CONTINUING THE CORONAVIRUS LISTENING

How’s it going? Week 2 felt calmer and more stable here than week 1’s total upending, and the scatterbrain distraction has subsided. But it still feels best to just enjoy music and log it instead of trying to be creative with any expression.

Here’s the soundtrack to the days.

SATURDAY MARCH 28
The Huntsmen – Mandala of Fear, disc 2
Wire – Pink Flag
Wire – Chairs Missing
Ministry – The Land of Rape and Honey

Sabbath and Earth yes, but have Wire ever been cited by SunnO))) as an influence? Check those ringing drone fragments in Practice Makes Perfect and Marooned from Chairs Missing and tell me there’s not a hint of White 1. Anyway, Chairs Missing is blowing my mind a bit now I’m listening to it properly.

More Rieflin, too: Ministry’s best. From a drum/Rieflin tribute perspective, Deity’s got to be the place to go. Think it was 1992/3 when I bought the album and I’d never heard anything like Hizbollah. Still hypnotic. A perfect, damaged, mind-bending album.

[note: just discovered today that Hizbollah is a bonus track, as is I Prefer, on the CD version. They’re not marked as bonus tracks and they’re threaded into the running order. Wonder what the non-CD sequence sounds like? Must give it a go but an album without Hizbollah is pretty unimaginable right now]

MARCH 29
King Crimson – Live in Toronto 2014
King Crimson – Live in Chicago 2017 (21^st Century Schizoid Man, immediate comparison)
Sad Cafe – Fanx Ta-ra
Michael Stipe – No Time for Love Like Now (youtube demo)

Stipe: How great to hear that voice again. Check the youtube demo of this solo track for some pandemic reflection and grace as he sings to a pre-recorded backing track in what looks like his conservatory. And his expression at the end of the clip is a picture.

MARCH 30
Bad Brains – Rock for Light
Wire – Chairs Missing
Pantera – The Great Southern Trendkill
Ministry – The Land of Rape and Honey
Miles Davis – In a Silent Way

Wire connection: I’m reading Henry Rollins’s latest book, Stay Fanatic!!! Vol. 1, and by chance on tonight’s pages he diverts to a bit of Wire. In his words their fourth album, the live Document and Eyewitness, is THE statement, even allowing for the art-some genius of the first three records. Looking forward to that, no idea when I’ll get there. 154 not purchased yet.

Pantera, Southern Trendkill: THIS is their album. With those Down elements creeping in, you get a more complete statement. More hostile, more reflective, more range, more mileage.

MARCH 31
Archie Shepp – Attica Blues
The Meters – Rejuvenation

Shepp, Attica Blues: The only Shepp album in the collection. Love the intense funk soul of the title track and Blues for Brother George Jackson, not really into the melodic jazz pieces. And of course, it’s got a righteous protest backdrop. Important Music, far bigger than a 3rd-rate rockhead like me can comprehend. Clumsily pawing the first rung.

Some big music news right here so tonight, Nine Inch Nails Ghosts V and VI were downloaded and Old Man Gloom x2 pre-ordered. Huge gifts, THANKS GUYS.

APRIL 1
Paul Young – Chronicles
Dr John – Locked Down
King Crimson – Vroom Vroom, disc 2
The Specials – Encore

Dr John, Locked Down: Not chosen for the title, no …. just needed a rich, spacious, highly musical groove. This album is all that and the drumming is phenomenal. Speaking of drums, The Specials’ Encore is nimble in that area – funky too – and, of course, yesterday’s Meters album is a drum masterclass. Infinite funk.

New Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs album Viscerals is out on Friday. CD pre-order done. Got to support the bands and the shops.

APRIL 2
Melvins – The Bulls and the Bees
Mastodon – Emperor of Sand

APRIL 3
Beak – >>>
Nine Inch Nails – Add Violence
Nine Inch Nails – Bad Witch
Godley & Creme – L

That’s it, that’s Friday – week 2 done. We’re 2 weeks nearer.

Stay safe, keep the music ON!

Lockdown Music Week 1