A kickass signed test press of James Supercave’s debut LP was spinning at YHT HQ all week, thanks to a lucky like and comment on Plan 9’s Instagram feed. It came with a CD copy, so I’m rolling with it in the car this week.
I wasn’t familiar with the group before this, but I enjoyed what was available on Spotify when the contest was posted, and I’m all in on Better Strange. It has a remarkable consistency to it — as a whole, it maintains a cohesive groove and quality without the tracks running together. The net effect points to a strong foundation and a high ceiling, the kind of statement any band would kill to make with a first LP, and the whole thing feels like a win-win-win: I have a unique version of Better Strange; it was, ya know, free; and I’ve connected with an album I might not have if Plan 9 and the band hadn’t teamed up to offer the contest.
Driving around this week is going to feel like one big victory lap.*
*Speaking of victory laps, Denny’s last lap at Daytona is the best thing that’s ever happened and I’ve never been prouder to rock my #11 license plate holder.
A couple weeks back, my mom visited Richmond for dinner and a Duke game. She brought a perfectly roasted chicken and a late Christmas present: Asaf Avidan’s Gold Shadow album on vinyl, which came from a seller in Israel (Avidan is Israeli, and that’s where the record was pressed). That’s the inner sleeve art above.
I thought I’d also share a few pictures of the postage and packaging, which was really striking. The look of the stamps is what initially grabbed me, but looking into what’s represented on them — the Cyrus Cylinder and the Battle of Beersheba — has been an education. The ancillary benefits of physical media, y’all.
I love Early Bird. Lately, it’s become routine for me to check the clock after depositing Baby YHT at daycare to see if I have time for a pre-work biscuit run. Sadly, this routine has an expiration date — they’ll soon be moving into a bigger space on Robinson St. in the Fan — but I can’t be too sad, because I’m thrilled to see Early Bird doing so well.
I got to interview Tim the owner for Richmond Grid magazine a while back, and he’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. He’s also got great taste in music, and one of my favorite things about stopping by is that we always end up talking about what we’ve been listening to or which shows are coming up. I was there on Tuesday, and in the span of just a couple minutes, we talked about the Hot Seats (I recently interviewed Jake, he took guitar lessons from Josh), Alison Krauss, and the Robert Plant/Cheap Trick show that took place at the Richmond Coliseum in 1988.
Oh, and I got a delicious andouille cheddar biscuit, a brownie, and two pralines. Happy Mardis Gras to me.
Just spent some time on the Wikipedia page for the term “equivocate.” Apparently, it has a very specific meaning related to logic and polysemic words, but I was planning on using it to say that I tend not to be very decisive. The fact that I couldn’t commit to using a word to describe my tendency to waver before looking it up takes this idea to a whole other level of absurdity. Or maybe it’s irony. I can’t decide.
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that my enjoyment of Bright Eyes is rooted in Conor Oberst’s voice — more specifically the conviction he communicates. Like simply writing and singing his lyrics isn’t enough. Like he’s spitting them out so they’ll hit as hard as possible. Consonants are more percussive, and long notes end up wavering under the weight of all the emotion he’s putting into them. Pretty sure that’s ironic too, the wavering. It’s strength and weakness all tangled up together.
While I hopped on the Bright Eyes train around the time I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn came out, Cassadaga was the first full album cycle I was on board for, and it’ll always be a favorite. Gonna get real self-righteous in the You Hear Thatmobile this week.
I’d say a long day of Super Bowl prep — braising a pork butt, assembling elaborately unhealthy pigs-in-blankets, etc. — calls for some situationally appropriate album art.
Michael Bloomfield, Al Kooper, Stephen Stills — Super Session
Stephen Stills’ second Covered appearance in two opportunities. Not sure what’s happening here, but Super Session seems entirely appropriate at this juncture.
The game is being played Levi’s Stadium, home of the 49ers, so a little Dead is called for, I think. Going with Live at Hampton Coliseum, which came out on Record Store Day 2014. While I never got to see the Dead at Hampton (or anywhere else), I did see Phish there, and the building’s rep as a jam-band Mecca rings true for me. That was a fun show. Except for the part where a friend passed out from dehydration. And the part where another friend got turned away because the ticket he bought turned out to be fake. Otherwise — fun show!
This goes out to the halftime performer who deserves right of first refusal on all halftime performances everywhere. I wish I were as perfectly suited for any task in the entire world as she is for halftime shows. It’s like watching Bob Ross paint or Mrs. YHT spoon Nutella out of the jar — it’s what they were put on this Earth to do, and they do it more gracefully and perfectly than anyone else. Fingers crossed she does “Formation” tonight.
Picked up this promotional single at BK Music a few weeks back, and I’m excited to dig in this week. OK, so maybe not ALL week — two songs over and over might make Davy a dull boy — but I’m enjoying “Don’t Know What It Means,” with its meaty four-on-the-floor beat and horn arrangements that remind me of the ones Allen Toussaint did for The Last Waltz.
Saw this while waiting in line at Plan 9. Cracked me up. I’ve been looking for an excuse to post “Hello” without having to write a thousand-word hot take about it. I just… like it.
Side note for all you mashup fans: It pairs very nicely with Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.”
Baby YHT would like to direct your attention to this week’s CD, the self-titled 2002 album by Iceland’s Apparat Organ Quartet.
Confession time: I picked this because I had wintry weather on the brain, and I thought it’d be fun to listen to an Icelandic band while riding around and watching this foot of snow melt. Then I checked Wikipedia and saw that Iceland’s climate is unusually temperate for its latitude. Technically, the highlands qualify as tundra, but the Quartet is from Reykjavík, which is subpolar oceanic, which… I dunno what that is.
This is an awesome album. I do know that. Shouts to friends of the blog Travis and Lyndsey for grabbing it while traveling in Iceland!
Another new feature for 2016! (I’m just gonna keep saying that, and hopefully one of these will stick.) Let’s pick a bunch of albums to play based on how situationally appropriate the cover art is. The current situation? Snow. A shit-ton of it. Here’s what I’ll be playing to chase away the cabin fever:
The Band — The Band
Dudes in coats. Levon looks the chilliest. Garth looks the chillest. Danko is challenging Richard Manuel’s signature claim to creepiest, while Robbie is clearly trying to have sex with you. Or maybe just making it known that he’s open to having sex with you. One or the other.
Good point just now from Mrs. YHT: “Levon is the chilliest because he’s the only one from the South.”
This one qualifies twice — there’s snow on the cover, and the first song is “Love The One You’re With,” which is basically the theme song for cabin fever! Love the one you’re with… because leaving the house really isn’t an option right now.
Some impressive average annual snowfall numbers for Michigan cities. Houghton gets 207.7 inches a year. If you know anyone living in Houghton, Michigan, definitely send them this blog post.
They Might Be Giants — “Don’t Let’s Start” maxi single
Let’s all hope this storm doesn’t get to the point where snowmen gain sentience, kill us all, and start burning our money. Kinda feels like it might tho. Stay warm out there, y’all.
When I posted the Preservation Hall Jazz Band doing “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It,” it was more or less arbitrary. I couldn’t remember which songs I heard when we were there (aside from “Christmastime Is Here”), and I’m not even sure if the musicians we saw were part of the Band proper, so I picked something from Soundcloud at random. Then again, I love the song’s title, so maybe it wasn’t entirely random.
That title jumped out at me again this morning when I was looking through the tracks on this Two Men with the Blues album my mom got me a while back. Happy to have an excuse to put this in the car. It’s a feel-good album, Willie showing his knack for jazz and Wynton adding easygoing gravitas.
Speaking of titles, I’m glad they didn’t call it WWIII.
You Hear That 