SOUNDTRACK: PINO PALLADINO + BLAKE MILLS-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #225 (June 17, 2021).
This is a mellow, jazzy set with four musicians all playing at equal strength. I’ve only heard of Blake Mills (although I might be getting him mixed up with Buck Meek or James Blake or Mike Mills). But apparently I should know more of them.
Pino Palladino is a prolific bassist whose sound you’re already intimately acquainted with (even if you don’t know it). Blake Mills, a guitarist and two-time Grammy nominee for producer of the year, has an impressive catalog of his own. Together, in the studio, the topshelf sidemen are in their element, distilling the sonic creativity that is the first release under Palladino’s name, Notes With Attachments.
“Just Wrong” opens the set
Eight pulsing calls from saxophonist Sam Gendel usher us into “Just Wrong“ a melodic meditation that unfolds like a blossom in timelapse. Guitar, bass, sax and Abe Rounds’ colorful dustings of percussion in this song are magical; we soar with the musicians through varied repetitions of the melody before they gently set us back on our feet.
All three musicians slowly play one note to start. Then Pino Palladino meanders up the neck of his fretless bass while Blake Mills plays higher and higher chords on the guitar. Then he switches to an interesting picked note melody while Abe Rounds adds gentle percussive bells. Sam Gendel on the sax plays the main lead while Paladino adds gentle harmonics. Eventually the drums get louder and Mills and Gendel seems to be responding to each other with leads. Gendel’s sax sounds like it’s processed in interesting ways, making unusual sounds.
“Ekuté,” is a tune that explores traditional West African music, jazz and rock influences with a few modern touches of technology.
A soft shaker opens the song as Palladino plays a fretted bass melody as a lead. Gendel starts adding in some swirling sax melodies before Mills throws in some cool wah wah guitar forms. As the song takes off it’s like a conversation between guitar and bass, both more or less playing lead. Gendel lays some random skronking sax notes over the bed the guitars lay down. Eventually the song settles into a nice groove while Mills plays a fascinatingly complex solo.
“Djurkel” the final offering in this set, is also experimental in nature. Palladino’s trademark bass sound lies in the cut, the fertile ground on which Mills, Gendel and Rounds dance dreamily around each other.
This one opens with sax and guitar washes before Palladino takes over with a cool lead bass line. Mills is playing a fretless guitar on this songs, allowing him to create a really interesting mix of sounds.
I really enjoyed the diverse amount of sounds and the mellow exploration that this set provided.
[READ: June 27, 2021] Heartstopper 3
I’ve really enjoyed this series so far and I’m quite pleased to see that there’s going to be another book after this.
This book centers around a school trip to Paris. Both Charlie and Nick had signed up already.
After Charlies’ mom signs the permission, he bashfully says he has something to tell them. His dad jokingly says “Are you trying to come out again, because we already know.” Charlie laughs and then tells them about Nick and his parents are very happy because they saw how much he liked him. But Nick is definitely banned from sleepovers forever now. (Dad, stop saying “hanky panky.”)
When Nick sees Charlie at school the next day, Nick tells him that he came out to his mum last night and she was really supportive, too. They share a kiss and Nick jokes tat kissing at school is still a terrible idea.
In a later scene Nick’s friends Christian, Sai and Otis apologize to Nick for what happened that night when Nick got into the fight with Harry–they admit that they should have told Harry to fuck off. They all agree that they like Charlie and the four are friends again. When Nick walks away one of them says what was I supposed to say we know you and Charlie are a thing and that’s fine??
Later, after the rugby coach sees the two of them kissing, she calls Nick into her office After offering him the position of captain, she says that she met her wife at university.
People gave us a lot of shit. Things are a little better now but you never know.
It’s a nice moment.
Followed by an unpleasant one, when Nick’s brother has come home from university. He says to Nick that he is talking to Charlie to meet the guy who turned his brother gay. It turns ugly with Charlie lamenting why does being out have to be so complicated.
But there’s the Paris trip, which is definitely going to be cool. The chaperones say…no rooming between boys and girls which gets groans from everyone except for Tara and Darcy and Charlie and Nick.
Nick and Charlie have more pressing issues–like how to tell Charlie’s friends that he and Nick are together. They tell Aled and he is happy and says they weren’t that secretive after all. {A little later Aled admits to Charlie that he is seeing a boy as well, but he didn’t say anything because he saw what Charlie went through]. But he says not to tell Tao yet because Tao might have accidentally outed Charlie last year–he’s a chatterbox and someone might have overheard him.
Charlie tells Nick that it’s okay and he’s not mad at Tao but it was really tough for him for awhile. And in one of the saddest moments in the book, Charlie admits that eh used to cut himself
Then its off to Paris. Nick and Charlie are not goin to share a bed, but Nick says it’s okay they’ll get to do it one day. I Mean not do it, share a bed. (Embarrassed giggles all around).
In a nice subplot, Tao and Elle finally admit to each other that they like each other they are pretty adorable).
In another subplot we get to met the two teachers on the Paris trip Mr Ajayi teaches art at Higgs and Mr Farouk teaches physics at Truham. They are very funny with Mr Farouk commenting that he needs an alcoholic drink. Mr Ajayi says they probably shouldn’t drink alcohol. “I need a croissant then.”
While the kids are out and about we discover that Nick speaks perfect French because his dad is French
Tara and Charlie have a little chat. He admits that he was afraid that she and Nick were an item but she says she was never into guys. Then he asks how she came out and she says they just got ore and more comfortable being together in public and they loved each other and themselves enough not to care what others said or thought.
Later that night Nick gives Charlie a love bite and of course the whole bus knows about it soon enough…. but nobody knows how it happened. But when one of the guys from Nick’s year asks if the love bite was from him, he says “So what it if t was Are you jealous?” And it shuts them all up and Charlie gets all hearty and fluttery . And weirdly enough Harry sticks up for them. There’s a funny moment later when Tao says why didn’t you just borrow some make up from the girls. There follows: “arrows pointing at both of them: “did not think of that.”
Later the adults catch Nick and Charlie hanging out in the hall and shuffle them off to bed. Mr Ajayi says to Farouk you never snuck off with a boy on a school trip when he was their age? Farouk says when you don’t come to terms with your sexuality until your mid twenties you tend to miss out on all those beautiful gay teenage experiences. That recent? You’re only 26 now, right?
Yup. Probably a little late for me to have any youthful moments of discovery
I don’t think there’s an age limit on those to be honest
Ha, you flirting with me?
Maybe.
Eventually Charlie tells Tao and he’s excited but a little hurt that it took so long for Charlie to say anything. Charlie feels bad about that for awhile. But he feels even worse because he hasn’t been eating. Nick has noticed and tries to bring it up but didn’t know how to. It’s not until Charlie passes out that things get serious. So Charlie has major issues–he says he feels like he needs to control his eating when things get out of hand in other places–like schoolwork.
Nick says Charlie can always to talk to him about that Charlie says he doesn’t want to burden Nick–doesn’t want Nick to feel like he needs to fix Charlie. Nick says he’s not a doctor; he’s a boyfriend.
On the last night its Darcy’s birthday and they are forbidden form getting alcohol. But they do and they have a big party. Charlie has a sip of vodka:
Literally why would anyone pay for that.
Nick tries some
It tastes like metal.
At the party Harry tries to apologize for what happened at the cinema and Charlie stands up for himself: “I’m glad you’ve realized the error of your ways, but it’s not my job to give you a gold star. People like you made my life hell last year and I don’t have to forgive anyone for any of it. So congrats on your incredibly difficult realization that gay people actually do have feelings, and have a nice life.” He gets a round of applause from his friends.
The party turns to truth or dare and some truths are revealed but when someone asks Charlie who gave him the love bite he refuses to say. Then Nick admits it was him. Later, on the bus one of the kids asks if it’s true and then says “That’s so cool.”
Darcy gets very ill from drinking but the teachers are willing to believe it is food poisoning.
On the ride home Charlie Googles “how to tell someone i love you,” but Nick Googles “eating disorders.” So even though it’s a sweet wonderful story, everyone has some kind of problem to deal with.
The end pages gives bios of the kids in the book as well as insights into Nicks room –fairly lights, beanbag (wee Bellie loves to sleep on it) and posters of rugby and motor racing. Charlie’s room has books, posters (of books) and his drum kit
Then there’s mini comic called “The First Day.” It’s when Elle first appears as a girl. Tao says she looks so good and they have a wonderfully sweet moment in which they said they’d miss each other even though they are just down the road from each other. It’s adorable and very sweet.
Onward to Book 4!
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