This is as solid and funky as new music gets. Geraint Watkins is the epitome of that oft-referenced "amalgam" of myriad influences; he leads an all-knowing group of pros through an impressive set of tasty songs on his latest disc, "Dial 'W' For Watkins."

Gen and I saw him opening for Nick the Knife last summer, and his performance was revelatory. Stationed at a behemoth modern KORG synth, Geraint yanked song after growlin' lick out of his workmanlike songbook. Nothing to look at, sensitive to the touch, and needing a shave or ten -- no matter. This album flows.

Buy it here.

Geraint sings "Go West," which should be a standard.
Geraint sings "Heroes and Villians," which comes close.
Geraint and Nick sing "Only a Rose," fucking brilliant.
- posted by kellydwyer @ 7:21 AM (0) comments

 
I've been on a Queen kick lately. I'm pretty bemused by the constant sightings of Mssrs. May and Taylor in my Yahoo/AP feed, and a thread at a great hoops site I frequent got me listening to a few discs of theirs that I haven't pulled out since last summer. Queen itself doesn't need any more exposure, John Deacon won't even pick up a bass guitar these days because his bank account is so stacked, so I thought I'd post a few tracks from an album that took a healthy chunk out of my bank account while in high school.

Smile is the band that Brian May (guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums) both had a go with before Queen got together. Both May and Taylor sang, but the primary vox-man was a gent named Tim Staffel, a fine singer and solid bass man. All the hallmarks of Queen's prime are included in their recorded output: the creamy falsetto-driven harmonies, the soaring guitar leads, and goofball lyrics. They recorded six songs, including one ("Doin' Alright") that made it to a Queen album. The Cream ripoff "Blag" was the genesis for May's "Brighton Rock" solo, which I use to this day in lieu of Cialis.

I bought a bootleg of their 1969 EP (released in the US by the Mercury label, 'natch) for ninety gotdamn bucks back in my senior year of high school, easily the most I've ever paid for a disc (the Faces and/or Bill Monroe box sets come in second, my Zeppelin/Nuggets sets were gifts).

"Polar Bear" used to remind me of Jeff Buckley. Of course, I was 17 back then, and looking for anything that reminded me of Jeff Buckley (a frustration that would later manifest in my overuse of white v-neck t-shirts).

"Step On Me" swings like Queen does, which is quite the achievment. Also, it reminds me of Jodie Sweeten.

(If anyone gets that, hit yourself)

"Earth" is simply included for a Brian May guitar solo that usually forces me to cross my legs.


May, Taylor, Staffel. Three of these men are cold. Two of them are millionaires.
- posted by kellydwyer @ 5:24 AM (0) comments

 
Here's another one for Drew, who was wondering about buying the latest (and probably last) Steely Dan album. The cut is called "Godwhacker," which is about hiring a hit man to kill God. Don't listen to it on a Sunday morning.

Slate.com called the song "a pitch for Götterdämmerung, the cool ravings of a modern Job turned nihilist, Nietzsche crossed with Shaft." I like the bass.

It's a funky track, pretty typical for a Dan album that stays in the pocket for the duration of the disc. Released in the spring of 2003, it was the first Dan album to be recorded with the same consistent band (Walter Becker on bass and lead guitar, Donald Fagen on most vocals and keyboards, Jon Herington on rhythm guitar, and the soon-to-be-legendary Keith Carlock on drums) since 1973 -- and the first SD album since 1976's "Royal Scam" to be recorded in pure analog.

"Godwhacker" is as dirgy and mean as the album gets, not a lot of the typical Dan harmonies abound, but (as with all Steely tracks) it gets to you on a 2nd or 3rd listen. It also features a nice call-and-response section between Becker (guitar) and Fagen (keytar) in the solo break.



Buy "Everything Must Go."

- posted by kellydwyer @ 1:59 AM (0) comments

 
I'm gunna give this bad boy another go.

I'll try to maintain this as a solid stop, a place to run to for all that is fab and marvy, as I don't mind updating every few days so the same three or four (four, please? Please get up to four ...) people can have a listen to what's on my mind. Because I'm not in Chicago anymore, my ability to toss mix CDs at anyone with a boombox has been severely curtailed, and I need some lotion for this rash. Lanolin, bitches.

Because I'm not ready to spend money on a hosting service, the mp3s will be held by RapidShare, which is as annoying and bulky as it is unreliable. As such, it's all I have right now, and your patience will be rewarded with sweet, sweet licks. You'll have to click the link, wait your allotted time, and enjoy a speedy 30 KB/Sec download. Dig.

Jim Capaldi died over the weekend. He was the drummer and principal harmony vocalist for a band called Traffic. Because Traffic's music didn't translate well to beer commercials, and because they probably turned off an entire sub-generation (the younger brothers and sisters of the boomers, the ones who made legends out of Frampton and Foghat) with a perceived jazz (shock horror!) pretense -- they've been more or less relegated to also-ran status among the FM acts of the day.

Which is a shame, of course, the band was brilliant and their albums hold up as well as any of their contemporaries. Essentially an Anglo version of the Band, Traffic got their shit together in England's north country, and proceeded to kick out out a funky amalgram of their myriad influences.

(Yes, that was the proper usage of the word 'myriad.' This is what finally having copy editors does for you)

I'm throwing out one of Traffic's more-accessible hits, "Medicated Goo," with a funky album track off their last great album -- both go by the name "Shootout At the Fantasy Factory."


Green velour shirt, red pants -- obviously the lead singer. Jim's got the red socks.

Buy "Welcome to the Canteen"
Buy "Shootout At the Fantasy Factory"

Drew wanted to know which BB King album to buy, and the answer is invariably "Live at Cook County Jail," which includes a tight reading of "Everyday I Have the Blues."



Her Royal Funktress

Atlanta's own Sharon Jones and her Dap-Kings know a thing or two about making sounds the way said sounds were supposed to be made. Their cover of "What Have You Done For Me Lately" is spot-fucking-on.

Until next November ...

- posted by kellydwyer @ 3:09 AM (0) comments