Exceptionally High Llamas, Kicked-Out Jam & More
The High Llamas: Here Come The Rattling Trees (Drag City) Well, the holidays have come and gone, the Grammys are approaching, and this week’s 2016 Grammy Nominees set—jam-packed as it is compiling Taylor S., Bruno Mars, Kendrick L., Ed S., and about everyone else you’d expect—will probably shift significant numbers. Maybe. So let’s forget about that and instead discuss the week’s finest arrival, the understated return of England’s fabulous High Llamas, here now with their tenth album, sounding as fresh as innovative as ever, still evoking mid-‘70s Italian soundtrack music, the instrumental bits of the Beach Boys’ Friends, maybe a bit of their equally arty Stereolab buddies, but not much, and simply going about their business making a unique brand of music that will likely sound equally fresh and innovative after most of us are long gone. Of the 16 songs on this album, 6 of them are less than a minute long, but the combined 27 minutes of music here by the Llamas’ Sean O’Hagen and company sound full, complete, and absolutely perfect. I would imagine in the scheme of things this will be a commercial blip at best, but really, in a world where so many inferior artists are the subject of serious critical discussion, why give this beautiful, evocative and sensational music short shrift? Let this play in the background, live your life, and see what happens.
Steven Wilson: 4 ½ (Kscope) It continues to be puzzling how Brit musician Steven Wilson can be so creative so consistently as both a distinguished musician—as a solo artist, and with his band Porcupine Tree—and as the producer/engineer/remixer on call for nearly every credible art-rock/prog reissue imaginable: King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Jethro Tull, Caravan, Gentle Giant, etc. But to that point: those projects bearing his name as the central artist—his recent Hand.Cannot.Erase solo album, his Porcupine Tree stuff—are actually quite good, accessible to the common man, not tainted by excessive solos or sub-prog noodling, and, all told, well thought out and tasteful. Suprisingly so. And this package, coming so soon after the Erase set, is likewise very nifty. There’s no sense of artistic overload or of Wilson repeating himself; it all sounds fresh, good, self-contained–and, were it to be the only Steven Wilson album you’ve ever heard, you’d probably like it quite a bit. He’s a fascinating story in 2016, Steven Wilson is, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be slowing down anytime soon.
Aoife O’Donovan: In The Magic Hour (Yep Roc) One of the benefits of my current gig is a non-stop flow of very talented artists who come to perform in our Santa Monica studio. Over the years I have seen a surprising number—so many, in fact, that things get blurry. So I can’t tell you exactly when I met, talked to and watched Aofie O’Donovan perform there—am thinking it was with Yo-Yo Ma’s Goat Rodeo Sessions band, an absurdly talented bunch maybe back in 2011—but I know mandolin player Chris Thile was there, as he is here, and the music was scarily well-played. In the Magic Hour is O’Donovan’s second solo album and it, too, is scarily good, like its predecessor ably aided by producer Tucker Martine and a wealth of sophisticated, well-constructed songs. Overall? Kind of impeccable.
The Jam: About The Young Idea (Eagle Rock Blu-ray) I would say the time is right to re-examine the work of the Jam, here in America, where, away from their British chart numbers, they’ve typically been perceived as a half-step down in relevance from the more colorful Clash and Sex Pistols—a nice way of saying, sort of, also-rans. Between you and me? I liked them more than those other two bands, for a variety of reasons—and those reasons are all the more evident after a viewing of this fab Blu-ray, which combines band documentary About The Young Idea and When You’re Young, a Rockpalast performance from 1980. Most notable is the aggressive growth seen in bandleader Paul Weller’s songwriting abilities: The difference between the first two Jam albums, rocking, inspiring, and maybe too derivative of past Britrock glories, and those that would follow, getting better by the minute, is one of the highlights of British rock. Songs from All Mod Cons, Setting Suns, and Sound Affects are the highlights here, but in all, there’s more than 3 hours of superb content contextualizing this very compelling rock ‘n’ roll band that you’ll want to see. This is good.
Jack Bruce & Robin Trower: Songs From The Road (Ruf) A welcome reminder of the greatness of now-departed bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, who in the course of his distinguished career played music with many great musicians. Here, in the same interesting trio context that once paired him with Eric Clapton and, later, Leslie West, Bruce again shines with former Procol Harum guitarist Robin Trower—with whom he’d recorded a pair of albums in the early ‘80s and joint effort Seven Moons in 2008. This live set, also featuring drummer Gary Husband, was recorded in 2009 and features much of the Seven Moons material—along with Cream faves “Sunshine Of Your Love,” “White Room” and “Politician”—played exceptionally well. Trower’s guitar skills have only grown over the years, Husband is excellent and Bruce, whether singing or playing bass, was simply one of a kind. And he shines here.
Charlie Hilton: Palana (Captured Tracks) Certainly one of the week’s highlights is this substantial solo debut by Charlie Hilton, known for her work in Blouse, and sounding multi-dimensional here, thanks to some wonderful production by Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Jacob Portrait, and a batch of artfully arranged songs that evoke some odd European combination of Nico and that fascinating Israeli singer from Florida band the Postmarks. Personality abounds—not a small thing for this sort of record—and there is a hint of deadpan throughout, but this holds up very well as a single piece of art, and you should maybe give this a listen.
Tindersticks: The Waiting Room (City Slang) The tenth and maybe best album ever from British band Tindersticks, who have been long-admired but perhaps passed over a bit in recent years due to newer, flashier bands emerging as the band itself did the natural fade time brings. This is subtle and atmospheric, as most albums by the band have been, but there are textures here that are new, there are brass arrangements, there are guest slots featuring Jehnny Beth of Savages and Lhasa De Sela, and—not incidentally—this is officially a “collaborative film project.” Translation: Each song has its own short movie, directed by a filmmaker of note, and “Cine-Concert” events promoting both the album and the films are scheduled in Europe starting next month. The whole thing is available on CD & DVD and the usual permutations, but the emphasis here would appear to on artistic rather than revenue concerns, so good for Tindersticks and good for us.
The Nectarine No. 9: Saint Jack (PIAS America) I am more than pleased when exceptional records—major, minor, slight or just odd—get a second chance, a new lease on life, and here it comes for Saint Jack, the second album by The Nectarine No. 9. The band was the work of Davy Henderson, former member of the Fire Engines—just one of the stellar proto-bands appearing on Scotland’s fabulous Postcard label in the ‘80s—and this album, originally released in 1995, represents that label’s near-very last gasp of original product. And it is so very good. Between the trebly guitar blasts, the pounding rhythms, and poetic recitations throughout such songs as “Just Another F**ked Up Little Druggy on The Scene,” Saint Jack offers up a memorable combination of materials that, historically speaking, has yet to be truly replicated. The legacy of Postcard Records continues, all these years later, and here’s just the most recent reminder.
