HO! HO! HO!!!!
Come, gather round by the tree, help yourself to a sherry, or a mulled wine, or a sparkling water, and tell us – what have you been listening to, reading, watching or otherwise losing yourself in recently?
And – is there anything coming up we should be aware of ?
I enjoyed so many good films this month.
Blink Twice
The Substance
Smile 2
I didn’t expect much after thinking the first Smile was pretty mediocre slasher horror. But it’s very well made and Naomi Scott is outstanding in the lead role. (With her short blonde hair, she looks like a young Brad Pitt.)
Rebel Ridge
Will likely appeal to anyone who enjoyed Rambo First Blood.
Missing
Thriller played out entirely on a young girl’s computer screen as she tries to find her kidnapped mum via all manner of internet shenanigans. Had me gripped.
Sharper
As with Missing, an enthralling thriller with very little in the way of blood and violence.
Rumours
Cate Blanchett in a comedy horror political satire about a fictional G7.
A Different Man
Of all these films, this is definitely the one that made me think most. An actor with a horribly disfigured face undergoes an operation that transforms him into a handsome chap, but then he wants to play himself in a stage version of his previous life, using make-up and prosthetics. Instead, the stage role is given to an actor with genuine facial disfigurement, Under The Skin’s Adam Pearson. The film raises all sorts of questions about looks and perception, identity and, most interestingly I thought, whether it’s better to employ genuinely disabled or disfigured actors to play disabled or disfigured characters even if they’re not so talented (after all, they have a deeper understanding of the experience, plus they don’t often get the opportunities that other actors get), or is that simply exploiting their need for employment by turning them into a sort of freak show to reel in the audience? Having Adam Pearson is what makes the film special. He came across, to me anyway, as not a very talented actor. A bit wooden and self-conscious. But within the context of the story, his performance is perfectly suited and actually quite charming. This is the film I’m most keen to re.watch.
AOB
I was surprised to discover that charlieissocoollike is now a woman.
Listening –
The new album from Gillian Welch & David Rawlings finally plopped on my doormat a few days ago, after what seems like months of release delays and distribution issues. I’d say it was worth the wait. A lovely set of mainly introspective songs, tastefully instrumented, spare and ethereally executed. My favourite is the closing track Howdy Howdy, a beautiful song nowhere near as yee-hah as its title suggests. My discovery of the month is Cassandra Jenkins, largely thanks to Clams Casino, a standout track from her My Light, My Destroyer album of a few months back. It’s a short but eclectic burst of imaginative art-Americana, strangely seductive and on almost repeat play round these parts. One of my albums of the year.
As it’s the festive season I do like a bit of choral early music, perfect for dark December days huddled in a comfy chair with the Christmas tree lights twinkling…. Chief amongst my favourites is the quartet Anonymous 4, whose beautiful voices I could listen to for hours. They released a series of albums for the prestigious Harmonia Mundi label between the 90s and 2010s, almost all of which are renderings of medieval choral music. I’m not a spiritual person by any stretch, but there is something uplifting and eternal about the beautiful music they produce which is a wonderful antidote to a troubled world. Highly recommended.
Watching –
Leaving aside the controversy in which it has become mired, Masterchef: the Professionals is as good as reality TV gets. It’s also a showcase for genuine talent without camera trickery, sensationalism or any form of hyperbole. You genuinely want the contestants to do well, feel their elation and disappointment and marvel at the skill displayed under pressure. I’ve found it surprisingly easy to engage with Gregg Wallace’s cheeky chappie routine while divorcing myself from the thought of him exhorting his ghostwriter to lick his arsehole, amongst other increasingly sordid accusations. Still essential viewing – Si King would make an excellent replacement as I think someone on here suggested.
You may not be a religious person – but your reaction to and comments on the Anonymous 4 records demonstrate that you are, indeed, a spiritual person. IMHO, of course.
A good point, with which I entirely concur. 🙂
@boneshaker : You putting Gillian/David in your top 20? Mine too arrived about a week ago and it is glorious! Agree re Howdy Howdy.
@retropath2 – Straight in at no. 8, which on reflection may have been a tad miserly.
Cassandra Jenkins is rather marvellous – the new album is a deffo Top 10 of the year for me but her previous one ( an overview on phenomenal nature) is equally as compelling and hypnotic. One of the best new artists of the decade.
Reading
Winter months are time for Sherlock. I’m currently making my way through the Sherlock-adjacent The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King at what has become my usual slow rate. It may have been recommended on here – if so, ta to whoever. Very much enjoying it so far..
Seen
A Man On The Inside on Netflix is Ted Danson wonderfully playing to his strengths in a lightly comedic geriatric mystery. (Mind, if you come to mysteries for the actual mystery rather than the friends we made along the way, you might be disappointed). It’s a real treat and a tidy eight episodes. (At the end, it seems to be setting up a new series; I had this problem before with Colin From Accounts where I felt it was just perfect as a one-and-done show. Then it came back and it wasn’t nearly as good, but then I was also still kind of glad to see everyone again).
Heard
The new Roger Robinson album Heavy Vibes arrived just in time to round out the Sewbot top 20 of the year, but I must confess so far it’s not doing for me what his previous two did and it misses the cut.
Africanism, which offers a Deadpool v Wolverine style team up between The Last Poets and Tony Allen is certainly an enjoyable listen, but not all I might have hoped, with the Poets revisiting past glories to polish them up.
AOB
We had a less sexy election of our own here in Ireland and, after all the talk about incumbent governments getting the heave-ho all around the world it was typical of us to vote for Maura De Same. (The vast rump of Irish politics just isn’t ideological so much as local, I think, and the voting system helps to sustain this).
But it was good to see The Plain People Of Ireland resisting pretty much every opportunity to let in racists or their fellow travellers. It looks like it will be a few more years before we hear the phrase “I hear you’re a racist now, Taoiseach” uttered. There might even be a female president of the U.S. before that happens..
Oh, additional points
1. Did Spotify Wrapped work for everyone else? Mine goes arseways halfway through so I didn’t get to my top tunes of the year playlist, which I find handy to keep.
2. I splashed out on a Denon CD player for self Xmas (yer bog standard DM41). Instructions are brief but suggest it possible to adjust bass/treble within the menu, but I can’t figure out how. Can anyone help?
2. You can only do it on the remote control, from the SDB/Tome button (above Mute). Page 42 of this:
https://www.denon.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-denon_northamerica_shared/default/dw4eeff964/downloads/d-m41-owners-manual-en.pdf
Thanks Steve. Didn’t realise I had to press the same button again to get to bass and treble. What am I like???
I’d be interested to hear what your impression of this device is. I have a few earlier versions but I’m thinking of upgrading to this for the convenience of the Bluetooth included.
*I’m no audiophile, just wondering whether it plays CDs reliably and with decent sound quality.
I have one streaming right next to me. My ears aren’t the best, but I like it a lot and the Bluetooth functions perfectly, unlike the CD drawer which became temperamental after a while (the same problem I had with a previous Denon).
The twitchy CD player mechanism seems to be an industry-wide issue, not confined to Denon. I have a similar unit by Yamaha which suffers the same problem. Mind you, it is at least 15 years old.
I had an earlier Denon unit, a DM30 I think, which had a volume control that would run away to maximum without prompting. That became really annoying really quickly.
I bought a DM41 about 6 months ago. Sound output is superb, I’m hearing things that were absent on my old Marantz
Another busy month, running the full gamut of the broad folk church from Canadian troubadour, Dan McKinnon at the folk club to the mighty Bellowhead at Bridgewater Hall; the latter are still loving being back together, enthusing the audience. Meanwhile, more Canadians came to grace Sale Waterside. Le Vent du Nord are every bit as consummate as Bellowhead – spectacular, entertaining, don’t take themselves too seriously, but musically bang on.
Then, the Rheingans Sisters. God, I love what Rowan and Anna do, foraging tunes from around Europe, then scrawling their signature all over it. Some might perceive wilfulness in the way Anna talks up the cabrette from Auvergne as being ‘among my top five regional bagpipes’, or in her description of her gourd banjo that she had grown from seed. Likewise, Rowan expresses delight in inviting non-folkies into their world to see their reaction; one such had only just come across a gurdy for the first time, to find themselves surrounded by hundreds at one festival. Rather, I see defiance; this is their world and these are the things they love; take it or leave it. I’m taken by it. But they don’t take themselves seriously either. To close, they danced a bourree d’Auvergne to their own looping music. It was a joy.
Talking of which …. The month closed with a weekend of hardcore European dance in a remote Herefordshire castle. Gurdies, bagpipes, workshops on bourrees d’Auvergne. Hmmmm. (Adopts voice of Mrs Merton) Who’d have guessed that I’d like the Rheingans Sisters?
For once, I am bang up to date in my reading, and am thoroughly taken by the new Alan Garner – Powsels and Thrums. This is not quite memoir or autobiog, but draws on memories of his development as a writer, as well as transcribing lectures that he’s given. I find it totally absorbing. I’ve read his stuff since I was a primary school kid. He has always drawn inspiration from the local language and landscape, and he lives four miles from me, so it’s no surprise that it strikes a chord.
You’d love the new album by Lewis Wood (from Granny’s Attic) and Helen Gentile:
https://folking.com/helen-gentile-lewis-wood-violet-sky-grimdon-records-cd009/
Now then. That’s just coming up on the Ian A Anderson Podwireless that I’m listening to now. I did get their first foray together.
Another month of medical house arrest come and gone
Heard.
A lot of Keith Jarrett. Solo and with The Standards Trio. I find him endlessly fascinating, enthralling and uplifting. Genius is a word that is thrown around so much it loses much of it’s meaning but I’d happily ascribe it to Mr Jarrett because he is the real deal. Lots of other music continues to be consumed but Keith Jarrett ruled the roost in November.
Read
A few novels with the standouts being The Night Warchman by Louise Erdrich and God of the Woods by Liz Moore. A collection of odd, bleak and unnerving short stories from an author who is new to me by the name of Joel Lane called Earth Wire mostly set in the Black Country and Birmingham and proved to be just about perfect reading for these dark autumn days. I have already purchased a few more volumes of his writing. Sadly Mr Lane died a few years ago at far too young an age so these are a finite resource. A shame but his words survive him thankfully. The by now obligatory Maigret was tucked away.
Seen.
Nothing that made much of an impression. Only Connect is a regular weekly watch along with Shetland and I’ve just started in on The Penquin on Now TV. Cracked open our old boxset of A Ghost Story at Christmas a couple of days ago and watched The Signalman and A View From A Hill. I’ll watch the rest over the next couple of weeks along with the ITV adaptation of The Woman In Black.
A.O.B.
Nowt.
The month, and the ones leading up to it, were dominated by a house move. Now we’re finally in our new home we can make plans to the extent of buying gig tickets again. So far this has meant two nights at Colchester Folk Club.
First up was Martin Carthy and Jon Wilks for an evening of conversation and song covering Martin’s astonishing 65 year career. Jon was on hand to make sure all the key points were covered, and if Martin looked glad to be sitting down for the chat (he is 83 after all) there is still a real spark in him when he stands up to play his guitar. A couple of weeks later we were back for Eliza Carthy, daughter of Martin and the late Norma Waterson, with her band Restitution. The evening leant heavily on the new album in which Eliza’s lyrics are paired to lounge jazz noodlings by her bass player, and seems a far cry from Restutution’s wonderful Queen of the Whirl album. Eliza is a hugely likeable stage presence and sang well, but I can’t say the new songs made an impression on me and it was a shame to see her fiddle hanging unmolested in its stand for so much of the set.
We made it out to the cinema twice as well. The first outing was to Heretic, in which Hugh Grant’s creepy householder plays mind games with the two young Mormon missionaries whom he has invited to share their religion with him. Grant is splendid, all glass bonhomie and grins which don’t reach his eyes. I can’t say more without spoiling the plot, but for me the film went downhill rapidly once the action moves from the parlour to the cellar. Of course Grant was superb in Paddington 2, but that film was a joy from start to finish. If Paddington 3: Paddington in Peru doesn’t quite match up to it perhaps it never could. Our furry pal has headed for his birthplace because Aunt Lucie has goon missing. You can probably guess the rest of the kind-hearted gist from there but, and I know a couple in our 50s isn’t the exact target audience, we left the cinema picking holes in the plot rather than basking in a warm glow.
Re Eliza: yes, you have nailed her unfortunate disposition to Brecht Weill type chamber jazz, which, I feel sure, nobody comes to see her for. Play some folk!!!
(I quite like Brecht/Weill type chamber jazz…)
Oddly, so do I, but not at the expense of what she does so much better.
Granted, she’s not a name I might associate with the phrase – Ute Lemper, Dagmar Krause, Agnes Bernelle (even Marianne Faithfull at a pinch)…
Then again, I’m not a diehard folkie, so Ms Carthy wouldn’t need to stay on the tramtracks for me!
Well -I was a regular poster on this site for the vast majority of the 117 months it has been running. I drifted out when I retired in April.I mistakenly thought I would have loads more free time.The opposite has been the case.Anyway this is the start of the comeback kid and I will make the effort to issue I post every month:
HEARD:
Kim Deal – Nobody loves you more – quite possibly my album of the year..Sassy and fantastic.
Dean Owens – The Ridge Trilogy eps – a precursor to his album to be released early in New Year – great dusty acoustic songs. John Convertino guests but this one was recorded in Italy with Don Antonio.
Johnny Delaware – Para Llevar Never heard of this guy (Recommended to me by Ray X) very tuneful Americana – highly recommended.
Zach Bryan – The Great American Bar scene – long delayed, worth the wait. This guy is prodigiously talented- think a modern Ryan Adams.
The Essential Melody Gardot – she is a super talent and this is a great introduction.
Christy Moore – A terrible beauty. The fire still rages in his belly. This album received great reviews -I like it very much but wouldn’t put it up there with his absolute best.
Aside from these have been listening to Joni Archives 4, Costello King of America and other realms, Best of the Pioneers and Scorcher (a triple soul jazz lp of Trojan Instrumentals which is tiptop)
SEEN:
Best gigs of the year have been seen in the last month – Bob Dylan at Wolverhampton Civic – excellent band, most of Rough and Rowdy ways was played plus All along the Watchtower, It aint me babe, Every Grain of sand, Desolation Row and a few others, I never knew his piano playing was as good as it was at this show. Never played the guitar at all but apparently he did at the next show and the setlist was identical. Contrary or what?
Gig of the year was Imelda May at the Southbank – absolutely brilliant and varied set. She did tributes to Jeff Beck, Shane MaGown and Sinead O’Connor amongst her own songs. Perfect.
Also Felice Brothers at the Hare and Hounds which was their typical Racous and Ramshackle set – I love this band and particularly their spirit.
READ:
Have been able to read a bit more now I am free from the shackles of Work.
I have got back into Roddy Doyle after falling out of love with him around A star called Henry which I struggled with. I am currently reading Smile and read the two hilarious observances on pub conversions in Dublin – two pints and two more pints. The first I read on a flight to Denver and was literally taken with a fit of the giggles. Comic genius but most definitely not PC – If you are easily offended do not read these!!
William Boyd is one of my favourite living British authors. I read Trio which I have had on my shelf for a while – in truth this wasnt one of his best books – good but not up there with his best.
Willy Vlautin – Horse – this is one of his best and what appears to be semi autobiographical. I love everything he does and consider him to be one of the best US authors. Can’t wait for the release/tour of the next Delines album. Genius.
AOB:
Was in Iceland to visit my son – when he picked me up from the airport he took me to a ghost town on the Reykjenes peninsula that was evacuated since the Volcanic eruption last year. The ground was smoking and we walked along the beach with his dog. Three days later it erupted very close to where we had walked. Fantastic views from the aircraft as I returned home.
I actually hated the end of Smile by Roddy Doyle so much that it put me off his stuff for years. Not going to post a spoiler here but it really felt gimmicky and something of a cheat on the reader to me. I may have put the book in the (recycling) bin I was so disappointed. I enjoy the Two Pints books. Perfect for short train rides I find. There was something about Gaza in one of them that could have been written last year but was from 10 or more years ago.
LIVE
Three gigs this month starting off with Police Dog Hogan at Stroud Sub rooms. We have seen this band numerous times over the years and they never fail to surprise us with new versions of old songs. Live they really know how to interact with the crowd . The only disappointing thing was the venue was only half full but nonetheless a great gig.
Next up Amy Rigby at the Hen & Chicken in Bristol. A new venue for us so we had pizza in the bar downstairs then popped upstairs to the room where she would be playing . We were first in so grabbed a seat at the front, unfortunately very few people turned up only 33
I felt so sorry for when she rolled up on stage with her husband on bass Eric Goulden ( AKA Wreakless Eric ) but they produced a great set interspersed with a couple of readings of her book Girl to City. Never saw her live before but will definitely look out for future gigs .
Last gig of the month was the one we had been looking forward to the most . Jason Isbell & the 400 unit at the Bristol Beacon . Support was S G Goodman who I never heard but wow she was good . I can see why she won emerging Artist of the year at the Americana Music Association Awards back in 2023. As much as I enjoyed a lot of Jason’s set I did feel he was just going through the motions. Highlights for me were 24 frames, cover me up and super 8.
Watched
I loved Colin Farrell in Penguin , band of brothers box set for the 10th time and the first few episodes of Shetland.
Read
Amy Rigby Girl to city . After seeing Amy Live ( see above ) I bought the book and a great tale of ups & downs of her early life.
Neil Lancaster the devil you know . Book 5 for Max Craige crime series. Fast paced and a throughly good read.
Frank Gardner Ultimatum. Book 2 for spy Luke Carlton based around Iran again another good read.
Probably read more but can’t remember at the time of writing. As soon as I post I’ll remember.
That’s it and I eagerly await Blogger Takeover every month for recommendations so thank you all for posting .
One last thing a very Merry Christmas to you one & all and hope that wherever you are in the world your safe & happy .
Mark
@Bejesus really wanted to see Amy Rigby but her nearest gig to me was in Nottingham and didnt fancy driving over there if the weather was shite. Love her latest album and think I will take a punt on her book.
it is a really good read!
December will be magic again
(or will it be just as empty as November?)
Heard:
Ploughed back through 2024 releases to see if Mojo and others know what they’re on about (they don’t), and to assemble my list for the only Poll that counts.
(which thanks to that I’m currently listening to the latest Michael Head album – not bad at all).
Read:
still have a few unread David Hepworth’s which need to be finished (A Fabulous Creation nearly done, Hope I Get Old Before I Die next on the list)
Seen:
TV – The Diplomat on Netflix – don’t normally fall for US TV series, but these 2 series were great – full of intrigue, mis-steps, and Rory Kinnear playing a Boris-esque Prime Minister
Live – From The Jam, featuring no-one from The Jam. Bruce not playing on stage renders the band a proper tribute act – a very good one though. Just don’t have that “hang on, that’s the bloke who did this originally” feeling about proceedings.
On the plus side: they did chuck a Hastings/Foxton solo track into the set (Lula), and I can now tick off Shepherds Bush Empire on the list of venues I’ve been to.
AOB:
Signed up for Bluesky, but have now (sort of) abandoned it – can see the point of it, I just can’t get along with the keeping track and updating bit.
Has Bruce left? Saw them last year at Forever Young festival, with Bruce.
Sick leave: a new hip, I believe. Maybe a knee.
Seen
Temple…slightly ludicrous but enjoyable TV series starring Mark Strong and Daniel Mays. Quote enjoyed this despite it being daft and stretching credibility in places.
The Listeners…very ludicrous but decent TV, even if some of the acting in the group’s garden scenes was a bit “am dram warm up.”
Heard
The Cure…Songs From A Lost World. Majestic and even stately, up there with their 80s best.
Kim Deal…a really surprising, sassy and top notch departure from her usual alt-indie fare.
The Amber List…The Ache Of Being. A couple of years old, so I’m late to their party, but this is the day job of the rather excellent Echoes Of The
Bunnymen tribute band (check em out…they specialise in the early Echo, when Mac still played choppy post punk guitar and they have the Pattinson/DeFreitas rhythm section nailed. I’m seeing them at the Dublin Castle in March, and I’m not normally a fan of tributes.) The Amber Lists album itself though will appeal to any fans of Doves, Shack et al.
Read
Swerve: Dub Sex and other Stories, by Mark Hoyle is a look at Manchester music scene stalwart Hoyle’s life and music career. Wonderful stuff, forget all those books by Alan McGee and Bobby Gillespie etc, this is the real story of the underground 80s and 90s indie musician.
To Ease My Troubled Mind, by Ted Kessler is a thorough run through the mind and work of Medway’s Billy Childish, who’s myriad bands and hundreds of albums deserve a tome such as this.
AOB
At 57, I left my Education job this month. To cut a very long story short, (and to keep within the confines of what I can share) mutually agreeable terms were established, I’d long since had enough, having experienced way too much stress, and with no mortgage, or dependent kids any more, as well as Mrs L having lined up a significant promotion in the New Year, we both agreed that the timing was right. So I’m now setting up a small business selling pre-worn and vintage inspired men’s clothing, something I have long had as a side hustle and have a very long term interest in. Although I may also think about finding some very part time, low responsibility work in the future, the current feeling of liberation is simply wonderful and even though it’s only been a couple of weeks I feel happy, optimistic and excited for the first time in years.
Congrats @nick-l
Long live side-hustling!!!
Read:
A wonderful collection of essays by Patrik Svensson (the eel guy) about our relationship with the oceans and the creatures in them, among other subjects – I think it’s about to get an English translation but don’t know what its title will be. I absolutely loved it, beautifully written and thought provoking.
Then I read the brilliant North Woods by Daniel Mason. We follow the many inhabitants of a property in New England through the centuries, and their ghosts; their stories told in different formats/narration styles/voices. Loved the structure of it, loved the very different flavours of the stories, didn’t want it to end. Made me laugh and cry – the unusual structure and great storytelling reminded me of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Highly recommend.
Then a couple of duds (a German book of essays about restaurants, appaling writing on what ought to have been a brilliant subject; and a gifted novel that turned out to be of the “feel good” variety, which always makes me feel very bad…)
But the Danish writer Olga Ravn saved my mood, her latest novel Vaxbarnet (“The Wax Child”) is gorgeous; a poetic tale of a group of women accused of witchcraft, based on a true case in Denmark. It is told by the wax child made by one of the women, and it’s grim and beautiful and heart wrenching.
Then onto another essay collection, this time autobiographical by the Swedish artist Carl Johan De Geer about his experiences working in film and TV (in just about every capacity). Very interesting and entertaining.
Just finished a book I started in November – read in parallel with the essay collection – that I had to force myself to keep reading: Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby. Way too violent for my taste, also had issues with the writing in general being clunky and the story too…well, too everything, really. My eyes are tired from rolling. Full of good intentions but poorly executed, IMO.
Heard:
I bought a few albums (and some of the ones I bought in October finally showed up), but I didn’t have much time to listen to them.
The one I’ve listened to the most is the brilliant new album by Mariam The Believer (aka Mariam Wallentin) called Breathing Techniques. I loved her solo debut many years ago, didn’t quite get on with her second, but this is back to form, and then some!
Gorgeous songs and lyrics, Mariam’s beautifully emotional voice, excellent musical accompaniment – this is grown-up songwriting with pinches of jazz, echoes of folk, playfulness of experimental music. Absolutely a contender for my Top Five, I believe.
I’ve only listened to the latest (self-titled) album by Goat twice, and as always I’m ambivalent. Those female voices are definitely a case of “a little goes a long way” for me, and their music is so much better live than on record. But the track “Goatbrain” is seriously addictive, although most of the other tracks leave me lukewarm.
I’ve bought the new album by The Cure. But I haven’t been able to listen to it – the intros turn me off before he has even started to contemplate singing…it’s a strange thing; I can enjoy instrumentals, but long intros actually piss me off. If I skip the neverending instrumental intros and jump to the singing, I can hear that it’s a fine album, but this is not the side of them that I prefer. I like whimsical Cure more than gloomy Cure, sorry. Of course, I’ll give it several chances to convert me, and I’m sure I will enjoy it once I’m in the mood for this, but for now I’m staying away.
Thanks to Big Thief I found the new album by Tucker Zimmerman; Dance of Love, and I’m liking most of it, but again, I haven’t had time for more than a couple of listens yet. It has a certain weird charm about it, and it’s quite possible that it will be a grower.
Felt that my 2024 purchases had been too low on jazz, so took a punt and bought Tord Gustavsen Trio – Seeing, for some tasteful Norwegian piano-led slow jazz with pinches of folk, hymns and a couple of Bach jazzifications. TBH, this is too tasteful for me, I prefer my jazz to be a bit more chaotic. This is fine, but it’s too clean, too germ-free, too sane, and makes you want to go to sleep rather than dance – and I always prefer to dance.
The new Laura Marling album has arrived, but I’ve yet to hear it even once. You’ll have to wait for the December BT, or the Best Of 2024 list, to find out if I like it or not. In the past I’ve loved/disliked every other album by her, but it’s been a while so I can’t remember how I felt about her previous one!
Seen:
As reported on previously on the site, Bonny Light Horseman at Nalen with KFD and Duco, musically absolutely wonderful – despite standing further back than I normally like and not able to see much – and great to finally be able to meet up, after all of these years. My knee suffered, but it was worth it. Pretty good audience as well.
AOB:
Trying to get into the Christmas spirit, which is unusually difficult this year.
But enjoyed the annual visit to the Old Town Christmas market to taste and purchase pickled herrings and sausages, and this Friday was San Niccolò so I made myself a basket of festive treats as I always do – it was my favourite holiday as a child deprived of candy! Difference is now, as an adult diagnosed with LADA diabetes, my treats will last all through Christmas and not be consumed on the day…
My other annual tradition is my poetry advent calendar – which is the result of that diagnosis and trying to avoid leaving a daily sugary treat in my wooden advent calendar, as I used to before the diagnosis. Now every little drawer holds a piece of paper in it with a few words written on them, words that I then sit down and use in a poem. I’m not allowed longer than ten minutes to write it, must use all of the words of the day, and some years I have different additional rules (like all of the poems having to be a haiku, or the paper only having one word written on it, and that word will be the title of the poem I write, to name a few used in the past).
Some days produce shockingly bad poetry, some days something surprisingly sublime, but it’s always a fun exercise.
Still on the f-ing waiting list for my operation…still in pain most days. It is what it is. 🙁 😉
I understand where you’re coming from with the Tord Gustavsen Trio album. It does sometimes strike me that the ECM label “sound” can seem overly polite and a bit sterile and dull. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it just doesn’t for me.
I like a bit of pep in my jazz most of the time. A bit of funkiness.
Heathens.
Listened:
As predicted, the late year arrivals are proving to be amongst the best of the year. So, following on from the Cure, last time, November brought, in turn, the new Michael Kiwanuka and the Welch/Rawlings. Both utterly fab, if in entirely different ways. The former is the bigger surprise, as he has buffed up the smoother side of his style, losing some of the spikes from the eponymous last album. With just he, DangerMouse and Inflo playing virtually everything, it is the mellow rumble of bass that is the most striking component. Mainly Kiwanuka, it gives up vibes of a Palladino/Wobble amalgam. The songs are uniformly smooth and may be too bland for some, but not for me.
I have been getting decidedly unexpected hits of disco this month too, not a favoured genre usually, but the opening track on Ross Ainslie’s latest, Pool, is just astonishing, pipped only by Father John Misty’s I Guess Time Makes Fools of Us All, from his latest. Both good parent albums too, if dwarfed by those stand outs.
My reviewing hustle has, inevitably, meant bloody Xmas albums coming my way, something I am generally humbug grinch mcscrooge about. For the record, my order of tolerance Ed would be Janice Burns/Jon Doran: excellent, Jackie Oates/John Spiers: surprising and found my hidden sentimental side and Unthanks: some superb moments with some saccharine side dishes.
No live this month: Mrs P had an op and so mainly helping her convalesce. As such saw loads of indifferent telly and read next to nowt.
Father John
Ross Ainslie
Thanks. We’re going to see Oates and Spiers on Monday and I hadn’t even realised there is an album. (And we’re seeing The Unthanks later. I knew about that one and agree with your thumbnail review).
SEEN
This wonderful Italian film “There’s Still Tomorrow” which apparently outperformed Barbie in Italy (not sure what that says about this film, Barbie, or Italy – I guess it’s just saying it resonated with Italian audiences).
It’s shot in black and white in a kind of homage to the Italian neo-realist films of post-war Italy (low budget, real-life actors and scenarios – I love this genre). The star and director Paola Cortollesi is remarkable and the film has an unusual unexpected twist. Its coverage of domestic violence is – er, highly original, if that’s the right expression. Recommended
HEARD
Nick Lowe’s Indoor Safari which went straight to No 1 on my Albums Of The Year list. Witty songs, very straight ahead musically, gentle singing and you can hear all the words for once, which are sensitive and funny. A song about a trombone – you expect to hear a trombone solo, right?