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Sunday, July 6 Goodbye, Hello
They're still going over at the Waterfront Blues Festival, where Curtis Salgado brings the four-day fest to a close later on tonight. Sorry to say that we've already missed his early Sunday evening performance, but British soulster James Hunter began the evening's festivities with an appearance supporting his recent fourth album, The Hard Way. While Brits playing American-born soul music are certainly nothing new-- we've seen the umpteenth wave in recent years, if you haven't noticed-- Hunter's music is among the best of the current crop, most of whom he beat to the spot by several years. Indeed, listeners are quick to misidentify his songs as long lost classics unearthed from the era of Sam Cooke, as good a comment as any on the fresh but classic sound he creates. If you missed his live performance, you can stiil catch him on Conan Monday night.
Video: James Hunter talks about The Hard Way
Also tonight, plenty of new releases to talk about, including the new effort from Beck, Modern Guilt. Featuring production work from Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, The Black Keys, Gorillaz), there's an intrigue surrounding the new album born largely out of the fact that Beck has always kept us guessing. A funk album here, a folk singer's collection there, he's almost always been able to reinvent himself in such a way that genre labels have seemed irrelevant. One would think Modern Guilt might be best summed up by the following stats: 10 songs, not much over 30 minutes-- but it's far from the light, summery album those might imply. Oh, and Cat Power guest stars on a couple of tracks. Beck plays the Les Schwab Amphitheater in Bend on August 24th.
Stream: Three songs from Beck's Modern Guilt
Portland is lucky enough to get the Ratatat two-fer, as the NYC-based duo plays Holocene on Tuesday-- the same day they release their third album, the appropriately-titled LP3. While there may not be anything as immediately odd and delicious as Classics' "Wildcat," Evan Mast and Mike Stroud have done a great job of adding new elements to their familiar sound without compromising the Ratatat asthetic. The latest, then includes live drums, mellotron, and even acoustic guitar, in addition to a few stylistic twists. E*Rock and DJ Hot Air Balloon also play Tuesday's bill.
MP3: Ratatat, from LP3- "MIrando"
Also this week, new releases from Ron Sexsmith (Exit Strategy of the Soul, yep roc), Albert Hammond, Jr. (Como Te Llama, RCA), and Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis (Two Men with the Blues, Blue Note), among others. Performances in the area include We Are Scientists (Tuesday, Berbati's Pan), Jesse Malin (Tuesday, Hawthorne Theater), The Old Believers' CD release show (Thursday, Berbati's Pan), Foo Fighters with Supergrass and Minus the Bear (Thursday, Rose Garden), The Police with Elvis Costello & the Imposters (Friday, Clark Co. Amphitheater), and The Mother Hips with The Dimes (Friday, Doug Fir Lounge), among others.
MP3: Ron Sexsmith- "Brandy Alexander"
MP3: Albert Hammond, Jr.- "GfC"
MP3: The Old Believers, from Eight Golden Greats- "There It Is"
Have fun, the thread is open....
Comments:
On Sunday, July 6 at 10:37pm, bendlistener said:
Lots of great stuff lately, as always. Thanks so much. Got anything very psychedelic?
On Sunday, July 6 at 11:17pm, jpetersen said:
Thank you-- hmm, very psychedelic.....did the Os Mutantes work for you? Maybe the Black Keys' "Strange Times?" Are we on the same psychedelic here?
On Sunday, July 6 at 11:28pm, bendlistener said:
Both quite wonderful, thanks. I knew I could count on you. Speaking of Beck, I would also consider "Diamond Bullocks" to be in that category--that's one of the "hidden" tracks (even though I think hiding tracks is annoying).
On Sunday, July 6 at 11:38pm, jpetersen said:
I'm assuming you're talking about Modern Guilt-- strangely we don't have a full advance copy here yet so I haven't heard the hidden (gem?) track. He's coming to your town in August, you know....
On Sunday, July 6 at 11:47pm, bendlistener said:
No, it's the hidden track on Mutations ("Looking back at some dead world...That looks so new... "). That's one of the problems with hidden tracks: they are hard to refer to. Another is that you think you car stereo is broken when it goes silent for two minutes.
I know Beck will be in Bend next month but my mother will be here visiting and I don't think she will want to attend . . . . (B.B. King played here tonight--I could here him just by opening my windows). We could sit out on my patio that evening and hear him at lower volume.
On Monday, July 7 at 0:01am, jpetersen said:
Location, location, location.
Sounds like you're well set-up, at least until Mudvayne comes to town.
Good point about the hidden tracks-- maybe we should do a special show, or at least a special set of all hidden tracks. I used to make up my own names for them when one wasn't to be found and find creative ways to include them on mix tapes. The hidden gem on REM's Green comes to mind. I think I called it "Strong."
There's a whole new thread subject, then: best hidden tracks.
On Monday, July 7 at 0:10am, bendlistener said:
Excellent idea; I look forward to it. It is a rich source; see here for example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_albums_containing_a_hidden_track
On Monday, July 7 at 0:16am, jpetersen said:
Well done!
We'll plan on it.
They missed Nirvana's "Verse Chorus Verse" from the 1993 benefit compilation No Alternative (available in bargain bins everywhere as of 2000, but lately a bit scarce).
Anyone have any nominees for hidden track gems they'd like to see featured?
On Monday, July 7 at 0:25am, bendlistener said:
Diamond Bullocks!