes a journey through the boroughs of New York in search of her identity and her people. A very personal and political album that draws on Segarras' own heritage, looking to the past whilst posing questions about the future of her people in these times of gentrification and wall-building politicians. It's well worth your time.
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