Professional widow

Tori Amos - Boys for Pele (1996) ***

Nominated by: Tom  

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition:  In the Springtime of his Voodoo.

I'm not sure where to start with this album, Tom. Maybe with an admission that I have no idea what she's on about. That starts with the album title, Boys for Pele, and the cover image. That title isn't a song title so it must be a personal reference of some sort, but who knows what. The cover points to Tori having just killed what may be a peacock or a pheasant. She's been out in the mud barefoot and now she's reclining with a rifle across her lap with ripped pants and a snake at her feet. Clearly there are some heavy symbols at work here, and happiness is a warm gun, according to JL, but - what the hell??

The songs leave me equally non-plussed - maybe they are just sounds that match the rhythms (Neil Finn's modus operandi)? Probably not.  

The music? Well, I'm on shaky ground discussing music at the best of times. So, I can't comment on her musical prowess that much.

That leaves only my subjective opinions, I'm afraid. Generally, I enjoyed her expressive/emotional vocal style and her piano playing on solo sounding songs like Horses and Marianne. The early highlights for me were those two and Caught a Lite Sneeze.

Unfortunately, by the midpoint, it's a loooong album, my attention span drifted away each time somewhat, and all those slowish songs started morphing into each other until I came to, with the swinging In the Springtime of his Voodoo - my favourite song on the album. Dare I say it, it even sounds like fun.

That's my problem with the whole endeavour I think. There's not much to smile about here is there? Which I guess is fine, who am I to want to be entertained?

Ultimately, listening to the album felt like hard work without the empathetic payoff of understanding what she's on about.

This has been one of the hardest albums to listen to and sort out my feelings for. Which is why it's taken me so long to get my thoughts together. It's probably a great work of art and everyone loves it, but it just doesn't do it for me.

The storm, it's coming.

Glen Hansard - Rhythm and Repose (2012) ***

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Talking with the Wolves

GK is right - I'm a fan of GH. That comes on the back of my love for Once - both the film and the soundtrack, plus his on and off collaborations with Markéta Irglová in The Swell Season. Those albums and that Once soundtrack are my go to albums. I tend to find the solo Glen Hansard ones more problematic.

The cover art to R and R gives this first solo album away - pained and haunted for the most part.

Rhythm and Repose came after his breakup with Markéta Irglová. So, there's not a lot of up-beat joy on offer on the songs. 

I'm not averse to break-up albums - they can be cathartic experiences with visceral moments of angst along the way. I'm thinking of albums like Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago, Here My Dear - Marvin Gaye, and Bob's Blood on the Tracks. Idiot Wind is a terrific song, but I bet Sara didn't enjoy it much.

Interestingly, GH covered similar break up ground on the Strict Joy album, under The Swell Season name. Of the two albums I prefer Strict Joy from 2009. The album's songs again reflect the breakup of Hansard and Irglová's relationship, while remaining in the same band, Fleetwood Mac style (as on another classic break up album - Rumours). Ironically, given the personal relationship situation, it has a warmer sound with a fuller band and some lovely pace changes, whereas R and R is just pretty bleak.  

I'd recommend that one over Rhythm and Respose, but I understand why GK likes the tone and pace of it. It's definitely more folky for a start.

Great selection Gregarious. Glen Hansard is a really talented guy, with a fascinating discography (and I haven't even mentioned his work in The Frames).

Goodbye good fortune

Street Talk - Battleground of Fun  (1980) ****

Nominated by: KS

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Lonely at the Top

It's a curious thing - how listening to blues albums/songs/artists always cheers me up. What is that about? Here's my theory:

The blues is not about wallowing in misery and suffering! Oh No. It's about overcoming hurt, dealing with failures, moving on despite calamities and down times. It's about hope, belief that things will improve, faith in the process and it's about the human spirit and for some, a higher presence.

It's about the little guy at the bottom staring up to the top, saving goodbye to good fortune (for a while), getting blood out of a stone, living without a loved one, leaving town because the future looks bleak. Basically, and perversely, it's about a battleground of fun!

Street Talk suffered from being an early eighties band who struggled to replicate their high energy, blues based live approach in the studio. I can attest to the difference as I saw them a few times back in the day (and even one memorable gig where guitar hero Hammond Gamble was joined by Sam Hunt and Gary McCormick for an alcohol-soaked evening at the Govett Brewster in New Plymouth). They ripped it up live with Hammond Gamble playing the axe hero role brilliantly.

I first heard Street Talk on Radio Hauraki in the mid-seventies. Barry Jenkins, a.k.a. Dr Rock, played a recording of Hammond Gamble and the boys playing a wonderful live in Albert Park version of Crossroads. A new guitar hero had arrived.

Their first album was unduly influenced by their producer Kim Fowley, an American pop Svengali/legend. Their second is better, produced by fellow New Zealander - Bruce Lynch. While truer to their bluesy beginnings, it still didn't match the excitement of Street Talk live.

That said there are plenty of belters on this album and it's tough to choose one highlight from Leaving The Country, What Happened to Lucy, Lonely at the Top, Blood Out of a Stones, and Goodbye Good Fortune.

Note all of the songs are of that standard but there isn't a duff track either. Given it's 1980 Stuart Pearce employs some synths but I'd much prefer he stuck to piano/organ.

Great choice by KS. Brought a smile to my dial all week (and it was a tough week at Maple Grove with Jacky's horse having to be put down).

Hung up

Dear Nora - Mountain Rock (2004) ***

Nominated by: Alex

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition:  You Are A Bear (For A New Friend)

I'm trying to resist the obvious impulse to retitle the band as Flaming Nora. It's not without merits, but suffice to say I struggled to play this album three times without skipping ahead. It seems a very long album as well which also made it tricky to navigate. 'Seems', because many of the tracks are under a minute. Maybe they are draft sketches? Whatever the purpose, they flit by quickly without embedding themselves deeply in my consciousness, but that also paradoxically stretches the album out so there are 17 songs.

Dear Nora is really Katy Davidson and the band is her plus others in various guises/formations. She's the main musician/vocalist on this album.

The subject matter seems to be fairly bleak throughout (I don't know the back story) and the music (anti-folk) is deliberately (?)/ suitably austere and discordant at times which suits the purpose but I may have mentioned before that 'I'm a daaay person'. I prefer feel good moods rather than being confronted by negativity so this all added to the challenge of replaying Mountain Rock.

She gets a bonus point for the hilarious album title. This is not monolithic heavy metal by any means! I also like the way some songs are short and to the point like You Are a Bear. She doesn't faff around until Love Song to My Friends.

All up - I wouldn't buy a physical copy of it and I probably will not have a repeat listen, but as with all of our AOT fortnight albums, I'm glad I heard it/ was introduced to it because I never would have listened to it otherwise. So, thanks, Alex!

Rolling on

Peter Wolf - A Cure for Loneliness (2016) ***

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Rolling On

Peter Wolf was the voice of the J Geils Band (John Geils being their lead guitarist) until the early eighties. So he has a very recognisable voice, which comes in handy, but can also be a problem if he sings rock songs (like the Rolling Stones sounding 'live' track - Wastin' Time) or a bluegrass version of Love Stinks because it's easy to compare him to his time with J Geils et al.

Sensibly, he takes on Americana shapes throughout this album, with loping drumbeats, acoustic guitars, fiddle, pedal steel, harmonica (not by Magic Dick though), mandolin, and lap steel guitar all contributing to a very non-rock tapestry for his easy vocals.

Rolling On is a great opener and the rest of the album's next seven songs are all pretty good. But then the end of the album kind of unravels thanks to another live song - a country tonk version of J Geil's Band's hit Love Stinks and then Mr. Mistake. Those songs are the kind of songs I know GK loves, but it riles up the flow and ambience too much for me, especially as it's followed by two weepy songs - Tragedy and Stranger.

All up - a very pleasant listening experience and good to hear him in another genre with that smooth delivery.

I know it's not forever

There's A Tuesday - Blush   (2025) ****

Nominated by: KS

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Margo

There's A Tuesday are on to something mighty fine with Blush even if the cover of the album and the band name are not great.. 

Band names sidebar - it's a tricky thing naming a band or these days naming yourself as a solo artist. It needs to be a catchy name, original, and it should encapsulate your sound/genre for recognition and sales (in this case the genre is indie rock like The Beths). Some examples of names that sum up the correct approach: The Rolling Stones; Raspberries; Th'Dudes; Hello Sailor...

So, There's A Tuesday to me sounds like a post rock band like Explosions in the Sky and that's not indie rock and that's therefore a potential barrier.

Cover image sidebar - what is going on here? A sleeping dog and a tiger mural? Some reference to let sleeping dogs lie or Life of Pi? Whatever - it doesn't scream indie rock of the quality of Blush. 

That brings me to the band members and the vocalist. The fab foursome is Nat Hutton and Minnie Robberds (both on guitar and vocals), Joel Becker (bass) and Gus Murray (drums). Minnie's vocals in particular are spectacular. At times she sounds like Elizabeth Stokes but the music isn't as spiky as that other fab foursome - The Beths. The Tuesdays (a better name) lean towards synth-pop as well which was pretty cool most of the time.

The album was best experienced by me this week as a kind of background sound while I marked and did some lesson planning. Not too many songs stood out even though I played the album every day. However, Margo and The City were two standouts.

Excellent introduction KS - another Kiwi gem with Minnie Robberds emerging as a star in the making.

Your new place

Racing Mount Pleasant - Racing Mount Pleasant (2025) ****

Nominated by: Lew

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition: Call it Easy

This album is a surprise in some ways and kind of annoying in others ways. 

First the good news - the album floats by with some lovely ambient infused ethereal sounds that are beguiling and intriguing. It's unusual and mysterious - that's code for - I often have no idea what's going on during these songs but I do know that the little moments of judicious alto and tenor sax are beautifully played and incorporated into the mix.

I played the album about a dozen times and every time I heard new little sounds that registered where I hadn't heard them before. I suspect this will continue to be the case until the end of days.

The length is a bit problematic for me. I had the sense that I needed to listen to the whole album uninterrupted, but I never could quite get there so, annoyingly, I feel I haven't been able to do the lads in Racing Mount Pleasant justice.

That said, I did love a lot of what they were producing. The other MNACers will no doubt find plenty of antecedents but to me it sounded pretty fresh and original (I did note some Silent Alliance style vocals during one song which was exciting).

That's pretty much it - I really enjoyed it and it fitted many listening contexts, so thanks Lew - sorry I don't sound more musically knowledgeable, but I know what I like!