The Good, The Bad & The Queen - "Merrie Land" Vinyl, LP, Album, 2018 (Studio 13)

Sad, but a very compelling work from Damon Albarn and the band 'The Good, The Bad & The Queen,' which also has the talents of Paul Simonon on strong bass, Simon Tong on guitar, and the extraordinary drummer Tony Allen.  "Merrie Land" is a very tight focus on the nature of England, and how it looks at its past but also dealing with a sense of loss with respect to Brexit.

 Albarn and company may be the first artist/band to comment on Brexit, and what it means to them as well as to British culture.  The song and title "Merrie Land" is ironic because it deals with the thought of nostalgia, but in fact, it's fantasy.   "Merrie Land" deals with England as a concept, as well as an illusion.  For some reason, whenever I hear or think of Brexit, I think of Jonathan Swift's book "Gulliver's Travels."  England is not only an island, but it thinks culturally like an island as well.  Part of the world, yet separated by water, and again in fantasy likes to think of itself as mental fort set aside by the thought of Britain first.  Nationalism is an ugly neighbor, and I suspect that Albarn and company are exploring the disillusion of a place and time.

Musically the album reminds me of Madness, who also sung of British characters, and maybe even a cousin to The Kinks' "Village Green Preservation Society."  "Merrie Land" and "Village Green" deal with the concept of England that's partly cinematic but also being thrust to the present, and the feeling of insecurity that goes with change.  Michael Redgrave on the cover of the album is a perfect visual for the sounds inside the jacket, which is theatrical in a British music hall manner.

The band itself is restrained and working together to make mood that's dread, with a touch of The Specials' "Ghost Town" thrown in the mix.  Tony Visconti co-produced the album, and there are traces of the vibe from David Bowie's "Blackstar."  "Merrie Land" has great beauty, like all things sad.  I feel that there should be a Criterion DVD added to the package, as if "Merrie Land" was already a film or book.   It feels like a classic work, and I think people will listen to this album thinking what was the beginning of the Brexit years were like?   Art is giving an impression of a feeling or writing something down on the sand before the tide takes it away.

Scott Walker - "Scott Walker Sings Songs From His T.V. Series" Vinyl, Album, Stereo, 1969 (Philips)

A phenomenal, great album on many levels.  Scott Walker is one of the handful greats in contemporary music.  Which sounds like an overblown statement, but the fact is that he has the combination of intelligence, vocals, compositional skills, and vision that doesn't seem possible in a mere human being.  From his career in The Walker Brothers to the classic Scott solo albums, (from "Scott 1" to "Scott 4") to the artful albums of his later career, including his work with Sunn O))) is a remarkable musical (and perhaps) life journey.   "Scott Sing Songs From His T.V. Series, an album that Walker doesn't admire much, is in fact, at least in my opinion, just as important as his renowned masterpieces.  

The thought of Scott Walker having his own TV music series in the UK is mind-boggling in itself, but if he was following the steps of crooners like Jack Jones (a singer he admired) his selection of these songs on this album are by no means hack work.   The core Scott orchestration is in place with the production of John Franz (who did the classic early Scott solo albums) and the arrangements of Peter Knight.  Both men worked with Scott at his solo height in the 60s, and this is not a minor project for any of those involved.

The album is a selection of songs that are from stage shows and film themes.  I'm not familiar with a lot of the songs, but I do know "The Look of Love by Bacharach and David, "The Impossible Dream," and "Lost in the Stars."  None of the songs on this album is Scott phoning in his vocals. I sense he is front and center with the recordings.  I don't know if he was ordered by his management or record company to make such an album, but to my ears, this is an extraordinary artist tackling not exactly the Great American Songbook, but covering some old and contemporary songs at that moment and time in his career.  Frank Sinatra comes to mind, especially the first track on side one, "Well You Still Be Mine" but perhaps his role model on this particular cut was Jack Jones.  Jones I feel was an underrated singer and was often thought of as a middle-of-the-road artist, but I suspect he had more depth than that.  And Scott recognized his talent, but I feel he took that inspiration and moved it into another plane or landscape. 

His version of the great Kurt Weill/Maxwell Anderson song "Lost in the Stars" is exquisite.  For me, I think of Scott as making sound sculptures.   The melodies are important, and maybe even the words are even more essential, but the way he performs his songs I can see it being a visual interpretation of his sounds.   I think his later work is very much in the sculpture mode, but I think he had this idea ever since The Walker Brothers and it just became more profound in his early solo albums.  Although "Scott Sings Songs" seems to be a work that is not part of his overall big picture, I feel it is part of the bridge between his early and later years.  To remove this album from his catalog is like removing "Rubber Soul" and not seeing the jump from "Beatles for Sale" to "Revolver."  This is an essential album by a major artist. It swings hard (in that Jack Jones/Sinatra mode) but also the ballads are crooned so perfectly that he puts others of his generation to shame.  At this time, Scott Walker was very much a songwriter.  So, in the sense of Bowie's "Pin-Ups" or Bryan Ferry's "These Foolish Things" this is a work that is commenting on the nature of popular music, and re-thinking it as not as a business plan, but more as of an artist.  Scott Walker rules. 

The Mandrake Memorial -"The Mandrake Memorial" Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, 1968 (Poppy)

For the past month or so, I have been reading the publication "Flashback" which comes out of the UK, and it's a magazine totally devoted to bands that fell through the cracks in the years 1968 through 1975.  Total music nerd material, and in one of the issues there is a 30-page article on a group called The Mandrake Memorial.   Failure has always been an attraction to me, especially when it comes to artists/bands that almost make it, yet fail.   I found a copy of their first album "The Mandrake Memorial" online and purchased it.  A gem of an album.

The music reminds me of Jack Bruce's work in Cream, with the vocals, but with the added touch of The Doors here and there.  A sitar comes in once in awhile in the mix, and of course, the album yells out 'it's 1968.'  One of the unique sounds that come out of The Mandrake Memorial is their keyboards.  Ofen a harpsichord, but their keyboardist, Michael Kac, was in electronics, and re-wired the instruments, in a manner of Brian Eno.  Their harpsichord sound is loud and aggressive, not played in a 'baroque' manner at all.  

The album is co-produced by Tony Bongiovi, and I gather this is his first production on an album.  He later produced Talking Heads and The Ramones.   The composition of all ten songs are by the band, and they have a dreamy approach, but the lyrics are very much of that era.  Still, I really like this record. 

Gérard Manset - "Rien À Raconter" Vinyl, LP, Album, France, 1976 (EMI)

There is a thrill of discovering an artist that no one in the English language talks or knows about, and I suspect that Gérard Manset is such a songwriter/arranger/singer.   I can find very little information on Manset in English, and according to Discogs, he has at least 23 albums under his name.  From 1968 to this year, 2018.  I have heard his music I think through a drunk period on the Internet, and going through YouTube for music discoveries.   In my collection, I have two albums by Manset, including "Rein À Raconter" (Nothing to Tell).  

Generally speaking, and what I have heard, Manset's songs are all in French (duh!) and feature massive orchestrations, but usually with a loud electric guitar in the mix.  There's nothing pastoral about his sound, both his voice and instrumentation is forceful and not knowing what the songs are about, makes me (or the listener) get an emotional reaction.  I sense anger, and a typical album by him is at the very least eight songs.   So, there's room for the music to build up to tension or a release of some sort. In other words, his music is sexy.  

What impressed me the most is his melody writing, but also his arrangements which is masterful, and more intuned to classical than somewhat a 'wall of sound.'   Manset shares an intensity with Jack Nitzsche, but he doesn't work on a big canvas like Nitzsche.  The music or album sounds like a man alone dealing with a demon or two.  Manset does the production as well as the writing and arrangements, so he's very much a solo artist in that sense.   The sounds that stand out is his vocal delivery which reminds me a bit of Jacques Brel in its intensity, and the sound of his electric guitar against the grain of the lush strings.   A remarkable artist, who I gather is popular in France, due that his releases are on large record labels, and for sure needs to get more attention from the English speaking world.  

The Quick - "Mondo Deco" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2009/1976 (Radio Heartbeat)

My introduction to The Quick came about due to the writer (and filmmaker, among other things) Dennis Cooper, who in his magazine of the 1970s, "Little Caeser," raved about this band and their debut album "Mondo Deco."   Whenever Dennis recommends a writer, film, or music, one should pay attention.  On the other hand, due to my nature, I pretty much ignored The Quick when they existed, and only became interested in them this past four weeks.  I tracked down their album, purchased it, and find myself loving the music.

Since I'm a lover of Sparks (the band, or Ron and Russell Mael), I was put off with the sound of The Quick being very close to the sound of the Mael brothers.  I remember feeling the same way about the band Japan sounding too much like Roxy Music.   Their similarities are there for sure, and obviously influenced by the parent bands, but both Japan and The Quick have their own vibe.  With respect to The Quick, and since I was semi-raised in the San Fernando Valley, I sense that region's aesthetic on the band.  Sparks are a hard band to pin down on the map, but The Quick is for sure are American, and there is nothing more American than a teenager in the Valley. 

The songwriter for the band is guitarist Steven Hufsteter, who on this album, has an understanding of what makes a song happen concerning melody and a catchy chorus.  I don't see how its possible for one not to hum "Hillary," or "No No Girl" while taking a shower or being moody in a bathtub.  The other highlight is "Anybody," which is catchy as heaven, and then it goes into this crazed Yardbirds-style rave-up that's magnificent.  Incredible drum sound, maracas, and chaos.  Yet contained in that catchy melody.   Hufsteter is also a great guitarist, and the arrangements tend to the sound of his guitars, the drums (Danny Benair) and voice of Danny Wilde.  And Billy Bizeau's Ron Mael like minimalism on the piano, and bassist Ian Ainsworth.  Also, I think there is a robust Cheap Trick influence on the band as well.   Earle Mankey produced the album, along with Kim Fowley (hmm) and Mankey who was a member of Halfnelson (Sparks) does give that early Sparks' sound to the mix.   An enjoyable album.  

The Seeds "Future" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2017/1967 (GNP Crescendo)

For whatever reason, I can never take The Seeds seriously.   There are garage bands, but The Seeds always seemed to be a satire of a garage band.  Mostly due to the stance of Sky Saxon and his full embracement of the Flower Power movement.   The first two Seeds albums were straight ahead 60s era garage rock that seemed simple, yet profound.  Throughout my life, I have felt The Seeds belong to the cinematic world of Roger Corman, or the "Something Weird" film distributor.  Which in theory,  sounds pretty good, but compared to a band like The Music Machine, I find The Seeds aesthetically not as important as the one black-gloved wonders.   I avoided The Seeds' third album "Future" like the plague due to the Flower Power motif, but alas, out of boredom, I purchased this album, and I find it fantastic. 

For one, I actually prefer the organ/electric piano of The Seeds, then the Doors, which has a similar line-up.   Jim Morrison is a college professor compared to Sky's lyrics, yet, even in the Roger Corman sense of an aesthetic, Sky may be the real 'deal.'  Straightforward in that Sky had a vision, but he seemed to be the damaged child in some Los Angeles version of a Charles Dickens novel.  The Seeds are Ruffins compared to the sophistication of The Doors.  Still "Painted Doll" is a beautiful and romantic melody, that's almost Iggy Pop in its poetry.  I also love the absurd "Flower Lady and Her Assistant," due that it's a song about a woman who sells flowers on the street, but yet, there's an assistant.  That strikes me as brilliant to add the assistant part.  

Daryl Hooper's keyboards are minimalist and hypnotic.  He's the glue that holds the band together, but for this album, they added various horns, sitar, gong, and most important, a harp.  One can call this album psychedelic, but never loses the pilot, and it's a highly arranged work, with beautiful orchestration.  With the additional instrumentation and the high concept of 'Flower Children,' The Seeds remain to be bratty, defiant, and classic garage rock (in that trashy manner), but with a bigger budget.  It reminds me a bit of The Rolling Stones' "Between the Buttons," in the similar vain in that a band kept their sound, but expanded that landscape with a broader theme.  The Seeds' "Future" is utopian but one can feel a bummer will take place around the corner.   The album as a whole has the classic Seeds sound, but there are also many exotic touches that fit into the groove that's Sky Saxon. 

Orange Juice "The Orange Juice (The Third Album)" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2013/1984 (Domino)

One, and not too far in the distant past there used to be bands that were both tuneful and literary.  Scotland's Orange Juice was one of those bands, and with leader Edwyn Collins' remarkable skills as a songwriter, but also a gentleman who appreciates pop music culture from the not-so-far past, at the time of this recording, which was in 1984.   Orange Juice brings up the idea of a crooning Al Green, or some other Memphis soul artist, as well as Neil Young in his electric guitar phrase.  The combination of those two make up the sound of Orange Juice, but of course, with a very post-punk attitude.

"The Orange Juice" or sometimes known as "The Third Album" was the band's last full-length album.  And one that had only two members at the time of this recording, along with Collins there's the drummer Zeke Manyika.  "The Third Album" is produced by Dennis Bovell, who was known in the 1980s for his 'dub' production work for bands like The Slits and The Pop Group.   His work has always been dub music, but also the more experimental British bands and artists.  So, the fact that Edwyn and company are using Bowell's services is an interesting collaboration, since Orange Juice is basically a guitar-pop band, with a rather traditional manner.  Or are they?  Again, Edwyn Collins has a very Scottish white soul croon, but his lyrics are also very sophisticated in the tradition of Cole Porter and Lorenz Hart.  One can criticize his writing as being a tad post-modern in a sense his work is very much about the 'songwriting,' but he's equally skilled in putting a stunning melody along with his words.  When you add it all up, they are lovely songs about communication among lovers or a commentary on the world of Edwyn Collins.

Clearly, an artist who has a record collection, and its the love of music or certain types of pop songs that makes Orange Juice very enjoyable.  "The Orange Juice" is a solid work that is a tribute to the power of pop songs, but also an individual approach to the art as well.