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Mireille Silcoff–“Upholstery” (The Walrus, July/August 2018)

Posted in Cars, Marriage Trouble, Mireille Silcoff, NonComm, Phosphorescent, Racism, Religion, Short Story, Telekinesis, The Walrus, World Cafe Live, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA on May 15, 2019| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: PHOSPHORESCENT-NonCOMM 2019 (May 14, 2019).

A couple of years ago I had a pass to NonComm, but ultimately I decided not to go.  I had never been to World Cafe Live and, while it sounded like a fun time, it was just so many mid-week nights and lots of leaving early, that it sounded more exhausting than fun.

I have now been to World Cafe Live and I can imagine that the (less divaish) bands are hanging around talking to people (and radio personalities) which is probably pretty cool.

I love the idea of these sorta personal concerts, too.  But I have since come to see that they are 20-45 minutes tops.  Hardly worth driving 90 minutes (one-way) for.

But since the shows are streaming you can watch them live.  Or you can listen to the recorded version online.

I’ve been aware of Phosphorescent for a number of years but I seem to have him/them confused with another band (Telekinesis–a one word band name that is actually just one person, who also put out a new album this year).  Phosphorescent is the project of Matthew Houck and in this performance it’s just him on the acoustic guitar.  I’m not sure what he normally plays live, but during this set he said, “this is the first time I’ve played an acoustic guitar for a concert in 20 years, probably.  It feels pretty weird up here at the moment.”

Recently, Phosphorescent has had a big single on WXPN called “New Birth in New England” which I love.

He opened with “C’est La Vie No. 2” off his latest album C’est La Vie.  His delicate strumming paired perfectly with his lyrics, which I especially liked;

C’est La Vie they say but i don’t know what it means
I say love’s easy if you let it be

“My Beautiful Boy” has a wonderful guitar melody (clearly it is about his becoming a father).  Even though his lyrics are thoughtful and somewhat serious, he was a charming frontman, staying “this song is about rocks.  It’s called ‘These Rocks.'”

He told us “New Birth in New England” doesn’t go on an acoustic guitar by itself.  But it will tonight.   It sounds wonderful in this stripped down version, although I prefer the recorded version.

The last song of the set was “Song For Zula,” a track from Phosphorescent’s 2013 album Muchacho.  I didn’t realize this was his song which I really liked back when it came out.  It’s really beautiful and, once again I like the way he plays with existing lyrics to make them his own.

and it showcased the strength of his vocals as he belted it out for the crowd before making his way off stage. The hearty applause was fitting for the wholesomely low-key set. Give C’est La Vie a listen now and check out Phosphorescent on tour this summer.

Some say love is a burning thing
That it makes a fiery ring
Oh but I know love as a fading thing
Just as fickle as a feather in a stream
See, honey, I saw love,
You see it came to me.

Now if I can keep his name straight, I’ll have to listen to him a bit more.

[READ: May 3, 2019] “Upholsetry”

The July/August issue of The Walrus is the Summer Reading issue.  This year’s issue had three short stories and three poems as special features.

I loved this story.

I love the dysfunctional families involved in it and I love the way it is circular while still moving forward. Plus it’s darkly comic.

The narrator, Iris, says that when she told her mother (whom she calls Judy, never mom) that she was going marry Thom, Judy didn’t hesitate to say that he was a car crash waiting to happen.  Judy is a psychologist not a fortune-teller.  But her words proved to be literally true–Thom was in a car accident with Iris in the car.  Iris fractured her skull.  Somehow, Thom still wore the T-shirt he was wearing during the accident–and he assures her that the faded pink spot is not blood.

Thom is extremely smart and was rewarded out of college with many luxury job offers.  He turned them all down to teach at McGill College. The accident left Iris with some brain injury, so going back to her job wasn’t really an option.  (more…)

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Troy Sebastian–“Tax Niʔ Pik̓ak (A Long Time Ago)” (The Walrus, July/August 2018)

Posted in Anachronisms, Black Pumas, Canadian Content, David Thompson, Explorers, First Nations, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Hockey Night in Canada, Ktunaxa, NonComm, Nupqu ʔa·kǂ am̓, Short Story, The Walrus, Translation, Troy Sebastian, World Cafe Live, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA on May 14, 2019| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: BLACK PUMAS-NonCOMM 2019 (May 14, 2019).

A couple of years ago I had a pass to NonComm, but ultimately I decided not to go.  I had never been to World Cafe Live and, while it sounded like a fun time, it was just so many mid-week nights and lots of leaving early, that it sounded more exhausting than fun.

I have now been to World Cafe Live and I can imagine that the (less divaish) bands are hanging around talking to people (and radio personalities) which is probably pretty cool.

I love the idea of these sorta personal concerts, too.  But I have since come to see that they are 20-45 minutes tops.  Hardly worth driving 90 minutes (one-way) for.

But since the shows are streaming you can watch them live.  Or you can listen to the recorded version online.

Black Pumas was the opening band on the opening night.  They play and exciting and fun psychedelic soul.

It is hard not to be moved by Eric Burton’s powerful voice. Joining Burton onstage was production partner and guitarist Adrian Quesada, as well as a bassist, keyboardist, and two backing vocalists. The whole band moved as a unit, but each member added their own unique talents, making Black Pumas’ sound undeniably theirs.

The set mostly comprised of songs from the band’s upcoming self titled debut, due June 21st.

“Next 2U” had some great keyboards and Burton’s impassioned vocals.  “Colors” showcased their ability to slow things down a bit and to lean into improvisation.  There was a grooving guitar solo and a cool keyboard solo.  There was even more grooving on “Black Moon Rising.”  I enjoyed Burton giving us the occasional falsetto “AH!” at the end of the verses.

I really couldn’t believe how young these guys turned out to be because their sound is really old-school, but with enough of a modern twist to keep it from being retro.

“Fire” opened with a cool guitar riff before backing away from the rock a bit to allow the big harmony vocals to really soar.

The final song “Etta James” was surprising because it was more like a Rock n’ Roll shuffle–a fast bass line running through the quick verses.   It’s when the soulful chorus comes in that Etta James surfaces both in the lyrics and in the soul of the song.   Although the scorching guitar solo brings the song back around to its rocking sensibility.

Black Pumas sound like a great live band that would be even more fun to see than to hear.

[READ: May 2, 2019] “Tax Niʔ Pik̓ak (A Long Time Ago)”

The July/August issue of The Walrus is the Summer Reading issue.  This year’s issue had three short stories and three poems as special features.

This story was written by Troy Sebastian / Nupqu ʔa·kǂ am̓, a Ktunaxa writer living in Lekwungen territory based in Victoria.  It’s not often that I read a story with a glossary, but it was very helpful, because this story uses a number of Ktunaxa words.

  • tax niʔ pik̓ak—a long time ago
  • Ka titi—grandmother
  • suyupi—white people
  • ka·pi—coffee
  • Kupi—owl
  • Ktunaxa ʔamak̓is—Ktunaxa lands

The story starts fairly simply, a long time ago.  Uncle Pat says that the suyupi have built a statue of David Thompson.

(more…)

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Lauren Groff–“Brawler” (New Yorker, May 13, 2019)

Posted in Diving, Hocketing, Hospitals, Lauren Groff, New Yorker, OHMME, Parenting, Shoplifting, Short Story, Swimming, Tiny Desk Concert on May 13, 2019| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: OHMME-Tiny Desk Concert #848 (May 9, 2019).

It’s not very often that I have seen a band before I have seen their Tiny Desk Concert (most of the time it’s the Tiny Desk Concert that makes me want to see the band). But I saw OHMME open for Jeff Tweedy last year and they were amazing.

This Tiny Desk captures most of that amazingness with some difference. Like in our show, Sima Cunningham (white guitar) and Macie Stewart (blue guitar) sang and played guitar (intensely fuzzed out guitar).  But at our show, one of them played violin for a few songs, which is not used here, and here they have a drummer, Matt Carroll.

When Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart fired up their angular guitar sounds during soundcheck at the Tiny Desk, I was thrilled. The shrieking, rhythmic noise these two classically trained musicians make as Ohmme is what made their debut album, Parts, a musical highlight for me in 2018. But hearing them in the office, trading vocals with such ping-pong precision, sent me into euphoria. This is now one of my all-time favorite Tiny Desk concerts.

Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart, along with drummer Matt Carroll, steer clear of rock music clichés that plague so much of the music I hear these days. Their adventurous spirit is sometimes challenging. But it opens a window on what the voice can be. It also redefines what the guitar can do — at one moment it’s a stuttering percussive instrument, the next it’s a bed of noise with a harsh tone that somehow morphs its way into the melody.

This show has four songs (!)  Yay!  Sixteen minutes of songs from an artist I like.

“Water” is the song that blew my mind when I saw them live.  That amazing buzzy guitar sound, the way the guitars morph and change, the way the bridge is harsh and alienating, the noise-filled “solo” and then of course, the hocketing.  I am frankly shocked that the blurb doesn’t talk about the hocketing:

the rhythmic linear technique using the alternation of notes, pitches, or chords. In medieval practice of hocket, a single melody is shared between two (or occasionally more) voices such that alternately one voice sounds while the other rests.

Both Sima and Macie alternate notes in a beautiful yet disorienting melody.  And the wonderfully noise-filled guitar solo that Macie plays is such a wonderful contrast to the catchy melody of the song.  It’s a stunning song.

“Icon” is a simpler song–on the surface.  The verses are a simple up and down melody–soothing and familiar.  But the chorus just takes off with high notes and an unexpected emphasis on the words “I want a new icon.”

“Parts” has Macie playing a looping guitar line while Sima plays a low bass-ish part.  They sing in harmony with Sima taking some occasional low notes.   This song has some very cool dramatic slow downs and build ups combined with wonderful lyrics.

My bloody Mary had arrived and so I bent into the pain
He can’t believe all the distortions I put my body in
Like an acrobat and banshee decided to inhabit
The same fleshy husk and it’s my job to stand it
A fly with a vengeance kept landing like a dancer
He must have had a grudge for some dead ancestor
I smashed last summer in a fit of rage
I don’t like little things touching my face

Sima also takes very pretty guitar solo on this one.

The final song “Grandmother” goes out to their grandmothers whom they love very much.  After a quiet opening (featuring Sima’s wonderful vocals), the song takes off in a three note rocking motif (with Sima scratching up and down her guitar for interesting sound effects).  Then Macie takes off with a noise-fueled guitar solo that would make any 90s band proud.

They are wonderful live and I can’t wait to see them again.

[READ: May 13, 2019] “Brawler”

I enjoyed Groff’s book of short stories recently, so I was intrigued to read this one as well.  And it features Groff’s unique peculiarities of subject and outlook.

Sara was on the diving team.  As the story opens, Sara is late for the match (but has not missed it).  She was in detention for getting in a fight–her knuckles were bloody and raw.  But she snuck out of detention when the moderator fell asleep.  Her coach called her “Brawler.”

Sara had originally been on the swimming team, but she was caught “brushing the boys’ junk in their Speedos with her hand as they swam by in the next lane.”  Diving suited her more, anyway.

Her dive was a success, even if she had to cover her minor foul with her bloodied knuckles (apparently the back of her head had grazed the board). (more…)

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Robert Llewellyn–The Man on Platform 5 (1998)

Posted in Autographs, Consumerism, Fears, Feminism, Funny (ha ha), Humiliation, Jealousy, Marriage (Happy), Marriage Trouble, Morality, Neurotics, Racism, Red Dwarf, Regrets, Relationships, Robert Llewellyn, Romance, Sex, Sexism, Sisters, Technology, The Tallest Man on Earth, Trains, Trainspotting, Virginity (Loss of), Work on May 12, 2019| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH-“I’m a Stranger Now” (2019).

I’ve enjoyed The Tallest Man on Earth and I’ve been looking forward to seeing him live for a while.  I’ve actually had really back luck with his tours.  One time something came up on the night I was supposed to see him.  Another time he had to cancel his tour.  But, with luck, I will get to see Kristian Matsson live.

The Tallest Man on Earth sings simple folk songs.  The greatness of his songs comes from his voice and delivery.  There’s something about his voice and his style that is steeped in American folk, but the fact that he’s from Sweden changes his outlook and his accent.

This song from his album I Love You, It’s a Fever Dream follows in the style he is known for–spare, simple melodies and his often wordy lyrics.

Starting with fast acoustic chords (played high on the neck), Kristian begins singing in his familiar but unique style.  The bridge ends with a fast vocal melody that is a pure hook that leads to the singalong titular chorus.

After three minutes, the song slows down to a quiet guitar melody and near-whispered vocals.

[READ: May 1, 2019] The Man on Platform 5

I know Robert Llewellyn from the show Red Dwarf, of which I am a huge fan.

In fact, I didn’t know anything about this story, but I figured if Kryten wrote it, it must be good.  I had read his memoir, the wonderfully titled Thin He Was and Filthy Haired, and I was sure I had read this at the time as well.  But evidently not, because when I started flipping through it I realized I didn’t know a thing about this story.  I also see that he has written quite a lot more in the last two decades.

It seems fairly obvious from the get go that this story is a gender reversing story of Pygmalion or My Fair Lady.  Instead of a man trying to improve a woman, in this story, a woman is trying to “improve” a man.  In some ways it’s very modern and progressive and in other ways it’s pretty stuck in gender stereotypes.  But hey it was the 90’s, before writers were enlightened.

The man who needs bettering is Ian Ringfold.  He is a trainspotter!  (I love that Llewellyn made that his hobby as I have heard of it but never knew exactly what it entailed).  He loves obscure facts, dry goods (he works in a supermarket) and being incredibly dorky.  He is deeply into what he likes and genuinely can’t understand why other people wouldn’t like those things.

Enter Gresham and Eupheme.  They are half-sisters and have spent pretty much their entire lives squabbling.  Their train breaks down on the same platform that Ian is currently trainspotting.  Eupheme, the more humane one of the two, bets Gresham that she can turn this sad “anorak” into a “useful member of society.”  Gresham says it cannot be done.  Eupheme (who is short on funds) says that if she can turn this loser into someone that Gresham would fancy that Gresham would pay her a tidy sum.  (more…)

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Naguib Mahfouz–“Assassin” (Harper’s, January 2005)

Posted in Assassination, Death, Diet Cig, Feminism, Harper's, Prison, Raymond Stock, Short Story, Translation on May 11, 2019| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: DIET CIG-“Tummy Ache” (2019).

Diet Cig put on one of my favorite Tiny Desk Concerts.  I am really looking forward to seeing them live.  Singer/guitarist Alex Luciano has more energy than anyone I’ve seen.  And drummer Noah Bowman is a perfect foil for her.

As a duo, they play simple pop punk songs that are full of energy.  Their bio sums them up quite nicely.

Diet Cig are here to have fun. They’re here to tear you away from the soul-sucking sanctity of your dumpster-fire life and replace it with pop-blessed punk jams about navigating the impending doom of adulthood when all you want is to have ice-cream on your birthday.
But there’s also a deeper, more powerful fuck-you among the bangers that see Diet Cig grow into an unstoppable and inspiring force. “I’m not being dramatic, I’ve just fucking had it with the things that you say you think that I should be” spits Luciano on ‘Link in Bio’;

Over a four chord pattern, Luciano sings

Well i’m just a kid, a girl, a runt
And i’m starting to get real sick of
Trying to find my voice
Surrounded by all boys

Between verses the guitars get louder and play a slight variation before returning to verse two:

I’ve been yelling my whole life
And finally it’s time
to make my words count
In a way i haven’t quite figured out

And i don’t need a man
To hold my hand
And that’s just something you’ll never understand x2

The end of the song shifts tone while she quietly sings

And my stomach hurts
Cause it’s hard to be a punk while wearing a skirt

Then the instrumental passage above proves to be the music for this repeated refrain/chorus.  A simple, catchy and fun song with a message.  Can’t wait for them to come back around.

[READ: May 11, 2019] “Assassin”

Translated from the Arabic by Raymond Stock

This is the story of Bayumi.

He has been down and out and living as a beggar.  He’d been to prison, had no friends left and no way to make money.

He wondered how he could get out of this rut.

Then someone called out to him.  The man had Bayumi follow him and then asked indifferently if he would kill al-Hagg Abd al-Samad al-Habbani. (more…)

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Kevin Devine (Boot and Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, May 10, 2019)

Posted in Boot & Saddle, Cavetown, Frightened Rabbit, John K. Samson, Kevin Devine, Kevin Devine & The Goddamn Band, Kevin Devine and the Goddman Band, Nirvana, Petal, Philadelphia, PA, The Front Bottoms, Tom Petty on May 10, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 10, 2019] Kevin Devine

I saw Kevin Devine open for Frightened Rabbit back in 2017.  I didn’t know his music, but I really enjoyed his solo set.  When I heard that he was doing this tour with John K. Samson I was really excited to see him again.  I had hoped he’d be with His Goddman Band, but it turned out to be solo again.  I kind of assumed it would be with the band because of the new piece of merch (below) which I love but can’t imagine where you’d wear.

But it was excellent to see him not with the Goddamn Band because he was excellent solo.

Devine came out on stage to much applause.  He fiddled with the microphone stand and then said, you should be careful with your applause–what if I spend the whole night just tightening the mic stand.  Which he proceeded to do for another 40 seconds or so to much laughter until he admitted he couldn’t keep up the joke.

Devine played a song or more from nearly all of his nine albums as well as from his new split singles sets. (more…)

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John K. Samson (Boot and Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, May 10, 2019) [KEVIN DEVINE]

Posted in Boot & Saddle, John K. Samson, Philadelphia, PA, Steven Page, The Art of Time Ensemble, The Weakerthans on May 10, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 10, 2019] John K. Samson

I loved The Weakerthans from the moment I first heard “Civil Twilight” on a compilation and then on their album Reunion Tour.

I then went back and devoured the other three albums and loved the incredible lyrics that John K. Samson wrote.

Reunion Tour came out in 2007.  And that was the last anyone heard from The Weakerthans.  Well, not really, they put out a live album and toured some, but otherwise, that was pretty much it.  Sometime in 2014 they announced that they were more or less officially broken up.  So I figured I’d never get to see them live.

And I won’t.  But John K. Samson has been releasing solo albums since around 2009.  He has played Philly about three times in ten years.  And I was so excited to get a ticket to this show before it sold out.

The thing that made me so incredibly happy (aside from the play list) was that he sounded EXACTLY like he was supposed to.  I don’t mean that I don’t expect his voice to change over the years, but Samson has a distinctive voice and he sounded just like John K. Samson!

It was wonderful.

And the setlist was fantastic. (more…)

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Shannen Moser (Boot and Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, May 10, 2019) [KEVIN DEVINE]

Posted in Boot & Saddle, Girlpool, John K. Samson, Kevin Devine, Philadelphia, PA, Shannen Moser on May 10, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 10, 2019] Shannen Moser

It’s funny how some artists wind up as opening acts quite often.  In fact, there’s a number of bands that I could have seen many times because they opened for bands that I wanted to see.  I guess I haven’t wound up seeing all that many of these bands for whatever reason, but I do see the same opening bands popping up from time to time–especially if they are local.

A few weeks ago, Shannen Moser was scheduled to open for Girlpool, but I had to miss that show. And now a couple of weeks later, here she is opening for John K. Samson and Kevin Devine.

Shannen is from Berks County, PA.  She plays a simple kind of open-tuned guitar (such that a capo is all you need to make a chord sound good).  Some of her songs have a finger-picking section as well.

Her lyrics are personal and often pointed.

She told some amusing stories in between song–amusing stories that often led to rather dark songs.  She sings in a powerful style–with countryish inflections.

There were a few times when she sang so loud that I had to put earplugs in–which I did not need for the other two.  She had a song where she seemed to growl some of the lyrics as well.

It was a treat to hear her really let loose.

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Ivy Litvinov–“Wet Spring” (New Yorker, May 10, 1969)

Posted in Artists, Babies, Chicano Batman, Culture Shock, Ivy Litvinov, Marriage Trouble, New Yorker, Sex, Sexism on May 10, 2019| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: CHICANO BATMAN-“Pink Elephant” (2019).

I really liked Chicano Batman’s song “Friendship (is a Boat in a Storm).”  I liked its soft, chill vibe.  It didn’t sound like chill music though–it had an air of soul and funk about it.  I particularly enjoyed the organ sound.

They have a new album out and “Pink Elephant” is the first song I’ve heard from it.

This song is pretty peculiar even by their standards.  There’s a cool loping bass line from Eduardo Arenas and an unusual guitar riff from Carlos Arévalo.  The guitar is all high notes–like a solo, but playing a continual riff.  The sounds don’t meld exactly, but neither do they sound bass.  Bardo Martinez’ vocals are the same style of chill out vibe. There’s a lot going on and it’s really held together by Gabriel Villa’s drums.

The first time I heard this song I didn’t like it much, but subsequent listens have made it almost an earworm–so unusual and yet so catchy.  I miss the organ of the earlier song which seemed to hold everything together better.  No organ means it loses its psychedelic vibe, but it works really well as a different kind of song.

[READ: May 10, 2019] “Wet Spring”

I don’t know what made me look for a story from fifty years ago today, but here it is.

I’d never heard of Ivy Litvinov.  She was an English-Russian writer who died in 1977.  She wrote a couple of novels and a bunch of short stories.  Ten were published in the New Yorker and all were collected in She Knew She Was Right except for this one.

This story was a pretty horrifying look at married life.  I have to wonder how much of it was relatable fifty years ago and how much of it is just that the husband is an ass.

David and Theo were recently married (Theo is a woman, it’s not a progressive story).  David intended not to get married until he was established as a painter.  Theo was also a painter and planned to not get married until she was finished at the Slade (a fine arts school in London).

But mind and intentions suffered the usual defeat.

They met at a party, were married in the Spring and had a baby, Angela, by February.  Neither had achieved their stated goals.

Their apartment was small and crowded with their art supplies. (more…)

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Chris Bachelder–“Deep Wells, USA” (Harper’s, January 2005)

Posted in Chris Bachelder, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Harper's, Phish, Political Humor, Short Story, Tom Marshall, Trey Anastasio, Trey Anastasio Band on May 9, 2019| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: TREY ANASTASIO & TOM MARSHALL-Trampled By Lambs and Pecked By the Dove (2000).

This album is a collection of songs that Trey Anastasio and Tom Marshall recorded in a bunch of barns in Vermont back in 1997.  Most of the songs later appeared on the Phish albums The Story of the Ghost [GHOST] and Farmhouse [FARM]. A couple were recorded by Trey on his solo albums [TAB] and some were never properly recorded but have been played live many times [Live].

This collection was released in 2000 after the two proper albums came out and they give context for the songs and show just how fully formed most of the ideas were when the band recorded them.

“Brian and Robert” [GHOST] This version has a keyboard melody and backing washes.  “Limb by Limb” [GHOST]sounds a lot like the final product (same guitar sound) although Tom’s backing vocals aren’t anywhere near as good.  “Blue and Shiny” is a jazzy guitar song with the two singing in harmony.  It has apparently never shown up anywhere else.

“Twist” [FARM] is slower than the original but with all of the parts including the “Whoo!”  “Wading in the Velvet Sea” is a bit slower and of course less full than the final version. There’s sirens in the background which I can’t decide if they are intentional.  Although the liner notes say they were hundreds of miles from anyone else, so it’s unlikely they were police driving by.

“Farmhouse” [FARM] sounds just like the record except that Tom sings and the notes are a bit high for him.  “Saw It Again” [Live] is one of my favorite raw Phish songs.  I love hearing it every time they play it.  Although they’ve never recorded it for an album. This original version has the raw guitar sound and chanted vocals–a kernel of the final product.

“Piper” [FARM] is a 48 second nugget.  But it showcases the vocals in the round that are so awesome in the song.  “Flat Tornados” is another 48 second track.   But this one is just drums and a synth melody–nothing substantial.  “I Don’t Care” is a minute long  guitar piece.  Apparently it was played live twice and then never again.

“Windora Bug” [TAB] is an a capella piece of looped vocals (“Is that the wind.  Or a bug?  It’s a windora bug.”  The TAB version stretches out for ages and has a reggae feel.  “No Regrets” is a goof–lots of laughing and silliness over a heavy two note riff for all of 90 seconds.

“Water in the Sky” [GHOST] sounds the same except that they music here is more circusy than the final product.  But the melody and vocals are the same.  “Heavy Things” [FARM] sound pretty much the same, although with an acoustic guitar and no repeated high notes on the guitar (it’s nice to see that some things are still added afterward).

“Never” {TAB] is a pretty song with a quiet melody on synths.  “Vultures” [Live] is a quietly sing song with piano and guitar in a jazzy melody.

“Ghost”[GHOST] sounds very very different from the final version.  The vocal melody is the same but the guitar style is way different (the final product is much better).  “Dirt” [FARM] feels like the full song.  It’s quiet with whistling and a nice guitar solo.  “Driver” [FARM bonus] also sounds complete played on a quiet acoustic guitar.

“Sleep” [FARM] has the lovely guitar melody and gentle vocals.  “Olivia’s Pool” was later recorded on [GHOST as “Shafty”].  This is a bouncy jaunty jazzy version which is sung as “oblivious fool.”  “Somantin” is a full song (over three minutes long) but was never recorded anywhere else and has not been played live.  It’s mostly vocals in a round so I guess there’s not much to it.

“Bug” [FARM] is fully realized with guitar licks and piano riff all in place.  “Name” is a 2 minute quiet, simple country-sounding song.  I’m surprised he hasn’t recorded it on a solo album.  “Dogs Stole Things” [live] has never been recorded but it gets a lot of live workouts.  This version is slow and sloppy (although not that different from the live version).

This collection is really for die hards or people who like to see songs evolve.

[READ: May 9, 2020] “Deep Wells, USA”

This is the third time I’ve read this story.  The previous two times it didn’t really click with me, but this time I really liked it.

Word is out: A baby has been lost in a well!  The story has XXI sections (and an epilogue) in which we get to hear input from dozens of people involved directly or not with this crisis.

It is set up like a play, sort of, with “characters” speaking dialogue.  It begins with a Celebrity saying there is an unconfirmed report of a baby in a well.  Consumer: “Hot damn. I love well babies.”  And off we go.

The first eyewitness describes the baby as drunk with tattered clothing who fell in a box with sand in it.  That’s not a baby in a well.  That’s a wino in a sandbox. (more…)

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