 |
Music: Current count 25120 [25116] rated (+4), 462 [439] unrated (+23).
Got back from my west coast drive just before midnight Saturday. In retrospect I should have packed a boombox. I did bring along 200 old CDs which we played in the car, but most of most days went music-less. I did make a token effort to stream the new Miguel on Rhapsody, but couldn't tell much (other than that I didn't get into it -- saw him do an amusing skit on Jimmy Kimmel). So the "newly rated" above and below was just what I picked up Saturday (and early today, relatively speaking). Surprised I found an A-list item in that short time.
I did manage to get the mail unpacked, below. Even after rechecking everything, there is a minor discrepancy in the numbers: rated count is only +4 but I listed 5 newly rated records below; unrated count is +23, which matches 28 newly catalogued items minus 5 newly rated. It's hard to keep all of my interlocking lists in sync.
One thing I wanted to do during the trip was to rethink what I should be doing. It helped to talk through my various book proposals, particularly with my sister, and they all seem to make sense. Harder to tell about my music website RFC: thus far, I've received no serious comments and very little interest, despite the usual boost such project ideas get when Robert Christgau's consumer guide loses its patron (see Expert Witness at Cuepoint/Medium.
Recommended music links:
Chris Monsen: Fave Jazz of 2015, Jan. through June: 30 items. My breakdown: 7 A- (Chris Lightcap, Henry Threadgill, Mikko Innanen, Gard Nilssen, Tomas Fujiwara, Rich Halley, Rempis Percussion Quartet); 9 *** (Kirk Knuffke, Gebhard Ulmann, Mario Pavone, Ben Goldberg, Myra Melford, Jon Lundbom, Makaya McCraven, Steve Coleman, Vijay Iyer); 2 ** (Billy Mintz, Wooley/Rempis/Niggenkemper/Corsano); 1 * (Mahanthappa); 1 B (Charles Evans); 1 U (Devin Gray); 9 not received (Max Johnson, Detail, Team Hegdal, Jack DeJohnette, ObLik, Jeremy Pelt, Ran Blake, James Brandon Lewis, Skydive Trio).
Alfred Soto: Best of 2015: first half report: a list of 21 pop albums. My breakdown: 5 A- (Kendrick Lamar, Mountain Goats, Heems, Courtney Barnett, Bassekou Koyuaté); 1 *** (Jazmine Sullivan); 2 ** (Young Thug, Mavericks); 3 * (Earl Sweatshirt, Jason Derulo, Dead Sara); 2 B (Dawn Richard, Dwight Yoakam); 8 unheard (Speedy Ortiz, Florence, ASAP Rocky, Brandon Flowers, Miguel, Vince Staples, Ashley Monroe, Donnie Trumpet).
I also have a similar pop list from Dan Weiss (scraped from Facebook, don't know how to link to it), but longer (37): My breakdown: 7 A- (Kenrick Lamar, Heems, Mountain Goats, James McMurtry, Courtney Barnett, Shamir, Bassekou Kouyaté); 7 *** (Paranoid Style, Action Bronson, Rae Sremmurd, Jamie XX, Jack Ü, Young Guv, Ciara); 5 ** (Young Fathers, Waxahatchee, PC Music 1, Young Thug, I Love Makonnen); 4 * (Jason Derulo, Sleater-Kinney, Best Coast, Lupe Fiasco); 2 B (Dawn, Colleen Green); 11 unheard (Miguel, Desaparecidos, Vince Staples, DJ Rashad, Kacey Musgraves, Beach House, Titus Andronicus, Bully, Bilal, Fifth Harmony, Metz).
Normally, the unheard items on lists by these particular critics would be priorities for my own listening. Indeed, many of the unheard items on the Soto and Weiss lists are June-July releases. Unfortunately, the machine I use for streaming has been flaky today and just crashed (for the second time). Could be a major setback for me.
Mid-year best-of lists are becoming increasingly common. I checked out one from Rolling Stone, and found pretty much what I expected: more not-so-good records, and more stuff I didn't know about or hadn't bothered with. The breakdown: 4 A- (Kendrick Lamar, Courtney Barnett, D'Angelo [they're a bit slow], Mbongwana Star); 7 *** (Madonna, Jack Ü, Jamie XX, Rae Sremmurd, Sufjan Stevens, Joey Badass, Jazmine Sullivan); 4 ** (Pops Staples, Blur, Kamasi Washington, Rhiannon Giddens); 4 * (Sleater-Kinney, Alabama Shakes, Earl Sweatshirt, Death Grips); 2 B (Drake, Father John Misty); 1 C (Bob Dylan); 22 unheard (Björk, Mark Ronson, Mumford & Sons, Kacey Musgraves, Florence, Muse, Kid Rock, Marilyn Manson, Leonard Cohen, Faith No More, Zac Brown, Sonics, Chris Stapleton, Future Brown, Fifth Harmony, Refused, Metz, Leon Bridges, Steven Wilson, Bosse-de-Nege, Downtown Boys, Hop Along).
New records rated this week:
- Vance Gilbert: Nearness of You (2015, Disismye Music): [cd]: B
- Dre Hocevar Trio: Coding of Evidentiality (2015, Clean Feed): [cd]: B+(**)
- Gard Nilssen's Acoustic Unity: Firehouse (2014 [2015], Clean Feed): [cd]: A-
- Florian Wittenburg: Aleatoric Inspiration (2009-14 [2015], NurNichtNur): [cd]: B+(*)
- John Yao and His 17-Piece Instrument: Flip-Flop (2014 [2015], See Tao): [cd]: B+(***)
Unpacking: Found in the mail when I got back:
- John Basile: Penny Lane (StringTime Jazz): August 7
- Karl Berger/Kirk Knuffke: Moon (NoBusiness, 2CD)
- A Bu Trio: 88 Tones of Black and White (Blujazz, 2CD)
- The Convergence Quartet: Owl Jacket (NoBusiness): cdr [lp only]
- Nick Finzer: The Chase (Origin): July 17
- Nick Fraser: Too Many Continents (Clean Feed)
- Chico Freeman/Heiri Känzig: The Arrival (Intakt)
- Bret Higgins: Atlas Revolt (Tzadik): advance, July 21
- Hoodoo Blues & Roots Magic (Clean Feed)
- Paul Hubweber/Frank Paul Schubert/Alexander von Schlippenbach/Clayton Thomas/Willi Kellers: Intricacies (NoBusiness)
- Stefan Keune/Dominic Lash/Steve Noble: Fractions (NoBusiness): cdr [LP only]
- Daniel Levin Quartet: Friction (Clean Feed)
- Frantz Loriot/Manuel Perovic Notebook Large Ensemble: Urban Furrow (Clean Feed)
- Simon Nabatov/Mark Dresser: Projections (Clean Feed)
- OZO: A Kind of Zo (Clean Feed)
- Evan Parker/Joe Morris/Nate Wooley: Ninth Square (Clean Feed)
- Matt Panayides: Conduits (Pacific Coast Jazz)
- Jack Perla: Enormous Changes (Origin): July 17
- Mason Razavi/Bennett Roth-Newell: After You (First Orbit Sounds Music)
- Howard Riley: 10.11.12 (NoBusiness): cdr [lp only]
- Jason Roebke: Every Sunday (Clean Feed)
- Robert Sabin: Humanity Part II (Ranula Music): July 14
- Helen Tzatzimakis: Soulfully (Cobalt Music)
- Eyal Vilner Big Band: Almost Sunrise (Gut String)
- Bill Warfield and the Hell's Kitchen Funk Orchestra: Mercy Mercy Mercy (Blujazz)
- Brad Allen Williams: Lamar (Sojourn): August 7
- Mark Winkler: Jazz and Other Four Letter Words (Cafe Pacific)
- Omri Ziegele Billiger Bauer: So Viel Schon Hin: 15 Herbstlieder (Intakt)