Withered Hand

Withered Hand - How To Love (2023) ***

Nominated by: Tom Jnr

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition:  How To Love

I quite like the sounds made by the alt-country, Americana bands that have sprung up since the early eighties. Usually it's a good honest hodge podge of styles that fuses into something easy to listen to and enjoy. It's not very taxing, so great for relaxing on a sunny day with a beverage.

For me, Withered Hand (Dan Wilson's brand name) are within the alt-country genre, even though he comes from Scotland. His sound reminds me of The Jayhawks and Golden Smog. Two bands I enjoy.

This album is a bit inconsistent though. All of those 6 minute plus songs (even though I like the title track) are a worry. It's hard to sustain interest over that length and Serenity Prayer just ends up being a grind. Sort of like a Neil Young and Crazy Horse lengthy workout that doesn't work out. Less is more.

Favorite tracks: the edited single version of Waking Up, How To Love and Still Quiet Voice.

Thanks Lew - overall an enjoyable experience but I'll be sticking to Golden Smog for my listening pleasure in this genre. Thanks for recommending though!

Halo

Porcupine Tree - Deadwing (2005) **** 

Nominated by: Tom

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition:  Lazarus

Full disclosure - I'm a Steven Wilson fan, whether that be his work within No-Man, Blackfield, Bass Communion, solo, or his best known band - Porcupine Tree.

He's a little disparaging about this album in his book (Limited Edition of One), but what would he know, right?

I really love all of the Porcupine Tree albums, and while Deadwing isn't my favourite (that honour would go to In Absentia), it does have some great moments on it - the opening title song gets into a great groove, Lazurus I play to death whenever I hear it, Halo and the twelve minute plus Arriving Somewhere But Not Here are Porcupine Tree at their proggy best.

Great selection Tom, sorry it took me six weeks or so to get to it!

The best part (Young Mister)

Young Mister - Young Mister  (2016) *****

Nominated by: Gee Kay

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Anybody Out There

After about the sixth run through, I knew this was a five star classic because I realised I had changed my playlist choice every time I listened to the album. 

Yes, every song is an instant keeper. I have only positive comments for Young Mister! What a great find.

Like a lot of other power pop bands, Young Mister has echoes of other power pop bands (Cheap Trick, Badfinger, Raspberries etc) but the distinctive vocals by Steven Fiore add a point of difference.

Are there any points against?

How about it fitting on one side of a Dindy C60?

Nope - its brevity as an album is an asset - leaves me wanting more. 

The lyrics? I don't even care that the lyrics aren't great at times. It's a bit like Nil Fun's attitude to lyrics - as long as it sounds right - go for it.

Any weak songs?

Nope - I'll admit that it took 3 or 4 listens to really grab me lock stock and two smoking barrels, but in the end, the songs I didn't warm to initially quickly became favourites. Smiley faces all round!

Your best selection since your last best selection Gee Kay! Nice one Stu!

Misty frequencies

Che Fu- The Navigator (2001) ***

Nominated by: KS

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Misty Frequencies

For various reasons I just don't get the appeal of three genres: House/ trance; opera; and rap. Individual songs - sure. But a whole album? No thanks.

So I approached The Navigator with caution, and breathed a sigh of relief for the first few songs. Misty Frequencies features Che Fu's smooooth vocals and has a lovely easy lopping beat. It's everything you expect of a Pacifika groove.

Unfortunately, that's the best moment on the album for me. The next two tracks are okay, a bit ho hum, and then we're off into a pile of songs that combine some singing and some rap, Che Fu style. 

The positive thing here is that the subject matter isn't offensive or too confronting and the musical sounds remain solid and in the groove. So while I can sway to the beat, I tend to drift off when the rap starts in something like Top Floor, and I reach for the skip button.

I know I'll be in the minority for this one. I can just picture my amigos on their sun drenched decks, in Hawaii shirts and straw hats, sipping their banana daiquiris with this playing in the background. And, all power to them.

I'm way more boring and reading a book while listening to this would drive me batty. I can read to heavy metal, but once rap gets going I lose focus immediately, and try to focus on the words. Just me.

Even though I'd not listen to this by choice, I'm still happy Kev suggested it. I do like trying to get to grips with this stuff from time to time.

Wind it up

Steriogram - Schmack! (2004) ***

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Walkie Talkie Man

As I started listening to this, I had to smile - I had an instant mental image of Gee Kay listening to this at chez Knowles with a baseball cap on backwards, busting some moves on his skateboard, and getting down with the kids with an oversized shirt and his jeans resting down at the knees level.

This is music that I have never really been able to relate to. I enjoyed NZ group Supergroove back in the day but when they came and played at the high school where I was teaching I realized with a shock that I was not their demographic - 15 and 16 year old hip kids were.

That doesn't mean I don't admire their musicianship, enjoy individual songs like the metalish In The City and the more poppy ones Go, Walkie Talkie Man, and appreciate their talent, but ultimately I'm going to sound like my parents listening to pop music of the sixties - it soon all sounds like the same song!

Steriogram are a band my kids liked. I even have a CD of theirs that they left behind when they left home. I've kept it (CD single of Go) for nostalgic reasons (it has a 2 pound sticker on it), but also because I enjoyed it.

On Schmack! I found it hard to differentiate individual songs apart from the two or three I've mentioned. A whole album of frenetic rap style vocals is a tad difficult to experience at one sitting for an old geezer.

Anyway - things I liked: the rush of teen energy - it's invigorating in small doses (too much can be exhausting); the video for Walkie Talkie Man - it deservedly won awards; the artistic vision - I love the fact that they found a sound - a unique Steriogram sound, and they stuck with it.

Thanks for reminding me of this band Gee Kay. Need a bit of a lie down now though.

Spotlight

David Kilgour and The Heavy Eights - Bobbie's a Girl (2019) ****

Nominated by: K Simms

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Ngapara

A bit of a conundrum this one. I have probably listened to this more than any other Wander To Wozza Music Club album and every time I had a different reaction.

Sometimes I loved it, sometimes it frustrated me, sometimes it annoyed me, sometimes it brightened my mood, sometimes I found it gloomy. I tried it quiet in the background like Kevy suggested and that didn't help. I tried it loud and that didn't really help either.

A dilly of a pickle.

In the end I'd have to say I liked it a lot, but it felt like it was kind of unfinished as an album and that's part of its charm. A bit like Paul McCartney's first solo album. It has snippets of interesting tunes, fully realized songs with vocals, and what sound like jam sessions left to marinate.

It's quite the schizophrenic brew.

The other thing is that its style is hard to pin down. It isn't ambient (although at times it tries to be), it isn't alt pop (although...), it isn't acoustic, it isn't rock guitar.

I found that defining it by what it isn't was a source of frustration rather than a strength.

Then I'd play it again and it would all make sense and be coherent. Weird.

I like the experimentation and variety but I'd also have liked it if he'd settled on it being an instrumental album in an ambient vein.

I recently bought a copy of Courtney Barnett's End Of The Day, an ambient, guitar fired, album. It's great and I listen to it a lot too. It feels like Dave Kilgour has a similar album inside him and this is a tentative stab at something in that direction.

Although I won't be buying a copy, it's a fascinating album Kev. So glad I heard it. Thanks for recommending it. I never would have heard it otherwise.

The devil you know (JJ Grey)

J J Grey & Mofro - Orange Blossoms (2008) ***

Nominated by: The Big G

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Ybor City, Orange Blossoms

I hadn't heard of JJ and his band prior to GK's nomination. A quick Google search reveals that this is their fourth album and the sound is a combination of southern rock, soul, and blues. Wikipedia calls it swamp rock but I have no idea what that means.

The JJ Grey figure is the head honcho - i.e. lead singer and guitarist, a.k.a. John Higginbotham.

Before I get stuck in to Orange Blossoms - a slight diversion:

Repetition in music is a given. 

Chord structures repeat, choruses repeat, phrases repeat, chord structures repeat, choruses repeat, phrases repeat, chord structures repeat, choruses repeat, phrases repeat, chord structures repeat, choruses repeat, phrases repeat, chord structures repeat, choruses repeat, phrases repeat...

A lot of repetition can become riveting, too much can become boring. It's sometimes a fine line.

Paul McCartney is a genius. He has a song called Rinse The Raindrops that goes for just over 10 minutes. It has two verses (8 lines in total) that repeat throughout that 10 minutes and I love it.

Neil Young, another genius, can also get away with major repetition on the lengthy T-bone (the entire lyric is 'Got mashed potatoes; ain't got no T-bone').

And so, on to this week's selection.

Orange Blossoms, the album, gets off to a good start - there's the terrific cover and then the title song. JJ and band get into a nice funky groove and stay there with good effect. 

I really like the use of horns. Fat Freddy's Drop use them in the same way - to provide colour and sonic texture to their extended grooves. Fat Freddy's Drop also use repetition as a weapon. 

For me, FFD get into deeper funkier grooves which allows them the time and space to repeat phrases and they are judicious in its use of repetition - as in, they know instinctively when to stop and vary things. Like Macca and Neil, they never become boring.

Over the length of this album, and I admit I struggled to get past it, JJ Grey and Mofro suffer from comparison to FFD. The grooves are not as deep, the space is not quite there, the repetition is not judiciously employed.

Worst offenders feature in the mid album slump of On Fire, Move it on, Higher You Climb, Dew Drops. I just found the repeated riff and lyrics a bit boring in each of those.

That would be my central complaint, but it's also way too long as an album. 

On the positive side, there was also plenty I liked: the more up tempo Ybor City is great with its Nutbush City Limits steal (needed more tracks like that one); JJ's singing is easy on the ear, the lead guitar and slide guitar work is excellent, and that Hammond B3 organ sound gets me every time!

It occurs to me that we may listen to some of these albums in a very different context. I can see you both grooving to this as you work from home - the repetition would not be an impediment in that context. Actually, you may not be aware of it, or else it is a positive feature for you in that you don't need to concentrate on lyrics, just let the sounds wash around you.

I listened to the album mostly on my hour commute so I focus on the songs comparatively closely I suspect (btw, I know it's a long album because I needed one and a half journeys to get through it all).

 So, it's a three star effort from me - a set of songs played well, but JJ et al are not in the flawed genius league IMHO.