The One You Won't Regret

Today's selection started out with the intention of being a relaxed, laidback affair, triggered by a week revisiting Baby Ford's brilliant 1992 album Bford 9. I think somewhere along the line it morphed into a late night/headphones kind of vibe...

The nine tracks are all drawn from albums I've been listening to this week, several purchased last year, some having been in my possession for many years and one picked up one of two compulsory Sahel Sounds purchases last Bandcamp Friday. An eclectic bunch, it has to be said, but I think they make good partners.

I'll revisit Bford 9 again in the future but suffice to say my previous preconceptions about Baby Ford were completely upended by this album. I bought it on spec for £7.99 from a record shop in Yate (#45 in 2003's Top 50 Crap Towns) a couple of years after it's release and it's remained one of my favourite electronica/dance albums. There's a vocal version of 20, Park Drive; I've opted for the instrumental version to open this selection, to set the (languid) pace.

Happy Ending by Hifi Sean and David McAlmont was officially released in February this year. To say I love it is an understatement. In fact, I love it so much that when I got the double vinyl last December as a Last Night From Glasgow subscriber, I made it my 2022 album of the year. Transatlantic is a beautiful, downtempo moment, sweeping strings and shiver-inducing vocals.

Electribe 101's contribution dates from 1992 though didn't see an official release for three decades due to the record label dropping them midway through recording their second album. I wrote about it last January in anticipation of the album's long awaited release (thanks to Billie Ray Martin) and it didn't disappoint. Conquering Tomorrow is a bonus track on the CD, a brief instrumental that segues neatly into the next song on this selection.

My sideways step into the world of New York indie pop trio Au Revoir Simone came via their appearance on Paris by Friendly Fires. I picked up a few freebie sample songs via the now-defunct RCRD LBL website and then bought 2009 album Still Night, Still Light, followed by 2010 remix companion Night Light. The version of Take Me As I Am featured here is from the latter, London-based DJ Max Cooper delivering a shimmering version with hushed vocals coming in quite late.

 

Telefís was an inspired meeting of minds between Cathal Coughlan and Garret 'Jacknife' Lee. Debut album a hAon was released in 2022 and whilst the equally excellent follow up a Dó came in October the same year, it sadly proved to be a posthumous release, due to Cathal's untimely passing in May. Picadors is taken from a hAon and an example of a duo at the top of their game, lyrically and sonically. A tragic loss.

I featured a System 7 selection at the end of April and they've continued to be on my playlist since. The Abyss is the penultimate track on 2001 album Seventh Wave, seven and a half minutes of ambient waves which Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy do so well.

 

From there and another of my favourite albums of 2022, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood. Another spine-tinglingly beautiful vocal, this isn't really ambient at all, more 1970s West Coast vibe yet it was an obvious next step from the System 7 song. The build towards the end is just wonderful.

 

Whilst I have a few Wau Wau Collectif songs from previous Sahel Sounds compilations, Friday saw my first purchase of a full length album by them, their second as it transpires. The Senegalese musicians collaborate again with Sweden’s Karl Jonas Winqvist, a name I only recognise from his work with James Yorkston & The Secondhand Orchestra. Again, Mariage Forcé is not a song that would be described as 'chill out' but I was struck by the tone of the two-second intro nearly matching that of the closing seconds of the Weyes Blood song, which made for a serendipitous pairing.

On more familiar territory for the closer, with William Orbit. Strange Cargo was the title of his second album in 1987, with volumes II and III following in the 1990s. The next volume in 1995 was confusingly credited to Strange Cargo and titled Hinterland. Business as usual belatedly resumed (and reverted to a William Orbit release) in 2014 with Strange Cargo 5. Kiss Of The Bee appears on the standalone Strange Cargo release in 1995, featuring Beth Orton and Christine Leach. Beth was about to release her second solo album, to great acclaim, whilst Christine fronted Baby Fox, who were unfairly lumped in with the mid-90s trip hop set.

 

1) 20, Park Drive (Inst): Baby Ford (1992)

2) Transatlantic: Hifi Sean & David McAlmont (2022)

3) Conquering Tomorrow: Electribe 101 (1992)

4) Take Me As I Am (Max Cooper Remix): Au Revoir Simone (2010)

5) Picadors (Album Version): Telefís (2022)

6) The Abyss: System 7 (2001)

7) God Turn Me Into A Flower: Weyes Blood (2022)

8) Mariage Forcé: Wau Wau Collectif (2022)

9) Kiss Of The Bee: Strange Cargo ft. Beth Orton & Christine Leach (1995) 

 

1992: Bford 9: 1

1995: Hinterland: 9

2001: Seventh Wave: 6

2010: Night Light: 4

2022: a hAon: 5 

2022: And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow: 7

2022: Electribal Soul: 3

2022: Happy Ending: 2 

2022: Mariage: 8

 

The One You Won't Regret (47:34) (Box) (Mega) 

When You're Down, Keep Looking Up

Today's selection highlights 20 of my favourite albums from 2022. I know I probably should have tried to stretch it to 22 from '22, but time constraints meant that I only managed 10 last year so this is a big improvement and fits neatly into a mock-CD running time.

 

As with last year, I've not ranked or scored the albums, just sequenced the selected tracks in a way that I hope makes for a satisfying playlist. Again, I'm a bit tight for time, so the commentary is minimal.

I had a very long shortlist so a mention to several albums that didn't make today's selection but are excellent nevertheless: Midnight Rocker by Horace Andy; Ibibio Sound Machine's Electricity, produced by Hot Chip; Alright by Luxxury; any of the other 5 albums released by SAULT this year; The Album Club's self-titled album; Memoria by Trentemøller, the list goes on. And so many that are still on my 'must buy' list.

 

Several albums, by Andy Bell, Katy J Pearson and Confidence Man, were contenders from the moment I first heard them and have remained playlist staples ever since. A couple - Orbury Common and Tomberlin - came on the back of support slots for other artists featured in this selection that I got to see live in concert. 

 

Julian Cope and Blancmange were back with new albums, whilst Altered Images surprised me with a comeback album full of pop hooks that firmly proclaimed that they were no heritage act. A very welcome return for all.

 

Cathal Coughlan teamed up with Jacknife Lee as Telefís for not one but two albums in 2022. The news of Coughlan's death in May was - and still is - a shock, one of far too many tragic losses this year. Telefís was proof, if any needed, that Cathal was on a creative roll and had so much more to share.

 

Quite a few were late entries, the common thread being that they're all on the Late Night From Glasgow label. I invested in an annual subscription in December and, as a result, received digital copies of the year's releases including In The Forest, Monica Queen, The Bathers, André Salvador & The Von Kings. My first vinyl order/delivery from LNFG has just been dispatched. If it arrives before year end and ignoring my earlier comments about not ranking or scoring, the package will contain what will undoubtedly be my album of the year. 

 

After a gig-less 2021, I finally got back out this year. Just the four, but what a four: Madness (Westonbirt, June), Katy J Pearson (Bristol, September), Blancmange (Stroud, October) and Angel Olsen (Bath, October). All very special in their own way and with great support acts. 

 

Time prevents me from waxing lyrical about every selection but a special mention for Andy Bell, whose album Flicker came out in February and has been followed by a steady stream of singles, cover versions and remixes. These have been collected on a trio of themed EPs - I Am A Strange Loop, The Grounding Process and Untitled Film Stills - plus a compilation/companion, Strange Loops & Outer Psych. And this isn't counting Andy's remixes as GLOK! 

 

Given that Flicker itself is a double album and deservedly so, the sheer amount of quality music that Andy Bell has offered up in the last 12 months is nothing short of phenomenal. I think Flicker would otherwise be my album of the year on a list of excellent albums by Weyes Blood, Pye Corner Audio and Unloved.

 

More tomorrow.

 

1) idkwntht: Tomberlin (i don’t know who needs to hear this...)

2) Fight For Love: SAULT (11)

3) Break It Bought It (Album Version): Confidence Man (Tilt)

4) Hot In Her (Album Version) (Cover of Nelly): Mr. Oizo & Phra (Voilá)

5) Sex Bunting: Telefís (a hAon)

6) Reduced Voltage (Album Version): Blancmange (Private View)

7) Haberdashery: Orbury Common (The Traditional Dance Of Orbury Common EP)

8) Saturation Point (Album Version): Pye Corner Audio (Let’s Emerge!)

9) Waiting For The Call: In The Forest (These Four Walls)

10) Big Time (Album Version): Angel Olsen (Big Time)

11) I Want You To Stop, You're Killing Me: Monica Queen (Stop That Girl)

12) Turn Of The Screw (Album Version): Unloved ft. Raven Violet (The Pink Album)

13) Changing My Luck: Altered Images (Mascara Streakz)

14) Cape St. Vincent: The Bathers (Summer Lightning)

15) Howl: Katy J Pearson ft. Orlando Weeks (Sound Of The Morning) 

16) January: Momus (Smudger)

17) All The Yin-Yangs That Give it Away: Julian Cope (England Expectorates)

18) Dieu Du Ciel: André Salvador & The Von Kings (Draped Apes)

19) Jenny Holzer B. Goode: Andy Bell (Flicker)

20) Twin Flame: Weyes Blood (And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow)

When You're Down, Keep Looking Up (1:17:22) (Box) (Mega)

Swing Your Soul

Sticking with new singles - this may end up being a theme for this week - John Cale released Story Of Blood on 19th October, the second preview for upcoming album Mercy, out in January. 

 

Story Of Blood seems to have been around for several years, John Cale having performed the song at least as far back as 2018 at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea. In a lovely bit of symmetry, John Cale's performing there again on Monday as part of his UK tour, though judging by his varied setlist so far there's no guarantee that Story Of Blood be included. 

 

There's a performance of Story Of Blood from a later date on the 2018 tour, at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany, a different arrangement with guitar and strings. The secretive recording means the sounds all over the place but it's a compelling watch, particularly when reminded that John Cale was 76 years old at the time. John celebrated his 80th birthday in March and I'm sorry that I won't be able to make any of the dates on his current tour, which I can imagine must be something quite special.

This version of Story Of Blood is a collaboration with Weyes Blood, whose then-new single I coincidentally featured here a couple of days before Story Of Blood was released. Weyes Blood's own new album And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is out later this month. Second single and video Grapevine was released last Friday (28th) and is another incentive to buy.

Night Crawling, the first single from Mercy, came out in August with a wonderful animated 70s-inspired video featuring Cale and David Bowie trawling NYC at night. The video takes an interesting turn at 1:43. 

 

Octogenarian and still out there, my love for John Cale's questing search for new artistic expression knows no bounds. 

Note: More regular and observant visitors will have notices that I previously posted this on Tuesday 1st November. I also posted a bit of a moan/plea for help about file sharing platforms on the same day which unfortunately seems to have put this post somewhat in the shade. Out of respect for John Cale, and because I really love Story Of Blood, I decided to take it down and give it a fresh start on Friday. Fingers crossed!

Lying In The Wake Of Overwhelming Changes

I've only featured Natalie Mering aka Weyes Blood here once before, when she featured in a Bob Dylan / Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands post. She's released four albums in the past ten years or so though I only became aware of her music when her last album Titanic Rising regularly popped up in 'best of' countdowns in 2019.

 

Weyes Blood's fifth album And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is out in a month's time, preceded by lead single and opening song It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody, six beautiful minutes that channel Karen Carpenter and John Grant to stunning effect. The video's pretty wonderful, too.

 

Sitting at this party 

Wondering if anyone knows me 

Really sees who I am 

Oh, it’s been so long since I felt really known 

 

Fragile in the morning 

Can’t hold on to much of anything 

With this hole in my hand 

I can’t pretend that we always keep what we find 

Yes, everybody splits apart sometimes 

 

Living in the wake of overwhelming changes 

We’ve all become strangers 

Even to ourselves 

We just can’t help 

We can’t see from far away 

To know that every wave might not be the same 

But its all apart of one big thing 

 

Oh, it’s not just me, it’s not just me 

It’s not just me, it’s everybody 

 

Mercy is the only 

Cure for being so lonely 

Has a time ever been more revealing 

That the people are hurting 

Oh, it’s not just me, I guess it’s everybody 

Yes, we all bleed the same way 

 

Oh, it’s not just me, it’s not just me 

It’s not just me, It’s everybody

Oh, it’s not just me, it’s not just me 

It’s not just me, It’s everybody

 

And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is available on vinyl, CD, cassette and digital formats, the latter offering up another song, Grapevine, that promises a hugely satisfying album and a late contender for my end of year album round up.

 

 

As Natalie says in the album press release, Weyes Blood is "still making it all happen in our very own, fully functional shit show".

Low Eyed Lady Of The Sadlands

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the hoopla surrounding his 80th birthday on 24th May, I've been listening to Bob Dylan a lot recently. Perhaps more surprisingly, a lot of it for the first time. 

 

Case in point: Blonde On Blonde, which I listened to in full last month. I have tonnes of Dylan covers, mostly as freebies with the likes of Mojo and Uncut magazines, and including a 50th anniversary cover version of the entire album. However, this was the first time I had heard Dylan's original version of Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands. 

 

It's been written about many, many times by writers far more eloquent and prosaic than I, suffice to say that it's a beautiful, epic story that - at the time - Dylan apparently considered to be the best song he'd ever written.

Uncut magazine's recent Dylan tribute CD included a great version by Weyes Blood and the aforementioned Blonde On Blonde Revisited featured an equally languid version by Jim O'Rourke. I've collected them here with a shorter, live acoustic version by French band Phoenix and finish off with Alabama 3, not a cover but a riff on the title and a great closer.

1) Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands: Bob Dylan (1966)

2) Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands: Weyes Blood (2021)

3) Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands (Live & Unplugged for NDR Hörfunk, Hamburg): Phoenix (2009)

4) Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands: Jim O‘Rourke (2016)

5) Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlife (Album Version) (Edit): Alabama 3 (2000)

 

Low Eyed Lady Of The Sadlands (44:45) (GD) (M)