Faye Webster: I Know I'm Funny Haha

Faye Webster has completely blown me away again with another record. I Know I'm Funny Haha is even silkier smooth than her last record. The Atlanta native lets you know just how much heart glow you are in for with the opening track. 

Lucy Dacus: Home Video

Richmond Virginia's own Lucy Dacus has released her third record and it's her most diverse yet. Home Video showcases a wide variety of musical styles ranging from acoustic think pieces to indie drone. The range is what impresses me the most. Check out the difference between these two tracks.

A must have, Summer 2021 record. 

Rose City Band: Earth Trip (Album of the Week)

Guitarist Ripley Johnson is quite the musical treasure. Between Wooden Shjips and Moon Duo, one would figure the dude has made his mark on the musical world. But the San Francisco native needed another outfit to get out some mellow, psychedelic vibes about his current home base of Portland. And that's exactly what Rose City Band is all about. 

Earth Trip is a gem from start to finish. I wish it were longer but the eight tracks that are on it are quite amazing. It's a perfect summer record.

Here is one of my favorite tracks, a perfect primer for the feel of the album...

Hiss Golden Messenger: Quietly Blowing It

Americana Music has seeped into my soul over the last few years. Perhaps it's age or wisdom. Maybe both. But the genre is very connective and I love it. Hiss Golden Messenger is a shining example of why this style and music is a must in any serious collection.  

Their latest record, Quietly Blowing It, is a great primer for those who are beginners to the genre. Dive in, folks! This is a truly great band!!

Steely Dan: Aja

The first time I heard Steely Dan's Aja I was 10 years old. It spoke to me very deeply not merely about the current state of the world in 1977 but about what my future might look like. It was a universe filled with cool vibes, cocktails, gorgeous women, and somewhat sinister men. All of this is perfectly captured in the third track, "Deacon Blues," the story of a complete loser who thinks he is the bomb. 

I really wanted to be this guy when I was younger. As I aged, I got what Fagan was doing with the lyrics (men's warped perception of reality) and while I didn't want to be him anymore, I did want to just be that vibe that I hoped was the song. "Deacon Blues" is really the heart and soul of the album and it's this track that is its core. 

The tone setter, though, is the opening number, "Black Cow." It warp speed sucks you into a red, velvet lounge with a Felliniesque cast of characters. The level of detail in the lyrics is astoundingly descriptive. You don't imagine you are there. You ARE there. 

Steve Gadd's drum solo on the title track is proof positive that there is a god. "Aja" is a mystical tune that sends you into that universe of cool silk and then becomes iconoclastic with his drumming, a tour de force in every sense of the word.

 

"Peg" is the big hit, not that Steely Dan needed another one at that point in time. This track is a perfect capsule of AM Gold in the 1970s. It gets overlooked quite a bit because of how much radio time its seen Truly, an amazing piece of music. 

"Home at Last" and "I Got The News" get lost in the shuffle sometimes The former is vintage Dan with its lilt and sway. The latter is the clear OG for Joe Jackson's Night and Day record. The bridge featuring Michael McDonald on b vox struts and moves like a Broadway show. 

"Josie" closes out the record in a hopeful and honest way. I imagine what this character is like and every listen for the last forty-four years has added a new layer to her. I can smell the colors of the five borough neighborhood in which she lives. 

Aja is seven tracks of sheer joy. When my dad was a radio producer in the late 70s, he would let me pretend to be a DJ in one of the practice studios. I would play every track on this record in my imaginary show and as I did, that little wide eyed kid in Kenosha, Wisconsin dreamt of the world of the Big City...

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Butterfly 3000

Melbourne dynamos King Gizzard the Lizard Wizard continue their dragon level output of music with Butterfly 3000. This record sees an expansion of their psychedelic pop explorations into futuristic synth sounds. There are also eastern influences heard throughout the record.

KG has become one of my favorite bands of the last few years. They show no signs of being anything less than awesome. 

Jam & Lewis: Jam & Lewis, Volume One (Album of the Week)

This week's pick for Album of the Week brings with it a profound sense of honor and deep joy. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are hometown heroes for me. The Time is the greatest funk band of all time. It's been far too long since this duo released new music and now it's finally here.

80's and 90's R&B with STYLE!!

Volume One has a variety of guest stars and is completely amazing but it's really the last track that has me over the moon. Morris Day sings lead with Jerome Benton acting as his audio valet (as always). The Roots are also featured on this track. 

What Time is it?!??

The Lounge Society : Silk For the Starving

The West Yorkshire outfit, The Lounge Society, has a massively wonderful debut EP out called Silk For the Starving. It's a pop and dance gift with a dash of basement thrash thrown in for good measure. 

I'll be keeping my eye on this band. They sound like all the other great Brit bands when each first started out. 

Here is the opening track...

Kings Of Convenience: Peace or Love

Bergen, Norway's own Kings of Convenience are back with a most wonderful record. Peace or Love has a cafe vibe that is suiting me quite well right now. Chill down, dudes. 

My favorite track is a song that makes me remember what it was like to be in love and not have that feeling returned. 

The Magic Castles: Sun Reign (Album of the Week)

Minneapolis has been home to many great bands over the years. It's also my hometown so groups that come from here are extra special for me. 

The next great band from Minneapolis will be The Magic Castles. I'm a sucker for psychedelic pop but their music goes well beyond that (in a similar way to The Verve). Their latest record is called Sun Reign and it's their best yet. 

Seriously, a stunner...

Mammoth WVH: Mammoth WVH

Wolfgang Van Halen, son of the great guitarist Eddie Van Halen, has released a corker of a record with his new outfit, Mammoth WVH. It makes me so happy that people are still making guitar driven power pop. Fans of 80s hair bands will love this one. 

Seriously, good stuff! 

Bill Patten: A Muse In Sunglasses (Original Soundtrack)

Today I'm going to get very local and personal. I recently got back into filmmaking and had my friend Bill Patten compose and perform the soundtrack for the project. The album is available on Bandcamp.

And here is the film. Check it out!

James: All The Colours of You

James is an OG Brit Rock band in so many ways. Heck, they were an 80s band! And then they made glorious music in the 90s that stood up with all the greats of the official Brit Rock decade. 

Their 16th Album, All The Colours of You, just dropped and it's fantabulous. I actually chuckled a few times in thinking about how James was Coldplay before there was a Coldplay. 

Here is a live performance of one of my favorite tracks from the record...

Ryan Adams: Big Colors (Album of the Week)

Ryan Adams has released his second of a promised three albums for the calendar year 2021. Big Colors is an excellent continuation of his deep dive into late 70s, early 80s AM gold. I guess this is officially a genre now, right? I think Ryan actually started it with his self-titled 2014 record. 

This record is a lot more upbeat than Wednesdays, his late 2020, early 2021 release. Every track is pure pop heaven. Here is one of my favorites...

Greentea Peng: Man Made

London's own Greentea Peng has essentially invented a new sound. Psychedelic R&B. My two most favorite genres of music! Her first full length, Man Made, just dropped in early June and it has been in heavy rotation at my house. Her music has taken me on many inner and outer journeys. 

Here is a live version of one of my favorite tracks on the record.