Monthly Archives: September 2020

#127 – The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips

Until a few months ago, I had only ever listened to one album by the Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Robots.  I’ve written before about a theory posited by a friend, who is a musician and music appreciation professor, that music finds you when your are ready for it.  The Flaming Lips are another bandContinue reading “#127 – The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips”

#126 – The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus by Various Artists

This was meant to be a live concert film to add to the Rolling Stones publicity campaign for the Beggars’ Banquet album, which is my favorite album of theirs.  Apparently it was shelved due to the feeling that the Stones had been upstaged by several of the other acts, especially The Who and Taj Mahal. Continue reading “#126 – The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus by Various Artists”

#125 – Otta by Solstafir

I saw an article about the release of Solstafir’s newest single and it made me want to check them out.  I’m always intrigued by Icelandic artists and have often found some interesting music as a result.  It’s hard not to compare an atmospheric post-rock band to Sigur Ros, but Solstafir is like a heavier version. Continue reading “#125 – Otta by Solstafir”

#124 – In The Right Place by Dr. John

I met Dr. John once while in New Orleans working on a TV show.  We were shooting a scene in an old bar where Dr. John is playing piano and Tommy Lee just happens to bump into him.  The show featured Tommy Lee and Ludacris traveling from city to city, competing in events meant toContinue reading “#124 – In The Right Place by Dr. John”

#123 – Mansions on the Moon by Mansions on the Moon

For the second day in a row, our selection was suggested by my good friend, Dan, who, along with his family, welcomed us into their home as we fled a power outage during the insanely weekend Los Angeles is experiencing right now. It has reached 115 degrees the last two days and our neighborhood hasContinue reading “#123 – Mansions on the Moon by Mansions on the Moon”

#122 – Big Red Machine by Big Red Machine

This is a really cool and mellow album and a great collaboration between Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner. The story that I heard was that Taylor Swift asked Aaron Dessner to produce her latest album after hearing the Big Red Machine album and it’s not hard to understand why. I loveContinue reading “#122 – Big Red Machine by Big Red Machine”

#121 – School Days by Stanley Clarke

A really interesting and fun thing about musicians, and artists in general, is learning about the people who inspired your favorites.  You get a little glimpse of the fandom of someone who you admire as well as the works that they sought to emulate in their quest to create something that is truly their own. Continue reading “#121 – School Days by Stanley Clarke”

#120 – Simulcast by Tycho

If you are interested in music production at all, I recommend that you follow Scott Hansen, AKA Tycho, AKA ISO50, on instagram.  He is also an accomplished photographer and graphic designer and posts the stuff that he’s working on regularly.  There are not too many artists that show their creative process as her does, andContinue reading “#120 – Simulcast by Tycho”

#119 – Truly Fine Citizen by Moby Grape

It’s hard sometimes to unplug enough from the steady stream of upsetting news long enough to write about the daily album selection.  Every day there’s a new outrage to process on so many different fronts that you have to find some distance from it for a little while.  Whatever your chosen escape is – mineContinue reading “#119 – Truly Fine Citizen by Moby Grape”