Easter lily

Ichiko Aoba - Windswept Adan (2023) ***

Nominated by: Tom 

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition: Dawn In The Adan

You wait for ages and then two ambient records in a row come along!

I struggled to engage with Ichiko for the most part. I tried a variety of listening situations (commute/working/relaxing), but aside from Dawn In The Adam which had a bit of prog meat on its bones, most of the songs glided past me like beautiful butterflies but they didn't leave me much to grab onto.

Listening to songs sung in a foreign language is a lovely thing though, and so, even if I had no clue as to the meaning, I enjoyed the sound of the lyrics, and aimed to use my imagination.

A couple of the songs reminded me of Yoko and specifically her song Who Has The Wind - that gentle, fragile sound. Yoko also sings in Japanese on some songs with the same lovely affectation as Ichiko.

Apart from that I caught glimpses of other Japanese ambient composers like Haruomi Hosono, and bands/musicians working the prog end of the spectrum like Stomu Yamashta - which I much prefer.

Pleasant on the ear, but not an album I'll come back to again.

(Find a) reason to believe

Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story (1971) *****

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Mandolin Wind

Rod is an interesting character. I have albums featuring him from Steampacket, The Jeff Beck Group, Faces and of course - solo.

From maybe the greatest year in music came his third solo album (although all the Faces appear on it - cheeky). Every Picture Tells A Story is a classic from a classic year. It's a masterpiece and easily his best album. 

It's not a long one - only 8 songs in total.

Why do I love it?

• It's folk rock innit
• There's brilliant use of the mandolin (by Lindisfarne's Ray Jackson)
• The whole thing is fresh, immediate and suitably unpolished - almost sloppy (That's All Right)
• Rod's singing is at its peak - soulful on Seems Like A Long Time, raucous on the title track, introspective on Mandolin Wind, folky on his peerless version of Reason To Believe, eerily sensitive on Dylan's Tomorrow Is A Long Time, Faces' style rock (I Know) I'm Losing You
• His writing definitely peaked - Mandolin Wind (his best ever song), and co-writes on Every Picture and Maggie May

Ah, Maggie May.

That's the one that did it for me in 1971. 

The single was huge obviously, for him and for us. At the time I wasn't aware of Steampacket, Jeff Beck or The Faces (Small Faces yes but I didn't realise the connection to The Faces in 1971). Nor did I know he'd already had two solo albums released. 

Maggie May came out of nowhere!!

And it hit with a wallop and a half. Debauchery! Randy scouse git fersure! Right there on our radios. Oooo er.

I was buying singles in 1971 but I couldn't buy everything. Instead, there was a compilation that solved my problem.

Solid Gold Hits Vols 1, 2 and 3 have assumed iconic status in my collection. 

That's 60 songs on 3 albums! Value for hard earned cash right there, even if they truncated some of the songs and the high fidelity suffers a tad because of all those closely packed grooves.

As a music obsessed teenager, I couldn't have cared less.

I do dig them out for a listen from time to time and get that nostalgic glow all over again. Simple times.

Maggie May is there, kicking off side 2 without the nifty intro - I remember getting a shock when I eventually bought the album and Maggie May was different. Famously the song has no chorus. Rod forgot to write one! Doesn't matter a jot.

So, five stars all the way for this one GK.

The face of fashion

Chris Knox - Seizure (1989) ****

Nominated by: Kevy

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  And I Will Cry

Can you judge a record by its cover? #679,

Chris has gone for a look that embellishes the title - Seizure. Rather than taking something away from someone, he's more alluding to a sudden attack - especially a stroke or an epileptic fit. It's not a pleasant experience. Something Chris has intimate experience of, having suffered a stroke in 2009 and he's been an epileptic throughout his life. 

The cover is all fractured lettering/typography, disturbing image, yellow and black and shards of white. Again - not a pleasant image.

So, all up - when the needle hits the black circle I'm not expecting soothing ambient piano music a la George Winston or soft rock like The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac.

I've always had a soft spot for Chris Knox, even though I've never bought much of his catalogue - just a Toy Love single and of course, Not Given Lightly is a stone-cold classic on various compilations of NZ's greatest songs. No Tall Dwarfs, no solo albums - I've just checked and he's had 10 solo albums from 1981 until 2008. That stroke has obviously affected his output.

So, to Seizure. It's pretty much what the cover and title prepare you for - jagged edges of heavily distorted guitar, rough tribal sounding beats, cheaply processed vocals - everything lo-fi to the max. And it's great! 

Lo-fi aesthetics means it sounds fine in a car, on a phone, or on the music room stereo.

You certainly don't want to listen to this album if you have a headache or you are experiencing a bright sunny happy day, but otherwise if you are brave enough - it's great.

Really great. Not Given Lightly is very much the outlier on the album - sonically as well as musically, it sounds like it belongs on a single, distinct and separated from the album.

It's such an ear worm of a song. Maybe it's the repeated hearings over the years but it's the only song on the album I remember as I'm brushing my teeth, ironing a shirt, driving the car...

Musically, the other songs reminded me of heaps of punk bands, many of which were inspirational to Chris Knox, I'm sure. 

I heard echoes of The Butthole Surfers and surf punk; British bands like The Buzzcocks; American punk bands like The Dead Kennedys, Nirvana (Bleach is also from 1989), and especially Wall Of Voodoo. I also heard metal influences like early Anthrax, Slayer and Napalm Death (Scum came out in 1987 - yellow, black and white are also used on that cover).

Chris seems to throw all of these influences in a blender and emerges with Seizure.

As I listened, I did wonder how many of those influences Kev would listen to as a matter of choice.

Favourite song: And I will Cry

Least favourite song: Uncle Tom's Cabin - doesn't work for me at all. By listen three I skipped it.

Thanks Kevy - your bravery is rewarded! Almost a five star one for me (had to deduct a point for Uncle Tom's Cabin).

Right - now to read GK's impressions and see how much we agree.

Spectacle of ritual

Kali Malone - The Sacrificial Code (2019) ***

Nominated by: Alex

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition:  Or Something

Good call from Alex - listen to the album while working. He's bang on. For the last two weeks, it easily accompanied my early mornings while working at school. As staff arrived they would comment on the sounds very favourably.

My ambient music genre go-to albums are usually Bass Communion, Eno/Harold Budd, Tangerine Dream, Neu!, Alice Coltrane and Courtney Barnett. Now I can add Kali Malone to that list.

The textures crept up on me while I was working in a very pleasant way. The listening experience wasn't as good in the car on the commute though - I need something with a bit more pep in that context. Plus, I was more actively listening which didn't work as well.

I've chosen single worthy Or Something to highlight but really the album is an entity to itself and needs to unwind as it was envisioned by Kali Malone.

Thanks for the introduction Alex.

Silver bullet

Brown Horse  Reservoir (2024) ***

Nominated by: Gee Kay

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Bloodstain

I knew it would happen. GK says in his preamble, "I’m hoping you can look pass the vocalist’s interesting style and enjoy Reservoir". So, of course, the answer is 'Yes' and 'No'. Once something's pointed out, it's difficult to ignore.

I've noticed in the past that for some reason Americana styled bands from the UK often have this kind of vocalist. I'm thinking of bands like Gomez and Turin Breaks. It's not good or bad, just takes a bit to get used to is all.

So, by the third go around I'd forgotten all about the vocal quirks and nodded my head, tapped my feet and generally grooved to those loping beats and electric guitars. 

Speaking of which - Neil Young's influence is never far from Americana bands and I do prefer songs, like Bloodstain, that wear that influence on their sleeves.

Generally, there's a good clutch of songs on display on Reservoir, with enough variety of instrumentation to keep me interested. And while I didn't discern any B side slide, there is a sameness that creeps in to the procession of songs.

Mrs Purdy and I are watching Yellowstone on Netflix atm and these songs would slot right on into the soundtrack I feel.

Nice work featuring a 2024 release GK. You'll need to keep us informed on their progress from this solid debut. It will be interesting to see how they evolve away from this core sound, indeed, whether they stick with this country rock on future releases or go more organic and ethnic, if you know what I mean. There are hints of that here with some accordian and fiddle mixing it up with the electric guitars.

Favourite tracks - Everlasting; Bloodstain; Paul Gilley (nice female harmony vocals on what's a country song really)

Now in your hands

Robert Scott - The Green House (2014) ****

Nominated by: KS

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Lights Are Low

It's 2024 and WTWMC returns in fine style with Kevy's first up selection.

Robert Scott is a favourite of both Kevy and the WTWMC, thanks to Robert's day job as leader of The Bats. But he also has a highly entertaining solo career.

As KS says, The Green House features some dreamy, hypnotic vocals & the extra bonus of Holly Fullbrook on backing vocals (she of Tiny Ruins).

It didn't take me long to like and enjoy this album. Maybe the instant appeal comes from enjoying The Bats so much. It doesn't sound a million miles from that stellar NZ band. 

Holly and Scott's voices fit nicely together. A relatively simple song like Lazy Boy takes on added depth thanks to their easy combination.

Fav songs and moments - first song, Lights Are Low sets the tone really well - I prefer the songs where Holly takes the lead, dominant voice, Robert is just a nano second after her. So, this and Now In Your Hands really appeal. I also enjoyed the instrumentals - they added some variety. Favorite Case is lovely!

A quiet stunner of an album and a great start to 2024!

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!