Week In Music August 17th-23rd

Digging Carla J. Easton's new high energy tunes. I've been a fan since TeenCanteen, interviewed her for The Counterforce podcast in 2018 for her first solo album. New solo record out this week. Looking forward to it. The first couple days of this week no music was really stuck in my head. Then I heard 'Weirdo'

The tune features Honeyblood. A name I knew but hadn't really heard anything by. So I went and listened. 'Killer Bangs' is my favourite from what I've heard so far. Excellent chorus.

And Stina's solo My Light Shines On performance is great. What a voice

I follow Carla's brother Murray on Twitter . He posts a lot of good stuff and on Friday posted Andy Bell (Ride)'s new single and an interview with Andy on his blog. Digging the single. Catchy and sounds like it could've come out in the early 90s, which is good by me

I interviewed Steve Kilbey from The Church for my ETC podcast last week. Had a great conversation. He played a great new tune on his weekly Instagram show called 'Tantric Hammer'. 

Steve also covered a bit of 'Crimon & Clover' which got that stuck in my head. I've always liked the Joan Jett version.

Mostly stuck in my head this week was Taylor Swift's 'betty', which, along with 'mirrorball', is my favourite from the new album

And I'm re-watching Letterkenny. So good. Letterkenny and Wodehouse are really what have kept me going this year, still being able to laugh. Glen's "Christian post-alt-rock emo superband" at the talent show is fantastic

Week In Music June 29 - July 5 2020

It's been a busy week, I've been working hard BaZi consulting. There was time however to hear some new and be captivated by some old sounds.

First up was the new Even As We Speak single, 'Unknown'. Mary's voice is lovely on this and it's such a dreamy pop song, redolent of summer evenings.



Next I finally had the chance to listen to the full album of Joanne Gabriel's Floating In Light. Wonderful soundscapes. I came across her music via one of Graham Duff's Mixtape shows.





I interviewed The Speedways for the Etcetera ETC With Young Southpaw podcast. Great tunes on the new record. Lead-off track, 'This Ain't A Radio Sound', is probably my favourite. Though 'Daydreaming' was stuck in my head for days after our chat.








Someone posted this short 1970 documentary about Alice Coltrane. She was such a gigantic, powerful soul.





Which put this in my head. One of the most beautiful pieces of music I know. Exquisite.





My two favourite discoveries of this year, which have buoyed up my spirit immeasurably during lockdown, have been Letterkenny and Judee Sill. On revisiting, I discovered the two came together when the show used this cover of 'Jesus Was A Cross Maker' by Frida Hyvönen




And as I was talking to Mauro & Matt of The Speedways about Hanoi Rocks, a band we all deeply love, I've been listening to them a lot too. They told me they'd cover '11th Street Kidz' and 'Until I Get You' on acoustic guitars in their hotel room after gigs. I have loved '11th Street Kidz' since I first heard it Christmas Day 1989 when I got all four reissue albums under the tree. Such a killer tune. So catchy with the right combination of joy and sadness, evoking youthful dreams and expectations and how they had such meaning despite only being fleeting.

This is the 'All Those Wasted Years' version despite it showing the 'Two Steps From The Move' album cover





And 'Don't You Ever Leave Me' is the greatest rock ballad still lingering in obscurity