Steve Mason: Fox On The Rooftop (Track of the Week)

Edinburugh's own Steve Mason (formerly of the Beta Band) has kicked off 2019 with a corker of an album. About The Light is 10 tracks of pure delight. The diverse styles on this record really struck me. It's not he really doesn't want to be pinned down to a genre anymore and I love it! Also, the album cover is bloody mags...

Here's the best track...

Joe Jackson Is No Fool

I've been a fan of Joe Jackson from day one. For four decades, the Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire man has been a staple of my musical autobiography, supplying a soundtrack to nearly every phase of my life in an incredibly diverse way. From punk pop and scat jazz to samba love and heavily orchestrated pop, Joe has been there delivering stunning aural landscapes.

His latest effort, Fool, is an excellent piece of work. Working with the a fantastic four piece band, the eight songs on this record are stellar. They all represent the various phases of his career. "Fabulously Absolute" could be on Look Sharp!. "32 Kisses" could be from the Night and Day/Body and Soul era. "Alchemy" sounds like a lost track from Blaze of Glory. Yet, they all sound fresh and groundbreaking at the same time.

My favorite track channels Joe's inner Burt Bacharach.



My only beef with the album is that it is only eight tracks but given that his last album, Fast Forward, had sixteen tracks, I shouldn't complain.

Joe is on a world tour. Check him out if he comes to your town. I had the pleasure of seeing him last summer and it was bloody mags!

Kurt Vile: Lost Treasure of 2018

Philadelphia's own Kurt Vile is truly an American treasure. His music has very subtly defined the last decade of indie music. Both his solo work and his stuff with The War on Drugs have been magnificent. Bottle It In dropped in the fall of 2018 and I hearted every single minute of it.

Here's the opening track...

The Essex Green: Lost Treasure of 2018

Brooklyn has always been a center of modern culture and The Essex Green are a shining example of this. Hardly Electronic dropped last year and I played it a few times only to recently rediscover its magic. I've always been a fan of that lost genre of psychedelic folk pop (The Left Banke and Fairport Convention) so it's nice to see that making a come back.

Here's one of the many great tracks...

The English Beat: Lost Treasure of 2018

It's been 36 years since The English Beat released a new record so it was nice to see a new LP of fab ska tunes drop in 2018. Dave Wakeling decided it was time so he sent out a request from fans to fund the making of the album and guess what? We paid for it!!

The whole 13 track offering, Here We Go Love, is bloody mags. It draws one back to those halcyon days of the early 80's when rude boys and rude girls danced their asses off at late night parties. If there weren't so many great records last year, it might have made my Top 21. Regardless, it's still magnificent.

Here's the opening track which showcases how strong of a live band they still are. I think they've been touring non stop for the last 20+ years!!