Echo In the Canyon

Original Soundtrack

The new documentary on the mid 60s Laurel Canyon scene (pre-psychedelia, but hippie nonetheless) is super. I have yet to see the film, so this review is for the soundtrack only.

All the major bands are covered: The Byrds, The Mamas and The Papas, Love, The Monkees, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield. The songs included, while well known, weren’t monster hits. That doesn’t mean they’re throwaways. All these songs are new recordings by Jacob Dylan and his band (not the Wallflowers) and duet partners Beck, Cat Power, Norah Jones, Fiona Apple, and others. He picked sure shots, went to town with them, and nailed the songs every time.

The trailer for this film also looks excellent, explaining the impact this scene had, then and now. I’ve listened to this soundtrack a lot, and conclude that this music still matters, is still timeless, and still is great.

Andrea Weiss

Tacocat

Tacocat

This Mess Is A Place

Sub Pop

The Seattle quartet’s latest album, their first for Sub Pop, is their best. They’ve mellowed a bit, but haven’t gone soft at all. They’ve just grown older. Their pop still pops and they still have their old punk fighting spirit.

Where they shine even more is in their lyrics, which make their music take on the world--and win. The hardest thing to do in pop is write happy, positive, mentally healthy lyrics that aren’t stupid or sappy. Tacocat has pulled this off, and how! Whether a song is political or about a relationship, they have something new and interesting to say every time. Both the music and lyrics keep the listener coming back for more, and deliver more with each listen.

This album recalls the Go-Gos' Talk Show, always my favorite Go-Gos album for it’s maturity, and as proto-adult rock. Tacocat offer just the same here, making this album one of the best I’ve heard all year. It’s a delight.

Andrea Weiss

Four New Albums

Albums in the pipeline:

1 Echo In The Canyon Soundtrack

2  Nilufer Yanya Miss Universe

3 Mavis Staples We get By

4 Dream Syndcate These Times

Andrea Weiss

BK

Black KKKlansman

A Spike Lee Joint

The latest Spike Lee film, a true story with some fictional elements, is about the only black police officer to ever infiltrate the KKK. It’s a great film that doesn’t just deal with racism. It’s what it means to be woke, and how the struggle continues, as a satire on racism, but with some serious messages on race that need to be heard.

The cast is great: John David Washington as Ron Stallworth, the aforementioned police officer; Laura Harrier as Patrice, Stallworth’s girlfriend, who is an activist; and Adam Driver as Flip Zimmerman, a Jewish officer who also infiltrates the Klan. Topher Grace plays David Duke. All of the cast embody their roles very well and give the film a larger than life power. The ending is chilling, and, as said above, the struggle continues.

Lee won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay, and he deserved it. This is a film that needs to be seen, especially after Charlottesville, which plays a big part in the ending of the film.

Andrea Weiss

Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter

Fever Breaks

Pytheas Recordings

I’ve liked everything I’ve heard by Ritter, but his new singles, “Old Black Magic” and “I Still Love You (Now And Then),” grabbed me more than most. So I took the plunge and was rewarded with a great album.

Ritter is backed by the 400 Unit, Jason Isbell’s band. Isbell produced the album. They do a fine job on songs that are by turns political, dark, haunted, and lovelorn, adding just the right amounts of polish and grit. Ritter’s heartfelt, graceful singing and lyrics lend everything extra warmth. I do think he’s never sung better.

The singles are some of the best I’ve heard all year. I give the nod to “I Still Love You” over “Magic,” but both are worthy on an album by one of Americana’s finest songwriters.

Andrea Weiss

Jade Bird

Jade Bird

Jade Bird

Glassnote Records

The English 21-year-old’s full length debut fills in the gap between traditional singer/songwriter and indie rocker, by taking on the 90s, and doing 90s adult rock very well.

She does so without any of the singer/songwriter vices: whining, melodrama, self-pity, insipidness, bombast. What is here runs the gamut of happy, sad, angry, and wistful.  On “If I Die” she wants to be remembered in ways reminiscent of Laura Nyro’s “And When I Die.” Nyro wanted one child born to carry on. Bird wants to be everywhere in spirit, a presence in every way possible.

The music is folk/rock, but takes a lot of liberties. Some songs are just her on stark acoustic guitar. Some are galloping rockers. On “Uh Huh,” she sticks it, in rage, to an ex for letting his new girlfriend walk all over him, just as he did to Jade. The music lunges at him.

The music and lyrics are a little uneven at times, not really weak, but I just felt I wanted more. Even so, she’s young enough I'll cut her some slack, and this debut is very promising as a whole. What will she sound like five years from now? What will she be writing about? Will she conquer the world? I sure think so!

Andrea Weiss

BOCC

Better Oblivion Community Center

Better Oblivion Community Center

Dead Oceans

BOCC is Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers, who made a splash with this album when it was released earlier this year. Fans of both will be very pleased by what’s here. I am more of a Bridgers fan. I saw her live last year touring behind her own album, Stranger In the Alps, and she was amazing. I like Conor, too, but sometimes he’s a little too smart alecky for my taste.

These ten songs are gently wry and cynical about life’s ups and downs, but both sing beautifully, and these songs are more wry than cynical, even as the opening track, “Didn’t Know What I was in For,” is about being committed involuntarily.

The music is the folk side of indie rock, and at times much more folk than rock. It all adds up to a good experience, and is unlike what they've done before. That's all to the good, as it shows they’re flexible.

Andrea Weiss